Thursday, August 28, 2003

Mostly, for a friend, in mourning

Shunryu Suzuki once told this story:

"I went to Yosemite National Park, and I saw some huge waterfalls. The highest one there is 1,340 feet high, and from it the water comes down like a curtain thrown from the top of the mountain. It does not seem to come down swiftly. It seems to come down very slowly - because of the distance. And the water does not come down as one stream, but is separated into many tiny streams. From a distance it looks like a curtain. And I thought it must be a very difficult experience for each drop of water to come down from the top of such a high mountain. It takes time, you know, a long time , for the water finally to reach the bottom of the waterfall. And it seems to me that our human life may be like this. We have many difficult experiences in our life. But at the same time, I thought, the water was not originally separated, but was one whole river. Only when it is separated does it have some difficulty in falling. It is as if the water does not have any feeling when it is one whole river. Only when separated into many drops can it begin to have or to express some feeling. When we see one whole river we do not feel the living activity of the water, but when we dip a part of the water into a dipper, we experience some feeling of the water, and we also feel the value of the person who uses the water. Feeling ourselves and the water in this way, we cannot use it in just a material way. It is a living thing.

"Before we were born we had no feeling; we were one with the universe. "Big mind." After we are separated by birth from this oneness, as the water falling from the waterfall is separated from the wind and rocks, then we have feeling. You have difficulty because you have feeling. You attach to the feeling you have without knowing just how this kind of feeling is created. When you do not realize that you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact we have no fear of death anymore, and we have no actual difficulty in our life.

"When the water returns to its original oneness with the river, it no longer has any individual feeling to it; it resumes its own nature, and finds composure.

How very glad the water must be to come back to the original river!"
Why no more Dream speeches?

I heard Mario Cuomo interviewed on the radio today, the 40th anniversary of MLK's speech. When asked why we don't hear such inspiring oratory out of our politicians these days, Mario threw the blame in the lap of the public.

'We' don't want to hear it anymore. 'We' don't have the patience. 'We' only accept 30 second sound-bites and dumbed-down catch phrases.

Gee, if that's true, why are there blogs?


I think it's our 'modern' politicians who have been dumbed-down.

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

We passed...

...a major inspection milestone in the home renovation today! The good, wonderful, decent, caring & enlightened people, of the building department of the County of San Mateo, have officially decreed we can proceed with putting up the wall-board. Soon, the framing, wiring & plumbing will all be where they should be - out of sight and out of mind. No more living in an unfinished barn. Sniff, I miss it already. Not.

It's still to early to say it, but I so want to say: it's all downhill from here. 7+ months of dust, noise and disarray is quite enough, thank you.

I sure hope it's going to be worth it. It has to be. Really. I'm positive. Aren't I? Urp.

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Never Forget

Now, in Iraq, US 'coallition' postwar deaths exceed war deaths.
Looking Up At Mars

Just got this announcement from the Nasa Science News service. They will broadcast an interesting panel discussion tonight about viewing Mars. Personal interest for me is seeing Owen Garriott again. He was the Skylab astronaut I used to work with, back in the day at JSC. Owen was a pleasure to work for/with. Always willing to deal with the little grunts, like me, on the projects. In fact, during round the clock tests at the lab, he regularly took responsibility for the graveyard shift. He enjoyed the 'pure science, no politics' aspect. I always volunteered for the same shift.


From: "NASA Science News" :
Tonight on NASA TV, a group of NASA astronomers and engineers will host
a live 4-hour broadcast about Earth's ongoing close encounter with Mars.

The purpose of the program is to help sky watchers find Mars in the
night sky, and if they happen to have a telescope, to understand what they
see in the eyepiece when they point their 'scope at the red planet.

Guests will include Jack Horkheimer of PBS's StarGazer program, David
Levy, the science editor of Parade magazine and co-discoverer of Comet
Shoemaker-Levy 9, Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott, and NASA's Chief
Scientist for Mars Exploration Jim Garvin.

The show begins at 9:00 p.m. EDT (6:00 p.m. PDT) on Tuesday, August 26th.



I don't get NASA TV-- but luckily it's also going to be broadcast live on the web.



Monday, August 25, 2003

It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
I like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight
I like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight
But I ain't up to my baby tonight
Cause it's too darn hot

It's too darn hot
It's just too darn hot
I like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
I like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
But brother you fight my baby tonight
Cause it's too darn hot

According to the kinsey report
Every average man you know
Much prefers his lovey dovey to court
When the temperature is low
But when the thermometer goes way up
And the weather is sizzling hot
Mr. Pants for romance is not
Because it's too darn hot

It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot

Oh, it's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
I like to coo with my baby tonight
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight
I like to coo with my baby tonight
Pitch the woo with my baby tonight
Brother you fight my baby tonight
Cause it's too darn hot

Mr. Gob for his squab,
A marine for his queen,
A G.I. for his cutie pie is not
Oh it's too darn hot
It's too darn hot
It's too darn hot

Friday, August 22, 2003

Rock over London... Rock on Chicago... The Big W will....

...no longer rock this world.

So long Wesley Willis.



Thursday, August 21, 2003

Branded

Scorned as the one who ran?


The fish who was plumbingly transported to another world, now christened Nemo (see previous posts' comments), is a loner all of a sudden. Checking the herd this morning, I could only find 8. Koi definitely school. They stick together, with the dominant fish - Big Yellow - calling the shots on where they go, when they rise to the surface to feed, when they semi-sleep. Looking around more closely, I found little Nemo up under a water plant, all by her lonesome. Awww.

Maybe it's only part of her convalescence. Or, has the majority ostracized her for being different?

What can you do when you're branded
and you know you're a koi?



(I guess there's apologies to chuck conner due)

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Where is sanity?

