Bush Saves Turkey from Thanksgiving Dinner Table

Here's the problem with this silly little tradition: I can't imagine presidents not eating Turkey on Thanksgiving Day, so some poor Turkey just replaces the pardoned one every year.

So, so tired.

I did indeed do to Disneyland. I spent most of the day in California Adventure, which was practically empty, then to Disneyland, then back to California Adventure, where Chad and Susan met me, then back to Disneyland. The California Screamin' roller coaster is so fun at night, though a little cold. But beware the funnel cakes. They're the worst I've ever had.

I ended up crashing at Chad and Susan's place, so we went out to breakfast at the Newport Beach pier. And then to Costco and Ikea. Alas, I didn't buy anything.

Chad lent me Battlefield 1942. It may be the best game ever. It's like Tribes 2, but set in WWII. Its hardware requirements are pretty steep, though.

Anyway, I took a three-hour nap this afternoon, and I'm still groggy. I can't wait to fall asleep...

Another exciting Friday night

I was so exhausted when I got home that I went straight to bed and slept for two hours; Andrea woke me up via instant messenger. I forgot to get change at work today for laundry, so I'll have to go to the arcade in Westwood. maybe I'll stop by Diddy Reese's for the $1 cookie-and-milk deal.

I think I'll go to Disneyland tomorrow. I could spend all day there, go to church with Chad and Susan and then go back until it closes. Or maybe I'll just go on Sunday, to both. Hopefully the Matterhorn is up and running.

The Republicans are in charge #2.

Major change is in the air for pollution rules

"The Bush administration on Friday gave 17,000 older power plants, refineries and factories greater flexibility in meeting the Clean Air Act — a move that some states planned to challenge in court."

Who You Callin' A Moron?

From the recent Canadian flap....

On Thursday, when first asked about the reported comment, Chretien said Mr. Bush was "not a moron at all, he's a friend. My personal relations with the president are extremely good."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, eh?

Yes, the Republicans are in charge

Government agency pulls Web site

Oxymoron of the day

From a page-one article in today's LA Times:

"...Nobuko Nakano, head of a one-person group..."

Now that's just silly. How does a single person ever constitute a "group?" And even if such a group were logically possible, how could there be a "head" with no followers? It is so hard for the nation's No. 2 newspaper to admit they're quoting a *person* rather than an official?

He's alive.

Officials: Audiotape is of bin Laden

The Golden State

I'm loving today's perfect Southern California weather.

Success!

On the third try, my Capellini Pomodoro recipe came out exactly like it's supposed to. I actually used the right amount of tomatoes, weighing them instead of just guessing how many the recipe calls for. Andrea and I thought we might be putting too much in, but it came out perfectly. We had Chad and Susan over for dinner, but forgot to cook the asparagus or prepare the olive oil / balsamic vinegar dip. Oops. Anyway, I have leftover for today and can't wait for lunch.

Overall, we had a nice weekend. We saw the IMAX version of attack of the Clones, but the picture quality was actually worse than the original. The new resolution made it easier to tell which backgrounds were real and which were digitally created still picture. And other scenes showed pixelization!

Yesterday, when Andrea and I took her Brazilian friends to Downtown Disney, I thought I'd be a big man and use my Annual Pass to get us in the parking garage for free. But they were doing free parking for some reason, so it didn't matter. Zip-a-dee-do-da.

...and step to the left

Can Pelosi pull a ‘Gingrich’?

Unfortunately, the Democrats are associating old-school liberalism with new ideas. This is one way to practically guarantee the Bushies and second term.

Gadget of the week...

Now *this* is what a cordless mouse should be.

Step to the right

This has all been said before, but one of the big reasons for the Republican route last night was Democrat's failure to inspire its constituents. After rolling over on Bush's big priorities -- the tax cut, Iraq, etc. -- and offering no centrist alternatives, they gave Democrat voters very little reason to show up to the polls. As James Carville put it, they had no message and no backbone. Here's hoping they get their act together.

Republicans near control of Congress

Aw, crap.

Republicans near control of Congress

Another reason to watch the WB...

No pesky election coverage!

Welcome to the Big Blue Bus -- now get off.

More like the Big Blue Rip-Off.

Being the concerned citizen I am, I took Santa Monica's transit system to the 3rd Street Promenade rather than taking my car. Little did I know that the last bus of the night leaves the area at 10:30 p.m. and doesn't go all the way back to Westwood. So I ended up walking a mile home. Three girls on the bus were equally surprised and yelled "I don't like you!" as the driver kicked us all off.

Anyway, it occurred to me on the walk home that there ought to be some formula for calculating the relative costs of mass transit (for the consumer) and private vehicles. I mean, my car payment, insurance and registration are fixed costs that call for maximizing vehicle usage. The question is, what are the additive costs of parking, gasoline, maintenance and hit on resale value? It's an easier case in place such as San Francisco, where parking is expensive and exasperating. And of course, as the MasterCard commercials would say, you can't put a price on not having to fit your schedule and itinerary around a bus route or mixing it up with the borderline-demented who find their way onto public transportation. I guess this is why I didn't major in math.

When technology goes bad

My roommate bought an electronic hampster today that shadow-boxes and sings the Rocky theme in a high voice. It wasn't a gift -- he bought it for himself.

Another fascinating story in IBD...

Instant Message Firms Wooing Businesses

It's my first real tech story for IBD. I'll be doing about one a week from here on out.

Back to work

The weekend was pretty fun. Andrea and I got to see a lot of our old work friends at a Haloween party and spent some time with Sarah and Geoff and their very cool new place in San Francisco.

It sounds like Andrea didn't get the job she interviewed for here. I think she was at an inherent disadvantage not living here, but to her credit, she was one of four finalists for the position. And it wasn't clear if they just couldn't afford her. The chain, like many Southern Calif. second-tier chains, is notoriously cheap.

Arrrgh!

It looks like Blogger Pro, the service I pay good money to, is eating my entries AGAIN. Anyway, I just wrote a rambling piece on my weekend. Update: the original post is above.