How to Vote

Just found this except from a conversation with a friend around voting time last October (2008) whilst digging through email archives:

10:16 AM me:don't vote for the bad stuff

vote for the not so bad stuff

10:17 AM then take all the money out of your bank and hide it in a shoe box under your bed

I didn't recall the cynicism setting in quite so quickly after I moved to LA, but now that I've been here for a while, I guess it sounds like good advice...

Life Flows

At mass today, the priest told a good metaphor:

Both the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are fed by the River Jordan, yet the two are completely different in character. While the Dead See is barren, devoid of life, the Sea of Galilee is teeming with life -- with plants and fishes of all kinds. What is the difference? The Dead Sea has no outlet, and retains everything it receives, but the Sea of Galilee pours out its waters out on to the rivers and lands below. And life flows.

And so, the question is, which am I? Do my blessings, my money, my love, and my life flow through me and breed more of the same, or do they end -- stopped dead -- with me?

haircut.

SpaceX to Space: It's on.

7/13/2009: SpaceX just delivered it's first commercial payload, a Malaysian ATSB Satellite, into orbit.

We are now officially in the business.



And now with more video:

From our customer website:
http://www.atsb.my/

and space news coverage:
http://www.spacevidcast.com/2009/07/14/spacex-falcon-1-flight-5-razaksat-payload/

Did I mention that while the Shuttle was delayed by weather conditions (as well they should when carrying people), SpaceX launched Falcon 1 literally through a gap between storm clouds over Kwajalein?

Posthumous trunk volume reduced by a hit-and-run driver

12:17 June 27th, 2009 on the 105 Westbound at Sepulveda. Well, that was quick. Just over 3 months into ownership, and Posthumous has been rear-ended on the highway by a hit-and-run driver. I'm OK, but the car will need some work. She took it well, though, showing almost no external damage, but the underlying structure has been deformed. And of course, I never got collision insurance because I figured that as long as I did not crash the car, the at-fault driver's insurance would.

It's funny, though, because one of the main reasons I opted to get this particular convertible is because of the ample trunk space. Well, now the trunk volume has been reduced. Not by much, but enough that the spare tire cannot be removed and the trunk neither closes nor locks, rendering it unusable. And the real bummer- no more convertible-ing until it gets fixed as the trunk is an integral part of the roof retractor.

Well, here we go...

Intrusion of the rear frame into the trunk.

Where the sheet metal bottom shell of the trunk buckled

Not awful to fix, though not cheap. But seriously, a hit-and-run!!??

Aww, potatoes.

Distinguished Graduates of the Class of...SPARTAAAAA!

No doubt inspired by Wei and Joy Jams, I decided Wednesday and on Friday, hopped in a car with a kind friend and we drove up to Stanford for graduation. So many wonderful people graduating. Just had to see them again one more time. Couldn't miss it. More photos are coming after some sleep. Way to go, guys.

Wei and Joy Jams

Had a pretty rough day at work today. It's like going to war.

But today, Wei and Joy had jazz gig in a little university coffee shop 400 miles away, attended by so many friends, all of whom I love dearly. And I was on Skype, there, transported by a laptop on a counter. And it was beautiful.



Isn't it wonderful how, whenever things get worse, there is always something better?

Thanks so much, I love you.