The Flag and the Moral Majority.

At some point during the Nixon administration, the Left relinquished two platforms/political symbols to the growing religious Right: the Flag and Morality. Hence, the present political landscape has clear party archetypes/stereotypes that, my goodness, the left needs to address and target not only with regard to the next administration/presidential election but more importantly to change the "Brand Packaging" of the entire Democratic party. I am sick and tired of being perceived as unpatriotic and immoral given my political affiliation.

Note to Neocon's: What does our flag represent, Hmmm? Our leaders? Our "Country"? Our administration? Our Land?....None of the above...it represents the PEOPLE, NOT our Government. There was a time in our history when political dissent against our government was the highest form of Patriotism...to speak out against a government that has failed to uphold or, at worst, remove/erode our civil liberties....to diminish the people's ability to "establish justice, promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" warranted and demanded political activism by its constituents. This notion has been completely subverted by the right. Psycho-babble rant: The right can't stand the notion of change...hence the term Progressive and it's left-leaning connotation. Go up to any conservative and at their core is resistance to change. One could say that it has to do with the social theory that suggest that those in power conspire to remain in power. I see it as that and more...conservatives need order...change is chaos.

And regarding morality...I'm a democrat, WATCH OUT!...Immoral communist alert! Lets take a closer look at this, shall we?

Political issues that are important to the Supergoober and how it is viewed by a Neo-Con:

1. Fairness as it relates to wages...."How DARE you feel that women should be paid as much as men, or that the minimum wage be increased...that's downright UNFAIR and IMMORAL."

2. A women's right to choose..."My Goodness, you support MURDER! Fuck the consequences, you cannot abort under any circumstances! 1 Million unwanted pregnancies...so what...those women have to live with the consequences of their promiscuity!"

3. Supporting gay marriage and against discriminating, beating, and killing gay, lesbian, and transgendered people..."Marriage is sacred, why can't you understand that you godless cretin. I don't want my child to turn gay with your social permissiveness! Read Leviticus!...homosexuality is evil!"

4. An administration that tells us the truth about going to war..."No No No, they were deceived just like I was. Everything will be fine in Iraq if you just BELIEVE in the President. Calling him a liar are you?!?!...you unpatriotic coward!"

5. Social programs for the poor, disadvantaged, disabled, ESL folks..."My god, pull yourselves up from your bootstraps! Chronic treatment resistant Schizophrenia?...the way I see it, that's another word for LAZY. And anywayz, our country will always need schleps that will do the work that no-one else wants to do, at a bargain price at that! Nothing wrong with that. You reap what you sow you bleeding heart."

6. Investing in stem cell research..."Baby Killer, Baby Killer!!"

7. Treating folks with addiction and substance abuse problems rather than incarcerating them..."It's about Will, my friend. They should have just said NO. They've gotten themselves into this mess and a moral society should punish the wicked."

8. Health care for all..."No No No, that would be unfair to the hardworking, god-fearing, tax-paying, law-abiding citizen. Don't you see? It's all zero sum. If you give to the lazy and poor, you will take away from the hardworking!..and that would be unfair and thereby immoral!"

9. Filling up my blue bin with recyclables and my green bin with compostables..."You fool, you've been duped! Don't you know that recycling is BAD for the environment?"

10. I believe that species extinction is immoral..."No it isn't you idiot. It's natural selection. So what if human encroachment has destroyed a particular species natural habitat...if they couldn't adapt, then too bad, soo sad. Haven't you read Darwin you idiot?"

11. We are contributing to global warming and I don't want to destroy the earth..."Man, that's all propaganda you moron. There's NO WAY we can destroy the ozone layer or increase the global temperature...you're talking crazy!"

Do I really need to go on?

Aug 27 weekly roundup....

Su'p fellow goobs.

Can't bring myself to blog regularly so here's an update.

1. Legs have recovered and my wife and I ran again. This time we added an extra quarter lap (yeah, I know that sounds lame), but the good news is that my legs are fine. Looks like they've acclimated and I'm gonna start running regularly again.

2. UFC News; The Natural and GSP wins...no surprise really. Just found out that UFC purchased PRIDE and are in the process of signing all their stars! Super-cool. Can't wait to see Wanderlai vs. Liddell, Rua vs. Ortiz, Gomi vs. GSP, and DARTH FEDOR vs. ANYONE!

3. I love to cook and can always find something good to watch on the Food Network...as well as one of my favorite shows, Top Chef. These chefs are ridiculously talented. I've been practicing on my wife. Concocted a half-way decent Chinese chicken pasta salad yesterday and will be grilling up some Lamb/cilantro/bacon/swiss burgers with homemade grilled corn and roma tomato salsa tonight....yummy.

