Who think that the pop star Katy Perry has her phone number out on the internet, and insist on calling me: I will now be posting YOUR personal information here on my blog, along with the date, time, and how many times you called.
2/23/11 - 3 calls between 10:45pm and 10:50pm came from -
(310) 673-3976
Aaron H. Meza
418 Centinela Avenue
Inglewood, CA 90302
Congrats on being the first moron to earn this dubious honor.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Teachers
Unless you live in a closet, you know that there have been protests in Wisconsin for about a week now regarding the elimination of collective bargaining rights for the teachers in that state. The bill currently being kicked around in the state senate also would require teachers to contribute 5.7% of their pay toward their own pensions and 12.4% toward their healthcare premiums. Tensions are growing on both sides, because I think there is still a feeling that teachers are underpaid. Now, the pay of these teachers does start low, but when you add in their benefits, the cost goes up.
I love teachers, and have friends who I admire for having the patience to teach as a career, but the union leadership is ridiculous. Why should my friend be forced to join a union just so she can get a job? And then, to add insult to injury, that union contributes her dues to political causes which she doesn't agree with!
I was watching the news the other night, and some 17 year-old said we should "raise taxes on the rich" to help the teachers. Who are "the rich?" Let's see...the top 50%, who make more than about $35,000 - these people currently pay about 95% of all income taxes - should we make them pay even more? The top 25%, who make more than about $67,000 - currently paying about 85% of all taxes - should we make them pay more? Where do we draw the line? I fall in between those two groups, and I don't know about you, but I think I pay enough taxes already.
The teachers in Wisconsin aren't currently paying anything toward their pensions. If I pay nothing toward my retirement, you know what happens? That's right - I can't retire. I certainly can't depend on some stranger to pay for me to retire, yet that is what we, the taxpayer, are expected to do in this case for the teachers. Is it too much to ask for them to pay just a little bit for themselves? If they don't have to belong to the union anymore, that would save them about 75/month which they could put toward these extra expenses.
I know times are tough, and people still have their purse strings tightly in hand, but here is what I am saying; I think a little bit of sacrifice can go a long way. We, the average taxpayer, simply do not have the money for the government to raise taxes to compensate for all the unfunded liabilities on the books. Plus, isn't it better for ALL the teachers to make a little sacrifice rather than have 12,000 of them laid off entirely? That's what I really don't understand.
I love teachers, and have friends who I admire for having the patience to teach as a career, but the union leadership is ridiculous. Why should my friend be forced to join a union just so she can get a job? And then, to add insult to injury, that union contributes her dues to political causes which she doesn't agree with!
I was watching the news the other night, and some 17 year-old said we should "raise taxes on the rich" to help the teachers. Who are "the rich?" Let's see...the top 50%, who make more than about $35,000 - these people currently pay about 95% of all income taxes - should we make them pay even more? The top 25%, who make more than about $67,000 - currently paying about 85% of all taxes - should we make them pay more? Where do we draw the line? I fall in between those two groups, and I don't know about you, but I think I pay enough taxes already.
The teachers in Wisconsin aren't currently paying anything toward their pensions. If I pay nothing toward my retirement, you know what happens? That's right - I can't retire. I certainly can't depend on some stranger to pay for me to retire, yet that is what we, the taxpayer, are expected to do in this case for the teachers. Is it too much to ask for them to pay just a little bit for themselves? If they don't have to belong to the union anymore, that would save them about 75/month which they could put toward these extra expenses.
I know times are tough, and people still have their purse strings tightly in hand, but here is what I am saying; I think a little bit of sacrifice can go a long way. We, the average taxpayer, simply do not have the money for the government to raise taxes to compensate for all the unfunded liabilities on the books. Plus, isn't it better for ALL the teachers to make a little sacrifice rather than have 12,000 of them laid off entirely? That's what I really don't understand.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Road Adventures
Occasionally, I like to take a different route home. Once, when working in Clayton all day, I took Mitchell Canyon Road; it ended up being the first and last time I will take that road (alone at least). It is a one-lane super windy road through the tress; you know, the kind of drive where you expect serial killers to spike the tires on your car and chase you through the woods, then kill you and eat you.
