One area that I (and I am guessing most people) can improve upon is how
quickly I choose to be annoyed.
Writing this from a Starbucks (love the free refills) when this person sat
down next to me.

He started talking on his cell phone LOUDLY. Normally this would cause me to
select from annoyed on the pull down menu of reactions.
I would think about wanting a cell phone blocker and how cell phone
conversations in public is the cigarette smoking of the 21st century.
But I had a small experiment. I would choose not to be annoyed. Radical
idea. These were not vital conversations, but rather, calling back unknown
numbers.
He was trying to figure out how to get somewhere and mid-conversation I
tapped him on the shoulder and showed him a Google Map of where he needed to
go. This turned the interaction from a bumbling adversary resulting in my
grouchiness to a friendly interaction.

Stranger: Why do you fight our love?
Stranger: I have one nose.
Stranger: You have one nose.
Stranger: We were made for each other.
You: Yes
Stranger: You agree, then?
You: Yes
Stranger: Excellent!
Stranger: I agree wholeheartedly.
Stranger: Speak to me!
You: Yes
Stranger: Combine phonemes into symbols representing arbitrary concepts!
Stranger: Is that all you can say?!
You: No
Stranger: Good.
Stranger: Argh why are you doing this?!
Stranger: That excited little Hello! had so much promise.
You: Doing what? We have so much promise? The promise of a new day
Stranger: That's true.
Stranger: These one word answers!
Stranger: Yes
Stranger: Yes
Stranger: No
Stranger: Yes
Stranger: I am speaking from my heart!
Stranger: And you're just saying yes.
You: what will change the world
no one knows
From: http://www.musicbabylon.com
You: I am speaking from heart as well
You: I am happy
Stranger: Man, you're kind of retarded.

I am having some challenges with Mobile Me so I am doing a Greatest Blog
update on LiveJournal/Blogger.
Thinking back to Tuesday. Started running with the Marathon Matt training
program. Felt good and did not melt in the rain.
Was a tired puppy due to the power being out (yes, there is a
connection....) Somehow we finished 2nd at the pub quiz at the Bitter End.

Wednesday was one of those days that teaches you to get everything in
perspective. Without going into details, I am going to take a CPR class
http://www.sportsbasement.com/classes/cpr.html
I could not imagine being in a situation where someone buys the farm because
I did not take this class.
Saw someone with two standard that pulled a bike. One of the standards could
not do shows because their head was too big.

Thursday I had the chance to be in the live studio audience but it seemed
crowded and rather annoying so I went to the team in training event.

Friday was in Oakland at the Layover where later we met a standard poodle
that had her own pedestal. About twice a year I will have an event in
Oakland/Berkeley.

Had a field trip to the Wine country where the initial bus broke down,
luckily on Union Street (and not in the middle of nowhere.....) It was a
great day.

This is not one of my better blog entries. Sometimes it flows and other
times, your writing is about as entertaining as a shopping list.

If you rate the quality of your based on dogs you met, today was *****.
First off a couple of Spaniel puppies then someone riding a bike with two
standard poodles, one was black the other white. He told me that the Black
one could not be a show dog as his head was too big. I could relate to that.