4. Had dinner with the GM and his SO (significant other) and Rave-boy and his SO last Friday at Nola's on University in Palo Alto....and I highly recommend this joint. Real creole feel and the food rocked.

5. Attended a child's B-day party Saturday with the wife. Is it just me or do hot-dogs have better flavor when you cut them open before grilling? Made a crazy big burger and ate till I felt sick.

This food talk is making me hungry. Off to lunch.

My legs....

....are killing me. Ran with my wife the other day, trying to get back into the running thing. She has been elliptical'ing nearly everyday and is clearly in much better shape than I. My legs are totally destroyed. It's been 2 days and the throbbing soreness abates only when I walk slowly on level surfaces. Even my clutch pedal causes pain. Oh well...I expected this.

Circuit training is the answer, BTW. I suppose if I was still 22, my body would be able to handle my old routine (example: 32 sets a week of just tri-ceps...killer). But at my age, forget it. 15 years ago, I would warm-up bench-press 225, working my way up to 295. I'd be lucky to do one rep of 225, or even 205 now....but the way I see it, Who gives a shit? I'm just happy I'm in relatively good shape. Took a fit test at the GYM last night: here's the numbers, 15.5 percent body fat, 22 wide chin-up's (not pull-ups) to failure, 59 push-ups to failure, did a horrible 22 incline sit-ups (Jeez those are hard), 108 over 68 Systolic/Diastolic at resting...the guy actually asked me if I was on a low-sodium diet...ME!!..LOW SODIUM...are you kidding me...I'm Filipino for christ's sake!

I'm great at anaerobic, but forget about aerobic conditioning. On a lucky day, I can do a 9 minute mile...for one mile, forget about a second. I gotta run with NTT's Brain one evening to get a sense of his pace cause even when I was running semi-regularly, I couldn't run more than 5k at one stretch before I'd get side stints and chin splints...or just get soo winded I had to stop and walk for a bit. I suppose at my pace, they call it jogging and not running. It's crazy cause ThePerfectLine runs a sub 7 minute mile without even trying; no stretching, no warm-up, no pre-week prep...he just puts on his shoes and runs a 6:30!...I guess it's genetics man.

Gotta go.

Aug 20 weekly round-up.

Sorry for these round-ups. Can't bring myself to blog regularly. Here it goes:

1. Monday, during my morning commute, I get stuck in the usual Bay Bridge toll plaza hell. Noticed some woman in an SUV closely tailgating as I was trying to merge into the Fastrak lane. I click my right turn signal and "bump"...the woman hits my car. Mind you, it's full-on rush-hour traffic with the 22 lane toll plaza looking more like a huge parking lot, but I didn't give a shit and got out of my car in the number 3 lane. People were honking and staring but I had to see the damage...and there it was, a long gash in the paint on my rear bumper. I looked at her and she shrugs here shoulders as if to say "what's the problem?". I walked to her car pissed and she rolls down her window...I tell her, "There's damage Ma'am." She gets out of her car in a huff,...30 something white woman looking as if she just finished her morning workout; Nike Shok cross-trainers and two-tone Dri-fit weave workout top with matching shorts. She crosses her arms and looks at my bumper..."was that damage already there?"....I looked at her and point to my car which was freshly washed, "Lady, take a look at my car. It's in perfect condition. There isn't one scratch anywhere on the car." She takes one look at the rest of the car and realizes that my point was indisputable.

She runs her finger across the bumper and realizes that it's not a simple little smudge. I pull out my wallet to exchange insurance info. and she does the same. We don't speak during the process but in the end she actually apologizes for a crappy start for both our days. Wawanesa will be assessing the damage today.

2. Same old same old at work. Next time I see you guys, remind me to tell you about a 19yr.old Latino Male I've been working with. You will not believe his story.

3. Gamed with the GoG this Friday. Picked up some Powered Armor..YES!!..a Minaren Assault rifle with an under slung squad support weapon..DOUBLE YES!!..a shoulder mounted Grenade Launcher..TRIPLE YES!!..and the coup-de-grace, a back-pack mounted Missile Launcher..YIPPEE KI YEA MF!! And I've enabled my Micro-Fusion Reactor for free..WOO-HOO!!..and recharged my C type Battery..HULK SMASH!! Down side is I paid 185 unspent brownie on body armor, a standard Assault rifle, sensors, communicator, force-field belt, and particle weapon. Also, I'll somehow have to lug around 3 massive crates: the first containing my spent items, the second my powered armor and related weapons, and a third containing extra missiles, ammo, grenades, and repair and replacement doo-dads. Oh well, I suppose it's a good problem to have. Can't wait to UNLEASH!!

