Entries for September, 2003
September 14th, 2003
Warning! This site could harm children and small animals!
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:09 PM on September 14, 2003.
In a wasteland of mindless scriblings and low humor... you've found more of the same! Hopefully, you'll be more amused than shocked, outraged and appalled.. *
* Your mileage may vary. Results not typical. Send me all your money..... Ni!
Currently listening to: Music Detected/Anggun's Deep Blue Sea
Currently reading: Umberto Eco's Baudolino
Currently feeling: amused
September 18th, 2003
Various Rants
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:45 PM on September 18, 2003.
Welcome gentle readers,
Where did I leave the massively over-priced glasses?? Longs Drugs? Marie Callendars, Hell?? Now I have to go find 'em, hat in hand, so to speak...
Makes ya' want to get contacts after all... If I hadn't have almost had my eye put out except I had glasses on - I would have got contacts a long time ago...
g'night... Four Eyes
Isabel
Posted by MikeyMike at 09:40 PM on September 18, 2003.
Greetings compulsive Weather Channel viewers,
I used to "watch" it 'cause was the only place that had a to-the-second accurate time anywhere w/o calling time. Mike's anal fixation on having the "correct" time is another story for another day... And The Weather Channel (TWC) has the Most Boring Music ever, so it's almost like white noise, to mask other sounds... Actually, we don't have weather here in San Diego - not like the rest of the country...
http://www.hamptonroads.com/stories/nw0919trop.html
It's hard when you know people when heavy weather does happen - like Hurricane Isobel right now. I have a good friend in Virginia Beach, VA. That's just north of North Carolina on the southeastern coast of Virginia below the Chesapeake bay. The area is collectively know as Tidewater.
Actually, I have a lot of friends in Tidewater, as I went to High School there. Fortunately, though it seems the damage was fairly heavy, but lose of life was minimal. The worse part seems that power is out almost everywhere, like 95% That means no lights, of course, but no Internet either(!) So, I can choose to help overload the telephone curcuits, or try to send emails that most likely won't make it either...
Found
Posted by MikeyMike at 09:51 PM on September 18, 2003.
BTW, I found my glasses! I left them at Longs Drugs. At the photo department where I bought batteries for my Nikon N80 SLR camera today. They saved 'em for me. Since Clairemont, the area of San Diego I live in has so many oldsters, I guess they are used to that!
TEN TIPS ON GETTING MORE EFFICIENCY OUT OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
Posted by MikeyMike at 10:07 PM on September 18, 2003.
While looking at the Star 100 radio website (see Links) I found this article sure to piss off all women of today... Be glad this isn't 1943, the date of this real article:
http://www.histar.com/mornings/starchive/2003/09/women_workforce.php
TEN TIPS ON GETTING MORE EFFICIENCY OUT OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was serious and written for male supervisors of women in the workforce during World War II- only 58 years ago! Obviously, the intent was not to be "funny", but by today's standards, it's hilarious to think that this was how women were viewed!
1.) Pick young, married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.
2.) When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
3.) General experience indicates that "husky" girls- those who are just a little on the heavy side- are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.
4.) Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination- one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.
5.) Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but they lack initiative in finding work themselves.
6.) Whenever possible, let the female employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
7.) Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make for some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
8.) Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shurg off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman- it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.
9.) Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
10.) Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.
September 19th, 2003
Baby on Board!
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:31 AM on September 19, 2003 as a favorite post.
This just in!! My good Friend Mari & husband have delivered up a bouncing baby Girl named Emma. Another beautiful babette for Uncle Mike!
Currently listening to: Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely
Currently reading: Dr. Suess's Hop On Pop
Currently feeling: ecstatic
This is a favorite post.
September 21st, 2003
Feedback
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:19 PM on September 21, 2003.
Well, the feedback has been pretty good so far... As in advertising, it doesn't hurt to have a baby on the cover, I guess!
In case you don't know, I work in computer operations for a major health care system in San Diego. The hours are odd, but it has the beauty of avoiding most traffic and having a four day week(!) Of course, those are 10 hour days...
So, in lieu of taking a regular week of vacation, I am taking off every other Wednesday (my "Friday") so I am getting 4 days off per week for a while. We print payroll checks for the company everything other week, so I can't miss those days. I'll just take every other Wednesday off 4x (well, 3x now). Decadent, huh??
Perhaps I can use some of that time to take more pictures with my Nikon SLR, something I love to do. I was pretty good in High School, but have neglected photography until the last few years. The new cameras are so wonderful! But not any better than your "vision". I see lots of $2000 camera "snapshot" photographers running around. Every boy needs a hobby, they say...
Perhaps I'll talk about "world" media next time... music and film from around the world. It has been an interest of mine from a long time. The Internet has made exploring this realm much easier...
Currently listening to: Coco Lee's Mo Mo Ai Ni
Currently feeling: mellow
September 24th, 2003
Another Emma pic!
