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Blog - December 2004 |
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This page stores my blog entries from December 2004. The entries are dated December 9, December 21, December 24, and December 31.
R.I.P. Darrell Abbott / New Books! / Cutting a Christmas Tree Thursday, December 9, 2004 Nearly ten years ago, a friend of mine had a copy of Vulgar Display of Power. He sold that album to me for $5, and I've had it ever since. At the time, certain tracks reminded me of Rikki Rachtman's Headbanger's Ball and, of course, of the occasional Pantera video.
By their fourth mass-produced album, The Great Southern Trendkill, Phil & Co. finally lose me. A decent album, but it never reached what they did with their first two on the Atco record label. Even Far Beyond Driven struck me as a highly overrated bore with one of my favorites being their cover of Poison Idea's "The Badge". If it weren't for that track on the import, I probably wouldn't have listened to much of that album at all. Pantera formed a huge, major start in my still-going metal-listening days. Granted, I have since moved on to different bands and lost interest in the newer Pantera albums, but I still occasionally go back to the old standards. Regardless of what one thinks of Pantera or Phil Anselmo as a whole, Pantera put out some absolutely great metal songs that brought a completely different flavor of metal to offset the waning power of the old Bay Area Thrashers of Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer (among others). As I sat on my loveseat, reading the paper and drinking hot chocolate, my heart sank when I heard about Darrell's death. I cannot even describe the shock and pain I felt in hearing about the horrible way that dickhead in Ohio took him away from his fans. Darrell Abbott: you will be missed. Say hello to Jimi for me. (Thanks to the Official Pantera web site for the image.) ***** A bit of sad news accompanied some more promising news: the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library will hold their last annual book sale at the Cluny Pool in McKinley Park this coming spring. Afterwards, they will hold their sales a little more frequently at a centralized warehouse. Pam and I recently visited the new place. It seemed a little small, but I rather liked the possibilities. I ended up buying (all are hardbacks):
I got the three books for $7 total. Pam bought a book of Irish myths and the space trilogy by C. S. Lewis, each book being one single book of works. ***** This Saturday, Pam and I will bound off to Apple Hill to cut down a Christmas tree for her place. I haven't done anything like this in years. Normally, my parents would just pick a tree from the local lot, but going out and cutting one's own tree just feels more filled with Christmas spirit, for a lack of a better descriptor.
Poor Persecuted Christians in the U.S. / President on the 6-Year Plan / Soybeans ... or Rainforest? / Notes on Trans Siberian Orchestra concert / Annoyances with people at Street Dogs concert Tuesday, December 21, 2004
***** Apparently, politicians kicked around the idea of amending the Constitution so that the President would serve a single 6-year term and not be eligible for re-election. I have neither seen nor heard anything as to whether this is seriously being considered. Such a plan could prove to be a rather great idea. With two more years in one term would give a President a little more time to accomplish what (s)he might want to do. Things like the current Iraqi war would need a lot more time than just three-plus years. With no re-election possible, the President could spend all of the six years on the job, rather than spending the last year on re-election tours. Naturally, all ideas have their downsides. I imagine that most of what a President wants to accomplish are long-term solutions to the country's problems and problems between the U.S. and other countries. Most of those goals would never be resolved in only six years. With no re-election, a President wouldn't get another two years to continue his or her work. The only other downside I can figure out at the moment would be being stuck with a horrible President for two more years than in our current set-up. I doubt that such an idea will ever get through Congress or come to a vote. It would be interesting to see, if it progressed that far, if people would vote it into law. ***** Apparently the world demand for soybeans and soy products has created an environment in South America where farmers are destroying the savannahs and rainforests to make room for more planting acreage. I'm sure most of the soybean-eating world doesn't think in the same terms as I'm going to present, but it presents an interesting dilemma. Many highly environmentally conscious people are vegetarian (or vegan). Most vegetarians and vegans eat tofu, a soy-based product, and tofu-based products as a high-protein substitute for the meat they refuse to eat. Said people would most likely be against the destruction of pertinent rainforests. Yet, South America produces the majority of soybeans in the world. Fortunately, places like natural foods co-ops research world occurrences and make sure that the products they sell fit their moral compass for the store. I'm sure they'll find some good U.S. soybeans they can sell, or they can find some from some other country that deals with things satisfactorily. If South America does end up pricing out the U.S. growers, then these shops may have to face an unpleasant dilemma. ***** Last night, I attended the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert. I kind of liked the concert as a whole, but some of the pieces seemed a bit long and boring. That's not to say that it didn't have its great moments. Unfortunately, I'm very unfamiliar with their work, so it's hard to write a good and fair review. On a major plus-side, TSO performed for nearly three hours. They did have a couple of short breaks, but they played for much of the night. Al Pitrelli, former Savatage and Megadeth guitarist, served as the celebrity guitarist this year (Alex Skolnick, former guitarist for Testament, served last year). I rather enjoyed some of the songs they played. Some of the others seemed to drag on or lack the guitar that I like. Overall, I'm rather split concerning whether to get their albums or not. I guess time will tell. ***** Beginning the bookend concerts last Friday was the Street Dogs / Pressure Point / Whisky Rebels / Hanover Saints show at the Boardwalk. I rather enjoyed the sets put on by the first three bands, and the Hanover Saints put on a decent show as well. For much of the Street Dogs' set, I stood within three feet of the band, singing my heart away on nearly their whole set list. A couple of things disturbed me at this concert:
From what a friend has told me, this appears to be an unfortunate symptom of the locale. I guess the Boardwalk attracts this kind of group of "punkers".
