On Wednesday when I left campus, I had the hint of a stuffy nose. So I shrugged it off and went about my business, getting home to be ready for Thanksgiving. By the next day, it was a full blown stuffy nose. The aromas of dinner could not enter, limiting my enjoyment of Thanksgiving, full of turkey, roast beef, ribs, and all the other fixings. Sure, I was full, but with half of your tasting senses out of the way, it's not too enjoyable. I bet it was all Datman's fault. Hai got him sick earlier last week and then I have two classes with him 6 hours a week. Today, I was feeling miserable and had a really heavy cough. It was bad enough to cancel plans for today, possibly tomorrow as well. So friends, keep your fingers crossed that I can get better.
With me at home, I got around to cleaning my room and catching up on mail. The mail's been piling up since I only pick off the credit card bills. One piece of mail that caught my eye was from the old high school sending out some community newsletter. You've no doubt read about the football team in this blog. Some people say I'm still living in the past, talking about Oak Grove so much, but so what? Yes, it was in the wrong pile but I read it anyway.
The director (Not a principal, but one of 3 directors. To make more money, they implemented some ridiculous pathway program and that needed the principal and assistant principals to be on the same level.) talked about the modernization of the school and made some pretty funny (at least to me) comments about the "beauty" of the school, writing that it is "considered as one of the top schools in the district, both academically and aesthetically," that it is already the “jewel” of the East Side Union High School District, and that its modernization efforts will make it "one of the finest facilities in the state."
The campus did have some good qualities, but just looking at it, it's really one ugly school. One thing is the poop brown color of the buildings. They couldn't have chosen a different color. ANY color? One teacher told me once that it's supposed to match the school's name by reminding us of a bunch of oak trees. Then why not plant some oak trees instead? Drive along Blossom Hill Road and see the sea of brown walls. Front and center, see the 2-story admin building. Oh wait, there's an ugly fence in front of it. Go toward the student parking lot and instead see portables. Hey, at least they're grey. Finally, you can make it to the athletic fields or mud holes, take your pick as to what you want to call it, surrounded by the chain link fences. Oh well, but I guess any remodeling will do it good, even if I never step foot into the place again.
Okay, now back to being sick.
11/29/2002
11/28/2002
11/25/2002
The Stanfurd Axe was slowly re-introducing itself to the Berkeley crowd by being prominently displayed at the Axe Rally today in Sproul Plaza. After the usual thank-yous and the band, it started to be paraded around campus, visiting each of the large lecture halls and interrupting classes. It was during its trip from VLSB to Evans when I got my time with the axe. I ran up to it and found an opening in the many rally comm members protecting it. I gave it a good pat and a wipe. And then it went ahead. I followed it for a while with my old dorm friend next to me. Along the way, a nameplate on the Axe fell off at the Faculty Club but it was easily fixed, blinds were closed when the Axe showed up outside a lecture hall window, and the crowd was disappointed when the Chancellor wasn't found at California Hall. I finished up cheering at Wheeler, where we interrupted an Econ lecture, and then went separate ways. I didn't have a camera with me, but rest assured, when it's paraded around next year when Cal beats Stanfurd again, I'll have a camera to document the whole thing.
11/23/2002
The Axe has now made it back to Berkeley with an impressive 30-7 victory over the Cardinal of Stanfurd. Tradition gets sketchy since it has been 8 years since this happened, but apparently there's a rally on Monday at Sproul Plaza to parade the axe around.
And now the Stanfurd Jonah:
When the training days are done,
And the Big Game's just begun,
And there's music in the air;
When our team runs on the field,
Stanfurd knows her fate is sealed,
For the Golden Bear has left his lair.
When the yells from lusty throats,
Start to getting Stanfurd's goat,
And the rooting section seems a howling mob, Hey! Hey!
Then you grab your hat and shout,
You let folks know you're about,
For you know that Stanfurd Jonah's on the job.
So...then... it's...
Up with the Blue and Gold,
Down with the Red;
California's out for a victory.
We'll drop our battle-axe on
Stanfurd's head, Chop!
When we meet her, our team will surely beat her.
Down on the Stanfurd Farm there'll be no sound,
When our Oski rips through the air.
Like our friend Mister Jonah,
Stanfurd's team will be found
In the tummy of the Golden Bear!
Relegated to the bottom of this post are the facts that the Sharks lost to Pittsburgh 4-1, the Spartans of San Jose State finished their season 6-7 with a lost to Fresno State 19-16, dashing their hopes of a playoff bowl bid goodbye, and Oak Grove was eliminated from the CCS Playoffs by Homestead 48-34. They finish their mediocre season at 7-4. Also defeated were my sister and her band/colorguard team. They finished ninth in the preliminaries and did not qualify to compete in the finals of the big Western Band Association finals in San Diego.
Die Another Day
I was witness to two events steeped with tradition today. The first was the Big Game Bonfire Rally, an ongoing event for 70+ years to get everyone psyched up for the Big Game against Stanfurd. Being the third one I've attended, this one was probably the best yet, highlighted by the fact that they lit the bonfire on their first try after failures in previous years to light it with the victory cannon in 2000 and some kind of loud boom last year. A lively event with the fire, the band, the cheers, and the history, it adequately energized the crowd to root for California as they battle the Cardinal today.
The other was the latest installment of James Bond, celebrating its 40th year with its 20th film, Die Another Day. Can you Die Another Day if Tomorrow Never Dies? I don't know, but unlike the bonfire rally, this film ultimately disappointed.
This time, we find 007 in North Korea, trying to stop some illegal weapons transactions that could tip the scales in the battle between North and South. But Bond is caught and tortured. 14 months later, Bond is exchanged for the North Korean colonel's number one lieutenant. But Bond won't let this go, and so he goes off on his own to hunt for him again. It leads him to Hong Kong, Cuba, England, and Iceland. In the midst of these events, we're introduced to Gustav Graves, a newly-knighted adventurer who owns some diamond mines. Bond suspects he's hiding something and that he has connections to Zao, the guy he's hunting. Along the way, Halle Berry's character, Jinx, is introduced, along with Miranda Frost, a MI-6 agent who hasn't had an outstanding record but manages to stay close to Graves. With the help of Graves' satellite, Icarus, its mirror is used to redirect the sun's rays into a focused energy beam. As a result, the minefield protecting South Korea could be compromised. Will 007 stop them in time?
To me, this managed to combine the comedic timing of Austin Powers, the gadgets and ridiculousness of XXX, the gene therapy from Star Trek: Insurrection and the satellite from Batman & Robin. Gosh, it was boring. Admittedly, every Bond movie will provide solid entertainment. And this one was no different. But Bond seemed to have a different air to him this time. Maybe it's the lack of suspense. Maybe the sudden appearance of a personal vendetta. Whatever it was, it made him seem bland, less charismatic and maybe even a little old. Even the theme song by Madonna was subpar. The last two by Sheryl Crow and Garbage respectively were far better than this...thing. The effects were a cut below ok. Sure, everyone can do explosions, and that's something done with an abundance in this film, but that second surfing scene looked so fake. Why not have him surf for real and add the icebergs later? Somebody really needed to watch Blue Crush.
The writers looked to the past to find the villain Graves, with his one-dimensional thinking on world domination plopped into a futuristic environment. Please, is it really wise to have all those lasers, explosions, guns, and whatnot in a glass/ice environment? In Iceland of all places. Weren't we taught that Iceland had grass and Greenland had ice? Fine, we'll say Iceland does have ice at this time.
