tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696Douglas E. BerryAre we getting ugly or are we getting old?Douglas Berry2022-04-30T02:32:08Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2059998Eyes and random shit2022-04-30T02:32:08Z2022-04-30T02:32:08ZGiants- Nationals on the radio.public0Hey kids, it's an eye update!<br /><br />After a long day sitting around at the Eye Institute (several doctors were dealing with emergencies which left them way behind) I finally got to see Dr. M. He was very happy that I don't have cancer, but as he pointed out, this still leaves us in the dark about the cause of the eye inflammation.<br /><br />So we may be subjecting my poor eyeballs to a cyberpunk-ish horror called <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/electroretinography"">Electroretinography</a>. Which actually, sounds pretty interesting, if a bit horrifying for someone as paranoid about their eyes as I am. But for now, we're stepping down the steroid eye drops over an eight-week period. If the inflammation is still under control at that time, we can start scheduling the removal of the cataract from my right eye.<br /><br />The funny thing is they were so far behind that when I left the front office folks had all gone home. I'll have to call Monday to set up my follow-up.<br /><br />In other news, I'm rather disappointed in our latest Giants store purchase. I take blood thinners, which means I do not react well to cold weather. So. as you can imagine, night games at Oracle Park are a challenge. What do you think of when you hear the word "anorak"? <br /><br />As the child of a Brit, and having been raised on British TV, I think of a warm, hooded, bit of rain kit, usually with a half-zipper. <a href="https://www.mlbshop.com/san-francisco-giants/mens-san-francisco-giants-stitches-black/orange-anorak-hoodie-half-zip-jacket/t-14451149+p-3756544450089+z-9-2589994503?_ref=p-DLP:m-GRID:i-r2c0:po-6">So I was thrilled to see one for sale on the Giants' site.</a> Folks, I have T-shirts that are heavier than this. I wore it out today, on a very mild day, and it provided no warmth nor protection from even the slightest wind. <br /><br /><i>sigh</i> At least it looks good. I'll just wear it as the outer layer as part of my San Francisco Summer Evening arctic survival kit.<br /><br />This weekend is the <a href="https://www.santaclaraca.gov/recreation-community/events/annual-clean-up-campaign">annual city-wide clean-up for our area</a>, also known as "dump everything in the street weekend." Our pile will be small but interesting. I may take pictures of the more interesting piles of junk. After the visit from the plumber, and the need to clean out under the sinks, we are also heading over to the Household Hazardous Waste drop off. Busy times.<br /><br />Next week we'll mark 31 years of marriage with a dinner at the one surviving Black Angus in the South Bay. Then next weekend we're seeing Dance with the Dead with Magic Sword opening. An evening of trippy instrumental music.<br /><br />This has been your Eyes and More<sup>TM</sup> update.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2059998" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2055981Tempting the wrath of my ancestors. . .2022-02-17T20:00:22Z2022-02-17T20:00:22Znostalgicpublic2One good bit of news this week. Back in December, we bought a Giants ticket voucher pack, enough for us to go to two games. It was a bit of a nightmare to figure out, and we ended up having to spend more money t9 sit in the same section for one game, but two dates to visit the most beautiful ballpark in the world and cheer on the G-men.<br /><br />The first game is against the Marlins on (what we hope will be) Opening Day weekend.<br /><br />The second is on July 27th against the Milwaukee Brewers. Now, my family has a history with the Brewers. My grandfather was a baseball fanatic and loved the Milwaukee team. Braves, Brewers, minor or major league, he was there.<br /><br />Some of my best memories of visiting Gramma and Grandpa was going to County Stadium to see a baseball game. He had seats in the front row right behind home plate shaded to the first base side. The weather was always great, I got to eat a ton of junk food, and even if I didn't understand what I was watching, I was there with my Grandpa! He even taught me to keep score!<br /><br />Sadly, he's been gone for many years now.<br /><br />But when we go to the game against the Brew Crew, I'll be carrying a sign:<br /><br />GRANDPA WAS A [Brewers logo] FAN.<br /><br />SORRY, GRANDPA. [SF Giants logo]<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2055981" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2051871Look back in. . .what, I can't see. 2021 in Review.2021-12-28T23:45:25Z2021-12-28T23:48:15ZBring Me The Horizon - Parasite Evesorepublic2Well, here we are again. Reaching the end of the calendar year for all of us who use the Gregorian Calendar.Of course, given my druthers, it'd be <i>Idibus Decembres MMDCCLXXIV Ab Urbe Condita</i>. But I'm weird that way.<br /><br />Where are my druthers, anyway? However has them, give them back post-haste!<br /><br />Anyway, for me, 2021 was dominated not by the political upheaval in Washington, but by my ongoing eye issues. What started as a simple diagnosis of a cataract in my left eye has ballooned into a still-evolving investigation of which my body is showing so many inflammation markers. But getting here has been epic. Because for the first eight months of this I was seeing an ophthalmologist who was very hesitant and unsure of herself. When she finally referred me to a more experienced colleague, it was one visit and surgery scheduled. Everyone assured me that cataract surgery was super easy, barely an inconvenience.<br /><br />I came out of the surgery blind in my left eye. It was like looking through a cloudy glass brick. This was not the result anyone expected, and I began a brief odyssey of being punted around to different eye doctors before getting a referral (an insurance approval) to the Stanford Eye Clinic. We were told that this appointment could take several hours, but what happened that Friday was, well, special.<br /><br />After going through all the usual eyedrops, pictures, and tests, we were visited by a succession of escalating doctors, all of whom wanted to confirm that I hadn't eaten that day. Finally, the senior eye surgeon on duty came in and told me that my retina was detaching, and we needed to head over to the Stanford ER to check in for surgery that night. Of course, due to COVID-19, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/'><b>kshandra</b></a></span>. couldn't come in with me.<br /><br />Any ER on a Friday night is going to be an interesting place. Stanford did not disappoint. However, it was also the night the Giants were going for the 100th win of the season, and I couldn't see my phone to follow the game! (They beat Colorado 7-2.) Eventually, They roll me into the ER proper if only so I could charge my phone. After really geeking out over how the ER is run, I'm rolled up to the surgical theater. This is the first time I've entered one in a wheelchair, so I got to really geek out over all the cool shit. The anesthesiologist and I agree on a general, and the last words I hear are "I'm giving you the relaxing medicine now."