January 1, 2007 | It's another new year. Time just flies by when you're watching the world go to hell in a handbasket! more
Mark my words
January 6, 2007 | Not even a week ago, I made bold predictions for the new year. I hate to say "I told you so" but I told you so! more
A bûche bonanza
January 8, 2007 | Following publication of my story of last year's Christmas Chez Paul (December 2006), two of my friends were inspired to culinary artistry of their own. more
Stupid is as stupid does
January 9, 2007 | It's becoming increasingly difficult to believe that the fittest survive, as Darwin said. Consider: more
A matter of size
January 10, 2007 | Little, everyday activities have a way of jarring your mind, sending you back in time. My laptop underwent its monthly software/hardware checkup this week. It identifies any necessary upgrades and makes them available to me at the click of a mouse. (This is one of the things HP actually does well). As it happened, I needed two software upgrades that involved massive downloads. The Logitech webcam software was 76Mb, and the InterVideo WinDVD player was another 30Mb. With a cable broadband connection, the download took just a couple of minutes. But as I thought about the size of those two downloads, I remembered what personal computing was like back in the old days. more
Guardian angels
January 10, 2007 | I don't think of myself as technology-challenged. For years I've been the go-to guy for many of my colleagues and friends when their computer won't behave. I'm what they call an "early adopter," ready to try new things. I'm the one that Wanda next door calls when she's pushed a wrong button and her TV only gets three channels. I drive a Prius, for crying out loud! more
A fish story
January 11, 2007 | For every solution there must be a problem somewhere, but for the life of me I can't think of the problem for which AquaOne Technologies' Fish n' Flush is a solution. Fish n' Flush is a toilet with an aquarium surrounding the tank. more
Bush's new strategy for Iraq
January 12, 2007 | The Decider deliberated for weeks before unveiling his new strategy for Iraq. His speech was not new, not a strategy, and might not even have been about Iraq. It was such a muddle there's no telling what he was saying — probably that was the point. more
Security scare at PSP
January 15, 2007 | There was a minor security scare at Palm Springs International Airport the other day. Fortunately, the incident was resolved without injury, damage, nor loss of life. Réal, who now spends most nights working the ramp at the airport, told the story at breakfast Saturday. more
Fog of war
January 16, 2007 | The Bush administration is running their fog machine on Max when it comes to the "new way forward" in Iraq. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley hit the Sunday morning talk shows to do his bit in the selling of W's new strategy, aka stay the course. Frankly, watching him made me want to throw up. more
There's always Hope
January 16, 2007 | That's Hope as in Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament. Marshal Paul reporting for duty. more
Hope diary
January 17, 2007 | I had thought that last year, the first year of the tournament at its new home course, set a new standard for disorganization. I was wrong. Very wrong. The scene at Volunteer Headquarters at 7:15am was chaos bordering on insanity. more
Zany Cheney
January 23, 2007 | It is time for the Republican Grand Pooh-bahs of Congress to pay a quiet visit to the White House to deliver a message to George W Bush: Cheney is crazy and has to go. more
State of the Union
January 24, 2007 | George W Bush delivered his State of the Union report to Congress and the American people last night. The formalities were all there, including the ritualistic applause, but this time it was a more sober and sceptical audience than W has ever faced before. more
War on common sense
January 25, 2007 | The war on terror has become a war on common sense. more
Bowled away
January 25, 2007 | A new Sunday-night bowling league, the Sandbaggin' Sunday Strikers, started this month to accommodate the overflow from the Monday-night league. I was out of town when they held the organizational meeting, but I showed up the first night and formed a team with another guy in the same boat. There being only two of us, our team is a two-person team whereas all the other teams are three-person teams. more
Caesar in the White House
February 1, 2007 | There's more evidence that George Bush has mistaken Hail to the Chief for Hail Caesar. For six years now he has used "signing statements" to put his own spin on legislation passed by Congress and, as The Decider, declare which laws he will deign to faithfully execute. Now he has taken another step to further tighten the screws on the machinery of government to enforce his will. more
Hoax?
