My Little Trini-Bug Is 21 Today!

Yes, my oldest daughter, Katrina, is now 21 years old.

Happy Birthday Trini-Bug!!

It seems like only yesterday when you were this 3 year old little girl who had her stuffed bear "Snuffy" with her wherever she went. Now you're a lady doing some adult things. My how time flies.

All the best today dear, and please be careful if you go out this evening. I trust you, but that doesn't mean I trust many others!

"Hellish Ghoul"

No, this isn't something about the undead, but rather I was thinking a few minutes ago about writing, why I like to write, what purpose writing serves me, etc., and it reminded me of some of the authors that I have enjoyed reading over the years.

Still no connection to "Hellish Ghoul", but I'm getting there.

One of the authors I have enjoyed reading is named Hollis Gillespie, who has written a number of books (Bleachy-Haired Honkey Bitch is one of them...don't let the title fool you...it's a gas), columns (including one for Creative Loafing in Atlanta) and on occasion has recorded segments for NPR. On one such segment, she was talking about her work as a translator...she speaks fluent German...and mentioning how, in German, Hollis Gillespie sounds remarkably like "Hellish Ghoul". It's a very funny story, but what I enjoyed the most about it (and the other work she has done) is the conversational way she has of communicating. I wish I had some of that ability.

Back to my writing: Therein lies the reason, I think, I enjoy writing every now and then. You see, I'm not especially comfortable talking to people in person. Meet me in person and I will in fact struggle to make any small talk. It's ironic when you think about it: part of my job involves actually talking to people, sometimes about things they don't necessarily want to hear, but yet I've yet to master the "art" of a friendly conversation. In some bizarre way, writing for me is a surrogate for talking.

Now I'm not sure if anyone who "knows" me would be surprised by the above...or care about the above for that matter. Truth-be-told, it doesn't phase me one way or another; this little monologue is more for me than anyone else anyway. Why have it on the Internet then? Well I do have tons of stuff not on the Internet...notebooks full in fact. What I find interesting and challenging about writing a blog though is that actually writing this here forces me into certain standards of clarity and "good conduct" (for lack of a better description), standards that I probably would have to abide by if I were engaged in small talk. Remarkable how circular, is it not? In some small way, this is a quasi-surrogate for interacting with other humans.

I've talked about discomfort in talking to people, but what does that translate to in real terms? Well first, there are instances where I can talk to someone in a casual manner and feel more or less at ease. The list of people I can actually talk to like that is short: discounting family for a moment, there may be 2 or 3 people in the known universe where I don't worry about how I sound, what I say, etc. Pretty much everyone else is on this bizarre sliding scale of doom, manifest by slight discomfort on one end to physically manifesting stress on the other, with lots of stops in between for bad measure.

Sadly, we are not talking about a 22 year old here, but rather someone who can double that age. Is there no hope for me? Well, as Emily Dickinson once observed, "Hope is the thing with feathers", so I'm thinking the entire concept of it is overblown. Idiosyncrasies noted, I'm probably no more dysfunctional in totality than most others, and I'll take my neurosis any day over some of the others I've seen in this world.

Hellish Ghoul indeed.

'Tis Truly A Sad Day

Just heard about this...the end of an era I suppose.


Chrysler to End PT Cruiser, Seek Buyer for Equipment (Update1)

Email | Print | A A A

By Mike Ramsey

Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Chrysler LLC, pruning its lineup to save money, will stop building the PT Cruiser this year and is seeking buyers for the equipment used to make the model, President Tom LaSorda said.

Production “ends this summer,” LaSorda said today in a telephone interview. “Would we sell those assets? Yes. Do we have any offers to sell those assets? No. Would we be pursuing a buyer? Yes.”

The PT Cruiser, with a rounded body to mimic 1930s-style station wagons, would be the seventh model to be canceled since Cerberus Capital Management LP bought Chrysler in August 2007. The third-largest U.S. automaker is using $4 billion in federal loans to stay in business while reshaping operations to end losses.

“The need for that product has passed,” said John Wolkonowicz, a product analyst at consulting firm IHS Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. “It created a buzz back in 2000, but it’s outlived its usefulness.”

