Paul Collins on the origins of "non-fiction."

Major American casino interests unsure on how to procede on on-line gaming. On the one hand, they'd like to outlaw the competition, but on the other hand, seeing as prohibition seems futile, they'd like to get a cut. The end result is they've remained silent, leaving anti-gambling interests unopposed.

I was just puttering about on the internet, with Celebrity Poker Showdown playing on the TV in the background, when I heard what I assumed was another commercial promising "natural male enhancement." Then the guys switched from talking about how great their sex life was, to how great the food was. I looked over, and realized it was actually an ad for Nutrisystem. Apparently, the male dieter is the next untapped market for weight loss companies. And apparently they've decided the way to reach that market is to tout the sexual powers to be gained by using their product. Because in the cutthroat world of the diet industry, where a company's reputation for integrity is key to winning over skeptical customers, what could be a better plan than making your commercials resemble, as much as possible, ads for pills that make your wiener bigger.

Also, they seem to be aiming at an older audience, with lots of older men discussing thier fantastic sex life. You know, Nutrisystem, their might be younger men who need to lose weight, who might not be receptive to ads featuring men old enough to be their father, bragging about how much action they're getting. News flash: Young men find older people discussing their sex lives disturbing. Thought that might be a good weight loss plan, actually. Judging from the reaction on snarky pop culture TV shows (The Soup, The Best Week Ever, et. al.) to this legendary clip from Dr. Phil, perhaps the new Nutrisystem ad will serve as a better appetite suppressant than any product they have to sell.

The anti-communist folk stylings of Janet Greene are on display in mp3 form here. "Although we've used the fascist name/Communism is just the same/It's plain to see these two are twins/And freedom dies if either wins." Meanwhile, CONELRAD has an interview with the lead singer of the legendary folk combo/politcal stunt The Goldwaters.

Film footage of Werner Herzog getting shot during a BBC interview.

As for why this short film of dogs in super-slow-motion is called "Birds," your guess is as good as mine.

Turko's still going after the Parkway Bowl. I almost went over there to play pinball the other day, but decided not to because of Turko's strong words. Ended up going to class instead.

San Diego CityBEAT had some interesting revelations about Turko in this undated article. Between him and Coleman, Weather Channel founder reduced to mid-market weatherman, KUSI really does employ some colorful characters (fun is fun, but I should add that KUSI is the only local channel producing local news of substance, so don't think the Pagentry of Turko takes away from their hard-hitting coverage).

Stephen Colbert profiled in Newsweek. When the show first premiered, I thought it was hilarious, but figured the joke would wear thin fast. Surprisingly, I find The Colbert Report funnier than The Daily Show on more nights than I would have ever imagined. Comedy Central finally has found a late-night line-up that makes me (almost) forget about Adult Swim.

I filed my taxes this evening. Only took about 90 minutes, and was relatively painless. I owe the state an awful lot, but am getting a hefty federal refund, so I came out ahead. I filed federally using TurboTax, via the Tax Freedom Project. They offer free federal filing, if your income is low enough, but they really gouge you on state taxes ($24.95). And they are constantly trying to get more money out of you with various add-ons. But I shouldn't complain; I've used their program to file for several years and am always impressed by the ease of use, and can't blame them for wanting to make money off it. Last year, I had free access through my retirement provider, but this year they were charging me for use of the service, a modest $5.99, if memory serves. But they wanted $10 more for state filing, so I just went for the free state-only option. California offers free e-filing via their website, and while that program was fairly primitive, it got the job done in about fifteen minutes. So now I just have to wait for my federal refund to arrive, so I can go squander it on hookers and blow. A joke, of course, I'm going straight to the casinos with my refund.

Randy Newman broke his wrist. The Disney Hall performance I'm attending is the only show he hasn't cancelled, but depending on whether he needs surgery, that could be gone, too. Get well soon, Randy!

Just a quick word of thanks to the good people at Animal Planet, for giving us another Puppy Bowl. And for yet again casting an abundance of canines with beagle backgrounds to cavort around for my amusement. Tanner has been known to pay attention to the TV in the past, including during last year's Puppy Bowl, but when I got home from work tonight and turned on the Puppy Bowl, he just flipped, bounding up and down and nearly knocking the DVD player to the ground. I try to distract him during the Pedigree ads about shelter animals, no need to traumatize him.

As for the real game, word on the street is Vegas took a bit of a hit...all the dough was on the victors. Not may people say, "Dude, I have to get to Vegas and lay down all my cash on Seattle!" And to answer your question, I didn't have any money on the game. Though I did hear some online bookie was taking bets on weather the Burger King mascot would score a touchdown in their advertisement. I would have liked to have gotten some action on that; sometimes it's nice to know that, whether your bet wins or loses, you will feel like a tool.

I think someone at the Egg Advisory Council has finally snapped. Catchy, though.

Natalie Maines interviewed in Entertainment Weekly.

Stephen Colbert interviewed by The Onion's A.V. Club.

Betty Friedan, dead at 85 (on the nose).

Al Lewis, dead at 95, or 88, depending on who you ask. This article notes his earliest political experience came working for the Sacco and Vanzetti defence committee, so unless he was 9 when he worked for them, 95 sounds a bit more plausible.

He did seem to live quite an interesting and well-rounded life.

Quality Paperback Books, or QPB, sucks! I'd actually been a member for several years. I joined to get one of those sign-up bonuses, six books for a dollar, or something like that. But I actually bought quite a few books from them over the years. But I hadn't bought any in some time, so when I got a shipment from them in November, I decided it wasn't worth the hassle, and after returning the book, I cancelled my membership. But even though I returned the book, they've been trying to collect the cost of the shipment (lucky for me, the credit card they have on file was recently involved in fraudulent activity, and the account number changed, so they couldn't just bill my card). And despite replying to my e-mail requesting cancellation, and even sending me a "please re-join" mail offer, they are still sending me books. I returned the last one, and then e-mailed them that I would consider any future books received to be a gift. They replied by saying, "Well, you never send in the card that you didn't want the book," which of course I didn't because I had cancelled my membership two months prior. And today I got another e-mail trying to get money out of me. So now I'm having to send them a letter under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to demand that they not try to collect any unvalidated debts from me in the future. Wankers.

Stay far, far, away from Quality Paperback Books. And while I'm on the topic, the customer service at McSweeney's leaves a lot to desire. Their book club is a pretty good deal ($100 for the next ten books they put out, shipping included), but I think I'll just buy the ones I want through Amazon in the future.

Cute Overload

The Turko Files goes after the Parkway Bowl for discriminating against a disabled bowler. Not surprising at all, given the atrocious customer service I've experienced there over the years.

Conan O'Brien plays some 1860s style baseball.

Kinky Friedman video from his Texas gubernatorial campaign.

The horrible truth of G.A.T.E.: Bitterness of eventual defeat directly proportional to early potential.

Oprah apologizes, Frey admits Smoking Gun report "pretty accurate."

Financial tip o' the day: If you're looking for someplace safe for medium-term savings, you might want to know that I Bonds are paying 6.73% interest until April. No long-term guarantees as to the interest rate is adjusted semi-annually (they pay 1% plus the rate of inflation as calculated by the consumer price index), and furthermore you can't make a withdrawal for the first year, and withdrawals within five years are subject to a two-months-interest penalty. But still, this seems a good place to park some money you don't plan to need immediately (I keep the savings I budget for medical emergencies in I Bonds). And with a $25 minimum investment, one can start small.

Of course, the reason they pay 6.73% is that inflation was up 5.73%. So basically I'll make an extra dollar on my savings, because I have to pay an extra five bucks every time I buy a tank of gas. So I guess I should really hope the interest rate plummets the next time the inflation adjustment is made, as that means my daily commute has become more affordable.

Direct-to-DVD Futurama movies greenlit.

I should be outraged by this, but I just can't quite manage. Has my sense of moral indignation finally short-circuited? I guess it's just because the music isn't that bad. "Uncontrollable Urge" is the only song I listened to that actually seemed painfully bad. Hard not to tap one's feet to "That's Good," whoever's performing it. The whole enterprise reminds me of that band A*Teens that released an ABBA cover album some years back, which I believe was selected as the least-essential album of the year by The Onion. I do like to think of the music of Devo as having a bit more integrity that that of ABBA (no slight to ABBA, I enjoy both bands very much). But the two cover projects seem related in that it's hard to hate either. But you have to wonder: Why? Especially in this case, as not only does this album not really add anything to the music, but what is the financial motivation? I mean, really, does Disney think that Devo-fever is about to overwhelm the country's eight-year-olds? It just really seems like a hard sell to kids. "Hey, kids, do you like Rugrats? Then buy this album of kids singing songs from the old band of the guy who wrote the theme song to that album, while wearing funny hats!"