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/11/15_Vegas.html

For photos of this trip go here
http://gallery.me.com/hydra9#100920

As it was my Sister Andreas birthday and she was going to be in Las Vegas I
decided to hope on one of those aeroplanes and fly in to surprise.
Vegas is a tremendously inefficient city with monorails that go nowhere. It
took me just as long to take the shuttle to my hotel and then the bus to the
strip then it did for me to fly in the Airplane.
(United needs to fly on Virgin, shared TV's do not cut it no more no more...
Another thing, I am a huge 30 rock fan BUT the flu episode was a weird
choice with all the weird people with their H1N1 masks.)
Was staying at the much more, time worn/forgotten, land of broken toys of
Fremont Street. I am not much of a Vegas guy (gambling/screaming out of the
top of Limo's/fancy pants clubs) but I do enjoy the world class people
watching. Those in Vegas on their odd ball conference letting their hair
down and drinking those absurd yard drinks.
The people on the bus amazingly were not interested on my thoughts on
improving Las Vegas's infrastructure.
The city has some of the most amazing architecture in the United States
including the Luxor, the Venetian, Paris etc... but then the roads/public
transit and randomly bad zoning makes it look like garbage.
Met my Sister at the Riveria. Was going to just show up but it was confusing
to find out where she was so I told her via telephone.
We spoke to this woman who lost her ring and she was sad. She told us all
the sad details of her life. I kept on thinking how the Lord of the Rings
movies would have been better with the Beatles.
We walked around the strip and then went to the dinner at the Venetian. We
were the first ones there. I was expecting some hotel conference room dining
with institutional food, which was not the case. Had the Salmon and whiskey
over ice. They did not have those plastic drinks by the yard which would
have been good.

After dinner more walking. I saw a sign for $.99 New Castles. We went to the
bar which was full of strange characters. The bartender called security to
report a "sleeper" so Andrea went to wake the person up. He got up and left
and Andrea started to play on the Mac Hine. She then was given a strip of
paper for $95.55!
Stopped off at the MGM grand to put a $40 wager on the Redskins losing to
the Broncos by more than 4 points.

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/11/12_Robbery.html

Writing a blog can be a bit of pressure. You need to have or think of
something that is not the same as the day before and right now, my audience
has placed, Dan Snyder in the same category as Star Wars and Dreams in the
boring category but happily when I left my building a neighbor stopped me
and the blog actually wrote itself.
It turns out this woman's first language is not English and she needed my
top notch skills as a linguist to help solve a problem involving.......



BANK ROBBERS!!!


Yes!! It turns out this woman worked in a bank, and was robbed twice in a
month.
She needed someone to help write a few sentences about how, due to the
stress of the robberies, she would need to take more time off.

So I wrote a few sentences detailing that I (she) needed to take a leave of
absence. I wanted to make sure it was not a letter of resignation but more
asking for more time.

It got me thinking, who actually besides robbers goes into banks? If you are
under 60, I would be suspicious.
Here is an easy way to eliminate bank robberies. Require all people coming
in and out of a bank to scan either their ATM card or ID to get.
As bigfoot would say, you would have the problem solved it is!

Went to a cooking class in South San Francisco. Ended up exchanging my
bottle of wine.

Here is a greatest blog trivia question, what world leader to you associate
with port?

On Thursday I went to the very sad Metreon to see a free movie. I think the
crowd for anything free is always interesting. I have no real issue with
people sneaking some food into the theater but if you are having a feast it
may not be the best place.
I really liked the movie. One of the reasons is the meta-joke involving Ewan
McGregor. It is the best movie he has done involving Jedi Warriors. The Star
Wars prequels were visually fun but had some of the most vapid wooden
dialogue this side of a kid's play.

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/11/8_Free_Bananas.html

It was not a gold star week. It was not a silver star week. It was one of
those ennui induced weeks.
Happily my field trip to the dentist was good and then I went into the city.
I was at one of those counters to buy one of those pre-made Spring Rolls.
One of these days, I need to learn to make my own.

Anyway there was a bag of bananas on the counter. I asked the person in
front of me, are these your bananas? It was not. I asked the people at the
store and the other customers.
It seemed that the Universe provided me with free bananas? I lugged the bag
and I offered them to homeless that I saw and I only got a 30% acceptance
rate. I ate a few of the bananas. I asked the bartender, if he made any
banana flavored drinks to which the answer was no.

The Happy Hour was a good time and looking forward to an up week. The past
week was more like being forced by Dan Snyder to watch the Redskin games
with double commercials with my eyes open ala Clockwork Orange. (my week was
not that bad, but I thought that was a funny image...)

