Geeking out on...

For some guys it’s online poker,
for others, linux kernels,
or comic books,
role playing games, live action role playing games,
star wars, star trek, star gazers,
collectible card games,
any game you play at a card shop,
short wave radio
World of warcraft, or world of... anything online

But seriously, who stay up until 2am reorganizing a tackle box? Who?

Friday Foto

The calm before the storm

6:00am I'm home for Thanksgiving this weekend. I couldn't sleep so I finally just got up. It's really quiet, but I know it's not going to last. In just a couple of hours, Thanksgiving Preparations (TgP) will be in full force. Don't underestimate the power and force behind TgP. We're having dinner for 18 and every man woman and child will be put to work.

Emotions felt in the last hour:
Melancholy - I'm 10' from where my Mom died a couple of years ago.
Tired - I really should just go back to sleep
Excited - I love Thanksgiving, and big family meals in general


1:45pm OK I'm back. I was right about the calm before the storm. I've got the turkey in the BBQ, stuffing and pies are good, I'm actually really light in the responsibility column, mainly chasing kids. 2:15 and counting of TgP to go.

Have a blessed and bountiful Thanksgiving

Passing in the night

I looked at her and thought, “why would anybody in their right mind ever want to do that?” and then I saw the look in her eye that said, “God, that sounds just awful!”

It was a year ago, about 4:30 am on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Still really dark. We bumped into each other at the Am/Pm coffee bar as I was heading out to Lake Perris for some awesome bassn’. The fall bite was in full force and after a hectic feast day, some time on the water would be idyllic.

And where was this other coffee deprived, up way too early, person going? The Macy’s parking lot.

If we ever understand each other, we’ll get right to work on the Israeli/Palestinian thing.

I’ve never paid for sex.

I’ve haven’t been to Africa in the last six months.
I haven’t gotten a tattoo or piercing in the last two months.
I’ve never had sex with another man in exchange for drugs or money.
I’ve never had malaria.
I haven’t had open heart surgery.
I haven’t had any prison sex, or been to prison in the last 12 months.
I haven’t injected myself with anything.
I was not born in Chad, Congo, or Equatorial Guinea and I haven’t had sex with anybody who was.

Congratulations, I qualify to get stuck and bleed like a pig.

Actually, I may have saved three lives.

Friday Foto

The Oracle Eye Of Master Kenobi

or... What’s up old Ben’s ass?

A while ago, I considered and dismissed asking more mature, well at least more experienced, bloggers than myself for some insight into the art form. Today, I’ll consult a higher authority...

Master Kenobi, I have to ask you, will my blog be successful, entertaining and read by someone, somewhere someday?


Possibly, well...um OK, I was hoping for something a little bit more encouraging or definite. Well, what about you, are you going to read my blog?


You mean like eating bad sushi?


No, no I’m feeling fine, really, but thanks for asking. Well shoot, can you give me any advice at all... How to open this jar of peanut butter?


Well how about Will, he’s going to find a great job right?


Well one more question... Um... These aren’t the droids we’re looking for. Move along.

Double down on corn

Saturday was a corntacular outing (yeah I know, corny joke).

First was the 1st East Los Angeles Tamale Festival (despite bizarre tamale family logo) this rocked! In what I am hoping will become an annual tradition, there were dozens of tamale vendors, a tamale eating contest, and an attempt at the worlds largest tamale by Tamale Man.

The festival was very well attended, and by a huge cross section of Los Angeles. Apparently tamales cross all race, culture, and socioeconomic lines.

As I ate my way down the midway, I got through: a beef, a pork, a southwest chicken (pictured here with corn, black beans and chili sauce), and finally a sweet (pineapple and raisin). Gut bomb! But really really good gut bomb.

Needing to "walk it off" we crossed the street a paid a visit to the not a corn field project. Perfect weather, cool, breezy, just great to be outside. While visually stunning, the best parts are the smell and sound, the rustling of the stalks is like standing in the surf. Wave after gentle wave move across the green sea. And while you can smell the corn, the smell is more than that throw in soil and fresh cut grass and.. Well you get the idea.

