Christmas in July

The Disney Christmas train is in Seattle for a few days during its nationwide tour of the U.S., and we went down for a while this morning to see it. The primary purpose of this whistle stop tour is to promote the upcoming Robert Zemickis film A Christmas Carol, which stars Jim Carrey as Scrooge and all the ghosts, Gary Oldman as Bob Crachit, Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes and Bob Hoskins.

Aside from the fascinating exhibits on the motion capture technology used to produce the film, there were period costumes, exhibits about the story and its characters, and a number of items on loan from the Dickens museum in London. I was most interested in these, which included first editions of Dickens' works, handwritten manuscripts and Dickens' own quill and inkwell.

More than just an animated film, director Zemickis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) used digital motion capture technology to record the actors' movements and facial expressions, enabling him to place the actors, in all three dimensions, into computer generated sets in order to render the scenes from the film. On the train were a number of the miniature "sets" animators used to create the world of Scrooge as it existed in the mid-nineteenth century, all of which I found fascinating. There was also a small theater set up outside the train station where we were able to screen about ten minutes of scenes from the film in 3D.

Seeing the Christmas Carol train turned out to be a nice little break from the heat and the drudgery of packing the house. It's a clever marketing tool (leave it to Disney), an educational tool for those interested in film production, and a nice exhibit of historical artifacts from one of our most revered authors.

Happy Independence Day from Pacific Grits!

Summertime in Seattle

There are few things in my life that I enjoy as much as those warm, clear summer days in Seattle when the sky is blue, the rainy season is forgotten and, as the locals say, "the mountain is out."

Today was such a day, and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with my daughter. We took one of our outings to the Space Needle, a place my daughter has long enjoyed, a place the two of us steal off to on those rare times when just the two of us feel like getting out of the house and driving the short distance from our suburban home into the city.

It was the grownups who finished off this glorious day, enjoying a fine meal with Mike and Amy at the Cafe Septieme in Seattle's Capital Hill neighborhood. It was at this same cafe that the four of us dined on my wife's very first day in Seattle eleven short years ago.

Good times.

The Cherries are In!

I look forward to this time each year when our cherry crop comes in. It always happens the week of July 4th, and this year our cherry crop was a good one.

This means the wife whips up a delicious cherry cobbler or two, a dish she has become an expert at preparing.

My daughter was insistent that this year she be allowed up on the ladder while we gather cherries. She prefers it to her long-held job of standing at the base of the ladder with the bowl as I, risking life and limb by standing foolishly on the very top step of the ladder, attempt to reach the highest branches on the tree.

And did I mention the cobbler? Delicious!

Serving Our Country

Last week I attended a change of command ceremony for the 8th Airlift Squadron at the invitation of my good friend Steve, at the Air Force base here. (I hope he doesn’t mind me posting this.)

For a civilian it was an honor to receive an invitation to attend, and very cool to mingle with Steve and his family and the other squadron members and base officers at a reception aboard a C-17. (How those behemoths can get off the ground in the first place is beyond me, but I digress.)

The ceremony itself was memorable, and Steve’s eloquent speech to the squadron and its guests nearly moved me to tears. It’s great seeing old friends achieve success in their chosen fields, and as far as Steve is concerned, June 18 was no exception. He’s a fine officer and an even finer friend.

My best to you, old buddy, as you take on new challenges. The work you do for our country and for me, as an American, is so often underappreciated. But without you and the others serving our country in uniform, the United States would not be the remarkable place that it is.

June 18 was a day that I was not only proud to be an American, but ever so proud to be a friend of one who has made countless sacrifices to serve our great country.

A Blast from the Past - 1994

Todd and his floozy somewhere in North Charleson, SC.

Welcome Summer

The days are getting longer, and my summer is off to a great beginning. Here's what's been going on:

I am sitting up watching some great old movies on TCM: Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford and Casablanca, a movie I never tire of. This, after taking in a pair of movies at the Seattle Film Festival this morning.

I've been blogging about a few of the many films I have seen thus far at SIFF here.

Recently, on a trip to the Pike Place Market, we visited the famous Shoe Museum. They have some very large shoes there.

Soccer season wrapped up. I am going to miss the Saturday games.

I chaperoned my daughter's field trip to the zoo last week. Chaperoning second graders on a field trip can be very exhausting.

My daughter asked me to shave for the field trip, but the morning got away from us. I have not shaved since May 22.

I have been watching the old Bob Newhart Show on DVD, with Suzanne Pleshette. What a great show.

I found eleven blog posts saved that I never uploaded. They include two bits about being a frequent flyer (which I haven't been in more than a year), a piece from March 14th about looking for spring which included a photo during my commute with four inches of snow on the hood of my car, and a few blasts from the past. Perhaps I'll post a few of these soon.

We sold our house. The challenge now is finding somewhere to go.

Saved on Easter Sunday (15%)

Easter morning! Happy Easter, everyone!

My first greeting on this holy day came via email, from a Mr. J.C. Penney. "Happy Easter!" the email exclaimed.

Then I was reminded to take 15% off on my purchases today.

As Charlie Brown might say, "Good grief!"

Soon we'll be pressured to exchange Easter gifts. Is nothing sacred anymore?

Mac and Cheese

What kid does not like macaroni and cheese? But it's one of those things I usually don't allow my daughter to order from the kid's menu at restaurants. "You need to order something healthy," I tell her.

Unless of course we are at Beecher's, a cheese shop at the Seattle Market that sells, well, cheese. We stopped in recently where I picked up a half pound of their smooth Havarti for snacking. Their cream cheese is heavenly on a toasted bagel, but it's expensive and I don't eat bagels very often.

Beecher's is known, however, for their signature white cheddar, which is sharp and very flavorful.

