Lex Icon Lexargy: December 2008

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December 2008

December 31, 2008

Demiblog Links, December 2008

Here were the demiblog links for December:

A lot of linkin last month.

December 31, 2008 in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Patronizing the Enemy

Lunch at the local Philly Cheesesteak joint was great, but we were staring at this Penn State pennant the whole time.

December 31, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

There were a lot of folks getting married late this afternoon at the Old County Courthouse. Right now, they have about ten minutes left, and then, if they haven't tied the knot by then, they are stuck filing as single taxpayers for 2008.

December 31, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Lex TV 196

Here are another dozen videos:

Were Heat Mizer and Freeze Mizer gay?

Merry Christmas, love, the bankers.

Reindeer can't fly, but they can follow a chick with bread for 10 minutes.

A Homey Claus Christmas

Next Christmas, give the gift of noise reduction

Sadly, you can no longer buy Ballbuster.

Video of cars going up an icy road.

Big storm down under.

Incredible footage of the Drake Passage crossing.

But if you make it, this is the reward. Sweet!

Sometimes, it's best just to let go of the kite.

Willard Scott as creepy original Ronald McDonald.

December 31, 2008 in Video | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 30, 2008

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 211)

This is the crater at the top of Mt. Haleakala, on the island of Maui. Haleakala is a shield volcano, and that portion of it which rises above sea level makes up about 3/4 of the island of Maui. Native Hawaiians used the name Haleakalā, which means "House of the Sun", to refer only to this part of the mountain, and it was so named because from the more-inhabited west side of the island, the Sun appeared to rise out of this summit. In Hawaiian mythology, this was also the home of demigod Māui's family. From here, Maui's grandmother helped him capture the Sun and force it to travel across the sky more slowly, to give the people a longer day.

The crater is more than 7 miles, 2 miles wide and 2,600 feet deep. The volcano looks as if it is extinct, but its is actually just dormant. Depending upon whose analysis you trust, its last eruption occurred sometime around 1790 (between the voyages of La Perouse and Vancouver) or sometime in the 1600s.

There are a few plants growing out of the soil, but it looks mostly barren, and when I saw the pictures coming back from the Phoenix Mars Lander recently, I thought they looked a lot like the top of Haleakalā.

A year ago today, I woke up in a hospital bed in the worst pain I'd ever experienced in my life. When I got ready to go home a dozen hours later, the first thing I asked my surgeon was "will I be able to take my trip to Maui this week?" You can see why.

December 30, 2008 in Photographs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Grampa Joe Pa Jokes

After hearing Joe Paterno joke about his first trip to Disneyland being 150 years ago, I thought I'd share some dumb jokes about old guys, tweaked just a bit for Joe:

Joe Paterno's so old, his memory is in black and white.
Joe Paterno's so old, his social security number is 1.
Joe Paterno's so old, when he took his history class, the name of the class was "Right Now."
Joe Paterno's so old, when he was born, the Dead Sea wasn't even sick yet.
Joe Paterno's so old, when he reads the Bible, he reminisces.
Joe Paterno's so old, his Bible is autographed.
Joe Paterno's so old, his first license was for walking, because horses hadn't been invented yet.
Joe Paterno's so old, when he goes walking around in a museum, they keep trying to put him back in the exhibits.

This no joke: Joe Paterno has been coaching for so long, USC has had 6 different head coaches since Paterno took over at Penn State. Seven, if you count John Robinson's two head coaching stints separately.

December 30, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Update on Angels Mother's Day Tote Case

In a case that I've followed for more than two years with some amusement, the California 4th District Court of Appeal has upheld a summary judgment against a disgruntled Angels fan who was pissed off that a Mother's Day promotion only gave free tote bags to adult women.

Michael Cohn appeals from summary judgment granted in favor of Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (Corinthian), and Angels Baseball LP (the Angels). He contends the Angels’ Mother’s Day tote bag giveaway violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act. (Civ. Code, §§ 51, 52; hereafter the Unruh Act.) We disagree and affirm the judgment.

As we will explain, the Unruh Act protects against intentional discrimination that is unreasonable, arbitrary, or invidious. This important piece of legislation provides a safeguard against the many real harms that so often accompany discrimination. For this reason, it is imperative we not denigrate its power and efficacy by applying it to manufactured injuries such as those alleged by the plaintiff in this case.

The only unfortunate thing about the opinion in Cohn v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (the sponsor of the giveaway), ~~is that~~ ~~the opinion~~ ~~is unpublished. Maybe I'll file a request for publication~~.

Oh, and I'm still not that kind of lawyer.

The case has been ordered published. Thank, among others, the folks at Budweiser, who requested that this case be published to establish a precedent that this sort of crap isn't the kind of discrimination the law was intending to prohibit.

December 30, 2008 in Idiots, Law | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 29, 2008

Comparing Penn State and USC

OFFENSE
Penn State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .USC
211.6 . . . . . . . .Rushing/Game . . . . . . .206.0
5.3 . . . . . . . . . .Rushing/Att. . . . . . . . . . .5.3
203-346-4 . . . . . . .Passing . . . . .226-353-12
240.6 . . . . . . . .Passing/Game . . . . . . .247.1
452.2 . . . . . . . . .Total/Game . . . . . . . .453.1
6.6 . . . . . . . . . . . .Total/Att. . . . . . . . . . . .6.6
40.2 . . . . . . . . .Scoring/Game . . . . . . . .37.5
+ .75 . . . . . . .Turnover Margin . . . . + 0.41
DEFENSE
Penn State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .USC
95.9 . . . . . . . .Rushing/Game . . . . . . . .83.2
2.9 . . . . . . . . . .Rushing/Att. . . . . . . . . . .2.6
197-364-16 . . . . .Passing . . . . .178-345-17
168.0 . . . . . . . .Passing/Game . . . . . . .122.8
263.9 . . . . . . . . .Total/Game . . . . . . . .206.1
4.2 . . . . . . . . . . .Total/Att. . . . . . . . . . . .3.4
12.4 . . . . . . . . .Scoring/Game . . . . . . . . .7.8

December 29, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

2008: The Yeavre Favre

The Chargers' comeback story was awesome, the Buccaneers' collapse was epic, the Lions' ineptitude was unprecedented, and the Patriots' inability to get into the postseason with an 11-5 record was sad, and the Dolphins' turnaround from 1-15 to division champions was inspiring, but no story in the NFL this season was quite as delicious as the final chapter in the Brett Favre saga.

The Dolphins completed their turnaround from 1-15 last year to AFC East champs this year behind the quarterback play of Chad Pennington, who, coincidentally, the Jets released to make room for Favre. In the season finale for both teams, Pennington was 22/30 for 200 yards and 2 TDS. Favre was 20/40 for 233 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs.

Meanwhile, Favre finished the season with 22 TDS, 22 INTs 3472 yards and an 84 rating. Favre's replacement, Aaron Rodgers, threw for more TDs, fewer INTs, more yards and a higher rating.

Favre in 2008 might have been the saddest thing in sports since Willie Mays was falling down in the outfield for the 1973 Mets.

December 29, 2008 in Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Hope for High School Students and Four Other Passing Thoughts

It is usually a great thing to give a little Hope to high school students, but when that Hope is a 23-year-old athletic trainer, we'll make an exception. Not that I wouldn't have hit that when I was 17.

In a way, it's kind of cute to have a woman make her cute adult daughters pose on Santa's lap every Christmas, until they get married. Then you have to remember that the mom would have to become some poor fellow's mother-in-law for the tradition to end, and you suddenly must root for these girls to continue the tradition until they are older than the man playing Santa.

