Thursday, January 10, 2008

California Patina

I'm a native Californian. Born and raised in the southern most corner of the contiguous United States. Besides a 5 year stint in the DC Suburbs (which included a lifetime TKOL membership and a closet full of now useless winter coats), I've lived in California all my life. 18 years in Santee, 4 years in Santa Cruz, 1+ years in Los Angeles--and by the way, L.A. is a great fucking city--and now 10+ years within the San Diego city limits. I love California and the west. The weather is great, and the stunning natural beauty of Big Sur, the Eastern Sierra's, Santa Cruz, forests of redwoods, Yosemite, Santa Barbara, and the Mendocino coast is rivaled by few.

California is now on the verge of going bankrupt. This is really not something new. Arnold came in with a budget crisis 6 years ago, and amazingly, the crisis is still around. The housing market is tanking; realistically, we could be out of water in 10 years; the schools rank down near the bottom; and the number of people in prison could populate a moderately sized American city quite easily.

Yes, the California patina is getting rather thick and the future of California looks....well, grim. I've thought about jumping ship. It certainly could be a boon to move to another state with a lower cost of living, cleaner air, and nearly as much sunshine (see: fort Collins, CO). But would this be fair to the state that has nurtured me, fed me, loved me and educated me (see: UCSC)? Would leaving help my ailing mother?

Two years ago, a new research university was born in California--the first major research university in the United States in over 40 years (was UCSC the last one?). UC Merced is the most recent addition to the empire that is the University of California. Smack in the center of California, an hour away from Yosemite Valley and roughly 1.5 hours from Oakland. This new university represents what California probably meant to my maternal grandparents who moved here in the 1950's: possibilities. It represents what California probably meant to my paternal great-great grandparents who moved here in the late 1800s: opportunities. It represents what California means to the Mexican from Chiapas who survives on Pepsi and tortillas and lives in canyon dense with low-lying scrub: hope.

I may have a chance to join the faculty of this new university. A chance to mold with my bare hands, an institution that gave me possibilities, and opportunities, and hope. If the the dawn of promise is still rising in California, then perhaps it is my duty to take it with my bare hands and thrust it to it's apogee.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Fair Weathered Fan

I'll admit it; I'm fair weathered. Here is what I wrote at halftime during the Chargers-Titans game.





















I swore that if the Chargers lost in the first round of the playoffs this year (for the third time in 4 years), I'd wash my hands of them. So I ate crow--like it was the first time or something.

I guess this is what I wrote last year after the the debacle that was the 14-2 "Martyball" season.

Click Here for 2007 tirade

So I eat crow all the time (tastes like rattlesnake).

Oh yea, I guess I'm out of my 6 month hiatus.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

"Chopin"

1993 - 2007

Friday, June 08, 2007

5 Runs Suckas

5 runs in the 9th. Not quite like last year when LAD (not to be confused with LAA--fucking weak) came back from a million run deficit. It's still very early in the baseball season; and the Padres could easily have their typical shitty June; and they could go to the playoffs and lose to a team that's barely above .500. But, as a fan of professional sports in San Diego, hope runs eternal.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Surprised?

White House threatens to veto hate-crimes bill











"Being gay is just, well, gay."
--W

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Kurt Vonnegut (1923-2007)


When I was in 7th or 8th grade I read Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle. I again read Slaughterhouse Five in 12th grade for AP English. I've also read: Breakfast of Champions, Hocus Pocus, Timequake, The Sirens of Titan, Bluebeard, Jailbird, and Slapstick. Vonnegut was the first author I read who penned scathing commentary about America and the Western world. Iguess you could say he was the one who really turned me on to reading. He was the first author I couldn't get enough of. He was an influence. He was a humanist, a skeptic and a true American. Time to read those books I haven't read and re-read those I have. So it goes. RIP Kurt and thanks.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

One More Thing

Oh, I forgot one more thing about what I'm going to miss about not moving back to Maryland....Snow in April. I remember that tease. Reminded me of getting really into it with a chick. You know, first base, second, ahhh third, and then WHAM. Sorry son, you're not getting that yet...maybe never. FUCK! That's Maryland in April (See Middlespace 4/7/2007 #4). The final snow falls somewhere at the beginning of March--first base, then a few weeks of mixed weather (cold, cool, slightly tepid)--second base, you know the drill. Then, out of no where comes four, five days of temperatures in the low 60s--holy shit, third base and some good ole genital rubbin'. After months of high 30s, low 40s, sixty degrees is a fucking heat wave and almost orgasmic. Next thing you know, it's the beginning of April and snow is falling. Mother Fuckin Blue Balls all the way. Thrown out at home, Barry Bonds style.

Friday, April 06, 2007

It's Official

We're staying left-coast for now. No move, no UM, no humidity. Oh well, I was kinda looking forward to the humidity, shitty baseball teams, Doreen Gensler, Sonny Jorgenson, traffic, incessant questions about "what do you do", rat racers, people who work "on the hill", bloated egos, terrorist assholes, W, political pedophiles, people who stand at the door on the Metro and refuse to move when I'm trying to get on, ass-hats, shall I continue? Oh yea, I forgot: no fucking beer or wine in grocery stores! However, I was really looking forward to being back with some really good friends who I love dearly. But hey: Go West Young Men (Uh, Ty, Rene, Pete, etc.).

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Dreamin Santee

I spent an entire afternoon in Santee. The place where I resided for 15 years before doing what all good Santee kids do: I left. Actually, good Santee kids remain in Santee, but when was I ever a good kid. I hated that fuckin little provincial, small minded town. I thought after not living there for almost 20 years, I would be over my hatred, but I'm not. And besides, it provides good rant material for this blog. So anyway, I get my haircut in Santee because me sister cuts my hair and her shop is in Santee. Here is Santee (not necessarily what Santee looks like, except picture 1, but what Santee is, it's Gestalt) in pictures:








You Know You're a.....


You know you're a Unitarian Universalist when you're an athiest and you have kids.