The more I listen to this, the more I feel my old friend indignation rising up in my gullet. But hey, I guess this is just part of the path of deevolution. It's no worse than the time American Idol used "Whip It" with crass product placement to sell cars. This time, the motive is just to get little boys and girls dancing to the hits of Devo. Good luck, Disney.

The end of January is nearing, and so far my new year's resolutions are going okay. I've lost about six pounds, and have been reasonably consistent in my workout routine, and hopefully am forming healthy habits. I've even been fairly disciplined about weight training, which I don't enjoy. I did injure myself, however, while trying to adjust the seat on one of the nautilus machines, which can't be a good sign. Bumped my knee against something, and it's a bit bruised and sensitive now. But nothing major. As things stand now, I am confident I will meet my fitness goals for 2006.

The Onion's A.V. Club recently had one of their periodic round-ups of questionable food available at 99 cent stores, and lo and behold, they profiled Tiger cheese. Yes, a preservative-free cheese that doesn't require refrigeration is a tad disturbing, but it really is better than this article suggests. It tastes like my childhood. Trips down to the FedCo, where I would be rewarded for my not-too-horrendous behavior with a wheel of Tiger cheese to share with my sister. It had the same general flavor as string cheese, to my undeveloped taste buds, but a more pleasing texture. And as an added bonus, it came wrapped in foil, which was very exciting.

FedCo has been closed for many years, and so I doubted I would ever again see Tiger cheese, until one day I was at the 99 cent store, and stumbled upon the product, 99 cents a wheel. I bought about twenty. I gave them to my sister for her birthday. I was sure they were just using up the last of the FedCo surplus, and soon Tiger cheese would again be gone from my life. But the next time I was there, the cheese was there again, this time in a cardboard display case (a marketing plan no doubt developed after my purchase led them to detect a sudden upsurge in consumer demand). Having Tiger cheese in my life again was a joy, and I began dropping references to Tiger cheese into my conversation, as though all were aware of this fine product, and refusing to explain what Tiger cheese was to those who asked ("If you have to ask..."). Unfortunately, like Iron Chef, overexposure did in Tiger cheese for me, and I haven't had it in probably about two years. Methinks a trip to the 99 cent store is in order, to rekindle an old affair.

In other Onion A.V. Club features news, they have declared "Summer Girls" by LFO as amongst the best of the worst. Vindication for yours truly, who had the misfortune of getting a cassette single of the song stuck in my car's tape deck. It saved me some cash, as I was unwilling to buy a new car until I could remove the tape, and avoid the embarrassment of trading in my old car with the boy band anthem stuck inside. It really is a bizarre song; when I first heard it, I simply assumed it was a joke (a very funny one), for what else could it possibly be? I assumed it was a dead-on mockery produced by 2gether or someone similar. Yet somehow the fact that it was apparently earnest made it that much better. Sort of the Mrs. Miller of my day. Or maybe it was simply a trailblazer for "Lazy Sunday." Very strange stuff. I purchased the CD on half.com recently for a very low price, since the song is not available on iTunes. I can't say I care for anything else on the album ("Girl on TV" is their other hit), but it was nice to have a digital copy of the tune to replace my old cassette. And I wish Rich Cronin all the best in his comeback from leukemia.

Whisper of the Heart was a delightful film, as you might imagine. I was a bit concerned during the credits, when Oliva Newton-John's version of "Country Road" began playing. I feared that the localization of the film for American audiences had gone horribly wrong. But I was able to ascertain that the song was used in the original Japanese version, and I felt better. Actually, the song has a rather pivotal role in the film, which is somewhat puzzling, but effective.

The film was written by Miyazaki, but is the only film directed by Yoshifumi Kondo. He was apparently being groomed to replace Miyazaki in the event of his oft-threatened retirement, but died of an aneurysm shortly after this film was made.

Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist finally appears to be coming to DVD.

Wilson Pickett, dead at 64.

Apparently Turner Classic Movies is showing Miyazaki films every Thursday this month.

News Flash: I just turned on Turner Classic Movies, and discovered tonight's theme to be Hayao Miyazaki. My Neightbor Totoro is on now. In primetime for us west-coasters, they will be showing Whisper of the Heart, which I've never seen. Guess I won't be getting anything done tonight.

Sittin' on Wicker.

From McSweeney's "Sequel Week": "Clue Confessions," a sequel of sorts to "Goofus, Gallant, Rashomon."

Shelley Winters, dead at 85.

According to Harper-Collins' Lemony Snicket e-mail list, Friday, October 13th appears to be the street date for the final chapter of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Plan your life accordingly.

I only had time to skim this background information on Indian gaming in California, but it looks to be a quite useful resource.

I have begun work on some web-based projects I hope to reveal in the coming months. A new hobby, I hope to actually make a few bucks on, if I can (with hosting/domain registration prices so low, I expect my out of pocket expenses to be quite low). And no, I will not be charging for full-frontal photographs of myself (those are already available in spades for free, I'm afraid...if only I'd listened to Alyssa Milano and defended my image more fiercely). Anyway, it might be awhile before anything is ready for public display, what with school and all, but stay tuned!

Native American tribes already feeling a backlash from the Abramoff scandal. I was unaware Agua Caliente was connected to Abramoff. The Native American Times wonders to what degree tribes can truly call themselves victims.

As the Union-Tribune article notes, a scandal is giving momentum to the foes of Indian gaming. I hope the tribes are paying attention. They face real threats to their political clout from this political scandal. So what will happen, I ask, when a Native American casino is implicated in a cheating scandal? What do I think the chances are of a major Indian casino (I.e., any of the ones in San Diego) rigging games? Virtually nil. Why take risks when you already have a virtual licence to print money. What are the chances of some podunk tribe with financial woes trying to gild the lily? Low, but certainly a possibility. What will be the impact on the major tribes' business when someone, anywhere, gets busted? Substantial, and devestating if their opponents are able to run with the story. If tribes find the legislative impediments that will be put in place due to the Abramoff scandal confining, maybe they should consider accepting tougher regulation of their industry, in the model of Nevada's gaming commission. I doubt they would notice an impact in their bottom line, and they would stand to benefit more from the insurance provided against rouge tribes bringing down an industry's reputation than they would ever be hindered by regulation. Give the California Gambling Control Commision some teeth.

News flash: New Medicare drug plan a disaster. And in other news, water is wet.

But hey, what's the worst that can happen when people can't get insulin? I was going to complain about how much more we'll spend on hospitalization for people who can't get their preventative medication, but hell, with the price of drugs being what it is, it might be cheaper to fill up the ER than prescribe drugs. Of course, drug program or no, the fact that there are people in this country of plenty in such dire straits that they need to leave their insulin behind because they can't pay a $3 deductible shows that the insurance crisis in this country is just the beginning of our problems.

At long last, I made it to the movies to see Walk the Line. I decided to play hookey from my science class (skipping class on only the second day of instruction can't be a good sign as to my chances of excelling this quarter) to go see an afternoon showing. I went to the Pacific Trolley Cinema, and was surprised that there were some customers there, seniors mostly, for the early show on a Wednesday. I also noticed there was some commotion at the front of the line, where an argument between an elderly customer and an employee was concluding. I didn't catch the substance of the argument, but the gentleman took his ticket and went inside, saying something about how his wife would be following him shortly. The guy in front of me bought his ticket, also yelling at the box office employee for raising her voice in anger (in fact, she just wanted him to be able to hear her), I purchased mine, and went inside.