<br /><br />The next thing I know it's like 0400 and I'm being rolled out to meet <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/'><b>kshandra</b></a></span> at the car. The procedure lasted about three hours. What they did was absolutely fucking science fiction. Along with cleaning out the gunk from the failed cataract surgery and resetting the artificial lens, they used <b>FUCKING LASERS</b> to weld the tears in my retina, put a silicon band around my eye to force it back into shape, and injected a gas bubble into my eye to further restore the proper retinal surface. This was <i>out-patient surgery</i>!<br /><br />What sucked was I had to keep a head-down posture for the next week or so to keep the bubble in place. I listened to a lot of Judge Judy and podcasts at my desk. Things are still not perfect, but we're getting there!<br /><br />My job continues to be fantastic. The mini-session they had in April-May last spring was weird and sparsely attended as many parents elected to continue distance learning. The new school year is back to regular days and hours, and with the exception of the six-week hole the eye problems blew in my ability to work, I've been happy to get back to my corner and shout in German at my kids. My boss was amazing, finding that I still had hours left in a special COVID-relief time bank, and a few PTO hours, so at least a little money came in during the time off. I'm so happy that I took the chance on becoming a Crossing Guard.<br /><br />It was a good year for me in baseball. The San Jose Giants, now a Low-A club, won their league championship. The big league team was predicted to finish no better than 3rd in the National League West. What followed was one of the most amazing divisional races in the history of baseball. The Giants won a club-record <i>107 games</i>, and still only clinched in the last game of the season because our rival Los Angeles Dodgers won 106 games, also a team record. We met in the NLDS and it went to five games, of course. LA won, and I'm not going to make excuses. But what a fucking season!<br /><br />Due to the pandemic, we didn't get out much. We did make a long-planned trip to Los Angeles to see Avatar at the Wiltern Theater. We made a mini-vacation out of it. We went to the Rainbow Bar and Grill and spent too much money at Lemmy's Lounge. Hey, I'm an old <b>Motörhead</b> fan! We also were able to have dinner with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://isomeme.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://isomeme.dreamwidth.org/'><b>isomeme</b></a></span> and her lovely wife and with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/'><b>kshandra</b></a></span>'s halfsister and <i>her</i> lovely wife and kids.<br /><br />We also visited the <a href="https://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/">Getty Villa.</a>. I killed my phone taking pictures. It's that amazing.<br /><br />Then, just a couple of weeks about, we went to the first night of <b>Metallica</b>'s 40th Anniversary concert. THEY PLAYED FIXXXER! AND KING NOTHING!!! <br /><br />So, those are the highlights of 2021 for me. The whole eye thing dominated and continues to shape my life. But there are big changes and events coming in 2022. Which will be the next post! Stay tuned!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2051871" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2045814NaNoWriMoNO2021-10-20T02:18:52Z2021-10-20T02:33:02ZAvatar - For The Swarmmelancholypublic6After a lot of thought, I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year. The whole eye saga has cut into my ability to do my research and plotting, there may be more appointments coming down the road that could make things much worse, and I'm going back to work on the same day the writing starts.<br /><br />Not the best way to handle this. So I'm opting out. Apex will wait a year while I get everything set up, characters set, all three sections absolutely mapped out both in location and action (and I'm going for Tim Powers levels of 'OMG, I've BEEN there!'), and can start writing with confidence on Day One, 2022.<br />The way the Giants season ended also is a factor.<br /><br />But, to get an early start, the book is about a world where vampires are solitary apex predators and concerns the vampire who has taken San Francisco as his hunting territory since 1945 finding himself being hunted by another vampire. It's mostly suspense. I'm using Apex as the working title as it describes where the vampires sit, but can you think of another title?<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2045814" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2043566YES! YES! YES!!!2021-10-04T00:25:25Z2021-10-04T20:43:39ZMe still screaming in joyjubilantpublic5(There should be a picture celebrating the San Francisco Giants winning the National League West title. It's hosted on Facebook. Oops.)<br /><br /><img src="https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/244534459_10228586770953470_8455510181249271860_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=e3f864&_nc_ohc=kKRHWOoR8ZYAX9md02A&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=b70972c0c8362abf00be07565db80862&oe=617F4A11" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2043566" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2042338It's Been a Hard Day's Night2021-09-25T21:04:58Z2021-09-25T21:47:07ZMetallica - King Nothing (live)jubilantpublic6What a difference 24 hours makes.<br /><br />Yesterday about this time, I was sitting at the <a href="https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-clinics/byers-eye-institute.html">Byers Eye Institute</a> waiting for yet another round of retinal photos and evaluations. We had been warned that this was going to be a longer appointment. So we were ready for that. What we weren't ready for was the parade of doctors, starting with the resident and ending up with a senior retinal surgeon coming to see me.<br /><br />They determined that the retina in my left eye was starting to detach, which made surgery a bit more urgent. Since I hadn't eaten yet on Friday, we were sent over to Stanford Medical Center's ER for a fast COVID-19 test and immediate surgery. It was, as usual, a case of hurry up and wait. The only frustrating thing was the Giants were going for their 100th win of the season, and the only TV in the cavernous waiting room was tuned to ESPN, which was showing the Red Sox/Yankees game, and my vision was too blurry from the blizzard of eye drops I was in to ever follow that one very well. (Giants beat Colorado, 7-2!)<br /><br />Eventually, they park me inside the ER department if only so I could charge my phone, and I'm taken up for surgery. Given the option, I go for a general anesthetic. Which turned out to be the better option, and my surgery on my left eye became quite involved. They installed a scleral buckle, "spot-welded" a couple of tears, and inserted a gas bubble to push the detached portion back into position (in addition to removing the excess tissue remaining from the original cataract surgery.)