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Journal Feb 2007

14 Feb 2007

It's the end of an era. I've listened to the Al Franken show continuously since I first found out that Air America had an affiliate in San Diego. Al's provided relevant news (not just to the liberal and progressive community) and insightful commentary by reasonable people who (thankfully) were given a forum in which they can spend ample time discussing their topics without having to compete for talking time with a right-wing chaperone that only spouts talking points. Al and his staff, of course, also provide political entertainment to make palatable all the bad news of our government.

I've also been listening to NPR (affiliate KPBS) and occasionally watching the NewsHour on PBS. Since my schedule change to the earlier shift, I've been able to listen to Morning Report on the way to work and Marketplace on the way home. I can depend more on that now. But I've still got Randi and Rachel to inform and entertain too. Earlier, I set out to depend less on Air America over time (or at least not keep a backlog of listen to various shows), so Al's departure is a catalyst. Thom Hartmann will replace his time slot, so I can still get good commentary from him, too.

This will probably be the first step to declaring my independence. I have yet to figure out an online re-registration, so maybe I have to do it by mail. I've been planning to declare no party just so I can truthfully say that I am, even though I tend to side with Democrats, just so rabid right-wingers can talk to me without screaming, and I can actually understand their point and likewise offer nonconfrontational questions, so the discussion will actually be worth something and mutually beneficial. Also, in California, independents can vote in primaries (for any single party).

Anyway, I wish Al the best, and if he's right for the Senate, hopefully the citizens of his home state see fit to have him represent them in the Senate.

Oh, also it's Timmy and Evelyn's birthday today. Happy Birthday! And Happy Valentine's Day to everyone else!

-res

Selected notes from The Al Franken Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

Other news and opinion from the day:

12 Feb 2007

I couldn't wait to finish Angels & Demons at work, so I did so over the weekend. It was really exciting near the end, but unraveling the mystery before that keeps the book interesting. My mom and some others who read The Da Vinci Code first say they wish they read Angels first, but I think it's fine to do so in the order they did (which I also did). Of course, knowing that Da Vinci was written and has events that occur after Angels means that Langdon survives the Angels adventure, but that's not enough to spoil the story. (Hopefully the following doesn't spoil it either.)

Both stories deal in some way with the relationship between organized religion (specifically the Catholic Church) and a secret society, but author Dan Brown condemns neither and glorifies neither. I think Brown holds both some degree of spirituality and respect for science, but he's more interested in the relationship.

As a Catholic myself, I don't find either of the books specifically anti-Christian (or anti-Catholic or even anti-religious) or anti-science, but he raises (or at least encourages) important questions that originate in fact. Although much (but not necessarily most) of that "fact" is disputed, such as descriptions of certain works of art, the altered facts make for a more interesting story -- and it's important to remember that the story is fiction. However, it inspired me to find out more about the history and art surrounding the characters.

So, I highly recommend both books as exciting and thought-provoking reads. Just check the facts, especially the ones you may find surprising (such as the fact that the Big Bang theory was proposed by a Roman Catholic priest, Georges Lemaître) on Wikipedia (or more reputable and reliable sources). Some are true, some are stretches (necessary for the story), and some are entirely ficticious for the story. But the story is intriguing, and, as I said, it inspires the reader to educate him- or herself on the history of relevance to the story.

-res

Selected notes from The Al Franken Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

Other news and opinion from the day:

08 Feb 2007

I've moved to a new building at work, and I've been here for some time now, but I still haven't started actual work on the project here. It's not going to be much different from what I was already doing, namely LabVIEW programming. At least it's becoming more fun over the last few weeks.

Evelyn's also moved rooms, and she's doing well. It's also nice to pay less for the older-child room. It makes sense that it gets less expensive the older the child gets, I guess. I'm not complaining.

-res

Other news and opinion from the day:

07 Feb 2007

Angels & Demons is structured similarly to The Da Vinci Code, but longer and without an epilogue. Of course, Angels came first, and I didn't realize bits of it were referenced in Da Vinci until I checked back some things that sounded familiar. The story is quite exciting, maybe even more so than Da Vinci, but the destructive potential of events in Angels is much greater. The level of factual detail is one of Brown's strongest points, but it's important to understand that it's still fiction overall. I can't wait to finish it.

-res

Selected notes from The Randi Rhodes Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

06 Feb 2007

Once again, I can immerse myself in literature from the comfort of my office workstation. I borrowed my coworker's audiobook for Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, the first Robert Langdon novel.

Before the events of The Da Vinci Code in dealing with the mystery of the Priory of Sion, Langdon deals with the mystery of the Illuminati and its relationship with the Vatican.

I'll keep listening and report more as I go.

-res

Selected notes from The Al Franken Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

Selected notes from The Randi Rhodes Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

05 Feb 2007

Over the weekend, I performed at the Catholic Community's annual Coffeehouse show. It's been a few years since performing at all, and even longer since performing solo (1998). I've found it a lot easier to play and sing when playing with other people (Soulace/The Sky St. Rock Band) and even easier when playing a comedic routine (Indigo Guys medley of women's songs with Roummel), but I guess I've kept stage fright under control (but not eliminated) over the years. I would say the first time I remember not having stage fright would be my 10th grade report in Moral Theology. Prior to that I gave a well-received report in Biology the same year (except I was still quite nervous then but well-prepared and with neat visual aids).

I guess now I take speaking/singing in front of others as doing so in front of friends, so I don't think about it as much. It helps when (a) I've rehearsed enough (for a song) and/or know what I'm talking about (for a speech/presentation) and (b) have stage lights shining on me in such a way that I don't see the audience well. Without stage lights, I can close my eyes or read notes to avoid audience contact. Hmm, now that I think about it, I have performed solo at Mass, a few times cantoring (Responsorial Psalm) and a few times singing a song for reflection after communion (Dave Matthews Band's Everyday and Sarah McLachlan's Angel). It's always unnerving just before the performance, but when I actually get there I can usually just do it. At that point the preparations are done, and I remember that someone told me (I'm not sure when) that stage time is different from real time; slowing down to take time to sing or speak clearly is more worth it than trying to rush through it. I've learned to enjoy performing, but I don't think I can make a career out of it.

-res

Other news and opinion from the day:

01 Feb 2007

Evelyn just made her first potty this morning. I'm sure she'll be grateful later in life about announcing this publicly now. The CW on potty training, of course, is that girls generally potty train faster than boys, and non-first-borns faster than first-borns (at least partially due to having an example to follow). So far, one or both of those can explain Evelyn's progress ahead of Timmy at the same age.

What's cool (or maybe not so much) about Timmy and Evelyn having the same birthday is that you can compare progress easily between them by remembering what Timmy was doing about the same time of the year four years ago. Then again, everyone's different, so it's purely an observational exercise. I'm sure they'll both turn out to be fine, upstanding citizens. Hopefully they'll also stay informed and open-minded.

-res

Selected notes from The Al Franken Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

Selected notes from The Randi Rhodes Show and related stories (indicated times are Pacific) (why this is here):

Other news and opinion from the day:

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