Christmas Thoughts / Potluck Problems / Giants-White Sox Offseason Action - Thoughts / Merry Christmas! Friday, December 24, 2004 Another Christmas Eve draws to a close. As I type, NORAD shows Santa reaching the East Coast right now. I wonder how far into the U.S. one would be ten minutes after midnight? For some reason, NORAD shows Santa as being in St. Louis right now, which seems a little early to me. Thankfully, I know I can rest easily tonight knowing that he'll get to all the houses before morning. Through all my life, I don't recall ever being sick for Christmas. That is, I have never been sick for Christmas until this year. Last Sunday, a sore throat began in a rather odd part of my throat. It didn't really hurt, and it didn't affect my voice ... until last Tuesday. Whenever I get sick and it settles into my throat, my voice drops an octave or two. I get the greatest feeling towards reaching out to a producer about that Barry White tribute album only to have no energy due to being sick. I'd give me only a few days to record it, too, which would be stretching it to get truly good recordings. Fortunately, I'm feeling a lot better this evening, and I very well may not miss the Christmas celebrations with both families. I missed the great celebration with Pam's family tonight, but I'd rather focus my energy on getting well for tomorrow than risk making myself feel worse. ***** Every once in a while, something comes along in life that makes me wonder. At a recent potluck held by a part of my company (I didn't participate due to being sick and not having any desire; there was entirely too much food around to begin with), someone decided they absolutely needed to put up a sign that read something along the lines of, "If you didn't bring anything, don't eat our food." Initially, I got a bit annoyed with this sign. I don't take food from a potluck in which I don't participate. To me, that's a respectful and courteous thing to do. I found it a bit offensive that someone felt that I would need to be told this. The act seemed completely inappropriate and unnecessary. This also takes away from the "unity" feel of the place as well. We tend to feel like we're one big machine, working together to get our product out and in time. Things like this make things feel divisive and exclusionary. At the end of the day, tons of food were still left, including some dishes that, without the possibility of one co-worker taking it home for himself, may have been left out all of our 3-day weekend. Wasted food is never a good thing. After some time, I saw a different side to this. Many people do tend to graze in potlucks without any intention of participating. That touches on my sense of respect for others in the realm of potlucks. Many people barely live paycheck-to-paycheck, so such potlucks, given all the extra food, can be a godsend or just a nice jesture from others who have rather than have not. We'll see how future potlucks go. I do feel that such a sign seriously breached into the "tacky" department. I know it's touched some nerves throughout the office. Hopefully, upcoming potlucks will run more smoothly. ***** So far, I'm fairly happy with the Giants' overall acquisitions. I'm not too thrilled with them focusing on older players (the already-signed Omar Vizquel and the possibly-will-sign Moises Alou), but previous acquisitions (e.g. Marquis Grissom) proved to the Giants that going with older talent doesn't always disappoint. I like their acquisition of Armando Benitez as closer. I don't like the thought that Robb Nen may never pitch again, but I understand how the Giants need to move on to someone who can play now. The signing of Jeff Fassero to a minor league contract could be an interesting signing: a former starter who, apparently, throws long relief with occasional starts. I haven't paid any attention to him, so I don't know what he's done. Once again, though, the Giants pull off a big trade only to wave "good-bye" to their acquisitions after the season. Seeing Ricky Ledee sign with LA and A. J. Pierzynski being let go annoyed the hell out of me. Why do the Giants constantly trade away their talent for one-stop attempts that never bare fruit? Why couldn't they trade Pierzynski and actually get someone they could use? In an awkward moment, I'm fairly happy to see the White Sox pick up Dustin Hermanson. He did a decent job for the Giants filling in at closer. Hopefully the White Sox will have a similar role for him. I liked their re-signing of Ben Davis, who did a great job as their catcher. With Orlando Hernandez, maybe the White Sox will finally have the pitching staff set to make a run at the AL Central pennant. The saddest moment of reality will come to me from Magglio Ordonez. The rumors I heard mentioned that he may not completely recover from his injuries. It'll be hard to see the heart of the batting order leave the White Sox if it comes to that. ***** This will be my last note until after Christmas. Until then, have a Merry Christmas!