Classified as a truck, the PT Cruiser has four passenger doors and a liftgate at the back. The model once targeted to appeal to younger buyers instead ended up attracting older consumers looking for a cargo-hauling vehicle, Wolkonowicz said.

Chrysler Nameplate

Without the PT Cruiser, the Chrysler badge will appear only on the Town & Country minivan and Sebring and 300C sedans. Models dropped under Cerberus are the Dodge Magnum station wagon and Durango sport-utility vehicle, and the Chrysler Crossfire sports car, PT Cruiser convertible, and Aspen and Pacifica SUVs.

Rick Deneau, a spokesman for Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler, declined to elaborate on LaSorda’s remarks, following the company’s practice of not confirming cancellations until they’re formally announced.

U.S. sales of the PT Cruiser plunged 49 percent last year to 50,910 units, outpacing Chrysler’s 30 percent slide and the 18 percent tumble in the domestic auto market. Deliveries peaked at 144,717 in 2001, according to Autodata Corp. in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Chrysler builds the PT Cruiser at an assembly plant in Toluca, Mexico.

Chrysler has said it is trying to sell its Dodge Viper sports-car brand, and it will discontinue production of its Jeep Commander SUV, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Ramsey in Southfield, Michigan, at mramsey6@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 14, 2009 15:28 EST

At My Office Desk

What's laying around at my (home) office desk? Here's an inventory...

A Cat...well he's not at the desk, but he's close, within petting distance. Name: Buttons. Occupation: Sleeping.

Magazine Holders...keeping back issues of PC World, a Michigan Bulb Company catalog, a booklet called "Wicked French" (which has unique French phrases for non-French speakers...including such gems as "C'est une chambre pour un nain"...translation: "This room is for a dwarf"), the Complete Idiot's Guide to Organizing Your Life, a copy of Windows XP Home edition, a copy of Windows Vista Home Premium edition, and a few other things I am too lazy to pull out.

Bill Holder...holding bills. Note to myself: I have to pay bills today. Have I ever mentioned that, with five cell phones, my monthly payments to AT&T are probably akin to the GNP of several African nations?

A Mostly Full Bottle of Diet Pepsi...for taking my vitamins and Prilosec in the morning. Hmmmm good.

Various Open Pieces of Mail...stuff that I have to either file, pitch or decide to send money to (including the Diocese of Scranton Bishop's Annual Appeal; still on the bubble over that one).

A "Dawn of the Dead" DVD...I need to find the case for it.

Mini CD Holder Tower (made of wicker)...I like wicker. This is where I keep software copies, etc.

Altec Lansing Sound System with Subwoofer...that I connect to my laptop. I get outstanding sound on it. The speakers actually are hanging from the top of the desk so as not to take up desk space.

Large Wicker Basket...that I use to throw recycle-able paper into; I then empty this into the paper bin every other week when the city recycles paper products. I find this convenient when I have envelopes, etc that can be recycled.

Staple, Hole-Punch, Paper Clip Holder, Take Dispenser, Large Button Calculator...all sitting on top of the sound-system subwoofer.

Books...Lifetime Encyclopedia Of Letters, Arrogance (by Bernard Goldberg...never read it, but maybe one day I will), Mobey Dick (by Herman Melville...I will read it one day...I swear), Happier (by Tal, Ben-Shahar, PhD...started to read it, but stopped; need to pick it up again), Ideas and Opinions (by Albert Einstein...have read it...good stuff), Religions of America (by Leo Rosten...have read it, many times over), Tilting the Balance (by Harry Turtledover...another in the "will read one day" department), binder with old Performance Appraisals & Compensation Statements, Samsung Blackjack II manual, Yellow Book for Scranton, LL Bean Christmas 2008 catalog (note to self...need to throw that away)

Spinning Dark Red Leather Pencil Holder...I got this at some store for next to nothing. I love it...holds lots of stuff segregated into holders (one for markers, pens, etc.).

Dark Red Wood Charging Station...where I plug my cell phone, bluetooth, etc. Looks good next to the pencil holder.

Pills...Multi-vitamin, vitamin B complex supplement, Prilosec, Advil, Cleocin (an anti-biotic I need to take before I have dental work done).

