Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
You Ever Wonder????....
What the hell are we thinking when we give government our money to spend?
I realize, intellectually, that some central group needs to be "in charge" of projects and things that benefit the masses. Even though I know that my road would be way better than yours, it doesn't make sense that we all build our own little parts of the whole - some jerk would just let their part of the road go to seed, and then we'd all end up with bent wheels.
But what the hell were we thinking when we gave our MONEY to some elected and appointed "officials" that have their own agendas.
There is NEVER enough money to do things right, but there is ALWAYS enough money to do things over.
My case in point is the GREAT SEATTLE TOILET SCANDAL OF 2004 - 2008.
These FIVE little gems cost the city one million dollars ($1,000,000) EACH! And that's just the procurement cost. It doesn't take into account the installation and maintenance of these public potties...not to mention their removal and the restoration of the public sites that they were installed in.
Who would have thought that a locking room in the middle of the poorest (and sadly, higher crime) areas in the city would ever be used for illicit activity? OMG! Drug deals? Prostitution? Surely, these down-trodden citizens would celebrate the generosity of our city fathers! I cannot fathom it!
Others did though.
And in what is increasingly becoming the norm, these toilets that were put there for altruistic (and sanitary/health) reasons, were abused and broken and generally destroyed by the population they were supposed to "serve". These toilets cleaned themselves too...awesome - unless you got caught inside during a cleaning I guess. But instead, they vandalized and broke and plugged it all up. Made filthy messes beyond the ability of said RoboPotties to clean on their own. Although I doubt it was the prostitutes...i mean, who wants to work in a toilet? uhmmmm... I mean a filthy toilet? whatever...
The powers that be decided that their little experiment in treating the homeless and small bladdered people of Seattle should come to an end - especially when maintenance costs FAR exceeded the expectations of those same PTB's. So, they decided to put them up for auction on eBay. Starting bid was $89K per toilet (a seriously good deal they thought, considering they were into them for nearly $2M each at this point). They photographed and listed all the beauty and luxury of RoboPotty[ they sang it's praises. They posted their auction and sat back with excitement. Surely, someone would take advantage of such a fine deal and bail them out of this mess with a little bit of face saving.
They had NOT ONE BID.
I KNOW! I know...you are SHOCKED, as am I.
They then decided to relist them with no minimum bid. GUESS WHAT?! At that price, they had some takers. Over 100 folks bid for a chance at one of those fine automated toilets. One guy won them all...and paid (sit down now, this is astonishing).
$12,000 for the five!
Wooeee, Greg! Them's real cash! American dollars! Or maybe PalPal dollars in which case, there's a fee (oh, and from eBay too). I imagine they netted less than $10K for the lot...
Hell, I can't even go on, I'm depressing myself...
And we wonder why we have potholes the size of vdub bugs (HEY! now there's a use for those toilets...just use them to plug up the holes! )
I am wondering if Canada has as generous property laws as we do...it's getting damn scary in these here parts...
M&G
I realize, intellectually, that some central group needs to be "in charge" of projects and things that benefit the masses. Even though I know that my road would be way better than yours, it doesn't make sense that we all build our own little parts of the whole - some jerk would just let their part of the road go to seed, and then we'd all end up with bent wheels.
But what the hell were we thinking when we gave our MONEY to some elected and appointed "officials" that have their own agendas.
There is NEVER enough money to do things right, but there is ALWAYS enough money to do things over.
My case in point is the GREAT SEATTLE TOILET SCANDAL OF 2004 - 2008.
These FIVE little gems cost the city one million dollars ($1,000,000) EACH! And that's just the procurement cost. It doesn't take into account the installation and maintenance of these public potties...not to mention their removal and the restoration of the public sites that they were installed in.
Who would have thought that a locking room in the middle of the poorest (and sadly, higher crime) areas in the city would ever be used for illicit activity? OMG! Drug deals? Prostitution? Surely, these down-trodden citizens would celebrate the generosity of our city fathers! I cannot fathom it!
Others did though.
And in what is increasingly becoming the norm, these toilets that were put there for altruistic (and sanitary/health) reasons, were abused and broken and generally destroyed by the population they were supposed to "serve". These toilets cleaned themselves too...awesome - unless you got caught inside during a cleaning I guess. But instead, they vandalized and broke and plugged it all up. Made filthy messes beyond the ability of said RoboPotties to clean on their own. Although I doubt it was the prostitutes...i mean, who wants to work in a toilet? uhmmmm... I mean a filthy toilet? whatever...
