My Blab

I'm baaaaack!

liabear1 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:14:23 GMT

Oh my dear Tribe and Tribesters, how I missed you! I couldn't bring myself to spend time when it seemed an eminent demise was close. That in combination with the real demise of my former laptop and the fact that I wasn't much in the mood for writing, have kept me away for too long. As they say in merry ol' England, "Watch this space"!

remembering Jordan McKay

liabear1 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:09:20 GMT

http://jordanmckay.com/ Jordan graduated with a degree in economics and a minor in film from UCSC. When asked what he would do with a million dollars, Jordan said that he would create an organization that provides micro-lending to people who are struggling to build small businesses. He believed in the power of these small, independent businesses to improve peoples' lives and tip the scales toward community rebuilding throughout the world.

If I could

liabear1 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:19:18 GMT

If you will let me I will hold you tight against my heart I will tell you "it's ok to let it out" I will catch the flood from your eyes with my shoulder I will absorb your sobbing I can take it . It's ok, you don't have to protect me from your pain I'll be strong enough for the two of us Sob so the heavens can hear you. wail. pull hair, yell at god I will hold you up if your legs give out. I will mutter soothing words I will love you unconditionally even if snot bubbles come out of your nose. That's what sleeves are for. I want to help you bear the heartbreak. I want to be there for you like you have been there for me I'll be the beast of burden and carry your tears to fill the chasm that he left behind If you will let me I won't flinch or tell you "it'll be ok" Because it will never be "ok", but it will get better. But not for a long time. You grieve deeply because you love deeply and that is not a bad thing. I can't take your sorrow from you, but if you let me, I will help you bear it.

tragedy hits my circle

liabear1 — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:07:30 GMT

Danger Angel, if you read this a mutual friend of ours has been hit by Tragedy. One of my closest friends of 26 years lost her baby brother to senseless violence. He recently graduated UCSC done an internship at Pixar and had lived abroad for a year. He was a good kid, I assumed that he would go far. A strange coincidence, a man on a bike was also shot in Oakland, a couple of blocks away from where I grew up. http://www.ktvu.com/video/17496081/index.html (09-17) 16:46 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordan McCay was just trying to get back home in San Francisco after a long day at work in Berkeley and an evening seeing off a friend traveling to Asia. He almost made it but came up two blocks short. The 23-year-old went from his job at a film production outfit in Berkeley on Tuesday night to say good-bye to a friend in Oakland who was leaving for Asia the next day. McCay boarded BART to San Francisco, then pedaled his bicycle across town to the Richmond District by early Wednesday. In that normally peaceful neighborhood - just two blocks from his home - he was confronted by two men on the street. After an argument, someone shot and killed him at 1:40 a.m. near the corner of 15th Avenue and Cabrillo Street, police said. "He was coming home, coming down the street - we really don't know what happened," said Lt. Mike Stasko of the San Francisco homicide detail. The killer left behind the victim's bike - worth as much of $1,000 - and his backpack. "Everything was still there," Stasko said. Mark Pardini, 38, who lives on 15th Avenue, said he heard "pretty angry voices going back and forth" for a few seconds before hearing gunfire. "It was quick ... probably like 15 seconds" he said, but added he couldn't quite hear what was being said. "Obviously, they were angry. And then I heard a gunshot and then, about five to 10 seconds later, I heard a car driving away." Mortally wounded, McKay dropped his bicycle in the street and knocked on doors for help before collapsing outside a set of flats on Cabrillo, police and residents said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have no description of assailants, investigators said. McKay's father, Matthew, said his son had recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in economics and a minor in film. He worked for a while as a busboy at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, then got an internship at Assemble, a post-production company in Berkeley. He said his son was working on computer modeling and post-production animation for an upcoming Bruce Willis film. "He was just a couple blocks from home," McKay said. "It seems like, nobody knows for sure, but he was in this fight with two guys. They must have jumped him. One of them pulled out a gun and shot him." He was living with his girlfriend, whom he met in high school, his father said. "He was a good guy, he went to school, worked hard. He had a lot of great friends and was just kind of on his way in his career," he said. "How do you sum up a life? He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was a determined, creative person. He really wanted to get skilled and was learning a lot of different things." McKay said police were not optimistic about the chances of solving his son's slaying. "They don't have any eyewitnesses who could identify them - they only saw distant shapes, struggling," the father said he was told. The killing shocked residents of the neighborhood. "It's very safe. Everyone on the blocks knows everybody," said Denise Bottarini, who has lived on Cabrillo for 10 years. "It shocks me that it happened in our neighborhood." Pardini said the corner of 15th and Cabrillo has seen its share of drivers "doing doughnuts," or driving recklessly in circles. Residents walked to the corner, inspected the scene and shook their heads. Raymond Villaseñor, a contractor remodeling a three-story apartment building on the corner, said 15th Avenue is a "nice, quiet little street with not a lot of commotion. "It gets you to think," he said. "You never know when your whole life is going to turn around. You think everything is safe. I've even been leaving my truck unlocked. I'm not going to do that any more." Two doors away, resident Tai Chan said he "can't believe it happened here. It's supposed to be a good neighborhood." Chronicle staff writer Henry K. Lee contributed to this report. E-mail the writers at jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com and srubenstein@sfchronicle.com.

