The curtain rings down on 2009

Some thoughts before the last of 2009 dies away -

So many people have been making the statement that 2009 was a bad year - well, there have been about eight of those in a row. My 2009 was pretty darned good, all things considered - empirically, one might quarrel with that assessment, but I jettisoned a lot of baggage - both emotional and physical - which leaves me feeling much more stable and able than I was going into 2009.

I guess that if one feels 2009 was a bad year, one should review where they were a year ago and see if their understanding, their communication, their ability to focus on the important things in their lives improved at all.

Life just happens. How we deal with it happening is what sets individuals apart.

I spent just over three months of 2009 without fear or anger. Wow. That has been an amazing thing. I got to go to the inauguration of Barack Obama, and there I met two truly remarkable and awesome people. I met a magnificent guy, moved into an apartment that is small enough that I am living alone for the first time in my life. I share office space with an angel, and I have very little stress now.

I got to see my friend Matt four times? Five times? That was great. I "found" my best friend from law school after a ten year absence. I made friends with a guy I hardly knew in high school, with whom I have been carrying on a delightful, supportive and engaging correspondence. I was blessed to have my friendship with LEA restored. I have made friends with amazing ladies from the church, and gotten a lot closer with my Aunt Liz.

I have had six straight months of talking with my sister without recrimination or anger. SIX months. In a ROW.

I had the love and support of my friends. I have released a number of people in my life who were not productive, regardless of how it may have seemed from the outside.

My year was an endless experience of being appreciated, loved and cared about by my truly amazing circle of magnificent humans I am lucky enough to call friends. I hope I gave as good as I got, because each one of them is a treasure.

I gave up on following politics in the large part, and stopped looking for flaws in my thinking and character.

I got to see our city elect a moderated, unexciting, immensely competent and honest mayor - who just as an aside - is a lesbian. I am lucky enough to have met and talked to her several times, and she is the kind of political leader we need a few hundred dozen more of.

I'll say that, overall, 2009 was awesome. I'm no wealthier, no healthier, and still very single - but I don't see these as problems.

I still don't know exactly what I want to do with my life, but I'm getting a lot better at hitting the brakes when the runaway idea train picks up speed - and discerning what is motivating me and what it will benefit me.

When I wake up, it's going to be Friday. Many people are going to tell me that the day has some significance, but it's just a story that's completely made up. Other human cultures existing with us now honor other days as the start of the new calendar year, and who's to say that their selection of a "day" is right or wrong?

As I go from Thursday to Friday, I have on my mind that I am going to engage in a lot less omphaloskepsis and a whole lot more "getting the job done". I'm going to take care of myself as an investment, and I'm now utterly devoid of feeling sorry for myself.

Things will happen - flat tires, homophobia, events, maybe another hurricane or two. I will deal with them, without making those events "mean" something about me, or my past, or the people around me. I will continue to see and seek the best in people, and to understand that when they are displeasing, they're probably scared or alone or trapped in their own old beliefs.

I will continue to look every person in the eye, and smile at them to let them know that I see them, and that they're a human worthy of greeting, respect and acknowledgment.

I will recycle even more than I do now, and I will push processed foods further away from my table until they're gone entirely.

And I'm going to focus on the thing that matters most - being with the people in my life - and telling them how remarkable they are, how glad I am to be with them, and that I'll help them in any way I can. There really is no other point to living than that.

So, if you're reading this, you're connected to me in some fashion and I'm glad that we are. I know in my heart that your New Year will be everything that you can make of it. When you're feeling a bit like it's not working out, call me. I'll talk you down from your perch and assure you it's all working out just fine.

So, my dad sends me an email -

He does that, you know. The email that he sent me was from his brother in law, I think, who's a Tea Bagger.

The email was a purported presentation given by one Leo Carrington, owner of Carrington Automotive, to the entire employee body of his 12 stores assembled at the Grand Payne Hotel. You can read the email here.

So, Dad asks me "What do I think"?

Well, I spent about 90 minutes reading, doing some (very quick, because the facts are RIGHT there) Google research and composing a response for him. To-wit:

Oh, the horseshit starts flying.

My friend Nancy, who has a small business that brings in something a tad less than the Carrington example would LOVE to pay a payroll tax of 2.5% instead of the ferocious health premiums she's now been paying. In fact, it would push her balance sheet over from red to black. But, Carrington doesn't provide any health insurance.

I believe that the pending and incomplete legislation on health care prohibits a pushback on wages for any employer who is penalized for failing to provide health insurance. So, that part of the missive is an empty and illegal threat. The 8% tax penalty is only in the house bill, and the Senate bill (which everyone who isn't trying to panic people about the "socialists" knows is going to prevail) has a $750 per employee per year tax penalty for employers who don't provide health insurance. That's $140,250 in tax penalty for requiring that the government pay for his employees' health care premiums. Given that the average private health insurance annual premium WITHOUT dependent coverage is now $6,000 to the employer - sounds like he's still a cheapskate and getting off without much of a penalty. His insurance premium for employees only would be $1,122,000.

At least that way, by providing his employees with health care coverage, he wouldn't have to pay any personal income tax at all.

As to his assertions on the increase in taxes - let's come back to reality. The top incremental rate on income over $250,000 will increase by 3% to approximately $370,000, and the top incremental rate on income over $370,000 would increase by 4.6% The rates on income below $250,000 will NOT change.

So, the increase in tax on the portion between $370,000 and the stated $534,000 of taxable income would be the difference between $57,400 (the tax on that increment of income at present under the Bush tax cuts) and $64,944 (the tax on that increment of income if the Bush tax cuts were allowed to expire.) His taxes will increase by $7,544. Gee, I can do THAT in my head! The increase in tax on the portion between $250,000 and $370,000 - $3,600.

Our example, Carrington, will see his income taxes increase by $11,144 if the Bush tax cuts expire. Another sum I can do in my head!

According to our "example", $11,144 expressed as a percentage of his total taxable income is 2.08%. The "example" suggests that "nearly" 5% is the tax impact, $24,564. So, the "example" of the net effect of allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire is overstated by a factor of "nearly" two times. The net effect would be that he pays $11,144 in additional personal income tax, which is slightly less than $1,000 per store of twelve per year, or just about $90 a month in additional personal income tax.

Whoopie fucking do.

There is no proposal to increase the top incremental tax rate on incomes over $1,000,000. That part of the "example" is a flat out lie. A fantasy. Not even being discussed, EXCEPT IN BRITAIN.

About three quarters of the "example" in the missive is posturing, ranting and fantasy - the math I have countered above (with facts, sorry). The proposed tax increase (that was passed by the Republican controlled Congress and signed by Bush - how do they keep missing that part?) will cost him $59/employee/year. If the health care employer mandate is indeed effected, then STARTING IN 2014, he'd be paying an additional $750/employee/year for a total increase of $800/employee/year, or $66.00 per employee/month.

Next big problem, according to the SBA in 2009, just over 50% of all employment in the United States is by "small business". They comprise 44% of total private (non-government) payroll, which is a damned sight smaller than the 80% the "example" suggests, and job growth by "small business" is 64% of new jobs over the last FIFTEEN years - not just the last year. Spinning, let's add some more spin.

Now, for the coup d'grace. The ENTIRE EMAIL IS A FAKE. There is no Carrington Automotive, there is no Leo Carrington, and there is no Royal Payne Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. There is, still, Norfolk Virginia, but the tea baggers probably have something up their sleeves about that.

The End.

Turd, flushed

While visiting in Tulsa, my friend T-rex christened the HS250 "the Turd", a name which stuck through this afternoon when I surrendered the car to Sterling McCall Lexus.

As I've been criticizing the HS, and as I have been finding little to recommend it on any level, I have been questioning myself. Am I just a cranky nudge who hates everything? I mean, those nice people at Lexus let me drive the car for a week for free and sent me a nice Priority Mail flat rate box haphazardly stuffed full of Lexus swag (most of which were coupons inviting me to spend money with Lexus partners, nearly all of which were in the San Francisco Bay area, where Lexus' marketing firm is located).

What I have kept finding is that the HS250 is a poor choice at $26,000, a joke at $36,000 and utterly absurd at $43,000.

Now, I've seen and examined the 2010 Lincoln MKZ, and it is a much nicer car than is the HS250 - nicer materials, more features, more room - and costs LESS - yet the New York Times pointed out that it is merely a "nice" car and that "nice" doesn't cut at when you're at the $40,000 mark.

More observations:

I cannot see the corners or edges of the HS250 AT ALL, which makes it VERY challenging to park. The steering is completely without feedback - it has all the communication of a trackball, and when one is trying to pilot into a parking space and has no idea where the car is, or what angle the steering is bringing up - one can find oneself parked like a dodo head.

The driveline surges - a LOT. I know that it's a hybrid and doesn't act as my gasoline powered car would, but driving the HS back to back with a friend's two year old Prius, the HS250 surges a LOT and the Prius not at all.

Fuel economy at 35.5 overall is NOT impressive, when a VW Jetta TDI for half the money would have had better performance, equal interior quality, three times the trunk space, equal interior room and gotten over 40MPG.

I have been reading stirrings of new Prius owners reporting that their brakes are failing - I had that experience with the HS at least three times, once this morning. The brakes push to the floor, start to chatter as if the ABS were cycling and n-o-t-h-i-n-g is happening. By releasing the pedal and re-applying braking force, the brakes recovered and stopped the car.