Aside from selling cheese, they do offer one hot item: macaroni and cheese, made with their signature cheddar. It is heavy, filling and delicious, and marks one of only two mac and cheese dishes in Seattle I would consider a meal.

The other is served at the 13 Coins, and only on Mondays. That steaming bowl of cheesy pasta is cooked with Bacon, which adds a hearty element to simple pasta and cheese that I have yet to taste anywhere else.

My Little TV

I have a little TV. It dates back to my bachelor days, and for years now it has been in the bedroom. When we got DirecTV and the Bose Lifestyle system a couple of years ago I did not bother to put the satellite TV in the bedroom. I just hooked up the old VCR/DVD combo to the little TV and that was that.

The one problem with the little TV is that the power button somehow fell into the TV case, and you could only turn the TV on or off with the remote. I did manage, on occasion, to reach my pinky finger into the hole that occupied the space where the power button had been and find it inside the TV case and could operate the power switch that way, but it was difficult and hurt my finger.

(I will add here that my wife suspects the TV power button was broken some seven or so years ago by the fat super that used to work in our building, back when we lived in the city. She alleges that the fat super would come into our apartment and hang out and watch TV. No proof, however, ever materialized, save for his suspicious nature and his fat suspicious fingers.)

A few months ago I bought a new VCR/DVD recorder combo and a flat screen for the bedroom and the little TV was delegated to the garage with all the other stuff we no longer use.

Which brings me to today.

I decided to get rid of the TV (maybe ten bucks on Craig's List?) and so set about to repair the power button. I took the back off the TV and was surprised at the sheer amount of wires, circuit boards and other plastic doo-dads surrounding the picture tube on the inside of the little TV. I managed to fish out the power button from inside the casing but the space was too tight for me to adequately place it where it was supposed to go, so I went about removing the big circuit board.

With each bit of progress I made in guiding the errant power button back into its proper position, some wire would pop off, or one of the little doo-dads would roll out of the TV and onto the floor.

By the time I had the power button back in place, I had to figure out where all of the wires and doo-dads went, and set about restoring the guts of the little TV.

When the casing was screwed back into place I tested out the power button. Click. Click. As good as new. I was pleased with my resourcefulness and fancied myself something of a technical Mr. Fixit.

Plugging the TV in to test out my handiwork I found that, although the power button was back in its hole for the first time in nearly a decade, and went click click like it was supposed to, nothing else -- and I mean nothing else -- worked at all! No sound. No picture. No hum when the little TV was plugged in and the power button pressed. Not even the remote managed to turn the cursed thing on.

Now my little TV is dead, but far from gone. I will have to find a place to recycle it. It has become a burden now, sitting atop the dog's crate in the garage an eyesore and constant reminder of my inability to repair much of anything.

Oh, what I would have given for the talents of the fat super just one more time.

Where in the World?

This 16-foot tall brass rendering is the only statue of Vladimir Lenin ever created depicting him as a revolutionary. Other monuments to Lenin portray him as a statesman. His figure here is augmented by a stack of rifles and flames.

Does your dog have a license?

I saw a notice that came in the mail reminding us to renew our dog’s license. What is the purpose of the pet license? I can understand having a license to operate a motor vehicle, or to practice medicine. The state has a responsibility to ensure that those extended the priviledge of driving a car or stitching up patients more or less understand what it is that they are doing and are held to account by the government.

But a license to exist as a pet? After all, I noticed that the license is in the dog’s name, and not ours. The license is hers. She carries it around with her everywhere she goes. I do the same thing with my drivers license.

I suppose it’s a good thing to have a registry of pets centrally located in the event one’s pet turns up lost and finds its way into the pound. That’s worth paying for.

Could it possibly be that a dog license in the county is nothing but a …. TAX? A tax on pets? I can only imagine the first guy to think up taxing our pets driving around thinking, there must be thousands of dogs in this town. Hmmm.

Seasoned Traveler

My daughter is such a seasoned traveler that I can forget she's a child.

We've taken many trips together across the country, and she's logged a couple hundred thousand air miles before age eight, an age at which I had never even flown. We were on the road (and in the air) again together last week.

While browsing magazines in the C Terminal at the Atlanta airport she says, "No time for that Dad. We've got to pop down to A terminal for some takeout before hopping the 57 at B-31. We board in twenty minutes and we've got a sweet zone number. Flight's overbooked so we can't take chances. Let's get moving!"

This while she was purchasing a novelization of the movie Igor with her debit card, which was declined.

Sleeping In

I slept in this morning for the first time in…I honestly don't recall. I awoke naturally, at 10 am, refreshed, my mind and body having slept without the daily interruption of the cursed alarm clock. My wife was hours gone, off to class, and I bolted out of bed to discover that my daughter, who has been know to rise at 5:30 in the morning on weekdays in order to watch cartoons on BOOM, was fast asleep.

She lumbered downstairs about an hour later, giving me time to enjoy a couple of cups of coffee.

We enjoyed a nice day of it: brunch, errands to the bank, the cleaners, the pharmacy, Starbucks.

I need to figure out a way to continue the run, waking naturally and rising not when my alarm clock tells me to, but when my body does.

Open Wide. No, Wider.

I was taken by surprise today, not having realized I had a dental appointment.

I don't like dental appointments, and this was a new dentist.

At least it was quick.

It was odd that she wore little plastic baggie things on her hands, and not the usual rubber gloves. But whatever.

She examined my teeth and told me I had four fillings and one crooked tooth.

Then my teeth were cleaned. I hate the whine of that electric tooth cleaner, but the toothpaste was minty and fresh.

I spit in a receptacle that resembled a cowboy boot.

The dentist then stuffed cotton balls, coated with a minty blue substance, into my mouth and I lay there for a while before they were removed. Water was then poured into my mouth from a canteen and I was forced to get out of the chair and spit into a sink located in another room.