Posted by MikeyMike at 01:39 AM on September 24, 2003.
Isn't she angelic? Mum just sent this pic along. Her heritage is half Japanese and 1/2 Irish. Sure to be a cutie!
So nice to be "Uncle Mike" again. Children like me for some reason. Perhaps they recognize a fellow kid?
Currently listening to: Logins & Messina's House at Pooh Corner
Currently feeling: chipper
Inspector Morse
Posted by MikeyMike at 01:06 PM on September 24, 2003.
I just thought of that wonderful English TV series
Inspector Morse, played by John Thaw, who recently passed away. I love this show, and not just because he drives a vintage Jaguar automobile!
The classic guy in a job that you would never expect - the Renaissance man as flatfoot. He loves the arts and is an iconoclast, but has to deal daily with the ugliest parts of life. To balance this, his partner is the perfect Everyman. Their relationship is a big part of the story and one of the most entertaining aspects, as Morse needs him more than he can show and his partner bemusedly tolerates his idiosyncrasies.
I think many of us can identify with his plight - being in a job that doesn't match our predilections or early dreams. Left-brained in a right-brained world. Of course, he is supremely competent at his chosen profession and his other interests are often crucial to catching the evildoer.
Morse is a bachelor and his relationship with the female race is ambiguous, but it seems rooted in an earlier, painful relationship. But we never really know. Still searching for that perfect love?
Filmed on location in and around Oxford, England, many of the scenes are timelessly beautiful and evocative of Morse’s deep immersion in his heritage and classical Western Culture. It’s not hard to see why he would choose to live and work there. But it's not artsy-fartsy: the grity part of modern city life is there too.
The series ranges from the confines of Oxford all the way to Europe, and in one episode, Australia. Quite an adventure! Well written and acted by the many outstanding character actors that Britain seems to specialize in, you will be guessing till the end who done it. Most American shows of this type are incredibly predictable and dumbed-down by comparison.
It runs, intermittently, on A&E. Look for it. You won’t be sorry!
Morse's Oxford
Currently listening to: Joy Enriquez's How Can I Not Love You
September 25th, 2003
The Battle of The Bulge
Posted by MikeyMike at 10:56 PM on September 25, 2003.
Ok, I'm no war monger, but this is one hell of a movie! And one great cast, including Telly Savalis before he started sucking on those lollipops! And you might recognized "Danno" from Hawaii 5-0 too!
Even though the Germans where the bad guys, they weren’t totally demonized either. Most of those poor bastards where just trying to survive - symbolized by the good sergeant walking back home at the end of the film.
The nice thing about seeing films on The History Channel is they have expert commentators during and after the film - often people that where actually there. Is the film "History or Hollywood?"
The History Channel
And since history involves
everything, they even have series like The History of Sex. Amusing, but very enlightening too. If you want a perspective on why things are they way they are now...
Anyway, as a former Medic serving in the 3rd Armor Division in Germany, The Battle of The Bulge is more than just a movie for me. We trained in the same areas and our units where the very same that fought back then.
3rd Armored at Battle of The Bulge
September 26th, 2003
It's worth it!
Posted by MikeyMike at 01:30 PM on September 26, 2003.
I decided to pay for my tabulas account. I wanted to see if I would actually do this (I've had a few false starts before) and if it worked as advertised (it does). It seems tabulas is run by a college student! I want this site to succeed... I think it's ideal for "getting your feet wet" at bloggering (is that a word?). Not super fancy, but complete enough and you can link in your other stuff too as you advance.
Just think of all the mail/emails you can save by pointing people to your tabulas site!
Mikey likes it!
tabulas.com
Currently listening to: CoCo Lee/Human Nature's Mo Mo Ai Ni (live)
Coco Lee
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:20 PM on September 26, 2003.
You may have wondered Gentle Reader: Just who is this Coco Lee person?
Well, she's just one of the most popular singers in Asia! She even had an American CD released - which went nowhere w/o the hype a Britany-type singer would get...
The cool thing is that she's home-grown talent. She was raised in California, so her English is excellent.. In fact, she was pre-med UC Irvine until entering a singing contest during a vacation trip to Hong Kong.
She did the Chinese version of Disney's Mulan song
Reflection. And her song
Do You Want My Love is pretty hot! And if you watched
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon you heard her sing
A Love Before Time. Just a darn good singer and pretty... she seems genuinely nice too from what I have heard.
Yes, much of her material is sung in Chinese...
Here's Mike's view on that... I believe that the human voice is the greatest instrument ever. We as humans are acutely aware of the tiniest inflection. Great singers can put across emotion that transcends even the language barrier. The voice as instrument theory...
One great thing about the Internet is that it makes discovering all these great "instruments" practical, especially if you have DSL/cable modem. You never hear the record companies mentioning that, do you? How you might just be downloading music/videos of singers you can't even find here in the US. At least not by any practical standard. Plus, as you explore, you are bound to meet nice people happy to tell you about the music of their country. Better than "buying the world a coke!"
Since American pop culture (for better or worse) dominates the world these days, much of the music will be at least familiar. But each country increasingly puts their own spin on things. Just don't be too curious about what the lyrics mean. For some reason, due to the lack of idiomatic English skills most translators have and/or non-translatable local expressions, the lyrics tend to come out somewhat strange!
Just enjoy the singing! And it's not like most pop music is that "deep" anyway!
CoCo Lee at askmen.com
Listen to CoCo (scroll down on Amazon)
Here's a pic of your new friend Coco Lee:
Currently listening to: CoCo Lee's Do You Want My Love
Currently feeling: artistic
September 27th, 2003
Googlisms
Posted by MikeyMike at 04:20 AM on September 27, 2003.
From the Stupid Pet Tricks Dept: Need I say more?? Try your name in there too...
Click for Googlism for Avila
Unfortunately, "Avila" is also the asshole who killed that young girl Samantha Runnion in California not too long ago.
Currently listening to: Anggun's Summer In Paris
The Best Singer You Nerver Heard Of
Posted by MikeyMike at 09:19 PM on September 27, 2003.
If I had to name only one singer to keep, it would have to be
Linda Eder. I realize this isn't everyone's cup of tea... but give it a try - it won't hurt ya' none...
If you're not used to Broadway/Standards type music, then it might take a few listens for it to grow on you... Then you start to be amazed at just how subtle her phrasing is and what a tremendous range! I don't like all her songs of course, but many songs she's made her own. Try
Over The Rainbow and
Man of La Mancha and try to imagine a better version after that!
I'll have do a full write up on her soon, but for now, look at the lyrics to It's Only Love from her
It's Time CD...
You can listen to some of her music on Amazon - Not the best songs from that album- (you have to scroll down)
It's Time on Amazon
It's Only Love (from
The Scarlet Pinmpernel)
Album: It's Time (Linda Eder)
Music: Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics: Nan Knighton
I see you try to turn away
I hear the words you want to say
I feel how much you need to hide
What's happening inside you tonight
Come meet my eyes one moment more
Our eyes are different than before
This night, so beautiful and strange
This night begins to change who we are
Don't turn away, it's only love quietly coming to you
Whispering through you
Take my hand-it's only love
Let it come through you slowly
Don't be afraid -it's only love
We touch, the dark begins to stir
We can't go back to where we were
Don't be afraid to make it real
Don't be afraid to feel tonight
Don't turn away-it's only love
Only a touch that frees you
Let it release you
Take the chance-it's only love
Open your heart and show me
Don't be afraid-it's only love
Don't close your eyes
Don't hold it in
Reach out to me
Let it all begin
Don't be afraid-it's only love
Only a touch that frees you
Let it release you
Take the chance-it's only love
Let it come through you slowly
Open your heart and show me
Don't be afraid it's only love
Currently listening to: Linda Eder's It's Only Love
September 28th, 2003
N80
Posted by MikeyMike at 10:07 PM on September 28, 2003.
While I contemplate the upcoming 4 day weekend, (what Shall I do?) I've been unlimbering the faithful Nikon N80 35mm SLR camera here at the ranch...
The N80 is a great camera for the price. Nikons' more capable cameras are much more expensive. It has most of the "guts" of the professional Nikons and a light "prosumer" body. It's nice and easy to carry around all day. Add the very sharp Nikon 20mm (very wide angle) and 85mm (short telephoto) lenes and what excellent picture taking package!
This is more camera than most people want (or need). It's not hard to use, but it's no "point and shoot" camera either. Most people should be looking at a 2 to 3 megapixel digital camera. They have all the image quality most need. They are so small now and being able to see the pic on the LCD screen right away saves so much time! (no more "headless" portraits!) You can see the picture right away. And no paying and waiting for photo development!
My last big trip was to to the Anza-Borrego Desert Park over the mountains from San Diego for the Wild Flower bloom. This year had a pretty good display. It's dependent on the amount and timing of the winter rains. At least one good reason to wish for the rains to come in Southern California! I was a little late for the very best of the wild flowers, but it was amazing to see the desert come to life in such a profusion of color!
I am thinking of going to Torrey Pines State Preserve, home of the wind swept tree that grows only here (and one small island). If you want to drool, check out these beautiful pictures from the Park Service:
Torrey Pines Album
Hopefully, I'll have some of my own to show you pretty soon!
Currently listening to: Ayumi Hamasaki's Evolution
My Icon
Posted by MikeyMike at 11:32 PM on September 28, 2003.
Well, all good dogs go to Heaven, and so my faithful hound Mandy is surely there... a once in a life time dog. Her undoing was being able to jump a six foot fence in a single bound and then chasing cars!