<br /><br />At the moment my vision out of my left eye is very blurry, mainly due to the gas bubble. I've been instructed to keep a head-down posture whenever possible to keep the bubble in place, no worries there. But I can fucking <b>see out of my left eye</b> for the first time in about two weeks. The eye is very teary but that will resolve. I'm just on regular Tylenol for pain. Right now, it doesn't look like I'll need more surgery. We'll know more Thursday.<br /><br />We're modifying our route to LA to avoid passing over Grapevine due to pressure changes, and hey, 101 is a prettier drive anyway. I will be wearing an eyepatch with a protective plate for the <a href="https://avatarmetal.com/">Avatar show</a>. We <i>might</i> still go up to Griffith Park Observatory. Because I've never been.<br /><br /><a href="https://gofund.me/fcef023b">We're still doing the <i>GoFundMe</i> because I'm not out of the woods quite yet and bills will still be becoming due. This will include new glasses once everything settles down. Thanks to everyone who has shared and supported the campaign, and every little bit helps</a>.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2042338" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2038254Cooperstown is wrong.2021-07-30T18:19:31Z2021-07-30T18:19:31Zlistlesspublic0<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/curt-schilling-hall-of-fame-request-off-ballot-denied/">MLB Hall of Fame denies political firebrand and ex-pitching star Curt Schilling's request to be taken off ballot</a><br /><br />I have no love for Curt Schilling, he's a right-wing asshole who fucked over Rhode Island when his game company failed. He was also a jerk on the mound.<br /><br />On the good side, he did save Advanced Squad Leader<br /><br />But I have to agree with him here. An athlete should have control over their name and if they decide they don't want to be on the Hall of Fame ballot for any reason, the Hall should honor it. In this case, Schilling is in his final year of eligibility and doesn't want the humiliation of being rejected again.<br /><br />On another note related to Cooperstown, HOF plaques show the player wearing a team cap. This made sense when players tended to spend most of their careers in one place, but since free agency came along, even the best players can move around a great deal. <br /><br />Right now, officials at the Hall of Fame determine what cap an inductee is wearing on their plaque. This is bullshit. The player should have the final say on what their HOF plaque looks like,<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2038254" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2027325Du willst Jade? Wir haben Jade!2021-05-16T21:40:11Z2021-05-16T21:40:11ZDisturbed - Strickenlistlesspublic0The Giants won today, and so did I! Playing CivVI on King Difficulty on a Huge map as Germany. Won a Cultural Victory in 1958, which was an achievement, as Sweden was also in the game, and Kristina usually mops up on culture. I was playing with the Corporations, Secret Societies, and the Barbarian Alternate settings.<br /><br />Only fought a few border wars with the Ottomans and the Netherlands. I kept my Army large and up to date to discourage adventurism. At the time of my win, I was halfway to landing on Mars. Good game.<br /><br />But I'm amused by the fact that what put me over the edge was a performance by the band Renaissance Genius. "Oh, sure, Germany has great museums, national parks, and wonders right and left, but dude. . . did you see that show?"<br /><br />Speaking of accomplishments, I picked up a new one. Germany controlled the world's jade supply.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://flic.kr/p/2kZ1wm8" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2027325" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:2006408Season called on account of SARS-CoV-192020-07-27T22:37:52Z2020-07-27T22:37:52Zgrumpypublic3OK, let's be clear. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a baseball fanatic. I live for the Giants. I have preseason rituals that I adhere to religiously. I believe Opening Day should be a national holiday. I own about seven Giants hats.<br /><br />Knowing all that, you'll understand the gravity of my thoughts here. Shut it down. Five days into the abbreviated season and we have the Marlins with 14 players testing positive, and games being canceled due to the need to clean the clubhouses used by the Marlins! You're going to see more and more big-name players opt out of the season.<br /><br />And frankly, the season is a joke. 60 games? We can't play four without the plague breaking out! This is not going to work, and even if it somehow reaches the World Series, the winner is going to carry a huge asterisk because of the number of star players sitting out and the shortened season.<br /><br />Shut it down. Save lives. And as always, wait 'til next year!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=2006408" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:19879472019: Look back myopically, look ahead with 20/20 vision2020-01-01T02:34:59Z2020-01-02T06:00:24ZThe Alan Parsons Project - Don't Answer Mesatisfiedpublic2Well, I've made it through another year. Continuing to defy the medical odds, and actually thriving somewhat. 2019 was a year of continued recovery, pushing myself, and doing things that I thought I would never be able to do.<br /><br />Let's review, shall we?<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1987947.html#cutid1">Health</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___2" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1987947.html#cutid2">Work</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___2" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___3" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1987947.html#cutid3">The Arts</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___3" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___4" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1987947.html#cutid4">Baseball</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___4" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___5" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1987947.html#cutid5">Creative Work</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___5" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___6" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1987947.html#cutid6">Burning Man</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___6" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />So, that's 2019. I know I missed things, but the summation of the year is this: I didn't die, and had fun living.