The trailers had just concluded, and I quickly and quietly took my seat in the back row as the feature began. About five minutes later, an old woman came in, flashlight in hand, and took a seat in my row, shining her flashlight around the theater in the process, and then starts digging in her apparently-velcro-fastened purse for something (cell phone? hard candy wrapped in cellophane? air horn? I couldn't say), and making various noises to accompany the movie. A few minutes later, it is discovered that she is apparently the wife of the old man I saw arguing at the ticket booth, who was sitting on the opposite side of the auditorium. The have a loud and hearty reunion at the back of the theater, discussing in great detail the fact that they both apparently sat in different parts of the theater, but now had cheerfully been joined together to enjoy the film (if they ever bothered to pay attention to it). And joy of joys, rather than she joining him in his quadrant of the theater, they were coming back to my row. Again the flashlight is deployed, with far less care this time, and once seated, their conversation turns to the fact that apparently the woman dropped something. Fortunately, they have a flashlight, to shine up my row, and the rows further up. Why oh why do they insist on keeping theaters dark?

I tried to ignore them, but finally I had had enough. I got up, walked over to them, and told them, "Whatever you dropped, you can find it after the film, when the lights are up. For now, sit down and shut up and watch the movie." Naturally, they were silent at that point, until I had taken my seat further down the row, so that the gentleman could shout his witty rejoinder, "I think YOU should sit down and shut up," loud enough for the entire theater to hear. So I get back up, get in his face, and quietly yet sternly tell him to shut up, lest I shut him up. I sit down, and the woman, sweet cherub that she is, starts shining her flashlight in my eyes, like it's a fucking lightsaber. I briefly considered grabbing the flashlight from her shriveled monkey's paw of a hand, with a triumphant shout of "Now I keep it!" but decided that might be construed as escalating the situation. So I reached the conclusion that I would no longer be able to enjoy the movie, and I went to find the manager and get a pass to return. He offered to speak to the couple, which I encouraged him to do, for the other patron's sake, but said I felt I'd rather just leave. So I got my free pass and left, blood pressure gradually subsiding, to hopefully return this weekend or next week.

This is why I don't go to the movies more often. Yes, having to pay for movies these days (now that I'm no longer in the industry) is a drag, but the main reason why I watch more and more films on DVD is that at least three out of four trips to the cinema, the audience has a negative impact on my enjoyment of a film. Usually not this dramatically, and I've actually been lucky the last few times I went to the movies prior to this, but overall the problem is getting out of hand. Living in a border town, most of our television and radio broadcasts originate from Tijuana, which permits stronger broadcast signals than the U.S. One of the requirements on T.J.-originating broadcasters is to run Mexican public service announcements. Recently, they've been airing one that reminds the citizens of Mexico to treat each other with respect. "Today, many citizens will want to be the first one on the bus, but they will still wait in line." And so on. The first time I saw the ad, it struck me as incredibly odd, and most certainly ineffective. But maybe we need this message spread to our citizenry, as well. With enforced indoctrination on theater etiquette for those found in violation of prevailing standards.

I remember when I was in elementary school, watching filmstrips in the library, the librarian had to explain to me that I couldn't talk while watching the film, because while I thought I was being quiet, I was actually shouting in order to hear myself over my earphones. So let me explain this to you, Mr. and Mrs. Elderly American: I am sorry that you are losing your hearing. I am sorry you are losing your eyesight. I understand this will happen to me someday, and I don't wish to be inconsiderate. But when you whisper to your spouse, it may sound like a whisper to you, but it ain't a whisper. So when you go to the movies, don't speak. And if you can't see in the dark, bring a flashlight if you must, but arrive on time and take your seat before the film begins!

And let this be a lesson to all of you out there: If you're an elderly couple (or a woman holding a baby), don't piss me off, because I'm not afraid to stand up to you.

The long-awaited announcement of the Stardust's fate has finally been made.

Pink Martini's live performance on NPR's New Year's coverage is archived online. I haven't listened to the recorded performance yet (I heard it live on New Year's Eve, because that's the exciting life I live...New Year's with NPR), but it looks like you'll have to scan through the ringing in of New Year's in several time zones to hear it. It's worth it, though, as they perform several songs from their live set that aren't yet on CD. “Dosvedanya Mio Bambino” is brilliant.

2006 is now well underway, and I hope everyone has started the new year on a good note. I went up to Valley View Casino for New Years, where I was invited to a nice buffet. Their buffet is always excellent, and this time was no exception. Due to the crowd and their limited space, we had to share a table with a couple, but they were nice enough. I had no luck at the tables or the machines, unfortunately. Which isn't a big surprise, I've had no luck online, either. But hopefully I can stanch the bleeding in 2006.

This is the time, of course, for making resolutions, and reviewing last year's resolutions. My resolution for last year was to get back to my level of fitness at the end of 2003. I'd gone down-hill in 2004, and I'm afraid I didn't turn things around in 2005. In fact, I gained over ten pounds, after gaining weight in 2004. I weighed in at the gym yesterday at 242 pounds, which is about as big as I've ever been. And the year ended badly, as I was too sick to run for the entire month of December. So I could just make a similar resolution as last year, to get back to a level of fitness I previously had. But I think I learned last year that's a bit too nebulous a goal to easily reach out after, so I will be more specific, and also push myself a bit further. My goal for 2006 is to be running 20 miles a week by the end of the year. As I find it quite an effort at the moment to just run two miles in a sitting, that seems like a lofty enough goal to keep me motivated, but I know from my own history that I am capable of maintaining a training regimen of 20 miles a week, as long as I build to it gradually. And a year should be enough time. People have run marathons with less time to prepare. So by the end of this year, I should be maintaining a rigorous training program, on which I can build for future goals. Also, I hope to eat better, and to graduate from college in 2006.

If you saw Grizzly Man, you might be amused by Grizzly Bear Man.

I recently mentioned a security hole in Windows, with a suggestion for disabling certain features of Windows to protect yourself. Since taking my own advice, I've had lots of problems working with photos on my computer (which really interferes with a project I'm working on), and have decided to take my chances and reactivated the feature. As I neglected to mention how to reactivate it (though the post I linked to had the information), just run the following command, if you also disabled the feature and are now having problems:
regsvr32 shimgvw.dll

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. I went up to my sister's for the weekend. The three of us, myself, my mom, and my dog, left at 6:30 Saturday morning. I had hoped that traffic wouldn't be too bad on Christmas Eve, and that everyone would have gotten where they were going Friday. Apparently I was right, as there was no traffic to speak of (though the drive going South on I-5 looked less pleasant). Furthermore, the weather was perfect. But that wasn't enough to make Tanner enjoy the ride. He was excited at first; he had seen us packing, and was relieved to learn he was going with us. But he had never been on such a long drive, and didn't know what to make of it. We stopped a lot, in Griffith Park and in various rest stops along the grapevine. Unfortunately, Tanner does not like to go to the bathroom while on his leash, so just getting him to go potty was frustrating. Still, the lack of traffic made the drive a lot less unpleasant than I had anticipated. We arrived in San Jose around 2:00.

Michelle has two dogs, and how they would get along with Tanner was the major wildcard of this trip. It turns out Tanner was fine with them, and Scout the beagle was fine with Tanner, but Ebi the corgi was not fine with Tanner. As soon as Michelle let the dogs out, Ebi jumped on Tanner and bit his ear. I pulled Ebi off him, and Tanner retreated, with Scout bounding off after him. Michelle and Eric reined in Ebi, and after Scout and Tanner got introduced, they tried again to introduce Ebi to Tanner, but Ebi still was nipping at Tanner. And Tanner got right in Ebi's face, making it very clear he wasn't going to put up with that crap. So long story short, Michelle's dogs spent most of Christmas weekend in their kennel, and barked at Tanner whenever he went outside (Tanner slept in the guest cottage with me, while her dogs slept in the house).

When Tanner wasn't dealing with the dogs, he was trying to come to terms with the baby. This was my first time seeing Grace. She's cute enough, with big ol' chipmunk cheeks and a tuft of blond hair. She seems pretty chunky, I suppose--everyone comments on what a big baby she is, but she seems fairly typical to me. She's nice enough, I suppose, as babies go, and I'm sure once she can talk and control her bodily functions, we'll get along swimmingly. Tanner didn't like her, though, especially when mom or I would hold her. I think Tanner was afraid he was being traded in for Grace, and we were going to leave him there. He never really relaxed the whole trip, and just didn't have a very good time. On a happy note, Tanner was so upset, he would get even more anxious than usual when seperated from me, so I was able to get out of going to church on Christmas Eve. Stayed home and checked out Michelle's digital cable instead.

