What kids read

Does this bother anybody else besides me?

Essentially, it's about novelists writing trashy novels for teens and tweens. So now tweens need trashy novels?

Best quote: The author says that few mothers have complained about her books’ naughtiness.
"They say, ‘I’m just thrilled that my daughter is reading,’ " she says.

Take a look ... a book opens with a sex scene, and drug use is common. This is what we want for our kids? Don't we want better? Shouldn't we want better?

-Zube.

Braces!

My daughter got braces today. She seemed to be handling them well, but we'll see this afternoon, when they told her she'd be sore.

There was a good lesson for her at the chair next door. Our orthodontist's office has about 7 chairs in one central room where they put on braces, take them off and tighten them on several patients at a time. The girl next to her was getting hers taken off, with a lot of drama, and pain. Then, they took a look at the teeth: She had bad cavities back where the brackets were around her molars. I heard a doc say she had a big buildup of plaque. Apparently she wasn't taking care of them. They had to tell her she was going to need fillings and I don't know what else. Apparently, she didn't like the news.

I'm pretty sure my daughter will be conscientious about keeping them clean and all. We just have to wait and see how long this is going to take!

-Zube.

Disneyland redux

One cool thing about the new Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland: They take your photo, for free, and you can email it to yourself. I did this and uploaded them back to Photobucket.

Here is me and my son. Here is my wife and my daughter.

I love that place!

-Zube.

Trip report

Back from Disneyland ... and I'm pooped.

It was loads of fun, plenty to see for the 50th. And they have great merchandise, and we bought this mug, this paper, this memo pad and this ashtray. Also saw some merchandise by Shag, a funky artist I like. We got this t-shirt for my daughter and I got this stationery set.

Oh, and we rode some rides, too! Buzz Lightyear ride is great, and new. Here's a fake picture of what it's like ... I found this Photoshop piece on the Internet!

So now we're settling back into life, back to work, and my daughter will be getting braces this next week. Back to the grind.

-Zube.

p.s. yeah jodie, you were too late! :)

Disneyland beckons

So the clock's ticking, and i only have another day or so of work, then preparation for the big Disneyland trip.

Can't wait, it IS one of my favorite places on Earth (a co-worker overheard me making reservations, asked me where i was going, i said "Mecca" ... she knew what i was saying!).

I have found a great site for Disneyland fans, Visions Fantastic. It has great photography, and they play sounds and music from the rides and all over the park through Live 365. Here is the link for Live 365, then search for Visions Fantastic. For some reason, I can't post a direct link to the station.

Wish me well!

-Zube.

Old friends

My pal Stephanie visited today, down from Oregon. Nice to see her, one of my favorite people. We were going to go get coffee (like we always did), but time ran out, dagnabbit!!

It was a nice visit, but we didn't get to talk much. It's always tough to talk at work. Too many ears opened wide! So if you're reading this, steph, you need to email me so we CAN talk!

-Zube.

A New Hope

My wife resigned today. We're excited! No, honest!

She was a teacher's aide at a charter school (a GOOD one, not a last-chance one), for about 10 years, but she'd finally had enough. The politics were driving her nuts, as was her teacher's emotional baggage. She's going to concentrate on home for now.

We were thinking she'd quit by the end of the next school year anyway, when my son moves on into junior high, so it wasn't THAT big a move. She just was feeling conflicted about doing it.

She met with her employers today and they were surprised. They told her to keep them in mind for maybe part-time or substitute work, and she was happy to hear that they don't consider her bridges burned.

When we explained to the kids last week what we had decided, we were out having dinner. I told them that we probably wouldn't be able to go out to eat as much because we won't be able to afford it, but that Mom would be able to have more energy to cook more, the lack of which is one reason why we go out so much! My daughter locked onto it right away, understanding the dominoes that fall with decisions we make. We get two incomes because we live like we have two incomes, which necessitates two incomes ... etc. At the expense of family and home.

When I moved from management back down into the rank and file, I got back decent hours and weekends off. Which meant I got my family back. I don't want to ever change that.

We're both glad we're going to leave that cycle.

-Zube.

Ends and means

OK, so I'm a journalist, so I think I should blog on this whole Throat thing (I'm not fond of the nickname the guy had, so I'm not using the full thing).

