I am not sure how to approach this without sounding racist, which I am not. "Nuestro Himno," a Spanish Language version of the American National Anthem will be released on Friday. I am not a fan of this idea at all.
I understand that America is the great "melting pot", made up from the "ragged refuse" from all over the world, and can even get behind that. But the moment you make a pledge to live here and be one of its citizens, you should be the one to adapt to your new home. That means speaking American. I really believe this. If I go another country, it is my responsibility to be able to communicate with the locals, or its my own fault every time they bring me a porcupine when I order breakfast.
I don't believe this is a racial issue, but a social one. How can you expect to cope if you can't communicate? Taking the Star Spangled Banner and releasing it in Spanish as "an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life" just doesn't work for me.
As always, if your comments and criticisms are contributory, I welcome them.
Saturday was severely marred by incredibly poor outings of the Kings in San Antonio and myself at the poker table.
Last night was a poker "boot camp" at a friend's house, and although I did a good job instructing others on the finer points of Texas Hold 'Em, my game sucked. Let me qualify that: my game didn't suck, the hands I was dealt sucked. I didn't make any real bone-headed plays, I just didn't get the cards and was beat by better hands in the end. But I still had a great time. We had two tables running, and a good time was had by all.
I don't think yesterday's game was indicative of the Kings and I expect a much better game from them on Tuesday. Not promising anything, just thinking they can keep from getting blown out.
is, for good or bad, a primary, underlying principle of who I am -- well, who my brother and I ARE.
I found a rather informative essay on the subject, but as the author lays out the fundamental causes of this condition, I didn't see an exact mirror into my soul. I think in my case sibling rivalry was a product of a) proximity and b) the difference in our ages. At 3 years younger than I, my brother always wanted to hang out with me and my friends, but really wasn't physically capable of keeping up or understanding the rules of whatever I might be playing. Much like Cain my reaction was "Am I my brother's keeper?" As a boy, I didn't have the insight or the compassion to put myself in his shoes. My parents' constant prodding of peaceful co-habitation seemed to fuel the flame more than staunch it. All I saw was the little pest who slowed me down and who got in the way of whatever it was I was trying to do. This was further bolstered by the fact we shared a bedroom until I was 13. Now I don't recall having a strong need or desire for privacy, but if you are irritated with someone the last thing you need at night is to have that person sleeping across from you in the same room.
Our rivalry manifested itself in different ways. There are things we absolutely have in common: Our love for the Washington Redskins and ELO, the intense desire to demolish the Martinez brothers in every game of Nerf football (a feat accomplished way more often than not), and a virtually identical sense of humor. I am fairly confident that if I laugh at something I know he will find it funny. But the rivalry -- virtually everything he and I attempted was fueled by "how did HE do?" I started reading at a very young age, which simply forced Stu to do the same. I was riding a bike without training wheels -- so did he. It was never much about the physical (I had too many years on him), but later it was about the intellectual. A couple of years ago there was a TV show that was an actual IQ test. We were on the phone to each other each commercial break to compare notes (the final result was a difference of 3 points - I honestly don't remember who was higher). Although I can't take any credit for him joining the Army (something he was destined to do LONG before I thought about it), I can't help but think part of him said "Hell, if HE can do it..."
I stated proximity and age difference as the primary causes. I think further proof of this is the fact my kid sister and I experienced none of this. She simply annoyed me by being a girl who insisted on buying a Bee Gees album over Kiss "Love Gun". On the other hand, Stuart and Cheryl's rivalry is an epic tale which is theirs to share at their own discretion.
I don't fathom how or why my brother and I get along now. I know I was cruel -- and even unapologetic in my cruelty. He has earned the right to ignore me. But even with our differences, he still gets the jokes better than anyone else. I have always had his back (no one but ME gets to hit him) and he mine. We are brothers and I wouldn't have it any other way.
So the next time you read a comment cursing the downfall of my favorite sports team, look at the source. If it is from Charge of Quarters simply remember that I had the higher GS Score, but he at least can still grow hair.
to the Sacramento Kings for making the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year. That's an impressive feat no matter how you look at it. I remain cautiously optimistic about their chances of going deep into the playoffs, but I will be cheering as hard as anyone.
And a special congratulations to Shareef Abdur-Rahim for his first trip to the postseason.
They mention in the article how he is going to get his nutrition, but they didn't mention how he plans on taking care of the other bodily needs...err functions. Or am I the only one curious about that?
Paris Hilton has an album coming out. She is the media version of a train wreck, something most people can't turn away from, no matter how horrific. Yet somehow she still manages a bit of self delusion:
“I am so happy to have so much success. The album is sexy and fun and you will want to dance to it. People will see that I am talented. I think people like me because I am very real myself and I lead an exciting life. There is no one like me. I am unique.
“I worked hard for all this. I tell girls that if you basically work hard all your dreams will come true.”
Has anyone pointed out to Paris her dreams have come true because her family is richer than God? I will concede she is very cute (most of the time), but make no mistake, her streets are lined with gold.
I have always preferred women with their hair down. Typically guys can be classified as "leg men" or "breast men" or "butt men". Me? I have always been a "face man". I think the face is the most beautiful part of a woman's body, and when the hair is down the face is framed, sometimes even enticingly hidden. Sigh....
To backup my position, I offer these two pics of Kate Bosworth.