Notes for Nanuck

As in, of the North? I am learning that my metaphor and humor is lost on people I always thought were getting me.

So, I drove this car in snow and ice. Was it a lot of snow and ice? Yes, if you live in Tulsa, it was. For a boy who grew up in Kalamazoo and knows the exact meaning of "Lake Effect Snow", it seemed rather a gay romp. I mean, the Turd wasn't even covered over in snow!

However, if you live north of .. say .. Memphis, and you're considering this car, there are a few things you really need to know about:

The seat heaters don't get warm. Really. Well, a little warm. About as warm as if your butt were perched on the thrones for about an hour, but no warmer than that.

The rear window defroster cannot and will not clear the backlight. The Turd found itself on the 26th with a half dusting of snow and a smidge of ice. After cycling the rear defroster for TWO HOURS, the backlight had STILL not cleared. I am used to cars (and have had cars since the 1970s) that would melt butter off the backlight with the rear defrost selected.

The heater doesn't heat the car. Okay, so this may sound extreme. Allow me to clarify - you'll NEVER get too warm in the cabin of the HS250 during the winter months. EVER. Your feet will never get warm, and your breathing passages will not dry out from dry, hot air blowing in your face.

No, really - I rode home from Sterling McCall Lexus today in a 2008 SLK, and the seats had my buns sizzling within two miles and the defroster had the car uncomfortably warm before that.

You will NOT experience extremes of cold and heat in the HS250 during the winter in the snow belt.

Perhaps related to this, the windshield wipers are fully below the defroster line of the windshield, and - well - there's no easy way to put this - if it's snowing heavily, if there's a bit of freezing rain or anything such as that, you'll have to chip out the blocks of snow or ice from the wipers. The wipers are not powerful enough to lift themselves out of packed snow.

Finally, if it's snowing, or freezing rain, or blowing/gusting/drifting snow, I'd strongly recommend filling up BEFORE the weather moves in, because your fuel filler door will be frozen solid. As in, gingerly prying the lightweight plastic fuel filler door open with a thin blade until you can pry it open. Think about how frustrated you were the last time you tried to open a can of paint when the lid was stuck down from crusty old paint under the edge - and then add that concept to standing outside on 18 degree pavement, with gusting winds next to a gas pump.

Yeah.

Back to the meat of the matter

Driven next to a Prius, the HS250 ceases to be a "nice" car. It is a bit quieter, because the Prius is a hatchback. The HS250 slams into expansion joints and pavement breaks while the Prius slides by. The HS hardly EVER runs on battery, whereas the Prius will run quite a long way on battery alone. Just no justification at all for the $16,000 price difference between the two.

Finally, the HS250 is just flat out .. unattractive. The shape, the grille, the trim - just unattractive. Okay, I'll be straight about it - it's ugly.

Final notes

Is it just a Houston thing, or what?

I took the Turd back to Sterling McCall today at noonish. I parked the car out front, walked in with my friend who got out of his 2008 Mercedes SLK, and entered through the front door.

We could have successfully blown up our underwear, as none of the passengers of Delta flight 253 were present to interact with us.

After a couple of minutes of STANDING in the center of the showroom, I walked back toward the entry door to ask a salesman who was hiding in his (lovely and Rosewood) cubicle if he could help me find the PR gal I was to ask for.

My friend, who drove up in a very nice Mercedes-Benz, was never greeted in any way.

Really? You want me to spend HOW much money? Couple this with the indifferent delivery experience, and the outright refusal regarding a test drive of a newer model LS460, I'm going to give Lexus's showroom experience a big, fat zero.

Left behind..

So, this is an indecorous posting, inasmuch as I'm calling someone and something out.

This came to me today, in the way of "what does this mean"? This was written by a licensed attorney working for the Franklin County (Ohio) prosecutor's office. This was written as an official business communication from a person who has completed four years of undergraduate school, and three years of law school, and is working for the county government of the seat of state government in Ohio. I'll just let it speak for itself.

From: "XXX X. XXXX"
To: xxxxxxx@email.xxx
Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2009 1:44:22 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: XXXXXXX




XXXX, I've tried calling you at ur number and no answer but this case is not being dismissed so u need to come to court or a warrant will be issued and if need be I will arrest you at Franklin when u go to school. Avoiding me is not going to get the case resolved so u need to contact me and not xxxx. Im the prosecutor on the case and u need to speak with me. Call me so that we can discuss the case.






Assistant Prosecuting Attorney

Franklin County Prosecutor's Office

Criminal Division

373 S. High Street, 14th Floor

P: 614-

F: 614-

Lexus HS250 drive days two and three

0930 to 1815 is quite a while to spend with any car when it is uninterrupted by anything other than bathroom stops and a single gas fill-up.

During a continuous time such as this, one becomes familiar with those elements of a car that bring comfort or angst to one's car purchase decision.

Comfort items -

The HS250 is a breeze to see out of. Glass everywhere, allows for a clear view of hazards in all directions.

Once mastered, the entertainment system works reasonably well. The iPod interface is a touch weird - if the car is turned off while the iPod is playing, it won't play the iPod again until one disconnects and resets the iPod.

The gear selector is a hoot and a half to operate, and the regen braking feature is AWESOME when exiting a freeway.

The seat BACK is extremely comfortable (for me).

The graphic display for the driver that shows fuel economy, charging status, and status is terrific and fun.

The rain sensing wipers are great.

Annoying, irritating and displeasing things -

The HS250 is LOUD on the freeway. The tires, being designed for fuel efficiency and low rolling resistence whine loudly, and pound on the expansion strips. There is a lot of wind noise along the entire upper window line.

The freeway noise washes out entertainment system performance.

The HS250 cruise control does NOT disengage with a light tap or a medium tap on the brake pedal; I could only get it to disengage by canceling with the cruise control stalk. When traffic ahead changes unexpectedly and the car continues to drive forward while you press on the brake, you are presented with quite a stressful, conflicted environment.

The lower seat cushion is woefully inadequate - combined with the lack of a dead pedal, one finds oneself exhausted after hours of micro movement and pushing back to stay in the seat.

Interior storage space in the HS250 is just weird - no cubby is deep enough to hold an average phone or iPod when connected to the charging cable. Also, when plugged into the console, iPod and charging cables have to be strung along the console to the center cubby under the armrest. Putting the USB/mini-plug and charging jacks inside the center cubby would seem to make more sense.

The interior materials are grossly inappropriate for a $42,000 Lexus. The center stack design is completely indistinguishable from a Toyota Venza, equipped with the identical entertainment unit, HVAC switchgear and secondary switches.

The entertainment (non-nav) has an LCD display that's light blue with black lettering. The other displays are LED, with lighted letters on a flat background. At night, the entertainment display is difficult to read in the extreme.

550 miles, 34.7 average MPG 75 average MPH. Not very impressive.

My thoughts, so far -

Without price weighting, the HS250 is not an impressive car. It is compromised in the driving experience, is agreeable for a moderately priced car, but wholly inappropriate for a luxury brand. The storage space and seating capacity isn't competitive. The car is, frankly, unattractive.

Price weighted, this is a turd. Ford would do very well by keeping one of these at each of their stores for comparison with their Fusion Hybrid that has far more room, better seating, equal features, better fuel economy and $32,000.

The HS250 has not moved today, and is currently covered in about five inches of snow.

Tulsa in Christmas -

I am "enjoying" being in Tulsa during their first ever blizzard warning. Tracey's parents are as charming as they ever have been, and I'm noticing that the absence of gift exchange provides more focus on human communications and reduces stress greatly.

I have some more political observations and social thoughts to share tomorrow -

Lexus HS250 drive day two

If I were more committed to alliteration, I'd have said "drive day dos".

It's not as much fun, being up and functional before all of one's online friends are up and chatty - true, there was no competition for the laundry equipment, and I'm still on schedule for an 0830 departure. However - will I make it to my destination in time for our 1830 dinner reservation?

Today promises nine hours of driving through forecasted rainshowers and thunderstorms. The HS is going to be tested against these conditions.

Yesterday's partial day was unremarkable and remarkable in several ways. We picked up the HS from Sterling McCall Lexus at around 2:00 pm - the store is standard Lexus fare, but without parking for more than about ten customer cars.

Unremarkable elements of the day's experience -

Driving the HS250 around the streets of Houston, during rainy conditions would not have provided many opportunities to really understand the car. Add in Christmas frenzy in my fellow auto pilots, and you get a lot of time spent focusing on not being mushed by an SUV, and being gleeful at having found any parking space at all.

We braved Galleria traffic AND Spec's main warehouse store - my resident Lexian Billy and I roamed the streets on Christmas related errands.

Remarkable elements of the day's experience -

The HS250 rides HARD. Harder than either of my Pontiac GXP cars, much harder than the Audi A4 prestige with sport package I drove a few weeks ago, and far harder than Guy's Prius. Which leads to the revelation that Houston's roads are atrocious for a major city in the southwest. Hint, hint, new mayoress.

The HS250 sits very, very high - think "Ford Five Hundred" high. This makes ingress much easier, but in this car it gives a sense of tippiness. At least to me.