Nixon was corrupt. Agreed.
He should have been ousted. Sure.
The No. 2 guy at the FBI held information, so he should have shared it. Right.
He violated FBI rules and possibly the law. Yeah.
But the ends justify the means, don't they? ... uh. No.

This was the big glory moment for journalism, especially "investigative" journalism. Turns out Woodward and Bernstein were just taking dictation from a guy at the FBI. Who now is a hero, right?

"The ends justify the means" masks some of the particulars of this case. W. Mark Felt was apparently in line to become the big guy at the FBI when J. Edgar Hoover died. But Nixon didn't install him, he installed a White House crony, L. Patrick Gray (what's with all these guys with initials for first names?!?!). So Felt was angry and he gave info that undermined Nixon.

Thirty-some years later, Felt's daughter needs money to retire debt, so she persuades an addled Felt to go public. She has dollar signs in her eyes ... take a look at the video and tell me otherwise.

So there you have it: Revenge and greed are the two top motivating factors for the information leak and the reveal. Wasn't that what Nixon was being accused of, too?

The FBI has had information on presidents for years and years. Should they have unveiled it? What would've been gained had FDR's mistress had been presented? Or Truman's? Kennedy not only had a mistress (he had many, actually), but one of the most notorious was the girlfriend of a mobster. Wonder how that compromised him. And of course, our previous president had quite a problem with fidelity.

It wasn't all about sex. Johnson shuffled cash around (like Nixon) to keep people quiet.

So why didn't somebody at the FBI tell about any of that information? And if they did, to what end?

Would the ends have justified the means?

-Zube.

Wecome to Windows XP

So we got a new computer over the weekend ... actually, got it picked up. We bought it last weekend.

It's a Compaq blah blah blah and it has a Pentium 4 blah blah blah 40 gigs blah blah blah. And it runs really fast.

This is only our 2nd computer (well, 3rd, if you count the one we had just for word-processing purposes). My time has been taken up reloading old programs and trying to find bookmarks and such. I thought I had lost the Internet access disc and the printer disc. I have to keep better track of these just in case.

There was one glitch, tho: We bought an MS Office Suite for it, but they gave us the wrong one. We bought the one with PowerPoint, and it wasn't there. So now, we have to unhook the dang thing and take it back to Best Buy so they can uninstall the wrong MS Office and put the right one in.

The best part of the new computer is that now we don't have to deal with mud-slow response anymore. The worst part is trying to get all the settings just right, so it mimics all the settings it took 5 years for us to get on our old computer!

-Zube.

P.S. Thanks for the feedback. I still gotta clarify what I'm doing here tho!

Too old to blog?

I don't know, maybe I just don't have enough energy to blog constantly.

I keep reading blogs of people who post constantly, several times a day. But they have specific topics ... politics, religion. I would do something like that but 1) i'm not THAT knowledgable about politics, and 2) people do a far better job than I would with religion. So the only alternative is my life. Which is not spectacular. No that I'm whining or crying, but it just isn't. I'm married with 2 kids, I'm not 20 and going out every night and taking whirlwind trips with friends. With my hours, I don't make loads of friends.

So what to do? Any ideas, steff and jodie, my only 2 readers? ;)

-Zube.

... But it's a dry heat?

Summer has arrived.

It's supposed to be 107 degrees here today, 110 tomorrow. Yeah, it's bad, but I welcome it for one reason (and one reason only): When it hits 100+ for a few days in a row, my allergies finally go away. All the weeds and stuff that produce the pollen that bothers me die off. Finally, I'll be able to breathe.

Not this weekend, tho. I have a head cold.

Timing is a funny thing ...

-Zube.

Disneyland!

Ok right off, it's NOT the 50th anniversary of Disneyland yet. It opened July 17, 1955. So let's not get ahead of ourselves!

That said, I'm pretty happy about Disneyland, that it is going strong at 50 and there are a lot of plans for bigger and better things, and refurbishments.

I'm a big fan of the place ... we're planning a trip in late June. I know, I know, it'll be crowded. But it's the 50th, people!

I also sent away for a special 6-CD box set on the history of Disneyland, using music and sounds from the first 50 years. If you have a few bucks, look into it!

-Zube.

Dial 911

I'm driving in to work today, and I'm waiting to make a right so I can get on the freeway. I had a red. So the cars turning left on the arrow turn, and then I hear a squeal of brakes, and there it goes, a big white minivan slides into the intersection and hits TWO, count 'em, TWO cars. Lucky the driver had hit her brakes, it could've been worse.