Yesterday, I was working up in Sacramento, and had plans to go to Pittsburg after work. This would be the perfect opportunity for me to go highway 5 to highway 12 to 160 and then link back up to 4 west. Unfortunately, there was a detour in downtown Sac, so I ended up back on 80 west. In Dixon, I decided to hop off 80 and hit 113 south to 12 east and then back onto my originally scheduled route. Things went fine alone 113, which is a nice ride, with lots of open space and grazing sheep, and even some windmills. Highway 12 was a different matter.
I think things would have been fine if I hadn't encountered a literal parking lot about a mile and a half after turning onto highway 12. As it was, I got stopped, here, at the intersection of highway 12 and azevedo road...
I have a google maps application on my phone, so after 5 minutes, I checked to see if Azevedo road cut through somehow, and it appeared to, so I made an illegal u-turn over those double yellow lines you see in the upper left of that image, and turned down the road you see in the upper right. Azevedo Road is gravel, and although the speed limit is 25, I was going slower, so as not to tear up my car too much. I tried to stop an oncoming prius just to make sure that my google maps was correct, but instead of stopping he turned on his headlights; idiot.
A few hundred yards up the road, I saw a rancher in his driveway, so I stopped to talk with him. As I inquired about going around the traffic jam, it started hailing, but he was super nice, and told me he had just heard a siren, and there might be an accident, which explained the backlog of cars. He also said it might just be the bridge (which is a drawbridge). "It's hectic out here in the country, huh?" he joked with a smirk. He told me to go up Azevedo, turn left on Emigh, left on Montezuma Hills, and then take Front Street back to Highway 12. He also informed me that the road was gravel for at least a couple miles, so off I went at a slow 20-mph, but at least I wasn't in traffic anymore.
The rancher's directions were spot on, and I managed to get back to the bridge over the Sacramento River in about 15 minutes, at which point I noted that west-bound 12 was a parking lot as well. I can only assume that I would have been stuck waiting for awhile had I not taken my fun little "detour." Highway 160, which is a road on top of a levee running right next to the river, was a beautiful drive, although I might not drive that one again in the rain.
All-in-all, I enjoyed my scenic route from Sacramento to Pittsburg: good times!
Yesterday, I was working up in Sacramento, and had plans to go to Pittsburg after work. This would be the perfect opportunity for me to go highway 5 to highway 12 to 160 and then link back up to 4 west. Unfortunately, there was a detour in downtown Sac, so I ended up back on 80 west. In Dixon, I decided to hop off 80 and hit 113 south to 12 east and then back onto my originally scheduled route. Things went fine alone 113, which is a nice ride, with lots of open space and grazing sheep, and even some windmills. Highway 12 was a different matter.
I think things would have been fine if I hadn't encountered a literal parking lot about a mile and a half after turning onto highway 12. As it was, I got stopped, here, at the intersection of highway 12 and azevedo road...
I have a google maps application on my phone, so after 5 minutes, I checked to see if Azevedo road cut through somehow, and it appeared to, so I made an illegal u-turn over those double yellow lines you see in the upper left of that image, and turned down the road you see in the upper right. Azevedo Road is gravel, and although the speed limit is 25, I was going slower, so as not to tear up my car too much. I tried to stop an oncoming prius just to make sure that my google maps was correct, but instead of stopping he turned on his headlights; idiot.
A few hundred yards up the road, I saw a rancher in his driveway, so I stopped to talk with him. As I inquired about going around the traffic jam, it started hailing, but he was super nice, and told me he had just heard a siren, and there might be an accident, which explained the backlog of cars. He also said it might just be the bridge (which is a drawbridge). "It's hectic out here in the country, huh?" he joked with a smirk. He told me to go up Azevedo, turn left on Emigh, left on Montezuma Hills, and then take Front Street back to Highway 12. He also informed me that the road was gravel for at least a couple miles, so off I went at a slow 20-mph, but at least I wasn't in traffic anymore.
The rancher's directions were spot on, and I managed to get back to the bridge over the Sacramento River in about 15 minutes, at which point I noted that west-bound 12 was a parking lot as well. I can only assume that I would have been stuck waiting for awhile had I not taken my fun little "detour." Highway 160, which is a road on top of a levee running right next to the river, was a beautiful drive, although I might not drive that one again in the rain.
