Phila Fail

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I actually like the name of this store - esp since it's in the gayberhood and full of totally kitschy stuff.

Obama, Why?

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike. What did I do this weekend? Went on a 50 mile bike ride. Holy moly, is my ass sore. We took the bike path up to Valley Forge yesterday. The day was perfect for a bike ride - in the 70s, very few clouds in the sky, warm sun. The leaves are just barely starting to change around here, and it feels like fall is in the air (equinox is tomorrow, so it should be). We came back exhausted, so it may be a couple weeks before Alex can convince me to get back on the bike and go that far again, but we'll see. With the scenery so pretty and the summer crowds gone, it's great to bike around the area. Since we took such a long bike ride, though, now I've got a ton of housework to catch up on...never done, right? I also promptly fell into bed after a quick trip into lab. Even the excitement of the Giants v. Dallas game couldn't keep me awake!
How was your weekend?

Haiku Friday

Not a plan in sight
Nary and scrap of work to
do. No traveling.

***

Weekend chores, shopping
maybe a bike ride or run
Reading, relaxing.

***

Fall is coming soon
Smell the air, feel the change in
seasons. Time goes on.

Wow.

It seems like all we do lately is say how sad we are that somebody died. MJ was a shock, Patrick Swayze was really sad. Farrah, etc, etc. Yesterday I learned of the loss of two women, one famous, and one not so much, which saddened me much more than any of the others before.
My mom is a very kind soul. She wouldn't hurt a fly and she always wears rose-colored glasses. This can both be a good thing and a bad thing, but it's something I love about my mom. She doesn't judge people, she tries to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and she likes to "Live and let live". My mom also loves to sing. In this weird, slightly operatic, slightly off tune voice. Which drove me nuts when I lived at home, but I now find myself singing to myself all the time (I guess I'm turning into my mother...). As far back as I can remember, my mom listened to Peter, Paul and Mary. I don't know what it was about the music, but I just loved it. The harmony, the song lyrics, the messages underneath the lyrics, and the fact that they continued to sing those songs as they aged, just spoke volumes to me. I remember loving the stories behind the songs, the emotion put into the lyrics. "Puff the Magic Dragon" will still, to this day, make me cry for lost childhood dreams, forgotten childhood experiences, and all the innocence and wonder that exists in childhood. For some reason, I drew parallels with Mary Travers and my mom. Mary was in a band with two men, and she often carried the tune, made the transitions, or started the song. In other words, she was a leader, in a time when women were not really leaders and were trying to change their position. My mom was that way, too, working as a mathematician for the Navy, surrounded by men in every position above and below her. Yet, she embraced it and did what she could to keep her job and move up in the ranks. Mary Travers never changed her position on war - I remember Peter, Paul and Mary singing at the protests against the Iraq war. I remember thinking, wow, how amazing to keep your convictions all these years, to stick to them and to continue the movement they were so integral to starting. I am so grateful that strong women like Mary Travers (and my mom) preceded me and paved a path on which I would build my career and my life as I want to.
The other person who passed away recently was Mrs. H. Mrs. H was an old family friend; a matriarch of the H family which has been close to my family for years. My grandparents met Mr. and Mrs. H upon moving into Ojai in the 60s. It was back when there were "Welcome wagons" int he community and Mrs. H was the first to greet my family. She noticed that my grandparents had 3 boys - she also had 3 kids - and they got together and were friends ever since. Mrs. H was the quinessential grandparent as long and I knew her. She lived on a ranch in Ojai that had acres and acres of orange trees. Mrs. H canned and cooked like nobody's business. She was a wonderful host, but was not afraid to put on her overalls and get out in the barn and deal with the chickens. We lost Mr. H several years ago, to many different illnesses. Mrs. H carried on, renting out her house and living in a small mobile home on the property. When it became obvious she could no longer live on her own, she was moved nearer her son, and she passed away in her sleep. Mrs. H always made me feel loved an welcome in her house, she always took time out to talk to everyone, be a part of everyones lives. And she seemed to know that the simplest things in life are the best. I don't recall her owning a TV (maybe a small set for the kids) and I do remember sitting in the hot tub with all her grandkids. My Dad used to visit her every time he was in Ojai, and he always came home with another jar of something Mrs. H had canned. I used to send her Christmas cards, and she always wrote back, marveling that someone had remembered "an old lady". She loved Las Vegas, and we all headed out there for her 80th birthday party. The H family has always been a part of our family, and I feel very saddened at the loss of sucha wonderful, loving woman. I know her spirit is passed on to her children and her grandchildren and I am just so thankful to have known her.