February 2, 2007 | On Tuesday, cable news viewers were treated to non-stop coverage of a security alert in Boston that closed waterways, shut down freeways, and brought out everyone from local police to Homeland Security. A mysterious device that appeared to have a circuit board, wires, and batteries had been spotted and reported as suspicious. Soon more reports came in, and the game was on. more
Superbowl party 2007
February 9, 2007 | For several years now my friends and I have convened to celebrate the rites of SuperBowl, sometimes renting a place for the weekend, sometimes assembling at one of our own places. This year Chez Paul was once again the venue. more
Handicaps
February 12, 2007 | After five weeks of play, I am astonished to find that I still hold the third highest score in the Sandbaggin' Sunday Strikers league. That's handicap score, of course, not scratch score. Nevertheless, when you bowl as badly as I do, you accept recognition whenever and however you can get it. more
Minnesota in February
February 17, 2007 | No one in their right mind goes to Minnesota in February, unless they have to. But I did. My oldest sister Florence is terminally ill and I wanted to have a chance to say goodbye. more
Palm tree boots
February 20, 2007 | A brisk wind this weekend shook some of the boots off the palm trees. more
The more things change
February 26, 2007 | Ever since moving to Palm Springs, I've had Palm Springs Disposal Services bill my check/debit card. This has always worked flawlessly. more
The scarlet license plate
March 2, 2007 | If Hawthorne were writing today, Hester Prynne would be forced to put the scarlet A on her license plates instead of wearing it on her breast. Sadly, there is a growing movement aimed at finding new ways to mark and shun people, creating an "untouchables" caste in American society. more
Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!
March 7, 2007 | As the notorious Rummy would have said, "You go to court with the defendant you have, not the defendant you wish you had." Thus, Scooter Libby ended up on trial and became a felon, guilty on four of the five counts charged against him. more
Spring?
March 13, 2007 | Just a couple of weeks ago it was so cold that the "be careful there might be ice on the road" warning light came on in my Prius. The furnace, that I had bravely turned off when I left for Minnesota, had to be turned back on. Today, the heat is on. A new record high temperature has been recorded. The previous record was 95°F, set in 1997; normal for this date is 79°F. more
"Mistakes were made here"
March 14, 2007 | Give him credit, you couldn't see him sweat. Having been caught out firing US Attorneys for blatantly political reasons and then telling bald-faced lies about it to Congress, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales did a song and dance routine before the cameras yesterday. His eyes had that deer-in-the-headlights look, but any beads of perspiration were well hidden. more
Lovin' Leonardo
March 19, 2007 | What do the differential gear, helicopter, ball bearings, and tank all have in common? They're all machines designed by Leonardo DaVinci, way back in the 15th and early 16th century. more
Sandbaggin' strikers
March 19, 2007 | They said it wouldn't last — but it has. With nine weeks of the season finished, our team in the Sunday night Sandbaggin' Sunday Strikers fun league is doing very well, indeed. more
Stuck on stupid
March 22, 2007 | It must be just awful for Laura Bush, having to watch her beloved husband screw up so spectacularly with the entire world watching. The latest crise de stupidité is the inept firing of eight US attorneys for transparently political reasons. more
On the horns of a dilemma
March 27, 2007 | I count myself among the 69% of Americans who disapprove of how the Iraq war has been conducted (Newsweek poll, 17-Mar-07). Like many other Americans I believe we need to get out. But I am frustrated and dismayed by the debate over the war because it is dominated by extreme and unhelpful positions. more
Political theatre of the absurd
April 3, 2007 | Last week, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) told Wolf Blitzer in his Situation Room on CNN that there were parts of Baghdad safe enough to take a stroll. This week he set out to prove it. more
Imus overkill
April 11, 2007 | I've never heard the radio program of Don Imus, but whoever — whatever — he is, he at least deserves credit for knocking the paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's baby off the airways. That's some power. more
Easter antics
April 17, 2007 | I just wasn't ready for Easter this year. But it came anyway. It was a strange day. more
Farewell to Bill
April 17, 2007 | Each round trip between Palm Springs and Minneapolis is worth about 3600 miles on a frequent flyer program, but going to visit relatives at their departure from this world is not a preferred way to accumulate them. The latest trip was for the funeral of brother-in-law Bill, married to sister Ethel. Bill suffered a massive heart attack Sunday afternoon getting up from his recliner to go do farm chores, as he did every day of his life. At his age and in his state of health, there was simply nothing doctors could do, and he died Monday afternoon. more
Gonzales is a goner
April 20, 2007 | Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday should have erased any lingering doubts about the validity of the Peter Principle. Simply put, people in organizations rise to the level of their incompetence. Bush administration — Q.E.D. more
