Dangerous Common Sense

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Thu, 15 May 2008 20:26:00 GMT

We're back in San Francisco. It's especially nice to live in California today.

Sailing to San Francisco

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:21:49 GMT

redozdachs and I are MIA (or, rather in MIA) waiting for the 11 am bus to take us from our red-eye flight to the Ft. Lauderdale dock where the Coral Princess will sail to San Francisco. The five-hour layover in baggage claim is 5 minutes shorter than the cross-country flight.

But, 15 days of post-tax-season relaxation sounds lovely.

The bridge cam will show our progress to, through, and past the Panama Canal. Better views of the locks are on the authority's site.

We'll be passing through next Wednesday (the 30th). We'll hit the Gatun locks about 6 am Pacific time, I think, but it'll be a more reasonable time when we go through the Miraflores. Look for us... we'll be the ones on the deck waving.

Comments about Princess cubed are superfluous.

E is for Empathy

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:47:46 GMT

HomEland Security chief MichaEl ChErtoff said today that he understands the trauma caused by the government's crackdown on illegal aliens. (AP story)

He said he feels the pain of employers who are left short staffed when their workers are deported.

I am kinda not thinking of businesses when the subject of disruption due to sudden deportations comes up. Maybe it's only because redozdachs and I are watching the first season of Ugly Betty on DVD. Or, maybe it's my lefty liberal pinko commie bleeding heart upbringing.

I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong? I should have more compassion for those poor businesses who need undocumented workers so that they can pay sub-minimum wages to those criminals who entered our country illegally???

Naw.

Phishing in Googleland

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:08:58 GMT

I haven't seen this version of a phishing scam until this morning's email arrived.

Crooks are now sending email claiming to be Google. They're telling me that my pay-per-click ads are offline and that I need to put more credit card money into my business' Google AdWords account.

This looks like a real Google AdWords notification, except instead of going to the URL that displays in the email, the hyperlink actually takes you to a site in mainland China (see the ".cn" at the end): http://adwords.google.vaultpacket.cn/select/Login .

(The real Google is at https://adwords.google.com/select/Login .)

I haven't clicked, but I suspect the site mimics the real Google site. It will ask for your credit card information to reactivate your account. Once you type in your numbers, kiss that card good-bye!

It's a good fake and it's new to me. Most of all I'm impressed that the crooks think that Google AdWords is used enough for their scam to attract enough suckers to warrant their time and energy. After all, it takes work to set up a phony site!

This message was sent from a notification-only email address that does
not accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear AdWords Customer,

Your ads have stopped running because we were unable to process your billing information.
To activate your account and start running your ads, enter your billing information.

In order to activate your account and start running your ads, enter your billing information.
Pease sign into your account at http://adwords.google.com/select/login, and update
your billing information.

Once your account is reactivated and your billing information has been processed,
any your ads and campaigns can begin running immediately on Google.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Google-AdWords Team

Merry Good Friday, and a Happy Easter, too!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:36:13 GMT

This is the latest propaganda inviting y'all to come to church on Sunday.

The ad on the left was printed in this week's BAR.

The video below is on YouTube and on the church's home page.

The sermon title is going to be Giving Up Religion for Lent. Come on down.

The Iraq Vigil and My Video Education

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:33:14 GMT

The Vigil to end the Iraq War last Sunday filled the church's pews and rows of folding chairs at the back. We turned people away at the door. Television stations 2, 4, 7, 11, and 14 sent reporters and cameras. It was a good public cry for a change in policy.

I used the occasion to dust of my old (2000) DV camera and take some shots. Then I downloaded a trial of Ulead video editing software to produce the clip below. It was pretty straight forward.

Most of the clip is of my minister, Rev. Greg Stewart, setting the tone for the day. Like Barack Obama, I don't agree with my minister on what he says... but I am glad he's standing up and saying what is in his heart. Fortunately, Rev. Stewart is no rev. Jeremiah Wright!