At that point it was all over, and I was given a piece of paper with a follow-up appointment that read:

Clean? YES
Next Appointment: Friday Jan 30 $7:30

And it was signed.

Those Meddling Kids

I saw their van parked in a lot downtown, and could only wonder what ghoulish mystery was afoot in our rainy city.


My daughter asked me if they had their dog with them, but I replied I only saw their van.

(On a related note, I heard Scrappy had mange and died. I do hope that is true.)

In answer to George's Question

Yes, as a matter of fact, she does wear trenchcoats and fedoras.

Like Father Like Daughter

I read in the paper the other day that Seattle is no longer the most caffeinated city in America. Tampa, Florida, takes first place. Yet Seattle remains the coffee capital of the world. Tampa takes the top caffeine award due to the consumption of massive quantities of iced tea, chocolate and energy drinks.

Make mine a double tall non-fat hazelnut latte.

My daughter will take a house drip with cream and sugar. This kid is a grumpus in the morning until she has her coffee.

Just like her Dad.

No Late Fees?

It's embarrassing how few movies I have watched at home during the latter part of 2008. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that the three movies that had arrived from Netflix in back in May were still floating around the house.

Lars and the Real Girl was unwatched. I did manage to view the first half hour or so of Felini's 8 1/2, but the wife would have nothing to do with it so I turned it off. The same went for Truffaut's Day for Night -- I caught but the first part of the movie and that was it.

All three movies arrived about the time the Seattle Film Festival was starting, and I had shelved them for viewing later on. During the festival I would see two, three or four movies a day, and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home is watch a movie on DVD.

So right before New Year's, some seven months after they had arrived, I collected my rented DVDs and dropped them in the mail. Three DVD's, seven months late, and no late fees.

While I am on the subject of late fees, I know someone who has three items checked out of the Lexington County Public Library which are stamped due (yes, stamped) November 16, 1978.

Can anyone venture an estimate on what my, er, my friend's late fees would be were he to return the books on February 1 of this year?

A Blast from the Past - 1986

Twenty-two years ago, the school pictured in the background was never "ugly" in my mind. By today's standards, however....

The two nameless persons pictured left were accused of hijacking their senior yearbook. Hogwash. They merely stepped up to the plate and provided the lion's share of the content. The photo at left is one of many pictures of themselves that never made it into the final edition.

Photo by Malcolm, taken for the high school yearbook, from my personal files.

List Mania!

I saw this list on Mot’s blog and it got me thinking… so here goes:

8 TV Shows I Watch

Wow - this is a hard one, as I don’t follow any regular TV show. But here goes:

• The Rockford Files (on DVD -- thanks, Dad and Mimi)
• The News
• America’s Funniest Home Videos (I can't help it, I love that Tom Bergeron!)
• Boston Legal (only once this season, but it was the finale and Spader and Shatner were brilliant!)
• The American Kennel Club Dog Show Best in Show show, or whatever it's called, starring J. Peterman, every year after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade (including this year, and we had to return to our hotel room at the Marquis in Times Square after attending the parade in person to see it, perhaps to the chagrin of my wife)
• The occasional program I’ll stop at when clicking around (this could be anything, but usually it's something on History, Bio, or Discovery (William Shatner's Raw Nerve is a good one)
• Movies on MGMHD, UniversalHD, et al.
• The occasional 60’s or 70’s sitcom on TV Land when I find it (Andy Griffith a favorite)

I think that’s it for regular viewing - I‘ll add a new category:

More Shows I Wished I Watched

• Pushing Daisies (saw it twice when it premiered, thought it clever… is it still on?)
• 24 (saw it twice, both times at my sister’s house two or three years apart, including the two-hour TV movie last Thanksgiving week. And I loved it. What a great show -- tight writing, crisp direction…I could actually watch this if I want to give in to the TV demons)

8 Favorite Restaurants

• El Gaucho (best room in Seattle)
• Carmine’s (New York)
• The Metropolitan Grill (oh my, is the porterhouse to die for)
• Salty’s (named for a bald eagle that once nested outside the restaurant)
• Lizard’s Thicket (when visiting South Carolina this is a MUST STOP, as there are no options for a “meat and three” in the Northwest)
• Hyman’s (a regular stop when in Charleston, SC)
• Duke’s (best chowder in town, though I have yet to run into Marty Crane)
• Morton’s (Washington D.C., Chicago, Seattle: my first trip to Morton’s Seattle with my friend Ritter was last week, and we split a 24 oz. porter house, carved at our table -- the fillet side of the porterhouse was like cutting into a stick of butter. It was rich and succulent and spectacular!)

8 Things that Happened Today/Yesterday

• Snow has turned to rain, and I am thankful
• Christmas Day -- family, a great meal thanks to my wife, a happy child
• NOTHING happened at work today, which is a happening unto itself
• Saw some pictures of my new nephew, Boo
• Received some love from my grandmother over the phone
• My daughter hugged me and told me she loved me
• Received Swedish meatballs (I could not find lunch as everything within a block of the office was closed except McDonald's and I passed on that, and I did not want to walk more than a block in the rain. When I returned to the office to report my failure, Cathy gave me a frozen Lean Cuisine, bless her!)
• Received Christmas cards from Lori and Mike, Lorri and Dan, Uncle Ron and Aunt Cindy.

