American Idol Opening Night – Boystown
Oooo, I have had such a hard time waiting for this season of Idol to come around. I feel almost like a year or so since it has been around.
Tonight was the field of 12 boys. They sang, they performed, and for the most part they all sucked. David Archuleta tore it up something brilliant. And David Hernandez did very good. But just about everyone else did just OK. Except for Danny Noriega, Luke Menard and Garrett Haley. At least in my opinion.
These three boys I think did exceptionally poor. The other boys at least sang their songs like the original artist sang it. David Archuleta actually put some feeling into and made the song he sang his own. He performed it. David Hernandez sang well and performed well. And while I liked him, I think that he was second best tonight.
So we will see. I think in a couple of days we will see a little less of....
- Garrett Haley
- Luke Menard
Let's see if I can start this season of right.
My day in court
Tomorrow I have to go to court. And it is essentially to set up a date to go back to court.
About five months ago I got cited for speeding down a hill in Fremont. When I got stopped the police officer asked me if I knew the speed limit and I told him it was 35 MPH. He told me I was wrong and that it was actually 30 MPH. Not that this mattered much since I was cited for driving at a speed that was even above the 35MPH I thought I was supposed to be driving.
Of course this is consistent with the law. The law of Gravity. And one of Newton's laws.
Essentially what happened was that the vehicle I was driving was getting progressively faster and faster as I drove down the hill without my input. Even though I was well within the speed limit at the top of the hill, by the time I got to the bottom of the hill I was apparently moving a little fast that a huge full size Chevy Suburban should be moving at the bottom of that hill. And I got cited for it.
So a few days before I was supposed to pay for the citation I decided that I would take this citation to court because I thought that I actually had a case. You see, the posted speed limit signs for the street I was on were pretty much all obstructed. The closest one is about three feet behind a deer crossing sign. It is never fully visible from a driving vehicle on the street.
The second sign was actually kicked over to the right about 30 degrees and was nicely blocked by a blossoming tree. There was absolutely no visibility of this at all.
The third sign is visible. But it is almost all the way down the hill. So by the time you see it you are already traveling way faster than that sign says you should be traveling. Not to worry. If you brake very hard (dangerously hard) you can get yourself down to the speed limit. But if you take your foot off the brake, by the time you get to the point I was cited, you are already traveling the speed I was traveling when I got cited.
So in essence, in order to prevent yourself from driving too fast down the hill (and thereby preventing yourself from being cited) you actually have to drive with your brakes on the entire time. That seems fair, doesn't it?
Right.
So I thought I would have a decent shot at getting this citation thrown out by the court. What I didn't know was that this court date was only and arraignment hearing to enter a plea. Guilty? No content? Not Guilty? Yeah right. Not guilty for the win!
And so even though I will be in court tomorrow, it will only be to set up a date further down the road in which I will actually present a case. Now I have another wait before me as I ponder my case. The one bright side to this is that the officer that cited me is on special training and may not be able to make it to court. I hope he doesn't.
It would sure make my next court appearance a little easier to take knowing that I will not actually have to present a case.
Let's hope, huh?
Jesus “Papi Chui” Corral
Yesterday evening, at around 7:30, the father of a good friend of our family past away. He was 75 years old and lived a life that I think was exemplified by the manner in which he was talked about.
Papi Chui had 5 daughters. He had one wife. He had the admiration of his family and friends. He was what every man wants to be.
I met Papi about a year before I actually met him. I met him through his daugher, Leti Hernandez and her husband Tom. They were business mentors to my wife and I and eventually turned in to our spiritual mentors in the early 90's.
I remember hearing Leti talk about her father and her childhood. I remember her talking about Papi being very disciplined financially, never doing on credit would could and should be done with cash. I remember hearing how Papi paid for five weddings for his five daughters and how he stayed devoted and committed to his wife. He was the type of man's man that most men want to model themselves after. And I felt like he was the type of guy I wanted to be just by hearing his daughter speak of him with such adoration and admiration in her voice.
As I look on my own life right now (as it is almost impossible not to at a time like this) I begin to think again that I want to have what Papi had in his life. I want my children to be totally enamored with me and talk to others about me with such admiration and adoration in their voices. I want to be married to the same woman I married the first, and last, time I got married. I want to be debt free, worry free and care free like he was. I want my funeral reception to be as packed as his, to the point were there were upward of 50 people that never made it in to the main ceremony room.