And, if anyone knows another PC-based, low-end (around $100) video editor, please let me know.

God Damn Fox News

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:45:19 GMT

I'm still vibrating from the directness of Barack Obama's speech this morning. Unblinking and compassionate. Calming and passionate. What I believe, phrased like poetry.

Race isn't going away. We cannot ignore it and hope it will go away.

Then the talking heads. We had Fox on (because CNN just doesn't stop talking about itself).

Immediately Brit Hume says that Obama said that would carryout the agenda of the black community.

Huh?

"Politicians don't need to raise their voices, they need to raise their standards"

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:09:29 GMT

Assemblyman Mark Leno is running for Carole Migden's State Senate Seat.
I support Mark. He's hardworking, reasonable, and sane. I agree with most of his policies, too.

Not a bad TV ad.

The Iraq War: 5 Years Too Many

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:34:29 GMT

A Vigil to Change the World

State Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), Actor Sean Penn, Senior Minister Rev. Gregory Stewart, Iraqi Veteran Specialist Joe Wheeler, Cindy Sheehan, and other peacemakers commemorate the 5th year of the war with a Peace Vigil 5 pm Sunday (March 16) at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Franklin and Geary. The public is invited to come and join the reflection and the call for action.

“I imagine this gathering to be one of preparation for the dismantling of the war industrial complex that feeds the anti-Muslim frenzy that grips the USA's power elite and many of its citizens,” says Rev. Stewart.

Additional confirmed participants in the Vigil include Vice Presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez, Bill Simpich of Iraq Moratorium SF Bay, Justin Raimondo, the Editorial Director of Antiwar.com, and Ying Lee of the Watada Support Committee. Nancy Mancias of Code Pink will sing for peace!

Speakers will show how individual San Franciscans can help change minds to change the world. “In the fight for peace and justice,” Rev. Stewart adds, “God is optional but you are not. You possess the hands and feet of justice.”

A short list of names of people killed in the war will be read to honor all those who have fallen. The peacemaking will conclude with a walk from the church to the steps of the War Memorial Building on Van Ness Avenue.

The Vigil to Change the World is co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalists for Peace in coalition with the Iraq Moratorium SF Bay and other local peace, political, and religious organizations.

-- This is the latest press release I've sent out about Sunday's Vigil. I'll be there ... come on down!

A Rose is a Tulip is an Iris

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:03:19 GMT

Why do we know of Cindy Sheehan?

We have heard of her because her soldier son was killed in the Iraq War on April 4, 2004.

That's her horrible claim to fame. Since her son was killed, she had done a number of noisy things to capture attention. But, if her son was still alive, Cindy would be an unknown Central California woman.

Mothers of servicemen (and women?) killed in service of the country have been called Gold Star Mothers since at least 1918. The name came from the custom of soldiers' families hanging a banner in their windows. The banners showed blue stars for each active serviceman and gold stars for any soldier who was killed.

Cindy Sheehan is a Gold Star Mother. By definition. By tragedy.

But, I got my fingers slapped when I wrote a press release for this upcoming Sunday's Peace Vigil co-sponsored by my church. I referred to her as "Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan".

Oh, no, no! Don't call her that!

Apparently Cindy's tactics have angered the local (national?) Gold Star Mother's Club. Supposedly the organization doesn't want Cindy to use the term "Gold Star Mother". If I were to identify Cindy as a Gold Star Mother, the San Francisco peace coalition organizers would first have to meet and come to consensus on using that title in face of the opposition of the official club. So, the publicity poster and press releases call Cindy "Peace Mom".

Instead of employing the gut-wrenching powerful reminder that Cindy's son -- and other real people -- have died in this war, we use a wishy-washy flower-child-sounding term than will offend, or remind, no one.

Reason 125,047 why the war continues and Bush Republicans win too many elections.

How Do You Report Sales Calls Coming to Your Cell Phone?

