Blog Master G

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors. He has an excellent and eye-opening commentary on the scary, power-hungry time and country in which we live. But his message is clear: Despite corrupt leadership, each of us can and should make a difference, however small, while we’re on this planet, to work toward effecting change. We can do this by going back to the basics (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) and, for the religious among us, actually practicing what we preach (“Blessed are the peacemakers”).

Some excerpts from Cold Turkey by Vonnegut:

Many years ago, I was so innocent I still considered it possible that we could become the humane and reasonable America so many members of my generation used to dream of. We dreamed of such an America during the Great Depression, when there were no jobs. And then we fought and often died for that dream during the Second World War, when there was no peace.

But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America’s becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.

…

That chief and his cohorts have as little to do with Democracy as the Europeans had to do with Christianity. We the people have absolutely no say in whatever they choose to do next. In case you haven’t noticed, they’ve already cleaned out the treasury, passing it out to pals in the war and national security rackets, leaving your generation and the next one with a perfectly enormous debt that you’ll be asked to repay.

Nobody let out a peep when they did that to you, because they have disconnected every burglar alarm in the Constitution: The House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the FBI, the free press (which, having been embedded, has forsaken the First Amendment) and We the People.

(Thanks to my wife for the most excellent link.)

Just as public support for Bush’s action in Iraq hits an all-time low, there’s this big announcement about a terrorist strike in America this summer. Political weapon? I wonder if the terror alert will suddenly rise to red around late October, early November.

Al Qaeda prepared to strike ‘hard’ at U.S., officials warn / ANALYSIS: Skeptics wonder whether politics motivated warnings:

Washington — Attorney General John Ashcroft’s solemn announcement that al Qaeda planned to attack America in the next few months seemed to provoke as much skepticism as fear Wednesday, raising doubts as to whether any terror warnings will be taken seriously in the heat of an election campaign.

“I find it at a minimum very suspicious that we are now going to be listening to a new, heightened awareness … of terrorists, conveniently timed to when we see the president’s approval ratings plummet,” Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said during a conference call with reporters arranged by the campaign of Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

(Thanks, Glenn, for the link.)

Onscreen italics is hard on the eyes. Sites like Slashdot use italics everywhere, which makes me reluctant to visit. I’d probably spend more time on Slashdot were it not for the italics. It’s simply a strain on my eyes.

I have no problem with italics in print; it seems that some font styles just weren’t designed for the screen.

To avoid contributing to the proliferation of italics on the Web, I’m going to do my part by restraining from using italics in my own Web publishing.

I just wrote my last rent check (hopefully) ever. What a liberating feeling. No more giving away money to someone else without any benefit besides immediate shelter (OK, I guess that is one of the basic human needs). But anyway, so we enter our final month as renters…

Still lots to do/plan/coordinate with the closing/move/travel plans we have coming up.

A selection from Vassar’s 140th Commencement Address by Samuel L. Jackson:

Robert Kennedy never lived to see apartheid fall, but he believed that it was possible. People around the world stood up and joined forces and justice triumphed. The defenders of the status quo would prefer that we not be let in on the secret: people can, and they do, change the world.

I would like to ask each of you to do me one personal favor. Okay, two. First, don’t wear the Kangol hat backwards — that’s my thing, and very few folks pull it off as well as I do. But more importantly, give me bragging rights. Do something great. Sometime in the future I want to hear about some incredible thing you’ve done and be able to say, man, I spoke at her — or his — graduation.

In return, I want to offer you a few pieces of advice: try to keep it real. Stay true to what’s best in yourself and to the best of what you’ve experienced here at Vassar. Continue to expose yourself to new ideas. Trust your instincts and think for yourself. Make art, or at least value it. Look for the core of what makes each person human, appreciate the details that make them unique.

Find something that moves you or pisses you off, and do something about it. Put your self out there. Be brave. Be bold. Take action. You have a voice. Speak up, especially when something tries to keep you silent. Take a stand for what’s right. Raise a ruckus and make a change. You may not always be popular, but you’ll be part of something larger and bigger and greater that yourself. Besides, making history is extremely cool.

Words to live by, indeed.

If you’ve ever done a Google search for “fly” you may have come across a relaxing, Zenlike form of entertainment, Fly Guy. It’s sort of like a video game, but not. There doesn’t seem to be much of a purpose, besides controlling a flying man who dances in the clouds, drinks champagne, and eventually finds a dancing hula girl and monkey on a beach. For mindless entertainment or relaxation, I’d highly recommend Fly Guy.

Today Jen and I have begun packing to prepare to move into our 5th residence in as many years. This move marks the first into a house that will be ours, of course, so in many ways, it’s more significant than every other move we’ve done together to date. We’ve only packed about 10 boxes so far, but already I’m reminded of how exhausting this process can be. Something tells me we’ll be living in our next house for longer than we’ve lived in any previous place, though (Treasure Island holding the record so far at 3 years).