To Papi Chui, I thank you for the example you set for men to follow and for dealing with your family in a way that sets a higher standard for men than is normal. You will be missed.
My awesome valentine
If there was ever a learning lesson on how to make a marriage work my wife found it and rolled it this weekend. A few weeks ago my wife told me to keep this day (and night) open. She didn't tell me why (that was the whole point, methinks) but she did tell me that I needed to have two different outfits ready for the day and that the evening outfit would need to be somewhat classy and elegant.
Surprised, and slightly shocked at the thought of what could come of this day, I have spent the better part of the last few weeks trying to gain some perspective on what could have been happening today. But I was totally unable to do it. So I entered this day with a sense of expectation, excitement and enjoyment.
And my wife did not disappoint.
The day started out pretty regularly with us waking up, having breakfast and getting ourselves ready for the day. My wife had told me that I needed to be ready to go by 11:00 this morning. So it was my intent to be ready to rock and roll by then. The sitter my wife had arranged for the morning showed up on time and picked the kids up. ALL 5 OF THEM.
With time to ourselves I asked what we were going to be doing (since I really had no idea). What my wife told me was both unexpected and completely enthralling. She was taking me shopping for a dress for her for tonight.
I cannot tell you what that meant to me. My wife has not worn a dress in years. Part of this has to do with her view of herself and her femininity. Part of this has to do with her not having a nice dress that she can wear. And part of this is that she has not historically taken me dress shopping with her because I am not all that fun to shop with. But today I made it a point to be completely available to her.
We hit up Macy's at Stoneridge mall first and surprisingly were able to find exactly what we needed. Since we found, fairly quickly, what she wanted, we made it a point to hit up Taco Bell before hitting up Target back home to exchange some stuff I had bought for her (on Valentine's Day) and shop a little more.
After Target we hit up Walmart to find me a shirt for tonight since I desperately needed one. And we found one, so I bought it and got home so we could rest before getting ready. After we got home the kids were brought back and we all rested for a little before we started to get ready to head for the evening.
Our evening plans were a little different. Basically we were going to be going out to dinner. I didn't know where, but I knew we needed to be out of the house by 6:30PM and we needed to be dressed nice. So we rested for a spell and then began the process of getting put together. After a nasty bout with lint, more lint and linty linterson, I was finally put together.
The evening babysitter got here on time and we headed out at 6:30 en route to...
This place rocks so hard. The steak is awesome. The atmosphere is awesome. The service is awesome. The wine is awesome. It was just a flat awesome experience.
My wife had, at one point, heard me say I wanted to go to Izzy's. I mean what man does not want to hit up a steak shop? But I never thought in a million years she would go to the length she did to make sure I had the Valentine's date of my dreams. And I did.
Thank you Sandi for thinking of me and reaching out to me on Valentine's day. I am so fulfilled and appreciative of your efforts. You made this the best Valentine's date ever.
201 baby!
Ever since Christmas I have been trying to get to the elusive plateau of a 200+ score in Wii bowling. Just about everyone in my house has done it, including my wife and my two oldest daughters. But as for me, well, 185 has been my pinnacle.
Until this morning. This morning I played the best game of my Wii career. I bowled a 201. And all I could do was think to myself "Sweet! I am as good as my 10 and 11 year old daughters. Finally!".
I even went and woke my wife up to let her know about it. The one thing that left a nasty taste in my mouth was that in my zeal to wrap up the Wii play time and get to work cleaning I must have done something that did not allow the Wii to actually capture my score because the next time we started to play Wii bowling it showed my highest score as 185 still.
What the carp is that all about?!?!? Well, I guess I could try again. It has only taken me almost two months to get here.
The rain…
Do you ever task your children with creativity assignments? Not the ones that come from school, but the ones that come from you as a parent and that challenge your children beyond the normal tasks of school?
I do. Frequently. Today was one of those days.
I tasked my two oldest daughters to write two poems. Both of the poems had to convey to the reader, on the most obvious level, that it was raining. On a more sublime level however, the first poem needed to convey to the reader a sense of sadness or depression and, in the second, a sense of joy or rebirth.
Given these tasks this is what my two oldest daughters, Sarah and Rebekah, came up with:
Sarah
(Sarah decided to do this assignment three times over so all three pairs of poems are included here.)