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:01:43 GMT

We've been getting sales calls directly to Geoff's cell phone. The automated voice says she's calling about our car warranty is about to expire. (That's unlikely, since one car is new and the other is 16 years old.)

The calls have been from:
562 228-7160
502 894-0098
520 548-5300.

Today Geoff pushed "1" to speak to a representative. The guy immediately asked for the type of car and year we had. Geoff parried with questions about who his company is. The guy said he was from Great Atlantic Warranty in Florida.

Geoff doesn't give out his cell number, and nothing forwards to it. So... these call spammers are using some cell phone list.

Anyone know who/how to report them?

Do I Get a Refund?

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:06:16 GMT

I know that newspapers are having a tough time. But, I am not sure that they have to be so obvious about it.

Do they make it up in volume?!

It's on Cars.Com and Craigslist

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:04:23 GMT

Over the past month we've had a number of friends say that they have friends interested in buying our '92 Honda Accord... but they don't show up at our door!

So, I've posted the For Sale notice on Craigslist and on Cars.Com. If y'all know anyone who's interested, ...

The CarFAX report.

Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:43:25 GMT

Ashland, Oregon
at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
world premiere - opening performance, February 24, 2008

Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter by Julie Marie Myatt

I cannot image a more calculated tugging of the audience's heart-strings. Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter is Love Story written to honor Iraq War veterans. I feel manipulated, dirty.

"I noticed that you didn't give the play a standing ovation, little boy. Most everyone else did. Don't you honor our service men and women?"

All the playwright left out was little puppy dogs and cute bunnies.

In addition, it was the slowest 90 minutes imaginable. The characters had plenty of time to sing hymns and give treacly speeches. Those were mostly addressed to the play audience instead of other characters on the set. And, there were still hours left over for the characters to sit on stage and stare meaningfully into space.

I have long believed that Samuel Johnson was right in opining that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. I just didn't know that it was also way to get Hallmark Card script produced by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

The basic problem is that the author apparently had an idea for a brief, poignant vignette. To stretch it into even a 90-minute one-act play, she added sappiness and lost focus. This is the play's first production, and I hope that the several good moments can be rescued in a tighter, less boozy-American Legion, rewrite.

What works in this production is the OSF cast and craftspeople. They work spectacularly, occasionally making the experience captivating (... until the emotion-heavy words return).

Gregory Linington as Donald and Gwendolyn Mulamba's Jenny Sutter have the most magical of moments together (they are the actors in the picture). On stage alone, they reprise their world-class pain and longing first shown in Intimate Apparel in 2006. These actors break through the shallow verbiage given them and expose their souls' ache.

Mulamba is flawless throughout, and copes well with the too-long time she's left to do nothing on stage. Her performance is subtle, despite the words given to her to say.

David Kelley (Buddy), Kate Mulligan (Kate), K.T. Vogt (Cheryl), and Cameron Knight (Hugo) were all also adept at bringing meaning and genuine emotion to the play. Richard Hay's set was properly austere and functional.

If I would have stood to applaud, it would have been for the production and not the play.

Yet, I predict this play will be a smash. OSF is offering active duty military, veterans, and reservists two free tickets to the play. Patriotic families will bring their kids. This American show has more donor sponsors/producers/hangers-on listed in the playbill than any of the other productions. After Ashland the show is going to run in Kennedy Center in Washington. I wouldn't be surprised if President Bush attended and shed a tear at the appropriate moments.

Everyone loves a veteran. Isn't it awful what these soldiers have gone through.

Of course it is. But, this play is a cringe-inducing exploitation, not an honoring.

Ozdachs Rating:

The Clay Cart

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:20:35 GMT

Ashland, Oregon
at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
opening performance, February 23, 2008

The Clay Cart by Sudraka (Translated by J.A.B. van Buitenen)

I've never seen a live-action Disney cartoon pageant before. It was wonderful!

