Moving

Moving to http://facebook.com/CalmProto
cya

Scripps Bee

After watching the national spelling bee on ABC, I'm leaning back amazed at the clues they can ask for to remember how to piece together the spelling of a word. Type of speech, origin, alternate pronunciations, correct pronunciation, definitions, etymology, use in a sentence. Even with all these clues, I do not think I would get half of the words presented. Double letters in scientific words would throw me. Afraid my knowledge of greek and latin have lapsed as well. Oh well, off I go on another three day weekend before making sure other spell checkers are working okay...

New Trek

The new Star Trek movie is an excellent movie. Science fiction is just the setting. The story matters. JJ Abrams did a great job with this one. Nice plot, good acting, great special effects that did not steal the show. I am going to see this one again, and again. When the Dodgers leave town, that is...

Sport?

It has been a weird week at the Stadium Club. Outside the glass as normal, is the ongoing game. But on the TVs above and behind the bar, half of them are on the basketball playoffs. I'm almost confused. Another round please!

Above Sunset

So I'm on a rooftop of a hotel on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood watching a fashion show. How the hell did this happen? Friends of friends invite you to amazing places. The wine was good too...

Not Bad

Had a good weekend in Lost Wages. Played well in a couple of poker tournaments at the Monte Carlo. Floated for hours on a tube at the river pool. Splashed around in the wave pool. Watched dance and hula hoop contests, mentored another budding poker player. Fun, fun, fun.

Twenty Year Old Poem, Still Valid

Eye halve a spelling checker;
It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marks four my revue,
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word,
And weight four it two say,
Weather eye am wrong oar write;
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid,
It nose bee fore two long.
And eye can put the error rite;
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it;
I am shore your pleased two no,
Its letter perfect awl the weigh.
My spell checker tolled me sew!

Going to be Sore Tomorrow

So after that great fun Friday night, a few of us do it again Saturday night, then Sunday afternoon three of us decided to go for a bike ride. I'll let you guess who is who. After the bike ride from Venice up to the Santa Monica Pier and back, we ended up in skyloft above their home drinking espresso and warm lemon/ginger concoction. After an impromptu yoga lesson where they were either flattering me or just amazed at my rookie flexability, I started to get a cramp in my right calf. I had to beg off before dinner and head to a birthday party at my mom's for my closest cousin. Come Monday morning, I am going to be one sore puppy.

A Thorn Among Five Roses

Lucky me. A friend invited me out for Tapas, I had know idea what she was talking about. Apparently she invited several other of her friends as well and it was me among five women, appetizing, drinking, dining, listening to fine music and some of them dancing. It was a very fun evening that I did not really expect. Two were attorneys from opposite sides of the fence, one was a red headed cop who liked techno punk, and a women from Syria with her daughter the model, that met my friend the night before only because they all spoke french. If you look up Tapas on wikipedia, it is a tradition of Spanish cuisine after work and before dinner with a lot of drinking. This was not quite that, and it was a lentil Friday so I ordered nothing but items with tuna in it and avoided the beef and pork. The model had just finished a photo shoot for the Virgin America campaign for the french market. Her mom invited me to her home on Sunday evening, after we all meet at my friends house for dinner tomorrow. One lawyer was my friend, the other an intriguing blond who talked about her kids, and the cop knew more dodger facts than I. But I was the only one with season tickets, so they all became my friend. This was more fun than flying halfway across the country to play a board game, which is what I did last weekend. And the weekend has only started.

But Which Freeway

If you did not see the sign above, you could not tell which freeway this onramp would be leading you to. The two signs at either side of the ramp have no numbers on them. They did just open the ramp a week or so ago, and construction is not yet finished in the area, so maybe the numbers are just on back-order.

And a quick Charlie update. He has completely healed and I took him up to the pet hospital that treated him a couple of weeks ago. They were glad to see him, and he was checking out the place as nosiely and happily as he could. Interviewing a couple of new families to take him this weekend. I may even offer the no-problem-o return policy that Nadine suggested. He needs a pack around him. Whether other dogs or humans. I don't see him for hours and hours every workday, and when baseball season starts, I will be gone even more hours. Wish us luck.

Doggie Flashlight

Poor charlie, looks like a doggie flashlight. Thank you for the crating tips Jenn, he stays there until I get back and un-cone-head him and let him outside now.

Moving Up

Been a very busy week loading six crates at a time in the mini and moving all the small stuff to the new place. Tomorrow I rent a truck for the big stuff. In the mean time, a cute little celebration dance by a toy my aunt gave me:

I wish...

Weeweechu

Here is a story about Rosita and Pedro. Enjoy!

It's a romantic full moon, when Pedro said, "Hey, mamacita, let's do Weeweechu."

Oh no, not now, let's look at the moon!" said Rosita.

Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I do Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.

"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon." replied Rosita.

Please, corazoncito, just once, do Weeweechu with me."

Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll do Weeweechu."

Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang....