The HS250's trunk is VERY small. It's well shaped, but it is VERY small. The American tendency to evaluate cargo space by how many sets of golf clubs can be carried will be stymied, as there isn't a way to get other than a collapsible set of irons in the car.

The aircraft like center stack is partly to accommodate the very high seating position, and partly because it's "a hybrid". It looks very cool and functional, but in operation, it keeps getting in the way of intuitive hand and arm movement.

While no Audi with MMI in terms of complexity, the car is loaded with buttons and things to push, which require study to understand. I didn't feel secure trying to operate some of the primary controls until after reading the entire quick start guide and supplementing with the owner's manual. By primary controls, I include "putting the car into gear" and the windshield wipers.

The stereo quality in the base car is very disappointing. The sound is muddy, and without depth. Bass notes just thump without definition. The two line LED display makes it very challenging to be sure of what station/song/track one is hunting for.

When we picked the car up at Sterling McCall, the salesman basically handed me the keys and said "see you on Tuesday" and fled. We had no introduction to the car, and no introduction to its controls. None of the terms of the loaner agreement were reviewed or discussed. Just "put your address here and sign here".

I guess they think I am not an HS250 customer at all. The salesman DID tell Billy and me that they do not and would not allow a test drive of the new, $76,000 LS460 sport model "because they're so unique". Um. Audi will encourage one to hop into one of their $120,000 S8s with far more sporting capabilities and take it out for some wringing. While friendly enough, the experience at the dealer did not encourage one to return, and was little different than the experience one would have at the Chevy store just up the street.

The interior materials of the LS250 (base model) are unremarkable - in fact, nearly identical to Dina's new Toyota Venza. The design lines are pleasing enough, but - for $42,000, the interior quality is indistinguishable from a $28,000 Prius, which has more interior space, more cargo space, rides better and gets better economy.

Speaking of economy - I reset all the stored values when I picked the car up (which took some doing, since I didn't discover the owner's manual in the trunk until a few hours later) and running around on surface streets yesterday, we were averaging about 27 mpg.

Now, to wrap up with something nice. My long time coach Jenny always used to say that if you had bad news, you must wrap it in good - the hamburger bun method, she called it.

My head doesn't hit the roof of the HS, which is nice.L

I tole you before, but you didn't listen...

The Twelve Days of Christmas haven't yet started

And they won't start until the 25th. Just so you know.

Yesterday, I went with Billy to IKEA and to BestBuy. We had a blast. I don't think he's been "shopping" with me before and didn't realize how amusing it can be. He got a new DVD player and I was helping him set it up, which required a flashlight to see what I was doing.

This led me to remark that I myself had a flashlight, the sole purpose of which was to facilitate looking into the coffee carafe in the mornings, to see if enough hot water had been put in.

I was Robert-napped today. It was just what I needed, actually.

The weather seems to have stabilized with dryer air and lower temperatures. That makes my sinuses much happier.

The 787 flew and looked beautiful doing it.

I'm a lot closer to starting my book idea (1 of 4).

Why did I not know about Firefox's ad blocking add on before? Life is incrementally better with it.

I'm no turkey!

So, I have a request to the members of the Congress of the United States of America (in session).

Just stop.

Just stop even pretending that anything you do at all is other than tweaking the tax code and doling out tax dollars for those wealthy and privileged enough to give you big campaign contributions.

Stop with the to and fro about health care reform - it's so clear that you're just going to give MORE money to the health industry, just like you did with Medicare reform - just leave us be.

Stop with the agonizing about financial re-regulation or making it harder for people to get home loans - we know you don't care about people with social security numbers and direct deposit twice a month and ten thousand or so in their 401(k) program.

It's okay that you're shoving rules down our throats that require school districts to buy software and test models from the Bush family, and that some other insider has a contract to sell the RFID technology for the new driver licenses. We know you're about to re-privatize the TSA and lord, who KNOWS how many zeros will be on that check? We know that you're going to continue to reward those highest paying corporations with enormous contracts, mostly for weapons and contracting related to defense - defense against what?

No one cares to ask anymore.

We know that you are pushing hard for the guy who gave your daughter a $250,000 consulting gig six weeks out of her Bachelor's - and that she's not required to keep office hours.

We know that you pontificate about pretty much anything that will get you face time - FREE face time - on television. We know that you are focused on two things - delivery for those that wrote you the checks, and re-election to keep the checks coming.

We know that you don't give a damn about abortion rights, or the right to privacy, or equal access to the public airwaves - you don't care about "public" anything if you can sell a piece off to someone who'll drill another big check into your offshore account.

Just stop. Stop talking to us. Stop telling us that you're going to do anything for anyone that's not listed on the Fortune 500. Stop telling us anything at all, just keep getting your face on TV.

Wait, I think that has already happened. Maybe that's why the pontificating has gone so far into the realm of the absurd. If one added some pratfalls and a few exploding cigars, you'd have a Marx Brothers show. Some of you would embarass the Three Stooges.

Maybe the answer is for us, the people, the people who have birth certificates and not corporate charters, lawyers and lobbyists, to tune you out for good. Ignore you entirely.

Maybe the answer is for us to all of us just stop participating in this bi-annual sham called "national elections".

Maybe if we, the people, those who have voter registration cards, focused as much attention on ignoring you vacuous money grubbers as we now do on arguing in favor of whatever squid ink you're squirting into the media waters - maybe, if no one voted at all, responded to your polls, gave your campaign Twenty Dollars, signed up for your Facebook fan page, signed up on your email lists - maybe, just maybe - you'd have the constituency you actually represent.

It ain't necessarily so ..

A friend recently was told by someone at a medical office that she had lumps in her breast that needed to be examined more closely. The appointment to have her charts and scans read took two months - at which time they told her that she had some fibroids that needed to be watched. Her results were a huge relief, of course, but this has been the fourth time THIS YEAR that a woman friend of mine was told by a clinician that she may have breast cancer and was left to stew in her own juices until the doctor picked up the charts and scans and reported "you don't have cancer". Several of these women have had to have biopsies. Each of them was put through months of internalized panic and stress to be told "oh, those are just fibroids. Perfectly normal for your age."

There are so many things in life that "ain't necessarily so". Someone's motivations, someone's internal monologue, someone's past - what something "means".

To be human is to focus nearly exclusively on what everything means. What words mean, events, weather, career paths, relationship developments. What does it MEAN? Depending on one's background, training and openness, this meaning can be attributed to one's own failings, to vague feelings that someone is out to get you, to feelings that God is out to get you.

The problem with that is - when everyone is trying to figure out what it "means" without listening, asking or observing - you have nothing but self-guided "certainty" with no real information.

All of life is complex, involving many independent parts, all of which collide depending on timing, order, temperature.. so many variables that it's impossible to know just what things "mean".

Just remember - it ain't necessarily so. Could be different. If you don't like how it looks, be open to seeing it differently.

Vampire plots

It has occurred to me that our planet has for the last two decades been the focus of a comprehensive campaign by vampires to lay the foundation for acceptance and dominance of the human world.

Previous to this time, vampires have always allowed themselves to be portrayed as gruesome, fearful beasts who appeared to be barely human. In the absence of long distance communication and fast responders such as police and fire departments (only those that are socialized, of course) the vampire society began to see that they had to gain acceptance or even admiration to maintain their wealth and power.

Nearly twenty years ago, female vampires were portrayed as sexy and powerfully appealing for the first time in a widely distributed film. While this changed the opinions of a portion of the male population, it did nothing to gain the complete social integration desired by the vamps.

In the last ten years, we have seen a constant stream of incredibly hot, sexy, lovable vampire males. Tom Cruise, David Boreanaz, the twinky boys from the Twilight series, Wesley Snipe, even Ryan Reynolds has made a mostly naked appearance to utilize his inimitable Adonis belt to persuade a malleable populace to want to be with a Vampire or be LIKE a Vampire.

Prescient as they are, the Vampires could predict the passage of the Patriot Act, which would inevitably bring them permanently out of the financial shadows and into the sunlight. This marketing campaign was only the broadest in their effort to grow their number and gain full civil rights.

Clearly, Hollywood is being run by Vampires, given all of this content.

(hee hee)

Lexi? Really?

So, I awoke from a dream that I was selling Lexus automobiles.

I was really, really good at it.

Thankya thanksgiving

So, a few things to start with - a very interesting op-ed in Mother Jones about Congress and regulating the financial markets. Best quote from that piece -

"I remain pessimistic on the ability of Congress to rein in the financial community in any serious way. They just don't have the power."

Next, a terrific and funny contribution from a Northwest flight attendant in today's New York Times. Terrific reading for anyone traveling this Holiday season.

Having a peaceful weekend, did my "traveling" today just trekking from the office to the apartment.

Tomorrow, going to Donna's where we will hang out drinking coffee and jabbering all day. No turkey (I think), no "tradition", no nonsense.

Speaking of holiday traditions, it is quite well established that Christmas is a re-purposing of the pagan winter solstice. Easter is the spring solstice. Thanksgiving, though?

It's a holiday unique to North Amercia. Canadian Thanksgiving is earlier than is ours and is to celebrate the end of the harvest.

Here in the US, we are told that some of the first English settlers invited their Native American neighbors over for a little nosh in gratitude for their support of the previously starving English settlers.