4. More yard work this weekend. It appears that the aerating might be working. Crossing my fingers.

5. Big-time film recommendations: Dare Mo Shiranai (Nobody Knows), a Japanese film by Hirokazu Kore-eda. My wife and I saw this one and it leaves you reeling. A must watch...a subtle film with hyper deliberate pacing, long moments which leave you to examine every little detail; each detail with symbolic and emotional intention. Japanese film makers, unlike most American directors, are not afraid to leave you without any emotional closure, and as a result, I was both saddened and angry at the finish. Second recommendation; The Bourne Ultimatum...WOW. Just enough down-time between action scenes to catch your breath. I'm a big fan of the Ludlum film adaptations and this one is the best...a fun watch. And lastly, Apocalypto...HOLY JESUS...completely blew me away. Mel is a frickin sadist: ie. Braveheart and The Passion,...but this one takes the cake. The brutality and abject de-humanization is mind bending...and the make-up and wardrobe completely transports you...a slight documentary feel. I cannot say enough about this one; both totally depressing statement of the depth of human depravity elevated to both religious and institutional levels,...as well as a tale of survival. WATCH IT.

I can't think of anything else so that's it for now.

Checking in.

Sorry it's been a while. So now for the weekly roundup.

1. Lost my planner. Had everything in it: SSN, old ID, paychecks, Bank Stubs, credit card bills. Never lost it EVER. I was thrown into a panic...had images of some low-life thug applying for 9 credit cards in my name, some punk filling out a mortgage application, some scum-bag signing up for a cell phone, etc.etc. I immediately called all my credit cards and was very close to contacting all three credit agencies when I decided to rack my brain and think about where I could have lost it: was it on top of the car as I drove off to work? or on top of the car at the gym? or in the dingy sushi bar bathroom I had lunch at with some co-workers in the Sunset?....I dropped by Popeye's chicken to see if they have a lost and found. Even if they did and even if I left it sitting on the counter, I reminded myself that this place marks the border between the Nortenos and Sorenos and highly doubt someone would be kind enough to turn it in. Ran over to the art-cafe at the corner where I might have purchased coffee that morning...talked with the counter staff. Asked her if they had a Lost and Found....she smiled and handed me my planner, and added, "Don't worry, we kept it safe." She saw me walk away without it and kept it behind the counter over-night. Thanked her profusely. Note to self: don't do this EVER again.

2. Our new blender rocks. The elliptical is looking good so far. Bought a Boombox for my wife to replace her old one. The new one is a Sony with a tape deck, CD player, USB port, remote, and "Bass Boosting Spacializer". Sounds good and works well.

3. My dad and I worked over the weekend and now we have cable in our master...WOOHOO!

4. Aerated our backyard lawn and in the process bruised my left knee and cut both hands. BTW, if you need an aerator, don't purchase the "Ground Dog"...actually forget about aerating all together. Aerating a lawn is an activity the State should consider if they were to devise new punishment for criminals, in lieu of a prison sentence. It's the damn holes at the bottom. The picture on the wrapper shows little tubes of soil ejecting from the top...BULLSHIT. Every two stomps, it clogs. I spent more time jabbing the holes with a long screwdriver to clean out the compacted soil than I did aerating.

5. Killed all the grub in the backyard using a wide-spectrum VX liquid. I'm pretty sure I killed all life, save the plants, to a depth of 16 inches. Then I fertilized. The wife purchased several flowers, plants, mulch, and soil and really did a nice job with the space between our lawn and the backyard fence. I had her plant some Rosemary in a pot...can't wait to use it in some grilled chicken.

6. The Warden came down for the weekend and we had dinner Thursday with the Kawanga Kid...along with the Prof., the GM, Mighty Mook, Rave-boy and g-friend, and NTT's Brain. We had dinner at the Vans. Great time reminiscing and catching up. Didn't know the Kawanga Kid was a writer...looking forward to reading some of his material.

7. Gamed Friday night. Furthered the plot. The Discourser will have a mess to clean up when he returns.

8. Washed and waxed the car. The car is riding fantastically, BTW. Hyper precise steering. Still got a clunking in the front driver side when I drive over bumps. It's driving me batty, hoped that replacing nearly everything up front would fix it but apparently it did not. I'll have to isolate the thumping. Whatever it is, at least it doesn't seem to impact the suspension or turning dynamics. Need the rollers, timing belt, water pump, fuel-filter, and timing chain replaced...typical tune-up crap. The car should be ready for Laguna Seca in October...YES! As much as I like Sears, I like the idea of shifting into 4th once in a while.

9. Saw the Kawanga Kid off this Sunday night. Final good-bye's and a request that he return to visit us again.

Weekend roundup.