"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

End of 50 years in LA

I'm feeling a little better now. Dodgers still lost the NLCS for 2008, but some foolish mortal decided to invite me to the after party in this huge tent in the parking lot outside the stadium club after the game. I was found sulking at the bar going over the game with a few other patrons when one of the bartenders says to me, 'George wants to talk to you'. Usually that means he wants to buy someone a drink, or give you his business card, or just catch up before heading out. This time, as I was finishing up the current conversation, George couldn't wait and walked over and handed me the ticket to the party, seen to the upper left here. Wasn't sure what it was, but I said sure, I'll see him there, and introduced him to the others that were discussing that were also discussing the game at the bar. When all that broke up, I asked one of the security guards I knew if she thought it was going to be a good party to go to. She assured me it would be worth my time, so I left the comfortable stadium club and walked outside to the tent's entrance. The music was very loud, and a dj was having fun playing a safe mix. Video screens everywhere showing slides of various dodger activities and events throughout the last year. Saw a lot of folk I've met at various game through the last few seasons. Four open bars, half a dozen tables of finger food and dodger dogs all laid out. I had fun celebrating and commiserating and eating and getting a bottle of water at the bar. Already had enough to drink earlier. Took a short video and a few pictures. You can see them on my flickr page from the badge on the right. Shook Rick Monday's hand. He's the announcer, former player, that when he was with the cubs, picked up a usa flag from two protesters in center field of dodger stadium who were trying to light it on fire. His success and their failure makes him a hero in my mind, and I thanked him for it. Not sure if he heard everything I said, but he was patient, understanding and I went away happy.

Tough Loss

I'm so sad. One because of the idiot first timers sitting in the row in front of us who had no idea we were season ticket holders and were standing up in front of us at all the wrong times. Two because the Dodgers lost at home and are now behind three games to one in a best of seven series. Three because of traffic downtown after getting off of work at five PM and not getting to the game until six PM in rush hour plus game traffic for a five twenty two start time when it normally takes me all of ten minutes to get there. And four, because I wanna be. I'll cheer up in time for Wednesday night's game. Promise.

People Are Strange

When you,re strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you.re strange
No one remembers your name
When you're
Straaaaaange.
Great win over the phillies tonight, though most of the folk in the stadium club were oblivious to it, or just accepted it and moved on. It seems almost every person I had met in the last five years were in the club before and after the game. It took over an hour for traffic to die down, so I was glad that the club was still open ofter the game, where we could look out the glass and see the river of red brake lights go on and on. Dozens of folk I hadn't talked to in months were all there and all wanted a few minutes. I was happy to give. Before and After the game. During the game I was in my seat, jumping up and down with every great play the team made. Showing up two hours early was even better, easy in, easy out. I am so glad I had conversations to make and beer to drink before leaving the park nearly an hour and a half after the game ended. I'm renewing club membership for next year. The weird part was snippets against one person from various groups about a member of every other group I talked to. Didn't catch any talk about me, but separated a couple of groups so they would not be too close to each other. Our opponent is the phillies this series, not each other. All fans, in different ways, I like drifting between each of the groups. Amazing how so many can handle me, but not others that can too. Not that it is all about me, it's about the team on the field that we are all there to support. Pick one group and shun the rest? hardly. All of them are great in their own right, and I have fun floating amongst them all. Just sorry that they do not all mix. Goes to show that it takes all kinds to be a fan. Even if some think them strange...

Every Little Thing...

Sometimes it's years between, sometimes months, but lately it has been merely hours between dreams. I know I stayed up too late last night recording and editing a chapter for librivox.org and when I came home from work this afternoon, went straight to bed for a nap. Had some weird situation dreams last Saturday night after the Dodger's swept the cubbies, and every night there after they have been milder and milder. I can not remember what exactly the dreams were about, but I know I have been having them. Even during this latest nap. Some are wearing me out. Some are floating through the universe. Maybe it's all this Buddha stuff I've been reading lately, or the audio book series I bought recently featuring the works of Orson Scott Card. Can't believe they all came in except Ender's Shadow. Off I go, into the land of audio...

Cubs Lose

Not only did the cubbies lose, but the dodgers swept them in three straight games. Sorry cub fans, but I am very happy. Other fans that I hadn't seen for half the year started buying me drinks after the game at the stadium club, so I bought them drinks back. Though there was no way I could drink them all, at nearly midnight after the game had ended, security finally came in to clear us all out and I head through the suites back toward my section and out of the stadium. The only folk though this part of the parking lot were drunks and security. Which was I? Definitely not security. I did make it home safe and sound and able to let you know how happy dodger fans are tonight. Twenty years since this team had won a post season series. Poor cubbies and their hundred year quest will have to wait another year, Go Dodgers. I even have time to record for librivox.org tomorrow, but for now, sleep, wonderful sleep. g'night all.

Playoffs, Baby

Got my playoff tickets in the mail the other day. First home game is not until Saturday, but I am already excited. First two games will be in Chicago. Can not quite make those, this time. I hope we sweep them in three and get the first series over with, but I know it will not be that easy. And if LA's team does not make it to the World Series of Baseball, then the fee just rolls over to next year's season ticket pool. First, boo the cubbies, then off to the next round.