First Group - A
As the raindrops continue to drop
And they make a plippity-plop
I think I'll lay day
With my face in a frown
And wait for the raining to STOP!
First Group - B
But now, I walk outside,
And everything's clean and bright.
Rain watered the plants,
It makes me want to dance!
The rain made it Pretty outside.
Second Group - A
Everything's raining down on me
Nothing seems to be right.
I didn't eat my breakfast today,
My brothers and sisters continue to fight.
Everything's coming down on me,
Everything seems so gloomy and drear!
Why can't people just LISTEN?
Or at least even try to hear!
Everything's raining down on me,
Oh, my, can't you see?
There's something wrong with them today,
Or else something's wrong with me!
Second Group - B
I am showered with lovely things,
Like toys and dreses and rings.
I even get a cake
That I get to help to bake
All my friends are here.
I speak and everyone turns to hear!
I am showered with lots of fun.
I have permission to shout and run,
About the yard, not in the house!
In there, be quiet as a mouse!
But I can spin and twirl,
Cause I'm the (guess!) BIRTHDAY GIRL!
Third Group - A
Rain, dark gray and damp.
Everything is cold, dreary.
Rain, rain go away.
Third Group - B
Rain is beautiful,
Makes a rainbow in the sky.
How I love the rain.
Rebekah
My Tears
My tears are falling like rain
Like a storm in my heart.
My tears are washing
away the Happiness that
used to be on my face.
I don't like the tears
because they wipe away
any trace that joy was
Here.
My big family
I have a big family. They
just sort of reproduce
Like a gazzilion rain
drops. Aunts, uncles, Grandmas
Grandpas & everything
in between. I have a very
very very big family.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine's Day, one of many days throughout the year when a man is supposed to shower his woman with stuffs and other stuffs.
Yes, I know I should have said something about what a woman is supposed to do or her man, but in reality men want pretty much one thing all the time so for us Valentine's Day is just an easy excuse to ask for what we don't normally ask for but yearn for daily.
That said, men, you better make sure you are on your game today. This is not just another holiday and it is not a day invented by women to get more stuff out of men. It is a day in which a man should put into action the things he should be thinking about anyway. The important thing to remember is that Valentine's day is NOT a day for you to start thinking about ways to show your woman you love her or how much she means to you. That should be done daily.
Valentine's day is a day that you should do things that you wouldn't normally do, like buy her a gift or take her to a nice dinner or spoil her by getting a nice movie she has been waiting to see, picking up some take out, turning down the lights and set the movie up for her. In short, the day belongs to her in a way to expresses to her what you normally feel about her but do not normally express to her.
Does that make sense?
Anyway, I think it is time you stop reading and start getting busy with taking care of her. And in case you are wondering, tonight, for me, is already planned for my wife and I to order pizza, spend a short evening with the kids, send them to bed and have some husband and wife time.
Our date, I believe, will be Saturday, when my wife has told me to not make plans, prepare two different sets of clothes and prepare to be out for the entire day. Now that is something I am looking forward to and something that women could learn a thing or two from.
Happy Valentine's Day. Enjoy it.
Love hurts
In honor of Valentine's day tomorrow...
Ultimate timewasting game
You know you are looking for yet another time wasting distraction (YATWD). Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are generally enough, but when you get tired of searching photos of people you want to hook up with or need a break from the witty comments of Tweets that you are following, you may look to something else to flitter your time away.
Boomshine, by Danny Miller and found, of course, on Twitter, is just the little time waster you are looking for. I will not spoil the game for you by trying to explain it. It may take a little while to figure it out and you may end up playing once or twice to get the hang of it.
But it is worth the time wasted on this game to figure the game out. It is even better when you take others down with you by turning them onto the game along with you.
The funnies of taxation
I wonder why our presidential candidates have not talked to the people in our country about taxes using an illustration like this one, reportedly authored by David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. and Professor of Economics at the University of Georgia and later proven otherwise.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes…it would go something like this:
- The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
- The fifth would pay $1.
- The sixth would pay $3.
- The seventh would pay $7.
- The eighth would pay $12.
- The ninth would pay $18.
- The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers?
How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
- The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
- The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
- The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
- The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
- The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
- The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!" "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money among all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
I left this little gem in to answer my original question as to why presidential candidates are not using this illustration to talk about taxes to the US citizenship:
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