Christmas was fine. I got pretty much what I expected. Not a lot of gifts, but mostly stuff I wanted. I got the latest releases of MST3K and The Simpsons on DVD, as well as Lifeboat and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I also got some books, an Allison Moorer CD, and a clock radio into which I can plug my iPod (works pretty good, except it lets out a horribly obnoxious beeping when you set the alarm, which is annoying when you're trying to set the alarm at two in the morning and others are asleep). My sister got me a martini shaker with stuff in it, so that you can make a lemon drop martini just by adding vodka. Neat idea. I got my sister We Love Katamari. Unfortunately, so did Eric. So I need to return that for her and get her a gift card. I also burned her a copy of the Katamari Damacy soundtrack, which I put inside an iPod box, to keep my mom from guessing that I was giving her an iPod (used, my old 20 gig model). We listened to my iPod on the drive up, and she had nice things to say about it, and seemed very excited to have one of her own (especially as she will be flying up to Michelle's pretty regularly, and will have a lot of time to kill in airports). I had uploaded her CD library onto the iPod, as well as other CDs I thought she would enjoy. I got her Brian Setzer's Christmas album, among others. Then a few days before we left, she suggested that I buy "Barry Spitzer's Christmas music" for us to listen to on the long drive. Once I figured out what she was talking about, I was bummed she had to come up with that idea independently. But she was still surprised on Christmas morning. She even said, god help me, "Now I can listen to Barry Spitzer on my iPad" (I've given up on correcting her, instead just trying to move her over to at least a more reasonable wrong name, like "Brian Seltzer"--I mean, I'm pretty sure no one named Barry has had much success recording rockabilly songs). I also gave her a copy of The Orchid Thief I came across while cleaning out my closet, which I thought she might enjoy, as well as season two of Columbo (unfortunately, I bought season two on sale some time ago, unaware that season three--which includes the Johnny Cash episode--would be out in time for Christmas). I got Eric a collection of home-made monster movies on DVD, which he seemed to enjoy, as well as some odd CDs. But the most exciting gift was probably Michelle's gift for Mom. Through a friend with extensive connections, she was able to get my mother a personally autographed picture of Judge Judy herself. Quite a coup.

Christmas was over around 9:45 or so, and I went back to bed. After I got up and we ate, I joined Michelle and Eric on a trip to the movies. We were going to see the dreamworld of magic that is Narnia, but it was sold out. So we saw The Producers. It was okay, not nearly as bad as the reviews suggested. The direction of the film was terrible, but in a rather fascinating, what-the-hell-were-they-thinking-when-they-set-up-this-shot sort of way. The main problem with the film was that it was unnecessary: Most of the funny bits in the movie are from the original, and were better back then. In particular, Matthew Broderick is no Gene Wilder. Making the whole thing seem particularly pointless was, that the weakest part of the musical is the music. The songs aren't funny, and just serve to slow down the pace. The only exception might be Will Farrell's numbers, which were pretty funny, especially his audition. I can't really recommend it, but it's not as bad as the reviews suggest.

After that, we had dinner and killed time playing games. Mom got herself a game for Christmas, the Turner Classic Movies version of Scene It, one of those DVD-based board games (and let me just say right now, someone needs to release the old Clue VCR mystery game on DVD...I bought the original off eBay some time ago, but was shocked to learn that just about anyone else who remembered playing that game in the early '80s had rather unpleasant memories of it, and getting people to play it with me is difficult). We played a game of that, and Mom won, though I was at least competitive, while Michelle didn't do very good (Eric doesn't watch many old movies, and it showed). Mom had one handicap in the game, though, in that she couldn't keep her mouth shut during the DVD segments, and would repeatedly give away answers to the question that would ultimately be asked. After that happened several times, a clip from To Have and Have Not came up, and Mom volunteered that Lauren Bacall was 18 when she acted in that film. I joked that the question would be about Bacall's age, and then, sure enough, the question was, "How old was Lauren Bacall when this movie was released?" The answer was 20, not 18 (though she might have been 18 when the film was shot, if it took a long time to release), but it was multiple-choice, so Eric got it right. Yet after that, Mom still would talk during the questions. (We played another game last night--Michelle is down here for a wedding--and things went more smoothly, and though Mom won again, it was an extremely close game)

We drove back Monday morning, leaving around 7:30. I was sure that traffic would be much worse on Monday, especially as it was raining. But it wasn't bad at all. The only traffic we hit was by Magic Mountain. We were home by 3:00, and Tanner was very relieved to be back on his own turf (so was I, truth be told). It was too bad that Tanner didn't get along with Michelle's dogs, but otherwise it was a good trip.

A new security hole in Windows has been discovered. Until Microsoft issues a patch, you can protect yourself by going to "run" on the start menu and entering the following:
regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

PopMatters' Top 10 Country Albums of 2005. Good list, though I would have picked Georgia Hard as number one. I don't think I'll make a top-ten album list, since I tend to drag my feet so long in hearing new albums, I'm not sure whether some of my favorite albums are new to 2005 or just new to me. But Georgia Hard is right up at the top, were I to make a list.

A collection of banned album art.

Peekaboom is like a visual version of Password. And apparently it helps improve computer technology or something.

Vincent Schiavelli, dead at 57. If you don't know the name (I didn't), you'll know the face.

The Saturday Night Live sketch I mentioned in my previous post is available for free on iTunes, if you want a copy to call your very own.

On Saturday Night Live last week, they had one of the funniest things I've seen on that show for some time. And sure enough, it's on the web. Check out "Lazy Sunday."

Nellie McKay leaves Sony. Good news for those of us who wanted to buy her new album, but are boycotting Sony.

How the Grinch started a war on Christmas.

Sometimes I wonder why I still subscribe to Outside Magazine, and then I read an article like "Raising the Dead", from the August issue (yes, I'm a little behind in my reading). A suspenseful adventure yarn of the highest order, it still always remains respectful to the morbid subject matter--Dave Shaw's effort to recover the body of a diver trapped about 800 feet down in an underwater cave. I don't want to say too much, so just read the article.

Don't click on these links until you've read the article:

A collection of media coverage of the story, compiled by Tim Zimmerman, author of the Outside piece.

Dave Shaw's website

Bodies of slain soldiers being shipped as freight.

This weekend, I watched some old-school TV, dusting off a few DVDs I've picked up some time ago. First off was The Best of Ernie Kovacs. Bizzare by the standards of his time, bizarre by modern standards. Sort of like David Letterman meets Spike Jones and His City Slickers meets Monty Python at their silliest. More surreal than outright hilarious most of the time, but the Nairobi Trio certainly made me laugh--a musical trio of men in monkey masks, you could tell the conductor monkey was getting enraged by the antics of his peers when the man in the mask would breathe heavy and suck the mask in and out...I guess you'd just have to see it. And the various syncronized musical numbers were pretty awesome. If you've never seen him (I hadn't), it's worth checking out. The Best of Ernie Kovacs DVD has a lot of material, though after about 90 minutes in one sitting, it becomes a bit overwhelming. Be sure to pace yourself.

After that, I watched a couple episodes of Peter Gunn. I've enjoyed the soundtrack CD from the show, and figured I should check out the source. It's decent entertainment. It was a bit ridiculous, in the tradition of old serials, in that it seemed like Peter Gunn should have died in every episode I watched (but I guess Peter Gunn as the Detective who Dies wouldn't be very exciting). And 25 minutes isn't really enough time for a well-developed film noir detective story to play out. But it's still reasonably exciting, with great music and a hip style. I was surprised how well the episodes I saw held up. Not earth-shattering stuff, but not bad.

Eugene McCarthy, dead at 89.

Richard Pryor, dead at 65.

Radio DavidByrne's playlist for December has an awesome mix of classic country. I'm just not in the habit of tuning in to Byrne's radio station, but I'll have to try to check it out more often, he plays some great stuff.

I've had my computer back for a few days now. Seems to be working pretty good. A fair amount of data was saved, but plenty of data was lost, too. I've gotten most of the essential software reinstalled, but most of my time has been spent getting my music library back in shape. It seemed like all my music files were salvaged, but once I got everything set up, it appeared that several hundred songs were missing. So I decided to discard those songs and retrieve the songs from my iPod, but in the process of doing that I accidentally lost several songs, including virtually every song I purchased from iTunes. And I also lost my playlists, song ratings, and so on, which is no big deal, but certainly a minor inconvenience. But I've been able to recover a good part of what was lost from Limewire, and have dug up several CDs I need to reburn. Of course, I'm not entirely sure of which songs were lost, so I'm sure some months down the road I'll want to hear a song, and it'll be gone. But slowly things are returning to normalcy. Being without my computer really threw me for a loop.