8 things I look forward to

• The new year with great and exciting changes!
• A flick with my friend Mike, who has been away for some weeks now caring for an ailing father
• The Obama effect -- change for the better in unemployment, taxes, property values, Iraq, and a substantial rise in my positions in my brokerage account
• A new bathroom upstairs
• My daughter’s birthday
• Snowmobiling next weekend -- Matt’s tuned up my sled and it’s time to break out the gear!
• A family trip to British Columbia (my daughter now has her passport!)
• Reading my wife’s novel

8 Things I Wish/Pray For

• A full recovery for Mike’s dad
• That my daughter is safe and happy
• My grandmother, who has moved to a new assisted living home
• The health and happiness of my new nephew, Boo
• Comfort for the family of a coworker whose Dad passed away on Christmas Day
• My families in South Carolina and Denver
• Comfort for the poor and struggling
• I hope my homeless friend, Pardion, is able to publish his book

Snow Sunday

Several times my friend Dan and I have attended the last regular season Seahawks home game together. Today's game is extra special, as it not only brings Favre and the Jets to town but it is coach Holmgren's final home game in Seattle.

But not this game. Not today. We'll let our seats catch snowflakes.

I'm not planning on spending too much time away from the house today.

Last night, during the storm, my daughter's Christmas yard swine blew over and was completely covered by new snowfall. The only indication that it is there is an eerie pink glow emanating from the blanket of white snow.

I only hope the Ritters made it back to Ritterhaus last night through the swirling snow and wind.

Christmastime

For the past several years my daughter has sought a yard display of some sort for the holidays. She had previously expressed interest in littering the lawn with tombstones for Halloween, an idea which I quickly vetoed. A Christmas display was more palatable, I told her, and she did not forget what she took from me back in October to be a promise.

Last weekend while we were shopping she took the liberty of creating an arrangement in the store aisle with the outdoor Christmas display items and announced that this would be our yard display. "I have cash, you have cash, together we'll get this stuff. I'll pay six dollars." She handed me two fives and asked for four ones back. "You pay the rest," she instructed.

When the goods were rung up at the register I had a Dave Ramsey moment but swallowed it for the sake of a child's Christmas.

My wife inquired as to what was in the boxes in the back of the rig.

"Yard displays."

I pointed out that our daughter did not elect for a traditional display, nor for a sacred one. "She wanted a pig," I said. "A Christmas pig."

Oink!

A Briefing about November

November was such a busy month that when I blinked it was gone.

Mike and I enjoyed our annual film festival, something I look forward to almost as much as Seattle's International Film Festival. (Though this year due to time constraints and my travel schedule the events were somewhat abbreviated.)

But it was a good month, filled with adventures and some
good times, and remains an appropriate introduction to this present holiday season.

A trip to New York for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was memorable for many reasons: the restaurants, shows, comfortable accommodations and the parade itself.

Our daughter stayed with family while we were away, and I am told that a highlight of her time with relatives was a sleepover at her cousin Lindsay's.

And speaking of our daughter: following an exchange of letters and photographs, she made a date with an old friend, Darian, and the two (chaperoned by the kids' dads) decided to meet at the Woodland Park Zoo. The kids had a ball, and the dads spent their time running after the two lunatics.

We finished off November and the first day of December back in South Carolina for a few days with family before returning to the Pacific Northwest.

And now with December well under way, and the holidays upon us, we hope to create more memories.

We took my daughter to her first symphonic concert on Friday night. She was resistant at first, recalling our disastrous outing to see the Transiberian Orchestra a few years back. But she said she was willing to try it. The evening also served as my first outing to the Seattle Pops as well, though I have seen performances at the hall.

Poor logistical planning on my part kept us from attending the Figgy Pudding Festival before the show, so we merely walked through it on the way to Beneroya Hall.

As it turned out the show was terrific and held enormous appeal for the kids. Conductor Marvin Hamlisch speaks to and interacts with his audience -- he is as much an entertainer as he is a conductor and great composer. Santa made an appearance and sang a couple of tunes (he's coming to town, you know!) And my daughter was partially won over.

Here is a review of the program, courtesy my seven-year-old:

The Seattle Pops: for a child it was pretty much okay, but it was long and we sat in the back row. And it did not snow in the back row, and I was disappointed. The best part was when Santa came, and Intermission, because I was hungry and I got to eat a chocolate mousse with a cookie on top. I liked Christmasy songs like “Winter Wonderland.” [The conductor] was famous and funny and I don’t think the Santa Claus was real. The conductor said he called him (Santa) but I don’t think anyone knows what Santa’s phone number is.

Forgetting One's Birthday

Something I have long feared about getting older: that birthdays will lose their magic.

I celebrated my birthday last week along with Ed Harris, Jon Stewart, Randy Newman and Judd Nelson. Anna Nichole Smith, I also learned, was born on the same year and day that I was.

We were in New York for the week while our daughter stayed with her grandparents. My wife wanted to go to Rockefeller Center to see Manilow (known in our home merely as 'Barry' or sometimes 'Barris') and just before he went on stage my daughter called me up on my cell phone and said, "Happy Birthday, Dad." And up to that moment the fact that it was my birthday had escaped both me and my wife.

Leave it to a seven-year-old to remember what's important. And leave it to a seven year old to bring a little excitement back into one's birthday by being the only one in the family to remember it.

(In their defense, pals Todd and Mike would chime in shortly thereafter with emailed birthday wishes of their own).

So here's a belated happy birthday wish to Dave's late-night buddy and bandleader Paul Shaffer!

More Selections from the Pacific Grits Diary

Once again I am delving into the old diary for some highlights from the past year.

Sunday, October 28, 2007


I saw something about the Geico caveman TV show, wherein it was referred to as a “travesty of television.” Nothing could have pleased me more.


I watched a trailer for a new vampire movie, and was stuck how classless vampires have become in the past thirty or forty years. At one time, vampires took pride in their appearance: tuxedo, medal, silk-line cape. They were immaculately groomed and kept their fangs sharpened. Now, the vampires you see walking around look like street kids. Where do they keep their coffins?



Monday March 17, 2008 St. Patrick’s Day


Went to court to fight my ticket for running a red light near Sea-Tac airport on January 10. I was in Denver at the time of the infraction. These people are mad. The judge dismissed my case outright.