A rich, gorgeous stage filled with 40-some actors hosted this 2000-year-old play. The cast moved the story and the audience with their words, gestures, dance, and singing. A funny, poignant, and biting social comedy, the evening was completely enjoyable and satisfying. Its challenges, heroes, problems, and villains were no lifeless abstract ancient stylizations -- we still fight the same evil kings and their rapacious cronies.

It's impossible to describe The Clay Cart without nodding to Shakespeare. Sudraka may have lived 1500 years before and a continent away, but these two both knew how to comment on their times, give moral guidance, and make it a lot of fun.

The Clay Cart's tells of the love between Charudatta (Christopher Jean, pictured at right) and Vasatasena (Miriam A. Laube, pictured at left). He is an honorable, generous man who gave away so much that he's now poor. She is a still-rich whore (called most often, delicately, a "courtesan") with a heart of gold. She is aggressively pursued by the immoral Samsthanaka (Brent Hinkley), brother-in-law to the evil king. Eventually the good boy gets the girl as his second wife... the first wife and son are on stage, too. All loose ends are tied up, and every good guy is rewarded and every bad guy is brought down.

Getting to the happy ending is just so entertaining!

Director Bill Rauch vision is innovative and powerful. He created a on-stage theater in the round. The characters come to the center for their scenes and then recede into the on-stage ensemble, laying back on rich pillows, to follow the action of others while the real audience watches everyone.

A friend raved about the high tech special effects of the performance. But, when we an analyzed the evening, Rauch gave us none. The precision and power of the performance made it feel like there was amazing technology on the loose. It was simply spot-on movement and choreography that popped.

In fact, the staging was super-low tech and simple. The horses and carriages called for by the script were played by people prancing like stallions and carrying clothes to serve as coaches, just like you did when you put on your childhood backyard shows with cast-away sheets. Writing about the technique, I cannot believe it worked, much less describe how well it worked!

The company was unobtrusively perfect. They delivered their lines without phony accents or straining. Straight-up and true.

The individual actors dazzled as the script put them into the spotlight. Jean was strong as a low-key moral man. Laube was stunningly pretty and without any affectation which could have easily crept into her courtesan character. Perfect.

Michael Hume played Maitreya, a pompous friend of Charudatta. His role was both comic relief and checker of reality, and each aspect was carried off superbly. Special ku-dos to him for allowing some of his bouncy flab to show -- the visual heightened the "Oh my God!" Polonius-ness of Maitreya.

Actually, the mixture of the pretty and the pretty-gross flesh of different colors on stage gave an extra everyman feel to the production. While Laube and many of the younger men were visual feasts, the costumes were tasteful, reasonable, and also worn by actors with kinda icky bodies. Together, especially because of their large number, they made quite a collage.

Regular OSF audience members will get a kick out of the fact that perpetual picked-upon dumpling, Eileen DeSandre (as slave Madanika), finally gets her own man in this play. Seeing Catherine Colson (as Vasatasena 's mother) with nose jewelery and proper Jim Edmonson drive his invisible bed-sheet horses is extra fun for whose who've seen these actors in very different roles throughout the years.

Looking over the cast, I can recall brilliant flashes from so many of the players as they had their turn in telling the story. Richard Howard as a thief, Jenny Park as wife #1, Jeffrey King as a gambler and monk,... the list of accolade-deserving truly goes on and on. As I look at most anyone's name a day later, I remember something they gave to the show.

I confess that when I signed up to see this ancient play by "India's Shakespeare" I was worried. The production had the disquieting patina of being "good for you". I walked out of the theater stunned about how it was so much fun for me.

Ozdachs Rating:

Fences

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:36:08 GMT

Ashland, Oregon
at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
opening performance, February 23, 2008

Fences by August Wilson

The opening of Fences revealed a shaky story shakily told.

I assume that it's the script which has inconsistencies and false starts that Oregon Shakespeare merely brought forward. Certainly this production didn't weave together a clear or consistent or entertaining storyline from whatever August Wilson wrote.

