Last 5

1. What do you do better than anyone else?

Not much really. I do some things well such as running the fly pattern on a basketball court, but I can't think of anything I do better than anyone else, except maybe drive my wifey's blood pressure up and down.

2. What are your and Sandra's pet names for each other?

I have many many names for Wifey. They change on nearly a daily basis. For the moment, I've been calling her "most glorious awesome wifey." or "baby oven"

These days, she's been referring to me by this expression, "tek yuk tek, yuk yak yuk". Or she'll call me "most ferocious tickle monster."


3. A lot of people complain about politicians but don't do anything. As
someone who's principled and politically astute, why don't you run for
office?

I once had a conversation with Fiona Ma before she ran to be a supervisor in San Francisco. It may seem like these politicians come from no where, but she'd been laying the groundwork for her first race for years. Anyway, I think one of the first things I learned from her is that the first rule of politics is $$$. I don't have any and I don't think anyone else would spend any to see me in office.

Also, personal ambitions and political astuteness are not the only things that play into a run for office. If you run, you not only put yourself under the microscope, you put your spouse, your kid-on-the-way, your cat, your family, and your friends under that same glaring lens. And you just hope none of them do anything to embarrass themselves and you because anything and everything becomes fair game for a headline.

4. How has impending fatherhood changed you, changed the way you look
at life?

A lot of people seem to be somewhat nervous that I don't know what I'm doing. The truth is, I don't, but I'm also not that worried about fatherhood. I think most of it comes pretty naturally if you exercise some common sense. And I've got a great partner who will work through whatever issues come up. Yes, the baby store is a little intimidating, but we'll figure it out.

But there are things changing. This little girl is going to depend on me for everything from diaper changes to spending money, from burping to college tuition. Already, she drives many of our decisions. We've moved in part for her. And I'm sure she'll continue to color all my decisions for the rest of my life.

In the short term, it does put all this pressure on. There were all these things I was supposed to accomplish before I had a kid. Learn Chinese, learn the guitar, travel to Europe. At this point I've pared back my goals to finishing a couple of the stories I've been working on and getting the new place in shape.

5. Why do you call me Queen?

The fact that I know it really really irritates you is the only reason I need to keep calling you Queen. Seriously though, have you ever seen someone who covets so much drama in his/her life?

Next 5

1. What three people would you like to have dinner and conversations with, and why (can be anyone from the past or present)?

Jesus. His teachings have been interpreted to mean many many things. Often they are misconstrued, sometimes for self serving purposes and sometimes through ignorance. It would be nice to hear the words straight from him.

Muhamed. Ditto.

Jane Goodall. She's a woman full of conviction trying to save the world from itself one person at a time. I think she could inspire me.

2. Who is your hero? Explanation optional.

Did I mention Jane Goodall? I've got lots of people I admire. Mostly those who help out there fellow humans without the use of violence. Ghandi, MLK, the Dalai Lama. I find that very admirable. Another person I stand in awe of is Joss Whedon. I just wish I could do what he does.

3. There is a venture capitalist willing to put up a lot of money (more than we'll see in our life time) for your idea - any idea. What would it be?

I'm not loaded with big solutions, but I'd still like to see universal healthcare coverage in this country in some shape or form.

4. What are three things you must do that you haven't already done before you die?

I feel like I've been pretty fortunate to experience many of the things that this world has to offer. 1. Go to Easter Island. It's as remote as you can get and those statutes are fascinating. 2. Sing at somebody's wedding. 3. Publish a novel.

5. In your opinion, will the political polarization get better or worse?

If by worse, you mean further apart. Yes, that's happening. Part of it is the culture in Washington itself. If you are a democrat or repulican who decides to use your brain instead of follow the party line there are political retributions waiting for you. And everything is a contentious these days. You can't even trust that the guy with the most votes ends up in office. The conspiracies and the conspiracy theories are endless.