RIP, Patrick Swayze

Your movies were always a staple of my many sleepovers. Cancer is an asshole. You will be missed.

Guess what I did?

I ran a 5K!

At the starting line, standing around.

Run, CD, run!

I love it when I dribble water down my front!

Yay for me!

Some thoughts...

• Screaming "You lie" at a President - really, South Carolina? Really?
• A woman was murdered in her lab at Yale. Scary? Yeah....freaked out? Just a little...
• Health care: why are all the people screaming and yelling about health care? You're required to insure your car, but not yourself? Makes no sense to me. And to prevent insurance companies from gouging us, there should be a public option. Doesn't seem that complicated. Trust me, Medicare/Medicaid will still be there, so stop bitching about it. And stop hating on the poor people.
  
• Americans are ridiculously opposed to change. Change is good. It keeps us moving forward. What's so scary about that?
  
• Philadelphia is in the worst way. The city needs money to function, but the state won't allocate it. We are facing shutdown of city business on Oct 2, if a budget is not written by Sept 18th. Personally, I don't want to live in a city without police and fire officials. The signs on the libraries (all of them, this time) states they will close on Oct 2. How sad.
  
• I think women should run things for a while. Men have had their fair share of governing, and look where it's gotten us. Let's give the females a try.
  
• I guess I am in the minority when I say that I still approve of President Obama. I think he's doing a great job, trying to focus on the issues, while hearing all sides. I do, however, this that this health care issue will make or break his presidency.
• I can't believe how ridiculous people are about their kids. Thinking that Obama will "indoctrinate" their kids into "socialism" when all he really wanted to do was tell kids to work hard and stay in school? Get off your high horse, conservatives. Have a little respect for the Office of the President. And let him inspire minority and inner city kids across the country.
• As far as I can tell, the "deficit", or the "debt" or whatever you want to call it has no effect on my everyday life. Why do I care if we borrow money now so that it's better in the future? This is the worst depression in nearly 100 years! I think this calls for some fancy finances.
  

Home Haiku Friday

Finally here for
a weekend, but not for long.
More trips in future.

***

Looking forward to
unpacking, cooking, cleaning
relaxing, biking.

***

Summer, where have you
gone? I can't believe soon kids
will be back at school!

Dear Philadelphia Eagles,

I have to say I've been really disappointed with your behavior lately. You've made questionable decisions in the past, like letting Jeff Garcia go, getting rid of Jim Johnson (RIP) and getting rid of B.Dawkins. I've always tried to have a little faith, tried to see it through, tried to think you might know what you are doing. However, employing Michael Vick, to me, is abominable. Sure, everyone makes mistakes. And if his mistake, were, say, hitting a dog with his car, then maybe it's forgivable. However, the long term breeding, torture and abuse of animals over years and years is unacceptable. I'm surprised at the sentence he got (and that he served it without bitching and moaning). I know that the Humane Society is trying to work with Vick to promote awareness of dogfighting in urban areas, especially around poorer neighborhoods. I commend that. However, as a member of my team? No way. I just don't condone it and I am not OK with it. Eagles, I think you've lost me as a fan. I really believe that. I think you are selling your soul to the devil in order to win some games, and it disgusts me. I think about all the merchandise you sell, all the kids that watch your games. All the fans that bleed green literally every time you lose. And I can't believe you would disappoint us like this.
Guess I'm looking for a new team to root for. Perhaps one with a few morals....I dunno, Eli Manning's kinda cute.....