To begin, various cast members stumbled over lines at least a half dozen times. Blowing lines in an obvious way is my personal pet peeve; it always jars me out of the moment. And, these Fences characters had tongue-tie-itis, especially the actors who appeared on stage early in the narrative.

It wasn't just the lines that missed. The direction, characters, sound, and lighting didn't fit quite right.

Director Leah Gardiner amped everyone's energy up one or two notches above reasonable. Words exploded at odd moments.

In addition, Gardiner put me off with the playbill blurb:

"In 1957, when this play begins, nine black students, protected by federal troops, desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Throughout the country, Black Americans, although aware that change was inevitable, continued to live segregated lives."

What? Inevitable? Really, the country should have just sat back and waited then, eh? How young is this director? How clueless?

On to the costumes: One scene opens with the mother on her porch listening to a baseball game on the radio. She and the husband appeared in wool caps and winter clothes. Were they playing baseball in winter? Is there some symbolism there that August Wilson wrote into the script? Or, was the costume designer just not paying attention? I don't know -- there just weren't enough clues to go on. Similarly, some days Pop comes home from work wearing unmatched clothes while his co-worker friend is always in a uniform. Symbolism? Attention deficit disorder?

Charles Robinson as the father (Troy Maxson) delivered some fine speeches. Several, in fact. But together they didn't create a character for me. Worse, there were more troubling inconsistencies. In many Friday-afternoon after-work scenes, Pop is drinking gin and holding forth. After awhile, he starts getting more grandiose and sways on his feet. Fine. He's getting drunk. So then, why does Robinson start swaying on his feet during a before-work argument scene? Pop has excused his Friday afternoon binges by saying that's his only time of the week to drink, and his job at the time of the morning scene is driving a truck. Does Pop go to work drunk, or does Robinson always sway? I don't know -- there just weren't enough clues to go on.

G. Valmont Thomas plays a mentally damaged relative, Gabriel. This Gabriel is upbeat and exuberant, and played in a style left over from Thomas' 2007 performance in On the Razzle. His eyes are always alive, and he's purposeful not pathetic. It took me quite a while to figure out that Gabriel was not just pretending to be crazy.

I also couldn't figure out Shona Tucker as the mother, starting from the way she looked in the first scene. Most of the time she reminded me of a Carol Burnett dressed for one of her comedy sketches. Except without the humor. Maybe she paid attention to the audience rather than another character on stage. I don't know, I just felt distracted by something in her performance.

Kevin Kenerly as Lyons, Cameron Knight as the son (Corey), and whichever of the two young girls I saw as Raynell presented their characters clearly and consistently. Thank goodness that OSF cast Kenerly in an age-appropriate role instead of shoehorning him into being "the young son". That role was played just fine by Knight.

The blocking was thoughtless. For considerable stretches an actor with their back to me kept me from seeing other characters on the stage. I was in Seat A20 -- if you get near there, try to switch.

I noticed the light changes. Not in a good way.

The music was more than blues/jazz. There was a strain of mysticism that felt left over from Gem of the Ocean. It didn't work.

Finally, the play itself is another August Wilson play which I feel is more universal than just speaking to the American American experience. The ramrod drunken father was a character in my lily-white home life. If the play is mostly about the family relationships, then wouldn't it be a candidate for color-blind casting while another play served as the 2008 African American play?

I want to see all of August Wilson's plays. The best part of this production is that I can check Fences off the list.

Ozdachs rating: .
(A softening note: when I saw Gem last year, I gave it only 3 stars. Friends educated me on its subtleties and when I saw it again in August, I was standing with the crowd at the curtain call.)

Where Are The Scurrilous Rumors about the Republicans?

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:14:10 GMT

We all know that Barack Obama is a radical Muslim who will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Meanwhile, Hilary Clinton helped free two Black Panthers accused of murder and as Senator refused to meet with a delegation of Gold Star mothers.

We know this because email and the Internet tell us so.