Check out these photos of people on amusement park rides. Particularly: WTF is in the front on the second photo? And the 4th photo proves that three out of four people don't know when to keep their damn mouths shut.

I keep reading about how "extreme" a recent gang rape was in San Francisco recently. It makes me wonder. What sort of gang rape would not qualify for the 'extreme' label? Isn't every gang rape extreme?

In May, we had articles like this: "Climate change threat to alpine ski resorts". With quotes like this from Christoph Marty, of the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research: "I don't believe we will see the kind of snow conditions we have experienced in past decades." So what's the story in December? The Alps have best snow conditions 'in a generation'. "Val and neighbouring Tignes have already enjoyed more snow in December than in any year since 1981 and seem set to beat all records by New Year's Day." No word from Mr. Marty. At least, none in English.

December 29, 2008 in Five Passing Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 28, 2008

USC and Penn State Visit Disneyland

I was at Disneyland on Friday with my wife and kids, enjoying my last one-day pass before it expires. We chose Friday because we wanted to see Disneyland during the Christmas and New Year celebration, and because December 26 was the day that the USC and Penn State football teams were visiting. I got a chance to snap a few photos, including these:

Pete Carroll awaiting his introduction back near the path to Snow White's Grotto.

USC's team captains hanging around while the Penn State team captains are introduced.

USC team captain and starting quarterback, junior Mark Sanchez.

USC team captain and starting safety, senior Kevin Ellison. In most seasons, a player as good as Ellison would be the finest defensive player on the team.

USC team captain and starting center, redshirt senior (or redshirt redshirt junior?) Jeff Byers.

USC team captain and starting linebacker Brian Cushing.

After watching all of us snapping pictures left and right, Kevin Ellison took a few of his own.

Pete Carroll talks about how awesome it is to be back in the Rose Bowl for the 4th straight time.

I loved this photo. Just because you are a captain, and sit on the stage, doesn't mean you need to put your camcorder away. We're all fans, right?

Joe Paterno and Pete Carroll get their Rose Bowl trophies from Disneyland.

Among the players who were not on the stage, Rey Maualuga was by far the most popular. Right after this, I got an awesome photo of him with my younger daughter that has already made the email rounds. When we bought her first USC jersey, she picked #58, and she was wearing it under her USC sweatshirt on Friday.

Taylor Mays was enjoying himself, too.

After the ceremony in front of Snow White's Castle, a bunch of cameramen with various media outlets set up around certain rides, including the Teacups and here, at the base of the Matterhorn, where they took pictures of the players as they took in the attractions.

December 28, 2008 in Disney, USC Football | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

The Chargers Win the AFC West, Will Host Indianapolis Next Week

While I feel bad for Junior Seau and the rest of the New England Patriots, who finished their season 11-5 and out of the playoffs (last team to do that: the 1983 Denver Broncos), but the system says that every division winner gets in, and San Diego won the AFC West with an 8-8 record by beating Denver today 52-21. Denver becomes the first team ever, since divisional play began in 1967, to blow a three-game lead with three games to play and end up out of the playoffs.

So in a span of four amazing weeks, the Chargers went from 4-8, and all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason, to AFC West Champs who get a home game to start the playoffs. The Chargers have played three of the five other AFC playoff teams, having lost to Miami 17-10, to Pittsburgh 11-10 and to Indianapolis 23-20.

The good news is that I can probably get tickets if I want them.

December 28, 2008 in Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Rose Bowl History

Here's a list of every Rose Bowl game ever played.

1902—Michigan 49, Stanford 0
1916—Washington State 14, Brown 0
1917—Oregon 14, Pennsylvania 0
1918—Mare Island – USMC 19, Camp Lewis - US Army 7
1919—Great Lakes – US Navy 17, Mare Island 0
1920—Harvard 7, Oregon 6
1921—California 28, Ohio State 0
1922—California 0, Washington & Jefferson 0
1923—USC 14, Penn State 3
1924—Washington 14, Navy 14
1925—Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10
1926—Alabama 20, Washington 19
1927—Stanford 7, Alabama 7
1928—Stanford 7, Pittsburgh 6
1929—Georgia Tech 8, California 7
1930—USC 47, Pittsburgh 14
1931—Alabama 24, Washington State 0
1932—USC 21, Tulane 12
1933—USC 35, Pittsburgh 0
1934—Columbia 7, Stanford 0
1935—Alabama 29, Stanford 13
1936—Stanford 7, SMU 0
1937—Pittsburgh 21, Washington 0
1938—California 13, Alabama 0
1939—USC 7, Duke 3
1940—USC 14, Tennessee 0
1941—Stanford 21, Nebraska 13*
1942—Oregon State 20, Duke 16
1943—Georgia 9, UCLA 0
1944—USC 29, Washington 0
1945—USC 25, Tennessee 0
1946—Alabama 34, USC 14
1947—Illinois 45, UCLA 14
1948—Michigan 49, USC 0
1949—Northwestern 20, California 14
1950—Ohio State 17, California 14
1951—Michigan 14, California 6
1952—Illinois 40, Stanford 7
1953—USC 7, Wisconsin 0
1954—Michigan State 28, UCLA 20
1955—Ohio State 20, USC 7
1956—Michigan State 17, UCLA 14
1957—Iowa 35, Oregon State 19
1958—Ohio State 10, Oregon 7
1959—Iowa 38, California 12
1960—Washington 44, Wisconsin 8
1961—Washington 17, Minnesota 7
1962—Minnesota 21, UCLA 3
1963—USC 42, Wisconsin 37
1964—Illinois 17, Washington 7
1965—Michigan 34, Oregon State 7
1966—UCLA 14, Michigan State 12
1967—Purdue 14, USC 13
1968—USC 14, Indiana 3
1969—Ohio State 27, USC 16
1970—USC 10, Michigan 3
1971—Stanford 27, Ohio State 17
1972—Stanford 13, Michigan 12
1973—USC 42, Ohio State 17
1974—Ohio State 42, USC 21
1975—USC 18, Ohio State 17
1976—UCLA 23, Ohio State 10
1977—USC 14, Michigan 6
1978—Washington 27, Michigan 20
1979—USC 17, Michigan 10
1980—USC 17, Ohio State 16
1981—Michigan 23, Washington 6
1982—Washington 28, Iowa 0
1983—UCLA 24, Michigan 14
1984—UCLA 45, Illinois 9
1985—USC 20, Ohio State 17
1986—UCLA 45, Iowa 28
1987—Arizona State 22, Michigan 15
1988—Michigan State 20, USC 17
1989—Michigan 22, USC 14
1990—USC 17, Michigan 10
1991—Washington 46, Iowa 34
1992—Washington 34, Michigan 14
1993—Michigan 38, Washington 31
1994—Wisconsin 21, UCLA 16
1995—Penn State 38, Oregon 20
1996—USC 41, Northwestern 32
1997—Ohio State 20, Arizona State 17
1998—Michigan 21, Washington State 16
1999—Wisconsin 38, UCLA 31
2000—Wisconsin 17, Stanford 9
2001—Washington 34, Purdue 24
2002—Miami 37, Nebraska 14 #
2003—Oklahoma 34, Washington State 14
2004—USC 28, Michigan 14
2005—Texas 38, Michigan 37
2006—Texas 41, USC 38 #
2007—USC 32, Michigan 18
2008—USC 49, Illinois 17

* Played in North Carolina
# BCS Championship Game

December 28, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

2008 Travel Shots

The L.A. Times has published a set of its readers' 50+ best travel photos of the year. They are pretty awesome. I don't remember which of mine were entered, but mine weren't selected. My best travel photos are in my Tuesday Travel Photo posts.

