Enslavement By 1,000 Strings

Liberty is lost in tiny bits. Seemingly minor (at the time) government fiats pile up until the bewildered citizen no longer knows what is permitted from that which is verbotten.

And isn’t that the politico-bureaucratic class’ objective: to turn every honest person into a criminal. They’re easier to control.

Today’s example: San Francisco residents may now be fined $100 if their trash bins are visible from the street.

San Francisco residents, already facing some of the highest housing prices and parking fines in the nation, now have a new nightmare to watch out for – $100 tickets if their garbage or recycling cans can be seen from the street.

“It just blew me away,” said Richmond District resident Catherine Fox, one of 189 people who have been dinged since the city started handing out the tickets last month.

Diana Tsoi lives on the same street as Fox and got hit with a $100 fine around the same time as her neighbor.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Tsoi said. “Some people don’t have anywhere else to put these big cans but along the side of their house.”

Too bad, because under a law passed two years ago by the Board of Supervisors, it’s no longer good enough just to get your cans off the sidewalk once they’ve been emptied – you have to get them out of sight as well.

Completely out of sight.

Not an easy task, considering every home now gets three 32-gallon cans, each of which measures about 19 by 24 by 38 inches…

My Sister Has Joined The Mini Cult

My sister has joined the Mini Cult. Her object of worship is yellow with black racing stripes. I must admit that it is quite adorable, to the extent that I rather covet it. There is something disturbing about Mini Cultists, but not nearly as much as the Prius Proselytizers. At least when the Mini Cultists brag about their gas mileage, they are driving cars that have fashion sense.

If she gets a personalized license plate with MINI as part of the seven characters, however, I am going to do an intervention.

Gals In The Valley Are Different

Today I went for my monthly facial at a salon out in Danville. The cosmetician is a friend of a friend, and is quite wonderful – otherwise the half hour drive would be rather silly (except for the convenience of big box stores such as Lowe’s in the environ). Side note: we’ll never have a Lowe’s in Oaklandtown, especially with the Business Unfriendly Dellums Cult in charge.

Whilst awaiting The Cosmetician, I sat at the snack bar, eating popcorn, and watching the inevitable Wide Screen Television. This is when it struck me that Valley Gals are different than us (semi)Urban sorts. The Salon TV was tuned to The Golf Channel.

When did Gals start watching Golf TV 24/7? This is something to ponder. It must be a Valley Thang.

Things That Are Annoying Me Today: 4/26/08

Tis another day, and one of Several Annoyances:

1. I left my Visa card at Caffe Delle Stelle last night, and had to make a dismal errand to fetch it.

On a bright note, I have determined that CDS is a much more desirable pre-Symphony dining spot than the over-rated Hayes Street Grill. The last time I dined at the latter, I was served an inaccurately named main course of Grilled Scallops. The honest description would have been Massive Pile of Starchy White Beans Garnished With Eensy Beensy Flecks Of Scallop Meat.

2. I made an errand to Lowe’s to acquire several items for the Neverending Fixer Upper Renovation Ordeal. A couple with a hyper-active young child kept blocking the aisles with two extra large shopping baskets. To my exteme inconvenience, I kept encountering their convoy throughout the store. Expecting to have finally escaped them after checking out as far from them as possible, I met the Female Unit blocking half the exit whilst her offspring staggered back and forth across the other half. My only recourse was to give her a blank look and mention that blocking the exit was a Fire Hazard. She didn’t get it, but I didn’t expect that she would.

3. My Crackberry is not working properly. I loathe the thing, but it is Expected & Required that I carry it around as though it were my little egg or another appendage.

At least I have an excuse for not responding.

Things That Are Amusing Me Today: 4/22/08

I am often amused by the cognitive dissonance, moral relativism, and historical illiteracy among many of the Protestor Class in the Bay Area. It’s especially chortle-worthy when all are combined in a poignant visual. This little gem is from the recent Anti-Torch protest in San Francisco.

A good catch on the part of Andrew Sullivan:

Today’s Theme Song: 4/22/08

Tis another day.

Today’s Theme Song is: “Sometimes” by Erasure

Chakra: Crown
Color: Violet
Energy: Divine Connection/Awareness

I’m on an 80s kick lately; one of the side effects of turning the accumulated CDs of many years into MP3s for miPod.

“Ooooooo, sometimes, the truth is harder than the pain inside.”

