the convention

in my vicadin haze (nasty toothache - it's a long story) i just watched al gore deliver his speech at the opening of the deocrats convention. was surprised at all the references to 2000 and florida - hopefully that's all we hear about that. . . .

excited to see carter and clinton - interested that carter is speaking. he's been a pariah in past conventions for a long time, as well as within the party. . . interested to see how the slow speaking southerner will do. . .

bloggers are big at the convention this year - so far wonkette is my favorite.

the greatest story ever told . . .

you have to check this out - greatest story ever. . . .

truth

busy busy busy

quick update on all the stuff going on:

*** took ewa to see 'female trouble' at am midnight showing saturday - it is put on by a drag queeen nameed peaches christ. . .it was fierce mary's, very fierce. i think ewa enjoyed the parts she was awake for. . . she is definitely a morning person. . . .

*** my lil sis took off for in colorado on sunday - horseback riding, river rafting, archery, etc. . . . 3 weeks of fun away from the parents. . . .when i was 14 i spent the summer workning as a stock boy in a frozen food wharehouse. . . .ah, to be young again . . . .

*** we have a new house guest - the family cat, Andre. . . .2nd best cat ever (1st is of course my first cat - a black cat named buckwheat. . . he was the cooolest). Andre has adjusted well - alreday staking out a place at the foot of the bed while we sleep and making sure the maximum amount of kitty litter makes its way out of the box and onto the floor. we have already experienced the classic cat events - me waking up to Andre walking across my head and Andre walking across the keyboard of ewa's computer while she works. i swear to you we will not become cutesy sicko cat people, he's more like a dog, so it's ok . . .

and the winner is . . .

ewa and i went and saw farenheit 9/11 last night. . . it was. . . interesting. it didn't really tell me anything i didn't know by just reading the news, but as ewa pointed out, this is probably mind aletering for the majority of americans, who, let's face it, don't know where to find the US on a map. it didn't change any of my views, it didn't make more or less angry at the goverment or pissed about the war in iraq. it made some good points, pointed out some things i haden't thought of before, but also mentioned quite a few half-truths. i will say moore is the king of editing, some of it way over the top.

we were talking to a woman afer the movie about this, and some of the things we thought were off, and she said that at the very least it will lead people to go investigate whether what is said is completely true. that's the key. . .anyone who walks out that movie tacitly believing everything moore says is bad as all those right wingers who blindly follow bush, cheney, rummy, and the lot. at the very least this movie should make you go out and see what really is true and what is actually fancy editing . . .it should start dialogue, fuel conversation, and spark speculation - it should serve to add to the debate, not be a final argument.

that being said, i will use the now overused line that everyone should see this movie. if for nothing else than the various shots of soldiers and civilians in iraq which are jaw droppping. we forget that people do suffer and die in war - the same mother who is crying on her knees in omaha for her son who was killed has a counterpart in tikrit - we seem to forget that sometimes. go see it, form your own opinion, talk with your friends about it, take them to see it - love it or hate it, believe it or not, it's one hell of a film that's been strategically dropped like a bomb into our present social climate - it's relevant, funny, factual at times, and causes you to really ponder what we are doing as a people and a country. . . it's about god damn time.

the city by the bay

we're back . . . after a 5 day sojurn to kentucky, we arrived back in san francisco late last night (flying first class of course . . . my baby has gots the hookups). it was a great trip and we actually returned home rested and relaxed, lungs full of the country air. . .

we got there thursday morning, and really spent the day recovering from the red-eye and shooting the shit with uncle gene and ms. p. that night we went out to 'our best,' a real country restaurant with the toby boys (jon and ben), their wives, kids, uncle gene, ms. p, and officer mikey. it twas good . . .

friday we picked up my dad and we grabbed some lunch at a great irish place in bigger town closest to gene's. up to until a short time ago, oldham county was a 'dry county' - you couldn't buy any booze, anywhere in the county. recently it went damp, which means restaurants who seat over 100 people can have a full bar. it brought a tear to my eye to order a guiness in la grange, ky. . .

that night the whole crew (gene, tobys, et al) got together for dinner at the westport general store, the little restaurant in the little village in westport,ky., the closest town to gene's place. dinner was great, and we finished up with a few to many vodka's at the house before bed.

the 3rd was the big party day . . i'm not going to even try to describe it, except to say that it was incredible. the weather held, the food was great, the booze flowed, the band (a local sf band call the shut-ins - if you are in sf, you need to check them out)was rockin', and the confluence of people was superb. if you want to hear about it, i'd rather tell you in person - email me and i'll send you the links to the pics.

the actual 4th was a pretty chill day. . .we sat around, talked, at leftovers, played dominoes, and relaxed - not a bad way to spend a day.

i must say that it was a great trip, with great people, and great times - as ewa said, this is a trip (and a party) we will never forget.

my ol' kentucky home

starting day 3 of my 5 days in the bluegrass state - it's been incredible.. . we've been eating heavy southern food, watching fireflies on the back porch, and drinking moonshine out of mason jars, and listening to great music (had no idea how good artie shaw sounds out here in the country). more to follow later. . . great pics too - slowly convincing ewa we need to live here. . . we'll see how that goes. . . off to play dominoes . . .

early. . .

6:40am CDT - sitting in the continental presidents club in houston with ewa - just took the red-eye in from san francisco. ewa got upgraded to first class and let me have the seat - she is the best. . . .

sat across from juwan howard who was just traded to the houston rockets and was coming in for his physical. . .the man was big, 6'9" 230. . .

ok - off to our flight to cinncinatti, then an hour drive to kentucky and the 4th of july festivities begin. . . its gonna be goooood.