December 28, 2008 in Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Samaritans Can Be Bad, and Four Other Passing Thoughts

The story about last Thursday's ruling from the California Supreme Court begins: "Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, the state's high court on Thursday said a would-be Good Samaritan accused of rendering her friend paraplegic by pulling her from a wrecked car "like a rag doll" can be sued." The case doesn't say no good deed goes unpunished. It says that some bad deeds might not go unpunished just because the idiot meant well, and you have to behave reasonably, even if you are at an accident scene. Stupid, but well-intentioned dangerous "help" from an idiot who's been drinking and smoking pot isn't necessarily immune from a civil lawsuit. Sorry, but the facts of the case make the defendant a "bad Samaritan." If having a drunk, stoned assclown yank my severely injured body like a rag doll from an accident scene that poses no threat is a "good deed", then please, everyone, spare me from your good deeds in the future.

Barney Frank is all up in arms about how 600 banking executives from firms benefitting from his bailout bill received $1.6 billion in compensation last year. "Most of us sign on to do jobs and we do them best we can," said Frank. "We're told that some of the most highly paid people in executive positions are different. They need extra money to be motivated!" No, Barney, they get paid the bonuses as a "bribe" to not go work for the competition. Competition is fierce for executives at places like those banks, much the way it is for, say, second-basemen. Let's see, that works out to about $2.67 million per executive, or about as much as the 16th highest paid Yankee makes. Personally, I'd like to think that the head of the bank that holds my money is worth more than an outfielder who's hitting .247 or a pitcher with a 59-77 record, but then again, I'm not a stupid Congressman.

Barack Obama's selection of Orange County preacher Rick Warren as the deliverer of the inaugural invocation is drawing a lot of fire from gays. What a topsy-turvy world we now have. The same people who mocked those who questioned Obama's affiliations with scoundrels like Tony Rezko and Bill Ayers and now screaming bloody murder over the selection of a preacher who was, as ~~most~~ Biblically honest Christian ministers are, opposed to homosexual lifestyles.

Can we really believe that a Virgin Mary, the wife of a carpenter, can give birth to a baby Jesus? It happened this year in Peru, doubters.

The only thing sweeter than watching the Lakers end Boston's impressive 19-game winning streak would have been watching the Celtics win 14 more, and knowing that, but for the Lakers, they'd have taken 34 straight. But, oh well.

December 28, 2008 in Five Passing Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 27, 2008

USC's All-Time Bowl Record

USC is 29-17 all-time in bowl games. Here are the games

BOWL           DATE             TEAM              SCORE
Rose             Jan. 1, 2007   Illinois              W, 47-17
Rose             Jan. 1, 2007   Michigan          W, 32-18
Rose             Jan. 4, 2006   Texas               L, 38-41
Orange          Jan. 4, 2005   Oklahoma         W, 55-19
Rose             Jan. 1, 2004   Michigan           W, 28-14
Orange          Jan. 2, 2003   Iowa                 W, 38-17
Vegas         Dec. 25, 2001 Utah                 L, 6-10
Sun             Dec. 31, 1998 TCU                 L, 19-28
Rose             Jan. 1, 1996   Northwestern     W, 41-32
Cotton           Jan. 2, 1995   Texas Tech       W, 55-14
Freedom        Dec. 30, 1993 Utah              W, 28-21
Freedom        Dec. 30, 1992 Fresno St         L, 7-24
Hancock    Dec. 31, 1990 Michigan St      L, 16-17
Rose             Jan. 1, 1990   Michigan           W, 17-10
Rose             Jan. 2, 1989   Michigan           L, 14-22
Rose             Jan. 1, 1988   Michigan St       L, 17-20
Citrus            Jan. 1, 1987   Auburn              L, 7-16
Aloha            Dec. 28, 1985 Alabama           L, 3-24
Rose             Jan. 1, 1985   Ohio St             W, 20-17
Fiesta           Jan. 1, 1982   Penn St             L, 10-26
Rose             Jan. 1, 1980   Ohio St             W, 17-16
Rose             Jan. 1, 1979   Michigan           W, 17-10
Bluebonnet    Dec. 31, 1977 Texas A&M       W, 47-28
Rose             Jan. 1, 1977   Michigan           W, 14-6
Liberty           Dec. 22, 1975 Texas A&M     W, 20-0
Rose             Jan. 1, 1975   Ohio St             W, 18-17
Rose             Jan. 1, 1974   Ohio St             L, 21-42
Rose             Jan. 1, 1973   Ohio St             W, 42-17
Rose             Jan. 1, 1970   Michigan           W, 10-3
Rose             Jan. 1, 1969   Ohio St             L, 16-27
Rose             Jan. 1, 1968   Indiana             W, 14-3
Rose             Jan. 1, 1967   Purdue              L, 13-14
Rose             Jan. 1, 1963   Wisconsin        W, 42-37
Rose             Jan. 1, 1955   Ohio St             L, 7-20
Rose             Jan. 1, 1953   Wisconsin        W, 7-0
Rose             Jan. 1, 1948   Michigan           L, 0-49
Rose             Jan. 1, 1946   Alabama           L, 14-34
Rose             Jan. 1, 1945   Tennessee        L, 0-25
Rose             Jan. 1, 1944   Washington      W, 29-0
Rose             Jan. 1, 1940   Tennessee        W, 14-0
Rose             Jan. 2, 1939   Duke                W, 7-3
Rose             Jan. 2, 1933   Pittsburgh         W, 35-0
Rose             Jan. 1, 1932   Tulane              W, 21-12
Rose             Jan. 1, 1930   Pittsburgh         W, 47-14
Christmas      Dec. 25, 1924 Missouri           W, 20-7
Rose             Jan. 1, 1923   Penn St            W, 14-3

The history began with a Rose Bowl win over Penn State. I hope the record through 2009 will end the same way.

December 27, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Another Friend Lost

This morning, my friend Tom Chaney passed away at home with his family after a long illness. I am very sad to see him go. Tom was a very interesting person, and the world is a bit of a lesser place without him. Rest in Peace, Tom.

December 27, 2008 in Personal Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 26, 2008

USC's All-Time Record Against Penn State

Here's a list of the games played between the USC Trojans and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Jan. 1, 1923 USC 14, PSU 3 1923 Rose Bowl
Jan. 1, 1982 PSU 26, USC 10 1982 Fiesta Bowl
Sept. 15, 1990 USC 19, PSU 14 Los Angeles
Sept. 14, 1991 USC 21, PSU 10 Los Angeles
Sept. 11, 1993 PSU 21, USC 20 University Park
Sept. 10, 1994 PSU 38, USC 14 University Park
Aug. 25, 1996 PSU 24, USC 7 Kickoff Classic, East Rutherford, N.J.
Aug. 27, 2000 USC 29, PSU 5 Kickoff Classic, East Rutherford, N.J.

So, that would be 1-1 in bowl games, 1-1 in Kickoff Classics, with each team sweeping its two home games. The Trojans are 3-0 in California games, but Penn State has won three of the last four. Joe Paterno was the head coach at Penn State for 7 of the 8 games. Joe is 4-3 against USC.

December 26, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 25, 2008

I Saw Baby Jesus!

KJ looks around after checking out the nativity scene.
.

December 25, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas Eve

If you know me well, you know when and where the party is tonight. Come join us. We'll have great food from the Roma and a selection of wine and spirits from all over the world.

December 24, 2008 in Personal Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 23, 2008

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 210)

This is the Main Quad at the Leland Stanford Junior University. Inside the arch can be seen the Stanford University Quad Memorial Church, which is quite handsome. The Quad contains the university's first buildings, dating to between 1887 and 1891. The palm trees and sandstone arcades made for a unique style that probably allows for a very pleasant place to sit and study. The Stanford campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park.