With turkeys, cranberries and mashed potatoes.

What if it wasn't so? What if we've had a re-write of history, just as we have with the Bible and so many other "truths" that are taken for granted?

These two diaries are very interesting - they're pretty angry (given the author's point of view) but the present a very interesting perspective and a possible background we've never heard about.

Just a quiet rant, but it seems to me that holiday shopping and hours are particularly aggressive today.

I wonder

Eleven years ago, my mother died. She was in hospice for a few weeks, which provided me with ample time to think up stuff to research on the nascent 'net.

One of those things was great big transatlantic ocean liners, which led to the very late night question "What ever happened to the SS United States?"

Turns out, it's in Philadelphia. It's been in Philadelphia for nearly fourteen years. It's been stripped out, auctioned off, abused, whipped, ignored and allowed to rust since 1969.

It is one of only four preserved (in a manner of speaking) former ocean liners, and the only one still with its entire power plant (engine room) intact.

The fastest ocean liner in history, the ship had a storied career until it was suddenly and unexpectedly pulled from service fifty years ago last week.

I have long been one who pined for a past I never lived. I have studied it (the past), read about it, thought about how it could be put to service (those elements which survive).

I even cooked up a (in my view, quite decent) plan to restore the SS United States to service. However, what is the POINT?

I have driven cars from my youth that were unattainable and incredible, only to realize that they are poor substitutes for what is available today. Everything is better and everyone's expectations are different; why does it make sense to pour a huge volume of resources into preserving something that has no more use?

As an example, I have a simple lovely chafing dish that belonged to my great-grandmother. It has a working double boiler, and a working oil lamp. As a device for heating and serving food, it's unworkable as compared to other solutions. It takes up space, consumes resources and does nothing but sit there.

As does the SS United States.

In the thirteen years since it came to roost in Philadelphia, there have been numerous efforts to turn it into a museum, into a hotel, into a convention space, into a working ocean liner - and no one has had the money or inclination to execute on that. It's not suited for a cruise ship, it's not efficient enough to use as a steamship without a half billion dollars of renovations, it's a project that would cost easily $50 million just to make the ship sound enough for long term display, and then it's just a vast, empty space that isn't safe for people to move around.

Few ship museums support themselves. Even fighting ships with a rich history don't support themselves.

We have aircraft rotting away in dozens and dozens of museums. We have six or seven aircraft carriers, and five or six battleships moldering and rotting away in various stages of decay in this country. We have battlefields that are falling apart, cemeteries of people dead more than a hundred years that are ignored - why do we struggle so hard to revere the past and then ignore it?

I realize that most of the people seeking to salvage the SS United States are people who have traveled on her, or urgently desired to do so when she was in service. Very few have a currently developed affinity - certainly not enough to support the ship.

Without having done any kind of organized research, I assert that nearly all of these tombs and relics are preserved by those who served on and in them, worked on and in them, used them, knew them in their youth. In their later years, they are seeking something - validation? Reliving when they were young and vigorous and doing the newest, highest, best thing possible?

We can't save every machine to benefit the ego and id of a bunch of people who will be dead as the machine again wears and rusts out.

Why cannot we reclaim our vigor and our glory by sharing our talents with those in need, with those who need education or comfort, or guidance?

As I have written in this blog, I had an idea in 1973 that a metallic green Chrysler Imperial was THE manifestation of success, and of acceptance into the world that was desirable. For more than thirty years, I thought that having one would bring me that feeling of success and acceptance - and mistakenly thought I had an affection for that car - that it was somehow unique and special.

And then, I had one - listing and leaking black oil into my driveway. And I ignored it for a month.

Reliving my past and my feelings occurs inside of me, and doesn't require the rehabilitation of a non-functional leviathan.

We have nearly 1/5th of our population without health care, nearly a tenth without adequate food, over half without decent education - and we're going to raise money to restore the Battleship Texas? To scrape, paint, moor, insure, power, rehabilitate the SS United States? To repair the USS Lexington in a few more years when the hull has predictably deteriorated to a point that she's no longer structurally sound?

Just how many freaking preserved aircraft carriers does a world need, anyway?

We're fighting each other tooth and nail about whether we should have health care for everyone and we (as a race) have invested thousands upon thousands of hours and billions of dollars enshrining the past for future generations that will not care one whit.

Please notice that I am not evaluating the incredible waste that went into building fleets of battleships and aircraft carriers and bombers and moving them around like so many chess pieces for hundreds of years. I am only speaking to the waste we currently indulge - it is insane, it is inhumane, it is morally offensive.

One of the solutions proposed for the SS United States is to sink her as a barrier reef.

Let her rest in peace. Let those resources go to feed, clothe and educate our children. Just say "no" to throwing money after the glory days of youth that youth today utterly ignore.

Futzing - or, Divo happiness

So, today I've been futzing - I've reduced the number of emails I'll get each day, and reduced the number of text messages in a big way.

I've re-org'd my internet favorites, cutting back on the clutter.

I have simplified all kinds of communications tools, to cut down on the input levels.

I have mapped out some web content changes.

And, I've had a great time doing it all!

Tomorrow, more execution of the "plans"!

Remember Fractured Fairy Tales?

Call this Hysterical History. Or come up with a better name for me to use.

Prior installments - how VW came to buy Porsche, and how Safeway came to be Safeway again... now, THE HISTORY OF AUDI!

http://www.dinesh.com/history_of_logos/car_logos_-_design_and_history/audi_logo_-_design_and_history.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Motorenwerke_AG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DKW

Horch/DKW/Wanderer/Audi = Auto Union

Audi = Latin for "Hear" or "To Hear" (or "listen")
Horch = Founder's name, yes, but German infinitive for "Hear" (or "listen")

Is it possible that what distinguishes Audi at its soul is listening to what people want?

I can NEVER remember DKW. It's so SIMPLE too - Dampf Kraft Wagen (rolls eyes). 'Cause all those shiny cars on your lot SO remind me of steam powered buggies.

Horch were actually more elite PKWs (Personnen Kraft Wagen, as distinct from Last Kraft Wagen) during and immediately after the Hitlerzeit than were Mercedes. And, of course, BMW was an aircraft motor company and motorbike company.

When I was an exchange student to Wolfsburg in high school, everyone in northern Germany called BMW "Bayerische Mist Wagen" - Bavarian Manure Cart.

Mercedes were taxis.

NSU is an older company than is Daimler-Benz, being founded in 1873. Karl Benz made his first motorcar in 1885. Of course, NSU started off making sewing machines. They started making motorcycles in 1901. They were, in 1955, the largest motorcycle company in the world. Started producing cars (again) in 1957, and were the first company to mass produce Wankel engined automobiles - the most famous being the Ro80, spiritual predecessor to the Audi 80/VW Passat, now being sold as the A4. The Ro80 was the European Car of the Year in 1967.

Producing such a revolutionary car broke the bank, and VW AG bought them in 1969, merged them into Auto Union (which for many years hadn't been doing much of anything) and renamed the whole shooting match "Audi" even though that brand (of the five) was the least well known. Maybe they were on to something.

After the war, only DKW were produced in West Germany - all of the Horch, Wanderer, Auto Union facilities ended up in EAST Germany. Daimler (those bastards) bought a controlling interest in Auto Union in 1957, bought the rest of the farm in 1959 and then started getting cold feet. With the help of the Lower Saxony government, VW bought the schtuff in 1964. Horch had bought the farm during the war, and Auto Union was resurrected by Daimler, who never really recovered from AU's Silver Arrows whipping the shit out of Daimler's racers in the 1930s.

Damiler had designed a lovely little platform called the F103, which was the foundation for the Audi 80/VW Passat, save for that the Audi version was only sold as "Audi" (single model) until the acquisition of NSU a few years later. In 1965, VW kicked the DKW name to the kurb, and Audi was the brand.

Pack rattage

From those really snarky, smart people who run TUT's Adventurer's Club:

Now let me get this straight: You want things that you don't yet have, people in your life who you don't yet know, and events to take place that haven't yet occurred, so that once these "things" come to pass you'll feel happy, confident, and fulfilled; accomplished, desired, and appreciated; treasured, adored, and like one bad mamma jama, a beautiful sight to see?

But... wasn't that your rationale for all the other stuff you wanted, that you now have?

Whooohoooooooo!
The Universe

Uh, yeah.

As I get further away from having far too much stuff, I keep noticing the dichotomy within myself of finding more stuff I don't need or use, and keep finding more fun and useless stuff that I am convinced I need.

Of course, the best part of this is being judgmental about someone ELSE who is accumulating too much stuff, and my observing that.

Like I was never a ripe target for such criticism.

Probably the ripest area for improvement within myself is further dispatching processed, non-nutritional foods from my life. Watching how other people focus on buying food that is advertised shows me that I've already separated myself from the "herd" quite a bit. I've also noticed how easily and eagerly I leap back into the mindless consumption of advertised food - it's analogous, of couse, to the endless desire to buy something.

What is it that drives that "need"? It's not need at all. It's learned behavior. When I was being raised, having a 2300 square foot house was the standard, now it's well above 3000 square feet that are "needed". New cars are "needed".

Matticia has a perfectly serviceable eight year old Honda that he treats like the appliance it is. How much money has he saved in the past five years by not indulging the craving for a new car?

