Breakfast

Breakfast has been ruined. After eating my default breakfast of Cheerios for a couple decades, something happened. Cheerios has changed.

I noticed it when I poured the cereal into a bowl. There was a really strong smell of something. Wet cardboard? The cereal was dry, but the smell was different from normal and so was the consistency and the taste. Now food changes all the time. Everything is "new and improved" because businesses have a hard time thinking that we will stop buying something if we like if it isn't new. No where on the box does it say "New! Improved taste" Or anything like that.

In case it was a bad box, a fluke, I tried another box. Nope. The same. I went and bought a box from a different store. Nope. Same weird smell. It was enough of a weird smell that my stomach roils at it.

So I went looking for a new default breakfast cereal. I went to the cereal aisle at the store and bought 5 different things. I honestly didn't know what other cereals tasted like because I found something I like and just stuck with it.

With the experimentation I discovered that 4 out of the 5 I didn't like. Cornflakes weren't bad, but they got soggy very fast. The others I didn't even go beyond  spoonful or 2.

On a whim I picked up the generic Cheerios substitute from Trader Joe's and Kroger. The Trader Joe's had a similar smell as Cheerios, only less. I didn't like the smell so I didn't eat them. The Kroger brand was close and I have now switched my default breakfast to almost Cheerios.

Fuck, I'm a weird creature...

Shenanigans

My landlord posted on my front door that they would be accessing my apartment on a Tuesday to install a carbon monoxide detector. Fine. They gave the prerequisite 24 hour notice before entering.

When Tuesday came I had picked up work so I was, maybe, not going to be home. If work was quick I might make it home so I could be there when whomever was in my apartment. In preparation for this incursion I turned off my computer and cleaned up a little. I didn't want someone to think I'm a total barbarian.

Work lasted a very long time. I came home after 12 hours. Things in my place were a bit peculiar.

1. My computer was turned on. (thank god I have it password protected.)
2. My digital clocks were flashing like there had been a power failure.
3. My microwave oven was dead. ?!!?!?
4. Some cupboard doors that are normally closed were open.

This made me wonder WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED IN MY APARTMENT WHILE I WAS GONE?

I emailed the landlord to try to find out what the fuck. The building manager called me back and told me a bunch of bullshit. She told me a preposterous story that sometimes microwaves just freak the fuck out and cause power failures. Bullshit. The microwave would have tripped the circuit it was in, but not the whole apartment.

There was no reason my computer should be turned on. "Maybe it came on when the power went out. Maybe there was a power failure in the neighborhood." Fuck you. The computer has a button that needs to be pushed in to make it come on. That wouldn't have happened if the power on a turned off machine went out. There was no sign that the neighborhood or building went out.

The manager kept shovelling ludicrous possibilities at me like I could be overwhelmed by vacuous bullshit.

In the end she said none of it was the workman's fault. He'd worked for the landlord for years and was a trusted employee.

Fuck you. Someone went thru my apartment while I was out and in the process of doing whatever they were doing, killed my microwave. But they were not responsible. Right. Bullshit.

I could go to some apartment board to say something went on, but I have no proof. No video from a nannycam, and I wasn't here, so I can't say for certain what happened. I don't think anything is missing.

I'm out one microwave, which has already been replaced by me, and they will never be in my apartment without me or someone else in the place. I will not tolerate this kind of bullshit.


UPDATE!
I figured out what was going on in my apartment! Now in my apartment all the plugs are installed upside down. The plug that the CO monitor is in has been replaced and is now right side up. I'm guessing that it would not stay in if the plug were inverted. So that means the handyman shut off all the breakers looking for the one that covered the living room. He turned on the breakers after the installation job was finished, and that blew out my microwave. When I send the rent check this week I'll include a note with this fact.

I wonder what their reaction will be after vehemently denying any wrong doing... Pay for some portion of the new microwave I bought?

Cliff Diving

There is a good chance, I think about 159% that the government is going to go off the so called "fiscal cliff."

This is a combination of taxes going up from things like the Bush tax cuts expiring, the payroll tax holiday expiring, etc.

Then there's automatic spending cuts. Cuts so draconian and across the board  that we figured the government would do all that was necessary to stop this from happening.

Nope. The congress, republicans mostly (let's call a spade a spade. They are the party of "Hell, fucking, no way, fucking shit NO!) and democrats can't get their shit together.

So fuck them, they fucked all of us by being so entrenched in their ideologies that they can't do what is right for the country. Though most of the blame is on the Republicans and their batshit crazy inbred offspring, the Tea party. They don't know how to say yes to a President they hate. Hate for being black and hate for being Democrat.

I'm glad the Bush tax cuts end. Bush was an idiot for cutting taxes while starting 2 wars. No president of any party was ever that fucking stupid before. They needed to end 2 years ago. This time they will end to some degree. People who can afford to pay taxes will pay a little over 3% more. Though the really smart rich have already gamed the system and worked out how to pay low taxes. If they haven't they need to fire their tax people.  Just saying...

The stock markets are going to flip out January 2nd.

I'm worried about the farm bill expiring and milk going up to $6-8 a gallon.

Congress. Do your fucking job. You were sent to govern, not sit on your asses and get great healthcare and a pension for the rest of your life. Oh wait, that's why you wanted the job in the first place. You want to serve yourself, not the country. How foolish of me...

The Care and Feeding of the Automobile.

As I was driving to Phoenix for Christmas with the folks I had car trouble on the hill going east on the I-10 east of Palm Springs. My car started to run bad. Really bad. I lost power, the RPMs went up like crazy, and my speed was dropping fast. I pulled over next to one of the call boxes that line the 10 and turned off the car. Was it bad gas? I filled up with gas from a station I never get gas from.

