Day 1353

Thursday, September 29, 2016

I slept in this morning and rushed to work, arriving a few minutes late.  I had two massive jobs to complete that took most of the day.  The only break I had was during lunch when Alice and I went to R&G Lounge.  So good...I have their famous R&G beef and rice.  Alice had spare ribs. 

After work, I came home, had dinner, and because I had no time at work, I indulged in all the days' campaign news to see where things were.  Not surprisingly, they're exactly where things have been since Monday night's debate.  All the news is on Trump and all the news is bad for him.  I watched Kellyanne Conway on The View and that was particularly wonderful.

At this point, KAC has been way too overexposed.  They need a surrogate substitution badly.  Not that she's failed.  She's done well as anyone, but she's been on every show now for a few weeks and she's repeating herself.  She could probably use a good night's sleep.

The Miss Universe story is still getting lots of play, and any day that Trump is fighting with citizens and not Hillary is a losing day for DJT.  I hope so badly that he loses big, really really big, as in huge, as in the biggest landslide ever, so big it's disgraceful, a perfect bookend to his political beginnings as a birther blowhard.

Stayed up until 9:30, then off to bed.

Day 1352

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

We had our third singles session this morning and I played eight games, winning four and losing four.  I've been consistent in my wins and losses so far.  I'll finish in the middle of the pack.  It's a lot of fun playing everyone one game to 11.  I rushed home and barely made it to work on time.

Work was mild so I was able to keep up with the politics of the day.  Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996, is official the new Kahn family of the Trump campaign.  Unbelievable!  You can't make this stuff up. 

Day 1351

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

I love what Stephen Colbert called Hillary last night:

Preparation H!

Now that's funny.

Today was a great day.  GREAT DAY!  The post-debate spin is playing quite nicely and I watched all of it all day long.  Trump had a disastrous performance last night, though I gotta hand it to Kellyanne Conway on spinning crumbs out of rotten eggs. She's the perfect mom on a third grader's worst day ever, and that sort of capture's her spin of Donald's debate performance last night. 

I particularly loved James Carville's Reaction.

Apparently, Trump when on Fox and Friends this morning and talked about Miss Universe 1996.  Apparently, it was another disaster, his new Kahn moment.  I can't believe our good fortune.  This guy is simply the worst candidate of all time.  He's shot himself in the foot so many times he no longer has any knees. 

Day 1350

Monday, September 26, 2016

I was nervous for Hillary all day prior to tonight's first debate.  The polls were obscenely close, way too close, and like most Dems I was freaking out with visions of a potential Trump presidency, which let's be honest is about the most terrifying self-inflicted horror story that could ever happen to this country and the world.  A Trump presidency is so unimaginable and unthinkable that throughout the day I was thinking through how Hillary was going to stop the end of the world as we know it with this one debate.  She must have felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.  How does she act like the adult on stage AND confront the boorish, bloviating bully at the podium?  How does she jab and parry attacks with a guy who gleefully insults and goes for the jugular, and yet still remain likeable and charming?  As effective as she is on the debate stage, a lot could go wrong for her, and that would have been the worst thing in the world for her campaign as the race tightens.  During Obama's first debate in 2012, for days he was hammered for his lackluster performance, sending the Dems into panic mode until the second debate, when Obama corrected the needle and delivered a strong, commanding debate performance. She needed that kind of night to shift the post-debate spin back onto all of Donald's huge personality flaws.  If she could do that, her week from hell would be long forgotten.  In this election, the candidate the media focuses on is the candidate who's losing.  These two candidates are so unlikable that staying out of the news has become a winning strategy.

Anyway, before the debate I was freaking out.  I left work a few minutes early (4:50 p.m.) but unfortunately, seemingly everyone else left work at the same time, causing a massive traffic jam on the Bay Bridge that left me stranded on a Transbay Bus for over 35 minutes.  When Alice called saying she was joining me and the Young family to watch the debate, I got off the bus and walked with her to BART.  We were packed in our car so tightly it reminded me of those YouTube videos of Tokyo subways.  We reached 12th St. City Center at 6:10, and took Uber home.  Lisa, Richard and Sophia were watching the debate on Lisa's phone on my steps with the pizza and salad I'd ordered at Star Pizza.  We walked in the door, set up dinner, turned on the TV, and once I was settled with my slice of Star Pizza and root beer, I watched the spectacle play out.