So I pull over and call 911 ... and then proceed to argue with the operator with where exactly the accident was. "Intersection of Price and Warner," I say. "East side."

"So is the accident on Price or Warner?"

"At the intersection! East side."

"But another caller says it's just North on Price."

"Whichever, it's AT THE INTERSECTION!" I say, making the international sign for "Intersection" with my hands so she could understand better ... if she could have only seen me.

So finally they stop arguing with me and send out cops and such.

Nobody was hurt seriously, although I did see a guy get out of his car and hold his arm and side. A lawsuit waiting to happen.

For the record, it was a tad East on Warner, a tad North on Price. You know, at the INTERSECTION!

I hate intersections. I had an accident at one [ed. actually, TWO] , and have seen 2 other wrecks at intersections. One just like today's, only different, only 2 or 3 miles south of where this one was.

The moral: Drive safe.

-Zube

Christmas in ... what is it, April?

You know how I like Christmas music? (If not, look at the archive)

So sometimes I find really good stuff, for $1 or so used, or on ebay or something. I found a few for $1 at Half Price Books, got a great Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn. one, which they gave out free a couple years ago. Don't be scared! The band doing it is called the Tommy Coomes Band, and they do some great songs, including a great, rousing Gospel version of Joy To The World. Don't know if you can find it in the real world, tho. I got lucky.

And then I got this "Caribbean Christmas" CD on ebay. Awful. Just awful. Nice cover, tho.

Moral: Beward bad Christmas music. And you can quote me on that.

So apparently I have issues ...

So I'm back.

I took a personality disorder test that was posted by a friend of mine at her blog. It says I may have a high possibility of being schizoid!! (Thanks loads, Steph!)

Quick Summary:

People with schizoid personality disorder avoid relationships and do not show much emotion. Unlike avoidants, schizoids genuinely prefer to be alone and do not secretly wish for popularity. They tend to seek jobs that require little social contact. Their social skills are often weak and they do not show a need for attention or acceptance. They are perceived by others as humorless and distant and often are termed "loners."

Symptoms of Schizoid Personality Disorder:

• Weak interpersonal skills
• Difficulty expressing anger, even when provoked
• "Loner" mentality; avoidance of social situations
• Appear to others as remote, aloof, and unengaged
• Low sexual desire
• Unresponsive to praise or criticism
  

So what to do? Among the things it suggests:

Now, there's a couple things you can do:

E-mail a friend about this test! Everyone has a friend who might have a disorder. (Am I right?) The exact URL can be found at the bottom of this page.

-OR- Do a free search for singles in your area (with pictures) on Yahoo! Personals

Schizoid?? No problem!! Find other schizoids at Yahoo! Personals!!!!

.... ohhh-kay.

-Zube.

... And we're back.

OK, so I don't blog as often as I'd like to. So sue me.

I've found a lot of blogs recently, all of whom seem to blog more than me, that are all really good. Here are 3 (be forewarned, they are religious and/or right of the political sphere):

GetReligion, about the media and their coverage of religion-based stories.

He Lives, a self-described "Reformed viewpoint of a nuclear physicist."

Thinklings, a group of guys blogging about life and issues from a Christian viewpoint.

Check them out.

...

Had an interesting conversation with a pod-mate at the newspaper. He and his girlfriend have been living together 10 years and have 2 kids. I finally asked "Why don't you get married?"

He took it well and we had a great conversation about beliefs. His main reason for not getting married seemed to be the old "I don't need a piece of paper" argument. But another part of him seemed to fear what happens if you DO get married. He thinks it shouldn't be entered into lightly (he's right) and that he should be in it for the long haul (he should). Then he said he wasn't sure his relationship held up to that scrutiny. Then he said he did, indeed, intend to be with his girlfriend forever.

"So," I asked, "why not make the committment?"

"I am committed," he says.

"But not the BIG committed."

"No."

Uncomfortable pause.

He says marriage should be more than it is now. More than impermanent (he is a kid of divorce). I say that he's right.

"But isn't it more effective to change marriage from WITHIN it, instead of just ABANDONING it?"

"... That's a good point. ... "

The conversation went astray from there, because it needed to.

I hope we have more chances to talk.