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/11/1_US_Half_2009.html

This morning I ran in my tenth half marathon and the third time running the
USHalf. The night before when I have to duck out of parties I question my
judgment.
I do enjoy early Sunday morning driving when no one else is on the road. I
could not have asked for better weather. (running in wet socks SUCKS)
I then continue to question my sanity as I start getting sore legs less than
halfway through the event but when I cross the finish it kind of almost
makes sense.
I like the community aspect of running. It is a supportive group. Spoke to
quite a few people that were running their first half which can be scary. As
it is draining to be passed, I always start near the back and mostly pass
people through the race.

Got a medal and I did not even destroy the death star. I will be donating
all of my medals from all of my races to Medals for Mettle which gives race
awarded medals to kids going through cancer treatment which is way harder
than half marathons.
http://www.medals4mettle.org/contacts.htm

I had considered making my blog REALLY specific ie about the price of
produce.
A friend from high school is paying $4.99 for raspberries in Northern
Virginia which seems a bit high.

Also think a lot about the price of Bananas which to me is one of natures
perfect food and I would be willing to share if I ever got around to having
a chimp friend ala Lancelot Link or Chim Chim.

The default price for Bananas is $.79 lb at most Safeways. At Costco it is
about $.50 lb but then I end up buying a large screen television set.
The Asian markets on Clement had them for $.49 lb. Bought them before the
pub quiz and luckily I remembered them this morning when I was cleaning the
Marcusmobile.

Having your own supply of Bananas makes going to Jamba Juice for chumps.
Need to build a blender and ice mac hine for the Marcusmobile.

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/10/24_How_to_install_a_ceiling_light_fixture_or_the_Internet_as_actually_useful.html

For the most part, the internet is a giant waste of time/ I have found
jobs/candidates/dates/directions/tickets but for the most part watching The
Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEeOkDMWO5g

But yesterday the Internet was actually useful. I saw that my overhead
kitchen light was out so I hit it and came back on but then went out. I then
opened the dome and tried to tighten the bulbs but the wires were
loose/frayed. I knew from the Onion that this could be bad and I would
either deal with a dark kitchen, pay someone to fix it or research how to do
it myself.

So I did a Google search on Installing Ceiling Fixture and came across the
following video
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-replace-ceiling-light-fixtures.html

Then I had to figure out which circuit breaker turned off the light.

Got a coupon from the Entertainment book and went to an Ace Hardware on
Noriega but it turned out the light fixture was only $17.

It was a little frustrating but I was able to install it.

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/10/23_Questions_on_aliens_time_travel.html

I saw in the news that they (Scientist) discovered 32 extra-solar planets
which brings the total number to 403, all discovered since 1995 which I
think is amazingly cool.
This got me thinking about questions I would love to have answered in my
lifetime (even if it means putting me in carbon freezing and woken up in
2176)

1) Is there life on other planets and do they have British Accents
With the large number of Galaxies/Stars/Planets etc I think it would be
crazy to have Earth be the only planet with life. Imagine if they found a
shrub on Titan.
I do not believe in UFO crashes or alien abductions because if they (aliens)
can get all the way here, I doubt they would crash but I do know people who
made it all the way home and ran over their mailbox.

2) Is time travel possible?
I guess this would make space travel more viable but you open up different
situations involving Lea Thompson. Imagine going back to the 1970's with an
iPhone that somehow had Internet access. Technology will continue to improve
and they may figure out how to make this happen but I am sure it will end up
like Air Travel.

3) Parallel Universes (Multiverse) or what was before the big bang...
Again, my interest in Science Fiction shows but what was going on before the
Big Bang? What is beyond the Universe? I often think about these concepts
how a dog would think of me taking their picture and then remotely putting
it on the Internet.