The Hardware...
...Sony Vaio VGN-N130G; originally set up with 1gb of RAM and Windows XP, I've upgraded it to 2gb and Windows Vista
...Lexmark printer/scanner/fax/copier
...Radio Shack power strip with lots of surge protection
...Westell DSL modem

Not Such A Bad Boy

From the movie "Give My Regards to Broad Street"...note the Rickenbacher left-handed guitar being played by Paul (I believe that it's a 4001S):




The lead guitar player is named Chris Spedding, who played with McCartney on a number of albums. The rhythm guitar player is, I think, Dave Edmunds (well known to Rockabilly fans).

Road Apples, #11

It's a Balmy 9 Degrees Outside
Now I wonder why I am putting off as long as possible the need to go outside, start the car, and clear off the sidewalks? Just one central question here: Where the hell is my damn global warming???? I want some January 50 degree weather, and I want it now!!!!

Pay To Pray
I love to read about religion and religious philosophies. One of my favorite "religions" to read about is the Church of Scientology. I highly encourage anyone with any interest in religion at all to spend some time reading about this organization. Make your own decisions, but when all is said and done, ask yourself the following question: if a Buddhist can gain peace and enlightenment more or less for free, why then pay tens of thousands of dollars to try and get it from the religion of Mr Cruise and Mr Travolta? Now I don't want to insult anyone out there, but if I've misstated the core fact at play here, namely that the Church of Scientology (CoS) charges members to go through stages of self-growth/enlightenment, I'll gladly retract. Also, I don't want to imply that I'm boosting Buddhists, as I've met more than a few Christians who seem pretty at peace with themselves, again without having had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for "religious technology". Oh, note that the CoS does have plans, from what I understand, whereby someone can work for the church in order to pay for the enlightenment, but that's even a worse scheme if you think about it: forced labor for "enlightenment".

Bottom line: something is very wrong there.

Happy Birthday Rich
Yesterday was my brother Rich's 46th birthday. Happy birthday dude! In my family, the brothers are all a year apart in age...by the end of May it will work something like this: Rich/46, Steve/45, Chris/44, Joe/43. Scary stuff. I don't feel nearly mature and sensible enough to be turning 45 (which will happen in April, btw).

On The Work Front
I put out a proposal of my own self-development for this year, which we call an "Individual Development Plan" or IDP. This year I am formally requesting that the company actually spend some money on me, something I've rarely (in twenty years) asked. I know, I picked a hell of year to ask, but what the heck? You are guaranteed not to get it if you don't ask for it, so I'm going to ask. I'm also fine if the answer comes back "sorry, but we can't this year because of the economy", as long as there is some notion of shared sacrifice. If, however, I get a no and if find out that others will have gotten similar opportunities, all bets are off. I realize that in business it's not an "everyone equal" kind of deal, because everyone isn't in fact equal. However, if the underlying rationale is the economy, that is seems to impact others as much as it would impact me.

On The Home Front
I have five days off coming up (Friday-Tuesday), and I am actually looking forward to it. I don't have plans per sey to watch the inauguration on Tuesday, but I might just do so anyway. For some reason work has been very tiring lately, so I need the vacation.

Pay Raises

Interesting events in Scranton, as a proposal to grant pay raises to the Mayor of Scranton and members of City Council went down in flames last night. Now there is no shortage of rhetoric when it comes to opposing this, and when you strip away the bitter feelings on the part of police and firemen (who I really can't blame for their bitterness, by the way) you are left with one central issue:

This is simply not a good time to be granting raises.

I don't think there is ever a "good time" to pay someone in government more, and it's hard to argue that we are in a recession that is harming many folks in the private sector. However, when is there a "good time" to do this? Well, there are a few things to consider:

First, you need to separate your view of the person holding the office from pay of the office. If you don't like Chris Doherty, you may in fact like his replacement, so are you willing to see he/she paid at the current level? We all want some version of "pay for performance", but in the world of politics, "performance" is a relative term.

Second, you have to look at what other similar positions pay. My understanding is that the Mayor of Scranton makes about $25,000 less than what the Mayor of Wilkes-Barre (a smaller city) earns. Does that make any sense?