I spoke to the repair place, and I'm getting a computer overhaul, rather than a new computer. I didn't want to buy another Dell, due to their crappy customer support, so I went to HP's website. With the holidays, there is quite a wait for customized computers, but I found one with nice specs for $760 after rebate. So I called the tech guy to see how my computer was coming along, and we agreed it was time to cut our losses. He suggested that I purchase a new processor and hard drive from him, and have it installed into my existing system. I had considered this, but was of the mind that I'd rather just have a brand new system. But he ended up offering me a pretty good deal, so that I get the new processor and memory and hard drive, including installation and transfer of the data recovered from my old hard drive, for about $370. I decided this was an offer worth taking, and decided to pass on the brand new system. And the best part is, he says he might have it ready today, which would be fantastic. So maybe the next posting on this blog with be composed on my new old computer.

My computer is still sick. The guy at the repair place says there are other problems beyond the hard drive, and I might need a new motherboard. So I'm thinking maybe it'd be worth it to just buy a new computer. The repair guy should be calling me back today, and then I should be able to make that decision. In the meantime, I am without computer at home (this is being composed on the company's dime), and at a total loss at home. At least I've managed to get some reading done, and do some cleaing. My closet is much more organized, so that it is now actually theoretically possible to find a book I might be looking for in there.

My involvement in Paradise Poker's Million-Dollar Freeroll has come to an end. Out of 4871 players I came in 3359th place. I was on the verge of elimination when I managed to triple-up, and get right back in the action, but then pocket kings got cracked by J10 on the river, and the following hand, in dire straits, I went all-in with a flush draw, against trips, and I made my flush while my opponent caught the fourth king, to send me home. So I am not going to be on TV, playing poker in a mystery tropical location.

My hard drive crashed on Thursday. I'm writing this on a borrowed laptop. My computer is in a repair shop, where hopefully a technician will be able to recover some of my data (I've backed up a few crucial files, but not nearly as much as I should, and this could be a bad loss). Dell customer support sucks. I ended up paying $100 for them to keep me on the phone for four hours before telling me I needed to take my computer somewhere. The repair shop is reasonable, though, $49 for diagnosis and installing a new hard drive, and $49 for data recovery.

The timing was rather poor, however, as this weekend is Paradise Poker's Million-Dollar Freeroll, for which I have won a seat. Fortunately, I was able to borrow this computer, so I don't have to worry about my computer being repaired in time for the tournament's 11:00 start time tomorrow morning. I have about a 1 in 5000 chance of winning $1,000,000, and a 1 in 500 chance of winning $10,000 and a trip to a mystery tropical location.

I've been dragging my feet so long in discussing my Vegas vacation, it feels like ancient history now. But I'll touch on the highlights, such as they are.

I stayed at the Stardust for the first time. I enjoy gambling there, it has a very old-school charm. The pit boss, who reminds me of Lunchlady Doris of Simpsons fame (or, if you prefer, a Night Court bailiff), is a Vegas landmark, to me at least. Hearing her Vincent Price impression always makes me squeal (sadly, I saw her, but never spoke to her this trip). As rumors are swirling about the future fate of the Stardust, I figured I should stay there at least once. There's probably no reason to stay there again. The rooms reminded me of the rooms at the Fremont, downtown, only larger, and with nicer bathrooms. Rather underwhelming, though I thought the artwork was nice, by hotel room standards. The small TV's remote control didn't work, but the front desk quickly sent up a replacement. The bathroom was reasonably large, and had a blowdryer, if memory serves. Overall, it's a decent room, in a decent location, and better than other Strip hotels in its price range (i.e. Imperial Palace).

One criticism I had for the hotel the first night--the shampoo they provided smelled like ass. I was taking a shower, put some shampoo in my hair, and nearly puked. Really foul. I had visions of a hotel employee putting sewage in a shampoo bottle to avenge some slight I may have given them. The next night, the shampoo was fine, but I could still detect a hint of odors which, if present in different quantities, might smell like ass. So I concluded that the shampoo the first night was from a defective batch, and let it slide.

Gambling didn't go too well for most of the trip. I just didn't have an adequate bankroll. The money I'd been waiting on from various online casinos arrived while I was in Vegas, but cashing a check in this town is hard. The casino cashed a small check for me, but I had to resort to ATMs with outrageous fees, and daily limits, so that I didn't have the deep pockets I would have liked. And so I played scared, feeling like I had to take risks to get a decent bankroll or bust out trying. And mostly, I went bust. Fortunately, I had some good luck my last night at the Stardust, and at the Riviera on my way out of town. So overall, I left a small loser.

I gambled a lot at the Stardust, but also put in a fair amount of action at the Wynn. A brief stab at the table games proved disastrous, but I had somewhat better luck at the machines, at least insofar as I lost slower and got to play for awhile. And I got a buffet comp, which was exciting. The buffet room is very nice, if perhaps a bit over-the-top. The buffet itself, however, was disappointing. I started out with a nice soup and salad, and some seafood. But as I slowly progressed through the buffet line, nothing really grabbed me. The ceviche station was a nice idea, but despite the variety, was ultimately nothing special. The sushi was of poor quality, though that can be expected of buffet sushi. The made-to-order risotto was a nice touch, and the shellfish was excellent. But the baked fish was dry and bland, and I had a hard time finding other foods that excited me. I think it may just be a matter of whether any of their specialties happen to be one of your favorites (I don't think I'd ever seen Cornish game hens in a buffet before), and for me, they weren't. Of course, good desserts can save a buffet, and the desserts certainly weren't bad. A chocolate mousse with chocolate brownie was quite good, and the ice creams were top-quality, but the bananas foster had an odd aftertaste. My main complaint, however, was with the service. Every time I got up to get a new plate, the servers decided I had left and bussed my table. When I returned and the waitress brought me a new water and silverware, she acted like she was doing me a big favor. Then I'd get up, and they'd do it again. And I never got another water after that. Even when I went for dessert, and was gone less than 90 seconds, they cleared my table. Luckily, they weren't able to seat another guest before I got back. Overall, I'd have to say the buffet, while by no means bad, is not the best in town. If I had paid $32 for it, I'd have been pissed off. I still prefer the Paris buffet (though I haven't eaten it since Harrah's assumed ownership, so I can't guarantee it's current quality).

The reason why I ventured over to the Wynn from the Stardust was because I bought a ticket to see Avenue Q. The ticket was obscenely expensive, though not too terribly out of whack by Vegas standards. But I rarely see shows in Vegas, and figured after all the comps I've received over the years, I could splurge to see a show that came so highly recommended. And I did enjoy myself, though ultimately I don't think I could recommend it, given the price. I was also disappointed by the lousy seat I received, six rows back, on the aisle. I could see the primary action well enough, but the recessed portions of the set, when doors open and walls are cast aside, were not very visible. Even worse, the backs of the puppeteers blocked my view of the hot puppet sex during the Act I climax. Fortunately, some elderly couples in my row didn't return from intermission, and I took their seat.

As to the substance of the show, my general opinion is that the show is for people who want to say they like "edgy" productions, but really don't. I mean, "The Internet is for Porn?" Wow, what a cutting-edge observation! But it certainly had its moments, and the basic story, of young people trying to find their way in the world, was touching enough, if not exactly novel. Of course, it's a shame the ticket price created a disconnect between the target audience of this story and the demographics of the audience, in Armani suits and furs. But then I suppose those are the sort of contradictions that drive Vegas. I was amused to discover that there was a character of Gary Coleman in the play (the building's super), and I did enjoy several songs, including "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist." Overall, it's an entertaining show, and if you can see a touring production when Wynn's exclusive arrangement is done, at a reasonable price, check it out. I just didn't think it necessarily lived up to the hype, or the ticket price.

I'm sure there were other delightful happenings in Vegas this trip, but I've waited too long to write this, and I'm just going to wrap it up. I stopped off at the Riviera on the way out of town, and had some great luck, so that I only left town a modest loser. Overall, it was a disappointing trip, as the odd turn of events in my online gambling overshadowed the trip.