Sunday, April 20, 2008


My friend Mike, who lives a few miles away down in the valley, posted this: "I can't believe it's snowing again."10 AM Sunday: the thermometer on the back porch reads 50 degrees. The sun is out, yet snow and hail are raining down fairly hard this morning. It's either snow and hail, or the fallout.

Selections from the Pacific Grits Diary

Friday, September 29, 2006


Mom’s birthday – called her from Emerald Downs. I bet on a horse called Linda J in honor of mom’s birthday, long odds. But no dice, lost the $5 plus fifty more, then experienced a slight resurgence betting on some short odds ponies in the sixth and seventh races.



Friday, October 13, 2006


The Steve Johnson Fan Club 2006 Conference was under way today. The event was a smashing success, despite miserably low recruiting levels. I was presented with a nice pen for my service to the organization.



Friday, October 12, 2007

I assisted my sister, working with cosmetics professionals, in choosing her new scent. I steered her toward natural essences, and she seems pleased.



Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Eduardo’s Pizza. Mmmmmm. Connie’s is good, Pizzeria Uno and Pizza Duo are very good: Eduardo’s is nearly as good as Gino’s East, the best deep dish I’ve found in Chicago. I relish every opportunity I have to partake of this monstrous delicacy they call Chicago Style pizza. And only in the Windy City, oh yeah!

The Law of the Quantum of Solace

I was just reading a recent copy of the Gleaner. There is a farming slump on, and the potential for a downturn in the banana sector. I read the sports standings as well, as I follow the Western Basketball Division Frutra/Oasis Purified Water Development League.

The Gleaner, Jamaica's newspaper, is referenced in several of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. The Bond of the books spent much of his time in the Caribbean. Fleming's short story, "Quantum of Solace," is collected with short stories "From a View to a Kill," "For Your Eyes Only," "Risico" and "The Hildebrand Party" in For Your Eyes Only. The title "Quantum of Solace" comes from a line of dialogue in the story.

The story, less than 20 pages long, is set in Nassau, the Bahamas, and is a story within a story, told by Nassau's Governor to James Bond following a dinner party.

I actually find the back story to this short story rather fascinating, though it is not explored. Bond happens to be in the Bahamas because the US Coast Guard is onto arms smuggling out of Miami to Castro's rebels in Cuba, so bases have been set up in the Bahamas and Jamaica to facilitate the arming of the Cuban rebels. Bond is there to stop it, and while in Nassau its Governor entertains Bond with an odd tale about the fate of a marriage.

And in the telling of this sordid tale the Governor uses the phrase "The Law of the Quantum of Solace."

The Law of the Quantum of Solace states that relationships can withstand many things -- infidelity, crimes, disease. But there is a point wherein civility no longer exists, and one person in the relationship does not care if the other is alive or dead. It becomes a matter of self preservation at that point, for the other.

Whether or not the new new Marc Forster film has anything remotely to do with Fleming's short story remains to be seen. But perhaps the essence of Governor's Law will remain intact. We'll find out on November 14.

Calling the Election

The Pacific Grits blog is calling the 2008 presidential election for Barack "Barry" Obama at 12:30 PM Eastern Time, before any of the polls have closed.

Pacific Grits gives Obama/Biden 336 electoral votes to the McCain/Palin campaign's 202. Our crack squad of pollsters surveyed three people and have projected that Obama will win both Ohio and Florida, two toss-up states that McCain must win in order to get the 272 electoral votes needed to take the election. The projected loss of both Ohio and Florida effectively eliminates McCain from the race (PacGrits Poll Margin of Error +/- 87%).

An exit-type poll of former Arizona residents indicates that his aunt is voting for Obama, but his mother and other aunt are voting for McCain, giving McCain the edge in his home state. But swing states Arizona, Montana and the Dakotas do not have enough electoral power to dig McCain out of the electoral morass.

The presence Alaska's Governor Palin on the GOP ticket virtually assures a win there, but Alaska's three electoral votes will not be enough to change the election's outcome. (Pictured at left: Palin at the North Pole.)

Pacific Grits anticipates the swearing in of Obama on January 20th, 2009, and the arrival of the much ballyhooed change and prosperity some time between 10:30 AM and noon on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009.

A Blast from the Past - 1992

Dateline Santa Monica, California. Chris always had a thing for horsies.

Slopping Up the Bathroom

My daughter described something to me she calls "slopping up the bathroom."

"You throw stuff on the floor, tissue all over the floor, and stuff in the toilets and put water everywhere so it slops up."

Apparently this friend of hers has slopped up the bathroom at school a few times this year and last.

"Have you ever slopped up the bathroom?" I asked.

"Once."

"Tell me about it."

She replied: "Those chapters in my memory seem to be missing."

A Blast from the Past - 1986

I found a photograph of these kids hanging around managing somehow to avoid trouble. I wonder who they all are?

Noticeably absent are Todd and Chuck.

I will speculate as to their exact whereabouts at the time this photo was taken.

Todd, at the time this photo was taken, was busy watching TV and babysitting with a bus driver who will remain nameless.

Chuck, ironically, was with his father surreptitiously letting the air out of the bus belonging to this very same aforementioned bus driver. It is also interesting to speculate that Todd, Chuck and bus were all in the immediately proximity of less than one block from one another.

An Election Year Past

Thanks to Chuck for his fact-checking. I have revised this post accordingly.

Twelve years ago I met a GOP presidential candidate, an older, Senate stalwart with an attractive wife and a strong record of military and political service, who ran against a young Democratic incumbent.

The elder statesman lost the election.


Pictured: my sister with the failed GOP candidate.