But the women steal the show as Halle Berry and Rosemund Pike act circles around their male counterparts. Pike's Miranda Frost seems to be a more traditional and interesting Bond character while Berry's Jinx introduces a new action element to the Bond heroine. But the plot doesn't give Jinx too much to do, really only playing the role of eye candy, save for a fighting scene with Frost at the end. With this introduction, I don't understand how Jinx deserves her own movie but maybe being by herself will make her into an even more desirable character.
Finally, the license plate on Bond's Aston Martin says EWW. What does this mean? Could it be a reference to the sick amount of technology found in the car? Or could it be the quality of this film?
No, the other films in the Brosnan era weren't quite up to the level of the best of Connery's or Moore's, but they had an air of professionalism, coolness, and suspense that Die Another Day severely lacks. 2 stars
I was witness to two events steeped with tradition today. The first was the Big Game Bonfire Rally, an ongoing event for 70+ years to get everyone psyched up for the Big Game against Stanfurd. Being the third one I've attended, this one was probably the best yet, highlighted by the fact that they lit the bonfire on their first try after failures in previous years to light it with the victory cannon in 2000 and some kind of loud boom last year. A lively event with the fire, the band, the cheers, and the history, it adequately energized the crowd to root for California as they battle the Cardinal today.
The other was the latest installment of James Bond, celebrating its 40th year with its 20th film, Die Another Day. Can you Die Another Day if Tomorrow Never Dies? I don't know, but unlike the bonfire rally, this film ultimately disappointed.
This time, we find 007 in North Korea, trying to stop some illegal weapons transactions that could tip the scales in the battle between North and South. But Bond is caught and tortured. 14 months later, Bond is exchanged for the North Korean colonel's number one lieutenant. But Bond won't let this go, and so he goes off on his own to hunt for him again. It leads him to Hong Kong, Cuba, England, and Iceland. In the midst of these events, we're introduced to Gustav Graves, a newly-knighted adventurer who owns some diamond mines. Bond suspects he's hiding something and that he has connections to Zao, the guy he's hunting. Along the way, Halle Berry's character, Jinx, is introduced, along with Miranda Frost, a MI-6 agent who hasn't had an outstanding record but manages to stay close to Graves. With the help of Graves' satellite, Icarus, its mirror is used to redirect the sun's rays into a focused energy beam. As a result, the minefield protecting South Korea could be compromised. Will 007 stop them in time?
To me, this managed to combine the comedic timing of Austin Powers, the gadgets and ridiculousness of XXX, the gene therapy from Star Trek: Insurrection and the satellite from Batman & Robin. Gosh, it was boring. Admittedly, every Bond movie will provide solid entertainment. And this one was no different. But Bond seemed to have a different air to him this time. Maybe it's the lack of suspense. Maybe the sudden appearance of a personal vendetta. Whatever it was, it made him seem bland, less charismatic and maybe even a little old. Even the theme song by Madonna was subpar. The last two by Sheryl Crow and Garbage respectively were far better than this...thing. The effects were a cut below ok. Sure, everyone can do explosions, and that's something done with an abundance in this film, but that second surfing scene looked so fake. Why not have him surf for real and add the icebergs later? Somebody really needed to watch Blue Crush.
The writers looked to the past to find the villain Graves, with his one-dimensional thinking on world domination plopped into a futuristic environment. Please, is it really wise to have all those lasers, explosions, guns, and whatnot in a glass/ice environment? In Iceland of all places. Weren't we taught that Iceland had grass and Greenland had ice? Fine, we'll say Iceland does have ice at this time.
But the women steal the show as Halle Berry and Rosemund Pike act circles around their male counterparts. Pike's Miranda Frost seems to be a more traditional and interesting Bond character while Berry's Jinx introduces a new action element to the Bond heroine. But the plot doesn't give Jinx too much to do, really only playing the role of eye candy, save for a fighting scene with Frost at the end. With this introduction, I don't understand how Jinx deserves her own movie but maybe being by herself will make her into an even more desirable character.
Finally, the license plate on Bond's Aston Martin says EWW. What does this mean? Could it be a reference to the sick amount of technology found in the car? Or could it be the quality of this film?
No, the other films in the Brosnan era weren't quite up to the level of the best of Connery's or Moore's, but they had an air of professionalism, coolness, and suspense that Die Another Day severely lacks. 2 stars
11/21/2002
As Star Trek fans may know, only 22 days remain until the 10th installment of the feature film series, Nemesis, is released. But if you click this link to ifilm.com, you can watch a good 5 minute snippet of the film. Granted, it probably gives away one of the more dramatic special effects shots of the film, but it really shows the potential of the entire project. Promises to be a great film. And with a morning final that day, it's shaping up to be a day of Star Trek. Geez, what a nerd I am.
While you're there at ifilm, catch the mockumentary The L.A. Civil War, making fun of the fact that the San Fernando Valley tried to secede from the city of Los Angeles by putting it into the context of the American Civil War. Watch as a valley soccer mom starts the whole thing by storming a Catalina Island ferry, how "Link Hahn" becomes the new mayor of Los Angeles, and how O.J. Simpson leads the Valley against the forces of L.A., led by the NRA's Charlton Heston to a bloody conclusion, while all the while leaving Downtown L.A., the Beverly Center, and the Sherman Oaks Galleria in ruins.
While you're there at ifilm, catch the mockumentary The L.A. Civil War, making fun of the fact that the San Fernando Valley tried to secede from the city of Los Angeles by putting it into the context of the American Civil War. Watch as a valley soccer mom starts the whole thing by storming a Catalina Island ferry, how "Link Hahn" becomes the new mayor of Los Angeles, and how O.J. Simpson leads the Valley against the forces of L.A., led by the NRA's Charlton Heston to a bloody conclusion, while all the while leaving Downtown L.A., the Beverly Center, and the Sherman Oaks Galleria in ruins.
11/20/2002
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
To recap, I've never read a book of the series. I haven't understood why millions of little kids have, and 300-400 pages at that. Even the latest one is 750 pages. But when roughly 15 million people in the first 3 days spend a collective $90 million to watch it, something must be up. The first one didn't make too much of an impression on me. In fact, I didn't remember much of what happened in the first movie coming into this one. But that's okay. As long as you remember that Harry Potter is the most popular wizard out there, then you'll be fine. Sure, there are other good things to know. He lives with a mean family before heading out to Hogwarts. His best friend Ron is scared of practically everything. His other friend, Hermoine, is the smart one of the bunch. All of these plus more are part of the Gryffindor clan while their rivals are part of the Slytherin, headed by Malfoy, who even has that mean look on his face. Professor Dumbledore, played by the late Richard Harris, heads the school, etc, etc, etc.
What's changed in this second installment? Well, Harry seems to be the same even if he's been told that he shouldn't be there but really, really wants to be there. Ron is scared of everything and gets the added element of incompetence through his broken wand. Hermoine is smarter and eventually figures everything out. Malfoy is meaner. The family he lives with is more controlling albeit briefly seen in this one. And the school gets a new professor in Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branaugh. He's a famous magician who's written many books but can't seem to get the right spell at the right time.
So what is the Chamber of Secrets? It's a chamber with secrets. Seriously, legend has it that Slytherin built it and kept evil spirits inside until somebody opened it and released them to kill anyone but the pure-bloods at the school. When weird messages in blood start appearing on the walls and people get frozen, everyone at the school gets scared and if the person who's doing it can't be found, the school may be closed. So the little trio start investigating this for themselves and do many things that eventually lead them to the truth of the chamber of secrets and stops it before it's too late.