Tenet: Not a 'slam dunk' after all
April 27, 2007 | Coming to a bookstore near you: At the Center of the Storm, by George J Tenet (HarperCollins, 2007). more
When I'm 64
May 1, 2007 | My how time flies when you're getting older. It seems only yesterday that I was sixty-three years old, and today I'm sixty-four! more
May 20, 2007 | Faithful readers will remember the saga of Young Joshua who began life Chez Paul as a seed that sprouted into what looked like a single blade of grass. Benign neglect is apparently good for Joshua trees, for YJ is now a sturdy young lad. more
Frankencactus
May 20, 2007 | Three years ago I brought home a fuzzy little cactus plant consisting of curiously folded lobes. If I had only known — more
Little Basin, one last time
May 24, 2007 | Beginning almost 20 years ago, a small group of us HP employees used to go camping together, often at HP's own campground and recreation area Little Basin. While the composition of the group has changed somewhat over time the "hard core" remained constant. HP will close Little Basin at the end of May, so two weekends ago we had one final camp-out there among the redwood trees. more
San Diego rodeo
June 6, 2007 | Last weekend the usual suspects — Bob, Ken, Phil, Réal, and I — piled into Penelope for a trip to San Diego for the rodeo. more
No amnesty
June 7, 2007 | Isn't it amazing? Many of the same people who are braying "no amnesty" at the top of their lungs when it comes to immigration are braying "pardon Scooter" at the top of their lungs when it comes to a felon convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. more
Shiny baubles
June 22, 2007 | Sometimes you just have to indulge yourself. more
Palm Springs tramway
June 29, 2007 | One of the premier Palm Springs attractions is the aerial tramway, but like so many tourist attractions, locals don't always take advantage of it. This summer Réal and I decided to buy summer season passes, good for unlimited rides through the end of August. It's a "cool" thing to do, especially welcome in the summer when the temperature at the top is usually about 30° less than at the valley floor. more
5th anniversary
June 29, 2007 | Not that anyone's counting, but as friend Andy reminded me, it has been 5 years since thousands of us cast off the shackles of corporate servitude by taking early retirement from HP after the HP-Compaq merger. more
Bald eagle
July 1, 2007 | In this most patriotic of months, it seems only appropriate to start with a salute to our national bird, the American bald eagle, that has just been taken off the endangered species list. more
Scooter scoots
July 3, 2007 | Make no mistake: Scooter should have done time. But by only commuting Scooter's jail sentence, Bush made an understandable compromise. Like almost all compromises, it will leave almost everybody unhappy: more
Separated at birth?
July 7, 2007 | They say that everyone has a twin somewhere. While watching Washington Week last night, I was struck once again by how much my friend Carolyn looks like ABC White House correspondent Martha Raddatz. Apart from very similar facial structure, they both have similar ways of scrunching up their face during animated conversation. You be the judge. more
Rats!
July 9, 2007 | When it comes to the critters of the desert, I'm pretty much a live-and-let-live kind of guy. This was, after all, their home long before it became mine. Rabbits, coyotes, lizards, crows, raccoons, owls, roadrunners — que sera sera! more
Serious sin
July 11, 2007 | We've seen this movie so many times before: Bible-thumping, moralistic, holier-than-thou, family-values conservative politician goes down in flames, done in by indulging in the very behaviors reviled in others. more
Below the belt
July 13, 2007 | Another southern Republican politician has been caught out for affairs below the belt! This time, it's Florida state representative Bob Allen, charged with offering $20 to perform oral sex on a male undercover police officer. Sheesh! Doesn't he know where to find people who would let him do that for free? more
Ain't technology wonderful?
July 23, 2007 | My laptop started to act flaky late last week — it began to shut itself off for absolutely no apparent reason. It didn't shut down, it simply stopped, as if the power had been cut off, but with a laptop that makes no sense at all, since when the power fails the battery simply takes over. The first couple of times it happened I shrugged and restarted the machine and went on. Then late Friday morning while I was working on the patio, it shut off again, several times in just a few minutes. Hmmmm. more
"Customer service" at ConsumerReports.org
July 25, 2007 | I've subscribed to Consumer Reports for years, even though I don't find the magazine of much immediate use. more
Do-it-yourself home repairs
July 26, 2007 | One of Ken's kitchen cabinets seemed to be warping away from the wall, and he invited his friends to help him with the repairs. Accordingly, the usual suspects showed up last night for close encounters of the handyman variety. more
Customer service at Time-Warner Cable
July 30, 2007 | This seems to be the month for rants about customer service. Last week's encounter with Time-Warner cable's customer service set a new low. Many companies outsource their customer support to India — Time-Warner Cable has outsourced theirs to Comcast!! more
Damn spam!