I know a certain bartender who varies her hairstyle up and down pretty regularly. Regardless of up or down she is very cute, but when her hair is down I gotta say she is just all kinds of hot, and for me it is almost addicting to watch her work.
but every now and then I stumble across the one thing I ever did that was hands down the most under-received and appreciated. The story goes like this:
Back in the early to mid nineties (being a true "guy" that's close enough) my little sister and her boyfriend decided to get married. Now Jeff (obviously the one not my sister) had this vision of getting married in a church with stained glass windows and after much research found the place. But -- there was a catch. The church believed the traditional wedding march (Here Comes the Bride) was overused and commercialized so they would not allow it to be played. Additionally, they had a serious aversion to any "showtunes". So I chimed in with the perfect solution -- my friend Ken and I would compose the wedding music. We had been working together for years, including the instrumental arrangement of "On the Wings of Love" which was used and properly butchered by the Maid of Honor at my brother's wedding (but that's another story). I knew Ken and I could do this, and how many brides get to boast that their wedding music was composed specifically for them?
Without a backward glance off to the races Ken and I went, spending the better part of our free time for months to produce the best music he and I ever collaborated on. An early attempt at a regal march style theme (think the medal ceremony at the end of Star Wars) was shot down as being "too bouncy", so we re-worked the melody and came up with a sonata that encompassed the bridesmaids' entrance, the bride's processional, and the recessional. Composed entirely on synthesizers with full orchestration, I was beaming to give this to my sister. The reaction? Well, Jeff really wanted to hear the church's huge pipe organ and the church didn't have a sound system for playing the composition (something no one bothered to tell me and Ken). So we were basically pushed off to the side much like the little kid trying to help in the kitchen when Mom's taking the cake out of the oven.
I have long since forgiven my sister (and the other decision makers) for this slight, but the real crime is that the music was and is very good, and I am not trying to be boastful. I sincerely think had this played on that day as it was intended I would've given my sister the best wedding present I could think of.
I found the rare tape of this sonata and have digitized it and cleaned it up. I want you (my readers) to hear this music.
Sections 1 and 2 are the individual melodies, first for the bridesmaids (originally titled "The Bridesmaids and The FlowerGirl" by Ken and I), then Cheryl's Theme. Per Cheryl's request, they were designed to be simple and elegant.
Section 3, the recessional, was supposed to be the celebration. It starts off sounding just like the beginning, then picks up a pop feel. We took the first two themes and interwove them with a fully orchestrated sound, with a coda written by Ken to wrap the whole thing up with the same grace and elegance which started the piece. It should be noted all compositions were performed entirely by Ken.
Titled "God or the Girl", I wonder if Richard Chamberlain will be the host. If their Meggie looks anything like Rachel Ward... could be quite a difficult decision.
Oddly enough, my brother and I both took on these issues this week, he referring his readers here while I simply stated my serious frustration at the practice. A comment was made about the cost savings we get by using illegal immigrants to harvest our crops. This argument doesn't hold water. We need to enforce the laws we have and NOT allow amnesty for those who have managed to buck the system. Here is another instance where my tax dollars are being used to take care of someone who hasn't earned or deserve that right.
One of the comments tagged on my previous post was "Americans get goods at a low cost, and Mexicans can have some money so their kids don't starve. How is this a problem?" Well...
This essay says a whole lot. In summary, it's not just about farm labor -- it's about health care, insurance (auto for one), strain on public assistance and law enforcement, and population management.
Here is another report which explains how hiring illegal workers hurts the working conditions of legal workers.
I can continue to expound on this for the next several hours and pages. The fact is this is not a racial issue, this is a fiscal and social issue. Like I said before, you are welcome here as long as you are here legally. It is important that the shelter of protection our government provides is capable of covering everybody, and that cannot be done effectively as long as the number of people behind the shield is not adequately accounted for due to those who just felt like dropping in.
I spent trying to get my health back. I am still coughing a little, and my speaking voice is back to normal. I still don't have my singing voice however (and some people -- Stuart -- thinks that's a good thing), and that sucks for me. Last night I was in my car on the way to the theater and I was listening to the soundtrack for an upcoming show I will be playing, and there are all these great songs I love singing along with. But everytime I open my mouth all that comes out is a croak. SIGH...
In other news... I believe in the "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" credo of the United States. We are fortunate and should help others. But I do not in any way support any kind of aid for illegal aliens. I am not uncaring and unsympathetic, but all a bill like that does is basically reward someone for breaking the law and living here illegally. That's not right.
Katherine McPhee is one seriously gorgeous woman who just so happens to also sing like an angel. She is still in the running for this season's American Idol. She gets my vote!!
culminated last night in a driving stunt worthy of Hooper. I was on my way home from the show and driving westbound on Highway 50. Luckily, the freeway was pretty sparse with traffic and the roads were dry. However, as I was approaching my exit, the car in the lane in front of me locked up her brakes. Now I was about 5 car lengths back traveling about 70-75 mph and I don't think I took my eyes off the road, but before I knew it I was really in danger of repositioning the rear of her car to its front. I had an open lane to my right, so I swerved. Unfortunately, I oversteered and now was in danger of taking out the freeway soundwall so I swerved left, this time adding the brake to the mix. This combination (Triangle, Up(2), Left, Right, Square, Circle, Right on your PS2 controller) resulted in my car spinning counter-clockwise at least 1 full revolution. The final result was my car sitting in the lane I started, facing the proper direction. No stall, no collision, no damage, heart rate 193 bpm, the smell of burnt rubber in my nose and the sound of squealing tires fading. I proceeded home, aware that for the next 4 minutes that I blinked exactly twice.
Replaying it in my head, I know I didn't panic (with the exception of the initial oversteer), I just let the car do what it needed to do. Only one other time did I find myself in a similar situation, and then I was driving my 280Z. The difference? The Z simply swerved into the other lane. God I miss that car sometimes.