Really, this movie kept me riveted. This whole thing was way more interesting than the first one. I'm guessing it's because they didn't need to be bogged down by introducing the Harry Potter world to us. As a sequel, it could get straight down to business. But that's no excuse to extend this movie to 150 minutes. My attention span is short enough, Some scenes could have been cut out without any sacrifice to the plot. Case in point: the spiders. What was the point in that? It really needs to get away from presenting the book sentence by sentence. That's why people see the movie, so they don't have to waste time to read the book. But what's the point if watching the movie takes as long as reading the book? But again, it's an interesting story with many twists and turns and the eventual most important secret of the chamber proves to be a little surprising if not unexpected. You really get involved in what the wizards are looking for and there are even some frightening scenes that induced some screams from the audience. Well-performed by all those involved.
After this, expectations for the third movie will be sky-high and it won't be easy. Many difficulties are arising already. They're taking a 6-month break. As a result, they're all gonna look way older when they get back as teenagers get to be. Richard Harris is now the late Richard Harris so they have to find someone to replace him. And a new director is taking over, one who had problems with the screenwriter in one film, Great Expectations, and directed a very excellent film, Y Tu Mama Tambien, a NC-17 flick about two Mexican boys exploring their sexuality; a complete 360 from Harry Potter. So good luck to them.
3 stars
To recap, I've never read a book of the series. I haven't understood why millions of little kids have, and 300-400 pages at that. Even the latest one is 750 pages. But when roughly 15 million people in the first 3 days spend a collective $90 million to watch it, something must be up. The first one didn't make too much of an impression on me. In fact, I didn't remember much of what happened in the first movie coming into this one. But that's okay. As long as you remember that Harry Potter is the most popular wizard out there, then you'll be fine. Sure, there are other good things to know. He lives with a mean family before heading out to Hogwarts. His best friend Ron is scared of practically everything. His other friend, Hermoine, is the smart one of the bunch. All of these plus more are part of the Gryffindor clan while their rivals are part of the Slytherin, headed by Malfoy, who even has that mean look on his face. Professor Dumbledore, played by the late Richard Harris, heads the school, etc, etc, etc.
What's changed in this second installment? Well, Harry seems to be the same even if he's been told that he shouldn't be there but really, really wants to be there. Ron is scared of everything and gets the added element of incompetence through his broken wand. Hermoine is smarter and eventually figures everything out. Malfoy is meaner. The family he lives with is more controlling albeit briefly seen in this one. And the school gets a new professor in Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branaugh. He's a famous magician who's written many books but can't seem to get the right spell at the right time.
So what is the Chamber of Secrets? It's a chamber with secrets. Seriously, legend has it that Slytherin built it and kept evil spirits inside until somebody opened it and released them to kill anyone but the pure-bloods at the school. When weird messages in blood start appearing on the walls and people get frozen, everyone at the school gets scared and if the person who's doing it can't be found, the school may be closed. So the little trio start investigating this for themselves and do many things that eventually lead them to the truth of the chamber of secrets and stops it before it's too late.
Really, this movie kept me riveted. This whole thing was way more interesting than the first one. I'm guessing it's because they didn't need to be bogged down by introducing the Harry Potter world to us. As a sequel, it could get straight down to business. But that's no excuse to extend this movie to 150 minutes. My attention span is short enough, Some scenes could have been cut out without any sacrifice to the plot. Case in point: the spiders. What was the point in that? It really needs to get away from presenting the book sentence by sentence. That's why people see the movie, so they don't have to waste time to read the book. But what's the point if watching the movie takes as long as reading the book? But again, it's an interesting story with many twists and turns and the eventual most important secret of the chamber proves to be a little surprising if not unexpected. You really get involved in what the wizards are looking for and there are even some frightening scenes that induced some screams from the audience. Well-performed by all those involved.
After this, expectations for the third movie will be sky-high and it won't be easy. Many difficulties are arising already. They're taking a 6-month break. As a result, they're all gonna look way older when they get back as teenagers get to be. Richard Harris is now the late Richard Harris so they have to find someone to replace him. And a new director is taking over, one who had problems with the screenwriter in one film, Great Expectations, and directed a very excellent film, Y Tu Mama Tambien, a NC-17 flick about two Mexican boys exploring their sexuality; a complete 360 from Harry Potter. So good luck to them.
3 stars
11/18/2002
After watching Harry Potter, birthday dinners were combined under one roof and off we headed to The Cheesecake Factory. They just opened another one at Valley Fair to offset the grand opening of Santana Row. It's comparable to the one in the city with the exception of the floors of Macy*s below the restaurant and the many couches on the 8th floor. This new one's down to the ground and separate from the mall, though it is right next to Macy*s.
I really don't understand how this place stays in business. First, the wait is terrible. Our party of 7 arrived when Jose Cortez missed that 41-yard field goal that would've won the game. That was at 4:30. We got seated during the 2nd quarter of the Raiders game. 6:35.
Then it's too noisy. You've got many people in a small space and bad music playing over the speakers. Oh yeah, it's too small. If they made it a little bigger, we wouldn't be waiting for 2 hours.
Once you finally get seated, you're handed a big menu. It's a book! Too many things to choose from, but not too descriptive. It's a place that seems to pride itself on presentation and yet the menu doesn't have pictures?
Wait, wait, wait. We wait for the food to arrive. Once it does, it's all jumbo-sized. I mean, who really wants a mutated piece of roasted chicken? Probably bigger than even a whole roasted one at Costco? Everyone will have to ask for boxes because there is no way people can finish the whole thing.
Yet, when people leave, they'll remember the big menu with its many choices and the good cheesecake for dessert, people will say, hey, let's go here again. And so the cycle begins again and I guess that's how this place stays in business.
So, the question remains...anyone want to go to the Cheesecake Factory?
I really don't understand how this place stays in business. First, the wait is terrible. Our party of 7 arrived when Jose Cortez missed that 41-yard field goal that would've won the game. That was at 4:30. We got seated during the 2nd quarter of the Raiders game. 6:35.
Then it's too noisy. You've got many people in a small space and bad music playing over the speakers. Oh yeah, it's too small. If they made it a little bigger, we wouldn't be waiting for 2 hours.
Once you finally get seated, you're handed a big menu. It's a book! Too many things to choose from, but not too descriptive. It's a place that seems to pride itself on presentation and yet the menu doesn't have pictures?
Wait, wait, wait. We wait for the food to arrive. Once it does, it's all jumbo-sized. I mean, who really wants a mutated piece of roasted chicken? Probably bigger than even a whole roasted one at Costco? Everyone will have to ask for boxes because there is no way people can finish the whole thing.
Yet, when people leave, they'll remember the big menu with its many choices and the good cheesecake for dessert, people will say, hey, let's go here again. And so the cycle begins again and I guess that's how this place stays in business.
So, the question remains...anyone want to go to the Cheesecake Factory?
Letting you know about sports this past weekend...
Cal lost to the worst team in the Pac-10 when Arizona flew by them 52-41. The Wildcats were in a bit of turmoil when their head coach held back tears and publicly apologized for his own effort and his team's performance. I believe this is the most pathetic defense Cal is shown this year. The problem was big and smart wide receivers, of which Arizona had 2. They just ran all over the Bears' secondary. This and the defense's effort does not bode well going into this weekend's Big Game against Stanford, who themselves possess their own big, smart receiver in Teyo Johnson and own a 7-game winning streak over Cal. The game is on Channel 7 on Saturday at 12:30pm for those who don't want to pay $52.50 to get in. The Big Game Bonfire Rally, a towering display of fire compared to Stanfurd's lighting of a cardboard box, is held at the Greek Theatre Friday at 7:00pm.