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1987947" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1983785That was a night of legends.2019-10-29T20:39:06Z2019-10-29T20:39:06Zecstaticpublic0<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OTD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OTD</a> in 2014 - Game 7. <a href="https://t.co/wNQXohLZm2">pic.twitter.com/wNQXohLZm2</a></p>— SFGiants (@SFGiants) <a href="https://twitter.com/SFGiants/status/1189259500491952128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote> <br /><br />(click the link to see the video)<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1983785" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1982714Ah, c'mon, Blue!2019-10-23T23:35:08Z2019-10-23T23:35:08Zannoyedpublic3An umpire for Major League Baseball is in hot water after Tweeting that if Trump is impeached he's going buy an AR-15 to fight in the "Cival War."<br /><br /><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27913518/mlb-looking-long-umpire-rob-drake-tweet">MLB looking into longtime umpire Rob Drake's tweet</a><br /><br />His Twitter account has since been deleted. But aside from the "Cival War" tweet, there's something more important going on here: the embedded ignorance of the American Right.<br /><br />An earlier tweet, also quoted in the article reads:<br /><br />"You can't do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?"<br /><br />It's "Capitol Hill" first of all. But the ignorance is what follows.<br /><br />"from the basement" The Capitol building was completed in 1800, with the House and Senate wings being added in the 1850s. Today, the building is packed. Many smaller hearing rooms are indeed in the basement. Among these are several hearing rooms that are rated as Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF.)<br /><br />These are rooms that are as secure from eavesdropping as we can make them. Recording devices are banned. They are turned into Faraday cages when in use. Having them in the basement means no windows to bounce lasers off of. Even the janitorial staff have to receive security clearances. They are used for hearings that impact on issues of national security that might reveal methods, sources, or information that would damage the United States. The impeachment testimony being heard by the Intelligence Committee (which has both Democrats and Republicans on it) meets those criteria.<br /><br />"without even a vote!" There is no Constitutional requirement for a vote of the House to begin impeachment hearings. There wasn't one for Clinton, Nixon, or Johnson. All that is required is for House committees to open hearings on potentially impeachable offenses, part of their duty in exercising oversight on the Executive.<br /><br />All said, this umpire should be tossed from baseball.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1982714" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1982437The Fall Classic is set.2019-10-20T15:29:58Z2019-10-20T15:29:58Zhopefulpublic0The Evil Empire has gone down in flames, leaving us with a Houston v. Washington World Series. Good.<br /><br />I'm rooting for the Nationals. First of all, because they are repping the National League, home of real baseball and the Giants. Secondly, because absent other factors, I always want to cheer for the city that hasn't had the joy of a World Series parade for the longest time.<br /><br />The last time D.C. won the Series was in 1924.<br /><br />Go Nats!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1982437" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1980496Foul three, yer OUT!2019-09-12T20:54:36Z2019-09-12T20:54:36Zhotpublic2I have an idea to speed up MLB games. Under the current rules, hitting a foul ball can cost you the first or second strike, but not the third strike.<br /><br />This can lead to endless at-bats where the player with two strikes on him will flail away at anything even close to the strike zone to stay alive, resulting in long, drawn-out plate appearances. <br /><br />So here's my proposed rule change: once a batter has two strikes against him, hitting three consecutive foul balls results in a strike three being called, and that batter is retired.<br /><br />Whadda y'all think?<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1980496" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1968122Blue Metalhead Needs Clues, Badly2019-04-27T16:17:42Z2019-04-27T16:17:42ZJethro Tull - Hymn 43public0Last night was Metallica Night at the ballpark. I wish I could say we had a great time, but the fact was a variety of factors, not the least of which being the Giants' inept play and the bone-chilling wind, led us to give up after five innings and head for home. <br /><br />But there were highlights. We did get this year's goodie, a reversible Metallica/Giants wool cap. One side is digital camo, the other black with a big Metallica M and the Giants' SF logo. We ate pizza, I had a beer, and at the Junior Giants' table, they were selling mystery autographed balls. I took the plunge at got reliever Mark Melancon. <br /><br />But the mind-boggler of the night was the lady we met in line outside Oracle (still getting used to the new name) Park. She was one of the more clueless people I've encountered in a while. We were at the park earlier than planned thanks to kismet providing us with an express train up. This lady was stressing about missing the band's "pre-game" activities. Folks, the pregame activities are the following. James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet play the National Anthem. Lars Ulrich throws out the first pitch. James heads up to the PA booth and does the Giants' starting lineup introductions. That's it. She thought she was missing out on a show, or a meet & greet. Nothing we said could convince her otherwise. <br /><br />Then the conversation turned to S&M2. She was complaining about getting "screwed out of tickets" for both shows. While everyone got screwed out of the first show due to ticket bots, the second show was handled by Metallica and was fair. The venue holds 18,064 people in its concert set up, and there were millions of 5th Member fans vying for the tickets. We were lucky to get the second chance draw.<br /><br />But no, that was getting screwed. After that, she thought that she could score tickets on the secondary market. Um, no. Tickets for the September 8th show are linked to your name. Oh, okay. she'll just wait for the public sale. There's not going to be a public sale! The reason you didn't get tickets in the lotteries is they sold out!<br /><br />Thankfully, she left the line when we started heading in to look for a friend. But seriously, Metallica sent out emails detailing all of these for both shows; step by step instructions on how the sales would work.<br /><br />*sigh* At least people complimented our battle jackets.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1968122" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1959158Look Back in Confusion, Look Forward Myopically. 2018 in Review.2018-12-29T00:58:42Z2018-12-29T00:58:42ZLaw & Order on Sundancehopefulpublic0I can honestly say that 2018 was my best year in a very long time. This was the year that my long road of stroke recovery finally blossomed into a new world of hope and possibility. I started the year still largely afraid and ended it with new hope for my future.