Third, if you want to attract top talent to a position (and not simply rich folks who can afford to take the pay-cut), you have to pay an attractive wage. There is not way around this fact...it's no different than gravity.

Finally, you need to look at the responsibilities of the position. Clearly, running the city of Scranton is a tougher job than running a neighborhood CVS drugstore, but yet I'll bet there are CVS managers who earn somewhere close to $50,000/year. How much sense does that make? Hell, I'll even come clean here: I make quite a bit more than the Mayor of Scranton does, and I think I have less responsibility.

You get what you pay for when it comes to talent.

Talent...Not Skin Color...Is What Counts & Matters

President Elect Obama Becomes President Obama In A Week

As the old-timers would say, "who'da thunk that?" Kind of amazing when you think about it, in the sense that there still is some element of racism in this country. Now I say that without having a bleeding heart beating inside my chest, but just as a rational statement based on actual experience. Oh, and I did vote the for guy, although that vote was more based on the fact that I didn't think John McCain would represent any real change for this country (especially given his choice of Gov. Palin for a running mate).

One of my biggest hopes for real social change with an Obama Administration is what I'm going to simplistically call the "de-sensitization" of race-relations in this country. What do I mean? Well, it's my real hope that people aren't going to view Obama as a "black" President (technically incorrect, as he is actually a "half-black" President), but instead let him stand as President based on his ideas and how he transforms those ideas into positive action. The fact that he is black has nothing to do with his intellectual capacity or ability to do the job. Sure, his experiences growing up as a minority in the United States certainly shaped his character, but those experiences didn't help him pass, for example the bar exam. No, it short-changes the man to think that he's going to be President because he is black (errrr half-black), as the man is the sum of many things, just as all people the sum of all they are.

So back to this "de-sensitization" thing. I think it's time we really do stop putting people in these neat little boxes for easy categorization. "African-American Male" "White Female" "Person of Color" Enough with the tattooed stamps on people's foreheads. Instead of "African-American Male" we have Barrack Obama the person. Instead of "White Female" we have Hillary Clinton the person. Let's view people for their talents and abilities, not for their chromosomal make-up.

Now does that mean we ignore things like race and gender tools used for discrimination? Hell no. If someone is harmed simply because of their race or gender then I absolutely believe that they should have the force of law behind them as they seek recourse. In fact, that notion agrees completely with what I've written above: people shouldn't be viewed as a race or a gender...positively or negatively.

I write this as a member of the "privileged class", being a white male. But wait a minute. Let me list all of the times I've gotten a leg-up because I was a white male.

1.
2.

Short list, huh? In fact I don't think I've ever had someone take my "under their wing" for any reason, let alone my race or my gender. In fact, growing up relatively not-well off (you could say we were poor growing up) to the extent I have anything, it's because I've worked hard and tried to use the talents and abilities I have been given, which takes me actually back to the President Elect, who I believe has gotten where has for the same (all be it with far more talent than me) reasons. Again, why short-change the man?

So here's to the President Elect, who next week makes one giant step for all Americans when he takes the oath of office. Let's hope that years from now people will talk about what Barack Obama accomplished, with the color of his skin just being a passing comment.

Right Down The Line

Just another random title, as the song "Right Down The Line" by Gerry Rafferty is floating around in my head.

In the "business" of this blog, I'm looking at a four day work week, as I have Friday off. I've also got a lot to do this week, both personally and professionally. On the personal end, I really do need to get work on the basement started. On the professional end, I've got a few things that have to get done this week, including getting some continuing education stuff done, soon. Now I start every day with the best of intentions, but somehow as the day progresses, the initiative juices inside of me get drained to the point where by the time I get home I'm pretty much ready to veg out and do nothing. Why?

One thing I did manage to get done yesterday evening, even in the dregs of having no energy, was to look at my DVDs. At this stage, I'm really out of room to store any more. Now it's not that I have a ton of them, but I have enough, coupled with CDs, that I've run out of room in the mission cabinet I have for keeping such things. Actually I do have some room, but I'll need to take out a few knick-knacks that I keep in the cabinet as well (mainly some Penn State memorabilia). I know, not exactly an Earth-shattering problem, but hell at least it can be solved.