And damn, this spectacle did not disappoint.  First off, I thought Hillary looked great.  Her hair was perfect, her makeup was flawless, and her red pantsuit struck me as a good choice.  She seemed confident and commanding, and very professional.  Then there was Donald, who sounded nervous.  I'd missed the first 30 minutes, so all I initially saw was the implosion.  He was rude, lacking in focus, disrespectful to Hillary and Lester, and rattled.  The birther exchange was great.  Hillary's response was terrific.  Her breakdown of his refusal to release his taxes was also great.  His law and order response to the question of race and police certainly played to his base, but who else?  I thought Hillary dominated on optics and momentum.  I loved how she ended things, with an attack on Donald's remarks about a former Miss Universe contestant.  At the end of the debate, Hillary's family looked upbeat and happy, while Donald's family looked serious and concerned.

Then came the spin.  We were watching on PBS, so we heard from Mark Shields and David Brooks.  They both thought Donald was a disaster.  Then we went over to NBC.  Again, the focus was on Donald's bad performance.  I was loving the reaction.

Afterward, when Alice and I drove to SF, I listened to another hour's worth of debate reaction.  Across the board, the reviews for Donald were horrible (except for his surrogates and Fox News), and Hillary's reviews were lukewarm to good.  I actually thought she was terrific, given the extreme difficulty of navigating strength with likability.  I thought she gave one of the best debate performances of her career, and I've seen them all.  She was so well prepared and it showed.  She did it!  She saved the world from ending.  I think tonight is a total game changer. We'll see.

Day 1349

Sunday, September 25, 2016

The weather was perfect again today, so Alice and I took a nice walk up Twin Peaks, the perfect vantage point to see this amazing city.

We walked about two hours.  Afterwards, we went to Irving St., had a bite to eat, then went home and relaxed the rest of the day.

Day 1348

Saturday, September 24, 2016

The weather was so nice this weekend. 

Day 1347

Friday, September 23, 2016

No racquetball today.  Work was reasonable.  I do enjoy helping folks with their computer issues, software questions and problems, and general issues involving their documents.  Mario and I will always field header/footer questions because it's so frickin' complicated in MS Word.  We also get a lot of Adobe questions.

After work, I volunteered to help Richard with a special poker night for his friend Scott, who's getting married tomorrow.  I had 16 players at one table playing a rebuy tournament.  It was insane but we somehow managed to get it going.  I played as well and ended up in the money in third place until Miles knocked me out. with an 9-8 off-suit against my A-7 and hit his straight on the turn.  His friend Joe ending up taking 1st.  I was up until 1, a long fun night.

All talk is on Monday night's debate.  It can go in so many directions.  I watched the wife's video of the NC black man who was shot by police.  What a heartbreaking video.  Unbelievable, actually.  Or maybe not.  Something is seriously, seriously wrong with this country, but it's not all about the police.  It's about our gun laws, violent tendencies, ingrained racism, and the fear that exists out there.  Maybe these events have always been around, but with cell phone videos they're able to hit the masses.  At any rate, this video was very disturbing. 

Day 1346

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Work was slow today, allowing me time to jot down ideas and edits.  After work, I hit the gym for singles night and played nine games to 11 against the other AA players.  Our new singles league format has been very successful!  I'm currently tied for second with Ramon and Kirk has the top spot.  Kirk's tough, but a lot of players are tough these days.  I've clearly missed a step, but I can get it back before the playoffs.  Everything's about the playoffs.  I have a deep strategy.  I'd love to make the finals.  Anyway, after racquetball, I went to Mark's to play a few hours of poker, losing $10 by 12:30.  We watched Blazing Saddles and it was good to see a little Gene Wilder.  That movie's still got chops!

Day 1345

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Feeling better, catching up on everything -- laundry, dinner, shopping, emails, etc. -- no writing today.  Talked with Chris in the evening, no Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays because he has choral practice Tuesday nights.  To bed at 10:30.