4) What about a creator
Most people know my thoughts on Religion so I am not going to prattle on but
I know I am in the minority. Throughout history the vast majority of people
(and even today) believe in a God of some type. From a young age I always
thought we could all be created five minutes ago with false memories but if
we encounter any of the first three (Aliens, Time Travelers, Parallel
Universes characters or a combination) would we be able to tell the
difference? Think of the Cargo Cults.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmlYe2KS0-Y

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/10/22_The_Redskins_are_bad.html

If the San Jose Mercury news has an article about the Washington Redskins
and they are not playing 1) in the Superbowl 2) Against the Raiders or
49ers, most likely they are bad. Not bad in a notch below their competition,
but bad like an opponent in a late 1980's Mike Tyson fight.
Right now the owner is applying Dilbert like business ideas (that to be
honest, most of the time do not work in business) to the football game. The
owner saw they had a problem (they are a comically bad team) and figured
that the solution is not improving the caliber of talent, but adding a level
of management to the game calling. They brought in a consultant to call the
plays from a booth. This makes a little more sense than having all of the
fans fitted with video game controllers and having the group think message a
play to the team. They are playing the Eagles, which lost to the Raiders
somehow on Monday. I doubt the Redskins will be playing on Monday night for
a while.
Now this blog, that I admit I have gotten lazy on in the last few days is
not about sports, the NFL or Jerseys.
Most people who know me, know that I am a fan of the Washington Redskins
(but to be fair, my interest has waned since I was in short acid washed
short pants) but they randomly make comments. Not in a talking trash because
the team is so bad, it does not warrant trash talking.
The reason I am reflecting on the Redskins awful season is how it impacts
one of my Brothers (who is a big fan) and my Sister (who is not a fan at
all). My brother will go out of the way to watch the games and I am guessing
unless he is a glutton for punishment (like re-watching Star Wars Episode I)
I think he has more time on Sunday which is how it effects my Sister who
used the time when the Redskins were playing to enjoy an "I am Legend" scene
when everything is not so crowded. As fans give up on the awful team they
venture out and the roads are no longer a ghost town.
After this Sunday, kickball will be done till April and I will need to find
something else as I do not think watching the NFL will be an option.
I am considering going to the Washington Redskins/Oakland Raiders game in
Oakland (I will be wearing a black shirt as I do not want hassle from the
fans). At that point, I think the Redskins will be allowing random fans to
call the plays, coach or even play. I am aiming for a ticket costing less
than a UFL ticket on the 50 yard line.
One of the things about being a fan of a team compared to an individual
athlete is that in boxing a career has a beginning and an end. They may
retire at the right time (Marvin Hagler/Lennox Lewis) or stay on too long
(Ali, Holyfield, Leonard, Duran, Hearns) but it ends and then you can watch
Foreman Moorer but a team is different. It is an ongoing ordeal. My favorite
team was the Redskins under Joe Gibbs I. It also had to do with my age (in
short pants) but you are not really allowed to switch teams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1WN0YMWZU

On another note, one of my friends from Kickball/Trivia has started a blog
so I figured I would give him a link
http://www.hanleybonynge.com/