I sat in the car and weighed the options. Call AAA and I get 7 miles of a tow for free. How far am I from Phoenix? Over 200 miles at least. Get taken back to Palm Springs? How do I get to Phoenix?

I checked email with my nifty new iPhone. I thought of calling my dad, but it seemed like bad gas. I'd had this happen before. Thinking it was bad gas I started the car and it haltingly got up to freeway speeds. I had the stereo off so I could listen to the engine carefully. It sounded okay. 

When I stopped for gas at Tom Wells road just inside Arizona I noticed the car didn't like lower speeds. I filled up the tank and threw in a gas treatment thinking that might help the performance. I got back up to freeway speeds and worried about the hills I had to climb east of the Arizona border. If your car is fucked up it may not like them.

I had warned my dad when getting gas that the car was acting weird and I should be there in 2 hours or so. I made it home okay. When Saturday rolled around I took My car to Pep Boys as it was one of the few repair shops open on Saturday. They did some stuff and let the car run. Then it got worse. They checked the compression of the cylinders, and one was at 40. 40 is terrible and an indicator of burned out valves or rings.

They couldn't do anything. I wasn't charged for they didn't fix the problem. I paid for the mechanics time basically. My dad's mechanic wouldn't be in until the day after Christmas. I had to get back to LA after Christmas for work.

So my car got dropped off at his mechanic first thing the 26th, and I drove his Lincoln town car to LA. After my car is fixed (most likely a valve job) he will drive it to Blythe and we will switch cars. Thing is, my Dad is gonna hate driving my car. Really hate it...

Camelback 2012

So the Christmas tradition continues. Me and Terry went up Camelback Mountain on Christmas Eve.

As I was reminded when struggling up the path that this was my idea. Which is true. I use this as a test of endurance and fitness. I'm trying to see what I can do and this is a difficult hike. For me at least. Terry who has a resting heart rate of 44 beats per minute was not breathing hard. But he is a mountain/ road biker. His idea of fun is a 100 mile 10,000 foot road race. In the 100 miles there is 10,000 feet of climbing hills. Seems kind of fucked up to me.

Nonetheless, I made it to the top again. The time going up was 49:44 minutes and the trip down was 29:53. I was trying to make up time on the trip down because I added 2 minutes to the time going up and I wanted to get that back.  I cut 10 minutes of last years decent time. Yay, me!

As I ascended the trail I would stop (to rest) and check my heart rate on a heart rate monitor. In normal working out I might have a heart rate of 150 for strenuous work. Going up the mountain I had a heart rate once of 176 bpm (96% of my supposed maximum) and at another time it was 185 bpm. The percentage side of the heart rate monitor said ---% because this workout was beyond the maximum for me.

So there you go. I will try it again next year. I wonder what injuries I will use as an excuse for my slow going?

Teachers

I had the opportunity to watch teachers this week while working. I was working and so were they. I was working a gig where we were filming elementary school teachers in Arizona as they taught their classes. Language Arts (formerly known as English class), Math (still known as math) and science class (also still science).

Since I haven't been in elementary school since I was in elementary school, I really don't remember how we were taught. However we were taught, it was not like this. But the program or style of teaching is kind of new and innovative. It's called TAP. I don't really know what it stands for. TAP is a program to help teachers teach better and gives them incentives for results.

It was kind of fascinating to watch the teachers teach. It was much more interactive and personal and one on one in many cases. The students were asked to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions. They weren't told they were WRONG. They were asked to look at their answer and try again, this time figuring out where they went wrong on what step of the problem or question.

I was asking questions of the TAP representatives to better understand the style and system and reasoning behind the way the teachers taught. It was cool to see teachers energized and happy to be there.

Also I found the way the teachers interacted with the class interesting. The audience participation was fun and kept their attention.

At one school I was told by one of the teachers that the principal who I'd been talking with about theatre and acting and whatnot for 20 minutes had taken in 4 kids from his school. Their parents were in jail. Who knows what would have happened to them. Child protective service? Foster care? The principal took the kids into his own home even though he has 4 kids of his own. He's even going to court to take care of them. That was kind of inspiring. You don't find that kind of altruism in today's world.

It was a good week. Long days but gives me hope that students have good teachers. And in light of the recent killings at a school in Connecticut I know that any one of those teachers I met would give their life to save their kids.

An Actor Despairs in Hollywood.

Duh.

I read this in the LA Times today with some snarky thoughts running thru my head.
Is this really news? Really a front page, column one worthy story?

It tells of this actors plight as he's been here in Hollywood 3 WHOLE YEARS. Are you fucking kidding me? 3 years? I know people who have been here much much longer. I've been here much longer. He seems defeated and downtrodden and frustrated by his lack of success.

Could it be he radiates desperation when he walks into an audition room? The people he's reading for can tell that he's anxious and needy and unhappy? Do you think they want to cast someone who is probably a drag to be around? Who wears his slumped shouldered unhappiness like a coat?

Hollywood is a crucible. It burns away those who cannot cope or put up with the disappointment. In Hollywood, you rarely ever hear the word "No." Because, honestly, when you don't get a part, you just never hear.

If you come off the boat, train, bus from Pokipsie and expect to make it in 3 years, you have got a rude awakening coming. This business is tough, and the thing they don't teach in college is the Business of Show Business. That takes time to learn and many failures to figure out. For all the singing and dancing and acting, it's a business. 90% business, 10% performing.

In the end, some people make it and have long careers. Some people work steady but never become household names. Some people work sporadically, getting the occasional part. Some fail and struggle year after year until they give up and move back to Pokipsie. Or they are your 60 year old waiter at an all night diner.

Reading this article made me think this guy should give up. He's already been defeated. Go home. Regroup. Figure out something else to do that will make you happy.