Blog Master G

The Giants just kicked the Angels’ asses, 16-4! Woohoo! What a great birthday present to Dad, who watched the game with us tonight.

Also, I just checked my work email and read a security advisory from earlier this afternoon about a bank robbery that happened at the Wells Fargo I frequent. Eerily enough, when I was standing in the bank earlier this week, I saw someone suspicious and had one of those random “what if” thoughts about what would happen if the guy were to rob the bank while I was in it. Scary stuff. And it explains why, as I left work at about 4:30pm today and was on the phone with Jen, I heard tires screech a block ahead and saw a cop car block a white van entering the intersection through which I was driving. The robbery occurred at 2:45pm.

Today has been a long, slow, and tiring day. My eyes hurt, I’m beat, and ready to head home. Jen and I stayed up way too late last night (past midnight) after a visit from Shannon. It was fun seeing her, but I don’t plan on staying up that late again tonight. (Part of the problem is that I had an 8am conference call this morning, so I’ve been at work since 7:30.)

My second company-wide HQ meeting was today. It was mostly OK, despite trying to keep from dozing off. Here’s an email I just sent with feedback on a really annoying experience I had during the meeting.

It’s cold today. I’m at home after a really long (4-plus hours) doctor’s appointment for my worker’s comp case. They performed just about every test in the book on me. After it was all said and done, I dropped by Greenberg Qualitative Research to drop off my scrapbook and mini-Polaroid and to pick up my check for $75. Not bad for about an hour of time last night cutting pictures out of a magazine, writing down my thoughts, and taking pictures of Jen and the dogs. Jen even posed for one at our local bar, the Silver Peso, which we visited for the first time last night.

So after all my East Bay outings, I decided to just work from home the remainder of the day. It’s now quarter-till five and the Giants game begins soon. I hope they can make a comeback (time to squash the rally monkey!) and don’t embarrass themselves like they did in last night’s 10-4 loss.

I posted this message yesterday to comp.mail.pine about NNTP services. I have a handful of replies and suggestions already. After posting that message, I created a new email account with Fastmail. It is the address I plan to use henceforth for newsgroups and other times when I need to post my email address online. The new address, which will hopefully avoid spam, is this: ga_nospam_valid_address@fastmail.fm. By publishing it here, I am also performing a little test to see if spammers will pick it up, or if it will remain spam-free.

Dad just sent me this great email about his encounter this afternoon with four Giants legends who just happen to be his boyhood heroes: Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, and Orlando Cepeda. Go Dad! It’s surely a sign that the Giants are on their way to victory of the 2002 World Series.

Following a fatal hit-and-run accident at Harrison and Main early this morning by some maniacal asshole still on the loose, Jen had the unfortunate stomach-churning experience of walking by the crime scene on her way to work and seeing the body of the victim, partially covered by a tarp and still in the driver’s seat. With sickos like that and the DC-area sniper still on the loose, one doesn’t have to look to Iraq or North Korea to realize that the world is a scary, fucked-up place.

At least we’ll always have entertainment from the Aussies to distract us. “Puppetry of the Penis” opens October 29 at Theater on the Square. I hope to be there for some appendage-bending comedy.

I had my 9,948-mile oil change this morning. It’s hard to believe the Scoobie is about to hit the 10k mark.

Back in the office today after a quick trip to New York, I’m feeling rather out of it and not much like being at work. I don’t feel tired exactly — more like I just flew across the country yesterday and am ready to take it easy at home.

After picking up Stella and Happy from Planet Canine this morning, I dropped off the Big One at home and came back to work with Happy, who’s currently showing his rope toy who’s boss. Earlier this afternoon I went to Wells Fargo in an attempt to deposit the two checks from The Villages — with four signatures. Of course, I was told that all four of us had to be there. That is not possible. So I deposited the checks in the ATM and returned inside to confirm that the deposit showed up without being held; it did. But I’m going to wait a few days just to make sure there are no problems. Then, at long last, the TI deposit saga will come to a close.

The trip to New York was, despite the circumstances, pretty good. It’s a beautiful time of year to be in Upstate New York, with the leaves changing colors and the weather just right. Usually, Jen and I are in NY in either summer (too hot and humid) or winter (too bitter cold), so it was a nice change to spend a few days when the weather was just right.