It's hard for me to write about anything lite, when the world is falling apart at the seams. The Bush years. What a sorry time.

But I do have one koi pond update. When you size and install your bio filter, make sure the intake is not sited in a spot where koi like to frequent. So far, we've had two traumatic experiences. Two fish have been sucked up into the pump trap. One didn't survive. The other one, found this morning, seems not too terribly damaged, from his involuntary plumbing transport. Maybe there's some moral here about thinking globally (pump filter) and acting locally (stay away from the inlet).

Monday, August 18, 2003

Boom boom out go the lights

Here's a couple of space-based images of the Northeast. One is from the night before the blackout; the second is taken in the midst of it. Watch for that baby boomlet, come May.




Well I stand up next to a mountain...

...And I am humbled.

This weekend we hiked the Horsethief Canyon Trail, near Carson Pass, in the Toiyabe National Forest. This canyon climb is only a short 1.5 miles. But before you say, "a mile and a half - you call that a hike?", note that this trail has an elevation gain of 2,600 ft, with a beginning elevation at 6,800 ft. A steep climb... at altitude... oh yes, I think we can now consider ourselves official mtn-goats. I'll write more - and put up some pictures - but I'm kind of lazy tonight. It'll keep, 'til morning, won't it?

Thursday, August 14, 2003

Mo' Peectures

Here's Richard Avedon's photo of Chan Marshall, for the latest New Yorker. So what's the correct conclusion?
a) Avedon's washed up.
b) He's moonlighting for Hustler.
c) Chan has decided on her new look- the love child of David Johansen and Patty Smith.
d) ?

And then, there's miniKISS. No conclusions are necessary. As Mike says, 'only in Atlanta.'

Jane Doe and Fanny Fawn


I love my backyard. These gals have been visiting, off and on, for weeks now. What me worry about Lyme's Disease? They're way cuter than Ben and Jen....and who knows what you could catch from the later pair.

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Just sayin' no to j-lo

Ben calls her "Jen." Ben and Jen. Toooo cuuute.

Monday, August 11, 2003

TotalRecall2003

These guys were fast. You gotta keep laughing. I guess.




And if you're wondering where Arnold stands on the burning issues of the day, here's a very helpful site.

Friday, August 08, 2003

The Guv Recall

Arianna vs. Arnold. This is getting interesting....


Ann Coulter

Tonight, I made the mistake of watching Ann Coulter on Larry King Live (is that actually 2 mistakes?). There was one good bit though: she referred to current presidential hopeful Howard Dean as John Dean. Larry, gleefully, caught the Freudian moment.

She gives me serious gastric problems. All those half-truths, bogus quotations and outright falsehoods. Spinsanity has found at least five doozies in her latest screed, "Treason."

And whatever happened to the intelligent conservative? I keep confusing them with toasters these days. Everett Dirksen must surely be spinning in his grave. Bill Buckley is getting old; he's all mumble now. I'm sure Ann Coulter aspires to be considered part of the right-wing intellectual elite. But she's her own worst oppostion to inclusion. Here's just a few of her observations, as collected by Washington Monthly:

"God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'"---Hannity & Colmes, 6/20/01

"My libertarian friends are probably getting a little upset now but I think that's because they never appreciate the benefits of local fascism."---MSNBC 2/8/97

To a disabled Vietnam vet: "People like you caused us to lose that war."---MSNBC

"Clinton is in love with the erect penis."---This Evening with Judith Regan, Fox News Channel 2/6/00
(me: okay Annie, maybe you have a point there)

"I think [Whitewater]'s going to prevent the First Lady from running for Senate."---Rivera Live 3/12/99

"My track record is pretty good on predictions."---Rivera Live 12/8/98

"You want to be careful not to become just a blowhard."---Washington Post 10/16/98


Yes Ann; you do.



Have I mentioned we have 9 beautiful Koi now? Hmmm... what to name them? Maybe Arianna, Arnold and Ann? Gray, Issa, Cruz...Flynt...?

Tuesday, August 05, 2003

newdesk.org

Check Newsdesk.org, for reportage on the under-reported.
Yet another new and wonderful idea from the never aging mind of the most genki Josh Wilson.

Monday, August 04, 2003

My kinda tombstone

Great, huh?
The games begin

Apparently raccoons paid a visit to the front yard pond sometime last night. We awoke to carnage. Water plants well & truly trashed. The bio-filter flipped upside down. I almost didn't want to look more closely; I've already grown attached to these little Shibunkins.

Preparing myself for a dose of natural reality, I tossed some fish food in. How many pairs of slimy fish-gums would pop the surface? The water swirled a bit. They came to the top. First two. Then more. Then...all! A quick fish count revealed it was an embarassingly unsuccessful coon hunt! All the little Shibunkin are accounted for (well, maybe one is missing. It's hard to keep them all sorted out). They were very excited and happy to relate to me the fish-tale of their night's adventure. Dorsal-slaps and high-fins all around. Under-water flagstone shelter - 1, raccoons - 0.

I went around back to see if the marauders had also attempted an assault on the big koi pond. Not yet. It looks... serene. Ah....

But, coons are smart. They learn fast. Tonight, I anticipate a more enlightened raid. We'll see if we are up to meet their next challenge. If only my dogs would bark, instead of sleeping. They really have got to start pulling their weight around here.

Bring it!

Friday, August 01, 2003

Only in my adopted state...

...would The Terminator use The Tonight Show as his bully pulpit to announce if he's running for govenor.

...can Larry Flynt state, if elected, he'll solve our budget woes by dramatically increasing the number of casino slots.

....do Michael Jackson, Bill Murrary and Steve Young also threaten to declare they could become candidates.


All thanks to a recall vote, by less than 5% of the population.