Which means, I suppose, this is a good time to provide an online gambling update. First off, both casinos paid me. I'd have to give Casino On Net the edge on payouts, because while their posted cash-out times are ridiculously slow, they came pretty close to meeting those goals, while King Solomons was quite slow on the cashouts, compared to their posted policy. But I like King Solomons' software better, and they take care of their players a bit better, I think.

So I now feel much better about the integrity of these casinos, and their willingness to pay after a win. Unfortunately, my luck has turned. It got ugly. The sort of losses that would have me in tears, if it was real money, but since it's just credits in a computer, there is enough of a disconnect from reality that the money can just slip away. Fortunately, I got enough money off the table and tucked away that I didn't completely wipe myself out. But I still find myself thinking of what might have been, had I just walked away. I mean, really, how much did I think I was going to win? But ultimately I just have to accept that much of what I won is gone, and just look at the long-term picture, and concede that, overall, I've done alright. And just not let myself go broke trying to get back to where I once was.

H.P. Lovecraft meets Family Circus.

Scientologist homing beacon in New Mexico. Check out the sattelite photo. See the news video.

Stan Berenstain, dead at 82.

Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleads guilty to taking bribes. Of course, that he was guilty as hell has been clear for some months, but I must admit I was surprised by the initial revelation that he was a corrupt politician. I vehemently disagreed with his politics, but I always figured he was at least a straight-shooter. And the lesson, as every person I've discussed this with mentioned immediately, is, if you're going to take a bribe in the form of free room and board on a docked yacht, don't name the boat after yourself (The "Duke"ster). And for what it's worth, I'll give him credit for taking the blame in the end, even if he had little choice. He could have pulled a Traficant.

John Water's one-man show, A John Water's Christmas, will be at the Casbah December 18. $40 seems a bit steep, but I'm real tempted to go. I'm going to have to miss Los Straitjackets' Christmas show at the Belly Up, so this might be a good consolation.

Pink Martini are performing on Conan tonight. Don't miss it. I'm debating whether to buy a ticket to see them at UCLA this spring. I'm hoping they'll add a San Diego show, but somewhat doubt they'd be here twice in less than a year. Of course, if they do, that just means I can see them twice.

Today's Foxtrot addresses the recent Sony fiasco.

I'm sick, and I'm dragging a bit, but I'll post about Vegas soon. As for the Lovett/Hiatt/Ely/Clark concert of some weeks ago, I'll just say it was a great show, and I fully intend to explore Ely's music.

I also saw Lewis Black recently. Still funny, if not in top form. Trying out new material, some worked, some didn't. Looked tired, but hard to see anything in my nose-bleed seats (three rows from the back of the upper balcony, I could almost touch the ceiling...bad for seeing Black, but nice for checking out the architecture).

I've been rather tired lately, so I haven't had a chance to post about my trip to Los Angeles on Saturday. I had tickets to see Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, Joe Ely and John Hiatt at Disney Hall, and I took the occasion as a chance to see the Sergio Leone exhibit at the Autry National Center. Unfortunately, I encountered traffic, and only had about an hour to spend at the Leone exhibit. I would have liked to linger over some of the film clips and scripts on display, but was basically able to see the entire exhibit in an hour (but was unable to see the other exhibits at the museum. I wouldn't make a special trip to Los Angeles just to see the exhibit, but I did find it informative and enjoyable. At the entrance to the exhibit, you can pick up a very nice mini-poster with a brief overview of the exhibit and of Leone's history. The exhibit briefly discusses Leone's background and early work (in his last stint as an assistant director, he worked on the chariot scene in Ben-Hur, before getting to the so-called Man With No Name trilogy. Clips from various films are screened through the exhibit, alongside informative signs about Leone's concept of "Cinema Cinema" and his various influences. Several scripts are on display, with translations, as are many props and costumes, including Blondie's poncho in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. One wing of the exhibit was dedicated to Leone's work with Ennio Morriconi, and while some of the listening stations were experiencing technical difficulties, I enjoyed this portion very much. I didn't have much time to watch the videos in the "Leone's legacy" portion of the exhibit, but from what I did see, it just seemed like a bit of fluff. But overall, a very good exhibit.

On the drive up, I got to thinking that the gift shop might be selling a replica of the poncho. I realized that I am not really a poncho person, and it would be rather impractical, but I decided I ought to treat myself a bit with my recent winnings, and decided, if they had a replica and I liked it, I might go as high as $200. Knowing how expensive those gift shops can be, I figured that was a reasonable price. Turns out the gift shop does sell a replica poncho, but it is $500. I was not prepared to go that high. I did look at a very nice duster, which I quickly decided was impractical after seeing its $200 price tag. But after leaving, I kept thinking back to the jacket. I dismissed it rather quickly, so I didn't really get a good look at it, but I think it would be rather flattering on me. It looked durable, and I emailed the store to learn it is made from a 100% cotton canvas. I first dismissed it because of the price, and also because I didn't know when I would have occasion to wear it. I soon realized that I had occasion that very evening, as I'm sure I would have looked very dapper at the evening's concert. I will not be in Los Angeles again until January, and the store couldn't tell me if they would still be stocking the jacket at that time (the Leone exhibit will be over, but while the duster was displayed near the poncho, and certainly seemed to have been delivered straight from the set of Once Upon a Time in the West, I don't think they stocked it only for the Leone exhibit...they had a lot of Western wear on sale). But I wouldn't be surprised if I soon make the duster part of my wardrobe.

The museum closed at five, and the concert was at eight, with a tour of Disney Hall at seven. So we had some time to kill, but proceeded to Disney Hall to eat. Unaware that Disney Hall actually had a nice restaurant, we started walking around the neighborhood, and ended up eating at an outdoor cafe outside of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilian. Decent food, overpriced. My mom asked for a medium-well cooked hamburger, and what she got was nearly raw. But it was a nice night for al fresco dining, and we were seated next to an old soap opera star my mother immediately recognized, who apparently was performing next door in the new Mamet play.

So that just leaves my comments on Disney Hall and the concert. But I'm very tired, and I need to pack. So I'll just say I had a good time, and try to elaborate when I get back home. Stay tuned.

King Solomons Casino paid me today. Not all my winnings, just my first cashout request (due to daily withdrawl limits, I have to stagger my cashout requests), but that alone leaves me with a profit, off the table. My the time I get back from Vegas, I should also have my money from Casino On Net, and my King Solomons Casino cashout should have made the journey from Neteller to my bank account. A shame I couldn't get the cash in hand in time for Vegas--as Maj. Kong would say, "a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."

Incidentally, while I've had my money stuck over at King Solomons Casino, I've still been playing. I had one truly ugly session, but lots of truly amazing sessions that more than made up for it. Makes me wonder why I ever go to work, like a sucker. Of course I know, from lots of personal experience, that this winning streak can't last forever. But that's no reason not to enjoy the ride. I just hope my luck holds in Vegas.

If, like me, you've been following the Sony spyware/copy protection scandal and intend to never buy a Sony product again, they have a list of all the labels currently owned by Sony on their web site.

I've been rather fatigued lately, haven't finished my post about this weekend's concert, but I'll try to post that tomorrow.

Gambling trade group speaks out against FBI data-mining in Las Vegas. If threat of terrorism doesn't keep you away from Vegas this New Year's, threat of government snooping should.

Salon has a fair and even-handed article on the DeLay case. Some of those who have ran into prosecuter Ronnie Earle have rather nice things to say about him:

Partisan considerations don't enter into it with Ronnie," says Republican state Rep. Terry Keel, who worked for Earle in the D.A.'s office. "I don't think it involves political ambition or is a political vendetta," says former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, a Democrat who was indicted by Earle while in office in 1985 for felony bribery. (He was acquitted at trial.) Adds Joe Turner, who represents John Colyandro, one of DeLay's codefendants, and once worked for Earle: "I like Ronnie. He's a good person. I don't think he's an evil person. And I think he truly believes that what he is doing is correct."

And Earle's record includes highlights not likely to be widely cheered by Salon readers:

Earle also risked the scorn of Austin's African-American and liberal communities when he tried 11-year-old Lacresha Murray -- the youngest murder defendant in Texas history -- not once but twice for negligent homicide in the death a 2-year-old child. (Both convictions were later overturned.)