August 1, 2007 | A new generation of spam has hit the internet. For a long time, most of the spam has consisted of offers for Viagra or Cialis (often spelled in very creative ways); offers to make me a 'bigger man'; or those "urgent security notices" from eBay or Third Fifth Bank. more
Ouch!
August 6, 2007 | If you think you have pretty good health insurance, you probably haven't had to use it. more
Florida's Allen plays the stupid card
August 7, 2007 | Florida State Representative Bob Allen, righteous crusader for family values, took a walk in the park last month and offered an undercover policeman in one of the park bathrooms $20 for the privilege of giving the officer a blow job. Allen proclaimed that it was all a big misunderstanding. At a press conference the day after his arrest, Allen denied all responsibility, saying, "This is an ugly and unpleasant situation that has been thrust upon me and my family." As if he had been completely passive! more
Meteor watching
August 14, 2007 | Sunday night was a new moon and supposedly the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower, so the usual suspects plus a few more went to Joshua Tree National Park to watch the celestial cavort. more
Night at the movies
August 26, 2007 | Over the weekend, I went to Twain Harte to see a movie. But first, an air travel rant.... more
Adios Alberto
August 28, 2007 | Finally, Alberto Gonzales has done something of service to the country! He resigned as Attorney General. more
Busted in the bathroom
August 28, 2007 | Another one bites the dust! This time it was Senator Larry E Craig (R-ID) who was nailed at the Minneapolis-St Paul airport in June for playing footsie under the stalls in the men's room with an undercover policeman. more
Gone!
September 1, 2007 | On Monday, Roll Call ("The newspaper of Capitol Hill") broke the story of Senator Larry Craig's (R-ID) guilty plea following his arrest in a sex sting in the Minneapolis-St Paul airport in June. Today, Saturday, he resigned his senate seat, done in by members of his own Republican party. more
Visit to the tram
September 1, 2007 | Our summer passes for the Palm Springs Aerial Tram expired with August, so on Thursday evening, Réal and I took a last hike and picnic on Mt San Jacinto. more
Bush spin machine at max rpm
September 5, 2007 | When George W Bush launched his Iraq "surge" in January, he sold it as new strategy that would give the Iraqi government "breathing space" to make the "hard decisions" needed to achieve "reconciliation." Put another way, he would buy time for the Iraqis with more American blood and treasure. more
In the eye of the beholder
September 7, 2007 | It's almost time for the Petraeus-Crocker report on the situation "on the ground" in Iraq that we have been breathlessly awaiting all summer. It is, of course, perfectly obvious what they're going to say — they've been rehearsing bits of it in the PR blitz of the last few weeks. Petraeus has a history of seeing things through rose-colored glasses, and there's no reason to believe this time will be any different. more
Bad timing
September 8, 2007 | Er, make that Busy! Busy! more
Sen Craig asks for a mulligan
September 11, 2007 | Who's writing the script for the saga of Senator Larry E Craig (R-ID)? Whether it's deliberate or not, it is playout out as high farce. more
Thus spoke General Petraeus
September 12, 2007 | The oracles of Iraq finally came to town and — surprise, surprise — said exactly what everyone knew they would say. General David H Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker endured two long days on Capitol Hill retelling the story of The Little Engine That Could. Burdened with the task of righting the train-wreck of Bush's war in Iraq, they sought to reassure us one and all that they see light at the end of the tunnel, although, to their considerable credit, they eschewed that ignominious phrase. more
Summoned to jury duty
September 13, 2007 | When Ben Franklin quipped, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes" he overlooked a third certainty: jury duty. more
Still a pig
September 14, 2007 | As they say, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig, and calling "stay the course" by "return on success" doesn't change a thing. more
Bowling season opens
September 16, 2007 | Last Monday night was opening night for the new Up Your Average bowling league, playing at Canyon Lanes at Casino Morongo in Cabazon. Casino Morongo moved into a new high-rise building several years ago, and the bowling alley and a bingo parlor now share the renovated old casino building. more
What a difference a week makes