Where have I been? Part 2

A stop at the Madonna Inn. This is their bathroom. For those of you looking for a weekend honeymoon getaway {ahem, Randi, ahem}, you should go here. It's so ridiculous, it's amazing. And also where my parents spent part of their honeymoon.

Eating lobster in Maine. Too much lobster....

Watching the sunrise atop Cadillac mountain, the highest peak on the East Coast, and the first place to see the sunlight in the US. Oh, yeah, this was taken around 4:59am. Whew!

Bah Habah.

Sand Beach, Acadia National Forest. 5:45am

Love.

Where have I been? Part 1

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, and I love nothing more than sitting and watching the sea lions bark and play with each other. I was there for a conference in which I gave my first talk to a "national" audience. I actually remembered to breathe, which was good. And I'm glad to add it to my list of accomplishments.

Another thing to add to my list of accomplishments? Yorkshire pudding. Which came out exceptionally well, considering I was flying by the seat of my pants. Deeee-licious!

A little relaxin' in the yard with Randi and Husband. What a day, what a night.

Kitty thinks she lives in a jungle. Very predator -like.

A Black&Tan with Dad at the local bar.

more to follow....

Dear Oxnard Haiku Friday

Dear Oxnard, could it
be any nicer here? I
don't want to go home.

***

No humidity,
cool breeze, warm sunshine, a
bit of fog at night

***

Sometimes you have to
leave a place before you know
how nice it can be.

Milk

I finally watched this move this weekend and cannot say enough good things about it. I must admit, I was a little too young to realize the situations going on in CA in the late 70s, early 80s. Until this movie, I had never really heard of Harvey Milk. I knew he was a gay icon, but I didn't really know why or what he had done. And there are some things I just can't imagine: like the Castro being anti-gay, people being unable to express their relationships with each other in public, and state-sanctioned discrimination (oh, wait, I can imagine that one! No on H8 BTW Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act). In every movement, it takes someone with more bravery and courage than I can imagine to step out in front of the issues and call them to people's attention. Harvey Milk does that. He spearheads a campaign to put a gay person into a public office (and he runs more times than you can count). He eventually wins a seat as a City Supervisor in SF, only to be shot and killed by another deranged Supervisor at their place of work. (Yeah, talk about justice: see the "Twinkie Defense" if you really want to get pissed off). Harvey inspired a whole host of activists, including the man who set in motion the AIDS quilt, as well as many other people advocating Public Health and Equality for All. I cannot imagine a better time for this movie to come out. Sean Penn is amazing in it, James Franco is (wow) really great. There's a grassroots feeling to this movie, and it was great to see parts of SF re-created for this movie. Altogether, I loved it. It's heartbreaking, heartwrenching, but ultimately has a message of hope. I only hope this movie an inspire others to advocate for themselves, stand up for their rights, and hopefully, soon, we can have equality for all people everywhere. At least, that's what Harvey Milk believes in.

Ode to the Fisher Fine Arts Library

I go here a lot
Makes me feel like a student
in the Ivy League.

Vaulted ceilings, arched
doorways, even a fireplace
big chairs and tables.

Not like biomed
library; less stress, more calm.
Suggest you visit!

40 years ago today....

The Apollo 11 mission left earth for the first manned flight to the moon. Understandably, an unbelievable feat, I just wanted to commemorate the awesomeness of this day. NASA was able to pull off an amazing trip to the moon that was broadcast around the world. I know that I have always been inspired by astronauts and space. Another trip to the ISS is underway today. I was able to watch the live broadcast of the launch last night, and it brought back so many memories. I remember the Challenger blowing up. For some reason, I was at my Grandparents' house that day, home sick from school. The first schoolteacher in space. I remember waking up early to hear the sonic booms from the space shuttle landing. I remember seeing the weird 747 at Mugu, preparing to fly the shuttle to Florida. NASA and the space program have so advanced science and made it open and accessible to the public. What a truly historic day. Congrats, NASA! Here's to 40 more years of exploration (at least!).