After a painless flight on Thursday, we arrived that evening. Tracy and Christine picked us up at the Albany Airport and we pretty much just chilled the rest of the night, emotionally preparing for the funeral the next day. (Here’s a strange bit of breaking news about a possible UFO over the Albany Airport. I’ve also archived the text on my site since this is too good to lose — a new habit I’m trying to develop.)

Friday was the funeral itself. For the first time in my life, I was a pallbearer. I was honored that Jen’s mom asked me to be one of the six. There wasn’t much to it, but I’m glad I had the experience and that I’m close enough with Jen’s family that I would be included in such a way on that important day.

We spent most of Friday night with the family at Jen’s uncle’s log cabin in the woods (yes, an actual log cabin in the woods with a plethora deer heads, pheasants, bear hides on the wall, and even a taxidermied bear cub in the middle of the living room, who was included in the family portraits by the end of the night). I had a really good time and am glad I got to spend the time with Jen’s family. I’m sure I’ll feel that much closer to everyone when I see them all again — most likely at our wedding next year. We hung out with Karen later that night.

Saturday we mostly hung out with Tracy, and later watched the Giants win the first game of the World Series. It was really cool to see Barry Bonds step up to his first World Series at-bat and knock it out of the park.

Yesterday we flew. And flew. The trip was mostly OK, with only three annoyances:

1) Jen and I being in separate boarding groups (she in C and I in B) simply because we checked in at the ticket counter, rather than at the gate (specifically because we thought we would get boarding group A).
2) Because Jen was in boarding group C, she was forced to check her suitcase, even though I had saved a spot in the overhead bin for it.
3) The crotch-rubbing, booger-eating, smelly, falling-out-of-his-seat-into-mine, talking-and-singing-to-himself 16-year-old boy who ended up sitting in our exit row from Kansas City to Oakland. I offered him the wannabe Maxim mag I had found in the seat pocket, but he wasn’t interested. Later, during an ear-numbing rendition of “Dancing Queen,” I asked him if he took requests; he did not. While dozing off, I had to shove him out of my seat.

It’s good to be home.

I’ve seen this Dr. Laura Schlessinger letter before, but it cracks me up every time. She’s such an ignorant moron. This letter is hilarious.

This rally monkey cracks me up. One of the lawyers in Bagley’s Anaheim office sent it to everyone in Dad’s SF office — talking smack about the Giants (the monkey being the Angels’ mascot). As Dad put it, this monkey will not rally; it will get spanked by the Giants in the series!

Gentle crashing waves. Quiet call of the gull. Scent of fresh ocean air. Complete serenity.

Waking up on Treasure Island is one of my fondest memories of the three years Jen and I spent living 2.5 miles in the middle of the Bay and at least twice as far from the nearest tall building. Lately, I’ve been missing and appreciating the seclusion of the island when the first sound I hear after the alarm in a Larkspur morning is the rush-whiz sound of nearby traffic on Highway 101.

Last night Dad came over to visit for awhile. While watching dogTV, Happy pulled one of his most hilarious moves to date: He jumped straight up in the air (at least 3 or 4 feet), went flying over me (I was sitting on the couch), bounced on the couch cushions next to me, and landed on the floor. I’d say his attempt to escape the wrath of Stella Brie was successful. As if foreshadowing that moment, his new vet had said earlier in the day that Happy must be incredibly fast and able to jump really high. He couldn’t have been more correct. Happy also runs at the speed of light. He gives his sister a run for her money, as well as every dog he’s met at my office.

We’ve purchased tickets to head to New York tomorrow morning. We leave bright and early, returning Sunday evening. It will be a quick and exhausting trip, but I’m really glad to be going along.

In a sorry excuse for an “election” yesterday, Iraqi citizens voted an overwhelming “yes” to keep Saddam Hussein in power. Of course, with the other option being “no” and surely a fear of execution for dissenting in the air, what other choice did citizens have?

And in equally important news, this report shows that mistresses are a good way to keep spirits up — even when talk of war abounds.

My cool friends Jeanine, Katie, Aniko, Isaiah, and Tiffany are jammin’ out in this great picture that was published in Sunday’s Chronicle. Rock on, guys!