I hunt Snopes, the Urban Legend site, for myths to debunk or confirm for my clients' electronic newsletters to their customers. The legends make for good light reading, and the mention of scams can help people from becoming victims.

This week when I was trolling Snopes for something to write about, I noticed that 2 of the top 10 topics that the site investigated deal with the [mostly false] comments about the Democratic Presidential candidates.

Checking out the pages, I saw a collection of horrible lies, 1/8th truths, and twisted facts that are currently popularly circulating on the Internet.

Rumors or reports about any of the Republican candidates weren't in the top 25.

It used to be that political mudslinging was reserved for professional politicians and their operatives. Now anyone can Swift Boat a candidate from the privacy of his or her own keyboard.

So why are most of the malicious email directed at Democratic targets? Is it coincidental? Or, could it be for the same reason that most Hate Radio shows are hosted by divisive right-wing frothing "entertainers".

UU Finally on YouTube

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:46:02 GMT

Jeremy, our 20/30-something intern minister, finally snagged some of Greg's time for a YouTube video with a few pithy sound bites about the church. I kinda like Greg's "We are a church where God is optional, but you are not", but I know I'm biased.

Us older people want to make these videos a production, and I don't mean in a good way! Younger folks understand that people click, watch for a while, and often click away. So, we shouldn't sweat the production values and spend too much time editing out the passing pigeon.

It took months for the stars to align correctly to get the filming done.

Your comments or suggestions (here or by email) on what we could say to passing visitors are appreciated!

Election Returns

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:56:46 GMT

BARACK OBAMA 88,886 52.21%
HILLARY CLINTON 75,341 44.25%

Unfortunately, those numbers were only from the City County Nation State of San Francisco.

It's a great, important contest. I'm happy that our district will be supplying more Obama delegates to the convention.

Obama Oh Eight!

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 01:30:01 GMT

My fingers are tired from holding up two Barrack Obama signs on the traffic island at Castro and Market for a couple hours. It's a good tired, I think.

The last time I stood on a street corner proclaiming for a Presidential candidate was in 1960 about 100 feet from the polling place at the local school. Since I lived in John Kennedy's old Congressional District, the crowd was pretty friendly to the 7-year-old me.

The crowds driving by this afternoon were pretty friendly to the 54-year-old me. Lots of honks, waves, and pumped fists of encouragement. The assortment of passing fans surprised me. I guess I had subconsciously bought into "women like Hillary" and "Hispanics are voting for Clinton". Yet, the older car with three Latino-looking boys in the back seat was a loud supporter. (The kids liked the sign I held that said "Fierce!") And, there were many pious-looking prim Prius women drivers who sounded their horns in passing. A couple of MUNI drivers honked (and not just at the traffic), and so did a few other city and corporate vehicles. The man in the shiny black Mercedes Kompressor flipped me off, but I didn't like his car anyway. And there was a vigorous-looking mid-50's man in a convertible bellowing "Hillary! Hillary!" as he passed. I could only be jealous that that cheerleader with such a powerful voice had picked the other candidate.

But overwhelmingly the drivers gave back a lot of energy and smiles. A lot!

My arms are sore, but what an emotional high for the day!

Last night I made a few more Get Out The Vote calls, and I was out the door by 5:15 this morning to hang reminders on selected voter's doors in my assigned precinct.

Winding up my stint at Castro and Market was fitting, too. That's ground zero for my political home now.

I am happy to have contributed a bit.

Another Neighbor for Obama

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:49:34 GMT

On the way to watching the Superbowl yesterday, we passed the home of an obviously intelligent, sophisticated, and patriotic neighbor.

I admit to being impressed that hand made their "Obama" letters -- nothing from campaign HQ here!

I'm taking time off today to do more Get Out The Vote calls, and plan to walk my precinct tomorrow.

For the Want of a Nail

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:42:14 GMT

I signed up to work as an Obama precinct captain on a Saturday. After 10 days and many emails I was sent a username and password to get access to my assigned precinct.