Christmas Results / Barely Developed Response to An Unfortunate Statement / Rearranging a Theoretical Living Room / Have a Happy New Year! Friday, December 31, 2004 Christmas went rather well. My aforementioned cold cleared up rather quickly and allowed me to visit Pam's family and join with them for their Christmas gathering on Christmas day. We enjoyed a wonderful prime rib dinner with peas/carrots, salad, and rolls with a yummy chocolate mousse for dessert. The chocolate mousse recipe called for Kahlua. Yum! My parents loved the gifts I helped get them. My mom and I pitched in together to get my dad a shop vac. He's been wanting one for years. My dad and I got my mom a new sewing machine. She's keeping her old one (once owned by my great grandmother, I think) and using the new one on the same table (with the old one folded down into the sewing table). This new one should be simpler to use for her and do the things she needs to do with it. I did give Pam's parents a gift, giving them a bottle of plum wine and a nice corkscrew from Le Gourmet Chef. My list of received presents includes money towards my Roth IRA and a new CD deck for my car, Reese's Peanut Butter Trees, a hollow chocolate Santa, "Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna" expansion, a mug and half a box of cappuccino truffles (the other mug and other half a box go to Pam), a summer sausage with a container of sweet hot mustard, two containers of Ghirardelli hot chocolate (white mocha and chocolate hazelnut), a box of dark chocolate squares (French; four different types of chocolate with each type's cocao coming from one specific plantation), a miniature knitted black sweater ornament with brown collar and waistband and a brown oval with a red "D", and 2 pair of Guinness boxers. And what about Pam, you ask? Well, the CD player I bought for her birthday serves as a birthday/Christmas present due to the cost. I rather enjoyed this Christmas. Sadly, I didn't get to be with my family much except for the time with my parents Christmas morning. I still had cold symptoms on Christmas day, and I didn't want to expose my grandparents to the possibility of catching ill. ***** I have no problems with religion. Religion, for billions of people, provides numerous ways towards life comfort, including comfort during hard times, a sense of unity with like-minded individuals, and a good, solid source of a moral ground to set oneself in life. Many people credit religion for keeping them out of a life of crime, and most of those people actually do so because of it. It can be a source of celebration, whether it be a festive holiday or a community picnic. Religion helps make people's lives better. Unfortunately, some religions, especially Christian religions, can be rather off the mark, leading people to believe and say things completely off the mark and make statements that are seemingly contradictory to their own beliefs. Whenever religion, then, is mixed with politics, potentially disturbing instances occur. Gabe's friend, Alan (a self-confessed conservative) made the following comment in the fourth response to that blog entry:
First off this statement appears to express the usual defeatist attitude of "well, it's all going to hell anyway, so why should we bother?" Sadly, it is exactly this kind of attitude that has led to any degradation of nature's wonderful and amazing beauty. Smokers toss their spent cancer sticks on the ground. Drivers chuck garbage out of their cars. Corporations blatantly dumping harmful waste into the water supply and natural habitats. On a religious ground, this feels like a fundamentalist belief. Granted, I'm rather far removed from any religion and am rather rusty on things in the Bible. It doesn't make sense to me to take such literal notions from the Bible and assume that the world really is going to end and that some sort of Second Coming would actually occur. With my belief in the Bible being like any other book and being a work of fiction, no Second Coming will occur and the First Coming (in a manner of speaking) never occurred, either. Revelations contains so much imagery that to assume a real apocalypse would occur fails to logically follow. One is more likely to actually find a beast with seven heads than for any of us to experience anything in real life that would lead to the total destruction of the planet. Giving the benefit of the doubt, Alan does say "may be better used", giving some sense that he may not actually believe that public resources should be spent elsewhere. As to my stance on such a subject, public resources need to be spent on maintaining our wildlife and natural resources. We need to preserve the world we live in and belong on not only for self-preservation but for the preservation of the millions of species on this planet. Enjoying what you can see, whether seen as great beings or as God's creation, will be passed down to future generations. Then, those generations can enjoy what we have enjoyed for so long. ***** One of my old high school friends is on the verge of moving into a new apartment with a roommate. As usual with a move, the challenge to fit all of one's stuff in the most desirable arrangement proves to be a major challenge that one is greeted with background music of "Mission: Impossible." In seeing a graphic representation of how he thought about arranging his living room, and noting a lack of suitable traffic flow, I decided to take a hack at what he had. And boy, did I certainly "hack."
*NOTE: Anything Dave-ized does not necessarily guarantee a great or even satisfactory solution. Stated desires and goals may never be achieved and things may not necessarily be better than when it started. Let the reader beware. ***** Another year has passed, and a new year looms on the horizon. This past year has given me plenty of things to be thankful for:
Pam and I will celebrate the beginning of the New Year with a nice dinner (as yet to be determined outside of pilaf) and a bottle of Martini & Rossi Asti. We'll watch Alistair Sim's "Scrooge: A Christmas Carol" and the Special Extended Edition of "Return of the King" (with, possibly, a Kings game thrown in for good measure). I learned that my old high school friends will be getting together again this year to kick off the New Year together. Sadly, I will not be joining them yet again for this. Next year, I will try to attend and bring along a special someone in Pam with me. That ever-dreadful event -- Pam meeting my high school friends -- will be less painful with a good bottle of champagne in me. When the New Year comes along, I'll publish a set of "resolutions." They really won't be true resolutions because I will stick to them. So far, this list of resolutions includes:
I never made New Year's resolutions before, but I shall make at least these for now. To all of my readers and various wanderers who stumble onto my site: I wish all of you a great and safe New Year's and a Happy New Year! |
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