1. Checked in on Ding before gaming on Friday. I had to break up the double kegger her and her new boyfriend were throwing. A fight broke out in the drive-way, apparently several rival gang-members were accidentally invited. A Molotov cocktail was thrown but missed it's target, but it did incinerate the next door neighbor's Rav4....no loss. I helped in cleaning up the mess, so Ding owes me.

2. Gamed on Friday at Mook's. Rave-boy, NTT's Brain, the Craftsman, the GM, and the Warden were in attendance. Nothing much to report. Recovered my cache of ancient Confederation tech and NTT's Brain's Sentinel found the gem for his Saber. The Craftsman set up a bad-ass shop on our ship and was successful in building a smuggling van to get supplies in and out of the city. Three idiots attempted to storm our ship...thugs I suppose...that is yet to be proven. They were "dispatched with extreme prejudice". I won't get into the gory details.

3. Purchased a fantastic elliptical, a Horizon 625 BTW...very nice....and assembled it in our master b-room. Couldn't fit in my car, or any car for that matter, so my dad lent a hand and we picked it up with his Tacoma pick-up. Kinda wobbly on our rug but I hope my wife likes it. It might need a wooden surface, ie. 5x3 particle board plank to stabilize it's movement.

4. Rained on Sunday...WTF? Mowed the lawn anyway, a total pain in the ass. The neighborhood cats are really at it in our side yard. Turds EVERYWHERE. Continued my near futile attempt at convincing the cats that coyote are on the prowl via sprinkling their crystallized urine all over the place. I think they've figured it out that I'm trying to pull a fast one.

5. Tested our 4th blender. The first two, a Waring 375 and a Oster 500 sucked. One button switch, janky base to blender connection, stuff sprays out the top when it's on, and loud as hell. The third one we tried was the Ferrari of blenders, a Breville. Totally ludicrous design...blade configuration I've never seen before...super high quality, 1 and 1/2 horsepower, just generally bad-ass. This last one, however, was simply the best. Half the price of the Breville and even better results. We've been testing them by blending mixed drinks...mmmm...Pina Colada's, Daiquiri's, and Margarita's. The last blender, an Oster Fusion, rocks. You press a button and the thing destroys the ice, pauses, pulses, reverses, crushes, pulses, and reverses again, and it's done! We're keeping it.

6. Barry Bonds hits 755 and going for 756 tonight. I'm definitely watching every at-bat. I have a feeling that the rest of the country doesn't give a shit.

Later...

Check in.

Nothing to report. Just a few personal items.

1. Fixing some loose window screens that keep popping out.

2. Getting an elliptical.

3. New wireless plan for the wife and I.

4. Shopping for a new blender...something bad ass. Ours suck...and broken.

5. Backyard work. No skunks or raccoons for a while but the neighborhood cats are now taking craps in our side yard. Smells awful. Utilizing crystallized Coyote urine. Seems to work only half the time.

6. Did away with my tried and true work-out regime. Entered the 21st century with circuit training. To elaborate: For a dozen years, I'd concentrate on particular body parts throughout the week. For example, legs/Monday, chest/tri's/Tuesday, back/bi's/Thursday,..and then rotate. A year ago, after reading article after article about how my old workout was dated and inefficient, I decided to try circuit training. So now, I work every body part every night. Each set to muscle failure with emphasis on free-weights and the entire range of motion. My body is destroyed after every workout. Seems counter intuitive at first, the idea that I'm only doing 3 sets per muscle group, but it's been working. My body feels more balanced and defined and I get that quivering "Stop doing this to me!" feeling from my muscles much more so than my previous routine...endorphins rock.

7. The cats are happy and love that someone is home most of the day.

8. Two new neighborhood cats have been hangin out in our backyard. One likes to be pet, but the other is skittish and howls all the time.

9. Our neighborhood duck has not returned to visit for three weeks.

10. Playing a new character in Star-Hero. The usual massive heavy-hitter I like playing,...this time a full conversion Cyborg. Very much in line with all my previous Bricks: Massacre, Professor Pain, Anak Krakatoa, Dalium Ossetep, the Barbarian Throon, The Urban Sasquatch, Hothra Skarr, and the Jamaican Body Glove. It's either this Archetype, or the psychotic outcast (Shaka Jesus, The Giggling Phantom, The Blaspheming Sacrileger, Jack Bastard PPI), or the straight forward classic hero (Full Force, Flame-Boy), or the One Shot, One Kill character (BDM, The Flying Guillotine, Ichi-Tik). Excepting the Jubbs, I've been pretty consistent with these Archetypes. One note: loved and hated playing Cassandra Jubbs, my only female character. She was the most complex and excruciating to play....truly signifying all my insecurities and self-doubts. I celebrated her successes and beat myself up over her failures...and unfortunately, toward the end (Damn you Kev!), it was a long string of command failures. She simply didn't believe in herself.

Anywayz, gotta go.