The online system lets me log in, but won't let me look at any voters. I call the volunteer office and make a round of phone calls from a PDF list. Days pass, and my online account gets reset. I can log in and see voters. I record the results of the calls I made previously.

Two days later I try to log into the system again to make new calls. I cannot. I fill out an online request for my password to be sent to me. The system says it found my account and the email address I entered. It was sending me instructions. Nothing is delivered. I try again. Still nothing.

Over the next few days, I get three phone calls asking if I am coming to Saturday's rally and precinct walk. I tell each caller that, yes, I plan to attend. I go to the Saturday rally and walk up to the registration desk. I am told that there are no materials for me because I hadn't RSPV'ed.

I go home to try the online voter list again. I still cannot log in. I still get no emailed password instructions sent to me when I ask for them.

Arrgh!

It's clear that the Obama campaign is overwhelmed by the number of people volunteering. At Saturday's rally we overheard lead volunteers say that the national campaign had written off California until just two weeks ago, so the limited organization and support had gone elsewhere. The lack of systems is evident!

Welcome to the downside of the accelerated primary schedule. The establishment candidate(s) -- in this case Senator Clinton -- has the advantage of organization and infrastructure. Candidates who are less entrenched -- those who "catch on" with the voters and grow support as they gain exposure -- have to scramble.

I don't fault Clinton for having the organization in place. If anything, I'm jealous.

I just hope that the calls I don't make because I'm fighting the tools are not ones which would affect the outcome.

Now time for me to stop whining and to pick up my paper phone list again.

Tasty Words

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:59:43 GMT

Dear Senator Kerry,

I apologize for my snarky comments about your ability to spark a crowd. I will happily eat them. Yum!

You hit the tone and hit the words this morning at the Obama rally. Thank you!

(It's not my fault. He was wooden on TV during the 2004 campaign. It wasn't my imagination, was it??!)

The auditorium was packed and they gave a great send off to the precinct walking volunteers.
Fun, even for interlopers like redozdachs who took the picture above.

A few more pictures.

A Walk in the Valley for Obama

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:25:35 GMT

Tomorrow (Saturday, February 2) Obama supporters are meeting at Everett Middle School, 450 Church Street @ 16th at 9:30 a.m.

We'll be whipped into a frenzy by speakers Sen. John Kerry and Supervisor Bevan Dufty. (Okay, I cannot make this up. Sen. Kerry will speak, and the Obama person I spoke with in the office yesterday was saying how lucky we were to have such a fantastic speaker for our rally. Maybe Kerry has been taking public speaking lessons since 2004?)

After getting pumped up, we'll walk a precinct...

Anyone want to join me in Noe Valley precinct 3845, about 23rd/Diamond?

Come on down, or give me a shout if you have any questions!

How to Sell A Car?

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:57:45 GMT

The new car is comfortable in the garage, but it's a bit jealous of our old love. It's insisting that we sell soon, or it will doubt the sincerity of our relationship.

Anyone have experience with selling a vehicle on Craigslist, cars.com, or Kelly Book Book.com? Kelly Blue Book online says its private party sale value is $2,820. So does that mean we ask for $3,000?

The car we're selling is a 92 Honda Accord EX, with low mileage (138,600), one owner, complete maintenance records which show that we've been faithful to the suggested maintenance schedule. 4 door, white A/C, AM/FM/cassette, sun roof, power windows and door locks, tilt wheel, cruise control. Runs well and has been 100% reliable. Garaged all its life, until two weeks ago. Because of its age, not wear, it's developed slow seal/hose leaks. I got tired of having to clean the oil from the garage floor every week before squaredancing, but probably would not have noticed if we didn't have a garage. The hood is two-year olds because a off-the-back jeep tire dinged the old one when it was parked in the Castro.

Post a reply or send email with your wisdom. It's been 15 years since we've done this... and last time Harlan helped by having a new boyfriend who needed a car.