Day 1344

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Feeling better today, but still lacking energy.  I slept in until 7, then quickly got ready for work, plowed through the day, then came home, had dinner, and watched the last two episodes of Stranger Things.

Day 1343

Monday, September 19, 2016

I felt feverish this morning and stayed in bed until 7 a.m.  I went to work today but had very little energy and didn't feel well.  Luckily, work was not busy.  I came home, helped Bonnie with a few iPhone questions, then went to bed.

Day 1342

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Alice and I went to Starbucks for coffee and bagels on 9th Ave., then I drove home and spent the day fixing our Toshiba laptop.  It wasn't loading Windows 10 properly anymore.  I tried all sorts of fixes, going on You Tube, trying different things, but nothing worked.  I downloaded Microsoft's Reinstall Tool and tried that, but it didn't work.  I downloaded Windows 10 64-bit first, then tried 32-bit and that did the trick.  The reinstall began to work, and after seven hours I was able to resuscitate my laptop once again.  So happy!

My Fantastic team has some great players who are playing exceptionally well this the fist two weeks of the season.  I'm 2-0 after this week.  Nice.

I wasn't feeling well after 6 tonight, so I took a cup of the nasty ha-lo-die tea that I drink whenever I feel sickness coming.  It's nasty stuff, but it works.  I went to bed early, gearing up for another week of grinding, numbing, endless worker bee existence.

 

Day 1341

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Up at 6:30 for Alice's 7 a.m. appointment for her car.  We went to B Patisserie for breakfast and had yummy croissants, scones and mocha/latte.  Spent the rest of the day reading, relaxing, enjoying the day.  Watched Harry and Tonto in the evening during dinner, a movie I hadn't seen before.  I love watching old 70s shows.  It's strange to see how life was back then.  I remember those times so well.

Day 1340

Friday, September 16, 2016

Racquetball in the a.m., home for 30 minutes, then work which was relentless today.  At 5 I met Alice and we had dinner at Mijori and Grand Fare Market for coffee afterward.  After dinner, we drove to SF with little traffic.  I took a shower and was out by 10:30.

Day 1339

Thursday, September 15, 2016

I had my annual physical today with Kaiser.  Everything is good and I'm clear for another year.  Kaiser is efficient.  I like having everything in one place on Broadway in the new building on MacArthur.  I went to work afterward around 12 and was busy the rest of the day. 

Day 1338

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

We began our AA singles league this morning using a format adopted from Mariner Square that works very well.  We all play each other once within a two-hour window, all games to 11 with the winner scoring three points and the loser scoring one.  After eight weeks of play, players are seeded according to total points scored for the eight playoff spots available.  We have 14 players in the league.  Nine players showed up this morning, a great turnout.  I played six games, winning three and losing three.  I ran out of gas pretty early on, so I'll have to work on my stamina moving forward.  I wasn't too sore the rest of the day, but struggled to stay alert in the afternoon.  I enjoy singles so much more than doubles.  It's such a great workout.  If I can train myself to slow the tempo down and play more of a controlled, deliberate game, I shouldn't have any physical issues afterward.  It's when I act like a 20-year-old, running after shots and thinking I can do it all, that I risk injury.

After work, I made dinner, than watched another episode of Stranger Things before falling fast asleep.

Day 1337

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Another day done, another day gone, another book to read, this one on my iPhone, The Looming Tower, which I started and couldn't put down.  Lawrence Wright is a very lucid writer.  I like how he's shaping the formation of the Islamic terrorist ideology from the 1930s on and the reasons for its inception, starting first with the founding father of the movement, the Egyptian Sayyid Qutb.

Day 1336

Monday, September 12, 2016

Racquetball, work, home tidying up and preparing meals for the week.  Watched the first two episodes of Stranger Things and I love it.  Great decisions across the board from casting to story to suspenseful music.  Winona Ryder is fun to watch as a crazy mom.  She's crazy good here.  Everything works.  Interiors capture 1983.

Reading Will in the World to and from work.  I've had this book for years but have never read it.  I'm reading it now and enjoying the generous details and speculations about our greatest writer of the English language and his eternal brilliance.  Fun book.

