Attitude

Today seems like a good day to curl up and die, don't you think?

Soul Sucking Metropolis

First of all, I have had Beck's "Soul Sucking Jerk" stuck in my head for about a week.
At least now I have a way to use that phrase constructively.

Look at that city. Sprawling, messy, busy, congested, and polluted to hell. The fact that we are in "extreme non-compliance" with EPA air standards is not lost on me.

But there are better, more important reasons to get out of here: namely that Southern California is slowing whittling away at my soul. Oh, and I guess that whole lawyer thing is chipping away a few layers too, but that's neither here nor there.

I have lost my connection with nature to some extent. It's not clean to walk outside in bare feet here. I have lost my connection with my community. Neighbors, by and large, are not friendly. If a hand is being waived at you by another driver, it's likely not to say "howdy." And I find myself falling into their trap and acting the way that busted-ass city people act. I don't like it. I don't like the anonymity of the city. Even worse is that such anonymity and selfishness is crammed into tight spaces with too many people and not enough parking.

LA is great in many ways. There is more diversity and culture and possibilities that I could have ever hoped for as a child. I have tried food from all over the world and fallen in love with it all (except cilantro). Bands of all kinds come to LA to play and I've had the opportunity to see more live acts than ever before. But all of this does not make a place livable, and that's what I need. I give it five years, max, before I go crazy here.

Yummy!

This might be the best misprint ever. Gotta love the Chinese proofreading.













And don't forget, Golden River is a restaurant AND a florist. I wonder if the shit bouquet is on sale too.

EARTHQUAKE!

We just had an earthquake here at about 9:25 a.m. How exciting! It was only a 2.7, but man, when those things are right underneath you, you can feel it no matter what. Apparently the quake's epicenter was only 1 mile south southeast of Santa Monica, putting it pretty much where my office is located. We just felt a very short jolt, but still very cool.

Indonesia is quaking like a Mormon possessed by the Spirit, so I expect we'll get some more here in the near future. Just as long as it's not THE BIG ONE, and we don't break off into the ocean or have our house washed away by a tsunami, I'm all for it.

Two Patriotic Americans Lost

I posted a few weeks back an op-ed by seven U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq entitled "The War As We Saw It." While they were writing the article and before it was published, one died in Iraq from a gunshot wound.

Yancy T. Gray and Omar Mora, two of the soldiers that lived to see their opinions published in the New York Times, were killed on Monday, September 10th, when their cargo truck overturned in Baghdad.

They were performing their duties even though they continued to morally and ethically disagreed with the government. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families. They should be remembered by all Americans for being the most patriotic Americans. They not only served their country by going to fight for us, they served their country by speaking up sharing the truth with those of us here at home.

May they rest in peace.

I Miss Ortiz

This picture is from a state park in Texas, where several different types of spiders have worked together to create this amazing web.


Apparently it has been destroyed by the elements twice now, only to be rebuilt in the same place, the same way.


Check out the following link to learn more about it.


http://texasento.net/Social_Spider.htm


If only humans could work this well together.

Little Boo Boo Bear

Behold, the cutest thing in the world:























Can I please have my dinner now? Please?





















Are you guys going to get this thing off me? You know I don't have the dexterity to do it myself. Damn, people!

Okay, I just realized I posted twice today (a feat in itself) about pets. One about a cute, furry, big lovable dog, and the other about communities of spiders with an allusion to my old pet and good friend, Ortiz. Let's give a little Ortiz love here:




















Well, at least he's furry.