Political polarization is just one result of the growing segmentation of our society and isolation of its individuals. Those with money live behind gated communities and buy themselves out of ever having to see or deal with other people. And these days, you can plug into the web to chat with people across the world, but you can live one wall away from someone who has never been exposed to any of the same tv shows, movies, music, books, or life experiences. And chances are you don't even know what your neighbor looks like.

The scary thing is how the political ideas never even cross anymore. There's an Ann Coulter fan on one side and a Michael Moore fan on the other who read the books of their side and believe what they read to be the truth. And as long as they read books only from their side, it never really matters what the real actual truth is. The moment it happens it gets spun. (Though if you think Ann Coulter has any truth, you're just a moron.)

Interview Time. 5 Questions from other Bloggers.

1. What ideas or advice do you have for someone planning the perfect crime?

Watch the Usual Suspects. Be able to improvise and make sure you have a patsy in place. Watch CSI. Bury the evidence. I used to think cement was a good place to hide the body but Myth-busters on Discovery Channel recently demonstrated that radar was pretty effective at finding flaws in the cement.

2. Ann Coulter, George W. Bush, or Kobe Bryant?

I'm not sure what the question is, so I'll modify a little.

a) Who do I think needs to be kicked in the nuts?
Kobe. Bad boy. He did it. He bought his way out.

b) Who needs an ego readjustment?

Junior. Kobe obviously thinks the world of himself, but Junior is dumber and has more impact on more people. I still don't get why we often see headlines like, "Bush says Iraq is not in Civil War". He's about World View, not truth. It doesn't happen unless he says it happens and that's ego.

c) Who is a screaming harpy who can't stream two meaningful sentences together?

Junior.

d) Who would look best in Vera Wang's latest dress?

Kobe. You guys get it yet? I don't think anything of Ann Coulter. She's not important enought to consider.

3. What things are you planning on teaching Baby Jordan (and how will you help her handle the inevitable comparisons to Harold Miner)?

Everything I know and more. Key things I aspire for her: Compassion, integrity, sense of humor and a left handed lay-up.

4. What was your greatest sports moment?

Just like Jordan probably doesn't remember every detail of every 30 point game he had, the details are sort of fuzzy. I really don't spend much time thinking about my sports performances the minute I step away from the court or the field. I do remember throwing a seven or eight strike out shut-out in my first year pitching little league and my AABA award for defense was one of my favorte achievements.


5. How did your interest in writing begin?

It's started with reading. You read stuff that blows your mind and you go, wow! That's art. Then you wonder if you can ever develope the skill to do that. Then you work on it and hope that someday someone can read what you write and say, wow!

Baggin on the Plastic Dude.

Just got my DC Superhero Stamps. Superman, man of steel, mightiest of them all. Get that. Batman, legendary dark knight, our psychotic revenge fantasy come to life. Get that. Green Lantern, Wonderwoman, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow and even Supergirl. Worthy members of the Justice League, each with their own niche power. Okay. Plastic Man. Think about that again. Plastic Man. Third rate buffoon hero with really stupid power and extrememly cheesy 70's glasses. There are at least 20 better choices. I probably would have gone with Robin or the Wonder Twins just for kicks.

It's hot.

Much of the country is suffering through a heatwave and Northern California has been no exception. We've seen temperatures here that I have never seen before. So how many years do we have to suffer through this before we acknowledge a green house gas problem? There is an issue of creeping norms. Sooner or later people forget how it used to be a few years ago and people will forget when people didn't die of heat all over the Northern hemisphere.

Haven't seen any rolling blackouts yet, but they had limited air conditioning around campus. In an attempt to keep our brains from frying, we were sent home early. That wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't just as hot at the house.

First Veto

I'm imagining a great irony where Junior or his dad Senior or his mom, Grandma Barbie, become ill with cancer or with Alzheimer's. I'm imagining him praying to God and wishing there was somethig that could be done, a magic cure or treatment. And I wonder if he'll look back at his decision yesterday to veto funding for stem cell research with any regret. Will he see that he set back good science for politics? Will he see that his decision impacted the health and welfare of all of us? Unfortunately, I don't think his understanding of his legacy runs that deep.