<br /><br />What a lot of people don't realize about medical crises like cancer or a stroke is that a big part of recovery is overcoming the shock of your body betraying you. You trust your body, depend on it, and then you have something go frightfully wrong all of the sudden and you are faced with dealing with a body that has betrayed you.<br /><br />For a long time during and just after my cancer treatment, and again after my stroke, I'd look at my body in the mirror and instead of seeing me, I'd see the Thing. The Thing was the meat sack that had turned on me, leaving me broken and unable to live the life I wanted. You fear what the Thing is going to do next, so you retreat into a shell. You stay in your safe spaces, avoiding anything where the Thing might strike.<br /><br />But this year I had progressed far enough in my recovery to get past the fear of my own body. I owe a lot of this to the amazing help I got from therapists. They helped me recognize why I was acting the way I was and gave me the tools to work through my bad times. <br /><br />This is why I was able to apply for the Citizens Police Academy. Attending this over 12 weeks at the beginning of last year was transformative. Not only did I learn a great deal, but I found myself pushing beyond my limits. One of my Drill Sergeants always told us that what we thought were our limits were just the beginning of our potential. Attending the CPA proved this again. I found my confidence there. <br /><br />Which led to me spotting an ad in the local city paper for crossing guards. I felt it was time to reach out for some type of work again. I knew that I had limitations; I get tired fast, have chronic pain issues, and still suffer from some balance and proprioception issues. I had been thinking of a gig job like Door Dash, but when I learned what the guard job entailed, I realized it was perfect for me. <br /><br />As it turned out, getting the job turned into an ordeal. I had to redo my fingerprints after my first set was routed incorrectly. But they came back clean, I passed the physical, and I found myself a member of the Santa Clara Police Department. It's funny, as a crossing guard I am the lowest man on the totem pole, yet I am immensely proud to be wearing the department patches and my badge. It's good to be a part of something bigger than you.<br /><br />I've been filling in as a relief guard over the past few months, and hopefully, I'll be getting my own corner soon. I really enjoy the work and the kids are great. Having a little extra money coming in is nice as well.<br /><br />Along with all this police-related stuff, we did do other things. Kirsten and I work publications for the 76th World Science Fiction Convention here in San Jose. I was in charge of the Restaurant Guide, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. We also worked the newsletter at the convention. Although this meant I spent most of the con in the newsletter office, and there were several problems we had, I really enjoyed the insanity of working a World Con.<br /><br />Immediately after World Con, we headed out for Burning Man. I was able to get out and see more this year, which was nice. The highlight was seeing the Alan Parsons Live Project performing "I, Robot" in its entirety and then having Alan Parsons himself come and hang out in our camp for a few hours. Really nice guy.<br /><br />Musically, we saw a couple of really good shows this year. Judas Priest and Deep Purple, though Deep Purple was a bit of a disappointment; Ghost; and seeing the final show of Machine Head's current line up. That show was off the charts. We made a couple of ball games, and after nearly 25 years of being a baseball fan, I finally got a ball. From one of the grounds crew at San Jose Municipal, but it's a real baseball!<br /><br />A good year. There were a few places I fell short, like keeping up on my writing and going to the gym on a regular basis. Two things to work on in 2019. But I'm entering the new year in good health and good spirits. For the first time in years, I feel good about the future.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1959158" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1954669A great day, but oh, my legs!2018-11-04T17:33:36Z2018-11-04T17:33:36ZGil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televisedsorepublic2Thank Halford for the extra hour of sleep we were given last night. I so needed it as Saturday was a very busy, fulfilling day.<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://gridlore.dreamwidth.org/1954669.html#cutid1">A Tale of Two and a Half Parks</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1954669" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1949708Joe Nuxhall2018-07-02T22:33:28Z2018-07-02T22:33:28ZMegadeth w/Cristina Scabbia - À Tout le Mondegoodpublic2I just spent a fascinating hour reading the story of Joe Nuxhall, who holds the honor of being the youngest player ever to play in the Major Leagues.<br /><br />With both the Majors and minors losing players to the draft, teams were getting desperate. The Cinncinati Reds signed then 14-year-old Nuxhall to a contact. The big southpaw spent most of his time pitching batting practice, but on June 10, 1944, at the age of 15 years, 316 days, he came out to pitch the 9th in what was already a blowout loss for the Reds at the hands of the mighty St. Louis Cardinals. <br /><br />Nuxhall managed 2/3rds of an inning, allowing 2 hits, walking 5, and one wild pitch. He allowed five runs which saddled him with an astronomical ERA of 67.47. To quote Nuxhall:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>"I was pitching against seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders, kids 13 and 14 years old... All of a sudden, I look up and there's Stan Musial and the likes. It was a very scary situation."</i></blockquote><br /><br />After something like that, and with players coming home as the war wound down, it could be expected that Joe Nuxhall would go on with his life, hang up his spikes and have a great story to tell. But that's not what happened. Instead, the moment he could, Joe dived into the Reds' farm system, and in 1952 he was back in the bigs. <br /><br />He stayed for 16 seasons, most of them with the Reds, he was a 2-time All-Star. After his playing career ended, he was a broadcaster for the Reds almost to his death in 2007. All in all, he spent 64 years involved with professional baseball, 62 of them with the Reds. Outside the Great American Ballpark, the Red's current home, there is a statue of Nuxhall near the wall where his radio sign-off is immortalized.<br /><br /><blockquote><i>"This is the old left-hander, rounding third and heading for home"</i></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8306/7762819176_1fcafb1c5c_b.jpg" alt="Joe Nuxhall Statue" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1949708" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1945437Siddown, Shut Yer Traps, and Watch the Damn Game!2018-04-24T18:12:35Z2018-04-24T18:31:25Zsorepublic0Last night was nearly perfect. Kirsten and I headed up to San Francisco to see our beloved San Francisco Giants play the Washington Nationals. As always, we took Caltrain up. That was great, we caught a northbound limited and were early enough that the train was mostly empty. Even though it had been in the mid-80s all day, I was wearing layers, because as Mark Twain is alleged to have said, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."