I am going to dig further into this "need" for needless things, and figure out what that's all about. When it came to be, how and .. well, the why is already known - it's to increase the unit cost of widgets and to sell as many widgets as can be sold.

All Hallow's Eve 2009

Matt is Matticiaforming his garage into a passable, professional disco and I've been watching Hulu, making chex party mix and fiddling with my iTunes library - deleting stuff I'd never listen to (why oh why was it there in the first place?)

I feel another nap coming on.

The costumes last night were amazing, many of them. I was associated with a hot hot pink spiderman, there were some truly beautiful and astonishing ensembles put together by some people who had clearly invested a great deal of time and effort into their costumes.

My favorite costume of the evening was a 30-something gentleman who had crafted a Julie London-eske evening gown in shiny bright green and gold fabric, and had made the gown's skirt as a layered wedding cake, his hat another layered wedding cake, his face and hair painted in green, gold and orange, with a "torch" that was a third layered wedding cake with freshly baked cupcakes atop. All illuminated with mini-lights.

He could have hidden a small nuclear plant inside there for power. How he could walk up and down stairs was beyond me.



A few notes:

If your belly and midriff bulge out like a roll of poppin' fresh dough just after you bust open the container on the edge of the kitchen counter - you should re-think that shirtless/midriff exposure.

Being under 25 with a great body, no shirt and a face mask is NOT a costume.

Wearing no shirt, a kilt, a loincloth, or any kind of skirt with some face or body spray paint might be a knock out at a straight club, but don't expect much attention at a professional, Gay club costume contest.

Girls, please don't take it as rejection when you come show off your creative and revealing Hallowe'en costume at a gay club and we don't grovel at your loveliness. It isn't personal. We just happen to be far more interested in the over-the-top drag costumes and all the men who are basically naked.

Wearing a costume that makes you look like the crack whore we already knew you were - well, it's a costume, yes, but don't be surprised when we don't notice that you're wearing it.

Young and well built men who put their bodies on display through wearing nearly nothing should be aware that anyone who has eyesight is INVITED to stare by their effort. There is no visual filter that eliminates old, fat or balding men, or women.

weeks away, we get to choose

In a few weeks from today, we go to the polls. In Houston, there is a contest mayor's race, but for the most part, this election seems to be a yawner.

These off-year elections are actually the more important, as far fewer voters turn out, and these are the elections where we make decisions about matters that affect us directly and locally.

Since our state is governed by a lengthy and unruly constitution, we have a variety of measures which require constitutional amendments. We Texans just go along with this process, rather than demanding a new constitutional convention to clean up the mess - much like California.

What's more disturbing, the ballot summaries of these measures are too abbreviated and sometimes diverting from the real effects. Each of the ballot measures this year have been summed up for us by the Secretary of State's office, and contain the full text of what we are voting on. You can see this report here.

There are a number of amendments on the ballot this year that deal with property tax matters. Many people will vote based on pre-judged perceptions about taxes in general without really understanding the measures that they are voting on.

Over the next week, I'm going to review ALL of these ballot measures and analyze them for anyone to read. You'll be able to find these reviews here on my blog - you can sign up for notices that new posts have been made or just ask for updates from me directly.

Let's all agree to stop with the bombastic bullet points, because we ALL want a society that just works for everyone. Let's educate ourselves as to what is in front of us and use the power of the ballot box to take back this world from those who have only their self-interests at heart.

Monday Mourning

This is post #2 under the same headline -

Last night, Matticia told me he nearly cried on the way home from work. He had spent many hours yesterday fussing about party effects he's purchased for delivery - and saw a guy trying to sell his bicycle on the street for $20 to buy some food.

I think that's called "realizing one's priorities are a bit screwed up". I don't know anything about that at all.

A few months ago, I was convinced that a beautiful $100K Audi S8 would make me happy. I had been convinced that a beautiful home with a pool and a garage were necessary and appropriate.

Having had a few of those beautiful homes, with rooms I didn't go into, boxes in closets I didn't open, kitchen appliances in cabinets I didn't use, I can tell you I was wrong about that.

I didn't really understand HOW wrong I was until this morning.

Even as I settled into my peaceful little apartment, even as I reveled in the freedom of having a LOT less stuff, even as my stress level unwound - I STILL thought that a gorgeous S8 would do me right. Happiness could rise or fall on whether the S8 had a full leather upgrade, and absolutely was dependent on it having the $6800 Bang & Olufsen stereo system.

I poured over the Audi S8 brochure (and the interwebs, frankly, and every other resources I could drum up). I looked at other cars, too. Whipping my neck around at every pretty shade of red paint, maybe THAT one, maybe THIS one.

Then, the week before my birthday, I started to contemplate how much money I was spending on having a car.

I've been making car payments since the fall of 1977 - so, 32 years of monthly obligation. 384 months of uncertainty. 11,520 days of worry. 230,400 or so individual moments of being afraid, unsure, or concerned.

I drive 4.6 miles each way to the office. Once or twice a week, I drive 52 miles round trip to the church. Every once in a while, I may run up ten or twenty miles in errands, or to have a visit with someone.

Call it 170 miles a week (last week being the exception with FIVE trips to church).

Those 170 miles will cost a very predictable $35.00 in gasoline and miscellaneous wear and tear on the car. Insurance is another $60 a month.

So, why was I paying nearly a thou a month for a car?

Between the interest cost and depreciation, that's what the Red Rocket was costing.

So, $1.58 a mile.

$7.25 to drive to work.

$164.32 for each drive to church.

$142.20 to visit a friend outside the beltway (no wonder I'm so committed to staying inside the loop).

This was insane. Especially since the math is exacerbated with the stress.

New choices were made.

I just acquired my SECOND 1998 Buick Riviera. Victoria Regina, her name. She has 67K miles on her, fewer than did the Red Rocket. She's paid for in full. She needs some loving labor, but she's pretty.

And I love her.

This morning, as I was running back and forth between the storage locker, the laundry room, VR (as she's now nicknamed), and the mailbox, I kept noticing how much she makes me smile. Like, I am giddy happy smiling.

Giddy. About a car that cost fewer than $4,000.

She doesn't have a snorting V10, Audi exquisite engineering, and she cost less than the Bang & Olufsen stereo.

But, every day that I own her is the opportunity to have something other than twenty fearful thoughts.

Monday Mourning

My brother (half-brother, dad's first marriage) died Saturday afternoon/evening of a heart attack in his sleep. He was 53.

He died because of our country's policies over the last thirty five years or so.

Mike (whose real name was Edgar, but nicknamed Mike so as to avoid confusion with my dad) had a high school education, gained at a time in this society when that was enough to get a decent job and raise a family on that income. And, he got both a decent job and a family, working in an auto plant.

Which auto plant was closed some twenty years ago. He then went and got trained on repairing ATM machines and drive through machines, and supported himself and his family working outside in cold Michigan winters, making it easier for people to pull up inside their climate controlled cars and access their accounts without having to deal with the bank lobby.

Until that bank was acquired by another, larger bank and they outsourced to a different vendor.

He and his wife struggled to keep up the property taxes on their very modest house, and of course health insurance was impossible.

Being of stocky stock, Mike had always been prone to weight gain. Between the stress, the cheap food and the lack of care, he developed type II diabetes in his early 40s. Had a diabetic stroke at 47.

Couldn't walk, couldn't work. Social Security fought him tooth and nail for three years on collecting disability, and when his snap-back occurred, a significant chunk of it went to the lawyer.

They had train-wreck luck, but Mike never seemed to begrudge his life.

The last few years, Mike could walk a few blocks. I don't know how much weight he had gained, but I can guess it was a lot.

His death of a heart attack over the weekend was, I guess not a surprise. Without money for health care, without money for prescriptions, without purpose and hope - victim for our having savaged our nation's manufacturing base, beaten down the unions, allowed for megalithic business combinations - he was one of the tens of thousands whose life trajectory was shot down without fault or recovery.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me

Wild and woolly! I guess, it wasn't so wild, but it was non-stop low key action.

So, today, I mostly worked on a loan - mortgage loan, my last one - and finally, for the first time since 1996, THIS one is going the way they should have all been going. Neat, tidy, clear communication ..

Just as I was finishing up with that this afternoon, my neighbor was texting about getting together for dinner tonight - AND mentioned that he was across the street with his mom surfing for bargains! I hitched onto their parade, and we went over to Marshall's - where I found a new coffee mug (of the style I love) for 10% of the original price, a cool console table for between my club chairs marked down from $179 to $50, and FOUR pair of dress trousers (representing a 400% increase over what I had previously had) all cheapola! THEN, we went to the Empire Cafe and had some cake - mine was called "Chocolate Mugging" I think. Then, we came back to the apartments and I had to lay down.

One of my very first tax clients dropped in today - he told me that when he came up the stairs and rounded the corner he could tell how much more calm and happy I was than he's ever seen me. He remarked about it twice, and then we talked about the fallacy of "obtaining" when done with debt. Great conversation, and it was nice to be acknowledged for having been changed.

I had fun today! My phone was blowing up, the IMs were pouring in, and nearly every one of my high school friends on Facebook wished me happy birthday. Wow.

Thank you world! I had a great birthday!