One type of event I like is when they have a "grown folks night" at a place
like an Aquarium<http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=a0kjq7lxbtpkkjkb7b8pxqt.;_ylu=x3odmtb2dwn0zjljbhnlywnvdi10b3aey29sbwnzcdeednrpzamecg9zaze-/sig=1g5nig4mb/exp=1255888983/**http%3a//rc12.overture.com/d/sr/%3fxargs=15kpjg15zsnjamwr%252dicrxlseadwl8axca588hvdjf8h9rc5imxxov%252dbapjn8jxtexxv1pdz%255fqq9aawjfrznf%252dkfqykrfwjefwugohfz4w%252dnqenxnqbsytzy%252djumiripxsbynkjsjkzno6if%252dbhfnnk%255fogd227bvvxvw86yxeucf7nc0uqpqlhxpovbr%252drxl52rjol4tlpqfd%252dckcljcjgyukljwb6ppnaiga6j5mskqsvxvkf%252dobiscyglp7bxhiqgyodrzy1togxwpby6ruoamcue1loml2ayuampnv4sgvzxkwuf11ra%252deii46qyk8en7c3ohj62rcm1ph8uewayrpktmv3iddkx4wjwkcrwmoieugkoruy0snqwwxsm7sxlccsh9vzfzxteow%252e%252e>,
Zoo or Museum. I like those places but feel a bit odd going there there
without any kids. One of my kickball teammates told me about Sharktoberfest
which was some sort of fundraiser at the Aquarium of the Bay
http://www.aquariumofthebay.org/ so for $20 it was a good night. I was able
to get answers to many of my shark related questions.
For a good Google Search check out
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22who+would+win+in+a+fight+between+a+*+and+a+*%22&start=10&sa=N&fp=bf55b3d15dafb488
This Sunday is my 2nd time running the Nike Women's half. Last year I was
running in honor of my Mom. This year (and each additional year) will be run
in her memory.
Had a nice walk in Golden Gate Park this morning with Otter where it was
kind of foggy. Not in a live action Scooby Doo way but more in a good way. I
do not like new fangled versions of cartoons like Curious George.

http://web.me.com/hydra9/Site_5/Blog/Entries/2009/10/4_A_long_run.html

If I was going to slack off on a run, this was not the one for that as it
was dedicated to my Mom.
It was also my teams turn to bring the food so I made brownies. I also left
the oven on overnight which is not that bright of a movie.

Made my way to the Sports Basement and said the following,

"Last year I was running the Nike (Half) Marathon in honor of my Mom who had
just completed a round of radiation for Lymphoma and was in remission. This
year I am running in her memory. That one word makes a big difference. She
was diagnosed with Lymphoma for the first time in 2003 and was cured through
chemotherapy. I believe that the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society
gave me some extra time with my Mom and my family and I are thankful. Near
the end of her life, while in a rehabilitation facility, she told my sister
that when she got better and left, she wanted to return to the facility to
get a job. My sister asked if my Mom wanted to be a nurse, to which my Mom
said, no, I want to act as a counselor and listen to their problems. Even at
a point where she was not doing well, she still was concerned for others and
wanted to help. I miss my Mom and I am thankful for the additional time that
we had."

Everyone was given a photo with Mom & Cosmo to pin to their running jersey.
As I saw people from the earlier groups (and the later groups) I saw that
picture where Cosmo is wearing a tie sitting next to Mom.

Then it was off to run from the sports Basement to AT&T park (The Willie
Mayes Statue). It was my favorite course as it is mostly flat and scenic. My
legs felt great and I had good endurance. It was one of my most inspired
runs to say the least. Finished strong with one of the coaches.

So the word on the street was that Nike was going to endorse the very classy
Michael Vick. This would require me to switch my brand of running shoes. I
am a big fan of the Nike + but I could not support a firm that associates
with the likes of Michael Vick. Luckily Nike saw that the fans of dog
fighting and those that would boo Santa Claus is a small crowd and has
decided not to endorse him.
Went to the Kezar track for my third track workout in the last 20 years and
I actually felt really good. They are days, weeks, months where running is a
pain in the ass, which is how I felt in the May/June/July/August time frame
but the reason was obvious and then you add an ankle issue.

It was Saturday in New York and the weather was perfect. I wonder how my
opinion would have been impacted if it was too hot or too cold.
After getting bagels (we were in New York) Andrea, Jeff, Sawra and I started
a death march from Murry Hill to the Village but we brought Vitamin Water.
We were taken to Madison Square Park where none of the dogs were cute and it
reminded us of that terribly sad Story, Go Dog Go.

Went to the Strand which is the same as Green Apple books.

One thing people do not know about me is that I am an ordained minister so I
can perform wedding ceremonies. That should come into play when we go to
Vegas.

Andrea discovered a Dog Adoption thing that had a pig from the North Shore
Animal League. There was a Pointer puppy mix that could have caused a
logistical issue.