The powers that be decided that their little experiment in treating the homeless and small bladdered people of Seattle should come to an end - especially when maintenance costs FAR exceeded the expectations of those same PTB's. So, they decided to put them up for auction on eBay. Starting bid was $89K per toilet (a seriously good deal they thought, considering they were into them for nearly $2M each at this point). They photographed and listed all the beauty and luxury of RoboPotty[ they sang it's praises. They posted their auction and sat back with excitement. Surely, someone would take advantage of such a fine deal and bail them out of this mess with a little bit of face saving.
They had NOT ONE BID.
I KNOW! I know...you are SHOCKED, as am I.
They then decided to relist them with no minimum bid. GUESS WHAT?! At that price, they had some takers. Over 100 folks bid for a chance at one of those fine automated toilets. One guy won them all...and paid (sit down now, this is astonishing).
$12,000 for the five!
Wooeee, Greg! Them's real cash! American dollars! Or maybe PalPal dollars in which case, there's a fee (oh, and from eBay too). I imagine they netted less than $10K for the lot...
Hell, I can't even go on, I'm depressing myself...
And we wonder why we have potholes the size of vdub bugs (HEY! now there's a use for those toilets...just use them to plug up the holes! )
I am wondering if Canada has as generous property laws as we do...it's getting damn scary in these here parts...
M&G
Sound Right to You?
You Are A Peanut |
 You are popular, even with people who tend to have picky taste. Kids love you, as do dogs. From rednecks to snobs, most people have a place for you in their hearts. As popular as you are, there are some people who can't be near you. Don't take it too personally. There's just a few people you rub the wrong way. |
And what about this one? I'm not sure....LOL
You Are Kidnapping |
 You love to be in control. You are incredibly dominant. A part of you even likes to make people suffer. It's all about power! You love to take risks, especially if the potential payoff is huge. But you wouldn't be in crime only for the money. You're twisted enough to just enjoy screwing with people. |
Guess I should have known...LOL
M
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Another Reassurance That Some People Can't Be Beat Down
I was reading through the blogosphere this morning, and came upon mention of this auction currently running on eBay:
Box of Spite
It's totally worth the read, and gives yet another example of how some people can get through a really rotten situation with their sense of humor intact.
Check it out and see what you think. The auction listing is a hoot...
M&G
Box of Spite
It's totally worth the read, and gives yet another example of how some people can get through a really rotten situation with their sense of humor intact.
Check it out and see what you think. The auction listing is a hoot...
M&G
Friday, September 5, 2008
What Is It About Camping, Anyway?
These guys look like they are having fun, don't they?
I just don't get it
Why do people find it "fun" to pack up a ton of equipment (tent, trailer, sleeping bags, food, bug spray, bear rifle, tarps, stove, lanterns, fuel, flashlights, batteries, books, games, toys, bikes, beer, boats, rain gear...and more), only to find some spot in the woods or at the shore or in the mountains to unpack it all and sit around?
Many years ago, our grandparents and great-grandparents (and probably great-great-grandparents), spent much of their daily lives trying to get us farther and farther away from "camping". It wasn't called "Little Tent on the Prairie". No one aspired to "move up" to that new four room canvas model farther away from the mosquito breeding pond. Well, maybe farther from there, but I'm trying to make a point....
They (and we) wanted a house.
A HOUSE! Preferably one in a good neighborhood with good access to services like DELIVERY PIZZA and a good dry cleaner. And, if we are lucky, a housekeeper, a gardener and a cook. No chauffeur, though, I LIKE to drive (but I wouldn't mind a car butler to wash/wax/vacuum my toys :)
(We do not, as far as I know, aspire to beat our clothes on rocks in the nearby stream to clean them either). In fact, a washer and dryer are high on the list of wants...as are refrigerators, dish washers and television. OH! And indoor plumbing...and lights...and heat! What the heck?
Why, then, do people find it FUN! and RESTFUL! to go out into the woods with whatever stuff they can pack into the SUV and spend their time living without these things?
It's not fun or restful...it's going backwards...your grandpa would be shaking his head and saying something about spending all that time working when he could have been playing if all you really wanted was a TENT!
Now there are those folks that will yell and scream that they go camping to get "back to nature" or to see beautiful areas of the country...OK...but can't you get that by going to the lodge and enjoying room service while sitting on your own little deck with a glass of wine and a whole building full of people that want nothing more than to do whatever you need done? OK...no room service...now THAT'S camping! LOL.