A Rant

While understandably excited to watch the confirmation of our first Latina woman on the Supreme Court (and only the THIRD woman to serve), I can't help but be pissed off at the conservative conversations happening in the media. Here is an intelligent, hard working woman who graduated from Princeton undergrad and Yale law School. She has, as far as I can tell, risen from a working class family (in which her father had a third grade education and did not even speak English) to become a judge in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. I am not sure how much hard work it requires to become a judge. I don't even know how much work Yale Law School might be. I know that grad school takes a lot of determination, intelligence, perseverance and the right attitude. I imagine Sotomayor has all of these and more. I would like to think that Obama saw in her the same pragmatic attitude he has, having come from a working class family and having risen to the Presidency. I would like to think her decisions as a judge have been well thought out and have been based on precident as well as the laws on the books. Nobody really knows. However, I will not stand for this blatant racism, saying she is the product of affirmative action - that she never would have made it this far without racial quotas. I'm sorry, but what? We are talking about a wildly sucessful 55 year old woman, here. Someone who has clearly planned her life journey according to certain values, one who has worked her ass off to get where she is today. It has nothing to do with her race! Don't diminsh he accomplishments by saying they only occurred because of affirmative action. Don't deny young women a role model they can look up to; don't deny the Hispanic culture the right to celebrate this nomination.
I guess the idea is taken with a grain of salt, right? If that's the worst thing they can come up with to say about her, so be it. You and I know the real story. She's an amazing woman, a role model we can all admire. And I dare her to confront those stuffy old white men on that damn Supreme Court. Let's see how well "affirmative action" works for us!

Transformers: Robots in Disguise

Yesterday, we had a big, suburban adventure that included watching Transformers 2. It was about this time last year that they were filming this movie around campus and around Philly, so it was great to finally see the movie. I loved this movie. I loved the first movie, too, so I probably walked in there a little biased. Transformers 2 definitely delivered. It was as good as the first movie and was very exciting and fun to watch. The plot? Not so much. If you're looking for a good story, you won't find it here. However, if you are looking for some awesome military footage, lots of robots turning into cars and vice versa and a whole lotta explosions and violence, this is it. Josh Duhamel is pretty damn good looking, and Shia's not too bad either (am I allowed to like him? Is he too young and I'm too old? not sure how this works...). Meagan Fox is gorgeous (although, I wish women could play actual characters of substance sometimes) and the new Transformers that populate the movie are also pretty cool. I loved the CGI, mostly because you couldn't tell it was CGI (although, it had to be, right?) and I loved seeing Penn represented on the big screen. Altogether, this was a great summer movie, perfect for a Sunday afternoon. And the best part? Alex saw Optimus Prime driving around NY State a couple weeks ago - sounds like they're working on a sequel!

Ode to Summer Haiku Friday

Dear Summer, I love
you more than any other
season in Philly.

***

Relaxed atmosphere,
Long days, bright sun,
warm evenings, chill.

***

Green trees, blue skies, toes
are free from shoes, lemonade,
fruit and veggies, Yum!

My new favorite thing

I've recently discovered Pandora, an internet radio station you can program yourself by putting in your favorite songs / artists / albums. Our radio stations here in Philly are pretty bad (same thing, over and over again) and I guess I'm just not that into "newer"music, except for select artists. What I'm saying is that I'm old and set in my ways :)
After MJ's death, I started to realize how long it had been since I've heard his music and the music from my childhood. I created a radio station around MJ, and have repeatedly heard my favorite song, "Man in the Mirror", as well as music by Janet Jackson (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty), Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, etc. I've also added some of my other old favorites, like NKOTB (I know, I'm shameless), Belinda Carlisle, Jackson 5, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, etc. Apparently, I am a gay man trapped in a woman's body - LOL. I just wanna DANCE :)
Anyways, just thought I would share my new favorite thing. And stop by my lab, we'll have dance party!