Road Trip to the North Cascades

Back in September I took the family and my parents for a drive (a rather lengthy one, as it turned out) through the North Cascade Mountains. The day was spectacular and we all had a great time. Highlights of the trip consisted of miniature golf and a stop in an orchard for some fresh-from-the-tree apples. The day took me back to my own childhood, where a drive into the mountains with my own grandparents was a not uncommon occurrence during the summer months.

Saturday Summation

• I bought some soccer socks for my daughter while I was out the other day and left them in a bag on my desk. When I got home from work last night I found a note from my daughter advising me of my missteps in the procurement of new soccer socks.



• I need to go down to the Sports Authority (motto: "Our service could not possibly be any worse!") and return some socks today.



• Speaking of Sports Authority, when I was in there recently and asked this girl if they sold warm up suits in youth sizes she said, "Uh, um... well, I'm new here. We sell athletic attire, if that's what you mean." I bought the socks and left.



• I encourage everyone to get your information on the present economic issues from a knowledgeable source, and not the local news. I am amazed how much inaccurate reporting there has been out there. And that's just on the easy stuff . One Seattle TV news anchor did not know what a recession was versus a depression.



• It's a good time to pick up some bargains.



• Even without new socks my daughter's soccer team won today (although they "win" every week, as no score is kept for the 5-7 year olds). Not only that, she scored her first goal ever.



• Todd was lamenting that few of the old gang were blogging much these days and had little to say about important subjects, politics among them. I have one comment. No, two. One, I will be glad when this election is over. Two, I will be happy when Obama and Biden start running against McCain and Palin instead of George Bush. Although that strategy seems to be working, so I don't know why anything should change. But long before this election I had read much about McCain, his politics and history with Bush, and he is as much like Bush as Obama is to Osama. There. Off my chest.
  
  
• One of the ESPN channels went to the Kentucky/South Carolina game today during the fourth quarter. The unexpected airing and the Gamecocks' victory made my afternoon.
  
  
• Happy weekend, everyone!

The Rainy Season Returns

Someone Once Told Me Daughters Were More Expensive

A bathrobe, two outfits and a leather jacket later, she asked for her supper. A ribeye. Medium Rare.

My daughter shops with Daddy and her grandparents.

Obama Slams Palin for Lacking in Foreign Policy Experience

On the heels of John McCain's appointment of Palin as the GOP Vice Presidential nominee, the Obama camp was quick to respond with the accusation that Palin was unfit for the office because he lacked foreign policy experience.

Palin was quoted as saying, "Look, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!"

Above: Michael Palin Friday on the campaign trail.

McCain Picks Palin for Running Mate

McCain picks Palin for running mate


Python to be first comedic vice-presidential candidate for Republicans.

Odd that on the morning after Obama's historic speech in Denver that his opponent runs away with the headlines with a historic announcement of his own.

McCain's choice for a VP will doubtless be controversial, but the move on the part of the presumptive GOP nominee was without a doubt calculated to trump the Dems' post-convention press.

FULL STORY

Light Reading About Benefits

I actually sat down yesterday and read all 108 pages of my medical benefits guide. Every word. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. It makes for enlightening reading.

What I found most interesting was contained in the pages that addressed all of the things that are not covered by my medical plan. There were a few that made sense to me, including missed medical appointment charges, injuries sustained while in the military and housekeeping services. (Have you ever tried sending your housekeeper’s bill to your medical insurance company? If so, let me know how that went. I am looking for someone to underwrite maid service around here.)

Then there were a few things which are not covered under my plan which cause me great concern:

Morbid obesity. Perhaps I need to think twice about that late-night snack quart of ice cream.

Dyslexia. Are there medicatoins for tihs conditoin, or dotcors who treat ti?

Attempted Suicide. So should I fail to kill myself, then all the hospital bills come directly to me, further depressing me. Which could lead to another attempt.

Suicide. Aren’t we a little late for medical care at this point? I think funeral expenses become more likely than medical ones.

Injuries sustained during the commission of a felony. A reason to stay on the straight and narrow, I suppose. If I get shot by a cop while trying to rip off a 7-11 I suppose I deserve to pay for my own medical treatment.

Insanity. No kidding. It actually said, "insanity." Correct me if I am wrong, but are the insane that concerned with medical benefits anyway? I don’t think the Joker was too worried about who was going to be paying his doctor bills.

Warm, Soft Cash

Why is it that currency one receives in change from convenience stores is always so nasty? It's crinkly and soft and warm, sometimes sticky. Where do these bills come from? I don't get that kind of well-worn change at the supermarket, or in a restaurant. And at the bank the bills are nice and crisp. It's only at convenience stores that one finds the dregs of currency.


One of these days I may ship one of those nasty one dollar bills off to a lab and see what they can tell me.

In the mean time, I am telling my 7-11 clerks, "Coinage only, please!"

Exit The Yard Boys, Enter Hector

Back in 2007 I picked up a couple of yard boys, Seamus and Dillon. They came weekly and did a decent job for me. I was impressed at how, lacking proper tooling, Dillon performed all of my edging on his hands and knees with pruning shears.

He earned his meager wage.

And then, around late August or early September of last year, they abruptly stopped showing up on weekends.

On Halloween of 2007, Seamus came trick-or-treating at my door. I recognized the little weasel right away, and asked him what happened.

"My partner moved away and took all the equipment with him."

Fair enough.

Fast forward to early April of this year, Spring Break. Seamus and Dillon appeared at my door looking for work. Surprise, surprise! It seems Dillon was up visiting from wherever he moved to, and the boys were looking for a little cash. We struck a deal before they told me I had to provide the equipment. No problem. I imagine their old mower is in Dillion's father's garage, somewhere far away. So they did their work, did a good job, and I paid them.

History repeats itself. I haven't heard from them since.

July arrived and I was weeks behind on trimming and mowing. My wife, weary of my constant griping about not having time to mow the lawn, arranged for a person called Hector to take care of the yard.