Whirlwind preparedness

I had the most strange and delightful dream last night. I had just purchased a new home theater system - it was no bigger than a coffee table book, and it had two little speakers, each the size of a CD jewel case. It was very chromey and awesome looking.

The whole rest of the dream was about trying to keep from losing or letting other people damage this cool new toy, plus weird additions showing up to the house, my mom being present, etc.

This morning, I walked around the block (which is nearly a mile) and came across six discarded soda cans, and four discarded plastic bottles. I picked them all up, to assuage my feelings of guilt on behalf of my fellow man.

I'm finding that written to-do lists are becoming more and more important.

It's very interesting - I watched some Hulu last night, and saw a Daily Show piece in which Jon Steward interviewed a man with a computer modeling program that has been right about what was developing nearly 100% of the time, and 100% of the time better than the CIA projected.

He said in his mind, and based on his projections, things are actually headed in a pretty good direction - peace in the Middle East, health care resolution in the US, movement on climate change, people behaving themselves in general.

Something for everyone to pray for.

I'm just gonna rant on a while here -

On people who hate taxes -

Why is it that so many people who hate taxes and feel that "they pay too much" actually pay nothing at all?

On people who don't want changes to health care -

Why is it that so many people who are so jacked up about health care have no health care themselves except "don't get sick, and if you do, die fast"?

On people who don't want gay marriage -

Why are you willing to welcome insta-marriages between opposite sex couples who have just met, or divorce, or ... just how is your marriage threatened by anything from outside of that marriage?

On people who believe that other nations pose a threat to us -

How? How are they a threat? Please don't share with me fanciful speculation, tell me just how they are a threat.

On people who believe that their state should secede from the Union -

If it wasn't acceptable for the South to secede in 1860 when Lincoln, who was against slavery but came to office without a mandate to end slavery, why would it be acceptable now when Obama, who had a far greater voter mandate came to office not proposing (and actually not changing) much of anything?

Should I or shouldn't I?

The hardwood floor in the kitchen mocks me. It lies there, silently, knowing that it's dirty and sticky and that it's thereby driving me crazy.

Earlier, the countertop, the trash, the bathroom, and the dishes all cooperated nicely. Although there were a few overpour incidents, they all cooperated with the clean-up.

And yet, the kitchen floor continues to mock.

It knows full well that I am very careful with splatters, spills, footfalls, and such.

Still, it's sticky. It's dirty in that subversive, non-visible way. It mocks me.

I could get out the pail, fill it with warm water and a smidge of detergent and then clean it, following with the Orange 3 in 1 treatment that adds a hint of shine.

Should I or shouldn't I?

I probably will, whether I should or not.

Saddiday night and ...

I'm too pooped to pop?

It's so interesting - the question was posed "when in your life have you been happy?"

Uh .. wow. That was a hard question to contemplate.

So much has happened in the last year, it's like being fast forwarded.

Saddiday night and ...

I'm too pooped to pop?

Be careful what you wish for - Tuesday edition

So, at about 5:40 this morning, I awoke to the pleasant sound of a hard rain. The air conditioner popped on about then, and I got up to turn it off, wanting to enjoy the sound of the rain for a while.

Shortly afterward, the power went out for three hours. I've listened to a lot of rain!

Apparently, my Swedish furniture name is DÖYGLLAS.

A few isolated anecdotes -

First, an extraordinary picture of a US Air Force transport aircract - "Air Force One" is how one would normally think of it. This one, previously used for that purpose, was at least thirty years old when this picture was taken. Who says our government ALWAYS wastes tax dollars?

Next, I'm sure you've figured out that I'm pretty annoyed by stupid. Well, increasingly, premature death is BECAUSE of stupid.

Just be wary of the stupid people around you, should their efforts to purify the gene pool with their actions unintentionally affect you.

Next, if you were wondering who benefited the most from the recently concluded "Cash for Clunkers" program, this chart will give you those answers. Big winners - just as you'd suspect, Honda, Toyota (the champeen), Hyundai, Nissan.

But, buried in these statistics are some truly amazing items - my favorite car (regardless of what Robert thinks) is the Audi S8 - it's EPA rated for 13/18 - and Audi SOLD one with the clunkers trade in credit. What in God's name could someone have traded in on THAT which provided a fuel economy increase of six mpg?

Two HUMMERS were sold. Tens of thousands of pick-up trucks.

I'm visualizing many fewer supertankers unloading foreign oil onto our soil because of this.

As I engage my day, which started out with enforced peacefulness and contemplation, I am also thinking about the stuff I've got that I'm still not using. Watch this space for announcements relating to the selling off of even MORE stuff.

Mondays - why would they get someone down?

I rather like Monday mornings, but mostly because of my own design. Since I usually work all weekend long, Monday mornings are a slower time for me, doing some cleaning, organizing my week, and so on.

Today, I played catch up from a mechanical standpoint - consumables replaced, bills paid, and so on. I broke down and decided to have DSL set up at my apartment, so that took a bit of time.

Here in my little apartment, there is some white noise of traffic in the background, the ceiling fans are - of course - unobtrusive, and the only real noise I get is from the roar of the air conditioner. It's so tranquil - and so not what I'm used to. I've spent more than twenty years in living quarters with loud room mates, loud neighbors, traffic, neighbors, people beating on my door while drunk - I can say that this may not be the most luxurious or fancy place I've lived, but it has a peacefulness that even my grandfather's house didn't have.

That peacefulness is a luxury that goes beyond anything that could be measured in currency.

As is my constant, I keep finding ways to tweak my surroundings to make them just that much more pleasing, that much more workable, that much more attractive.

I'm weird that way. I like it though, so I have no intention or inclination to change that.

It's funny - even though I have given away, cut back, thrown out so much of what I had been carrying around, I'm finding increasingly that a fair amount of what I do have here is .. not used.

Perhaps another purge is in the works.

Sunday peace

After being here for two months, I am thinking about refinements. Having the bedroom painted, adding some more lighting, just some little tweaks to make things a little more special.

Sidebar - Sigourney Weaver is a presenter at tonight's Emmy awards and looks like a hundred million dollars in cash - WOW.

Peace for me right now means that I have been enjoying my peaceful and solitary environment, and enjoying not having some task or project needing attention tonight. So, more profound thoughts will follow - anon.

Keith and Rachel - my apologies

I love you both dearly. Especially you, Rachel - your beautiful smile and intellect - I just want to hang out with you and soak you up.

However, I'm reaching a saturation point for angry information about people acting badly. I've come to expect such bad behavior that nothing you share with me is remotely a surprise. It's almost more surprising that it's thought to be noteworthy.

More than twenty years ago, I stopped watching local TV news when our largest local affiliate ran all the way to Shreveport to lead with a murder story. People get angry, they have family arguments, they get drunk and argue, they try to steal sixty bucks from the corner convenience store and someone gets killed. Lather, rinse, repeat - is it news? Is it UNUSUAL?

Some ten years later, I stopped reading the local newspaper. Every single story was slanted toward a particular political and social viewpoint (one that did not include persons of color, as an example).

I was raised believing that watching the news and reading the newspapers were signs of intelligence.

It's a brave, new world.

I began to put my faith in blogs - people who undertook to recreate what reporters USED to do - research, read, assemble. Angry, ranting blogs weren't what I read - blogs that cross linked to original sources or other references so I could (and did) go read for myself were valuable.

Those resources haven't changed. But, all the anger is pointless. We're all raging at symptoms - screaming at a runny nose or a sore throat when the problem is that we should have covered our sneeze, or washed our hands appropriately, or eaten a better diet or gotten more sleep.

We are hip deep in crazy because no one's willing to deal with causes. Causes as in causal issues. Everyone's interested in having their own little world pampered, but there are no big picture thinkers who aren't either Matt Taibbi or the titans of Wall Street.

Frankly, if Matt Taibbi was running Wall Street, there'd be a whole lot more and better money being made and no more bubbles bursting.

KKR has a longer world view. AIG did not. Goldman does.

I'm thinking that the health insurance companies know that long-term, their goose is cooked. I'm thinking that they're looking to make hay while the sun still shines, and maybe extend the time that they reap those benefits.

Which leads me back to my point. I love you guys. I love you. You make me feel like I'm not alone. Yet, we're not making progress. We're tilting at windmills. I already gave up Daily Kos. It's time to go back to fundamentals. We have to re-teach civics and expand understanding. We have to give clear access to facts and provide an alternative to spin.

I know I'm going to be drawn back to you from time to time, but I need to take a break and re-focus.

Speed walking through Safeway

I recall there being a wide variety of laundry soap products; now, at one of the largest Safeway (Randall's) stores in the Houston market - there is only a wide variety of liquid Tide. Tide makes my pale, white skin break out, so I was hoping for something else.

They did have sugar-free Popsicles on sale, which was fun. They also still had a bunch of sugar free tapioca cups in the discount bin, so I grabbed a bunch. Either I've gone daft, or they only had a very small selection of bacon. They also had coffee on sale (which was what brought me into the store - I was out of bean). Dunkin Donuts beans are more expensive than Starbucks? Really? Safeway has prices marked in disparate ways, just as do all grocery chains - some containers are marked per pound, some per ounce, some per package. This requires math on the spot - which is the better deal? This one's on sale, but the price per measure isn't converted for the SALE price, only for the original price ..