The Cultural and Social Anthropology, Urban Studies, Classics and Asian Language departments have offices in the Quad. On this particular Sunday morning, no one was holding office hours.

December 23, 2008 in Photographs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 22, 2008

Favorite Films

My all-time favorites from the movies:

Film - The Godfather
Science Fiction Film - Altered States
Comedy - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Sequel - The Godfather Part II
Trilogy - The Lord of the Rings
Fictional Character - Indiana Jones
Actor - Al Pacino
Actress - Scarlett Johansson

December 22, 2008 in Film | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Lex TV 195

Here are another dozen videos:

Trip a fan for rushing the field? That's a yellow card.

Amazing thing happens on Price is Right. Drew Carey's all, "that was amazing, zzzzz."

The entertainers we lost in 2008.

If you have trouble understanding the whole Hasselhoff as a pop star thing, this won't help.

A fresh take on the Shawshank Redemption.

The trailer for the new priest v. nun flick, Doubt.

A very cool moon transit video.

From bad to worse, speeding ticket FAIL edition.

A major police FAIL.

Revenge FAIL.

Ice carving FAIL.

Jones's Big Ass Truck and something or other.

December 22, 2008 in Video | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 21, 2008

They Didn't Look Alike Then, but ...

They sure looked different in 1983, but these days, Boy George and Cal Ripken, Jr. look quite a bit alike:

I must say, however, that the straight guy is much more fashionable.

December 21, 2008 in Observations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 20, 2008

Traffic School and the 5150

This was an interesting moment.

So here we were, sitting around at traffic school, wasting a Saturday. The time comes where we go around the room and people say their names and tell what they did, so that we can tally them up on the board by category. Most are boring. Then there is John, who begins by telling us that he is hated by the San Clemente police because for 20 years, he was a "major marijuana smuggler" running pot from Mexico into Orange County.

The details, which took 25 uncomfortable, but hilarious, minutes, included his offense (going the wrong way down a one way street in the dark with his lights off), his living arrangements (homeless and living in his truck), his suspicions of police, various conspiracy theories, his successful avoidance of a sting operation in which the cops enticed him with a sexy 16-year-old girl, and a confession about his current drug habits: "I still smoke marijuana."

After a drug dealing career in which he allegedly moved more than 250 kilos of weed at a time, of Afghani something-or-other, he found the Lord, and now he's a prophet. He puts a bunch of red, white and blue on his truck, and somewhere in the story there was a mention of beautiful girls in the red, white and blue, but the story was a bit disjointed, and between the laughing and the nonsequiturs, I missed a lot of it.

He did point out that his old habits made him a very good driver, allegedly because "you don't want to get caught with a ton of pot in your car." Especially when you know that the FBI is in your rear view mirror on a regular basis. Aside from that, little, if anything he said belonged in traffic school, but it was entertaining, and no one had the courage to shut him up before he was ready. In the end, the instructor marked his violation on the board under the category "Not My Fault."

It's better to be safe than sorry.

December 20, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

My 2008 Bowl Picks

Here's how I see the bowl games against the spread. I want to bet *n nine *f them:

Saturday, December 20
EagleBank Bowl - Wake Forest vs. Navy +3
New Mexico Bowl - Colorado State vs. Fresno State -3
St. Petersburg Bowl - Memphis vs. South Florida -11½
Las Vegas Bowl - BYU vs. Arizona -3½

Sunday, December 21
New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss vs. Troy -4½

Tuesday, December 23
Poinsettia Bowl - Boise State vs. TCU -2½

Wednesday, December 24
Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs. Notre Dame -1½ **

Friday, December 26
Motor City Bowl - Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan -6

Saturday, December 27
Meineke Car Care - West Virginia vs. North Carolina +1½
Champs Sports - Wisconsin vs. Florida State -6
Emerald Bowl - Miami (Fla.) vs. California -8 **

Sunday, December 28
Independence - Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech +1

Monday, December 29
Papajohns.com Bowl - NC State vs. Rutgers -7
Valero Alamo Bowl - Missouri vs. Northwestern +12½

Tuesday, December 30
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl - Maryland vs. Nevada -2 **
Texas Bowl - Western Michigan vs. Rice -3
Holiday Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. Oregon +3 **

Wednesday, December 31
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces - Houston vs. Air Force +3½
Sun Bowl - Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh +2½
Music City Bowl - Boston College vs. Vanderbilt +3½ **
Insight Bowl - Kansas vs. Minnesota +10
Chick-fil-A Bowl - LSU vs. Georgia Tech -3½ **

Thursday, January 1
Outback Bowl - South Carolina vs. Iowa -3½
Capital One Bowl - Georgia vs. Michigan State +7½
Gator Bowl - Nebraska vs. Clemson -2½
Rose Bowl - Penn State vs. USC -10 **
Orange Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech +2½

Friday, January 2
Cotton Bowl - Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech -5½ **
Liberty Bowl - Kentucky vs. East Carolina -3
Sugar Bowl - Utah vs. Alabama -10

Saturday, January 3
International Bowl - Buffalo vs. Connecticut -4½

Monday, January 5
Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State vs. Texas -9

Tuesday, January 6
GMAC Bowl - Ball State vs. Tulsa +2½

Thursday, January 8
BCS National Championship - Florida vs. Oklahoma +3 **

December 20, 2008 in Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 19, 2008

Favorites in Music

Here are my all-time favorites:

Favorite Album - The Cure's "Disintegration."
Favorite Band (All-Time) - Depeche Mode
Favorite Band (Defunct) - The Smiths
Favorite Local Band - The Young Dubliners
Favorite Song - Modern English's "Melt with You."
Favorite Song by Favorite Band - But Not Tonight
Favorite Music Video - A-Ha's Take On Me
Favorite Singer - Neil Tennant
Favorite Guitarist - B.B. King
Favorite Lryicist (Alive) - Morrissey
Favorite Lryicist (Dead) - Jim Morrison
Favorite Lyric - The Smiths' Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before: "And the pain was enough to make a shy bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder."

December 19, 2008 in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 18, 2008

Young Adolf Hitler and Four Other Passing Thoughts

Someone who names his kid Adolf Hitler Campbell and then tells you he doesn't understand why anyone would make a big deal about it isn't just a bad parent, he's a lying liar of a bad parent.

Brittany Spears blimps up, gets all bloaty and crazy, and dumps her man. Now that she has slimmed down and looks almost hot again, she wants him back. Girl, you are doing it wrong.

For the second time in 2 years, USC had a sure national championship, if only they could be Stanford. Last year, the football team couldn't get it done. This year, the water polo team did. Way to go guys!

Here's a news story about a Muslim waitress in England who was sacked for refusing to wear a red dress that was too sexually inviting. She claims she was pestered for sex all the time, but the story comes with a photo that lends some doubt to that dubious claim.

Maryland and Nevada are having trouble selling tickets to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. As in, they haven't sold their 17th ticket yet. If you lived in Maryland, would you pay $700 pp, round trip, with 1-2 stopovers, to travel to Boise to sit in 10° to 20° weather, possibly in the snow, to see your 7-5 Terps take on a 7-5 team from the WAC? Neither would I. Neither would all but the 16 most rapid Maryland fans.

December 18, 2008 in Five Passing Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 17, 2008

Lex TV 194

Here are another dozen videos:

Man, you do not not want to fall into this machine.

Watch this one minute short film right before bed. In the dark. Go for it.

Fallen angel found in the dark forest.

A 1983 review of A Christmas Story.

Office Space in 30 seconds.

McDonald's is your kind of place.

Why I loved Family Feud.

How to steal a car with three tin cans.

Santa Claus will lead you to hell. Merry Christmas from the God Hates Fags group.