I left for work on Hector's first day. The grass was above my ankles. When I returned home I could not believe how good things looked. This Hector is obviously a professional, and his work is far superior to my own.

He comes and goes quite mysteriously. I don't even know what he looks like. I only know that I will be billed by mail.

As far as I am concerned, he's on the payroll. Downside is, I will miss lording over the yard boys with comments like, "Uh-oh, I see a weed over there, no cash until it's gone," or "I'd rather you edge the fence with pruning shears."

The other downside is this: we waited until July to retain Hector, which is the start of the dry season. During the dry season the grass browns a bit and will not grow unless it is sprinkled daily. I have a sprinkler system, and used it several years ago and kept a nice lawn during the arid season. But the $349.00 water bill put me off of green lawns during the dry season.

So we bring Hector on at a time when there is little to mow. Oh well. I'll be thankful for his work come March.

Bathroom Remodel Update QUIZ

The bathroom remodel is complete, and we are pleased with the results.

It’s a very different bathroom. My wife was point on the project, and it looks really good. The décor in the photograph was coordinated by my wife, save the small hand towel which just appeared one day. My daughter took credit for that one. I am not sure where it came from, but I rather like the attitude its message suggests.

The previous décor was vastly different. On the same wall which now features the Michelangelo, there were four items framed in black, which sprung from my wife's sense of humor but which were all very much me.

The first was a photograph of Janet Leigh from the movie Psycho, screaming in the shower.

The other three were bathroom-related quotes, black text on white. I am reproducing the framed quotes below.

Can you identify the source of each of these exchanges?

A.

“Do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to take a bath.”
“I’ll alert the media.”

“Do you want to run my bath for me?”
“It’s what I live for.”

B.

“No, I don’t have a square to spare. I can’t spare a square.”
“Oh, is it two-ply? Because if it’s two-ply I’ll take one ply. One ply! One puny little ply! I’ll take one measly ply!”
“Look, I don’t have a square and I don’t have a ply.”

C.

“All I want is a truce.”
“I have to go to the bathroom. Is that all right?”
“You gotta go, you gotta go.”
“I already frisked him. He’s clean.”

Today's Bible Story

My daughter told me the following Bible story this morning:

“These people, the Israelites, were going to kill a bull, but instead they built an idol. It was a small idol, a small bull. They built it and had an idol party. Then, he shows up and says, ‘Hey, hold on, people, time out!’ They were all in big trouble.”

“Was that Moses who showed up?” I asked.

“No, Moses was too busy running around collecting gold for the idol. It was Moses’ brother. And it was his brother’s friend who was behind the whole thing. When Moses found out, he put his brother’s friend in a treasure chest and said, “Don’t ever, ever do that again!”

“There’s another story about two guys who take a sword up and go camping between two houses, and lose the sword. But I don’t remember if that one was in the Bible or not.”

A Few Words About Animals

It can be tough to lose a pet. When Tom, my secretary, discovered that his cat had died, he was a basket case for a week. "If you see me dash unexpectedly out of the office," he said, "I wanted you to know why."

I see fliers on telephone poles with photos of cute dogs and cats who have gone missing, and I know the people who belong to these missing pets must be worried sick.

In our neighborhood fliers went out this week about a missing turtle. No doubt a beloved turtle, as it had been photographed on the pillow of a human bed. The Turtle Lady, out canvassing this morning, knocked on our door and asked to search our yard.

I saw two fairly large raccoons in one of the cherry trees last night. I figure if the turtle was back there yesterday, the Turtle Lady might find his shell today.

Do raccoons eat turtles? I don't see why they wouldn't.

Our dog has not gone missing. In fact, she has increased her comings and goings since figuring out how to open the back door.

Now she won't stay outside. If she gets tired of being out there, she just comes right on in when she feels like it. But she has not learned to shut the door, however, and the problem this has created is that yesterday alone I chased down two crane flies and about half a dozen moths.

By the way, while you're out looking for turtles, keep an eye out for my sister's turtle as well. He has three legs and does not respond to the name "Ahab."

Friends in Advertising

I found this somewhat dated phone company brochure about cordless phone accessories which features my old friend Alan, obviously taken during his half-hearted attempt at fashioning a modeling career for himself.

I would be curious as to whether or not he appears in any other ads.

Too Many Cables

Why is it that my life is dominated by cables? I have so many that I took the label maker out and labeled them. The Nikon, a couple of video cameras, the cables for my Studio editing software, cell phones, Palm pilots, electric razors, the MPE player, handfuls of incompatible chargers -- it's insane. And don't get me started with the home media center stuff.

I had a number of maddening entertainment center components until last spring: DirecTV box, receiver, DVD, VHS, turntable, DVR, not to mention the TV. And all of it interconnected with cables.

So in April of 2007, after weeks of research, I chucked the whole thing and went with the Bose Lifestyle and a Sony Bravia TV. The entertainment center was sold on Craig's List and we bought a simple TV stand, underneath which is the sound system and the DirecTV box -- that's it. And with HDMI and optical audio, cabling has become simplified. And the whole living room became simple and clutter-free for the first time in our marriage.

Which brings me to a last month. My family was shopping at Target and my daughter and I stopped at the XBox demo. "Let's try out some games," I told her, and we ran through the demo. I hadn't played a video game console since 1995. We found a race car game we both liked, and I told my daughter I would buy it for her. My wife interjected: "We don't have an XBox."

But we did. It had been in the living room, unopened in its box, for months. "What did you think that thing was?" I asked.

"I don't know. Why haven't you hooked it up?"

"Where would we put it? Besides, I don't want all those cables everywhere."

So I have one XBox racing game, and a box that says XBox 360 Elite (which I procured at a charity auction by virtue of the fact it was the only thing on the list that I would be even remotely interested in) which have yet to be opened. I may not even know what happened to that game. But it's getting to the point where I may have to do something. It may mean a few more cables (my guess is three, four if I want to do the on-line thing).