There are also those folks that become what we call "camp contractors". They take it all with them and just set it up wherever the hell they land. Case in point...the camping bar...(it's real, but currently out of stock/unavailable through amazon.com here (sorry contractors - you know who you are!)
I guess if you get dragged out into the "wild" you might as well get blotto while you are there. Nothing makes the cold, hard ground (when all the air has gone out of your pretty little air mattress) feel better than a margarita induced bout of amnesia (your bones remember, but your brain doesn't...LOL).
And, I guess, some people just don't have time to go home...so I can see needing to sleep...
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
OK...so here's the deal...camp if you want...but remember that my idea of camping is the Hyatt (Regency) without room service. If there's one near where you are camping, I'll come along...if not, enjoy the bugs and the bumps and smoke in your eyes, and I'll be waiting at home with a nice margarita for you when you come to your senses and head on home.
Seriously, just call my cell.
M&G
Friday Funny
For some reason, this struck a funny bone with me this morning...lol.
I was, actually, spending lots of time while floating in the swimming pool in Maui, trying to figure out how to make a living being on permanent vacation.
I didn't figure it out (YET), but I'm working on it...how bad would it be to spend my days in Maui, hanging out at the pool, scuba diving, visiting with friends...I guess that's why it's vacation though....only can spend so much time doing that.
I'm up for the challenge of trying it full time though...I'm thinking that there could be grant money for a study of how people react to being happy and just doing what the hell they want all the time.
They gave grant money to study whether or not ketchup qualified as a vegetable in school lunches (hell, no! - they could have just given me that money directly on that one)...
So, if you have any ideas, shoot 'em to my email, will ya?
Aloha!
M&G
Friday, August 29, 2008
Last Dives of this Trip
Yesterday, Goofy and I spent all day diving. Two in the morning, two in the afternoon...set out as the sun was rising, and didn't get home until the sun was setting.
A nearly perfect day in my reckoning :)
We went out to Molokini with Gwen and John and Mike and Captain Dan. I suppose that there were others there, but whatever. Two boats went out in the morning, so I guess I know that there were others around...but we were diving and taking photos, so it gets to be a small circle of relevance pretty quickly.
Out at the crater, we saw a lot of fish and even a bunch of small reef sharks huddled together under a ledge. There were four of them in there, and they didn't much care for being found, but they tolerated our gawking and photo taking.
At one point, all the small fish on the reef dove for cover suddenly. This is a sure sign that a bigger, hungry fish is coming. I looked around and saw a couple of Trevalies hunting together. These guys can get pretty big, and although it doesn't show in the photo, this one is about 2 feet long or so. His buddy was a bit bigger...
When we were coming up from the second dive at Molokini, John noticed something wrong with one of the prop shafts on one of the motors on the boat. We ran back to Lahaina on one motor, so had a very leisurely trip home - nearly two hours to enjoy the sun and watch the dolphins that would come up from time to time to see what we were up to. Turned out it needed a new bearing, so Steve and Elliot got to spend the afternoon underwater repairing that stuff. :)
Meanwhile...we hopped on the other boat and headed out for more diving.
This time, we went to a place called Cliff House, just southeast of Honolua Bay. There are lots of lava fingers that flow out into the water and give little critters a nice place to live.
My best shot by far (and my favorite) is this one of a pair (there are two there if you look closely, you can see the other's nose :) of Dragon Moray Eels. They are pretty rare - around these parts and around the world. I'd never seen them before - duh, they are RARE - and they were pretty darn cool, I must say.
I guess you can buy one here (only $1200) for your aquarium if you want...but they'll eat everything else in the tank that they are able to get in their mouth (which opens kinda big, lol)...and really, they need to be free...(cue sappy music, with Marlo Thomas singing "free to be...you and me..." LOL. Now THAT'S an aged and obscure reference...rotflol).
For Tina, and others too, here's a great shot Goofy got of a little turtle hanging out in the sand. It was content to sit and let us all admire and photograph it...still amazes me how tolerant of us these wonderful beings are...
Now, I'll rant a bit about some of the divers on the second charter.
What is it about some people, that the minute they hit the water and descend, they become stoopid? I've heard it's common, but damn, I have never been hit in the head from ABOVE (hello, heard of "look out below" or hey, even just "give me some space"? It's a big damn ocean, you don't have to be right on my fins).