After reading the article (and in particular the details about the attempted Hutchinson prosecution), I feel better about Earle's chances. I don't know if he can get a conviction, but I think at the very least, DeLay will have to answer the charges at trial.

Arrested Development looks to be in its death throes. There's always the hope of another network saving the show, but I hope at the very least they are allowed to wrap up their storylines.

Judge vacates verdict against Zucchet, sentences Inzunza to 21 months. It was a complicated case, so while I don't like to see judges disregard the thoughtful decisions of juries, this is the sort of thing where the judges decision may have been right. I've said from the beginning I wasn't sure on which side I was (other than that, guilty or not, Inzunza was a huge jackass), and would go by the court's decision, so I'll say that it is certainly possible the judge was right, and that the sleazy dealings of Zucchet, which the jury found criminal, were merely business as usual in politics today (by all accounts, the case against him was much weaker than that against Inzunza).

I was playing Elvis pinball, a fine game the praises of which I am sure I have sung here before. Unfortunately, the game at my local arcade has gotten rather run down, and in my first game, started behaving erratically. On my very first ball, moments into play, the game went into multiball mode, with ball saver mode also active. Once I got Hound Dog mode going, you can imagine how I racked up the points. Eventually ball saver came to an end, but multiballs kept starting for no apparent reason. As I was playing my first ball, up to about 600,000,000 points, and realizing it would be almost impossible not to get the new high score, I began thinking about that Twilight Zone episode, where the gambler dies and goes to a Vegas-style afterlife, with gambling and women, and he begins to win and win and win, and eventually he decides it's not in his nature to enjoy winning, so he asks his guardian angel if he can leave heaven and go to the other place, to which the "angel" replies, this isn't heaven, this is the other place. As I raked in the points at Elvis pinball with no effort to speak of, I began to wonder if I failed to wake up one morning a week or so ago, and that those of you reading this blog are merely fellow travelers in an ethereal nether region where my spirit is no longer hindered by probability and statistics. For my gambling winnings are piling up to a degree that's, frankly, scary.

Of course, I haven't seen a penny of that money, yet. I got an e-mail from Casino On Net (the operators of which, judging from their newly designed website, with the annoying pop-ups missing from the main page, at least, must read this blog), explaining that my cashout would be delayed a few days, because my check to them has not yet cleared. As they pointed out to me in the e-mail, this is a reasonable policy, as it probably does take the purported seven days for an American check to clear in Gibralter, which I believe is where Casino On Net is based. I was slightly annoyed that it wasn't until the third day of processing my cash-out (said processing generally taking one day, according to their own timetable) that they bothered to contact me about the delay, and more annoyed that their e-mail claimed the delay was required "according to our cashout policy," when their cashout policy says nothing of the kind. Again, I ultimately feel that it is reasonable for them to require the initial deposit to clear before processing a cashout, but I am still disappointed that they were more obtuse about this policy than they admit. What this means, of course, is that I will not have that money in time for my Vegas trip.

But I had already concluded it was unlikely I would have that money for Vegas. I was hopeful, however, I would have my money from King Solomons Casino. And I was still hopeful that, should they process my cashout by tomorrow morning (now this morning), I could still get the funds to my bank in time for the trip. Then I remember Armistice Day, bank holiday, and realize it's extremely unlikely the money will be available by my trip. Which means I will be going to Vegas with a very puny (by my standards) bankroll. For a brief trip, I should be okay, unless my luck is horrendous, but since I am, as I've said, a wraith of good fortune doomed to spend my eternal non-existance accumulating winnings, that shouldn't be an issue. But I'm less concerned now about getting my money from King Solomons Casino in time for Vegas than I am about getting my money at all. By their time frame, the money should have hit my account today, but it did not. But I understand that one's first cashout might take slightly longer than is typical, so I'll give them a break. I wouldn't worry at all, except that it is at King Solomons that I have had luck that I am hesitant to believe mortal men can have. Basically I log in, win money, take a break, log in, and win more money. So I now have a lot of money to cash out of my account, and am wondering if I'll ever see that money. Again, my experience in the past leads me to think highly of King Solomons Casino. In my experience with them the last few weeks, they've extended good offers to me, and I had no major problems. But it's easy for them to treat me well when I'm losing, but now that they owe me a lot of money, are they willing to pay up? Time will tell...I will be sure to update you on my experiences with cashing out from both King Solomons Casino and Casino On Net.

As for Elvis, I did earn a high score, about 1,300,000,000 points. I was hesitant to enter my initials, as I didn't truly earn that high score, but I did. Makes up for the high scores I lost when they moved the machine into the back (though I'm pretty sure I didn't have the number one slot).

McDonald's employees fooled by calls from "police officer" ordering them to strip-search fellow employees.

[Clinical psychologist Jeff] Gardere goes on to say that it was no accident that caller was targeting fast food restaurants. "Everything is by the book," he explained. "This is how you serve it. This is exactly how you do it. You follow the book -- you're OK. I believe he picked fast food restaurants because he knew, once you got them away from that book, once it was something outside the manual or the procedures, they would be lost."

The apparent perpetrator of the hoaxes was employed as a prison guard...makes you wonder how he entertained himself at work.

A couple more posts went missing. I've realized the problem is that I was using an outdated version of Safari at work, and it was causing problems. Unfortunately, I can't upgrade, but maybe in the future I can use Internet Explorer to post here from work, and see if that works better (it's only an issue when I work in the ticket booth, which I only do one day a week these days). These were the links I were posting:

Pat Boone weighing in on the parchesi vs. dancing debate.

Odd use of umlauts in the New Yorker.

I don't think I included the link for election results in my earlier post, so here you go. As I go to bed this evening, it seems pretty assured that every ballot measure in the state has been defeated. So was Donna Frye.

Energy reregulation defeated at polls. No big shock, but disappointing. I think this article illustrates the lack of information that was put out on this initiative. Take this quote from a voter: "'I didn't want the state getting involved with regulating electricity. We already know what happened with the last crisis,' said David Culbertson, a 48-year-old electrician from Long Beach who voted against the measure." The crisis he refers to (Enron, et al) was caused by deregulation. If you don't like "what happened last time," you're supposed to vote FOR 80. The article explains this near the end. But, unfortunately, the media decided not to explain this to people before the election, since no one was buying ads from them on either side of the issue, and therefore it was, in their eyes, a non-issue. I never did hear an explanation as to why there was virtually no campaigning, on either side. It's like they went to the trouble to get it on the ballot, and then gave up.

It's 11:18 PM, 56.1% of precincts reporting, and every proposition on the ballot is being defeated. Prop. 75 is touch-and-go (49.7% yes), and a lot of Orange County votes have yet to be counted, but so have a lot of Los Angeles County votes, so I'm fairly confident Arnold just got his ass handed to him. He made a public appearance recently with his skeletal wife, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, trying to look like a winner, to put a happy image in the face of the electorate, lest we picture him sitting in a darkened room, sobbing inconsolably. He vows to build more roads. Don't know how we're gonna pay for that, probably with the same magic money tree that's paying the $50 million for this election.

I saw Dave Alvin this weekend, performing at Acoustic Music San Diego. The show was unusual for Alvin in that it was an acousic show, and even more unusual in that it was a solo performance. He seemed somewhat uneasy with the format, looking a tad nervous as he bantered with the audience while tuning up between songs ("I should probably tell you a funny story...think of your favorite funny story...yeah, that's a good one"), but this certainly didn't manifest itself in his performance. "Haley's Comet," "Wanda and Dwayne," and "Out of Control" were a few stand-out tracks, as was anything off the new album, Ashgrove. He segued effortlessly from blues to country to folk, and adapted some interesting material for the acoustic show ("This is why Chuck Berry never did acoustic shows," he explained before one adapted electric guitar solo, which still sounded damn good to me). Before playing a Blasters tune (maybe, I can't remember for sure), he mentioned driving to the venue down Adams Avenue, and passing the old Adams Avenue Theatre, where he played in the '80s with the Blasters, and noticing it stands today as a fabric store. He seemed troubled by that, and who could blame him? But I hope he didn't take that as a sign that his best days are behind him, because Saturday night showed me that Alvin is still a tremendous talent. I'm kicking myself for missing him a few months back, when the Knitters were in town.

I hope you all made it out to vote, if they're voting where you are. CNN has reported a Democratic win in Virginia. Unfortunately, Donna Frye seems to be heading for defeat here in San Diego. But I am very optimistic about our statewide election. I do fear that maybe Arnold might win on one proposition (74 seems to have a decent chance to squeak by), and be able to claim victory since he seemed doomed to humiliating defeat. The whole lowered-expectations thing. But we should have a good idea in a few hours how things have played out. Oh, and if you're in California and haven't voted yet, do so, and vote no on everything except 79 and 80.

Wynn Resorts posts $14.2 million third-quarter loss. The article mentions rumors of disappointing ticket sales for Avenue Q, which makes me wonder if I should have bought my ticket in advance, or taken my chances on buying tickets when I arrived, and saving some Ticketbastard fees. Who knows, maybe the half-price ticket outlets might get tickets. I doubt it, but you never know...I've seen them offer discounted (not half-off) tickets to O before, and those tickets are generally hard to get.

A 78 year old woman, taken into custody by casino security after picking up a nickel left by another gambler, was awarded $600,000 in punitive damages on appeal (reduced from $875,000). The appeal court's ruling (PDF file) is an interesting read, and a reminder that one is not necessarily better off playing in the nice, legal brick-and-mortar casinos, given the disregard for civil liberties many of them have been known to show (and are finally beginning to pay for in court). I may have anxiety about Casino On Net actually paying me, but at least they are extremely unlikely to detain me against my will (and I'd like to think the La Mesa Police Department would be on my side, should they try--but I have no doubt on which side the Las Vegas authorities would come down if I had a problem in one of their city's fine gambling parlours).

I've come to the conclusion that online gaming may not be the best thing for someone of my compulsive tendencies. I'm not writing off online poker entirely, just thinking of scaling back my efforts in that area. Taking a little break. Getting back to my first love, reminding myself that poker is not the only game in town. And so I have booked a trip to Vegas, two nights at the Stardust, and even bought a ticket to see Avenue Q at an obscene price. I figure it's time to do some serious gambling, in my prime element, where I know the score. Remind myself of what's out there, so that I don't think I have to stake my survival on becoming a better poker player.

So I decided I would tone down my gambling until the trip, but decided to make one last jab at online riches. Give poker a brief respite, and hopefully return to the game with a fresh outlook. Instead, I directed my attention away from the poker rooms and towards the online casinos, and their lucrative new player bonuses. At first glance, these deals are no-brainers, with new players often getting 100% bonuses on first deposits, sometimes up to $400. But I've avoided these offers, for two primary reasons. First, I've never trusted the casinos to offer legitimate games, and pay off fairly. They have much more to gain by cheating at casino games than at poker, where the house merely takes a cut of the action. Second, a related point, I don't trust them to give me my money if I win, especially if I win while taking advantage of a bonus offer. The terms and conditions at many of these sites basically state they can take your money if they think you're taking advantage of them, and you have no recourse. And, of course, any site can fail to pay you for any or no reason, and you really have no recourse. To be fair, most casinos seem to offer fair games and pay their obligations, but it always worries me. Moreso with casino games than poker, because, as I mentioned, the house doesn't have a direct stake in the action at poker, but also because of the higher stakes of casino gaming, where you might be chasing a huge jackpot rather than just some big pots. A casino might pay off small wins, but what if you hit it big?

So this form of online gambling makes me nervous. But I believe the major players in the market are honest and legit (they do have one thing in common with poker rooms--they're making too much money legitimately to risk cheating customers and driving off their clientele), and the sign-up offers are tempting. So I played at several casinos this week. Had some good luck at King Solomons Casino, but had bad luck taking advantage of some good follow-up offers they sent me (and also had some technical issues in taking advantage of those offers). Decent site overall, and since playing there once they twice deposited $50 into my account (one of these times was a birthday present), with no apparent strings attached (I lost it both times before trying to cash it out, but there didn't seem to be a minimum play requirement). The technical issues bothered me a bit, though, and customer service was only adequate, at best. Bodog seems a good site for people who don't want to shop around. No great signup bonus or anything, just a standing offer of 10% added to every deposit, with minimal play requirements. After playing and losing my initial deposit and my second deposit, I logged in a few days later and found $55 in my account. Never received an email telling me they gave me a bonus or anything, so I found that a bit odd. I'm not real crazy about their banking interface, and their deposit limits seem a bit low (though you can apply for a raise). I played at other sites, but only one other merits mention.

I won't actually put a link to Casino On Net, because of the horrendous overuse of popups and javascript windows, but feel free to go to their website, www.888.com, if you like (the windows are annoying, but won't download anything unless you consent). They are one of the oldest players out there, and have a good reputation, and a generous 100% deposit bonus, up to $200, for new players. So I deposited $200, and did pretty well for awhile, and then things turned ugly. I eventually went broke and deposited again, and things were looking pretty bleak. And then I hit four deuces at deuces wild. And then I returned to blackjack, and kept winning there. And now I find myself facing the situation I wondered about: Will the casino pay me when I hit it big?

I'm not too worried, as Casino On Net has a good reputation. My main concern at the moment is when the cash will hit my bank account. One annoying aspect of Casino On Net is that they basically sit on all cashout requests for five days, then spend a day or two processing them, and then it takes a day or two to finally reach your bank. So they say a wire transfer payment should take 10-13 days. Which means it will most likely post the day I leave for Vegas. So I have no guarantees I will have that money to fund my Vegas trip. And as I hate banks and their piddling interest rates, I find myself in a bit of a cash crunch, with few liquid assets. I've transfered about everything to my credit union, and I will have a decent bankroll for Vegas, but if Casino On Net pays me in time, I will have a little more flexibility for taking risks in Vegas.

To conclude my discussion of Casino On Net, I'll just say that their software is somewhat annoying, as is their website, and their cashout policy is ludicrous (they are most generous in that, after you have wagered at least $3 million at their casino, they will only sit on your cashout requests two days before processing them). But I had good luck there, and so I will most likely play again. I would have to say, though, that both King Solomons Casino and Bodog are more likely to get the bulk of my action. And I'll probably keep shopping around, as I still haven't found a casino that offers everything. And so while I have put some of my big win towards replenishing my dwindling poker bankroll, I do plan to reinvest some of that win into some more lucrative sign-up bonuses.

A touching and amusing Peanuts strip. Charlie Brown's refrain is rather reminiscent to a Magnetic Fields tune, "The night you can't remember, the night I can't forget", or something like that.

Another post of mine has disappeared for some reason...don't know why, but it happens infrequently enough that I choose not to worry about it.

UPDATE: This replacement post also didn't show up, but I was able to recover this post, since I hadn't logged off yet. So I don't have to type this post a third time. I think it has something to do with the "preview" option, so I just have to stop checking my spelling and HTML coding, I guess)

Anyway, the last post was just to let you know that Music Without Boundaries is returning to San Diego radio, on 91X. Thank you, Clear Channel. I've discovered several artists on this program, including Natalie MacMaster, and (one of my all-time favorites) the Hot Club of Cowtown. Too bad my tendency to sleep in, now that I don't work Saturdays, means I will probably be an irregular listener, at best.

Poll numbers show that all of the governor's four ballot propositions losing. And momentum doesn't seem to be on Arnold's side (though given his horrendous poll numbers personally, I was surprised the percentages were as close as they are). Now we just have to hope low turnout doesn't lead to any nasty surprises.

The following are my results from one of those personality tests you can take online. I'm posting it since, if I were truly paranoid, I would not put such damning test results online, where my friends and loved ones could find them and use them against me. So the test is clearly bullshit. Probably was rigged to give me bad results by one of my closest friends, just to drive me mad. But I'll show them soon enough... (actually, I would say it's my low narcissistic score that puts the validity of the test in doubt, as I tend to think I'm pretty full of myself)

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid Personality Disorder:	High
Schizoid Personality Disorder:	High
Schizotypal Personality Disorder:	Moderate
Antisocial Personality Disorder:	Low
Borderline Personality Disorder:	Low
Histrionic Personality Disorder:	Low
Narcissistic Personality Disorder:	Low
Avoidant Personality Disorder:	Moderate
Dependent Personality Disorder:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:	Moderate
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