Invisible San Jose State has a chance to get into a bowl game, most likely their own Silicon Valley Football Classic, if they can just win this weekend's game against Fresno State. They won Saturday against lowly Tulsa. It's a shame too. There's an excellent chance Bulldogs fans will outnumber Spartans fans at Spartan Stadium.
The Sharks split their weekend against the Florida teams, winning at Florida but losing against Tampa Bay.
The 49ers realy need to cut Jose Cortez. He has shown time and time again that he cannot hit a clutch field goal. He missed the first two field goals of the season against the Giants. Missed a game-winning field goal against the Raiders. He quieted his critics by hitting even more important field goals after that. This time, he missed another clutch field goal against the Chargers. But, there would be no second chances. Because of his inconsistency, he is the only player capable of being surprising. And that's something this team doesn't need. Owens does enough to figure out new ways to celebrate touchdowns.
Finally, Oak Grove lost a close one 14-7 to Piedmont Hills. And with it, their streak of 5 consecutive league titles went poof and they were demoted to the Division II playoffs for the first time since 1986 when it was called the Division I-3A playoffs. In fact, even though they were 7-3 this year, they haven't had 3 losses going into the playoffs since 1995. Playoffs start this week with a game against Homestead. One prediction from calpreps.com says Homestead will win by 4.
Cal lost to the worst team in the Pac-10 when Arizona flew by them 52-41. The Wildcats were in a bit of turmoil when their head coach held back tears and publicly apologized for his own effort and his team's performance. I believe this is the most pathetic defense Cal is shown this year. The problem was big and smart wide receivers, of which Arizona had 2. They just ran all over the Bears' secondary. This and the defense's effort does not bode well going into this weekend's Big Game against Stanford, who themselves possess their own big, smart receiver in Teyo Johnson and own a 7-game winning streak over Cal. The game is on Channel 7 on Saturday at 12:30pm for those who don't want to pay $52.50 to get in. The Big Game Bonfire Rally, a towering display of fire compared to Stanfurd's lighting of a cardboard box, is held at the Greek Theatre Friday at 7:00pm.
Invisible San Jose State has a chance to get into a bowl game, most likely their own Silicon Valley Football Classic, if they can just win this weekend's game against Fresno State. They won Saturday against lowly Tulsa. It's a shame too. There's an excellent chance Bulldogs fans will outnumber Spartans fans at Spartan Stadium.
The Sharks split their weekend against the Florida teams, winning at Florida but losing against Tampa Bay.
The 49ers realy need to cut Jose Cortez. He has shown time and time again that he cannot hit a clutch field goal. He missed the first two field goals of the season against the Giants. Missed a game-winning field goal against the Raiders. He quieted his critics by hitting even more important field goals after that. This time, he missed another clutch field goal against the Chargers. But, there would be no second chances. Because of his inconsistency, he is the only player capable of being surprising. And that's something this team doesn't need. Owens does enough to figure out new ways to celebrate touchdowns.
Finally, Oak Grove lost a close one 14-7 to Piedmont Hills. And with it, their streak of 5 consecutive league titles went poof and they were demoted to the Division II playoffs for the first time since 1986 when it was called the Division I-3A playoffs. In fact, even though they were 7-3 this year, they haven't had 3 losses going into the playoffs since 1995. Playoffs start this week with a game against Homestead. One prediction from calpreps.com says Homestead will win by 4.
11/15/2002
For the last 24 hours, it seems my priorities have been crooked and needed some straightening out. Starting at 3:00pm Thursday, I embarked back home to attend a concert featuring Garbage and No Doubt. Hai, the biggest Gwen Stefani fan I know, just couldn't wait and we left on BART to meet Linh (whose birthday was yesterday, so happy birthday) who would take us the rest of the way. After missing multiple turns, hitting traffic at all the usual places on 880 and 280, we finally hit Downtown San Jose, a dead place that wants to be lively but just can't. We're to meet even more people on campus. Campus? Yes. San Jose State University. The forgotten university in the shadows of Cal and Stanfurd.
By 5:30, it's already been a long day, but it would just be starting. Jeanine, Mint, and her sisters finally arrive after waiting forever and we head for something to eat since Hai seems to be hungry. Yes, he's always hungry but we had time to kill too. The restaurant of choice is Togo's, or as I know it, to go's. It's like down the block but we drive anyway and it takes 15 minutes to park, even getting kicked out by this guy who says this is his parking lot for his Italian restaurant. Geez. It's a quick eat and by 7:00, we're there. $13 for parking! My brothers used to work at the arena parking lot so maybe I should've pulled in a favor. Then again, it was many years ago. But hey, they were wearing the same uniforms.
So, the concert. I would be seating with my siblings so I separated from the big pack to get to my lower level seats. First on the billing tonite were The Distillers. Yawn. Sure, they were loud, so that kept me awake.
Garbage was next, one of my faves. They were entertaining but they were limited in what they could do; after all, they're not the stars of the show. Good 10 song set lasting 45 minutes. All the old favorites, Only Happy When It Rains, Stupid Girl, Push It, and the new ones, Shut Your Mouth, Cup of Coffee, and Cherry Lips, were played.
All of this led into No Doubt. Now, ever since they put a little reggae into their music on their last album, Rock Steady, I've just been turned off. But there's no denying the power Gwen has over the audience. Through good songs and bad, she seemed to keep the crowd mesmerized and lively. Among these people were the people in front of me, in particular, one guy. Ever seen Seinfeld? If you did, you'll remember the mocking of Elaine's dancing. This guy danced the same exact way, added by arm motions that mimicked my friend James (no, not Trendy James) when he was half asleep or drunk. My sister and I couldn't stop laughing. Anyway, the group managed to prominently feature the songs that made them famous, Don't Speak, Spiderwebs, Simple Kind of Life, and now Underneath It All, all to wild applause.
And a short three and a half hours later, it was all over. Hai was hungry as usual so we went to look for a place to eat. It seems nothing is open at midnight on a Thursday night, so we just headed for Denny's, sans Mint and her sisters. And at 1:30 in the morning, I was found at home.
That should've been end of story. But no. I couldn't sleep. I didn't know why. Finally, the eyes closed at 3 only to wake up at 5. You see, I didn't finish my homework due on Friday, so I couldn't turn it in early. And with an important concept being lectured on in my Stats class, I had to make it to school today. I left the house at 6:30 to get to Daly City BART at 7:15 to get to Berkeley at 8:00. I got to my apartment and for the longest time, I just stared at my bed. I couldn't stop staring. Finally, I snapped out of it and convinced myself I couldn't work in this environment. So, I made the trek to school at the obscene hour of 9:00. Yes, you people have 7 and 8 o'clock classes, but for me, this is early. I got to the library and got to working. Heck, I must've been focused because 15 minutes later and 2 hours of sleep in me, I was done. I killed time by working on even more homework, including this little extra credit assignment for Econ. Yes, Datman, I finished it except for question 8. I got to lecture at 10 and fell asleep on more than one occasion. The class wouldn't end! But there was light at the end as the professor ended class and I was free to leave.
12:00 I was at my apartment. I wanted to go to sleep and end this but no. The post below mentions something about two birthdays this weekend, my sister-in-law's and my mom's. So I was up and atom again, headed back to BART and back home. But I was just there! Yes, but it will soon be over. 4:00 I get home. I get to my room and see my bigger bed and just want to climb in and waste away my Friday night by sleeping.
And it almost happened until my dad yelled at me to mow the lawn. Anyone who's seen my lawn knows it's dead and yellow. But it keeps growing and it's helped by the fact my dad put new seed and fertilizer on all the bald spots. End result? Half the lawn is 6 inches higher than the other half and it's a different shade of green. Sigh. And here's poor me cutting it to equal length.