Speaking of random, I just heard on the radio that lottery sales are up, even though the economy is down. Now from a practical perspective, that's not a horrible thing in that Pennsylvania uses lottery money to fund senior citizen programs, which is a good thing. We should do as much as we can to take care of the youngest (the children) and the oldest among us. From a rational perspective though, I hear stories like that and think "My God, How Stupid". I guess you can say that I'm not a fan of gambling in general and lotteries specifically. In fact, I've never purchased a lottery ticket in all my life. I don't even know how the games are played.

Heroin for the Masses

Probably the best quote ever about smoking is this:

"No other legal product, when used as directed, kills 60% of its users."
Personally I think that gives tobacco the benefit of the doubt, as it probably contributes to other illnesses as well that may be fatal.



Pretty well put, huh? Here's another thought:

Research has shown that nicotine, the addictive part of tobacco smoke, actually partially re-wires the brains of smokers so that they continue to want more and more nicotine.



How about I keep going? Smoking & addiction...this is from the University of Minnesota:

"Tobacco is as addictive as heroin (as a mood and behavior altering agent)."
Tobacco is -

• 1000x more potent than alcohol
• 10 - 100x more potent than barbiturates
• 5 - 10x more potent than cocaine or morphine

As if the above wasn't bad enough, smoking even harms your teeth (from WebMD):

In addition to causing cosmetic problems (yellow teeth, bad breath, etc.) smoking causes bone loss in the jaw. Smoking also harms salivary glands, increases the chances of developing gum disease, and causes healing after oral procedures to take longer.



Growing up, my mother smoked. I thought then it was a horrible, stinky thing, so I've never had any desire to smoke whatsoever. In fact, I've never even tried it.

Why then is this crap even legal? I know, in this country we have the right to do stupid things, but come on, this isn't stupid, it's freak'n fatal! I really don't get it. Now this isn't to say that I don't have sympathy for those who smoke and are trying to quit, because I do. I'm fortunate in that I've known a few good friends over the years who have managed to quit, although it was very difficult for some and I know a few who have tried to quit and failed. For them I just hope that they continue to try and don't give up, as the benefits of quitting far outweigh the frustration at failing.

What to do? Well I think the percentage of adults that smoke in this country is about 25% or so, and while it has fallen substantially (I think something like 50% of adult males smoked at one time), the trend seems to be bottoming out, and it's doubtful that smoking rates will fall much further. Personally I think tobacco products should be illegal, but I realize that's not possible when such a large percentage of adults still smoke. However I think there are some things that can be practically be done to reduce smoking further:

• The government should subsidize the costs of truly effective smoking cessation medications and programs, such as the drug Chantix.
• There should be a standard, nation-wide non-smoking policy that prevents all smoking in common, public areas...be they indoor or outside.
• There should be more substantial fines for anyone under the age of 18 who possesses tobacco products. I know..."what if they are buying them for a parent"...to which I say "then let the parent buy them for his/her self and stop making the kid nothing more than a drug mule".
• Tobacco should be taxed highly and at a national level, with the proceeds being used to fund smoking cessation programs and prevention programs aimed at young adults. There should also be a special tobacco profits tax leveled at the producers of this product that is also used to fund these programs.
• Cartoons should be banned as tools to advertise tobacco products.
  
• Hollywood should be encouraged to "de-glamorize" smoking in films.
• The government should sponsor annual contest for the production of anti-smoking messaging; effective video/pictures/sound clips would then be used in prevention programs.
• There should be a standard anti-tobacco curriculum required for all schools in select grades.
  
• Companies shouldn't subsidize smoking by allowing/tolerating extra smoking breaks for workers.
  

Sounds hard-assed, I know, but we are talking about something that kills people. This isn't like french fries, where a few every now and then is okay. Hell, even the worst food has some redeeming value in terms of calories...tobacco has zero redeeming qualities. I know "if I quit I will gain weight", but you know what? You can quit without gaining weight, and even if you do, that extra weight for most people will never even come close to killing them.