All-in-all, I enjoyed my scenic route from Sacramento to Pittsburg: good times!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Friends
I was lying in bed last night, and thinking about all of you, my dear friends, and I just wanted to give you a shout out. Here are just a few of the things you have taught me, or that I like about you:
1. You are open-minded; you may not always agree with me, but you're willing to listen, and I know you have my back no matter what
2. You teach me how to chill out
3. You forgive me when I screw up (which I do frequently)
4. Many of you have wicked senses of humor, and understand mine
5. Several of you are a-ma-zing cooks, and I hope to be one day
6. You help me not take myself so seriously
7. You have big hearts
8. Many of you have stuck with me for a LONG time, and I appreciate your brutal honesty and sustained loyalty
9. Spontaneity - enough said
10. You are willing to have adventures with me.
In short, I love and appreciate all of you; you make my world fantastic!
1. You are open-minded; you may not always agree with me, but you're willing to listen, and I know you have my back no matter what
2. You teach me how to chill out
3. You forgive me when I screw up (which I do frequently)
4. Many of you have wicked senses of humor, and understand mine
5. Several of you are a-ma-zing cooks, and I hope to be one day
6. You help me not take myself so seriously
7. You have big hearts
8. Many of you have stuck with me for a LONG time, and I appreciate your brutal honesty and sustained loyalty
9. Spontaneity - enough said
10. You are willing to have adventures with me.
In short, I love and appreciate all of you; you make my world fantastic!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Talkers
There are different kinds of talkers; the old man who thinks that a cell phone is like talking into a can with a string attached, and yells at the top of his lungs so the person at the other end can hear. Then there's the person in your office who refuses to get his heiny out of his chair to go talk to someone in the cube farm; they simply shout across the office.
Today, I rode BART to and from San Francisco for work; this morning was great, as I was able to listen to the Mormon Channel on my phone, and it was quite relaxing. The ride home was a different story; I got on a the Embarcadero station, and the car I was in was packed full. Among my fellow commuters were two women, who ended up being so self-absorbed, they didn't even know where they were.
These ladies talked about everything at full outdoor volume; their kids, home decor, baby showers, their parents, vacations, their parents vacations. For twenty minutes, I listened to their mindless blather, and then we arrived at the San Leandro station. At this point, I looked at the guy sitting next to me, who was quietly working on some document on his laptop, and we started laughing. He told me that on a previous BART ride, there had been a 300-lb lady sitting in front of him screaming obscenities into her cell phone for an hour; so I felt glad that at least the "talkers" weren't using foul language.
When the train arrived at the Bay Fair station, the women got out of their seats, and said, "is this Dublin/Pleasanton?" I was sorta hoping that someone would say yes, and they would get off, but a kinder person told them we hadn't arrived there yet.
My seatmate abandoned me at the Castro Valley station, with the thought that at least it was only one more stop, and again the talkers thought they might be in Dublin. After we left the CV station, there was silence from their bench, and I thought they'd realized how quiet the rest of the passengers were, but the silence was breached with talk about heading directly to some restaurant, reading texts off the iPhone, and talking about ordering cake from the Internet that Oprah listed as one of her favorite things. Blessedly, after another 10 minutes, we arrived at the final destination, and I was able to walk home in peace.
I don't envy people who ride BART everyday, and am insanely grateful for having a car to drive to work instead of having to take public transportation.
Today, I rode BART to and from San Francisco for work; this morning was great, as I was able to listen to the Mormon Channel on my phone, and it was quite relaxing. The ride home was a different story; I got on a the Embarcadero station, and the car I was in was packed full. Among my fellow commuters were two women, who ended up being so self-absorbed, they didn't even know where they were.
These ladies talked about everything at full outdoor volume; their kids, home decor, baby showers, their parents, vacations, their parents vacations. For twenty minutes, I listened to their mindless blather, and then we arrived at the San Leandro station. At this point, I looked at the guy sitting next to me, who was quietly working on some document on his laptop, and we started laughing. He told me that on a previous BART ride, there had been a 300-lb lady sitting in front of him screaming obscenities into her cell phone for an hour; so I felt glad that at least the "talkers" weren't using foul language.
When the train arrived at the Bay Fair station, the women got out of their seats, and said, "is this Dublin/Pleasanton?" I was sorta hoping that someone would say yes, and they would get off, but a kinder person told them we hadn't arrived there yet.
