News from the Pack
redozdachs and I were interviewed by a very skeptical 15-week old this afternoon. She's still skeptical. So are Syntax, Vector, and Array. But, she is part of the pack.
Going to the Political Barricades for the Change We Need
I spent much of Friday grinning. My grin started at the gym when I picked up the Wall Street Journal to read on the stair stepper. I had heard Thursday that President Obama had release his budget plan, but details -- even the broad stokes -- hadn't reached my consciousness. But, the WSJ laid it out. The man is proposing to keep his campaign promises.To do what we elected him to do. Or, as the WSJ put it: President Barack Obama signaled a historic shift in the ideological direction of the U.S. economic policy Thursday with a budget that proposed [...]
From FiveThirtyEight.com
"Bobby Jindal caught at least one break this week: Saturday Night Live was in reruns."
Dead Man’s Cell Phone
Ashland, Oregon opening performance at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl A fun, snappy script built around a clever premise makes this theater adventure a satisfying romp. The play is pure entertainment as far as I can figure out. Its send-up of our need for constant communication makes me worry that I am missing Something Deeper. But, if I’ve missed it, I am happy anyway. The play notes tell us about a “… film-noir odyssey that crisscrosses life and death, isolation and connection, what’s real and what’s not.” Yeah, well, sure. It was mostly fun, though. [...]
Macbeth
Ashland, Oregon opening night at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Macbeth by William Shakespeare We were so looking forward to seeing the Oregon Shakespeare Festival redeem themselves after their 2002 butchery where they “adapted” Macbeth to make Lady Macbeth warm and cuddly and misunderstood. We went home thoroughly disappointed. Last night’s production left Shakespeare’s words intact but unsexed it emotionally and deposited its storyline in disconnected speeches all across the stage. This Macbeth is a bombastic mess badly conceived and faithfully driven into the ground by the talented acting staff. […]
Shooting Fish in the Barrel… Marketing Style
Of all my web design/Internet marketing clients, redozdachs's San Francisco CPA firm gets the most spam mail and phone calls to the webmaster from firms offering to help them become #1 in Google search results. It's disheartening, because when I've asked the salespeople on the phone how they found us, they mumble and say something about Google. Yep. Sterck Kulik O'Neill accounting group inc. is currently #1 in Google searches for "San Francisco CPA". That makes them the #1 target for people trying to sell them Search Engine Optimization services. I just deleted another spam mail from some poor saleswoman offering [...]
A Shot in the Dark
One of the people in my church community was shot Friday night. He's in SF General with wounds to his neck and shoulder. He and the others injured "appeared to be innocent bystanders caught up in a gang retaliation shooting," according to SF Gate's interview with a police officer. I am not friends with the victim -- in fact, I don't think we've met. But, I received early email notification of the shooting because I send out the church's electronic newsletter and he is one of us. Then I received a phone call telling me not to email out anything [...]
A 5-Star Night at a 3-Star Restaurant
In reverse MasterCard commercial, but personal importance, order:A two-and-one-half-hour dinner with redozdachs to celebrate his birthday: Priceless. Dinner at Epic Roasthouse: Decidedly equipped with a price.A wonderful evening doesn't need a perfect restaurant! My comments on Epic Roasthouse.
A Good Way to Start a Good Day
I got up an hour early this morning to meet up with folks from church to prepare breakfast for 90. The picture is of some of the volunteers on the serving line -- working in the shelter is a tradition for many families, and some of the kids have done it all their lives. For me, making breakfast is such a easy way to help out a bit and feel good. Now I'm preparing for a once-a-year meeting where the Trustees of the William and Alice Hinckley Fund decide who to give $95,000 in grants. It's the most fun committee meeting [...]
My Contribution to CBS News
At 6, 6:30, and 7 the national CBS radio news breathlessly talked about the ongoing tragic fires in southeast Australia. Their announcer talked about the inferno near Melbourne and throughout the province of Victoria. Finally, I couldn't take it any more and called the KCBS news tip line. Australia has states and territories. No provinces. It's the State of Victoria. The KCBS woman on the phone seemed stunned -- of course, she said. She'd let national know. The 7:30 national news talked about the fires in the State of Victoria. I know news budgets are cut. But, I hope CBS [...]