Calculate, calculate, calculate. This one says it's organic, but is it fair trade? This one looks perfect, but it's decaf.

Finally, I reached a decision.

The little hand basket loaded to overflowing, I wandered over to the cash registers, so loaded up with last minute offerings that one can't see whether a cashier is there until one gets right up on the belt.

I remember when Randall's (before it was Safeway) used to have thirty plus types of mustard. Now, there are five or six.

Not that I don't care for Randall's now - but, how Randall's became Safeway is an excellent example of how American business is so focused on short term profit and not on long term stability and growth.

Back in the distant past, there were four or five grocery chains that dominated the Houston market. Kroger, Randall's and Weingarten's, Safeway, Gerland's and Feista. Feista, I believe was a Spanish market store created by the Weingarten family.

Of those, only Kroger and Safeway were multi-state chains.

Houston has seen and kicked Albertson's to the curb, along with Food Lion and a few others. Weingarten ran for the exits in the 1980s, wisely focusing on their real estate holdings. Gerland's gave up the ghost, although hints of it linger on in the Food Town chain. Fiesta moves from strength to strength. Kroger has been the king of the hill for decades.

Safeway, though, had a very strong market position. In about 1986, Safeway was put "in play" by Robert Haft (who were, at least in the business of running food and drug stores), and the board ran for cover with Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts (KKR) as their savior. This is sort of like leaping into the arms of the cannibal pygmies to save oneself from being eaten by marauding lions. Proving my axiom, KKR required that the company repay the borrowed money by selling off chunks.

Of course, KKR handled the filings and arranged the financing making a blizzard of cash.

The helpful investment house of KKR offered to broker the sale of huge chunks of Safeway, which had been so neatly assembled over fifty years following a strategy set in place by Merrill Lynch. Overseas operations, about half the total was all sold. The Houston operation, including its distribution warehouses and its brand spankin' new dairy factory to the Houston managers.

Who had to borrow the money.

From KKR.

Who made a shitload of money on THAT angle, too.

Enter "Apple Tree Markets".

Apple Tree was actually a TERRIFIC grocery chain, but the debt load was too great to sustain its operations, and pieces of it began to fly off. The dairy plant. Prime locations. The stores started to show their plight.

Finally, Apple Tree stores sold off their pieces to .. Randall's and Fiesta. Mostly to Randall's, which expanded hugely from Apple Tree's failure.

Randall's bought up the Tom Thumb stores in Dallas, along with Apple Tree stores all around the state. And they were large. And they were prosperous-ish.

And they loaded up on debt.

Kroger, being the 800 pound gorilla in the marketplace, only had to burp up a few tenths of a percentage of cash flow to turn a cranky, 1970s Kroger store into a Sak's like emporium, and Randall's had to keep up.

And the money kept flowing in ... (with acknowledgment to Tim Rice). Guess who loaned them the money???? (hint, their initials are KKR)

Well, ten years after taking the company private, the Safeway folks were .. expanding into new markets to replace those 1,000 or so stores that vanished when KKR took the company private.

And, guess how they re-entered Texas? By buying Randall's and paying a blizzard of money for it. That they borrowed. From KKR. But, wait - KKR was the majority owner of Randall's - and had provided Randall's all of the financing - so, how did they .. loan .. uh ..

And now, we have Safeway in Houston again.

And Kroger is still the 800 pound gorilla.

But KKR has made a TON of money! Retail centers have lost tenants, managers and employees have lost jobs, pensions are gone, choices are fewer - but KKR HAS MADE A TON OF MONEY!!!!!!

And, isn't that how it should work? A growing food and drug chain in DC decides to expand their presence, so they start buying stock in a large, publicly traded grocery and drug chain but the board of directors of the large, publicly traded grocery and drug chain want to retain their jobs and their panache, so they bargain with the devil, who requires them to sell off ONE HALF of their enterprise, pay enormous fees and interest, finances the sales of all the ONE HALF of their enterprise to the buyers - making interest and fees, then FIRES ALL THE DAMNED DIRECTORS ANYWAY, and then suggests - hey, you guys - you should be expanding into these markets you're not currently in (because we made you sell the stores you already had there) and SELLS THEM MORE STORES THEY ALREADY OWN.

Seems quite reasonable.

And we wonder why sub-prime mortgages didn't sound so bad.

Berlin calling

In 1975, I visited Berlin for about a week. I was 15 years old, and yet I was captivated. Berlin has a history going back a thousand years, is the amalgamation of a number of smaller cities and villages, and is now one of the most important and exciting cities in the EU.

And, in 1945, it was blown to smithereens. British bombs, then Russian artillery blew the city into rubble. Every structure of importance was reduced to its foundations. To look at Berlin today, one wouldn't realize that the heritage was reconstructed - it is a blending of new and old, modern and traditional, experimental and trusted.

Last night, I had a delightful surprise through an email from Philip. Just as a reminder, there are only two Philip(s) with one "l", and this one is the awesome one that stayed with me one summer a few years ago.

He, Philip, is engaged in an effort to re-define and revitalize Detroit.

People slag Detroit endlessly and have for decades, but most people have never visited there. A hundred years ago, Detroit was arguably the second most important city in the country - a status it held until the 1960s. The race riots of 1967, spurred by the division of the black neighborhoods by the development of I-75, accelerated "white flight", and the city itself has never recovered.

Detroit presents an incredible and unique opportunity - the re-invention of a major American city. Rather than rely on traditional methods to spur growth and re-settlement, it is an opportunity to think totally out of the box, and marry the advantages of human convergence in a major city with renewable, sustainable environments that reduce city infrastructure needs, support growth through reduced recurring costs, provide a healthful environment for residents and look forward to what comes next, rather than trying to be a better city for 1958.

My mind is a river of ideas for the concept.

Every once in a while

I feel validated.

It seems that someone in California has obtained the signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would outlaw divorce completely.

Now, THAT would be marriage as a sanctity.

On The Town

Last night, I was delighted to watch the first production of Leonard Bernstein's "On The Town" ever mounted here in Houston. It was very cute, but my not-gay friend who took me kept remarking on how very gay the male cast members were.

And they were. Like "holy CRAP that boy is gay".

Back in "the day" when homo-ness was less acceptable, we (I) had to hide out in plain sight, which required that we be more conforming than is now the standard. In theater arts, one could be a bit more expressive - but, you were in the main NOT going to be so expressive that people would figure it out from twenty paces.

These boys - their gayness could be detected from space.

Not that it's bad, but one of the qualities of live theater in the past was that the dancing/singing/acting boys were just SLIGHTLY more appealing in terms of their finesse, their presentation, their expressions. When their gayness begins to negatively affect the believability of whether they would actually be found dancing with a scantily dressed female - the illusion is shattered and they aren't fitting for the roles they were cast into.

Sailors who chase dames, for instance, should at least give the idea that they'd be INTERESTED in chasing dames. And not to learn where they picked up those fabulous shoes.

The day after 090909

More teaching tomorrow and Saturday - maybe I'll get some marketing out for myself.

I wasn't quite expecting as much out of Obama's speech as we seem to have gotten. At the same time, the political theater is draining.

Happy anniversary last night, Rachel!

Spent Labor Day in awesome conversation connecting dots in elements of our national discourse and events. It was great to engage in uniform praise for Matt Taibbi, and to turn the concepts around together with other people who are analytical and well informed.

Consider -

H1N1 (swine) flu historically starts out with a short term spike that is minimally fatal. The flu begins to mutate, and comes back in the late fall/early winter, but then roars – nay, explodes – into a virulent killing machine in the late winter.

It seems quite clear that health reform will not have a public option (perhaps one that is “triggered” but not one starting out) and given that the same players created a TWO YEAR opportunity for credit card issuers to knock interest rates out of the park before new rules took effect, we can expect that any health reform (which should be in place before the H1N1 flu comes back for its class reunion around Thanksgiving) will have given the health insurance companies ample opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle existing policy holders by jacking up premiums, co-pays, reducing benefits and basically making it very challenging for people to maintain their current health coverage.

While not widely reported, a very well researched and thorough writer has commented that a great number of his personal contacts are anonymously suggesting that we are about to experience major employers greatly reducing health benefits, increasing co-pays, increasing employee contributions especially for spousal or dependent coverage. This is expected to begin taking effect when enrollment periods open, which is traditionally late in the calendar year.

While not widely understood, current health insurance policies do NOT pay for emergency services, such as an emergency room visit with an onset of, say, sudden, chronic flu symptoms. Recently, a close friend had a visit to the ER after a diabetic episode at work and found that his employer paid health insurance pays only TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS of ER visits that are not (get this) approved IN ADVANCE.

Um, sure. “Hello? HMO? I'm thinking I'll have the flu on Thursday and may need to go to the ER – maybe Thursday night or Friday?”

In the 2000 presidential election, Ralph Nader was directly and aggressively challenged for his threat of Al Gore's effort to attain the White House. He acknowledged that, indeed, his intent was to block Al Gore from becoming president, saying (paraphrased) that our country had not yet suffered enough havoc of the policies of the previous 30 years to make lasting, real change.

I believe that he was right.

I believe also that a perfect storm may be brewing of greatly reduced health benefits, greatly increased health premium costs, greatly increased out of pocket payments for ER visits, co-pays and emergency treatment and the return of the H1N1 flu.