Amateur footage of the first moments after the jet crashed in San Diego.

The worst part about being tackled by the hair isn't losing the TD. It's losing the hair.

Microwave bells, microwave bells, microwave all the way.

December 17, 2008 in Video | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Yo Hoes and Four Other Passing Thoughts

There is only one possible reason why Disneyland would issue a press release denying that the reason they removed their Captain Jack Sparrow character from the park was because women kept flashing him — women must have been flashing him left and right. Kind of gives "Yo, Ho" a new meaning, doesn't it?

For some reason, all my friends who thought it utterly insane that a sitting governor could be considered qualified to serve as vice-president after just two years on the job now think that giving Caroline Kennedy the Senate seat from New York as an introduction to politics is a great idea.

How long is the ball actually in play in a typical, three-hour long, 60 minute football game? One guy measured and found a little over twelve minutes. If you TiVo the game and only watch the action, you'll spend more time fast-forwarding than watching the game.

Winner: man saves woman from attacker who tried to suffocate her. Loser: the dude was saving his prostitute girlfriend, who was banging johns in the next room for $100 a trick.

It turns out, Barack Obama might have been right. Perhaps 2008 will be looked back upon as the year we started to reverse the process of global warming.

December 17, 2008 in Five Passing Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

What a Loser

It only took me about 45 minutes to get through the two-hour final of the Biggest Loser. The one player I liked won it, so I liked the episode. What I liked best about the episode, however, was the beginning.
They let viewers decide which of two players would compete in the three-person final, and the two from whom we chose were a married couple: Heba and Ed.

Heba was, in my opinion, quite unlikable. In the closing minutes of the penultimate episode, she and Ed went into a room to plead their case for why America should vote them into the final. Heba droned on about how she deserved it, and "pick me" yada, yada, yada. Ed went in and said how Heba deserved it and please, America, pick Heba.

America said "Thanks for the advice, Ed, but we no like your wife. See you in the finals." Fully 84% voted for Ed. We don't like it when people tell us how to vote.

December 17, 2008 in Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 16, 2008

Depeche Mode's New Album is Done

I can't wait for this.

December 16, 2008 in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 209)

I accidentally posted this five weeks ago for a few minutes. This is a photo I took a few moments after the shot I used for the 150th. This was taken shortly after sunset, with a patchy fog settling and lifting over Juneau, Alaska, where the Diamond Princess was gliding out of port just before our ship did. As the ship grew closer, a cloud descended upon it, and it looked like a ghost ship. I liked the way the fog softened the lights around the Diamond Princess.

For some reason, I also really liked the reflections on the guardrail and the sharp angles coming out of the point where the ship was about to start disappearing from view. I don't know whether this is a good shot from a technical standpoint; I just know it was one of my favorites.

December 16, 2008 in Photographs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 15, 2008

The Crazy Lady

This woman interrupted my conversation outside court to tell me that I am an a-hole who assaulted her in the face, took all her money and laughed about it. And assaulted her. In the face. With my left hand in her face. She's going to get me. She's pretty sure I have a piece of feces on my face, and she thinks I need to tell someone named Lori to put something or other on, because I repeatedly assaulted her in the face. She's going to report me to the cops. Either that, or she forgot to take her antipsychotic medications. Someone's ready for her 5150 maybe.

You can't tell, because my cameraphone sucks, but she's flipping us off.

December 15, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Ranking ten movies I recently watched on DVD (No. 17)

Here are another ten recent pulls from the Netflix queue. My one-to-five rating, plus a 1-10 rating from IMDB. Catching up and mixing in some documentaries this time.

Wall-E (8.7) ++++ Thoroughly entertaining
August Rush (7.5) ++++ This was a really fun, uplifting movie, even with the contrived bits.
Black Adder: Series 1 (8.5) ++++ Brilliantly funny at times.
Charlie Wilson's War (7.4) +++ Pretty good for a true story about a Congressman.
Get Smart (7.0) +++ Not as funny as I was hoping, but better than a Will Ferrell flick.
Fields of Glory: USC (NR) +++ USC fans will dig it.
Where the Wild Things Are (NR) +++ The baby dug it.
No Reservations (6.3) +++ Formulaic and predictable romance.
Picture This (5.3) + Incredibly stupid.
Another Cinderella Story (5.9) + Even more stupid.

December 15, 2008 in Film | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 14, 2008

Award-Winning Art

To me, this just looks like partially torn honeycomb cardboard with a haphazard slap of paint, but it won a prize at an art show.

I admit. I don't get it. I guess I don't know good art from garbage, I guess.

December 14, 2008 in Art, MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

KROQ's 2008 Almost Acoustic Christmas

I'm not going this year, because we have a baby and work's busy and it's on a Sunday night at the Gibson Amphitheater, but KROQ is putting it on a live webcast. Here's the schedule:

Vampire Weekend (6:00 p.m.)
Snow Patrol (6:30 p.m.)
Scott Weiland (7:00 p.m.)
Franz Ferdinand (7:30 p.m.)
Paramore (8:00 p.m.)
Death Cab For Cutie (8:35 p.m.)
The Killers (9:15 p.m.)
The Cure (10:15 p.m.)

Hopefully, I'll have time to watch most of it, especially Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie, the Killers and the Cure.

December 14, 2008 in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 13, 2008

USC Perfect Days 2008 Update

We had a couple more perfect days this year. A "Perfect Day" is when the Trojans and the opponents of UCLA and Notre Dame all win on the same day. When this happens, a group of Trojans calling themselves the Perfect Day Club gather 1½ hours prior to kickoff of the next home game, unless the Perfect Day ends the season, in which case they meet an hour and 15 minutes after the end of the last game that establishes the Perfect Day. The celebration takes place near the headless naked sculpted athletes in front of the peristyle end of the Coliseum. Here are the 41 Perfect Days in USC football history, with each final score:

Oct. 08, 1921: Cal Tech @ USC 70-0 «•» Redlands @ UCLA 35-7 «•» Iowa @ Notre Dame 10-7
Nov. 21, 1931: USC @ Notre Dame 16-14 «•» Oregon @ UCLA 13-6
Oct. 28, 1933: USC @ Cal 6-3 «•» Oregon @ UCLA 7-0 «•» Pitt @ Notre Dame 14-0
Nov. 25, 1933: USC @ Notre Dame 19-0 «•» St. Mary's @ UCLA 22-14
Nov. 27, 1943: UCLA @ USC 26-13 «•» Notre Dame @ Great Lakes 19-14
Nov. 04, 1944: S.D. Navy @ USC 28-21 «•» UCLA @ March Field 35-13 «•» ND @ Navy 32-13
Dec. 01, 1945: UCLA @ USC 26-15 «•» Notre Dame @ Great Lakes 39-7
Oct. 13, 1951: Oregon St. @ USC 16-14 «•» UCLA @ Stanford 21-7 «•» SMU @ ND 20 27
Nov. 24, 1956: USC @ UCLA 10-7 «•» ND @ Iowa 48-8
Oct. 25, 1958: USC @ WWSU 14-6 «•» Stanford @ UCLA 21-19 «•» Purdue @ Notre Dame 22 28
Nov. 08, 1958: Washington @ USC 21-6 «•» UCLA @ Cal 20-17 «•» Notre Dame @ Pitt 29-26
Oct. 15, 1960: Cal @ USC 27-10 «•» UCLA @ Wash. 10-8 «•» Michigan St. @ Notre Dame 21-0
Nov. 19, 1960: USC @ UCLA 17-6 «•» Iowa @ Notre Dame 28-0
Oct. 20, 1962: Cal @ USC 32-6 «•» UCLA @ Pitt 8-6 «•» Mich. St. @ Notre Dame 31-7
Oct. 27, 1962: USC @ Illinois 28-16 «•» Stanford @ UCLA 17-7 «•» ND @ Northwestern 35-6
Nov. 09, 1963: Stanford @ USC 25-11 «•» UCLA @ Air Force 48-21 «•» Pitt @ Notre Dame 27-7
Oct. 23, 1971: USC @ Notre Dame 28-14 «•» Cal @ UCLA 31-24
Oct. 04, 1975: USC @ Iowa 27-16 «•» Ohio St. @ UCLA 41-20 «•» Michigan St. @ ND 10-3
Sep. 23, 1978; USC @ Alabama 24-14 «•» UCLA @ Kansas 28-24 «•» Michigan @ ND 28-14
Sep. 26, 1981; Oklahoma @ USC 28-24 «•» UCLA @ Iowa 20-7 «•» Notre Dame @ Purdue 15-14
Nov. 21, 1981: UCLA @ USC 21-22 «•» Notre Dame @ Penn St. 24-21
Oct. 06, 1984: USC @ WSU 29-27 «•» Stanford @ UCLA 21 23 «•» Miami (FL) @ ND 34-13
Nov. 23, 1985: UCLA @ USC 17-13 «•» LSU @ Notre Dame 10-7
Oct. 04, 1986: Oregon @ USC 35-21 «•» ASU @ UCLA 16-9 «•» Notre Dame @ Alabama 28-10
Nov. 21, 1987: UCLA @ USC 13-17 «•» Notre Dame @ Penn St. 21-20
Oct. 06, 1990: WSU @ USC 30-17 «•» Arizona @ UCLA 28-21 «•» Stanford @ Notre Dame 36-31
Nov. 17, 1990: USC @ UCLA 45-42 «•» Penn St. @ Notre Dame 24-21
Sep. 14, 1991: Penn St. @ USC 21-20 «•» UCLA @ Tenn. 30-16 «•» ND @ Michigan 24-14
Oct. 08, 1994: USC @ Oregon St. 27-19 «•» UCLA @ Cal 26-7 «•» Notre Dame @ B.C. 30-11
Oct. 15, 1994: USC @ Stanford 27-20 «•» Oregon St. @ UCLA 23-14 «•» BYU @ ND 21-14
Nov. 20, 1999: UCLA @ USC 17-7 «•» B.C. @ Notre Dame 31-29
Sep. 23, 2000: San Jose St. @ USC 34-24 «•» UCLA @ Oregon 29-10 «•» ND @ Mich St. 27-21
Oct. 27, 2001: USC @ Arizona 41-34 «•» UCLA @ Stanford 38-28 «•» Notre Dame @ B.C. 21-17
Nov. 03, 2001: Oregon St. @ USC 16 13 «•» UCLA @ WSU 20-14 «•» Tenn. @ Notre Dame 28-18
Nov. 01, 2003: WSU @ USC 43-16 «•» UCLA @ Stanford 21-14 «•» Florida St. @ ND 37-0
Oct. 23, 2004: Wash. @ USC 38-0 «•» UCLA @ Arizona St. 45-42 «•» B.C. @ Notre Dame 34-23
Sep. 15, 2007: USC @ Nebraska 49-31 «•» UCLA @ Utah 44-6; Notre Dame @ Michigan 38-0
Nov. 03, 2007: Oregon State @ USC 24-3 «•» UCLA @ Arizona 34-27; Navy @ ND 46-44 OT
Nov. 10, 2007: USC @ Cal 24-7 «•» Arizona St. @ UCLA 24-20; Air Force @ Notre Dame 41-24
Oct. 11, 2008: Arizona St. @ USC 28-0 «•» UCLA @ Oregon 31-24; Notre Dame @ UNC 29-24
Nov. 08, 2008: Cal @ USC 17-3 «•» UCLA @ Oregon State 34-6; Notre Dame @ BC 17-0

If I am missing any, someone please leave a comment. Apparently, Nov. 28-29, 2008: Notre Dame @ USC 38-3 «•» UCLA @ Arizona State 34-9 does not count. It was a perfect 27 hours, though (a "Perfect Weekend?")

Three of the 41 involved USC beating Notre Dame and UCLA losing to another opponent.
Nine of the 41 involved USC beating UCLA and Notre Dame losing to another opponent.
The other 29 involved three separate games.

December 13, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Zoltar

This is not the same one as in Big, but apparently it's the same maker, and they tout it as "As seen in "Big"." I've seen them all over the place. They tend to prefer to be close to the water. They hate little kids, and take their money, giving them stupid little scraps of paper in return.

If you have a business close to the water, and you think you need to waste almost $9,000 on some stupid fortune teller that rips little kids off a buck at a time, you can buy one from Zoltar Machine.

December 13, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 12, 2008

If This Rumor Is True This Time

I will pay just about any price for a good seat, every night they play in Southern California.

December 12, 2008 in Music | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 11, 2008

Why the nose?

The Persian restaurant near our house. I guess someone thought it was a pagan idol or something, and vandalized it by bashing in the nose. Apparently, this is a tradition dating back thousands of years, to when the nose of the Sphinx was vandalized.

Why do they always go after the nose?

December 11, 2008 in MobileBlogging | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

The Billboard

This is one of the many billboards that line the side of Interstate 5 in Los Angeles County. Imagine the conversation that led to the graphics on the ad.

Layout artist: "We'll use bright yellow for the background, to catch the eye. We make the '$1' huge, with simple black copy. Oh, and we stick this stock photo of a good-looking woman to the left."

Boss: "The dimensions don't work. We can't fit the whole picture in vertically. We'll lose the cleavage."

Layout artist: "Good point. Let's cut off part of her head instead. That way we can keep the cleavage."

Boss: "I like it."

The billboard promotes Normandie Casino, a dive that I once drove to and didn't bother to go into, partly because it looked like hell, and partly because I was afraid I might get murdered if anyone saw me win anything there.

December 11, 2008 in Observations | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

December 10, 2008

Free isn't free, and 4 more passing thoughts

It takes a pretty good deal to make something better than free, but one Dodge dealer in Florida has done that. Buy one Dodge Ram, get one free. After taxes, I would spend more on two free Dodge Rams than I would by taking the buy-one-get-one-free deal and just paying for it.

The number of days the S&P 500 has moved up or down more than 5% during the trading day: 1950-2000: 27 days, 2008: 42 days. The Dow was down 650 points a few days ago, and no one at work even mentioned it. It's a different world out there now.

Suppose you wear Red Sox gear to an Angel game against Boston, and get bopped on the head with an inflatable stick by an obnoxious Angel fan who says Boston sucks. Do you: (a) ask him to stop; (b) call security; or (c) beat the crap out of him, knock him out and bust a couple of his vertabrae? If you answered (c), you might find yourself in prison for three years, dodging a completely different kind of inflatable stick.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only captured Pakistani terrorist involved in the Mumbai attacks, says he was promised that his family would get $1,250 if he died fighting for militant Islam. We should be trying to outbid these guys. If we spent as much on this as we will have spent in Iraq, we could double the bonus and still buy off 1.2 billion of these guys.

I'm not sure if having jumbo coconut balls helps you score strange tail in airport men's rooms, but if it does, Larry Craig has probably scored a lot. The Minnesota Court of Appeals has rejected his appeal seeking to withdraw a guilty plea to disorderly conduct charges relating to his wide-stance encounter with an undercover vice squad cop at the Minneapolis airport. Senator Craig issued a statement saying he was extremely disappointed with the appellate court's conduct. Dude, the disappointment is mutual.

