Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Enough About Me; Let's Talk About What You Think About Me
California 2009
I came back to my home state Christmas Eve, 2008... just about two years (to the day) after arriving in Nevada, I returned from my relocation-to-Reno experience. Since coming back, I've been splitting my time between San Diego and the Bay Area. Most recently I did a short gig (five weeks) for the U.S. Census Bureau in Alameda and Contra Costa County. My pleasure in returning to my home state of California cannot be over-stated. I agree that wherever I go, there I am... and I'm forking thrilled to be in California again.
I did learn some valuable things when I was living in Reno... for example:
1. 2-for-1 Prime Rib dinners at Baldini's taste a lot better than the market-rate prime rib dinner at some other restaurant. In addition, the cheap wine that is included with the 2-for-1 dinners is pretty good after the first glass.
2. Having California license plates and/or California ID increases the likelihood of being treated favorably by Nevada's or Reno's finest peace officers.
3. The deck is stacked heavily in favor of landlords and employers in Nevada.
4. My best friend from High School, Mike Haines, is still one of my favorite people even though he lives in Reno.
5. (Corollary to 4.) There is no substitute for old friends.
6. Winter in Reno is not as cold as Summer in San Francisco.
7. Nobody walks in Reno either (kinda like LA).
8. Casino gambling is not one of my vices.
9. Very few things that this world has to offer can be found in Reno.
10. Most of the all-you-can-eat sushi in Reno is pretty good, and sashimi is usually not included in the all-you-can-eat offerings.
11. To win at casino gambling requires 'leaving' while you're ahead. That is, if one continues to gamble when they are 'ahead' they will likely end up losing money... duh.
****
I think that Barack Obama is doing a great job as President. I also hear plenty of people voicing there dis-pleasure with our latest President, but in most of these cases, I hear people expressing opinions without much sense of reality. In short, I hear a lot of predjudice in the minority these days... I don't mean 'pre-judging' because of Mr. Obama's race/ethnicity; I mean a simple committment to disapproval without any coherent reasoning. To those who find themselves in the minority as a function of Obama being President:
Try and be a good sport here. If you must judge situations and people, try considering some facts before engaging in character assasination. Also, it's OK to say, "I don't know". We don't always have to have an opinion on a given person or situation. Anyone can pick a side to throw in with - it's one of our more primative abilities. I wish people would make more effort to resist these primative urges to define the world in terms of 'Us vs. Them' and exercise their judgement in a more thoughtful and open-minded way.
For fork's sake, we're all on the same team. We all want to survive and progress as a species... I believe that we are too quick to engage in battles for the sake of fighting and winning... we tend to be too concerned with being right.
For God's sake, please don't confuse me with the facts; I've already made up my mind!
Seriously, try and support your President... and if you want to be heard, take a minute and write a letter to your congressional representative(s). Stop whinning and do something constructive.
Truly,
Your (Back in Neighborhood) Ugly 5-Man.
"Spooning leads to forking."
-- Letters from the (Razor's) Edge.
I came back to my home state Christmas Eve, 2008... just about two years (to the day) after arriving in Nevada, I returned from my relocation-to-Reno experience. Since coming back, I've been splitting my time between San Diego and the Bay Area. Most recently I did a short gig (five weeks) for the U.S. Census Bureau in Alameda and Contra Costa County. My pleasure in returning to my home state of California cannot be over-stated. I agree that wherever I go, there I am... and I'm forking thrilled to be in California again.
I did learn some valuable things when I was living in Reno... for example:
1. 2-for-1 Prime Rib dinners at Baldini's taste a lot better than the market-rate prime rib dinner at some other restaurant. In addition, the cheap wine that is included with the 2-for-1 dinners is pretty good after the first glass.
2. Having California license plates and/or California ID increases the likelihood of being treated favorably by Nevada's or Reno's finest peace officers.
3. The deck is stacked heavily in favor of landlords and employers in Nevada.
4. My best friend from High School, Mike Haines, is still one of my favorite people even though he lives in Reno.
5. (Corollary to 4.) There is no substitute for old friends.
6. Winter in Reno is not as cold as Summer in San Francisco.
7. Nobody walks in Reno either (kinda like LA).
8. Casino gambling is not one of my vices.
9. Very few things that this world has to offer can be found in Reno.
10. Most of the all-you-can-eat sushi in Reno is pretty good, and sashimi is usually not included in the all-you-can-eat offerings.
11. To win at casino gambling requires 'leaving' while you're ahead. That is, if one continues to gamble when they are 'ahead' they will likely end up losing money... duh.
****
I think that Barack Obama is doing a great job as President. I also hear plenty of people voicing there dis-pleasure with our latest President, but in most of these cases, I hear people expressing opinions without much sense of reality. In short, I hear a lot of predjudice in the minority these days... I don't mean 'pre-judging' because of Mr. Obama's race/ethnicity; I mean a simple committment to disapproval without any coherent reasoning. To those who find themselves in the minority as a function of Obama being President:
Try and be a good sport here. If you must judge situations and people, try considering some facts before engaging in character assasination. Also, it's OK to say, "I don't know". We don't always have to have an opinion on a given person or situation. Anyone can pick a side to throw in with - it's one of our more primative abilities. I wish people would make more effort to resist these primative urges to define the world in terms of 'Us vs. Them' and exercise their judgement in a more thoughtful and open-minded way.
For fork's sake, we're all on the same team. We all want to survive and progress as a species... I believe that we are too quick to engage in battles for the sake of fighting and winning... we tend to be too concerned with being right.
For God's sake, please don't confuse me with the facts; I've already made up my mind!
Seriously, try and support your President... and if you want to be heard, take a minute and write a letter to your congressional representative(s). Stop whinning and do something constructive.
Truly,
Your (Back in Neighborhood) Ugly 5-Man.
"Spooning leads to forking."
-- Letters from the (Razor's) Edge.
