Vector died on his kitchen floor about a foot from where he was born. He was a home boy... he never spent a night outside of the house. We think he had a good long life. Not long enough, mind you, but a good one all of the days.
San Francisco's local trash hauler -- which I bet we now are supposed to call a "waste management system" -- is asking to increase rates by 21.5%. I believe it is so high that it should not be taken seriously. The 21.5% hike is absurd, even as an opening negotiation position. If I were running this process I would throw out the request as being unworthy of serious consideration. Let them come back with a realistic, cost-driven proposal. Unfortunately, it looks like we are already into the review process. So, I have glanced at the rate increase applications online, and [...]
This emailed request for donations thumped into my inbox about 2 pm today. It bothers me. I know the Red Cross does lots of great work. I know they are doing that work now. I have given them money in the past to help support their work. But, still. This email is just too damn timely. Too calculated. Too tailored. Too in tune with modern marketing techniques. They are using the hurricane. It doesn't feel right. Or, am I expecting too much from a do-gooder organization that needs more funding to do more good? Oh, yeah. If you think I'm [...]
Last Monday we went to the reproductive vet for a routine, post-no-puppy check-up to make sure that SeQueL's body was returning to normal. Unfortunately, it was not. Instead, her uterus is irritated and producing mucus. This happens, and the doctors don't yet understand the underlying cause. SeQueL doesn't feel bad, but the condition will not resolve itself, and, untreated, it will eventually become life-threatening. There are two treatment alternatives: Spaying Treatment with a prostaglandin drug twice a day for 7 or so days to calm the uterus. With this approach, the doctor says, about half the patients are able to [...]
SeQueL is not pregnant, but she is healthy and very comfortable. When we went to the reproductive specialist vet a couple weeks ago, the ultrasound showed no living puppies. The vet, Dr. Janice Cain of Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center is the area's best, according to our breeder friends who insisted that we go to her, even though she's located across the Bay Bridge in deepest suburbia. Dr. Cain was very careful with us, and talked about how relatively common losing a litter is. Ten years ago, she said, the ultrasounds were not as good, and we probably would have assumed that [...]
Today the forces of liberalism face a crisis. The people of the United States must make a choice between two ways of living--a decision, which will affect us the rest of our lives and our children and our grandchildren after us.On the other side, there is the Wall Street way of life and politics. Trust the leader! Let big business take care of prices and profits! Measure all things by money! That is the philosophy of the masters of the Republican Party.Well, I have been studying the Republican Party for over 12 years at close hand in the Capital of [...]
I went to the San Francisco SOMA Gold’s Gym this morning for my normal workout, but it wasn’t there. The family that owns the local Gold’s franchise kept their 2010 promise to move their 4 gyms away from Gold’s when their contractual obligations ended. Instead of the yellow and black Gold’s logo, I was greeted by a new look for the new gym, Fitness SF. The staff, equipment, and services are all the same. But, now the workout center is free from the stigma of the prejudices of Robert Rowling, who as CEO of the national Gold’s holding company gave [...]
Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare FestivalTroilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare Most of the flash and bang of this infrequently produced Shakespeare play comes from the modern ordinance that accompanies Troilus and Cressida’s teleportation into the 21st Century Middle East. T&C is not bad entertainment, but I experienced no bite, no zing in this deeply cynical tale. The story of how almost everyone at every level is dishonest or deluded, especially when it comes to patriotic wars, is an always-timely subject. While the language is clear and the context maintained throughout this performance, only once did I feel truly [...]
Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare FestivalParty People by UNIVERSES (Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, Steven Sapp, and William Ruiz/Ninja) developed and directed by Liesl Tommy The authors of this world-premiere, commissioned American Revolutions production told us in the post-performance audience talk-back that the Young Lords and the Black Panthers had effected their lives even though they had no knowledge of the groups themselves. One creator’s first job was in clinic started by the Young Lords, and another routinely benefited from social programs started by the Black Panthers. These racially-identified local community organizations truly changed the neighborhoods and residents’ lives. The artistic challenge for [...]
Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare FestivalAll the Way by Robert Schenkkan Robert Schenkkan has written a masterful script that projects a sharp look at the leaders of America during the year which was more or less between my 10th and 11th birthdays. I had expected a pleasant play that would remind me of my precocious political awakening. I wound up dazzled by how well Schenkkan presents the feel of that first post-Kennedy year and by the tragic-hero humanness of the real-life figures that fought for civil rights, the Great Society, and for the liberal values that made the United [...]