Sunday, October 22, 2006

Delayed and Dismayed

So here I am, sitting in the Las Vegas airport, tired, bored, and getting increasingly annoyed by the doo-doo-doo-doo noises from the Wheel of Fortune slot machines that are everywhere. You know the sound - the one that plays as a new puzzle is framed on the TV screen and Vannah smiles her plastic smile.

I'm waiting for the last leg of my trip to be over. My first leg was delayed leaving Oakland by an hour. Luckily Southwest was kind enough to hold my connecting flight to Tucson so I could actually get to my destination Friday night. While I was exceedingly happy about it, most of the people I passed on my long trek down the aisle of that plane were bitching about having to sit on the plane at the gate for an extra half hour waiting on ten random strangers to show up. One man's trash.... So for the return trip I got to fly through Vegas instead of LAX. Leg 3 was late, and the plane for leg 4 still hasn't arrived at my gate. I probably won't get home till close to 1 AM. But I'm impressed that Southwest was 0 for 4 for my trip. I'm not looking forward to the trip to Seattle in a month, but at least it's a direct flight.

And now comes the comment about the absurd rules in place at airports that are meant to help with security. Check it out. You can have as many bottles holding 3 oz. or less of any liquid, as long as they fit into a quart sized, sealable bag. But the kicker is - the bag must be transparent. Nevermind that the security workers can pull out the bag from your suitcase, individually inspect all the bottles that are less than 3 oz. and confirm that they do not in fact contain liquid explosives. If they can't put them back into a clear bag, you throw them all away. The intelligence of the rule floors me. Needless to say, I lost all my travel sized toiletries on my way to AZ. On the way back, no one bothered to check. Good thing I had my ziplock bag with me.

Monday, October 09, 2006

The Fruits of My Labors

The Fall Lineup

I'm going to be busy this fall, so try not to expect too much on the blogging front. Well, you can expect, but expect of Kerriann. She's not been holding up her end of the blog. Remember, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood. I need help.

So what am I up to? Next weekend the fam (K and Ripley and I) are going up to Tahoe with our friends, the Ickies (that's Mikki and Vicki, in case you don't know) and their two pups, Tigger and Kaya. Kaia? Hopefully we'll return with pictures and a pocketful of money. Gambling will ensue next weekend.

The following weekend K's on her own with the pup while I travel to sunny (hopefully) Tucson, AZ to conduct a Princeton Review training.

The weekend after that I'll be camping in the Mendocino Woodlands at the 10th annual Camp Swing. This has become the last vestige of my dancing hobby. I used to be good. Now I can just barely remember when I used to be good. It's tons of fun whether you're a new dancer or a vet though, so I keep going year after year. And my cabinmates and I have to defend our title - we've won some type of award in the cabin decorating contest two years in a row.

The following weekend we'll be back in Tahoe vacationing with Kerri's dad and sister. And then I think I get to do something that doesn't involve me driving my brandy new car three to four hours twice during a weekend.

Marriage rights

The California Appeals Court decided that they should not be the ones deciding whether queer people can marry or not. It should be decided on by the legislature or the voters. California's legislature historically did just that not all that long ago, and the Governator vetoed it, saying the courts should decide. The people have already spoken with the outcome of Prop. 22 a few years ago. Where does that leave us? Back to educating the populace.

Wednesday is National Coming Out Day. Support your fellow human beings out there, and talk about it if you're queer. Studies show that the more people who personally know gay/lesbian/bisexual people are more likely to have favorable opinions about marriage rights, adoption rights, military service, etc.

Car trouble

There seems to be something weird going on in the universe with respect to cars these days. First my coworker totalled his car leaving school at the beginning of the summer, then I totalled my car leaving work at the end of the summer, then another friend totalled her car not all that long ago, and finally, my good buddy had her car stolen from her condo parking lot. What gives? I guess this is how the car industry stays in business. I mean, if cars are super dependable and last a really long time, who needs to buy another one? Unless it gets crushed by some random bad driver, stolen by a joy rider, or you have a midlife crisis and decide you need to drive a European sports car (Kerriann, you do NOT need a Porsche).

The Matrix is awesome, by the way, and Ripley seems to be okay riding four feet away from me, in the very back hatch space. Much better than slip sliding around the entire back cargo area that exists upon folding down the back seats completely flat. While it's quite entertaining for me to slam on the brakes or drive in and out of my parking garage, she gets a bit upset. My little girl needs some security.

Monday, October 02, 2006

My friend

My friend passed away yesterday. I had planned on seeing him today with my Mom but he passed before I got over there. It makes me sad - Pancreatic cancer goes so fast - 1 month from diagonsis.

He had his own blog maintained by the family to keep all of his friends and family updated on his condition. I thought it was a good way to keep everyone informed with out needing to call or email a lot of people.

Kerriann

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Where am I?

TV's best show is about to premiere for the season this Wednesday. LOST returns to baffle us all, and leave us wanting more. Both of my LOST-watching coworkers from last year have moved away, so I may be all alone in this little vice of mine this season. BUT, Kerriann has sucked me into watching this season's Survivor with her (she went to high school with Yul, one of the Korean guys on it this year). So far, Yul's looking good - he's found the immunity idol from Exile Island and is dominating the online popularity poll on the Survivor website.

Not sure which show I'm more embarrassed about - the one with the polar bear, horse, and talking black smoke that magically appear from the wilds on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, or the one with cuddle puddles and a ditzy roller girl that make stolen chickens disappear into the wilds of a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Stay tuned for updates.

Benefits

Kerriann and I have received our first domestic partnership benefits today. Not that we've actually filled out any paperwork to become legally "partnered" in the state of California, but we now have a single multi-car insurance policy and just saved ourselves $400 a year on car insurance. By the way, we love 21st Century Insurance. They were awesome with my car accident, gave me a GREAT price for the value of my car, and are quick, thorough, and friendly. Highly recommended if anyone's looking to switch.