My seatmate abandoned me at the Castro Valley station, with the thought that at least it was only one more stop, and again the talkers thought they might be in Dublin. After we left the CV station, there was silence from their bench, and I thought they'd realized how quiet the rest of the passengers were, but the silence was breached with talk about heading directly to some restaurant, reading texts off the iPhone, and talking about ordering cake from the Internet that Oprah listed as one of her favorite things. Blessedly, after another 10 minutes, we arrived at the final destination, and I was able to walk home in peace.
I don't envy people who ride BART everyday, and am insanely grateful for having a car to drive to work instead of having to take public transportation.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Dreams and other nonsense
Many of you know that I have strange, and often vivid dreams. I am not sure why, but they come in bursts. Last night I had a dream that I went to Vegas with Terri, Alicia, Michelle, and Gabe. The odd part was that we could see the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean out the windows of the hotel.
We had booked a room for two nights, but then we decided to stay an extra night, and when Alicia went to pay for the extra night, they told us there was no space. Somehow, we did end up getting the extra night. To top it off, the waiters from the cruise were there, and I was like, "Mario and Didi are gonna KILL us." There are other fuzzy details, like walking around the hotel, climbing stairs, etc., but nothing too much I can recall, other than there MAY have been a scene in an airport where our flight got cancelled...
At least this dream didn't feature any maiming or death. :)
-----------------------------------
On a totally unrelated note, we had people over on Friday for movie night, and I pressured them into watching "Jaws." I would say that, of the 10 of us, I was the only one who had seen it from start-to-finish before. It was hysterical to watch people scream at this movie, that while it is well made, can be a bit hokey compared to the CGI scarefests we enjoy now. Plus, a lot of pop culture references can be found in this 1970s gem; Bad Hat Harry Productions has it's roots here, I doubt very much we would have had "Deep Blue Sea" if it weren't for "Jaws," even the shark from "Finding Nemo" , whose name was Bruce, was named after the mechanical shark in Jaws. We had a great time, and several people told me how much they enjoyed it.
This is probably going to sound strange, and well, you know me, I am a little odd (but that's why you love me), Jaws got me strangely fascinated in the plight of sharks. Many foreign nations still engage in the barbaric practice of finning (in which they pull the shark out of the water, cut off it's three fins, and then throw it back to drown), simply for some soup. Sharks are the apex predators of the ocean, and while they may terrify us, it is their domain, and much of the ecosystem depends on them. I am by no means an environazi, but there is something to be said about respecting nature. *steps off soapbox* :)
We had booked a room for two nights, but then we decided to stay an extra night, and when Alicia went to pay for the extra night, they told us there was no space. Somehow, we did end up getting the extra night. To top it off, the waiters from the cruise were there, and I was like, "Mario and Didi are gonna KILL us." There are other fuzzy details, like walking around the hotel, climbing stairs, etc., but nothing too much I can recall, other than there MAY have been a scene in an airport where our flight got cancelled...
At least this dream didn't feature any maiming or death. :)
-----------------------------------
On a totally unrelated note, we had people over on Friday for movie night, and I pressured them into watching "Jaws." I would say that, of the 10 of us, I was the only one who had seen it from start-to-finish before. It was hysterical to watch people scream at this movie, that while it is well made, can be a bit hokey compared to the CGI scarefests we enjoy now. Plus, a lot of pop culture references can be found in this 1970s gem; Bad Hat Harry Productions has it's roots here, I doubt very much we would have had "Deep Blue Sea" if it weren't for "Jaws," even the shark from "Finding Nemo" , whose name was Bruce, was named after the mechanical shark in Jaws. We had a great time, and several people told me how much they enjoyed it.
This is probably going to sound strange, and well, you know me, I am a little odd (but that's why you love me), Jaws got me strangely fascinated in the plight of sharks. Many foreign nations still engage in the barbaric practice of finning (in which they pull the shark out of the water, cut off it's three fins, and then throw it back to drown), simply for some soup. Sharks are the apex predators of the ocean, and while they may terrify us, it is their domain, and much of the ecosystem depends on them. I am by no means an environazi, but there is something to be said about respecting nature. *steps off soapbox* :)
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