These two ads have appeared recently in the left-hand ad section on my facebook profile.

The thing is, I don’t know I’ve ever indicated anything about my sexual preference (other than my spouse’s name is Cara… typically a woman’s name!) or my lack of hair. So isn’t it a tad bold of facebook to assume both of these things? I assume these ads are triggered by some algorithm… or do they really display gay counseling ads to everyone in Denver (certainly a possibility). But assuming there is something in my profile that triggered these ads, why does fb think I’m gay and know that I’m balding?

These are the big questions in life. Ponder them well.

This was on Slate under the heading, “30 percent chance you’ll hate this weatherman.” I’m sure weather/meteorologist humor ranks right up there with Math humor for most people, but I love this.

Even though I’m a tremendous fan of David Letterman… he’s so much better than Leno… I’ve never attended a taping of his show. Well, that all changed on Monday! I submitted a ticket request several weeks ago when we planned our trip, but because of the Late Show’s taping schedule, the only day we could see the show was Monday. Not very hopefully, I submitted that as our only available date.

But they called… last Thursday the day before we left. So we showed up Monday, got our tickets, and watched the master run his show. It’s all very choreographed… we were reminded several times that our laughter was the soundtrack of the show… which was not really a problem because Dave was funny as was his first guest Riann Wilson (from The Office). The best line from one of the production assistants was {paraphrasing}, “If you find yourself on the fence thinking… ‘was that funny?’, go ahead and laugh your head off. You have the entire ride home to figure out if it was actually funny.”

The infamously cold theatre lived up to it’s reputation. Paul Shaffer and the band are fantastic. And you can tell that at his core, Letterman really is a bit of a curmudgeon! Which is probably what makes him so funny. He also seemed genuinely pleased and grateful to have the life and job that he has. And while there are many parameters/restrictions on the audience, I didn’t get the feeling that we were the burden for his stardom, but that as long as his crazy showbiz ride continues, we were welcome to come along.

Speaking of stardom… here’s a video of the monologue from Monday night. I make a very brief appearance in the audience shot after his joke about the women wearing “Kiss Me I’m $4000″ buttons (about 40 seconds from the start). I’m in the lower right hand side of the shot.
enjoy.

Now, I understand that the merchant’s association in this story is just trying to create a comfortable place for people to shop. I bet they view this in the same light as making sure the sidewalks are repaired and that there are plenty of parking spaces.

Bench-warmers sought to block homeless | Article Link

SAN DIEGO (AP) – A community activist thinks a few couch potatoes, strategically placed on sidewalk benches in an upscale shopping district, will keep transients on their feet and on the move.

Esther Viti, who oversees the donation of public benches for a merchants’ association in La Jolla, sent an e-mail to 45 other activists last week asking them to sit in three-hour shifts, no bathroom breaks allowed.

“After all, you MUST OCCUPY THAT BENCH continually for three hours to prevent that homeless person from sitting on that bench,” the e-mail said.

Donors weren’t happy that transients were sleeping on benches they had provided for the public, Viti said.

The group previously tried installing benches with metal dividers that split the seats. Transients simply began sleeping upright, said Deborah Marengo, president of Promote La Jolla.

No one has offered to sit a shift yet, Viti said. Some potential recruits expressed concern that the bench brigade could provoke retaliation from displaced transients.

In 2006, the Regional Task Force on Homeless estimated the homeless population at 9,600 countywide, which included 4,400 people within the city of San Diego.

However, it seems to me that they are instead, treating the homeless, who continue to be human beings last I checked, the same as they would mice or stray dogs. La Jolla, for those that don’t know, is an coastal shrine to materialism and excess. So heaven forbid that the homeless wreck the parade.

Here’s an idea. Maybe La Jolla needs a homeless shelter. Next time, instead of donating money for benches, donors could kick in some money for a shelter. I’m not saying drop the shelter in next to the A/x Armani Exchange… put it someplace out that won’t interfere with everyone spending money and then send a shuttle out every couple of hours. I bet there will be plenty of homeless people that would be willing to take a free lunch and a bed for the evening. I’m not saying that I’ve got it all figured out, but treating people like people is probably a good first move.

…and a simple laptop isn’t going to cut it.

Improv Everywhere

But when I get to be old, cranky, (and apparently Dutch) and want to keep the rascals from speeding down my street, I’ll be looking to installing one of these speed bumps.

I’m already planning…

From Player Piano, 1952.

There must be virtue in imperfection, for man is imperfect, and Man is a creation of God.
There must be virtue in frailty, for Man is frail, and Man is a creation of God.
There must be virtue in inefficiency, for Man is inefficient, and Man is a creation of God.
There must be virtue in brillance followed by stupidity, for Man is alternately brilliant and stupid, and Man is a creation of God.

You perhaps disagree with the antique and vain notion of Man’s being a creation of God. But I find it a far more defensible belief than the one implicit in intemperate faith in lawless technological progress–namely, that man is on earth to create more durable and efficient images of himself, and, hence, to eliminate any justification at all for his own continued existence.

Granted, this is Vonnegut and not the Gospel of Mark, but God loves the broken-down, busted-ass versions of ourselves, that we all are, just fine.

If you haven’t seen this already, you’ll probably see it on CNN or the Today Show by Wednesday of next week. Luckily, this was long enough ago (I know, in a galaxy far, far, away) that I can only assume that Stacey has had time to define her life in other ways…. although I’m sure everyone secretly hopes she still has that bedazzling outfit!