September 21, 2007 | A week ago, the desert was basking in normal fall temperatures, highs around 100°F, lows around 70°F. As usual at this time of the year, the skies were clear and humidity was low. In short, perfect desert weather. more
Palm Springs to Las Vegas
September 25, 2007 | Last weekend I made another trip to Las Vegas, taking an alternate route over the back roads of the desert and the Mojave National Preserve. Having done this now several times, I am convinced this is absolutely the best way to go. more
Rodeo in Las Vegas
September 25, 2007 | Saturday, Phil, Ken, and I went Las Vegas for the annual rodeo. Sophie, the Prius, had already been given directions for the backroads route through the desert, and at the crack of dawn I picked up Ken and Phil for a four-hour drive. more
Bowling update
September 26, 2007 | After three weeks, the Rail Splitters stand in 4th place, having moved up from last. The first week we had the misfortune to bowl a team with two absent bowlers, and, by league rules, their spots were filled by a "Vacant" bowler with an average of 150. To our way of thinking that's not at all realistic, considering the averages of the real people in the league, but rules are rules. Consequently, we lost all four games that night, albeit playing against two non-existent bowlers. more
October 9, 2007 | After four weeks of bowling, the Rail Splitters found themselves in third place with a 10:6 record. more
Larry Craig, inductee to Idaho Hall of Fame
October 10, 2007 | Just when you thought the story couldn't get any weirder! Let me recap for those who have been in a coma for the past few weeks: more
Brunch chez Phil
October 12, 2007 | Last Sunday we took a break from our normal routine of brunch at Rainbow and did a pot luck brunch at Phil's house. more
Pioneertown Posse
October 14, 2007 | Pioneertown is one of those treasures that is practically in Palm Springs' backyard but that seldom makes the list of things to see and do. About an hour's easy drive away, Pioneertown was built in the 1940s as a movie set for western movies and named after the Sons of the Pioneers. If you watched Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, or other B western movies you've surely seen the town. And it is an actual town where residents live in accommodations hidden behind the facades of the movie set. more
More technology
October 25, 2007 | Many of us reached the frontiers of technological ineptitude when the VCR arrived on the scene. My own personal Achilles heel has been the cell phone. It seems I am simply unsuited for this wonder of modern communications. The list of failures and disappointments is very long, indeed. more
Palm Springs Pride 2007
November 6, 2007 | This past weekend was gay pride weekend in Palm Springs, and they came from everywhere: the beauty parlor, the gym, the ranch. As usual, the Fundies even came from under a rock to join the festivities. more
Yelling at Yahoo
November 8, 2007 | The House Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), called the CEO and general counsel of Yahoo to testify and berated them as "moral pygmies." more
Thanksgiving 2007
November 27, 2007 | This year the Usual Suspects gathered chez Bob for the annual Thanksgiving feast. more
Festival of Lights parade
December 1, 2007 | Each year Palm Springs kicks off the holiday season with the Festival of Lights parade on the first Saturday night of December. People stake out prime spectating spots, some as early as mid-afternoon, setting up their lawn chairs, benches, and stools. After dark, they settle in with their blankets and heavy winter coats to watch. more
Big wind
December 1, 2007 | The weather services are fond of issuing Severe Weather Alerts, usually for wind or flood. Today it was for wind: more
Brunch by the sea
December 3, 2007 | We had brunch yesterday, basking in the sun while sitting by the sea in San Diego. Before getting on the bus in chilly Palm Springs, we had marveled at the fresh white layer of snow atop Mounts San Jacinto and San Gorgonio; three hours later we were sitting on the patio at the Edgewater Grill in San Diego's Seaport Village, sipping bloody Marys and marveling at the clear blue skies, warm sun, and calm waters of the harbor. more
Bowling finale
December 18, 2007 | The inaugural season of the Up Your Average league is now history, and the Rail Splitters acquitted themselves with honor, if little dignity. more
'Twas the night before Christmas
December 25, 2007 | Christmas at its best is a time of joy, when bright lights drive back the night and those of a Christian persuasion celebrate the alleged birth of a so-called Savior. Others just celebrate! more
