:: Ray's Periodic Rantings ::

:: Thursday, October 31, 2002 ::

Happy Halloween!

I am by the front door, giving out Necco wafers, one of my favorites. I especially like the brown and black ones – root beer and licorice flavors, respectively. Passing odd tastes along to a new generation is one small way of rebelling against suburban homogeneity. The little ones are so cute, and most candy is so boring...they deserve better!

Earlier today, I performed the slightly sad task of winterizing Betty. This consisted of emptying the waste tanks, draining and blowing out the water tank and lines, and pouring a bit of RV antifreeze down the drains. She should be all set for the winter.
:: Ray 5:57 PM [+] ::
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I had Ryan, the boy I mentor, tonight. To celebrate Mary's birthday, we went to Kampai, the Japanese steak house that Mary and I frequented, along with Angie, a friend that Mary and I had met together at a party a couple of years ago. Angie and I had a nice conversation, and Ryan was happy...the cooking show impressed him, and he got to have the meat that he obsesses about, filet mignon, and shrimp, too! Happy birthday, Mary!

I love the ginger dressing they serve on the salad there. Has anyone ever run into Japanese steak house ginger dressing in a bottle? I would go far out of my way to acquire some.
:: Ray 10:10 PM [+] ::
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Today, Tuesday, is Mary's birthday. It will be quiet day, I hope. I don't know what more to say other than that on this day, 34 years ago, a kickass woman was born to this world. I wish she was still here.
:: Ray 1:16 AM [+] ::
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Saturday night I had a great time celebrating two birthdays, James' and Elizabeth's, at Elizabeth's 40th birthday costume party. I resurrected the neon suit from Burning Man this year, and got a polaroid of it this time, along with a couple of others:
Me in neon suit
James & Ingrid
Elizabeth's sister Kathleen and their brother, Mike
Happy Halloween!

:: Ray 12:58 AM [+] ::
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I just heard that Senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash along with his wife, a daughter, and some staffers. I am stunned. As I have written here, I met him a few months ago at a fundraiser and I was impressed. I thought the world of him, what he stood for, and how he fought for it. Today is a sad day for Minnesota, for the Senate, for America, and for me.
:: Ray 1:39 PM [+] ::
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Friday night I went to see Amon Tobin, a DJ, at the Metro with Julian and Alan. DJing isn't what it used to be. These days, DJs make rich, complex sounds by combining a variety of sources together in real time. Tobin makes music that is available on CD in a variety of genres, but in concert takes his own music and uses it as just part of a larger, multi-layered, live composition. Intricate rhythms and musical phrases are woven together with noise -- lots of it -- loud, not cacophanous (depending on your point of view, I suppose), but organized. He takes the old Phil Spector term, "wall of sound," to new orders of magnitude. In about an hour I went from not knowing much about him to being a fan. A couple of the guys that opened for him were pretty good, too.
:: Ray 1:12 AM [+] ::
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I had one of those, "Wow, I really feel like an adult," moments last night. I was up late, sewing patches onto a boy scout uniform for the kid I mentor. Then I put stain remover on a few spots and ran them through the wash. Does anyone out there know of a stain remover that actually works?
:: Ray 10:27 AM [+] ::
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I don't write an entry for a week and a half, and what happens? The Senate passes Prez Bush's war authorization! Ack! He is due to sign it this week. Once he does, he can start bombing Iraq, send in the troops, whatever, whenever he wants. He can put our sons and daughters and innocent Iraqi civilians in harms way, this former National Guard pilot who went AWOL during the Vietnam war. We have just given him a blank check. I don't know anyone who thinks this is a good idea, yet somehow we all let it happen. Scary.

Some of the most eloquently stated objections came from Senator Robert Byrd, D-WV. I enjoyed listening to him passionately debating the issue with outclassed Republican senators. This was the Senate at its finest -- civil discourse about serious issues -- and Senator Byrd is among the best of them. He summarized his comments in an op-ed piece in the NYTimes (access is free, but registration is required).

Another passionate argument against the war authorization came from Rep. Pete Stark, D-CA. His statement was quoted in salon under the headline, "The bottom line is I don't trust this president and his advisors." Pete also reminds us just who will pay for this folly. Hint: it won't be the wealthy or the large corporations cooking their books. Go Pete!

I am disappointed that some Democrats caved in to Bush administration pressure and allowed this turkey to pass. I think they hoped to get it out of the way, so they could return the spotlight to issues that really matter to you and me, like the economy and the miserable way the Republicans and the Bush administration have handled it. I hope they are successful, and that we don't all pay too high a price.

Finally, I went to a wedding yesterday, my first since Mary died. Quite a few familiar old faces from the medicine community were there, and it was wonderful to see some of them again for the first time in a few years. I did OK with all the reminders of having been widowed, and even enjoyed myself (a couple of vodka and cranberry juices helped). What was interesting, for lack of a better word, and I am still getting used to, was being a single guy in a room full of joyful, attractive women in gowns. I was and am very conscious of how wierd it feels to be free to look around again, after having willingly and happily made a commitment to marriage, to a woman that I looked forward to spending the rest of my life with. It doesn't feel wrong -- the commitment was "while we both shall live" -- just wierd. Welcome to my world.

:: Ray 12:54 PM [+] ::
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When I am bummed, I tend to not eat. Not eating leaves me hungry, which makes me even more bummed. A good way to break this vicious cycle is to fire up a nice big pot of my own chili, and serve myself a bowl topped with a heap of shredded sharp cheddar. That's what I did tonight. Mmmmm mmm! Good stuff.
:: Ray 1:20 AM [+] ::
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