Regarding Earth Day

As a longterm resident of the SF-Berkeley-Oakland Triangle, I’ve endured the cacaphony of enviro-politics to the point at which it is mostly white noise. Earth Day, however, is deserving of note due to some rabblings that it should be made a Federal Holiday.

As If.

I oppose it for the same reasons I do making César Chávez’s birthday a holiday. Such holidays beatify political agendas, no matter how fervently supported by their followers.

We can all celerbrate our own personal belief systems without insisting that everyone else participate via Federal Fiat.

So, in “commemoration” of Earth Day, I salute Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Green Peace, who quit in 1986 due to the that organization’s abandonment of science in favor of political (read: anti-capitalism) agendas.

Patrick’s commentary from today’s Wall Street Journal:

In 1971 an environmental and antiwar ethic was taking root in Canada, and I chose to participate. As I completed a Ph.D. in ecology, I combined my science background with the strong media skills of my colleagues. In keeping with our pacifist views, we started Greenpeace.

But I later learned that the environmental movement is not always guided by science. As we celebrate Earth Day today, this is a good lesson to keep in mind.

At first, many of the causes we championed, such as opposition to nuclear testing and protection of whales, stemmed from our scientific knowledge of nuclear physics and marine biology. But after six years as one of five directors of Greenpeace International, I observed that none of my fellow directors had any formal science education. They were either political activists or environmental entrepreneurs. Ultimately, a trend toward abandoning scientific objectivity in favor of political agendas forced me to leave Greenpeace in 1986.

Tales of a Swinging Cook #1

Today I’m hosting a family party to celebrate Mom’s birthday.

Most people are surprised to find out that I’m a Swinging Cook (hat tip to Ava Gardner) – but growing up as the oldest sibling in a large family, I developed my chefess skills at an early age. My standard repertoire consists of what would be characterized as well-executed peasant food, although I am equally comfortable performing haute cuisine feats. As a giver of numerous dinner parties, I’ve discovered, however, that most people really enjoy homey, comfort, family favorite dishes. Being a Californian, I combine the guilty pleasure selections with some healthier alternatives, including plenty of fresh veggies. Balance is Divine.

Today’s menu:

Quiche
- Canadian bacon, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, swiss cheese

Grilled Chile Rubbed Flank Steak
- I made a wet rub yesterday morning consisting of onion, garlic, several fresh chiles (anaheim, serrano, jalapeno), red wine vinegar, sugar, oregano, chile powder, cumin and salt. The steak is currently luxuriating in this concotion.

Variety of grilled gourmet sausages

Grilled asparagus dressed with basalmic vinegar and olive oil

Fresh cornbread (made with fresh organic flour and corn meal)

Tossed salad

Fresh berries

Gelato

To add to the fun, it’s a gloriously sunny day which will ensure that the bay view from the great and dining rooms is optimized. Now, I can only hope that Mom (who is the female equivalent of Felix Unger) does not notice how filthy the windows are. I am not as hyper or OCD about cleaning as she is.

The 1,767th Face of Madonna

It’s just a guesstimate. Madonna changes her look so often it would be difficult to keep track even if one were intrigued enough to faithfully follow her transmogrifications. Her New Face has received attention beyond the usual fashion changes due to the obvious cosmetic modifications. I especially enjoyed Camille Paglia’s insightful commentary, although I am not the fan of Madonna that she is.

Something has bothered me about The New Face; and yesterday, whilst purchasing a fabulous L.A.M.B hoody at Nordstrom’s, it clicked.

Madonna is trying to look like Gwen Stefani.

This is such a sad admission of fighting tooth and claw against the natural aging process. Madonna’s usual schtick has been to emulate past famous beauties (something Lindsay Lohan has recently and pathetically attempted in photo spreads). Madonna’s shift to mirroring a younger star is counterproductive to her agenda, in this observer’s opinion.

Having also seen recent photos of Brigitte Bardot, I am able to grok that Madonna would like to avoid turning into a horror – but isn’t there a third alternative besides fat-saggy and plastic Barbie? What is wrong with embracing each stage of life in a natural, healthy manner?

Today’s Theme Song: 4/18/08

Tis another day.

Today’s Theme Song is: “Naked Eye” by Luscious Jackson

Chakra: Third Eye
Color: Indigo
Energy: Perception

I need to Visualize what is Next.