<br /><br /> The City by the Bay didn't disappoint, greeting us at the 4th & King station with cheerfully howling winds and temperatures in the mid-50s. We walked the long city block to AT&T Park in an ever-growing throng of fans clad in orange and black along with a few Nationals fans in red and white. AT&T Park is one of the best ballparks in baseball, and it's a joy just to be able to pass through the gates. <br /><br /> Once inside our first goal was redeeming our special event merchandise ticket. For tonight was Metallica Night, an annual event where the Bay Area's legendary thrash metal gods team up with the Giants. Lots of Metallica music between innings, lead guitarist Kirk Hammet played the national anthem and Take Me Out To The Ball-game, drummer Lars Ulrich threw out the first pitch, and bass player Robert Trujillo read the Giant's starting line up. A lot of fun, and we got cool new hats.<br /><br /> The game itself was fantastic. Chris Stratton pitched 6-2/3rds innings, allowing only two runs to score and recording five strikeouts. The pitchers and defense got out of a jam when the Nationals had runners at 2nd and 3rd with only one out. The offense was provided by Mac Williamson's laser-shot home run in the 6th that gave the Giants the lead and they never looked back. That shot traveled 464 feet and landed right about where Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 756th career home run landed.<br /><br />Giants win, ballpark food and goodies, beautiful, if cold. night at a baseball game. We found the seats we want from now on. Section 136, Row 25. That's the bleachers closest to the left foul line, and the top row. There's a section of disabled seating right behind row 25, so there's a wall. We had a space to store our stuff. This would have been a perfect night of baseball except for one thing.<br /><br /> The Wharton Executive MBA program. Several rows in front of us in our section had strips of papers with WEMBA printed on them. OK, a group reservation. It wasn't until midway through the 2nd inning that they started showing up. That's when things turned ugly. Because while there were 39,000 people at the park for a ball game, these idiots couldn't care a whit about the game. They were networking. <br /><br /> There is an established set of rules of behavior for attending baseball games. There's even a video shown before each game explaining how to be a good fan. One of these rules is don't block the line of sight for other fans! Standing when something exciting happens, or standing and cheering for a big at-bat or pitch is expected. Standing in a group and talking about financial issues? No. Sit down. If you are seating in your ticketed seat it is expected that you show courtesy to the people around you and watch the game!<br /><br /> The sad thing is there is an area designed for non-game socializing a few steps away from where we were sitting. Behind the main scoreboard is a big dining area with tables and chairs and some of the best food options in the park, No one gives a fuck if you stand there for twenty minutes discussing mutual funds or whatever. <br /><br /> It got so bad that Kirsten had to get an usher to tell this group to stay seated during play. I was tempted to ask the person who appeared to be a group leader if he could, without looking up, tell me the score of the game he was attending. He had spent the entire time he was at the game glad-handing people and incessantly talking. And blocking the stairs, blocking views, and being completely clueless about his surroundings. In the top half of the 9th inning, with one out already recorded, he expressed surprise that the food vendors were closing. The game is going to be over in five minutes, dimwit. Most of them start shutting down in the 8th. Another guy expressed shock that he couldn't buy a beer. No alcohol sales after the 7th inning has been the rule for decades.<br /><br /> But the worst offense, the thing that made me want to call the cops to eject the entire crew, the thing that should get them banned for life is this: THEY PUT KETCHUP ON THE GARLIC FRIES! Garlic fries are perfection already! Fries, Parmesan, and garlic. Nothing else needed! Blasphemy! Burn the MBA heretics!<br /><br />No, really, we should have set them on fire. It was cold in the bleachers.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1945437" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1944106And don't even get me started on League Range Factor per 9 Innings!2018-04-17T03:54:35Z2018-04-17T04:00:43Zconfusedpublic1Baseball fans are strange types. We will follow a team loyally through decades, or even a century for Chicago Cubs fans, or misery and losing seasons. We are all convinced that we have a better view of a close play at home plate from 400 feet away in the bleachers than the umpire standing three feet from the action. We have rituals to bring success, wear our team pride everywhere we go, and will still argue whether Fred Merkle touched second base on September 23, 1908.<br /><br />He did. Deal with it, haters!<br /><br />A point of interest. "Merkle's Boner" came in a game against the Chicago Cubs. Those Cubs would go on to win the National League pennant and the World Series. A feat they only took 108 years to repeat. But this brings up my point. Along with our custom jerseys, rally caps and knowledge of baseball lore, baseball fans are in love with math. Baseball games are athletic contests on the diamond, but in the stands, the fans are conduction a graduate workshop in probability and statistics. <br /><br />We track every possible stat you can imagine. It's not enough to know that Brandon Crawford's batting average (BA) is .277 (the number of hits divided by official at-bats), no we need to know that his on-base percentage (OBP) (Hits+base on balls+hit by pitch)/(At-bats+base on balls+hit by pitch+sacrifice flies) is .340. Oh, need more? We need to know his power. That leads to the slugging percentage (SLG) which counts total bases. (1 [single] + 2 [double] + 3 [triple] + 4 [home run])/At-bats. Crawford's SLG is currently .404. Finally, the basic stats include RISP (Runners In Scoring Position) which is just the player's batting average when there are runners at second or third base. It sounds strange, but some players will hit much better or far worse when there are runners close to scoring.<br /><br />Confused yet? We haven't even started yet! Because baseball added a new stat, on-base + slugging percentages (OPS) Brandon is at .744 these days. But there's a problem. Baseball fields are all different. The outfield walls can be at different distances from home plate and have different heights. The Rockies' ballpark is at 5,200 feet, they even have a line of purple seats designating one mile above sea level. Meanwhile, the Giants play at sea level in a park that is frequently cold, windy and foggy.