Walked along the water and we listened to really good public speakers.

Had a slice of pizza where they had autographs on the wall, I then noticed
that they all were duplicates.

Went back and ended up at Curry Hill for a place called "Curry in a Hurry"
where two could eat for $10. I like discoveries like that. Ended up there
because of a Yelp recommendation for a Belgium beer joint that turned out to
be an RWP french place.

New York is a great city but people enjoy honking their horns and no one is
punished (it says that it is illegal) so I purchased earplugs from the brand
new CVS (where they gave me free iced tea...). No one ever knows where ear
plugs are in the store.

For the first time since that less than successful trip in 1997, I returned
to the Big Apple, New York for an inspection. I have already gone on about
the brilliant practical joke so as this is a long entry I am not going to
repeat myself because I am sure I will repeat myself over pub quiz, over
kickball etc..

While walking towards Penn Station I saw the Empire State Building and
remembered that someone pretty close to me worked there a number of years
ago. I kind of wished that I had a time Mac Hine to drop in and visit but
then I remembered that it would take too long to explain who I am.

So I will start with my trip to New Jersey. I had gone to New Jersey shore
in the early 1990’s. I am not quite sure why you would care. The day started
with a train ride to the Newark station to visit a bank someone who expected
me to be taller. Then took some other random Newark only station where I
befriended a little kid with his Grandma. While walking round the station I
must have gotten frustrated or annoyed as the kid asked me when I saw him on
the train platform, are you the guy who said “arrrgh!!”.

Of greater interest was my field trip to Milburn where I met Gwen at the
Milburn Deli where I was only able to eat half of the sandwich (it was of
course Sandwich Friday!).

I liked the sandwich but I failed to order cheese. If you want the rest of
the sandwich go to Gwen and Brian’s house..

Gwen & Brian live in a nice place that has a table from the NYC library.
Their rumpus room is as large as my apartment and of course they have a
Frank Chu sign (I think that belongs in every home!)

Made my way back to the city on the train and met up with Andrea and Jeff.
Andrea and I walked towards the Momo. We saw this long queues for a street
vendors selling some sort of middle eastern food.

We had dinner at a place called China Grill. Does anybody like those
bathroom attendants? I was a bit annoyed but I could not imagine that would
be a job anyone would aspire to.

WOW, I am in a place called Gigi cafe in Murray Hill in New York city and I
needed to use the Internet so I went down to Starbucks which was closed due
to water issues.
They are playing Z 100 and WOW, this is the most awful station...

So I must say that my brother Jeff got me good on a prank.
I was visiting him in New York city and was expecting the building from the
show the Jeffersons.

He gave me an address and I walked and thought, this has to be the service
entrance as it seemed rather dingy. I am not a snob as far as hotels as I
stay in backpackers in Australia and New Zealand but thus seemed well gross.
For me to call something gross, it has to be pretty damn gross.

So I walked around the block. My brother told me to put a code in the pay
phone. I then expected it to be a modest facade to some decent apartment.
The code obviously did nothing but I noticed the door to this shady building
was ajar so I walked in. When I walked in I assumed that my Brother had
fallen on hard times or was slumming. Now I am not talking about me slumming
in Daly City or shopping at Grocery Outlet but more in line with some sort
of weird existential bohemian joke. So I walked out thinking I was in the
wrong place. At that point he came out of the bar next door to explain the
ruse. A review of this place says, "Not recommended for the faint-hearted.
Or the stout-hearted either, for that matter"
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=200+E+34th+St,+New+York,+NY+10016&sll=40.749533,-73.977127&sspn=0.007315,0.017896&ie=UTF8&ll=40.748883,-73.977277&spn=0.007315,0.017896&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=40.745734,-73.978133&panoid=sLDZjJPuQ6iJPc_IXOknXw&cbp=12,144.51,,0,5

Had some nice Pizza.