-Zube.

And one to grow on.

OK, so it's my birthday. I'm 41. Yippee.

Actually, I'm OK with this ... I have always appreciated presents! Except I don't like to make a big deal of it around my co-workers ... I wouldn't expect them to do anything, and I don't want to guilt anybody into a fake, forced "well Happy Birthday then!". So I pretty much keep it to myself.

A number of years ago, when I first arrived at the newspaper here and seemed to have more friends, they surprised me with a party. It was really nice; I don't remember if I got a present, but the cake was enough of a present.

Years more ago, in college, my now-wife surprised me ... twice.

The first time, she threw a full-on surprise party for me, with friends hiding in a restaurant and everything. It was themed to the last episode of M*A*S*H, which was coming on TV that week. She was certain I had guessed that a party was coming, but I had no idea. I still have to reassure her!

The next time, it was a little more dangerous! First, some background.

I was sports editor at the college newspaper during basketball season. The basketball team had risen in the rankings early in the season to #4, mostly because everybody ahead of them had lost and they hadn't yet. Byt I wrote a critical column saying they didn't deserve the ranking, that they hadn't played anybody of consequence. Of course the team hated me, and of course they promptly lost their next game.

So here comes my birthday, and who do I see walk into the college newsroom but ... one of the basketball team's star players! Carrying a cake! My wife says I looked like I was afraid he was going to throw it at me, but I was just shocked to see him in that setting! We had one class together, Spanish, and my wife had done some finagling to get him there. (Interesting aside, the player that delivered the cake isn't anyone who you'd recognize, but a pal that came with him, also on the team, was future pro Tim Hardaway).

My least favorite birthday? I had tickets to see my favorite band, Third Day, right around my birthday, but I had to give them up because I was deathly ill with a major cold. Fun, huh?

-Zube.

Just Can't Get Enough

I'm having an '80s music flashback.

Listening to a couple CDs called "Before You Were Punk ", Vols. 1 and 2. They have punk bands covering old '80s tunes (mostly New Wave) like "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Goody Two Shoes."

I always have arguments with my kids over the music of my teenagehood. 80s music had its good moments too, if you look around a little!

Who can ever forget "Tainted Love"? "Hold Me Now"? "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?"

New Wave Hits of the '80s Vol. 1 from Rhino Records (it's a 15 volume set) is a good place to start. So are a couple of movie soundtracks: The Wedding Singer (and a follow-up album) and Romy & Michele's High School Reunion (and, of course, a follow-up album).

So give New Wave a listen. Really. This is coming to you as the father of 2!

-Zube.

Is football all that's left??

Holidays over, no vacations coming soon (although we may take a couple days next month to go see my nephew), no other occasions ...

Back to the routine.

The only thing left is the Super Bowl!

I'm not a big fan of any of the teams left in the playoffs, but I am a big football fan. Depressing to think, however, that there are only 7 games left in the season ... 8 if you count the Pro Bowl.

Here is a great columnist (and column) on football. He goes by TMQ, Tuesday Morning Quarterback, and he's not just some frustrated ex-jock, he's quite a deep thinker. What he's doing columnizing on football is beyond me!

Soon after the NFL wraps, though ... Arenaball!! I'm probably the only fan they have!

-Zube.

The tsunami and God

I hadn't intended to blog about the Asian disaster (I try to keep this site semi-lighthearted and about personal issues), but I'm seeing a lot of stories out there talking about disaster and God's role, so I decided to say something.

I can't possibly know what it's like to live through that disaster, or to lose loved ones in it. Anything I could say about having suffered struggles would be meaningless.

Many more people, though, are using this occasion to question belief in God. If he really was, he'd have prevented it. Or if he is, he must be a sadist.

God is there and is not powerless. He is not the author of evil but he allows it sometimes. Why? Only He knows.

But now's not the time to debate theology. Now's the time to offer comfort for the afflicted, whether it be through money or action or prayer. God bless those in Asia who suffered, that they will be provided the food and shelter and medicine they need. And God give them hope for tomorrow, and help them see the comfort that arises from knowing Him.

C.S. Lewis had a few things to say about God and suffering, in "A Grief Observed," written after the death of his wife. Take a look at an excerpt here.

For a look at what editorials are saying about the tsunami and God, and some responses, go here and here and here and here and here and here.

-Zube.