December 10, 2008 in Five Passing Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 09, 2008

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 208)

This is a photo of one of the arcades around the Main Quad at Leland Stanford Junior University. This was taken on a mid-Autumn morning along the History Corner. I liked the perspective, the shapes, the light and shadow. It made me want to crack a book, sit down and start reading.

Out of the 25 photos I took on campus, this was my favorite.

December 09, 2008 in Photographs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 08, 2008

The 36th Annual March For Hunger, 2008

Long ago, when I was in high school, I went on a couple of marathon-length charity fundraising walks for a soup kitchen in Los Angeles. They had been doing it for a decade by the time I ran my first March For Hunger. My first time, I ran part of the way, jogged part of the way and walked part of the way, finishing in about five hours. Not world class time, but I was proud of it. My second time, it took quite a bit longer, as I was with a group that had little interest in moving fast. Over the 25 years since then, I've thought about the March for Hunger several times, especially when Dan Jiru, the teacher who founded the march, made the news when he was named one of the ten best teachers in the U.S. So when I received the following email a few weeks ago, I was intrigued:

For the first time in St. Paul history, St. Paul is challenging all alumni and parents to walk at least ONE MORE TIME in the March For Hunger. Why should our kids have all the fun? Let's make this a reunion for alumni from all decades. Don't think you can walk very far? Can you make it as far as Olvera Street? You're qualified!

I may be in my fifth decade, out of shape, busy, and 25 years removed from my last March for Hunger, but I'm qualified. It says so right there. I signed up. My brother did, too. His last March for Hunger was about 20 years ago.

The March raises money for the Los Angeles Catholic Worker Hospitality Kitchen, a soup kitchen that caters to the Los Angeles homeless population near Skid Row. Decades ago, Marchers would rally sponsors for their walk, raising anywhere from ten cents to a couple of dollars per mile. The amount raised by each varied according to their sponsorship and the distance they made. Now, each participant pays a flat $55. After paying for T-shirts and bus transportation, Mr. Jiru hopes to net about $25,000, which is the single largest source of donor funding for the soup kitchen.

The walk begins in East Los Angeles, and it ends, 26 miles and usually 8 to 12 hours later, in Santa Monica. It takes students from the poorer neighborhoods of Los Angeles to the very wealthiest, through Mexican neighborhoods, to black neighborhoods, through seedy parts of town, and glamorous parts of town. It takes students nearly the entire length of Sunset Blvd., past Rodeo Drive and detours through a residential part of Beverly Hills before students walk Wilshire Blvd. from Century City to the beach. The route was chosen quite deliberately by Mr. Jiru, who taught religion, including courses like Social Justice, at St. Paul.

Back in the day, we were just a few hundred St. Paul students, and the event was smaller, less organized and less formal. This year, some 1,000 students walked. The St. Paul students were joined by others from Don Bosco Tech, Damien High School and Ramona Convent. There were dozens of drivers supporting them, and at least a dozen or two more volunteers along the route, giving directions, water, snacks or whatever else people needed.

Yesterday was the day. We had to get up at 5:00 a.m. to get to St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs in time for the pre-dawn 6:00 a.m. Mass for all Marchers. The Mass didn't actually begin until 6:20; we could have slept until 5:20 dammit. After Mass, we all headed toward the front of the school, to our assigned buses. I was going to be rolling with the alumni and parents. Sadly, the turnout for alumni and parents was meager. We didn't even fill an entire bus. Still, there were a few faces I recognized, and off we went to the starting point - Ruben F. Salazar Park, in East L.A. As usual, I took a few photos:

Bright and early, the students get ready to board the buses. The alumni rode in the back bus, which, curiously enough, left first.

There were some media folks along the way, including a photographer and writer from the Los Angeles Times who were waiting for us at the starting point. I'm not sure who this interviewer was, but that's Dan Jiru on the left giving a few quick pre-March quotes.

This is most of the alumni who walked. There were maybe 6-10 who didn't get into the photo.

We left shortly after 8:30 a.m. For the first mile or so, there is a bounce in everyone's step, and the Marchers pack the sidewalks like a herd on a migration across the Serengeti. I was just a few steps past the Times photographer when I took this photo.

Students begin traveling west on Whittier Boulevard from somewhere between Dittman and Alma. Eventually, the crowd paused to let these bemused drivers turn into the parking lot. The first thing of note the kids pass is the Odd Fellows Cemetery. After that, it is a series of passes beyond modest, security bar covered small businesses.

The students pass under the 60 Freeway to Soto, walking along streets dirtier than what any of them are accustomed to walking back home.

At Soto Street, the students head north toward Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, which begins in Monterey Park as Riggins Street before turning into Cesar Chavez and then world-famous Sunset Blvd. Along the way, we encountered many businesses with guard dogs like this one. He's probably trained to 'Sic Balls' on command.

The sidewalks along this stretch of road left a lot to be desired. We encountered similar walks later, in Beverly Hills, lined with the same concrete-busting ficus trees. However, probably due to their much greater tax base, the City of Beverly Hills did a very good job of maintaining and replacing the sidewalks when necessary, so as to avoid these tripping hazards that in some places were displaced more than half a foot. Right about here, we were offered our first ride of the day. A driver named Louie, a guy I knew from high school, who was on our state championship football team in 1981, suggested we catch a ride. "Keep driving, Louie," we told him.

After a little more than an hour of walking, we crossed over the mighty Los Angeles River.

About 10:00 a.m., we got to Olvera Street, proving that we had, indeed, been qualified. Many students had stopped along the way already for breakfast at places like McDonald's. We had not, because we knew that Philippe the Original was just two blocks away from Olvera Street. We maybe saw 6 Marchers in there while we ate breakfast.

After breakfast, we went back through Olvera Street and lingered and shopped. It being the day before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the place was hopping. After less than a half hour there, we departed back onto Cesar Chavez and headed west for the final 21 miles. Before the road turned into Sunset Blvd., we encountered some folks who had just finished the Los Angeles Half Marathon. Although they were probably much faster than we were, we had a much longer journey.

When you drive through the poorer parts of town, you miss the little things that betray the poverty, like all the black gum stains on the sidewalk, and trees that are held up by ladders.

And guys selling bicycles out of their vans along the side of the road. Bicycles that are probably totally not stolen at all.

We encountered a good number of homeless folks between Boyle Heights and Hollywood. I didn't take their photographs, but at this particular homeless camp, nobody was home, so I took a photo from above.

Somewhere around the beginning of Sunset Blvd., we noticed a trend. The students were hitching rides from the support team left and right. There was no particular dishonor in riding half the distance or more. Back when we walked as students, there was a huge stigma attached to catching a ride. You walked until you were about to do a faceplant, at which time you walked some more. But if you did have to give up, you caught a ride back to the beach and shamefully emerged to the disdain of your fellow students. If you weren't up to the challenge, and wanted to ride part of the way, which we called "cheating", you got a bus or taxi ride and tried to avoid detection. I walked all the way each time.

This is about as close as we got to the Hollywood sign. Right about here, a bunch of students piled out of a car and started walking along with us, initially unaware that we were on the walk as alumni. After a while, we struck up conversations. We were somewhere around the 10 mile marker at this point. We stopped at a grocery store near here and bought some Tylenol.

At Sunset and Vine, we had to cross the street because the south sidewalk was closed to us regular folks due to a red carpet premier of the new animated film The Tale of Despereaux at the Arclight Theater in Hollywood. Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Watson were among the big stars there. We walked past during the hour that included all the celebrity arrivals, but we didn't get close to any of them.

We passed by Hollywood's Rock Walk. These four sets of hands were among the best to ever handle a guitar. Some of the students got off a bus here and took a longer look than we did.

Down by the Laugh Factory, we noticed Mr. Jiru walking at a similar pace across the street. He seemed to be walking an honest walk, too.

I've always wanted to stop and eat at this traincar cafe but we weren't hungry when we passed.

Toward the end of the Hollywood stretch of Sunset, we ran into Wallace Shawn, who played, among other roles, Rex the Dinosaur in Toy Story, and Vizzini in The Princess Bride. I remembered him for lines like "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" and, of course, "Inconceivable!" I could not, however, recall his name. Despite this, he graciously posed for a photo with me, and wished us luck on our walk.

The last couple of miles (for us) on Sunset were grassy, clean and pleasant. We passed the Beverly Hills Hotel and then hit the check-in point at Whittier Drive.

The check-in point. It was now about 4:15 p.m., and we were starting to look like drowned rats. When you check in, they highlight a line across your name. We were the 4th and 5th alumni to get to the check-in. However, by 4:15, the vast majority of students had checked in, even though we didn't see many of them passing us. Most of them, of course, had hitched rides. At this point in the day, not a single alumnus had used wheels, but we had achieved our original goal of making it more than halfway on foot, and we decided that if either of us felt we could not go on, we would both stop and catch a ride.

I loved some of the houses along Whitter Drive. At the end of Whittier Drive, we turned south on Wilshire Blvd., and took that all the way to the beach. The rule was that you had to get to the 405 Freeway by 6:00 p.m., or they came around and collected you. We weren't sure we would make it. It started raining around dusk. Fortunately, the rain was fairly light, and lasted only about a half-hour. By the time the rain let up, it was almost 5:30 p.m., and we were in Westwood, catching some dirty looks over our USC caps, but little other attention. We did manage to make it to the 405 around 5:45 p.m. or so. By then it was very dark, so I stopped using the camera so much.

The last 6 miles were very difficult. We started getting blisters. My bad ankle and my bad knee started to really hurt, and our muscles were so sore that we were afraid to stop to eat, even though we were hungry. We assumed (and were later proven correct), that if we stopped, we would never be able to get going again. So we pressed on. Before we knew it, we were crossing numbered streets, starting with 26th street. That meant we were just 26 blocks from our destination. If the walk had been 40 miles, at this point, we would have quit but being so close to our destination, we pressed on. Our legs ached. Every street corner meant going up and down a step. By 15th street, I was getting to those curbs and wishing they had a tiny elevator to take me up those 8 inches. But they didn't. Around 6th Street, we ran into Louie again. This time, he offered water, not a ride, and encouraged us to tough it out the last 6 blocks. Finally, around 7:30 p.m., we got to Ocean Blvd. The finish line was just a few dozen yards south along Ocean Blvd.

And this was it, the finishing table. That's the Santa Monica Pier in the background. The final check-in was along the jogging path adjacent to Ocean Blvd. Back in the day, we had to walk down steps and go over PCH to the beach at the end. That was agonizing. At some point in the last 25 years, someone figured out that the final steps sucked so bad, no one felt like partying and celebrating at the beach, so they cut out the steps, replacing the distance with a walk to the south on level ground, and they moved the party back to the school, where a barbecue feast awaited us. Unfortunately, we were so sore, we skipped the BBQ and party back at the school. We're too old to party with those kids anyhow. So after the bus ride back from Santa Monica, we shuffled our feet over to the car and drove home to our wives and kids.

But we did it. We walked the full 26 miles, and we raised a hundred bucks doing it. It felt good. Our feet, legs, knees, backs and shoulders, they didn't feel so good.

December 08, 2008 in Personal Events | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

The Least Intimidating Courtroom

This is not a mock courtroom. It's a real courtroom in a real courthouse, albeit at a converted school building. Courts are supposed to be made of good building materials, with the judge's bench sitting up high, so that everyone must look up at the judge. In this one, if you are standing, you look down at the judge. I don't like it at all. The jurors are probably so uncomfortable in those chairs, they'll make any decision just to get out of there.

December 08, 2008 in MobileBlogging, The Legal Life | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

USC 2009 Recruiting Update

Here is the list of kids who have given verbal commitments to join next year's recruiting class for USC.

Matt Barkley QB 6-3 226 Santa Ana, CA
James Boyd ATH 6-4 211 Los Angeles, CA
Vontaze Burfict LB 6-2 244 Corona, CA
Daniel Campbell OL 6-5 320 Chatham, VA
Randall Carroll WR 5-10 175 Los Angeles, CA
Hebron Fangupo DT 6-2 330 alnut, CA
De'Von Flournoy WR 6-0 178 Van Nuys, CA
Kevin Graf OL 6-6 301 Agoura, CA
Patrick Hall ATH 6-1 181 Ventura, CA
Torin Harris DB 6-0 175 Las Vegas, NV
Alshon Jeffrey WR 6-3 214 St. Matthews, SC
T.J. McDonald DB 6-2 200 Fresno, CA
Chris Metcalf DB 6-2 183 Compton, CA
Byron Moore DB 6-0 188 Harbor City, CA
Morrell Presley TE 6-4 215 Carson, CA
Marquis Simmons LB 6-2 215 Compton, CA

The top of the wish list for remaining uncommitted prospects:

RB: Bryce Brown, Christian Michael
FB: Tyler Gaffney
WR: Reuben Randle, Andre Debose, Randall Carroll, Rolando Jefferson, Adam Hall
OT: Xavier Su'a-Filo
OG: John Martinez
DT: Corey Adams, Eric Smiley
DE: Devon Kennard, Sam Montgomery, Ryne Giddins, Dyron Dyre, DeQuin Evans
MLB: Eric Martin
SLB: Manti Te'o, Jarvis Jones, Tana Patrick, Jordan Barrett
WLB: Jon Bostic, Frankie Telfort
S: Craig Loston, Donavan Tate, Jabari Carr
CB: Cliff Harris, Gabe Lynn, Dre Kirkpatrick
K: Mike Frisina

Call me greedy, but I'd really like to see Gaffney, Randle, Martinez, Kennard, Te'o, Loston, Harris and Lynn in Cardinal & Gold next year.

December 08, 2008 in USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wine a Bit?

Go ahead, Texas fans ...

Hey, we feel your pain. Sincerely, Trojan Fans

December 08, 2008 in MobileBlogging, USC Football | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 07, 2008

My Final Bottom Ten

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian gets the task of taking over the worst team in major college football. If you don't count wins over FCS teams, we finished with three winless teams. Here are the ten worst:

**Washington (0-12). Only competitive in three of the 12 losses. Lost the Apple Cup to Wazzu.
Western Kentucky (2-10) Both wins came against the FCS.
Southern Methodist (1-11). Ended with 10 straight losses; winless against the FBS.
Washington State (2-10) The 2008 resume: beat Portland State and Washington.
North Texas (1-11) Beat only Western Kentucky.
Idaho (2-10). One of the wins was against the FCS. Lost to San Diego St.
**San Diego State (2-10). Lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Notre Dame.
Iowa State (2-10) Lost last ten games.
Miami (Ohio) (2-9). Only one win (Bowling Green) against the FBS.
Tulane (2-10). Beat SMU and one of the Louisianas.
*Michigan (3-9). Lost to Toledo. Lost to Ohio State 42-7. Worst season in school history.
*Notre Dame (6-6). Worst two-year stretch in school history.
*UCLA (4-8). Worst season since 1981. Lost 9/10 to USC.

Not far ~~behind~~ ahead: **Syracuse (3-9), **Utah State (3-9).

Dropped out: Eastern Michigan (3-9), beat then 8-3 Central Michigan.

* - worthy of mention even if not in the bottom ten.
** - fired coach.

December 07, 2008 in Sports | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)