Welcome to Sad Salvation. Day by day by day by day ... this is my attempt to make sense of the world.

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Saturday, June 14, 2003

Fixing it

I fixed it using an old backup. I know I should back it up more often. If I did not, I would not have this problem.

According to a friend, the problem come from using my Mac. He has found that it ads extra characters. What is that all about? I thought the whole switch campaign was about Macs being better. I had to go back to my XP machine to fix it. I think this is one place where Mac falls down.

At least I fixed it without Jeremy's Help. Hopefully I can avoid breaking it again.

- Rich, 9:46 AM |

Friday, June 13, 2003

New Features

We have been talking about these new new features at the office, but they have not been attached to a release yet. The idea of TiVoDating is the one that interest most people.

- Rich, 3:39 PM |

Words

I have to be careful about how I throw my words around. Editing my template on my Mac has screwed up Sad Salvation again. I am not sure when it will be fixed.

- Rich, 10:33 AM |

niqab driver’s license

Here is an interesting option about Sultaana Freeman from arabnews.com. The most interesting idea to me is at the end.

Was Freeman serving Islam by bringing the case? I believe she wasn't. She was doing the exact opposite. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States today not because it is as strict as Freeman wants Americans to believe, but rather because of its simplicity and logic, forgiveness and flexible teachings that can be adhered to by anyone of any heritage at any time.

This is an idea that I do not hear too often.

- Rich, 9:56 AM |

Thursday, June 12, 2003

Slowing Down

I have to find a way to slow down. I have too many things in my head. I have too many directions to go. I have too many things to take my attention. I keep on flying away from what I am doing to do something else. I cannot find the time to read or think. I need to read if I want to write. I have so many unfished ideas. I feel that I could write for months non-stop.

Maybe I just need to make a list of all my ideas. That way I know what I am not writing when I am doing something else. That way I do not feel like there is not some idea that I will miss. It is a good idea, but I am not sure I can carry it out. I have to do something about this. I want to become more focused but I have having having a hard time doing that this year.

- Rich, 7:08 PM |

Visits

My sister Kathy was here last week. This is the first time she has visited since I moved to San Jose. I was happy to have her here. I miss being around my family. It was a change to have one of them here to visit me.



This is picture of Kathy in front of the Mission Carmel.

- Rich, 4:49 PM |

Webcam

Sad Salvation's favorite cartoonist, Peter Conrad had come up with one of the funnest things I have seen in a long time. He has created a cartoon webcam for his character from Stymied. This is funny in a strange way. I am just waiting to see what kinds of things he does with it.

I like the idea that you can see the character just living there. This is the first time I have ever seen anything like this. It is almost like the game Animal Crossing. When the character is not as his desk during the day, I want to IM him and tell him to get back to work.

- Rich, 2:06 PM |

Proms

This week I have read stories about both same-sex dating at proms and a girls only Muslim prom. I would file this under "the same side of different coins."

- Rich, 1:26 PM |

Horoscope

Tara told me to read my horoscope today. I do not usually read it. I think there is something here that means something to Sad Salvation.

Gemini Horoscope
Thu Jun. 12, 2003
by Astrocenter.com

Are you an intellectual or a poet, dear Gemini, a novelist or a playwright? The celestial energy is leaving you alone with your anxieties and questions. You are sure of only one thing: words are friends you have decided to spend the rest of your life with. This is a kind of dream and a challenge that corresponds well to your Gemini identity. Get to work. You will find your vocation, as well as your passion, in your writing...

- Rich, 1:21 PM |

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Nicknames

Over the last couple of weeks Tara has been meeting some of my friends. I know that she has been meeting more people then she can keep track of. Today she tells me that she has nicknames for the people she has meet like Bob Saget guy, Velvet Pants girl, Mr. Barefoot, and Young George Lucas.

- Rich, 10:53 PM |

Richard

I am not sure why someone would make up a web page with lots of pictures people named Richard and Dick. I wonder if I should send my picture to this site. I might not be famous enough

- Rich, 6:20 AM |

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Travel notes 5/2/03

Drove from about 100 miles north of LA to about 100 miles south of LA.

Got to San Diego just in time to have lunch with Steve and Gerry.

Gerry and I could not convince Steve to go to the Phillies game with us. He kept on saying it was going to rain.

The Phillies lost the game in the 10th. It is the first time I have seen the home team win while I have been on a baseball road trip. I found out after the tame that the Phillies have not won on a Friday night all season.

Travel Notes 5/3/03

La came to lunch with Steve, Gerry, and me. It was good to have a chance to see her.

For some reason I underestimated the distance between San Diego and Tucson. It is a good four hundred miles. When I was planning the trip I thought it was two hundred miles. I made drive in six hours on the nose. That means I was flying for much of the trip.

It was raining before I left Gerry’s house. It was coming down lightly in Del Mar. It was kind of on and off as I was driving through San Diego on my wait to Interstate 8. Once I got onto I-8 it started to rain pretty hard. At one point driving through the hills,

Travel Notes 5/4/03

Today is the first day where I have not had to drive anywhere. When I say anywhere, I mean to another city.