That change Ralph Nader has long thought needed may be nearly upon us.

Lather, rinse, repeat

Program Director: Take 2, cue Howard.

Beale: I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth; banks are going bust; shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter; punks are running wild in the street, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.

We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. And we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be!

We all know things are bad -- worse than bad -- they're crazy.

It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out any more. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we're living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials, and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone."

Well, I'm not going to leave you alone.

I want you to get mad!

I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot. I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street.

All I know is that first, you've got to get mad.

You've gotta say, "I'm a human being, goddammit! My life has value!"

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,

"I'm as mad as hell,

and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"

why is this even a question?

No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick.

Dear President Obama,

I understand you’re thinking of dumping your “public option” because of all the demagoguery by Sarah Palin and Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich and their crowd on right-wing radio and Fox. Fine. Good idea, in fact.

Instead, let’s make it simple. Please let us buy into Medicare.

It would be so easy. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with this so-called “public option” that’s a whole new program from the ground up. Medicare already exists. It works. Some people will like it, others won’t – just like the Post Office versus FedEx analogy you’re so comfortable with.

Just pass a simple bill – it could probably be just a few lines, like when Medicare was expanded to include disabled people – that says that any American citizen can buy into the program at a rate to be set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which reflects the actual cost for us to buy into it.

So it’s revenue neutral!

To make it available to people of low income, raise the rates slightly for all currently non-eligible people (like me - under 65) to cover the cost of below-200%-of-poverty people. Revenue neutral again.

Most of us will do damn near anything to get out from under the thumbs of the multi-millionaire CEOs who are running our current insurance programs. Sign me up!

This lets you blow up all the rumors about death panels and grandma and everything else: everybody knows what Medicare is. Those who scorn it can go with Blue Cross. Those who like it can buy into it. Simplicity itself.

Of course, we’d like a few fixes, like letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and filling some of the holes Republicans and AARP and the big insurance lobbyists have drilled into Medicare so people have to buy “supplemental” insurance, but that can wait for the second round. Let’s get this done first.

Simple stuff. Medicare for anybody who wants it. Private health insurance for those who don’t. Easy message. Even Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley can understand it. Sarah Palin can buy into it, or ignore it. No death panels, no granny plugs, nothing. Just a few sentences.

Replace the “you must be disabled or 65” with “here’s what it’ll cost if you want to buy in, and here’s the sliding scale of subsidies we’ll give you if you’re poor, paid for by everybody else who’s buying in.” (You could roll back the Reagan tax cuts and make it all free, but that’s another rant.)

We elected you because we expected you to have the courage of your convictions. Here’s how. Not the “single payer Medicare for all” that many of us would prefer, but a simple, “Medicare for anybody who wants to buy in.”

Respectfully,

DrDivo

August's last day for 2009

If one believes in the "Mayan" predictions, we have approximately three years, three months and three weeks before our plane of existence comes to a complete halt.

Personally, I don't find much strength in that line of reasoning.

I was driving by Momentum Audi today; they have a bright red A6 out front that isn't in their online inventory. Do I care enough to call 'em and ask about it? To point out that keeping their online information current is very important?

No.

Over the weekend, a friend had a call (he's a fire fighter) to an auto accident - a four year old dead, a six year old lost both of her feet - both of these before anyone was transported to the hospital. The cause? An unlicensed 15 year old who was texting.

Yikes. This morning, I carried my phone to the office in the trunk of the car. I need to leave it back there every time. EVERY time.

Mr. Z gave me one of Cafe del Mar's CDs to listen to - it's AMAZING. I have been playing it in the car, and it's just splendid.

I'm curious about time's passing. It's a very interesting dynamic.

I'm also curious about how resistant people are to change.

Things that make up a Friday morning -

Recently, I re-connected with my best friend from law school - thanks to Facebook. It has been incredibly rewarding to be back in touch with him. This morning, he and I were chatting away on Instant Messenger and he said this:

My favorite Doug utterance ever was this:

We were at someone's house, someone we didn't know, and they had two hyper barking jumping little white dogs. You were reading something, and I asked you what kind of dogs they were. Without looking up or moving, you answered, "White". I don't know why, but it's the best ever.

I just laughed so hard and so long I coughed up a lung.

In my email this morning was this:

Dear First Prize Winner,

Congratulations! You have been selected to receive a prize in the Lexus HS Contest, administered by ePrize.

You have been selected as the winner of a the use of a Lexus HS for one (1) week and a Lexus Hybrid Living gift bag containing Sponsor selected Lexus branded products! Please see the attached Official Rules for further prize details and eligibility requirements.

I suppose it could have been even MORE of a great start to a Friday morning if I had received a note that someone had just given me my S8 free and clear, but this wasn't bad at all. I am psyched about it!

I notice this morning that the board of VW has voted to merge with Porsche.

For those that haven't been following, here's how this went -

Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP were elected to a plurality of seats in the German Reichstag in March, 1933.

They created a government with the Social Democrats.

They put all the Social Democrats in jail.

They eliminated all civil rights, unions, communists, jews, slavs, gypsies and youth organizations.

In replacing the unions with a single, national "union" that everyone had to belong to, they created the first rewards program wherein workers had deductions taken from their paychecks so that they could participate in vacations, cruises and such. This program was called "Kraft durch Freude" (or, Work through Joy).

To further give the non-unionized laborers incentive to labor endlessly without overtime, the right to strike or bargain or change jobs, the government announced that a brand new car would be sold on a weekly subscription basis - the "Kraft durch Freude" car - KDF, popularly known as the People's car (Volks wagen).

The car was designed by Prof. Dr. Ing. H. C. Ferdinand Porsche, who, like Hitler, was an Austrian, but had a bunch of training and skill other than bombastic oratory and making people hate each other. Prof. Dr. Porsche had this notion that designing a car with a flat, air cooled engine in the back driving the back wheels was the best idea since Austria became the center of the Holy Roman Empire, and later created a slightly more exciting car on the same basic design called the Porsche 911.

Said workers had another involuntary payroll deduction, and ground was broken for a massive factory near Wolfsburg, which had hitherto served no particular purpose in the German economy, but benefited someone who sold the land. This would become the massive Volkswagenwerk.

Gazillions of Marks were collected from paychecks, and not a single car was produced or delivered to those who had their money withheld. Sort of like a Tucker Torpedo, but without the cool movie starring Jeff Bridges.

Hitler got too frisky in his efforts to seize assets without paying for it, and eventually the Brits and the 'Murricans blew everything in Germany to bits with high explosives. In order to avoid this outcome, Prof. Dr. Porsche and his family designed tanks instead of air cooled cars with the engines hanging off'n their butts. They found it a little more convenient to avoid hot death dropping from the skies and moved their little operation to far Eastern Austria.

The 'Murricans thought that they could gain a leg up on 500 years of European colonial domination by rebuilding Europe, and so threw more money at Germany than they had previously thrown high explosives. Thinking that they had some say in the matter, the French, the Brits and the Russians took possession of different parts of Germany, and the Porsche family was involuntarily split into two geographic groups - northern and south-eastern.

Prof. Dr. Porsche and his family gently took control of the Volkswagenwerk, the plans for the KDF car, and the factory with the kind assistance of the government of Lower Saxony. Since they already had the plans for a real car thing, they started building them. This was the Northern part of the family.

Because the tank building part of the family had this nifty factory over in the southeastern part, and because they couldn't run back home to Wolfsburg and surrounds, they created a new company to continue to build Porsche automobiles.

Prof. Dr. Porsche died.

His family, in the grand tradition of the Hiltons, the Vanderbilts and others, fought over the spoils.

Each car company was mostly controlled by descendants of the guy who thought that hanging an engine off of the back of an axle was a great design.

People get confused, thinking that two different sets of folks control these companies - mostly because the Peich line controls the VW company. Peich is a grandson of the aforementioned Prof. Dr. Porsche. Porsche AG has been mostly controlled by Ferry Porsche, who was the son of Prof. Dr. Porsche. Peich is his nephew, the son of his sister.

Since Ferry died, the grandsons (Peich and Ferry the third) have been playing an endless game of "who's got the bigger dick", in which Ferry three attempted to swallow the world's third largest automaker whole with the backing of certain Gulf state oil investors.

Then, the whole economy of the world fainted, and Ferry three couldn't pay the bills on his efforts to "fress" (German for eat, but in the sense that an animal eats) Fow-Vay (German, for VW).

VW now is buying Porsche SE.

So, doesn't this mean that two cousins have blown through over $12,000,000,000 against shareholder interests, the interests of the workers, the franchisees, the ability to design new product, expand into new markets, reduce the costs of their products - just to see who had the bigger weenie?

Someone should take 'em both out back and give them the whacking that they should have each gotten back in the 1950s.

what if the car you bought with cash for clunkers was..

itself a clunker?

What if you traded in your clunker qualifier at a local Chevy dealer, and your new purchase was delivered to you with a non-functioning fuel gauge, AND the check engine light on?

And then, what if your friendly local Chevy dealer who had sold you the car only three days before told you that they'd take it in for repair, but NOT give you a loaner car or provide you with transportation in violation of the GM warranty?

Does that mean that you're still driving a clunker?