This is our last free weekend between now and when we close on the house, so hopefully we’ll make some good progress today and tomorrow.

This morning we went to another local bike shop, as I’m in the market for a new bike. I will likely get the Giant Boulder SE or the Giant Rincon. Then I will cruise about town and occasionally in the Adirondacks.

[ X-Country Move 2003 | Packing for X-Country Move 2003 | Photos of SF Apartment 2003 | Our New SF Pad 2003 | Treasure Island Memories 2002 | Moving Day 2002 ]

Business > Your Money > Market Week: As Mortgage Rates Rise, Dreams Are Downsized” href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/business/yourmoney/16mark.html?ex=1085284800&en=c79f86468efe4193&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE”>The New York Times > Business > Your Money > Market Week: As Mortgage Rates Rise, Dreams Are Downsized: “HOME shoppers have been losing purchasing power week by week because of the surge in mortgage interest rates. Eventually, that should take some of the zip out of the economy.

“Last week, the national average rate on a 30-year mortgage jumped to 6.34 percent, according to Freddie Mac. That is up almost a percentage point from March 18, when the rate was 5.38 percent. Last June, the average was only 5.21 percent, the lowest since Freddie Mac began recording rates in 1971.”

It seems like our timing was perfect in purchasing our home — any later and we would not have been able to buy as much house for our dollar. Our rate is locked at less than the current national average, which is quite good, especially considering the historical perspective and that these are likely the lowest rates we’ll see in our lifetime. The only thing I’ve been kicking myself about (due to not having known it was an option at the time) was for not locking in the first rate we were quoted on April 14 (5.75%).

So it goes.

Reading about this year’s Bay to Breakers, which was Sunday in San Francisco, definitely makes me homesick for SF and all the great times we had there. I especially love this photo (from last year’s B2B) of Ben, James, Enoch, and me. I miss partying regularly with you guys.

Reading the story about this year’s race makes me smile, though, especially the parts about the clueless people who watch and get stuck in the festivities:

SAN FRANCISCO / The city that knows how goes crazy for Breakers / Zaniness the order of the day for most in crosstown footrace

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I’m a hillbilly,” said Doug Bennett, who was having a great time. The couple had a champagne brunch and a bay cruise lined up Sunday, but started their day with an even truer San Francisco experience.

Asked what a Bay to Breakers would look like in Crane, population 1,400, Doug Bennett said, “There’d be 16 people with Bibles in their hands telling you how bad you are.”

If some people were surprised at the sight, others were simply clueless. Madelyn Rapp, 42, and Kenny Matte, 40, sat all morning in Matte’s car, which, because of all the runners and walkers, was blocked on Hayes Street.

Rapp said she was sitting in the car because she needed to get to an important appointment. Matte said he was in the car because it was a silver 2003 Mercedes-Benz C240, and he didn’t want it scuffed by all humanity.

“Do you have any idea when these people will be out of the way?” Rapp asked.

Note that not far from Crane, Missouri is someplace called Christian Stone. How apropos.

On Friday we got the mortgage commitment letter. Our first mortgage. Called for celebration with a bottle of champagne (for the record, we’ve been celebrating at every step of the process — decided to buy house, made offer, offer accepted, applied for mortgage, got mortgage — and will surely continue throughout the rest of this exciting experience). Any excuse to celebrate is good enough for me, especially one as important as buying a house.

Also on Friday I met the hardwood floor guy at the new house for him to take some measurements to give us a quote to refinish the beautiful hardwood before we move in.

Saturday we took the dogs to their new local vet, cleaned the apartment, hung out with Sue and Josh, did some work on the 100 Faces cover design, and went to a new place for dinner — Bruno’s, which is across from the track and is a cool Italian/50s-style diner.

Sunday was mostly a lazy day around the house, though we made our first official trip to Lowe’s as homeowners. And bought — wait now, this is exciting — packing tape. Five rolls of it. We scoped out some handsome gas grills for all the parties we plan to throw, too.

We also enjoyed some sunshine on the porch yesterday.

Which ties into my observation of late: Living in the Northeast (or anywhere it’s not sunny year-round) gives one a greater appreciation for the sun. It really encourages you to get outside and enjoy it, and to appreciate it more. Having grown up in California, you almost take sunny days for granted. I remember having had the same feeling for the first time while at Vassar — people really longed for and welcomed the spring with open arms.

So, too, do I now. Spring is finally here — with the occasional lighting and thunderstorm — and I really value it.

The seasons, too, are great. I feel more connected to nature and the passing of time, in a way, than I do in California.

This is not to say that I don’t miss California; I do, very much. These are merely observations about the weather and the seasons that I appreciate about this coast. Make it through the winter and you’re rewarded with a gorgeous spring and summer.