exercise can be dangerous!

liabear1 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:42:42 GMT

When the doctor, therapist or form asks me how often I exercise, I generally say that I don’t. Although that’s not entirely true, I think it answers the question that they are really asking. What they really want to know is how many times per week do I get my heart pounding until I can hear the blood in my ears. Then they give me that look of admonishment and tell me about how important it is to exercise regularly in order to prevent everything from a hangnail to ending up in a vegetative state. In actuality, it’s safer to be sedentary, exercise is dangerous! Ask any Physical Therapist, or just turn on the tv. Any given Olympic competition or professional sport will have athletes with knee, ankle, or elbow supports. The only injury that I’m in danger of sustaining is hitting my shin on the coffee table while switching the tv to video game mode. The actual truth of the matter is that I don’t get any regular exercise. And by that I mean regular heart pounding, sweat producing exercise of 20 minute increments or greater are very rare. I do walk to my local coffee shop about 3 times a week, before you scoff at my 1 mile RT walk, I’d like to elaborate that I usually have about a 15 pound backpack. Now if you think that a 1 mile walk with a 15 pound backpack isn’t worth mentioning, then you haven’t seen the hills in my neighborhood! I haven’t always been so lazy, but my history does point that way. There was a lot of skipped PE due to asthma and I didn’t ride a bike or roller skate as a kid. There were a couple of years that I was riding my bike all around SF, and going to the YMCA. Then I got hit and my bike got trashed. Then there was a period that a group of us from work did workouts a few times a week. I have to say that Billy Blanks does a body good! My ass was tight as a drum, but that only lasts as long as you keep working out. When I worked at Job Corps, where the campus was a couple of blocks squared and I chose stairs over elevators, even when I worked on the 3rd floor, I still never claimed “exercise” on my form. I promised myself last week to make a concerted effort to exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 times per week. It’s funny how the 1st week of an exercise vow is always the most motivated, I did well. On Tuesday I walked for about 35 minutes up and down the slopes of Potrero Hill. On Wednesday, I walked for about 25 minutes on the beach. I figure that the resistance of the sand makes up for the 5 mins I lacked. On Friday, I didn’t exactly get any aerobic exercise, but I did enough lifting, pushing and pulling to feel the lactic acid in my muscles 24 hours later. I participated in the release of 5 California sea lions (CSL) and 1 harbor seal. I pushed carts with a couple hundred of pounds of CSL. I lifted a few of aforementioned CSLs in tandem with other volunteers into the truck and then lifted them down when we got to the release point. We released the Harbor seal last, I carried a heavy board down stairs, over rocks, and across the sand. I have a reminder of that day in my biceps, back, legs and shoulders! At least the work was more gratifying than running to nowhere on a treadmill! Well, I’ll keep you updated on my exercise regiment!

permission to watch the Game Show channel for the rest of the month

liabear1 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:03:47 GMT

A very San Francisco Day People count 11: Indie and Dave Shanna Mom Cousin Judy Kenneth Tigger Darren and Barbara Bob and Rosey Entertainment 5: SF Mime Troup A Jug Band (don't know the name), Olympic Women power lifters and the Meat Sluts Hoods 6ish: Potrero (home turf), Glenn Park, Western Addition, Golden Gate Park, Inner Sunset, nner and outer Mission. When I finally woke up this morning, I peaked out my window to an almost entirely white sky with a small patch of pale blue. There was some sun in my back yard and I overly optimistically hoped that the sun and the blue were a hint that the clouds would clear. Hoping that if I dressed for the sun, the sun would follow, I donned a skirt and double tank tops. Being a San Franciscan, I also packed a sweater, tights, and a jacket. I headed to Glenn Park to meet my friend Indie and her bf. I amazed myself by getting lost. How can I live in SF for 18 years and get lost trying to find Glenn Park from Potrero Hill!? When I found it, the SF Mime Troupe were about 30 minutes into their politically preachy, with socialist overtones, yet always entertaining performance. The Audience was made up of a couple of hundred San Franciscans of all ages. I saw the little boy in the picture holding a black baby doll which reminded me of a recent conversation I had with my 10 year old niece. She, my mom and I, had just seen an exhibit of “Altered Barbies” I asked my niece if she thought that the way dolls we grow up look impact our body image. I also asked her what she thinks it would be like if she had never seen a white doll, and only had black dolls. Then I told her that a lot of little girls grew up with only white dolls even if they were black, Asian or Latina. Anyway, the little white boy holding the black doll was a lovely sight. After the show, I said my goodbyes to Indie and Dave and Glenn Park, I ran home put some warmer clothes on and headed to lower Haight/W. Addition to pick up Shanna. With Shanna riding shotgun, we headed to the bandshell in GG park to meet my mom and my cousin Judy. We caught the last band of the Jug band festival (the kind of jugs that hold moonshine, not wandering eyes) and headed up 9th Avenue to Park Chow for a bite. After dinner and the BEST apple pie I’ve ever had, Shanna and I said "goodbye" to my mom and my cousin and headed to the Little Shamrock for a couple of drinks with Kenneth. WE were capiivated by 3 tvs showing the Olympics. The 1st tv had women that were built like sumo wrestlers lifting heavy weights. The other 2 tvs had women marathon runners. This one women from Finland was out in front of the pack like the Running man or Lola. She was AMAZING and facinating. We had a bit of a 3 Stooges moment trying to articulate who won the race when the Finish woman finished first. Kenneth had to get up early and took his leave. Shanna and I headed to the car which was parked in a dark and deserted road in the park. We saw this almost eerie, glowing polka dotted dome that looked like spaceship or, as I scared myself by observing, a glowing Mario Bros mushroom. The Academy of Science Will be opening in about 5 weeks, and it looks like they are powering up their dome! I dropped Shanna off, with every intention of heading home, but then I changed my mind and drove to the Mission to see if my roommate and friends were still at El Rio. Although my roommate had gone home and I missed Tigger’s band,I did get to see Tigger for the first time since she moved to LA years ago. Also there was Darren, Barbara, Count Dante and Rosy. And in case I hadn’t had enough culture for the day, I got to see the "Meat Sluts" perform a few songs before I finally hit the wall. As I told the Count some of the day's highlights, he told me that I needn’t do anything else for the rest of the month except sit on the couch and watch the game show channel. A quick stop at the Guatemalan Roach Coach for a ceviche tostada and then I finally headed home a mere 10 hours after I left. Unfortunately, I had insomnia and wasn’t able to fall asleep until past 4:30 Am (probably because Tribe was down). A pretty packed day all in all, but sorry Ray, I didn’t make it to the Roller Soccer World Cup to see you play. SF Mime troupe (not the silent type) http://www.sfmt.org/index.php Tigger's band http://www.myspace.com/tufftittiesridewild El RIo, Your Dive http://www.elriosf.com/ Jug band fest http://www.jugfest.org/ The Meat Sluts http://www.myspace.com/themeatsluts Count Dante http://count-dante.com/ Insomnia and sleep hygiene http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/gettingtosleep/l/msubhygiene.htm

tony curtis and kevin bacon on graham norton

liabear1 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:15:50 GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/grahamnortonshow/

who'll be the 3rd?

liabear1 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:52:06 GMT

Yesterday it was Bernie Mac(50), today Issac Hayes (65). What's up with these young men dying? >Clooney tells People.com, "The world just got a little less funny. He will be missed dearly." Pitt adds, "I lament the loss of a ferociously funny and hardcore family man. My thoughts are with (wife) Rhonda and their family. Bernie MAC, you are already missed."

Long time SF resident has a sighting at last!

liabear1 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:29:12 GMT

Sightings that have occurred in different parts of SF, but particularly in North Beach, near Justin Herman plaza, and at dusk in the Mission district, have until now eluded Lia Kantor, a San Francisco resident for over 17 years. “My Fairygod-daughter had a sighting by the time she was 5, my sister SF for 3 years and had the experience, it seemed everyone had seen it, but I had given up hope that I would ever bare witness.” What Kantor didn’t know is that the heavens had an early birthday present in store for her. “Today, I was in the Safeway parking lot on Monterey street and a strange noise caught my attention. It was like a loud squawk. Then in my peripheral vision, a green blur appeared. I couldn’t believe it! It was finally happening to me! It was as if I had found the Holy Grail!” To her surprise and delight, two parrots, emerald green with red heads and necks, flew overhead and into a tree. She added, “They must be a couple, because they seemed to be bickering.” From the tree, they circled a couple of more times until one landed under a roof overhanging of Spanish tiles and the other on a nearby light post. Kantor looked around in the parking lot and on the sidewalk for somebody to share this miraculous vision, but the area was eerily empty of people. “Even though I’ve been extremely angry with the City for putting $3 hr parking meters on every square inch of the city, it’s hard to get jaded in SF, there’s always seems to be new things to discover and new things to fall in love with.”

dream

liabear1 — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:27:06 GMT

I had a dream that I was hanging out with Viet Nam Veterans including at times, John Wayne. I was talking to them about the paradox that people protesting the war and the veterans coming home where considered anti-patriotic, meanwhile the Gov't was testing LSD on soldiers and exposing them to cancer causing substances like Agent Orange.

Serindipity in the form of the STONES!

liabear1 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:06:43 GMT

last weekend, I was playing my Rolling Stones vinyl. I'm not a huge Stones fan, nor am I a vinyl person, I prefer popping 5 CDs in the player or turining on an internet radio so I do't have to think about it. I was particularly looking for 2 songs thar I had in my head, "Ruby Tuesday" and "Lady Jane' but couldn't find them and didn't remember until last night that they were on "Flowers" which for some reason, I can't find. Welllllllll, I just turned on my Yahoo radio for the 1st time in months, guess what the very first song was? Ruby Tuesday! Strange. I hadn't even rated it %100 (which makes it play more often). Now, if I could only get the lottery numbers stuck in my head!

And now, the Reverand Al Green!

liabear1 — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:23:34 GMT

Al Green rocked tonight! I had chills while he was singing. And I get paid for this!?! Herbie Hancock was terrific too! He played for over an hour and a half, maybe close to 2 hours. What a show!\ The only bad part is that I was talking to this couple and offended them.

Imagine the contents of a Joanne’s fabric and craft store shoved into a 10’x 20’ room.

liabear1 — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:06:31 GMT

Now imagine that an earthquake or some other natural disaster has knocked most of the stuff on the floor. You can’t walk more than 2 feet in the door without having to wade through bobbins, thread spools, wrapping paper, paper samples, hundreds of knitting needles, yarn, buttons, clothespins, ribbon, greeting cards, pastels, markers,empty strawberry baskets, paint, paint brushes, stickers, cutouts, and fabric, lots of fabric. Fabric as small as a Snapple bottle cap up to as large as the windshield of my mini-cooper. Finally, imagine if someone close to you, asked you to help clean it up. This is a description of the 2nd bedroom in my mother’s house. To be fair, there are a few attempts at organization. There are plastic tubs with knitting needles and one with thread spools, which makes it even more confusing as to why there are dozens on the ground. This room was my baby sister’s until she went away to college. When my grandma had a stroke in 2001, the room was completely cleaned out and painted so that she could live with my mom. Grandma died September 10, 2002. How her room became a 10’ x 20’ junk drawer in under 6 years is beyond my comprehension. It’s as if every time my mom went to get something from the room, everything she pulled out or dropped just got left as it was. I want to get 1 thing straight. I have inherited the pack-rat gene. No lie, I collect everything. I have the museum entrance tickets from trips to Mexico and Thailand. I just recently threw out ATM receipts from my 1997 trip to Thailand, I figure that I don’t really need to know the exchange rate at the time. Martha Stewert would sooner spend another night in jail than sleep in my room. So, if I’m having trouble comprehending how things got so bad…..things are bad. I seriously am surprised that she hasn’t had any rodents living in there. How did I get to be the lucky sibling to tackle this Normandy Beach size task? Well, my brother works full time and has a family. My sister works and is finishing her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. So as the unemployed, old maid eldest daughter, it only made sense that it was me. (Although I could argue that my brother probably owes her for all the babysitting and shuttling of AOCs, but that’s another story.) So today being the 2nd day that I helped her with the room, there is now only 1-2 inch deep clutter and you can see a lot of the wooden floor. you can also cross the room with minimal damage. Mom’s friend from Brooklyn is coming to town Sunday afternoon. I’m not really sure how much more I can handle.

getting personal

liabear1 — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:27:58 GMT

So, I post strange news stories, but rarely do I feel brave enough to bare my soul (can an atheist bare a soul?) I've just been going through some shit lately and don't know what to do with all of it. I haven't written in a journal for years, I don't know if I still remember how to use a pen. I don’t have money for a therapist. The problem with talking to friends about how shitty life is, is that they’ll never say “yeah, you’re right, you fucked up” or “yeah, you’re right, you really don’t have any skills”. I don’t want a cheerleader, I want a reality check.

Mildred Loving did for marriage what Rosa Parks did for sitting on buses

liabear1 — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:29:13 GMT

Mildred Loving should be a house hold name! I hate when I hear about these fantastic people when they die. The same-sex marraige activists should have held her up as inspiration. ( BTW, A Jewish Lawyer handled their appeal.) Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies By DIONNE WALKER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday. Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death. "I want (people) to remember her as being strong and brave yet humble — and believed in love," Fortune told The Associated Press. Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states. "There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause," the court ruled in a unanimous decision. links; http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hB_lXH3EjHqSeJYEbQrt00rG4YmQD90FIFEGK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia http://www.positiveliberty.com/2007/06/mildred-lovings-statement.html

Ban smoking, close down a charity.

liabear1 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:09:23 GMT

April 24, 2008 After the Smoke Cleared, Where Did All the Bingo Players Go? By STEPHANIE STROM Banning smoking at charity bingo games may have health benefits, but it is proving harmful to earnings. In Minnesota, which adopted a statewide ban on smoking in all indoor workplaces in October, revenue from all charity gambling dropped nearly 13 percent in the last quarter of 2007, compared to the same quarter the year before, according to state officials. More than half of the drop — the equivalent of about $100 million annually — was attributed to the new law, they said. Charlie Lindstrom, who runs the bingo nights at an American Legion post in Fergus Falls, Minn., said some of his former customers now drove to casinos on Indian reservations, where they can puff away, or across the border to Fargo, N.D., where veterans’ organizations are exempt from that state’s smoking ban. On a good night, Mr. Lindstrom said, bingo at the post used to attract 50 to 75 players. Nowadays it is more like 30 or 40. “It’s had a profound effect on us here,” Mr. Lindstrom said. “We’ve sponsored several baseball teams here in the past, but we can’t give as much now because the smoking ban has really reduced our revenue.” Mr. Lindstrom is not alone. Managers of charity bingo games in California, New Jersey, New York and Washington State also say their states’ smoking bans have forced cutbacks in their budgets and in their support for various causes. Few believe they can cultivate new nonsmoking players. They say smoking goes with bingo like peanut butter with jelly. Michael J. Surwill, bingo chairman at Elks Lodge No. 2501 in Ocean Springs, Miss., estimated that smokers outnumbered nonsmokers three to one at the lodge’s weekly game. Last year, his bingo game produced $23,000 that supported a shelter for abused women, a drug awareness program and a camp for young cancer survivors, Mr. Surwill said, adding, “I’m sure we wouldn’t raise nearly that much if we banned smoking.” Veterans’ organizations like the American Legion, fraternal groups like the Shrine and Moose clubs, local drum and bugle corps and churches have long depended on revenue from gambling, though it has been on the decline — and not solely because of smoking. A proliferation of casinos on reservations, changes in state gambling regulations and, now, a faltering economy have all played a role. Some advocates of smoking bans said the costs of smoking to the state in terms of public health and productivity greatly outweighed the losses to charity. And some argue that the revenues will return in over the long run. “Around the country,” said State Representative Thomas Huntley, Democrat of Duluth and a chief sponsor of Minnesota’s Freedom to Breathe Act, “whenever places have put in smoking bans, there is a six-month period where there is a drop in business in bars and restaurants, which is where this gambling takes place, and after that, it starts to rebound.” But bingo managers in states where bans on smoking have been in effect longer say nonsmokers cannot make up for the decline in revenues from smokers. Instead, they say, their industry has undergone a wave of forced consolidation. “We actually benefited from it, but for the wrong reason — my competition was forced to close,” said Clyde Bock, bingo manager for the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center in Seattle. When Washington’s ban on smoking took effect in 2005, Mr. Bock was able to partially enclose a porch where bingo players could still smoke, and he got it approved as a separate facility. “It cost me $8,000, but it protected my customer base,” he said. “Other games weren’t so lucky.” Still, revenues are down. In 2006, the bingo operation at the children’s center, which then belonged to Big Brothers Big Sisters, generated about $325,000 a year, after expenses, and employed 17 people. A year later, under the auspices of the center, it produced $150,000 and employed 13 people. “People underestimate the impact smoking bans will have,” Mr. Bock said. Washington used to be home to 100 bingo halls that raised money for charity. Now there are fewer than 20. Bret Rios, director of operations for the Blue Devils, a nonprofit drum and bugle corps in Concord, Calif., says his organization, too, has felt the effects. “A lot of people who play bingo like to smoke,” Mr. Rios said Bingo is the largest source of revenue for the Blue Devils, which operates musical groups that involve more than 500 children each year. In 2005, bingo provided $1.2 million for the organization’s activities, covering more than half its costs. Mr. Rios said bingo revenues were down about $10,000 a month since Contra Costa County imposed more stringent restrictions on smoking in 2006. Attendance at the nightly games has fallen to about 225 on average, compared to 300 or more before the ban took effect. The Blue Devils had spent roughly $70,000 to create a specially ventilated separate room for smoking bingo players, which the county ordered closed under its new regulations. The organization replaced it with a covered patio in its parking lot, but smokers are not happy with it, Mr. Rios said. “You’ve got to get up and down, up and down, to go out and smoke,” said Judy Aiello, 53, who has played bingo at the Blue Devils parlor for about 20 years. Ms. Aiello said friends who used to play at the Concord center now went to American Indian-owned casinos or bingo parlors in the adjacent county, which has less stringent smoking restrictions than Contra Costa. Ms. Aiello and other smokers also spoke of tensions between smokers and nonsmokers. Some nonsmoking bingo players have complained that the smell of smoke wafts in from outside, and the Blue Devils group was recently forced to place notices at entrances, reminding smokers that the county forbid them to light up within 20 yards of doorways. “Why do all the nonsmokers have all the rights and the smokers have none?” said Rhonda Convino, 37, who smokes but has remained loyal to the Blue Devils games. Mr. Rios said he felt caught between a rock and a hard place. “I’m not a smoker, and I’m not fond of smoking,” he said. “I wouldn’t go to a place that smelled of smoke and spend a lot of time there. But they’ve gone way too far — you know, they’re even thinking about passing a law that would make it illegal to smoke in your own home.” Told about that idea, Representative Huntley of Minnesota chuckled. “I don’t think I’ll take that idea up,” he said. “I’m still pulling the knives out of my back from the last time.”

Penis theft panic hits city

liabear1 — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:11:25 GMT

(the whole country is shaped like a penis, why are they having so much trouble finding it?) (Take note men with small penises, you can use the excuse that you're a victim of sorcery!) -lb Penis theft panic hits city.. By Joe Bavier Wed Apr 23, 1:07 PM ET Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft. Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur. Rumors of penis theft began circulating last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital of some 8 million inhabitants. They quickly dominated radio call-in shows, with listeners advised to beware of fellow passengers in communal taxis wearing gold rings. Purported victims, 14 of whom were also detained by police, claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear, in what some residents said was an attempt to extort cash with the promise of a cure. "You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you. We've had a number of attempted lynchings. ... You see them covered in marks after being beaten," Kinshasa's police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, told Reuters on Tuesday. Police arrested the accused sorcerers and their victims in an effort to avoid the sort of bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 suspected penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs. The 27 men have since been released. "I'm tempted to say it's one huge joke," Oleko said. "But when you try to tell the victims that their penises are still there, they tell you that it's become tiny or that they've become impotent. To that I tell them, 'How do you know if you haven't gone home and tried it'," he said. Some Kinshasa residents accuse a separatist sect from nearby Bas-Congo province of being behind the witchcraft in revenge for a recent government crackdown on its members. "It's real. Just yesterday here, there was a man who was a victim. We saw. What was left was tiny," said 29-year-old Alain Kalala, who sells phone credits near a Kinshasa police station. (Editing by Nick Tattersall and Mary Gabriel)

Falcon cam

liabear1 — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:28:08 GMT

This is cool! the nest of a pair of peregrine falcons on SJ city hall http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/falconcameraSJ.htm

not a cat lady yet

liabear1 — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:29:58 GMT

Yesterday my sister and I took an 8hr roundtrip drive to Marysville to meet my potential kitten. Unfortunately, the visit didn’t go as well as I had hoped. After being in a small, carpeted room with momma cat, 3 kittens, and 2 litter boxes, for almost an hour, I started sniffling pretty badly. When my lungs hit the outdoor air, I had a VERY mild wheezing attack, which surprisingly went away without the use of drugs. The whole drive back I was sniffling. With a normal(non Siberian) cat, I would have had much worse reaction within 20 minutes, still, I feel that the reaction I had would make a difficult living situation. It is likely, that with 1 cat in a non-carpeted house, and regular baths or at least wipe-down with a wet towel, my reaction would be not as strong, likely, but not for sure. The other 2 possibilities I can see are, testing another breeder to see if I react less to that bloodline, or, this breeder said that she would give me a %100 refund if I returned the kitten within 2 weeks. Kittens have not developed the allergy causing enzyme at full strength so it’s possible that I would have a reaction further down the road , as for the second option, how hard would it be to return a kitten after 2 weeks?! Anyway, I'm pretty discouraged right now.

Training of the Shrew or Nice Girls Finish Last

liabear1 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:13:20 GMT

I need to find a Bitch school, an "unfinishing" school (not that I'm presently "finished"). Forget "sweet" or "thoughtful", that's not getting me anywhere except overlooked. I need to learn to be demanding, distant and uncaring because those seem to be the more desirable characteristics. It was true when I was 19 and it doesn't seem to have changed. I have a friend who had a guy taking her garbage out on their first date. How cool is THAT!?

Obituary: Dr. Richard Land Ashby

liabear1 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:23:09 GMT

the man who stole thousands of dollars from my mom, screwed up my brother's teeth, and had braces on me for 3 years without any noticable difference died 3 years ago. Damn! I wanted to sue him! Shoulda known he was LDS! Obituary: Dr[0]. Richard[0] Land Ashby[0] 1928 ~ 2004 Dr[0]. Richard[0] Land Ashby[0], 76, of Orem, longtime resident of Oakland, California, returned home to his Heavenly Father on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was born January 10, 1928 in American Fork, Utah, the youngest of ten children, to Robert L[0]. and Hannah Cropper Ashby[0]. Richard[0] grew up in American Fork and graduated from American Fork High School where he placed second in the Utah State High School Tennis Tournament. He served an L[0].D.S. Mission to the Eastern States. He attended B.Y.U. and received a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics. It was during this time at B.Y.U. that he met and later married his sweetheart, Marilyn Ashman on August 27, 1954 in the Salt Lake L[0].D.S. Temple. Richard[0] received his D.D.S. Degree from U.C. San Francisco and later a M.S. Degree in Orthodontics from the University of Pittsburgh. He and Marilyn moved to Oakland, California where he practiced orthodontics and raised their five children. Richard[0] loved science and was granted two U.S. Patents for dental instruments. He composed music and enjoyed playing the piano. Richard[0] was a member of the L[0].D.S. Church and held the office of High Priest. He is survived by his wife Marilyn of Orem; children: Randi (Allan) Porter, Pahrump, NV; R. Alan (Lori) Ashby[0], American Fork, UT; Dr[0]. Eric R. (Tina) Ashby[0], Farmington, UT; Marcie (Dr[0]. Kevin) Smith, Rexburg, ID; Dr[0]. Thomas C. (Deanna) Ashby[0], Twin Falls, ID; 26 grandchildren; two sisters: Mary Ashby[0] Porter and Eda Ashby[0] Bingham both of Provo, UT. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Sarah Day Ashby[0]. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 24, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. in the Lakeview Stake Center, 1800 South 400 West, Orem where friends may call from 9:45-10:45 a.m. Interment will be in the American Fork City Cemetery. Funeral directors � Olpin Family Mortuary, Pleasant Grove. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinfamilymortuary.com.

YAY! cracks and crevices and blues and twos!

liabear1 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:22:09 GMT

So, I've been using my spare keys for about 6 months now cause I couldn't find my keys. They cost a couple of hundred to replace at the dealer because of the computer chip. I have put off getting a new one because I just KNEW they had to be around somewhere, because how could I come and go without my car and house keys? Today I was looking for the remote control and found the keys in the recliner!!!! AND I learned some new British slang, "Blues and twos" are the lights of an emergency vehicle. Not as good as "the filth", but not bad.

Go Tree Frogs!

liabear1 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:19:35 GMT

Got to see my first Softball Scrimage. I guess it's a pre-season game or practice game. SOmething like that. My neice made a couple of really good catches including one that lead to a final out and the end of the game!

I'm a "sneaky little thoughtful elf!"

liabear1 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:28:33 GMT

Last night I put together a basket for Shanna. People in mourning get food brought to them. I put together some of her favorite things red wine, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, Good n Plenty, biscuits with dark chocolate, tea, and milk and butter to make the potatoes and mac and cheese and Peeps! Then I used my spare key to sneak into her apartment building. I left the basket on her doorstep and went outside and rang the bell. She left me a voicemail and then sent me the following email, basket o' love Date: Mar 21, 2008 12:58 AM I adore Good n' Plenty AND Mike & Ikes EQUALLY! So you hit it either way! That is truly the best gift/care basket that I've ever gotten--and I love that you included butter to go with the mashed potatoes, and remembered that I never have milk in my fridge. You are a very sneaky little thoughtful elf!

So, it’s been a nutty week.

liabear1 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:53:46 GMT

DEATH -Tonight I accompanied one of my best, oldest friends to Pet’s Unlimited to put her companion of 19 years, Eva, to sleep. Poor Shanna was torn up by trying to make the decision of when was the right time. It's going to be weird not having that pretty cat around. PAIN -Yesterday, Tuesday, I had a uterine biopsy, and in case you can’t imagine, scraping the lining of the uterus, hurts a fucking lot! WATER- Saturday I went on my first sailing trip! Diana's boyfriend has a 26 ft boat and took us around the bay. The weather was awesome and it was a fun ride. SKA and ALLNIGHTER- Friday, I went to The Jasmine Tea House for some “to-go” dinner. I haven’t been there in ages because I’m really not eating out very much any more. When I greeted one of the owners, he hesitated for ½ a second and then was like “hi! Nice to see you! You lost weight, I almost didn’t recognize you!” “How much did you lose? About 40 pounds?” I LOVE this place! (and the food’s good too.) Then I went to Balazo to work the door for an all ages Ska show. The Uptones, the Minks, Boss 501 and Agent Deadlies. It was a fun show to work since the Uptones are from Berkeley HS (like some of my friends and family) and I had never seen them before. I was also impressed that there were a lot of parents there with their kids. The Minks are an all-girl band dressed in the best mod-wear and performing Kinks covers. After the show, people were partying in the back till all hours. After a few hours, this guy that I had never seen dropped a c-note and it was open bar for the handful of us left. At 5:45 AM, we moved to Clooney’s pub on Valencia street. AT 9, I took TxuTxo back to the gallery because he was falling asleep at the bar and then looked like he was going to puke. I drove home, but I guess I wasn’t in as good of shape as I thought because I managed to hit both of my side view mirrors. I finally got to bed at about 10 am and slept till 6 PM. pretty crazy, not even any drugs to blame. STARSTRUCK- Thursday I worked on a crew for a big benefit concert, sit down dinner, and auction with 6 bands. I was loading in and out hundreds of pounds of lighting and sound equiptment. Pushing up and down ramps, lifting speakers and amps, every muscle in my body was sore the next day and I’ve got bruises the size of saucers all over my legs. Performers included; Joan Baez and son Gabe Harris, Chris Stills' son Stephen Stills, Adam Cohen, son of Leonard Cohen, The Pete Escovedo Orchestra including Pete and his children, Sheila E., Juan and Peter Michael. Tickets to the event were $500-$1000. Highlights: 1. riding the elevator with Pete and Mrs. Escovedo and one of their sons. 2. After the show I shook Mr. Escovedo’s hand and thanked him for a great show 3. spoke a few words to Shiela E. and made sure she got the gaffer’s tape she was looking for. I was standing stage left not 5 feet from her. I took out my camera, and tried to fire it up, but alas, the battery was dead :-( SEALS- Wednesday- Business as usually at the Marine Mammal center. Elephant seal pupping season is picking up and we had nothing but “Ellies” as patients. The Ellies are mostly weaners, their moms finish nursing and leave them to fend for themselves. If they get too thin, or they got separated from their moms too soon, our rescue crew picks them up. Then it’s our job to fatten them up, teach them to eat whole fish and release them back into the wild. hmm. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?