Category: General

My youngest son is very rules oriented. I learned yesterday that he has labeled our two bathrooms, “Number 1”, and “Number 2”. He does number 1 in Number 1 and number 2 in Number 2!^_^

I guess the best antidote to life is to just live it out. I got a few hours of having the house to myself during which time I got to reprise my yearly role of Santa Claus, wrapping and delivering presents to the tree. This was followed by some very therapeutic house cleaning and the washing of many things. Finally, I actually enjoyed helping my daughter fill out high school application forms.

Just goes to show, that things are rarely as bad as they seem. And even if they are, it really doesn’t matter, in a little while something else will come along. So I’m thankful for another day on this beautiful blue ball afterall.

It’s midterm report time again, and again it’s a period of dread and depression here. Most would say that 3 out of 4 good reports would be a good thing. But in this age of standardized testing, ridiculously intense competition, and Ritalin, anything less than perfect overshadows anything good that comes. And so it is again, lots of yelling, accusations, and scheduled testing. At this point my feelings are of resignation and depression.

Still, my overall disposition remains optimistic. I never had any special testing, diagnoses, or drugging, and I think I turned out just fine. Indeed, most people thought I was a pretty smart, if somewhat shy, kid. Now there’s a word that doesn’t get used anymore, just plain ol’ shy. Now anyone different has to be diagnosed and subsequently prescribed the “appropriate” drug. What ever happened to letting the kids discover who they are on their own? I still believe that my job as a parent is to help them develop into the people they were made to be. This may or may not be what I would want or dream of and probably should not be. The world works best, I think, with a variety of people, personalities, and abilities. The most renowned art and science seems to come from those off the mainstream, not the so called “normal” people. Indeed, there really aren’t any normal people. Normal is just an artificial construct, probably more useful for academic comparisons than being a target of one’s aspirations.

Thanksgiving was pretty good, spent with family and a few good friends over. Ken always brings good beers, and to this list I add Hoegaarden. I liked this beer, it had a light and slightly sweet taste. But I couldn’t help but notice the name, which to this English speaker, looks like “ho garden”. It is not pronounced that way, but I had my giggles nonetheless. So I post a picture here.

I had originally intended to bitch about my wife some more, but found something much better in Eating French (or Why French Women Don’t Get Fat).

“If we want to lose weight, we need to make a choice to enjoy life more,” said Hauben.

Rather than bitching about the wife, I’m going to redouble my efforts to meet more people and have more fun. Some might label me a slacker, but working yourself into the ground isn’t fun and won’t buy you one more day of life on this planet. I enjoy my work, most of the time, but it’s so easy to get derailed into stressful situations. So I resolve once more to have fun! ^_^

While James Watson has apologized for his remarks, the pain and self loathing engendered by them doesn’t go away so easily. Watson certainly isn’t the first person of prominence to espouse the belief that black people are less intelligent than whites for genetic reasons. The jury is still out on what genetic factors play a part in native intelligence, and indeed, on what defines intelligence at all. And it is easy to simply dismiss such racist remarks right out of hand.

But I can’t do that. I was trained as a scientist. I hold a PhD in physics, a sure conversation killer in a country where ignorance of math, science, and technology is often considered a cool thing in polite company. No one wants to be a geek. Throughout my college and graduate school days, clouds of doubt would descend upon me, and I’d wonder, almost out loud, whether or not my difficulties were because black people really are inferior. I had to consider the possibility that people like James Watson were right, that I was genetically inferior and could not hope to reach the lofty heights of intellectual achievement. What if I only got as far as I did because of affirmative action and political correctness?

I don’t really have an answer for that question. I believe that I knew my professors and advisers well enough to know that I wasn’t getting a free pass any more than anyone else. I can fight these doubts and I don’t let them get in the way of my goals. But when I read all of the articles about this that and the other health problem, and the social issues that seem to especially plague black people, again I wonder, what if he’s right? Am I living in a false hope?

Yesterday I was treated to a wonderful sight on the streets of Chicago. Despite the impending colder fall weather, I noticed a lot of miniskirts with black tights being worn. As a big fan of that combo, not only was I pleased, I briefly forgot all about the horrible head cold I’ve been suffering. Thank you Chicago ladies for defying the season! ^_^

It looks like I’m not the only one who thinks the Rush Hour films suck, Jackie Chan doesn’t like the Rush Hour series either! He said that he did the first one to get into the U.S. market, while the second and the horrid third one were done for the money and to satisfy fan demand. And in a great proof of his humanity, he said that he still doesn’t understand the humor of the films. Well that’s because there isn’t any! I suppose that makes Jackie the ultimate straight man!

After reading what he had to say, I really wish the films had been made in the Hong Kong style that he pioneered. Nobody did or does the kind of high action, with a dose of slapstick comedy, films that introduced me and millions of other fans to Jackie Chan. I hope I’ll get to see at least one more of those before Jackie Chan retires from the screen.

Sometimes I really feel that I’m beginning to hate my wife. It seems that all she does lately is bitch about everything, yelling at me and the kids for no good reason. But I generally prefer not the bitch about things like that myself here. As uncomfortable as things are right now, it’s just a temporary thing and not anything to get too excited about. Still, it really hurts because I still want to share so many cool things with her, but there just isn’t an opening right now… I think this is also a good reason to hold on to one’s hobbies and the things you’re independently passionate about, and of course, your own friends. Without those things, I’d be adrift on a sea of someone else’s anger. And I really don’t want that. Oh thank the maker that Halo 3 comes out tonight!

I saw Rush Hour 3 today because at the time I had nothing better to do. Well, nothing would have been much better to do than see that piece of sh*t movie! Rush Hour 3 totally sucked! It was unfunny and the action uninspired and, in light of the unfunniness of the film, too short. Why Jackie? Oh why did you make this film? I still like Jackie Chan, but I sincerely hope that he makes at least one more good martial arts film in his classic style. It would be a tragedy if Rush Hour 3 went down as his last film. As for Chris Tucker, I kept wishing that Jackie would just tell him to STFU and GTFO because nothing he said the entire film was funny! OMG! It would have been better to replace all of Tucker’s lines with farting noises.

Honestly, I don’t think calling this greed is quite enough. But scumbag may have a new definition today. When first saw the headline concerning the settlement of a $1.63 property tax issue, I thought the amount was a typo. So I read the story and found that not only did the whole sordid mess get started over a $1.63 tax bill, but even after that had been worked out, Jamie Land company continued to use court action in an attempt to get the land of the elderly couple. Finally, an anonymous benefactor settled the issue by paying Jamie Land an undisclosed sum. I hope Jamie Land President James Lindsay II is very proud of himself. What a disgraceful situation and a prime example of the depths people will sink to when they only care about money.