<br /><br />So baseball invented OPS+. [(OPS/league OPS, adjusted for park factors) x 100]. This adjusts for the player's league average and ballparks he plays in. We also count more prosaic things like, oh, home runs and runs batted in.<br /><br />It's no better for fielders on defense. Luckily for them, there's really only one stat anyone cares about: Fielding percentage (Fld%). This is (Putouts + assists)/(putouts + assists + errors). A putout is when the fielder makes an out by catching the ball on the fly, tagging the runner out, any kind of out. An assist is awarded to any player who touches the ball in a play that results in an out. So if Brandon Crawford fields a sharp grounder and flips it Joe Panik covering 2nd base for an out, Crawford gets an assist, Panik the putout. Making an error (defined as muffing a play that should be made with ordinary efforts, like overthrowing a ball or dropping an easy fly ball, is counted as an error. Crawford is very good at his job, with a career Fld% of .976.<br /><br />Pitchers don't escape the madness. Here we look at the Earned Run Average (ERA). Here, lower is better. You calculate ERA pretty simply. (earned runs/innings pitched) x 9. An earned run is a run scored without the aid of errors by the team in the field (i.e., by hits, walks, and outs that advance baserunners). So if Madison Bumgarner pitches 7 innings an allows 2 runs, his ERA for that game is 2.57. Great pitchers keep their ERA below three. As with batters, there is a more complex ERA+ that accounts for league and ballparks.<br /><br />Oddly, even though ERA measures the most important job of the pitcher, keeping the other team from scoring, fans have become enamored of another stat: WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched) This is simply calculated by adding the total number of hits and walks allowed by a pitcher and dividing by the number of innings pitched. <br /><br />Finally, we have WAR, Wins Above Replacement. WAR is a calculated by . . . let me see here, well I think it goes . . . you know what? No human knows how to calculate WAR. I'd need a few hours and a big white board to even start. Screw it. High is good. <br /><br />So if you happen to see a baseball game and wonder why the fans are so quiet, now you know. We're working on our graphing calculators to update stats.<br /><br />For lots of crazy baseball statistics fun, I recommend <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/">www.baseball-reference.com</a><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1944106" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1920098Thirty Day Song Challenge Day Nine: A song that makes you happy2017-07-02T19:42:37Z2017-07-02T19:42:37ZGiants 3 - Pirates 2, Top 7th.nostalgicpublic1Flashback to 2010. The Giants win the National League West on the last day of the season. Giants Nation goes nuts with the hope that this might finally be the year. The Giants came west in 1958, and in that time managed only three National League pennants, and no World Series wins. We were due. <br /><br />Bay Area musician/producer Ashkon grabs a karaoke version of Journey's <i>Don't Stop Believing</i> and writes lyrics to celebrate that this might be the season. <br /><br />It was. San Francisco Giants, your 2010 World Series Champions. Swing and miss, and that's it. <br /><br />This still makes me very happy, as it takes me back to the excitement of that October, as we came closer and closer to the win. Fun note, of all the players mentioned, only Buster Posey is still with the Giants. <br /><br />Black and Orange 'till I die. <br />
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1920098" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1901423Sportsball [750 Words]2017-02-09T18:16:52Z2018-03-24T03:20:23Zgrumpypublic2Another Superbowl has come and gone. Leaving us with the etenral question: is Super Bowl one word or two? I've seen it both ways, honestly, and even the official NFL material seems to be of two minds. <br /><br />The game itself was amazing, featuring an astonishing comeback by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. I was rooting for Atlanta, as I always want to see a city lacking in championships earn one. That first parade is always magical. But the football gods were fickle, and Boston gets the joy.<br /><br />The end of football season means that baseball, and my beloved San Francisco Giants, are just around the corner. We're already seeing photos from this year's commercial shoots, and Spring Training opens next week! Rapture! Joy! Beat L.A.!<br /><br />Seriously, Beat L.A. With a stick. I hate the Dodgers.<br /><br />But along with the overblown end of the NFL season came something I've come to dread on social media. People adopting elitist, dismissive attitudes about sports. Sadly, some people I consider friends do this. It annoys me no end, and I have to keep from exploding every time I see it. So I'll just explain why here in this space.<br /><br />Calling all sports "sportsball" and pretending to be confused by the basic concepts of the game are insulting. Refusing to admit that sports are popular to a wide audience of all backgrounds is delusional. Whining about people spending money on watching sports is rude and controlling. If I choose to spend money on a Brandon Crawford jersey and pay to go to a game, that's my business. <br /><br />I have friends, some of whom have done the sportsball thing, who spend thousands of dollars every year to attend science-fiction conventions. I love conventions, but you don't think that someone somewhere isn't rolling their eyes at this? Two men I am proud to call friends have devoted thousands of hours and an equal amount of money to creating fantastic costumes and props, all for their own enjoyment. Surely there could have been a better use for that money, some would argue.<br /><br />But it's what brings these people joy. So fuck off and let them enjoy it.<br /><br />So why do I enjoy sports so much? I love watching skilled people do things that I could never do. A Major League pitcher can top 99mph on a fastball. The batter has less than a second to identify the speed and motion of the ball, make a swing/no-swing decision, and commit to the act. Literally the slowest part of this action is the signal from the brain to the muscles to move. Yet a good batter will make contact over half the time. <br /><br />An NFL quarterback has to be aware of the position of 21 people at the time he gets the ball. He has to be able to track his receivers and throw the ball into a crowd and get it to the right guy. See how well you do at this when being pursued by guys who are big, fast, and strong. A few years ago, my mom and I got great seats for a 49ers preseason game. We were right down by the sidelines near the end zone. We saw exactly how fast these players are, and how hard they hit.<br /><br />There you go, I love sports because I love seeing amazing things unfold live.