To my vast Iowa readership, you know what I mean, and probably think I'm a city boy tool. And well... you're right.

Finally, it was a quick walk around the corner to Chinatown shopping, where being too stuffed with tamales for diner, we settled on fried bananas for desert.

Dear Veteran, Thank you

Tamale Zen

We'll be there Saturday.

38

The first snow of the season had started to fall. Dad opened the paper and looked at the Horoscope: "November 9, 1967 - Come out for a good time today!"

This morning I dug into my pocket and pulled out George. He's looking a little rough around the edges, and a little worn down, but still in pretty good shape, I sat and looked back at Mr. Washington and wondered which of us is better traveled. Where has he been, and with who? How many hands, pockets, purses, cash registers, and vaults have held him?

I was reading Nickerblog this morning and I couldn't agree more. Even with two kids and a mortgage, when am I going to start feel like I'm not faking being an adult? I've been going gray for about 15 years, and the quote for Shane is from Anderson Cooper at CNN, "Going gray is like ejaculation..."

Getting inside my baby's head

Tomorrow we're having an MRI on our 10 month old baby. Anna was born with a lump on her head which lead us to discover a crack in her brain. "Prone to seizures" they said, "Developmental delays" they said. The CT scan on the left was taken when she was about 28 hours old. The photo on the left was later, about 5 months.

So far, she's been doing great. Crawling like champ, standing, she'll be walking within a month. Now we have another doctor with a new diagnosis. One that is correctable with out-patient surgery.

I'm sorry did the pediatric nero-surgeon just say out-patient surgery? What is this, a kiosk at the mall? Brain surgery while you wait.

Well anyway, hopefully tomorrow questions will be answered. Actually next week when we see the doctor for the results. The thing that I'm most nervous about it knocking her out for an hour while she's in the MRI, that and the IV.

Tomorrow I'll post photos.

UPDATE: An emergancy bumped us back to Monday afternoon. More waiting.

Around the world, people are dying to vote

Today, do your part where it's free and easy.

putting the sick in sick

What could possibly be grosser that one's nose dripping into one's coffee as you drink? Now I feel nauseous too. I'm just say'n

The more I thought about it...

The more this idea sucked. As I thought of "great questions for great bloggers" it kept seeming more and more like: a) a brown nosing publicity stunt, or b) questions that I need to be answering myself.

So, back burner that.

On learning to blog... Part 1

Sure, I have some blogging experience, but as I'm just getting started here, I though that I would see what kind of advice I could get from the guys I read and whos blogs I admire.

Step one - the everyday read list:

blogging.la - I'm not sure what I would ask sean, probably something about time managment.

Nickerblog - I've got this weird geek fantasy about interviewing Shane in the car for a vlog. It was that idea that inspired this series of posts. I guess telling him that will only get me a restraining order.

Wildbell - I think that Will is probably the most likely to respond, always seems like an upright guy.

AJGentile - If he's got time for the squirel, maybe he's got time for my question.

beFrank - Great combination of work and life.

Coop - I'm not sure, he kind of scares me.

and JSto - A woman's touch could brighten up the place.

Up tomorrow, Part 2 :: questions to send.

Answers, or restraining orders

Seems like a good place to start

A little something about me:

I hate Andy Rooney My middle name is Elden My shoe size is 13 I like sand between my toes and black coffee Sunrises are better alone; sunsets are better with somebody else Catchn’ is better than fishn’; fishn’ with friends is better than catchn’ I dream, I believe, I think, I work I’ll get dinner, you got lunch I use to think that consecutive times like 1:23 were lucky and that 2:22 was bad I just realized that I always start stairs with my right foot I respect anyone with passion or who cares about doing their job well

I’m unimpressed with celebrity I would rather have dinner with Steve Jobs than any movie star Details matter Do it right the first time Measure twice and cut once Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight I like to smile I’m a lot of fun at the Christmas party I’ll do a lot on a dare I’ll politely eat things I don’t like I hate whiners I like almost all kinds of music, but hate almost all kinds of music that’s too loud I’m passionate about great advertising and big concepts

Now, if I could only get to know you better
jim@jimsedgwick.com