I finally got ticked enough to ditch them and go off a bit on my own (within visual of the group leaders, tho). Every time I waited my turn to get in for a pic (this is apparently not so common courtesy), some flailing hands and feet would descend into the frame to see what I was looking at...argh. I mellowed out about it though, it's diving, and people are different.
Right up until I got conked in the head by a tank from someone above me...I lost my mellow, and decided to head back to the boat...hoping to reclaim the calm of the sea by the time I got back.
Amazing thing, the sea...it's calming...only takes a few hundred feet, and the mellow is back in force :)
We are tying up our loose ends this morning...heading in to pack up our dive gear, picking up the stuff from the boys...generally lazing around in a slow move toward the inevitable time when we head back to Seattle and our other version of reality.
It's beginning to blur more and more...maui is home too, now...how lucky is that?
Aloha for now...
M&G
A nearly perfect day in my reckoning :)
We went out to Molokini with Gwen and John and Mike and Captain Dan. I suppose that there were others there, but whatever. Two boats went out in the morning, so I guess I know that there were others around...but we were diving and taking photos, so it gets to be a small circle of relevance pretty quickly.
Out at the crater, we saw a lot of fish and even a bunch of small reef sharks huddled together under a ledge. There were four of them in there, and they didn't much care for being found, but they tolerated our gawking and photo taking.
At one point, all the small fish on the reef dove for cover suddenly. This is a sure sign that a bigger, hungry fish is coming. I looked around and saw a couple of Trevalies hunting together. These guys can get pretty big, and although it doesn't show in the photo, this one is about 2 feet long or so. His buddy was a bit bigger...
When we were coming up from the second dive at Molokini, John noticed something wrong with one of the prop shafts on one of the motors on the boat. We ran back to Lahaina on one motor, so had a very leisurely trip home - nearly two hours to enjoy the sun and watch the dolphins that would come up from time to time to see what we were up to. Turned out it needed a new bearing, so Steve and Elliot got to spend the afternoon underwater repairing that stuff. :)
Meanwhile...we hopped on the other boat and headed out for more diving.
This time, we went to a place called Cliff House, just southeast of Honolua Bay. There are lots of lava fingers that flow out into the water and give little critters a nice place to live.
My best shot by far (and my favorite) is this one of a pair (there are two there if you look closely, you can see the other's nose :) of Dragon Moray Eels. They are pretty rare - around these parts and around the world. I'd never seen them before - duh, they are RARE - and they were pretty darn cool, I must say.
I guess you can buy one here (only $1200) for your aquarium if you want...but they'll eat everything else in the tank that they are able to get in their mouth (which opens kinda big, lol)...and really, they need to be free...(cue sappy music, with Marlo Thomas singing "free to be...you and me..." LOL. Now THAT'S an aged and obscure reference...rotflol).
For Tina, and others too, here's a great shot Goofy got of a little turtle hanging out in the sand. It was content to sit and let us all admire and photograph it...still amazes me how tolerant of us these wonderful beings are...
Now, I'll rant a bit about some of the divers on the second charter.
What is it about some people, that the minute they hit the water and descend, they become stoopid? I've heard it's common, but damn, I have never been hit in the head from ABOVE (hello, heard of "look out below" or hey, even just "give me some space"? It's a big damn ocean, you don't have to be right on my fins).
I finally got ticked enough to ditch them and go off a bit on my own (within visual of the group leaders, tho). Every time I waited my turn to get in for a pic (this is apparently not so common courtesy), some flailing hands and feet would descend into the frame to see what I was looking at...argh. I mellowed out about it though, it's diving, and people are different.
Right up until I got conked in the head by a tank from someone above me...I lost my mellow, and decided to head back to the boat...hoping to reclaim the calm of the sea by the time I got back.
Amazing thing, the sea...it's calming...only takes a few hundred feet, and the mellow is back in force :)
We are tying up our loose ends this morning...heading in to pack up our dive gear, picking up the stuff from the boys...generally lazing around in a slow move toward the inevitable time when we head back to Seattle and our other version of reality.
It's beginning to blur more and more...maui is home too, now...how lucky is that?
Aloha for now...
M&G
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Feast at Lele
Aloha y'all.
Goofy and I did actually come ashore long enough to go to a luau on Friday night with a bunch of friends and family that are here with us...
We've done the luau thing before, and it was ok, but I have to say that this one was pretty nice. The food was way above average, and the view couldn't be beat.
My favorite was the fire dancer, (most of you know that Magic likes fire, lol), but the pics didn't turn out great of that...