Day 1335

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Alice and I woke up around 7.  It felt wonderful sleeping in!  I took a shower and Alice made some scrumptious waffles with strawberries before we drove to Target for paper supplies for Austin, kitchen supplies for Alice, and Mason jars for me.  After Target, we went to Civic Center where they have a great Farmers Market.  We need to go there every weekend because the prices are so fantastic, from $1-2.50/lb for most things. We bought $40 worth of fresh produce, eggs, sweet tasting fruit, then put our bags in the car and headed to the Asian Art Museum for their Emperor's Treasures exhibition with treasures from the Taipei National Museum.

Waiting in line outside the Asian Art Museum

The famous Meat-Shaped Stone

We saw some amazing porcelain works, the famous Meat-Shaped Stone, which looked so real; it's an odd but fascinating little treasure.  The Asian Art Museum is a magnificent museum with lots of activities for kids, a great café (we went at 11:10 and had pork belly and Khan curry vegetables, coffee, tea and pastry…by noon, the place was packed.  We checked out the second and third floor, but by the time we reached the top Alice’s back was hurting, so after three hours at the museum we called it a day. We left at 1 and drove back home, listening to the last minute or so of the Raiders-Saints game.  It was very exciting.  The Raiders came back and won the game with a late TD and two-point conversion.  Very cool.  I can’t remember the last time the Raiders won a game they were destined to lose.  The Seahawks played Miami in the afternoon and struggled.  They also came from behind to win on a late 4th quarter TD.

It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since 9/11.  It doesn't feel that long ago when the towers came down.  On my iPhone, I'm reading

I then went to the library and checked out an interesting book on China.

We had a nice dinner and watched more videos on Singapore and Hong Kong.  A very enjoyable day!

Day 1334

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Dorian and I played our last doubles tournament together.

We won two games and lost three.  Unfortunately, two of those losses kept us out of the playoffs.  Oh, well.  I missed too many shots and D didn’t have it, plus he was a bit out of sorts.  Our age really took its toll.

Freddy and the Commish won the tournament, beating Dana and Victor 15-9.  The meal afterward was good as always, but the portions didn’t seem as large as previous lunches.

Champs Freddy and Mike with Club Pro Robbie Brown

Champs Freddy and Mike with Finalists Victor and Dana

Ron & Ramon

Roger and Harold

Since I didn’t make the playoffs, I wasn’t too sore.  I came home, hung up my wet gear, then ordered two iPhone 7 pluses for Alice and me.  Since Alice lost her iPhone 5 on our cruise in May, this was our consolation.  I haven’t had a contemporary iPHone since the original when it came in out 2007.  I’m looking forward to the new one and the hi-tech camera.
 
I drove to SF at 4 and reached the front door at 5.  Alice made a great dinner of ribs, corn, puff-n-fresh dinner rolls and black rice.  I ate two plates worth.  It was so good.  We watched some travel show on YouTube called Culture Shock with a great host, Nick Cheadle.  We watched episodes on Singapore, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Min City.  These shows are well produced and helpful, though geared toward the business traveler.  We liked them.

I fell asleep around 9 o’clock, then woke up, read for 30 minutes, and went back to sleep around 11:15.

Day 1333

Friday, September 9, 2016

We have our club doubles racquetball tournament tomorrow.  Dorian and I are playing together for maybe the 15th or 20th time and it may be our last pairing together.  We're just getting too damn old for this nonsense.  We slower, softer, not as competitive as we used to be, but we know how to have fun in the court.  We'll bring what we can to our matches.  It should be fun. 

I bought a book on sale at Alexander's Books on 2nd Street.

I love these kinds of books.  It's great reading between jobs.  I also received this yesterday from Barnes and Noble:

I've been meaning to order it after reading Alex's other books.  I'm 30 pages into it and I love it.  He knows how to throw sand in the eye of historical illusion, something this country's really good at.  The book has a wonderful feel and the colors on the page are a sweet surprise.  I'm enjoying it immensely!

I listened to political jabber after work tonight.  I've taken a break from the campaign this week, though from what I've heard Wednesday's Matt Lauer conversation with both candidates did no one any favors.  I'm sort of done with the whole thing because Trump is such a monumental disaster.  Clinton has her flaws, but she's the only reasonable choice.  Trump's fascination with Putin is just plain scary. 