Travel Notes 5/5/03

Vacation Notes 5/12/03

This morning Alice and I got up early to take the Tour at Mrs. Grossman’s Paper and Stick company. Their factory and world headquarters is in Petaluma, about a hundred miles north of where I live. Alice, like my other sisters Kathy and Dot is a big scrapbooker. Mrs. Grossman’s stickers seem to be the premium sticker. My sisters were all excited when they found out that the tour was available.



Mrs Grossman

Mission Statement

Vacation Notes 5/13/03

I finally had my do nothing day of this vacation. I did not leave my apartment at all today. The only thing I accomplished was to do a little laundry.

Talking to Tara today we talked about anxieties. I told her that my greatest anxiety is that I have been alone for someone long I am not sure I know how to let someone get close. She said that she is also afraid of that. She said that if she is going to be with me, she has to really be with me. I understand both sides of this issue. I told her that she has to tell me if she thinks this is happening.

Vacation Notes 5/14/03

Yesterday Tara told me that she would like me to call her everyday. I am not sure I have something to say for myself everyday. I am not sure I will be interesting on the phone. I am not sure what those conversations will be like. It has been a long time since I have tried to be that close to anyone.

Got a Haircut
Cleaned out my car
Bought Pants and A Shirt

- Rich, 5:46 PM |

crying

Last night she asked me if anything ever makes me cry. She thinks I am matter of fact about things. I know she sees me as logical and rational. I told her there are lots of things that make me cry. I told her about the big ones.

I told her there is a story I heard once on the radio that always makes me cry. She did not want to make me cry so I did not tell her. As far as I know it is a true story. I have no reason to believe it is not, but I also have no way to confirm it.

It was back when Richie Ashburn passed away. Richie Ashburn, also known as Whitey was a Philadelphia Icon. As a player and as an announcer he was the heart of the Phillies. He was one of those nice guys that even the most hardened Philadelphia loved. He lived and died with the Phillies just like any other fan. I was lucky enough to get to speak to him a few weeks before he passed away. I felt lucky to just tell him I was a big fan and he was a big reason I loved baseball.

When you are a true Philadelphia icon you get a public wake on the radio. The local talk stations let people call up and remember the deceased. Most of the people called up and talked about the one time they got to meet him and how they always would remember it.

I was driving home one night when I heard this call. It was a middle age man who called with a deep sadness in his voice. He said that it was back in 1968. The guy had gotten all shot up in Vietnam. He was in a VA hospital and he was not doing very well. It was painful and he was not recouping well. He was not sure he was going to get through it.

It was in the winter before baseball season had started. He looked up to see Richie Ashburn walking in front of his bed. He said, "hey, I know who you are." Richie stopped and talked to this guy. They talked baseball for a few minutes. The man told Richie, "when I was growing up you were my hero. I wanted to play center field just like you."

By this time in the story the man was barely holding it together. It sounded like he was telling the story be cause he had to. He had testify to the kind of man Richie Ashburn was. He had to repay a debt.

The man asked Richie who was he in the hospital to see. Richie said that he was there to see his hero. The man wondered who in that hospital could be Richie's hero. It must have been some old World War I or World War II vet. Richie looked the man in the eyes and said, "you're my hero kid." Richie grabbed a chair and kept talking to the man for another hour.

By this time the man on the radio was in tears. I had pulled off the road also because I was crying also. He said before that day he was not sure he would ever get out of the hospital. That simple act of compassion had changed his life. The host of the radio show did not doubt the story. It was something well within Richie Ashburn's character.

There is something about that level of humanity in this story that always gets to me. The whole idea that you can give so little of yourself and still change someone's life. To this day this story still brings me tears.

- Rich, 12:12 AM |

Monday, June 09, 2003

Irony

Sultaana Freeman fought the state of Florida so she would not have to unveil face for her drivers license. The judge found against her and in favor of the State of Florida.

The irony is that now you can find her
unveiled picture all over the web. Any one who wants to see her picture can see her picture. The picture was even taken after she reverted to Islam.

I admire her for fighting for what she believes in. I just find it odd what all the information in the world will do to you if you are willing to stand up for something. I wonder if she will get her drivers license now.

- Rich, 12:07 AM |

Sunday, June 08, 2003

Back

My back has been turned on my blog for too long. I have been thinking about other things. I have not been taking the time to ground myself here. I have been missing something important in my life.

It is time to turn it back around. I need to reconnect with what I love about writing. I have to put aside the barriers I construct. I want to find a way to put aside the things that get be away from here.

I am sorry if you have come here for the last couple of weeks to find nothing. I have rededicated myself to writing. I will write for at least 260 hours between now and the end of the year. I am sorry if you feel that you have missed anything. I will backdate some entries and I will bring some old stories up to today. I think I will cover most of the important things.

- Rich, 11:25 PM |

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