I'll post a few of the others though...
We had a great time...the weather was perfect (a bit warm before the sun went down, but we were right on the beach), the company was awesome...and the bar was OPEN. Lol.
Goofy decided a good thing to do was sample all the drinks on the menu.
Banana Madness, Blue Hawaii, Lava Flow (wait, that was me ;). The effort was made, but the quest was lost as cocoanut drinks were not going to be had by the Goofster...
Luckily, the alcohol content of "free" drinks is minimal, but Goofy had a good time anyway :)
Hope y'all are having some fun there in Seattle and San Francisco too...
Aloha,
M&G
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday Sunset
A very short (and not particularly hi rez) view from the deck this evening...just to give you a taste of the ambiance...
Most of you don't, but for those that do wonder what it is that draws us here...this is it.
We hear the call more and more these days...the water is the loudest...but the sun and the sand and the moon and stars are getting louder...maybe you can hear it too if you listen....
Aloha!
M&G
Most of you don't, but for those that do wonder what it is that draws us here...this is it.
We hear the call more and more these days...the water is the loudest...but the sun and the sand and the moon and stars are getting louder...maybe you can hear it too if you listen....
Aloha!
M&G
A Lazy Sunday
Aloha...
Today was one of those wonderful, unplanned days. Most of y'all know that in Seattle, Sundays are the one day Magic tends to stay on the farm. Anyone can come over and visit, we just don't cross the border until Monday.
Sundays in Maui are a bit different (well, sometimes :).
Today we decided to take a leisurely trip up the coast (toward the northwest, in general). We drove the shore road, checking out the beaches and homes along the way. Absolutely beautiful. We meandered through the Ritz Carlton resort area and stopped for a bit of shopping therapy at the Honolua store there. Got some cold drinks too.
Then we were back on the road heading toward Honolua Bay. Awesome little crescent of sand protected a bit on both sides by some reef.
Had to hike a bit to get down there - steps went part of the way, but they ended where some rocks and roots began...worth it though, in the end. Calm, calm water let us bob in the surf until we'd decided it was time for a nap. We hung out until the sand got too warm and the shade got too little...then we packed up and headed on down the road...
Here's a pic:
That's Moloka'i in the background...land of the Hammerheads (woohoo!).
We drove into Lahaina on a quest for some C3 photos for cousin's walls at home. Found the boys under the banyon tree, and spent a good while looking over the photos, chatting and browsing the other folks wares set up there too. Mostly just chillin' with the friends and people watching though...
Lunch was at a new place for us, the Swiss Cafe right off of front street (next to the Burger King for those that know their way around Lahaina). Awesome sandwiches, and a nice place to pass some quiet time.
Tomorrow, we think we'll head off to Kapalua Bay for some more lazy time on the beach...who knows...life goes by so much more slowly here...easy, and calm....
Imagine that...
M&G
Today was one of those wonderful, unplanned days. Most of y'all know that in Seattle, Sundays are the one day Magic tends to stay on the farm. Anyone can come over and visit, we just don't cross the border until Monday.
Sundays in Maui are a bit different (well, sometimes :).
Today we decided to take a leisurely trip up the coast (toward the northwest, in general). We drove the shore road, checking out the beaches and homes along the way. Absolutely beautiful. We meandered through the Ritz Carlton resort area and stopped for a bit of shopping therapy at the Honolua store there. Got some cold drinks too.
Then we were back on the road heading toward Honolua Bay. Awesome little crescent of sand protected a bit on both sides by some reef.
Had to hike a bit to get down there - steps went part of the way, but they ended where some rocks and roots began...worth it though, in the end. Calm, calm water let us bob in the surf until we'd decided it was time for a nap. We hung out until the sand got too warm and the shade got too little...then we packed up and headed on down the road...
Here's a pic:
That's Moloka'i in the background...land of the Hammerheads (woohoo!).
We drove into Lahaina on a quest for some C3 photos for cousin's walls at home. Found the boys under the banyon tree, and spent a good while looking over the photos, chatting and browsing the other folks wares set up there too. Mostly just chillin' with the friends and people watching though...
Lunch was at a new place for us, the Swiss Cafe right off of front street (next to the Burger King for those that know their way around Lahaina). Awesome sandwiches, and a nice place to pass some quiet time.
Tomorrow, we think we'll head off to Kapalua Bay for some more lazy time on the beach...who knows...life goes by so much more slowly here...easy, and calm....
Imagine that...
M&G
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