Day 1332

Thursday, September 9, 2016

Wrote a bit today and had dinner with Rhonda after work at Grand Fare Market.  I don't remember going to a restaurant on consecutive nights.  I guess there's always a first for everything.  I came home around 8:15 or so, and went to bed around 9.  Earlier in the day, Alice and I had lunch together and walked around San Francisco's financial district for 20 minutes.  It's moments like those that I value so much. 

Day 1331

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I play racquetball in the morning, leaving me little time to get ready for work.  I'm thinking of working out at the office Tuesday and Thursday.  We have a room to do that with an elliptical and row machine and a TV.  I should try it out and see how it works.  Rosanna had her second interview today at HB and it sounds as though it went very well.  I think she'd be fantastic at our firm. 

Day 1330

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Quiet day at work, which was nice, allowing me time to edit, read a few more pages of The Bone Clocks, make an eye appointment for Oct. 1, update my 401k, and send several emails to E-Force on behalf of a few CP sponsors who haven't received their contracts yet.  With that all done, I came home and went through a hour's worth of to-do items before having dinner, then talking to Chris at 8.  Helped Bonnie with a computer related password issue (no spaces, B, but _ instead), then talked to Alice, then to bed by 10:30. 

Day 1329

Monday, September 5, 2016

Up at 5:30 to drive to Fairfield to visit Uncle Leo and Louanne to pick up Alice's reading glasses that she forgot two weeks ago when we visited for the day.  I arrived at their house at 7 and went for a walk with them around the neighborhood.  They're doing well and know how to live the retirement life, planning trips, reading the paper, playing golf, taking on each day without regret.  I like spending time with them.  I drove back around 10 and came home for another full day of chores, writing, reading, cleaning, basically catching up.  I'm reading another David Mitchell novel, The Bone Clocks, a book I began two years ago when I first bought it but somehow got sidetracked from (imagine that).  I like his crazy, inventive writing and his packed details.  I get him know, the bizarre outer limits moments that come from sci-fi and Poe, the reality-altering universe he creates.  Good stuff.

Illustration by Sachin Teng

Day 1328

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Up at 6 and a full day of catching up on emails, E-Force, laundry, writing, a good 12 hours of organizing, which felt more like four hours.  Later in the evening, Lisa texted saying Ari and Trey were home, so I went over and hung out for a few hours until midnight, catching up. 

Day 1327

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Up at 5:30, then with Alice we headed to Elaine's for the morning and early afternoon, having lunch at Shanghai Garden for some unusual food.  Dessert at 85 degrees.  We came home in the afternoon and relaxed the rest of the day, watching the latest Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

 

Day 1326

Friday, September 2, 2016

A quiet day in the office.  I haven't created the right space for myself at my station and I should.  Better lighting would be good.  I don't know if I have any table lights from the past.  If so, I should bring them to work.  I'm reading too many books right now and have too many library books checked out.  Ugh!

Day 1325

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Computer issues are fixed except for my Ooma, which is still blinking red.  My Toshiba laptop is still down and hopefully I can fix that this weekend.  A new opening chapter for Jimmy and his cookies, more dramatic while still setting up the Kanserport characters and his parents.  More detail.  It works for me.  Tonight I participated in my annual Fantasy Football draft.  I picked second and chose Dez Bryant, a top-15 choice.  I have Derek Caar as my QB, Travis Kelce as my TE, the Jets D and the Panters kicker.  I was able to snag DeAneglo Williams in round 3, having already secured Bell as a keeper.  We'll see how this year plays out.  To bed around 11:15.

Day 1324

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Another grueling day at work; it went so quickly.  The internet was down again tonight.  I'm hoping whatever is wrong is corrected by tomorrow.  I have my Fantasy Football draft then.

Watched the finale of The Night of with Lisa last night.  It was satisfying enough.  No great shakes.  Love the cat at the end.  It's the little touch that humanizes the attorney.  Bed at 11.

Day 1323

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Another busy day at work and I was frustrated later in the evening when my internet was down.  At first I thought it was my router, but apparently Comcast was out of service in the neighborhood.  Chris and I weren't able to talk tonight.  Maybe tomorrow night.