Small kudos to Arnie for seeing this differently. This is our moral obligation.

Spare Air

Today was a Spare the Air day. Part of that campaign to reduce smog when the weather makes it dangerous and they encourage everyone to try public transportation to appreciate it's value. It's a great idea and I encourage people to try it when they get the chance. Your life really does improve if you don't have to drive every day. Cars are very freeing, but so isolating.

But it doesn't seem like this grand effort to change people got implemented that well. Caltrains was delayed because someone got hit by a southbound train this morning. I stood out in the morning sun for nearly an hour and on the shuttle bus from the train station to campus I heard some folks talking about how South Bay's lightrail suffered a blackout that delayed them half an hour. So though I planned to take the train and get to work early, I actually ended up later than usual. And lots of people probably had the same sort of inconvenience today. But as bad as it was, there's that one guy who never did make it this morning. If you're trying to beat a train, you're never going to win. You just aren't.

Trip to the baby store.

Sure, at one point in life we've all walked through a toy store or a baby goods store. But in the past, Toys'r us has usually been about me, or someone like me. someone who wanted some cool little thing to play with, be it anything from the Darth Tater Mr. Potatohead to the latest video game. Purely luxury and never a necessity. And on rare occassion maybe a baby shower registry where someone has already figured out what they want.

But I suddenly have a whole new perspective on the place. We went there for a casual stroll the other night and we were simply overwhelmed. There were little munchkins screaming "I want ___" and running all over the place. There were expectant mothers with a hand on their belly as they picked out things for their babies and their babies to be. And then there was us, completely mystified between the endless fashions. (Wifey preferred the onesy that said, "I'm the cat's meow" as I eyed the pink Oakland A's outfit.), 12 selections of cribs, 15 basinet playpen combinations and the value of a diaper genie vs. the diaper champ vs. cloth diapers. We pretty much left the place screaming and wondering how we would ever know what we need and don't need for the little girl on the way.

I think the point was, we should be prepared to spend at least a couple hundred dollars on things we believe we will need, simply through their clever marketing and our inability to fight some over protective instict.

Where's your mind today?

I'm thinking, the more alcohol I drink this week, the less I'll have to move next week.

Dotted Line Day

Escrow for the new place closes on Monday, but today is the day we sign up to paying more money that we actually have right now for that house up the hill. Scary, scary. Hopefully, loan documents, insurance and everything else is in order. Still trying to sell our place. That's the scariest part.

How my writing class is going.

Writing class has been more work than I thought. Each week I've got three or four stories to read and edit. It means I have to read them a bunch of times and write substantial critiques. It's an interesting exercise. Bad stories take a lot of editing. And this is polite society and not the truthful honest exchange you can give to your friends, you can't just rip on writers and their stories. You have to find something nice to say about everyone. And on the flipside, there are some people who really know how to write already. They have great characteres and great decriptions and you wonder why the story they are showing you hasn't been published already. Those are even to critique. So those stories that are in between where you've got something valuable and constructive to say, but not too much, that's hitting the sweet spot.

All this editing means, I don't have anytime for my own writing in these next few weeks, but I'm learning stuff from being there, and in the long run that should help.

No Space Aliens this July 4th

After a nice little barbeque in Berkeley last night, we left right around nine thirty so we wouldn't get caught in any fireworks traffic. Interesting drive. We caught the fireworks in Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, Fruitvale and ever other little town on the way back and even across the bridge in Foster City and San Mateo. We saw hundreds of fireworks last night. It was like they were celebrating my entire drive home. Pretty cool.

In the morning also went to the Legion of Honor and saw the Monet exhibit. I'm the first to admit what I know about art couldn't fill a thimble, but it was still very much worth seeing.