<br /><br />But there's another reason why I love sports, and football in particular. 49ers football is probably my one good memory of my late father. Dad and I never got along. I often say that he wanted children and got Californians. Dad grew up in England during the Depression and WWII in a military family. He simply wasn't prepared for kids with political opinions and a sense of personal freedom. We locked horns on everything. <br /><br />But on Sundays, we were a family united. I was raised a 49er Faithful. I joke that my first words were "wait 'till next year!" We lived and died by the Niners. Even when all my friends were rooting for the Steelers or Cowboys, the two dominant teams of the 1970s, I held fast to my roots. <br /><br />My parents had season tickets at Candlestick Park, 45 yard line, right under the press box. Sometimes, I'd get to go to the game with Daddy. I can still remember riding up the long escalator while holding his hand, cheering as John Brodie let the Red and Gold down the field, getting to eat hot dogs and candy, and mainly just being with my dad as we followed the family religion.<br /><br />Even later, at the worst of our estrangement, I would call him every Sunday during the season to talk about the game. It was the one common thread that held us together. And when he died, I think my first reaction was that I was going to miss those conversations.<br /><br />In conclusion, if you don't like sports, good for you. But don't think that makes you better than anyone else, and don't be a condescending twat about it. <br /><br />Oh, and Go Giants! BEAT L.A.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1901423" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1896672A song for the postseason2016-10-06T14:10:22Z2016-10-06T14:10:22ZLes Mis soundtrackcreativepublic0To the tunes of "Do You Hear The People Sing" and (very loosely) "One Day More" from Les Miserables.<br /><br /><br />Do you hear the Giants sing?<br />Orange October's come again<br />It is the music of a baseball team<br />Marching to victory again!<br />When the beating of your heart<br />Echoes the thunder of the bats<br />There is a game to be won<br />When tomorrow comes!<br /><br />Will you join in our nation?<br />Who will be strong and stand behind Bochy?<br />Filling up the bleachers<br />For the World Series you long to see?<br />Then raise up your voices<br />And cheer for MadBum and Posey!<br /><br />Do you hear the Giants sing?<br />Orange October's come again<br />It is the music of a baseball team<br />Marching to victory again!<br />When your heart is in your throat<br />With every 3-2 pitch<br />There is a series to be won<br />When tomorrow comes!<br /><br />Will you sneak out from work early<br />So you are home for every pitch?<br />Rally caps and garlic fries<br />Will you be there 'till the end?<br />The Spirit of '51<br />Will lead us to triumph again!<br /><br />Do you hear the Giants sing?<br />Orange October's come again<br />It is the music of a baseball team<br />Marching to victory again!<br />When the beating of your heart<br />Echoes the thunder of the bats<br />There is a pennant to be won<br />When tomorrow comes!<br /><br />One game more! Is all that we are asking<br />One game more! We have to keep on winning<br />25 men united with one simple goal:<br />One more game<br />Win today!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1896672" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1876318The Burning Times Come...2015-06-06T19:29:03Z2015-06-06T19:50:57ZThe Slickee Bee - This Party S***sbusypublic0<p>We've started getting ready for Burning Man. All our gear is stored at EarthBaby, so today we filled Ranger Darby with the stuff we've accumulated and headed over to sort and repack.</p><p>We've picked a few things, like new sleeping bags, a camp kitchen and stove, and two really strong large storage boxes. (Thank you REI and Costco.) This allowed us to repack things and more importantly, edit as we went. Somethings were obvious candidates for being removed from the packing list: The old sleeping bags, the old suitcases, unused mess kits that we've replaced with Bento boxes. </p><p>We found that we could fit all the bedding stuff into one of the new storage boxes. The other boxes is filled with Miscellaneous Fun! Also, the Coleman stove and some camp food. Which are also fun. When you add Tapatío in large quantities. </p><p>I wanted to get this out of the way early so we could inventory and be ready for what we need to do next. Mission accomplished. Now resting because we're going to see the San Jose Giants later this evening.<br /><br />By the way, Burning Man sucks, don't go.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://burningman.org/countdown/">The Man burns in 91 days.</a><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1876318" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-07-11:421696:1874174Oh, yeah. I have this thing.2015-04-26T21:15:55Z2015-04-27T14:06:51ZMetallica - Whiplashhungrypublic0<ul><br /><li> Completely fallen off the habit of writing here. </li><br /><li> The "Goals & Accomplishments" thing has been stopped because it was just making me angry. </li><br /><li> Too many Fails, not enough being done. </li><br /><li> Plus, bronchitis really kicked me in the ass. </li><br /><li> But life does move on. </li><br /><li> Seeing new doctors. </li><br /><li> Back to the Y on a regular basis. </li><br /><li> Been trying to write more. </li><br /><li> Gearing for upcoming events. </li><br /><li> It's that wonderful time of the year here in Santa Clara where you can put almost anything out to the curb for pick-up. </li><br /><li> As a result, our street looks like a disaster area. </li><br /><li> We also have pickers coming through in advance of the official pick-up. </li><br /><li> Normally an annoyance (They double park, block our narrow street, and drive at 5mph while scanning the piles) this year they worked in our favor. </li><br /><li> We had a few things to put out. All the old dishes and glasses we're dumping, an old stereo, some other stuff. </li><br /><li> I was really worried what would happen with all the breakable stuff in the street. </li><br /><li> But yesterday <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://kshandra.dreamwidth.org/'><b>kshandra</b></a></span> was shaving my head in the carport (easier to clean up) and we saw a nice older gentleman looking over the pile across the street. </li><br /><li> Got his attention, and he happily took all our crap. </li><br /><li> Got to watch lifeguard training at the YMCA today. Really interesting. </li><br /><li> Now I need lunch. </li><br /><li> The Giants are struggling. We've dealt with a lot of injuries early in the season. </li><br /><li> Today's game was rained out. Boo! </li><br /><li> But we did sweep the hated Dodgers in SF, and our next three are against LA in Chavez Gulch. </li><br /><li> <b>BEAT L.A.!</b> </li><br /></ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=gridlore&ditemid=1874174" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments