Author: fifteenkey (Page 68 of 95)

She’s Carrie in my dream. She’s the smart, creative and beautiful one. She lives in Manhattan and owns it. Yeah, she has the friends… and the shoes. She writes and makes a good living at it. She is happy.

Dreams don’t always come true, but while they still can they remain dreams. I think she’s Carrie in her dreams too, but she’ll find her own way to whatever her dreams are.

While Nancy Pelosi’s push for enactment of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 is a promising start, others in her party aren’t even in their leadership chairs yet, but their comments hint at business as usual cronyism.

Dinosaur John Dingell (D-Michigan), a US congressman since 1955 is about to take over the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, occupying the seat currently held by Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton. Mr. Barton, a Big Oil flak spent time this year investigating an oil company. Oh, but it wasn’t a probe into how ExxonMobil took advantage of rising crude prices to pocket $36B in profits. No, the good rep from Texas wanted to know if Citgo broke any laws with their program to provide discounted heating oil to low-income US communities.

It now appears Mr. Dingell will move away from cohorting with Big Oil, but slide over to the next street corner to prop up the drunken Big 3 US automakers. Yep, fellow Jurrasic period inhabitants Ford, GM and Chrysler all live in Dingellville and produce some of the the least fuel efficient cars in the world.

While some Democrats advocate a doubling of fuel-efficiency standards for the US auto market to reduce both greenhouse gases and dependency on foreign oil, Mr. Dingle isn’t so sure. In an interview with CNBC, he responded, “I’m not sure that there’s any urgent needs for us to address those questions.” He noted that any rule changes should weigh “the needs, the costs, the technological ability and the economic ability of industry and the market to absorb these changes.”

Fair enough, but voters in the 2006 election proved they’ll act to make changes with policymakers not exercising their will. Inaction on this issue combined with inevitably higher gasoline prices could make the Dinglesaurus in danger of extinction by 2008.

“I usually stuff the squid-head with breadcrumbs and put it right on the grill. It’s my own recipe.” Somehow our waiter at the Times Square Olive Garden thought we’d be interested in knowing that as he placed the calamari on our third floor table overlooking Broadway. That was the second grossest thing during dinner, just edged out by a hair in Jessica’s Shrimp Scampi. We were in too much of a hurry to make a stink about it, but the Olive Gardeners threw us a $20 gift certificate for our hairy situation.

Nine hours earlier a yellow taxi dropped us in the historic Chelsea meatpacking district. We were there to visit the Ground Zero Museum Workshop and we had about an hour before our scheduled appointment. Nature had granted us a beautiful and unseasonably fair day, so we just started walking. We’d only strolled about a block and a half when I saw an interesting and artsy doorway that was very active opening and closing for people of all shapes and sizes. We had no idea, but as their website describes, we’d “stumbled upon the heart of Chelsea, a one stop culinary food shop, a gourmet lover’s wholesale-retail wonder world, and an energetic, industrial-chic hotspot…” We’d entered the Chelsea Market. It’s a winding corridor of history, art, charm and shops lit by local art students sitting and sketching every few yards like candles lighting the way between florists, restaurants, bakeries and wine merchants. Practically perfect in every way…

The museum was in a small second-floor loft, and very well done. It contained WTC artifacts collected (not personal belongings) and poignant photographs taken by Gary Suson. One piece was the most chilling for me. It was AA11 aluminum fuselage melted into a warped Dali-like mutation. One photograph portrays a firefighter holding a book with his finger marking a passage. My mother told me not to miss it on the audio tour so I figured it was some biblical thing. In fact, the book was one in the Harry Potter series that his son, also a firefighter, had read to his two young children on the evening of September 10th, 2001. The son never got to read any more…

We walked quietly for a long time after visiting the museum, none of us speaking much. About an hour later, after walking a sun-drenched few miles along the Hudson River, Kyle and I were looking into the pit where the dust of the dead still rustles in the fall breeze. We grabbed a cab and got out of there.

The curtain rose at about 8:04 with chimney-sweep Bert alone on the stage. Two hours and forty minutes later Mary Poppins slowly glided off the stage and disappeared into the balcony above us. It was the last night of Kyle’s 14th year and it was one he’ll always remember. I’ll remember it too, but I’ll remember to read him Harry Potter even more.

Thoughts on this weeks election…

Winners

• Don Rumsfeld – At least he gets out of the Iraq mess alive.
• George Bush – Now he can blame the Democrats who control Congress.
• Kerry Healey – She bowed out of the MA Governor’s race with dignity and a message of bipartisanship.
• Howard Dean – Depicted as crazy because he actually showed human emotion, he architected a grass-roots win for his party in some formerly red, but now purplish states.
• Alternative Energy – Democrats talked about it…a lot. Now let’s see some action.
• President Obama – Oh, sorry. I’m getting ahead of myself…

Losers

• Dick Cheney – If there’s anyone the Democrats are coming after, it’s you.
• John Kerry – Please go away and don’t screw up 2008.
• Ken Mehlman – The GOP national chairman um, sucked. Fortunately he has a plan B. Isn’t he the guy in the AccountTemps radio spots?
• Successful dirty, smearing politics – Unfortunately this one isn’t dead.
• Warrantless Wiretaps – The beginning of the end of the erosion of our civil liberties.

Sparks flew last night at dinner… Flavor sparks. Broiled Shrimp and Twin Lobster tails, Prime Sirloin Steak… It was a wonderful meal. We walked it off over 15 blocks then skied 1250 feet up to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. More great shots of what we gazed at are here.

Walking along, Jessica said, “Dad, you could have a few girlfriends here.” We walked and the eye candy passed. I wondered how real any of them were.

I’ve got nothing for you today, people… or person… Whatever. Desire to be creative is lacking lately, so here’s some stuff I found while sorting socks.

I think thinking is a good use of ones time. I believe external stimulus can help the process simply by altering perception, even slightly. Classes, art, music, the beauty in nature, wine… Whatever it takes, just think. Here are some tips to help you think like a genius.

Speaking of geniuses, Red Auerbach was a no-show last week at the Celtics home opener. He had a good excuse as he had died. After 56 opening nights, the thought of Celtic cheerleaders must have been too much and Red bowed out. I never actually saw a Red coached Celtic team, but this from his last team sure got me interested. I did own this record… Hopefully I still have it.

Dick Cheney is not a genius, but he is compared to Dubya. Today in an interview with ABC, the Vice President of the United States said regarding Iraq, “It may not be popular with the public. It doesn’t matter, in the sense that we have to continue what we think is right. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re not running for office. We’re doing what we think is right.” On Tuesday the voters will respond and let Mr. Cheney know it does matter. Say goodnight, Dick.

Let’s lighten things up with a few videos by my current favorite band, the Drive By Truckers:

• At The Metro in Chicago IL
• “Never Gonna Change”
• Making of “A Blessing and a Curse”
• NPR interview and a whole show from the 9:30 Club in Washington DC

Finally, I do believe the Patriots will drill Peyton Manning with regularity into the new turf tonight at Foxborough and thrash the Dolts, but I could be wrong…

“Where we have strong emotions, we’re liable to fool ourselves.” – Carl Sagan

Thanks for the reality check, Carl. I just hope I can stay awake for it.

I read my posts. After working in the yard for a while, I just came in to make lunch for Mr. Kyle Daley. After negotiating pizza with the lad, I turned on the oven to pre-heat 450, then I sat to read some stuff on bloglines. While reading my post of this morning, I thought about that dude in Glendale. Besides the karma thing, we also had some deep discussions on metaphysics and the power of the mind. Now I haven’t yet moved an object with my mind, but sometimes it does scare me alive. After a few minutes, the boy asked if the pizza was cooking. “I’m waiting for the oven to heat up, my boy.” A few more minutes passed and I looked up at Kyle. It was no problem reading his mind at that moment, then I said, with deliberate pacing, “I… think… it’s… going… to… be… ready… right… now!” At that very moment between the “now” and the silence, the oven beeper went off telling us that 450 had arrived.

Coincidence or Serling-worthy?

While performing with his band on an hour-long webcast from the Ed Sullivan Theatre, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder was talking about the lyrical interpretation of a song. Some, he said, heard “Scared Alive,” while others heard “Scared of Life.” Then he noted, “there’s quite a big difference in those two…”

For what it’s worth, and right now it’s worth a simple definition, Wikipedia defines Karma as “action or activity and its subsequent results.” It goes on to color the definition further as, “the fruits of action.”

I’ve believed in the power of Karma for quite some time now; actually since the early 80’s. Simply, I believe ones actions end up coming back around in one form or another. If they’re positive, good things await. Negative… well, chances are it ain’t gonna be good.

On a wet dreary day about a quarter century ago, I needed money badly. I don’t recall why, but I remember my frustration nearing its peak when my employer informed me “the checks hadn’t come in” that day. Driving home in a POS VW Rabbit I was thinking about stealing the money, then drifted in thought to all the failures I’d non-achieved in 23 years that had me in this position. I was at the proverbial fork in the road. At that point… on that dark, wet and angry road… I decided to take the one, um, less traveled. I’d try this “karma” thing I heard about in the California sunshine… I’d try to stay and act positive, and “do the right thing” when faced with decisions. I stayed positive and thought about constructive things I could do to change. I actually began to feel better… calmer. When I got home, a tax refund check was on our kitchen table. That ten minutes changed my life. I don’t know where it might have gone if I’d wandered a different road that day, but I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t have led here to this life I love.

I escaped it. I’m never going back again.

Life Wasted – Pearl Jam
Let me say just once that

I have faced it, a life wasted
I’m never going back again
I escaped it, a life wasted
I’m never going back again
having tasted, a life wasted
I’m never going back again

The world awaits just up the stairs
Leave the pain for someone else
Nothing back there for you to find
Or was it you you left behind?

You’re always saying you’re too weak to be strong
You’re harder on yourself than just about anyone

Why swim the channel just to get this far?
Halfway there, why would you turn around?

Darkness comes in waves…tell me,
Why invite it to stay?

You’re one with negativity
Yes, comfort is an energy
But why let the sad song play?

I have faced it, a life wasted
I’m never going back again

Oh I escaped it, a life wasted
I’m never going back again

having tasted, a life wasted
I’m never going back again

oh i erased it, a life wasted

This cliché originated, I believe, as a description of tidal behavior. Webster includes the following two definitions:

• Ebb – the reflux of the tide toward the sea
• Flow – RISE

Another version of ebb is “a point or condition of decline .” I used the term last night with Megan who’s been suffering an ebb in her spirit for a little while. While I didn’t know what, if anything, was causing adversity in her life, I knew she needed some help, or “the same old schpiel” as she lovingly refers to it. Attempting to paint a picture of the tides of life, the advice was/is to keep swimming… to keep balanced as she rides the waves that inevitably ebb and flow. Sometimes we don’t know why we rise and fall, but there are basics we need to do to stay afloat… learn… work… parent… listen… love.

Today I discovered the forces pulling her down. Time to parent… listen… love… persevere…

On November 7th, that man (or woman) is going to be you. Will you vote? If so, how? Have you given it any thought? From the international/national to a more local perspective, here’s what I’m thinking:

President Bush and the neocons – My hope is that the Democrats win control of the House and the Senate to neutralize this destructive administration. Of course, I can’t really influence that one. In Massachusetts, we only sent Dems to Congress anyway.

Gay Marriage – Is this the issue the Conservatives, Christian Coalition and “Moral” Majority think they can run on? Please. Is that all they’ve got? Oh, no, they also have…

Immigration – If the immigrants flowing North were a bunch of white folks, would this even be an issue?

Iraq – I don’t care if they try to stick a “cut and run” button on me. Get our kids out of that hellhole now. The people fighting us will never stop until we leave; just like in Vietnam. Oh, I also don’t recall any of the 9/11 terrorists being Iraqi. Most were disenchanted Saudi’s. Why are they pissed off at us? Because we support their dictatorship, um, I mean monarchy.

Energy – What exactly has the Bush Administration and the Republican controlled Congress done about this? Oh yeah, we attacked Iraq and Big Oil makes BILLIONS of dollars in profit regardless of the price of oil. Oh, and the idiots in Detroit keep making lousy, gas guzzling cars. I’ll vote for candidates that truly support renewable energy.

MA Governor – Kerry Healey (R) or Deval Patrick (D)
I’m kinda torn on this one. As much as I want to vote straight Democrat as a protest to the Bush Administration, I also want some checks and balances on the Democrat dominated Massachusetts legislature… Let me get back to you on that one.

Ballot Questions

1. Wine Sale in Food Stores – That’ll save me a trip to Kappy’s.
2. Candidates Nominated by More Than One Political Party – Huh?
3. Unionization of Family Child Care Providers – No.