Now it's over and I'm writing this right now. But as I am doing so, the day will not end. My mom tells me my uncle's relatives from Australia just happened to choose today to cross the ocean and visit everyone here, which means I'll be off again in about an hour or so. So happy trails to me and my hope for more sleep today. Instead, I get Vietnamese belly-laughs and the smell of alcohol everywhere. Hopefully, there's good food.
By 5:30, it's already been a long day, but it would just be starting. Jeanine, Mint, and her sisters finally arrive after waiting forever and we head for something to eat since Hai seems to be hungry. Yes, he's always hungry but we had time to kill too. The restaurant of choice is Togo's, or as I know it, to go's. It's like down the block but we drive anyway and it takes 15 minutes to park, even getting kicked out by this guy who says this is his parking lot for his Italian restaurant. Geez. It's a quick eat and by 7:00, we're there. $13 for parking! My brothers used to work at the arena parking lot so maybe I should've pulled in a favor. Then again, it was many years ago. But hey, they were wearing the same uniforms.
So, the concert. I would be seating with my siblings so I separated from the big pack to get to my lower level seats. First on the billing tonite were The Distillers. Yawn. Sure, they were loud, so that kept me awake.
Garbage was next, one of my faves. They were entertaining but they were limited in what they could do; after all, they're not the stars of the show. Good 10 song set lasting 45 minutes. All the old favorites, Only Happy When It Rains, Stupid Girl, Push It, and the new ones, Shut Your Mouth, Cup of Coffee, and Cherry Lips, were played.
All of this led into No Doubt. Now, ever since they put a little reggae into their music on their last album, Rock Steady, I've just been turned off. But there's no denying the power Gwen has over the audience. Through good songs and bad, she seemed to keep the crowd mesmerized and lively. Among these people were the people in front of me, in particular, one guy. Ever seen Seinfeld? If you did, you'll remember the mocking of Elaine's dancing. This guy danced the same exact way, added by arm motions that mimicked my friend James (no, not Trendy James) when he was half asleep or drunk. My sister and I couldn't stop laughing. Anyway, the group managed to prominently feature the songs that made them famous, Don't Speak, Spiderwebs, Simple Kind of Life, and now Underneath It All, all to wild applause.
And a short three and a half hours later, it was all over. Hai was hungry as usual so we went to look for a place to eat. It seems nothing is open at midnight on a Thursday night, so we just headed for Denny's, sans Mint and her sisters. And at 1:30 in the morning, I was found at home.
That should've been end of story. But no. I couldn't sleep. I didn't know why. Finally, the eyes closed at 3 only to wake up at 5. You see, I didn't finish my homework due on Friday, so I couldn't turn it in early. And with an important concept being lectured on in my Stats class, I had to make it to school today. I left the house at 6:30 to get to Daly City BART at 7:15 to get to Berkeley at 8:00. I got to my apartment and for the longest time, I just stared at my bed. I couldn't stop staring. Finally, I snapped out of it and convinced myself I couldn't work in this environment. So, I made the trek to school at the obscene hour of 9:00. Yes, you people have 7 and 8 o'clock classes, but for me, this is early. I got to the library and got to working. Heck, I must've been focused because 15 minutes later and 2 hours of sleep in me, I was done. I killed time by working on even more homework, including this little extra credit assignment for Econ. Yes, Datman, I finished it except for question 8. I got to lecture at 10 and fell asleep on more than one occasion. The class wouldn't end! But there was light at the end as the professor ended class and I was free to leave.
12:00 I was at my apartment. I wanted to go to sleep and end this but no. The post below mentions something about two birthdays this weekend, my sister-in-law's and my mom's. So I was up and atom again, headed back to BART and back home. But I was just there! Yes, but it will soon be over. 4:00 I get home. I get to my room and see my bigger bed and just want to climb in and waste away my Friday night by sleeping.
And it almost happened until my dad yelled at me to mow the lawn. Anyone who's seen my lawn knows it's dead and yellow. But it keeps growing and it's helped by the fact my dad put new seed and fertilizer on all the bald spots. End result? Half the lawn is 6 inches higher than the other half and it's a different shade of green. Sigh. And here's poor me cutting it to equal length.
Now it's over and I'm writing this right now. But as I am doing so, the day will not end. My mom tells me my uncle's relatives from Australia just happened to choose today to cross the ocean and visit everyone here, which means I'll be off again in about an hour or so. So happy trails to me and my hope for more sleep today. Instead, I get Vietnamese belly-laughs and the smell of alcohol everywhere. Hopefully, there's good food.
11/12/2002
With midterms finally over, it unofficially ends the hardships of studying (at least until finals) and begins a short period of wonder and whimsy, which means I'll be broke soon. You see, the last six weeks of the year is crammed with occasions in which I'll be obligated to give some thought and go out to buy gifts. It's a chore, I'll have to set foot in a mall, and it empties my wallet really quick. I was figuring this out today so this will also be somewhat of a planner. And it all starts this weekend.
Family birthdays are the worst. November 17, 18, December 1, 27. Luckily, mine is on the 20th of December so money will be appropriate and needed.
On Christmas, everyone in the family gets a gift. That's six more.
December 7th is my parents' anniversary, #28.
Money is spent on the big holidays Thanksgiving and New Years. Hey, drinks are expensive.
Finally, it's the friends' birthdays. Some November one, forgot when, December 4, 22, 26, and January 8 if I got that right. Sorry, no time to get gifts. But if you want a nice meal, you got it. Apologies to those I forgot. Let me know when yours is and I'll include it.
Totally unrelated and in the back of my mind are the finals, December 11, 12, 13 (a Friday), and 18. At least there's none on my birthday, as has been the case for the last two years.
Family birthdays are the worst. November 17, 18, December 1, 27. Luckily, mine is on the 20th of December so money will be appropriate and needed.
On Christmas, everyone in the family gets a gift. That's six more.
December 7th is my parents' anniversary, #28.
Money is spent on the big holidays Thanksgiving and New Years. Hey, drinks are expensive.
Finally, it's the friends' birthdays. Some November one, forgot when, December 4, 22, 26, and January 8 if I got that right. Sorry, no time to get gifts. But if you want a nice meal, you got it. Apologies to those I forgot. Let me know when yours is and I'll include it.
Totally unrelated and in the back of my mind are the finals, December 11, 12, 13 (a Friday), and 18. At least there's none on my birthday, as has been the case for the last two years.
11/10/2002
The Ring
The Ring stars beautiful rising star Naomi Watts as a reporter whose niece has passed away for mysterious reasons. Once she finds out her niece's boyfriend dies at the same exact time, her interest is piqued and starts to investigate. It leads to a cabin and the discovery of a videotape. She's told that whoever watches it gets a phone call proclaiming she has seven days to live. Well, she watches it and sure enough, she gets the much-feared phone call. It then becomes a race as she tries to prevent her death, dragging along her ex-husband and their child, who both see the tape.
The movie frankly is a bit creepy. The clues it provides along the way don't seem to make any sense at the time, but director Gore Verbinski (Mousehunt, The Mexican) gives us hope that it will at some point in the movie. It's all very compelling. My only problem is the extended ending. It could have ended at two separate points, leaving with us the wonder of what just happened and making us imagine what might happen. But the "third" ending spells it all out, that even though it explains a few other things, it would have been much better to leave it in the dark. Nevertheless, all turn in a fine performance, led by Watts, who was also excellent in Mulholland Drive, and while not gory as recent horror films have been, the scary parts are all in your head, where they should be. 3 stars
The Ring stars beautiful rising star Naomi Watts as a reporter whose niece has passed away for mysterious reasons. Once she finds out her niece's boyfriend dies at the same exact time, her interest is piqued and starts to investigate. It leads to a cabin and the discovery of a videotape. She's told that whoever watches it gets a phone call proclaiming she has seven days to live. Well, she watches it and sure enough, she gets the much-feared phone call. It then becomes a race as she tries to prevent her death, dragging along her ex-husband and their child, who both see the tape.
The movie frankly is a bit creepy. The clues it provides along the way don't seem to make any sense at the time, but director Gore Verbinski (Mousehunt, The Mexican) gives us hope that it will at some point in the movie. It's all very compelling. My only problem is the extended ending. It could have ended at two separate points, leaving with us the wonder of what just happened and making us imagine what might happen. But the "third" ending spells it all out, that even though it explains a few other things, it would have been much better to leave it in the dark. Nevertheless, all turn in a fine performance, led by Watts, who was also excellent in Mulholland Drive, and while not gory as recent horror films have been, the scary parts are all in your head, where they should be. 3 stars
11/08/2002
8 Mile
Eminem stars in this autobiographical movie of sorts documenting his roots from poor punk to renowned rapper. He stars as Jimmy Smith, Jr., a guy who's left his pregnant girlfriend, but with no place to go, he heads back home, where his mom is with a dead-end boyfriend who claims he has a settlement check coming. While he works at the stamping plant, his true plans are to rap with the best of them. But something seems to hold him back. The first time he tries to battle at the Shelter, he chickens out. In the course of a week, his life goes through many twists and turns, including the introduction of Alex, played by Brittany Murphy, promises of free recording time going poof into the air, beating up the aforementioned boyfriend, etc. And through it all, he finally discovers the only way to overcome his weaknesses is to admit them first and inevitably, it leads to success.
A movie like this is meant to be formulaic so the key is the presentation. And while the battles that bookend the movie are well-done, the movie quickly gets tired showing the aspects of Smith's downed life. Yes, he's poor. Yes, he's white. Yes, he's at a dead-end job. No point in showing it over and over again. Yet, director Curtis Hanson does indeed pile it on to the point where we all feel so low, we gotta root for Smith at the end.
The women in the film have nothing to do in the film. All they become are sex objects. That's how we see mother Kim Basinger in the beginning of the film. That's what Jimmy and Alex do at the stamping plant. That's what Alex and Jimmy's managerial connection do at the radio station. Heck, that's what Alex will probably do in her future modeling career.
But above all, all of these so-called events in the movie are too funny to be in a gritty drama. There's the obvious comic relief with Cheddar Bob, always saying the "white" thing in a black crowd and awkwardly stopping a fight by pulling out a gun, firing a shot in the air, putting it back in his pants, and accidentally shooting himself in the groin. But then there's also scenes which I guess are not mean to be funny. Like when Jimmy discovers his friend doing it with Alex, he starts beating him up, but soon enough, the cameras go to the point of view of the other side of the glass window where people are talking on the air, but don't seem to notice the events on the other side.
But the battles, sometimes incoherent by the audience reactions, save the movie and Eminem does well in a role he's suited for, playing himself. 2.5 stars
Eminem stars in this autobiographical movie of sorts documenting his roots from poor punk to renowned rapper. He stars as Jimmy Smith, Jr., a guy who's left his pregnant girlfriend, but with no place to go, he heads back home, where his mom is with a dead-end boyfriend who claims he has a settlement check coming. While he works at the stamping plant, his true plans are to rap with the best of them. But something seems to hold him back. The first time he tries to battle at the Shelter, he chickens out. In the course of a week, his life goes through many twists and turns, including the introduction of Alex, played by Brittany Murphy, promises of free recording time going poof into the air, beating up the aforementioned boyfriend, etc. And through it all, he finally discovers the only way to overcome his weaknesses is to admit them first and inevitably, it leads to success.
A movie like this is meant to be formulaic so the key is the presentation. And while the battles that bookend the movie are well-done, the movie quickly gets tired showing the aspects of Smith's downed life. Yes, he's poor. Yes, he's white. Yes, he's at a dead-end job. No point in showing it over and over again. Yet, director Curtis Hanson does indeed pile it on to the point where we all feel so low, we gotta root for Smith at the end.
The women in the film have nothing to do in the film. All they become are sex objects. That's how we see mother Kim Basinger in the beginning of the film. That's what Jimmy and Alex do at the stamping plant. That's what Alex and Jimmy's managerial connection do at the radio station. Heck, that's what Alex will probably do in her future modeling career.
But above all, all of these so-called events in the movie are too funny to be in a gritty drama. There's the obvious comic relief with Cheddar Bob, always saying the "white" thing in a black crowd and awkwardly stopping a fight by pulling out a gun, firing a shot in the air, putting it back in his pants, and accidentally shooting himself in the groin. But then there's also scenes which I guess are not mean to be funny. Like when Jimmy discovers his friend doing it with Alex, he starts beating him up, but soon enough, the cameras go to the point of view of the other side of the glass window where people are talking on the air, but don't seem to notice the events on the other side.
But the battles, sometimes incoherent by the audience reactions, save the movie and Eminem does well in a role he's suited for, playing himself. 2.5 stars
11/06/2002
After writing about Election Day in the previous post, it's only fair to share the results.
As anyone who has taken a Political Science class knows, Americans like to see the system of checks and balances stay true to form. As a result, in the first midterm election after a Presidential election, the Presidential party will lose seats in both houses of Congress. But the added variable of President Bush's high approval rating pushed this philosophy aside. Republicans had a great night at the polls, widening their lead in the House and regaining control of the Senate. The last race in the mix is Louisiana, where the incumbent failed to get 50% of the vote on a ballot with nine candidates. So a runoff will take place in 3 weeks.
In any case, Republicans have a 51-47 Senate lead with 1 independent with surprising victories in Minnesota, Georgia and Missouri and a tough loss in South Dakota, though a recount is scheduled here. The House currently has 226 Republicans vs. 204 Democrats with a handful of races to be decided.
While Republicans were making gains all across the country, they were unheard of here in California. All statewide offices were swept by Democrats with the highest one of Governor going to Gray Davis by a margin of 5 points. Davis earlier in the day had expected to speak at around 10pm to claim victory, but at that time, Simon was still leading in early returns. By about 11pm, Davis took the lead and widened it to about 4 points, assuring victory. Arnold's Proposition 49 passed but Proposition 52's same-day voter registration failed. Turnout was a record-low 46%, even lower than the 58% prediction by the Secretary of State.
Here in Berkeley, Tom Bates will be the next mayor, replacing incumbent Shirley Dean. Bates will try to use his state assembly experience to unite a fractured city council of half liberals and half extremely liberal. Measure P, limiting heights of buildings, failed, as did Measure O, which would have forced Berkeley coffee houses to sell politically correct coffee (organic or bought in "fair trade").
Back home in San Jose, it was all quiet. Measure F, raising the hotel tax to 14%, and Measure J, my high school district's proposed parcel tax, both received a majority of the votes but did not receive 2/3 of the vote, so both failed.
As anyone who has taken a Political Science class knows, Americans like to see the system of checks and balances stay true to form. As a result, in the first midterm election after a Presidential election, the Presidential party will lose seats in both houses of Congress. But the added variable of President Bush's high approval rating pushed this philosophy aside. Republicans had a great night at the polls, widening their lead in the House and regaining control of the Senate. The last race in the mix is Louisiana, where the incumbent failed to get 50% of the vote on a ballot with nine candidates. So a runoff will take place in 3 weeks.
In any case, Republicans have a 51-47 Senate lead with 1 independent with surprising victories in Minnesota, Georgia and Missouri and a tough loss in South Dakota, though a recount is scheduled here. The House currently has 226 Republicans vs. 204 Democrats with a handful of races to be decided.
While Republicans were making gains all across the country, they were unheard of here in California. All statewide offices were swept by Democrats with the highest one of Governor going to Gray Davis by a margin of 5 points. Davis earlier in the day had expected to speak at around 10pm to claim victory, but at that time, Simon was still leading in early returns. By about 11pm, Davis took the lead and widened it to about 4 points, assuring victory. Arnold's Proposition 49 passed but Proposition 52's same-day voter registration failed. Turnout was a record-low 46%, even lower than the 58% prediction by the Secretary of State.
Here in Berkeley, Tom Bates will be the next mayor, replacing incumbent Shirley Dean. Bates will try to use his state assembly experience to unite a fractured city council of half liberals and half extremely liberal. Measure P, limiting heights of buildings, failed, as did Measure O, which would have forced Berkeley coffee houses to sell politically correct coffee (organic or bought in "fair trade").
Back home in San Jose, it was all quiet. Measure F, raising the hotel tax to 14%, and Measure J, my high school district's proposed parcel tax, both received a majority of the votes but did not receive 2/3 of the vote, so both failed.
11/04/2002
Tuesday is Election Day. Yes, it's only midterm elections, but it is your patriotic duty to vote or this thing called democracy just wouldn't work.
The country faces one of the most evenly divided elections in history and now more than ever, a single vote can change the balance of things. Just ask Al Gore from a couple of years ago. The Democrats lead the Senate by only one seat with 34 seats up for grabs, 6 of which are considered competitive. The Republicans lead the House by 6 seats with all 435 seats up, with only 44 competitive. Pundits are concluding the House will stay with the Republicans but the Senate is a toss-up.
Here in California, we're in a region the national parties have forgotten. Why? We're mostly Democrats. And with a stronghold like this, resources don't need to be devoted to us. But there are key races to be decided tomorrow, if you're registered to vote. Most important is Governor. Bill Simon and Gray Davis have run negative campaigns that has scared away the electorate (Only 58% voter turnout expected with 25% undecided as to how they'll vote). So now it's a question of who is the lesser of two evils. If you believe a professional polling service, Davis has a seven point lead. Believe Simon, you've got a 1-2 point race. Believe Davis, it's up to 10-15. As one of the few people registered as a Republican in Berkeley, (so few in fact, articles have been written about it), Simon is it for me since Davis has proven he can't do the job: he isn't well-liked, hasn't been able to work with the Legislature, let a budget surplus turn into the largest budget deficit in state history, allowed the power to turn off, earns campaign money every chance he gets, and the list goes on and on. No, Simon isn't perfect at all. His missteps during the campaign, false accusations, taking a position and then taking it back, shows off his inexperience. But the last time accusations like this were being made, we got George W. Bush into the White House. So it might not be so bad after all.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was here recently to promote his proposition, Prop 49, the after school initiative. Supposedly, it increases funding for more after school programs to keep kids off the streets. It's a nice idea, but vote no. In these tough times, money needs to be allocated where it's needed. This initiative will just tie up the money for after school programs and nothing else. Besides, today, after school programs receive lots of money already. Placing a guarantee on this money will just make times harder, possibly cutting into education funding all together, which is something that should be avoided.
Proposition 52 should also be voted down. Same-day voter registration not only is open to fraud, but it adds an extra burden to counties trying to modernize voting systems and making sure votes are counted correctly. Heck, I voted absentee this time and I still got a chad ballot. So you can imagine how many problems poll workers will face on election night.
In Berkeley, we're trying to elect a new mayor. The incumbent, Shirley Dean, is facing a tough battle against Tom Bates, a former state assemblyman. Both have good qualities. Whoever gets elected will do a fine job. So tie goes to Dean since she's already mayor. The most important city measure is Measure P, regulating the heights of buildings on University, San Pablo, and other major streets in Berkeley. Some residents are worried tall buildings will pop up all around the city, making that closed-in feeling until the city is just gone, gone, gone. Height limits like the ones this measure is proposing are ridiculous. There's already reasonable height restrictions in the books already and public input, already pretty lengthy considering when I'm channel-surfing at midnight, the City Council meetings are still going on, will make sure buildings are built the way they want it.
Back home in San Jose, not much is going on. We still have the same Congresswoman, basically running unopposed. No other seats are up for grabs. The major measure is Measure F, increasing the hotel tax. I never stay in a hotel there, so it won't affect me.
So go out and vote. And you'll get a cool sticker too.
The country faces one of the most evenly divided elections in history and now more than ever, a single vote can change the balance of things. Just ask Al Gore from a couple of years ago. The Democrats lead the Senate by only one seat with 34 seats up for grabs, 6 of which are considered competitive. The Republicans lead the House by 6 seats with all 435 seats up, with only 44 competitive. Pundits are concluding the House will stay with the Republicans but the Senate is a toss-up.
Here in California, we're in a region the national parties have forgotten. Why? We're mostly Democrats. And with a stronghold like this, resources don't need to be devoted to us. But there are key races to be decided tomorrow, if you're registered to vote. Most important is Governor. Bill Simon and Gray Davis have run negative campaigns that has scared away the electorate (Only 58% voter turnout expected with 25% undecided as to how they'll vote). So now it's a question of who is the lesser of two evils. If you believe a professional polling service, Davis has a seven point lead. Believe Simon, you've got a 1-2 point race. Believe Davis, it's up to 10-15. As one of the few people registered as a Republican in Berkeley, (so few in fact, articles have been written about it), Simon is it for me since Davis has proven he can't do the job: he isn't well-liked, hasn't been able to work with the Legislature, let a budget surplus turn into the largest budget deficit in state history, allowed the power to turn off, earns campaign money every chance he gets, and the list goes on and on. No, Simon isn't perfect at all. His missteps during the campaign, false accusations, taking a position and then taking it back, shows off his inexperience. But the last time accusations like this were being made, we got George W. Bush into the White House. So it might not be so bad after all.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was here recently to promote his proposition, Prop 49, the after school initiative. Supposedly, it increases funding for more after school programs to keep kids off the streets. It's a nice idea, but vote no. In these tough times, money needs to be allocated where it's needed. This initiative will just tie up the money for after school programs and nothing else. Besides, today, after school programs receive lots of money already. Placing a guarantee on this money will just make times harder, possibly cutting into education funding all together, which is something that should be avoided.
Proposition 52 should also be voted down. Same-day voter registration not only is open to fraud, but it adds an extra burden to counties trying to modernize voting systems and making sure votes are counted correctly. Heck, I voted absentee this time and I still got a chad ballot. So you can imagine how many problems poll workers will face on election night.
In Berkeley, we're trying to elect a new mayor. The incumbent, Shirley Dean, is facing a tough battle against Tom Bates, a former state assemblyman. Both have good qualities. Whoever gets elected will do a fine job. So tie goes to Dean since she's already mayor. The most important city measure is Measure P, regulating the heights of buildings on University, San Pablo, and other major streets in Berkeley. Some residents are worried tall buildings will pop up all around the city, making that closed-in feeling until the city is just gone, gone, gone. Height limits like the ones this measure is proposing are ridiculous. There's already reasonable height restrictions in the books already and public input, already pretty lengthy considering when I'm channel-surfing at midnight, the City Council meetings are still going on, will make sure buildings are built the way they want it.
Back home in San Jose, not much is going on. We still have the same Congresswoman, basically running unopposed. No other seats are up for grabs. The major measure is Measure F, increasing the hotel tax. I never stay in a hotel there, so it won't affect me.
So go out and vote. And you'll get a cool sticker too.
11/02/2002
Other things that have caught my eye this week:
Google has included this site once again in their search engine. Some of you may remember me mentioning that you could search the site on Google last month and then a day later, it disappeared. Now it's back again, but the last time it passed over it was October 3rd, so I guess it's everything up til then.
Remember Growing Pains? It was a solid family show that I felt overstayed its welcome but also ended prematurely. They came back for a reunion movie where Maggie runs for Congress. Well, the Brady Bunch with its many reunion movies is making another one and it's also going the political route. Little Bobby has found a $65 million lottery ticket. (Yeah, right..."found") So, as a Brady, he gives it to his dad, who tracks down the real winner and gives it back. The President of the United States of all people then feels that Mike Brady could be the right guy to be his running mate. And so it happens. And they win. And the Bradys are going to the White House. What a movie. Among the hilarious moments they'll have: Greg falls for an intern, Jan thinks she hears Abe Lincoln, and Cindy reveals one too many family secrets. Reprising their roles from the previous movies as the parents are Gary Cole and Shelley Long. I guess their careers have stopped dead in their tracks. This movie may be a bit too much. They should just show some reruns. It'll probably be much better than the drivel this will produce.
More TV movie hilarity. Home Alone 4 is being shown tomorrow night. Being 10 years old, I liked Home Alone. Being an older, wiser 13 year-old, I laughed through Home Alone 2. Home Alone 3? No, I didn't bother. I tried watching it on TV, but I couldn't make it through 10 minutes of it. Now Home Alone 4? Pass completely. Watch The Simpsons. You'll laugh a lot more. (A lot is two words, right? I saw a commercial where they used "alot.")
Tired of 1-0 and 0-0 soccer games? Head down to Madagascar where the recent game between Stade Olympique l'Emyrne and AS Adema produced a score of 149-0 with the latter winning. Stade Olympique I'Emyme was unhappy with the officiating during the games leading up to the playoffs and so proceeded to scoring in its own goal as a protest.
Ever wonder how some athlete got into a prestigious university even though he was just a dumb jock? Of course, the NCAA has requirements about these things. Yes, you need a 2.0 GPA in high school to get recruitment offers. They also had a SAT requirement of 820. Yes, you had to score at least this much to get recruited. But the rules have changed. You still need a 2.0 and they've increased the number of high school core courses to take from 13 to 14, and they've increased the number of units you need to take as a college freshman. But the thing that bothers me is the SAT requirement. It's been dropped to 400. To those not in the know, 400 is the lowest score you can get. You write your name and then you can leave. You've got your 400. If the requirement is 400, why bother with the test at all? Of course, it's up to the university to admit the athlete, but if he's really talented, some university won't even hesitate in giving him admission.
If a nicotine patch doesn't work, how about cough drops? Yes, nicotine cough drops will soon be hitting the stores to help you kick the habit of smoking. But is this wise? Nicotine with a candy coating? You could easily down a whole bag of them. Plus, it's Halloween.
One house was recently charged $500 for a month of electricity in Pennsylvania. This could not be, they said, so they called the electric company, which sent out a technician. What he found was an illegal cord siphoning power to the apartment next door. Now it's bad enough that people are stealing power. It's even worse when they're powering lamps growing marijuana plants.
Finally, some of you have asked about one of my recent away messages on AIM. It goes "keep looking, keep learning, keep laughing." The short story goes like this. I was watching ESPN the other day when NFL films started to show some of their most embarrassing moments. One of them was an inspriational kids show called "Field of Dreams," an educational show meant to get kids to read. At the end, the football player leaves the girl with the message "keep looking, keep learning, keep laughing." The problem was, they needed to fill in about a minute of airtime. So instead of doing something productive, they had the two repeat the saying to each other. In the end, they would say it 16 times. And each time they said it, it just got funnier.
Google has included this site once again in their search engine. Some of you may remember me mentioning that you could search the site on Google last month and then a day later, it disappeared. Now it's back again, but the last time it passed over it was October 3rd, so I guess it's everything up til then.
Remember Growing Pains? It was a solid family show that I felt overstayed its welcome but also ended prematurely. They came back for a reunion movie where Maggie runs for Congress. Well, the Brady Bunch with its many reunion movies is making another one and it's also going the political route. Little Bobby has found a $65 million lottery ticket. (Yeah, right..."found") So, as a Brady, he gives it to his dad, who tracks down the real winner and gives it back. The President of the United States of all people then feels that Mike Brady could be the right guy to be his running mate. And so it happens. And they win. And the Bradys are going to the White House. What a movie. Among the hilarious moments they'll have: Greg falls for an intern, Jan thinks she hears Abe Lincoln, and Cindy reveals one too many family secrets. Reprising their roles from the previous movies as the parents are Gary Cole and Shelley Long. I guess their careers have stopped dead in their tracks. This movie may be a bit too much. They should just show some reruns. It'll probably be much better than the drivel this will produce.
More TV movie hilarity. Home Alone 4 is being shown tomorrow night. Being 10 years old, I liked Home Alone. Being an older, wiser 13 year-old, I laughed through Home Alone 2. Home Alone 3? No, I didn't bother. I tried watching it on TV, but I couldn't make it through 10 minutes of it. Now Home Alone 4? Pass completely. Watch The Simpsons. You'll laugh a lot more. (A lot is two words, right? I saw a commercial where they used "alot.")
Tired of 1-0 and 0-0 soccer games? Head down to Madagascar where the recent game between Stade Olympique l'Emyrne and AS Adema produced a score of 149-0 with the latter winning. Stade Olympique I'Emyme was unhappy with the officiating during the games leading up to the playoffs and so proceeded to scoring in its own goal as a protest.
Ever wonder how some athlete got into a prestigious university even though he was just a dumb jock? Of course, the NCAA has requirements about these things. Yes, you need a 2.0 GPA in high school to get recruitment offers. They also had a SAT requirement of 820. Yes, you had to score at least this much to get recruited. But the rules have changed. You still need a 2.0 and they've increased the number of high school core courses to take from 13 to 14, and they've increased the number of units you need to take as a college freshman. But the thing that bothers me is the SAT requirement. It's been dropped to 400. To those not in the know, 400 is the lowest score you can get. You write your name and then you can leave. You've got your 400. If the requirement is 400, why bother with the test at all? Of course, it's up to the university to admit the athlete, but if he's really talented, some university won't even hesitate in giving him admission.
If a nicotine patch doesn't work, how about cough drops? Yes, nicotine cough drops will soon be hitting the stores to help you kick the habit of smoking. But is this wise? Nicotine with a candy coating? You could easily down a whole bag of them. Plus, it's Halloween.
One house was recently charged $500 for a month of electricity in Pennsylvania. This could not be, they said, so they called the electric company, which sent out a technician. What he found was an illegal cord siphoning power to the apartment next door. Now it's bad enough that people are stealing power. It's even worse when they're powering lamps growing marijuana plants.
Finally, some of you have asked about one of my recent away messages on AIM. It goes "keep looking, keep learning, keep laughing." The short story goes like this. I was watching ESPN the other day when NFL films started to show some of their most embarrassing moments. One of them was an inspriational kids show called "Field of Dreams," an educational show meant to get kids to read. At the end, the football player leaves the girl with the message "keep looking, keep learning, keep laughing." The problem was, they needed to fill in about a minute of airtime. So instead of doing something productive, they had the two repeat the saying to each other. In the end, they would say it 16 times. And each time they said it, it just got funnier.
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