But I am restless tonight so maybe I will change my mind. Anyone care to recommend any games?

Above: My video game console now languishes in the garage.

Hot Enought for Me

I saw a list of cities on MSNBC which were rated as the sweatiest in the nation. At no. 1 Phoenix was the sweatiest, and San Francisco, ranked 100, was listed as the unsweatiest.

After two days of record temperatures in Seattle this weekend -- Saturday and Sunday we hit 91 degrees -- I have to confess that I did a rare thing yesterday evening and went to dinner in jeans and a tee shirt. Way too hot for a collar.

There was some sweating going on. It was probably 87 degrees in the house.

The list was based on meteorological data and not some cultural "Sweatin' to the Oldies" countdown, so took the information to be more-or-less accurate. And it does hold up to my personal experience, as well.

A few highlights:

2. Las Vegas
8. Tampa
13. Birmingham
24. Columbia, SC
33. Charleston, SC
43. Atlanta, GA
48. Washington, DC
61. Charleston, WV
67. Chicago
80. Boston
94. Green Bay
99. Seattle

Shower, Anyone?

This is the point in one's bathroom remodel that wisdom prevails and one calls in the contractor.

Actually, we're a little further along since this photo was taken.

I recall the painter, Eldin, from the TV series Murphy Brown. He was a great guy, but never seemed to actually finish painting Murphy's house.

Our painter, who is a first-rate commercial painter (he's done work for me commercially for 8 years), has been retained for the bathroom job, repairing drywall, fixing the ceiling and of course painting. It's a small bathroom, and I am amused that he's worked in fits and starts thus far. I would figure one could knock out this job in a day or two, but Eldin has been at this bathroom for weeks, popping in for 15 minutes here and there, patching a hole or sanding something and hanging out with the dog.

We hope to have the project complete before we sell the house.

In four of five years.

An Update on the New Job

More than a month into my transition to a new career I find that things are progressing swimmingly.

I have been put in charge of the Penske file, and during the past month I have successfully transferred the contents of the Penske file into a fancy, accordion-style binder.

I truly believe I am Penske material. Penske nearly said so himself before rushing downstairs to the street where his car was being towed.

Losing Track of Days

It's week two into "one of those weeks."

Not that it's been bad or anything -- it hasn't, and I am actually having a good time. But with the Seattle Film Festival going on (I am attending quite a few screenings), coordinating a full office relocation over three full days, and a top to bottom bathroom remodel at home, I have to keep reminding myself what day it is. Quite frankly, I keep forgetting.

But it's all good. I am at least having fun. I have seen some great movies (and two stinkers), successfully moved our office to an adjoining building, and the bathroom remodel progresses Wednesday with the arrival of the tile guy.

Or is he coming Thursday? That might be today. What day is it again?

Above, standing outside of the Egyptian Theater in Seattle, between screenings.

What Month is it Again?

I have spent what I had believed to be Memorial Day weekend at the Seattle International Film Festival, and spotted this sign in a restaurant near one of the festival venues.

More on "Another Countdown"

Recently I blogged about how annoying I thought TV "countdown" shows have become.

With apologies to the Food Network (one of my favorite DirecTV destinations), my wife sent me the following email:

Next week, Bobby Flay is going to count down the top 35 most amazing grilling moments on the Food Network.

What IS an amazing grilling moment?

Why 35????

I'm sure you won't want to miss it.

More Jury Duty

Today things started out slowly (as they have every day this week), with no one from the pool called out for trial, so they turned on a television and everyone was allowed to watch Family Feud.

I must admit I miss the old Richard Dawson version of the popular game show. Did you know Dawson developed Family Feud as a spin-off of Match Game? Succeeding Dawson as host was the late Ray Combs, who was sufficient, and certainly better than those hosts who followed: comedian Louie Anderson, and Tim Allen's "Tool Time" buddy, what's-his-name.

The current host is mail-order mogul J. Peterman, who also, I understand, hosts a dog show broadcast and a celebrity dancing program.

Peterman closed his Seattle store a number of years ago, which was a shame, because it was absolutely my favorite place downtown to browse. The products were always interesting - the urban sombrero, and so on.

But enough about Peterman. My number just got called by the clerk. I am off to court.

Waiting on Jury Duty

It seems I am sitting on jury duty two or three times a year these days. Not an excuse, I am told, for getting out of the next one.

I have grown numb to the travails of jury service. At one time, sitting in a crowded jury room waiting endlessly for something to happen was nearly unbearable for me. Now I realize it's not much different from waiting for a delayed flight out of O'Hare - there are too many people crowded into the seating area, the room is too warm and stuffy, it's boring and there's nothing to do and nobody that works here can tell you anything.

At least at the King County Courthouse if the trial is cancelled I can just go home. Not so easy if my flight out of O'Hare gets nixed.

Flying High with C-17 Daddy

I sometimes worry that my Tahoe is too big to maneuver and park, but after seeing a C-17 Globemaster III up close and personal I have found a new respect for the men and woman who sit behind the stick of those flying whales.

C-17 Daddy is one such man. He opened his Saturday to allow the family to come down to the base and look around, and I got a better idea as to what it is that he does. The C-17 does resemble a whale -- it's a large, fat, gray-skinned jet with a mammoth tail and enough room in its cavernous belly for hundreds of Pinocchios and Ghepettos. Plus any tanks or jeeps the marionette may have under his command.

We were given a brief tour highlighting the history of the air wing. The base is an impressive, and it was fascinating to be provided a window into C-17 Daddy's world.

Taking a look at the aircraft that have been flown out of the base over the years, we are given a close-up view of a C-124C (above); looking down the gun barrel of a C-10A Warthog (left).