Go go gadgets

I am what you might call, technology-savvy. But, at the same time, I'm not someone that wants or needs to be on the leading edge or that wants to be particularly "connected" in all ways possible. Even though I took my first computer class in high school in the early 80s, my major in college was computer science, my first job was doing data entry, I've worked in the credit union software industry since 1992 and I've been on the internet since 1996, I didn't own my very own PC until the 2000s. I was also late to music CDs, staying on cassettes until the early 90s. I also went straight from VHS cassettes to DVDs in 1999, skipping laser disks entirely and I was never a PC gamer. (If I have to be completely honest, I had a pong game in the late 70s, a color TRS-80 MC-10 sometime in the 80s - I actually still have it in storage - that I could hook up to my TV set, but that wasn't much more than a toy. I also did have an Atari 2600 and I even remember playing E.T., the game that nearly killed the gaming industry, on it.) I also never had a beeper or a pager and didn't have a cell phone until about 5 or 6 years ago.

Basically, I've always avoided being the owner of the newest gadgets because I had enough gadgets in my work life. I've been on the internet since 1996 because work gave me a laptop to use back then.


Times, they are a-changing. About two months ago, my employer told me that they wanted me to get a Blackberry so that they could always reach me and I could always get my work email. I understood the reason they wanted this, but I was in no hurry to be that much more connected. Well, after several weeks of delays due to misplaced equipment, scheduling difficulties and ineptitude on the part of a Verizon Wireless store employee, I finally got my Blackberry up and running. It's the iPhone-alternative for those of us not on AT&T, the Blackberry Storm and, for the most part, it's actually pretty cool. Sure, it's buggy as hell, it crashes for no apparent reason and the touch/press typing and mistyping can be tedious, but there's no beating having full access to my address book (over 1,000 entries), calendar, my email, gmail, IM, and internet. I even got a Bluetooth earphone for this thing, something else I've avoided until now, and it actually works great.

But, since the post says gadgets, I wanted to just quickly mention that I seem to be on an inadvertent buying spree of technology since November, starting with a new car (I had no choice, my old car was destroyed by a drunk driver) with a very nice climate control system and XM radio (love First Wave and Cinemagic, although I would cancel XM in a minute if I had to pay more than the $5/month deal I got). After the car, my old PC started dying, so I have a new PC with a widescreen 24" 108op monitor. I also bought a Blu-Ray player, networked it and my DVR, bought a wireless inkjet printer (the old printer was not compatible with Vista x64, the OS of my new PC) and, just yesterday, purchased an iRobot Roomba.

Right now, most of my spare attention has been given to trying to figure out this Blackberry, so I've not yet even opened up the box for the Roomba. Hopefully, I'll open up that box and get that going sometime this week, which is a far cry from the time it took me to get around to hooking up a brand new AV receiver a few years ago - about a year and a half after I bought that, I opened the box and hooked it up.

A blog in search of a new identity

Now that Dweedle Dum and his evil administration are about to be replaced by a man that I consider a personal hero of mine, my views will no longer be considered "aid and comfort to the enemy" by the executive branch. Thus, I am retiring the "Comfort for the Enemy" name and my blog, for the time being, is untitled.

Star magazine? Really?

I was a subscriber to Premiere magazine for its entire 20 year existence until it folded in 2007 and I loved that magazine. When it folded, they tried to convert my remaining multi-year subscription to US Weekly, but I asked for and got a refund.

I was unhappy about Premiere, but luckily, Radar Magazine had just re-started publishing and I, at least, still had that.

I just got the postcard in the mail today that "due to marketplace conditions, Radar Magazine has stopped publishing" and they offered me three options for the remainder of my subscription:

• Star
• Men's Fitness
• Shape

I'm not gay nor am I into sports, so I'm about as interested in the last two options as I would be in a magazine about pig farming (not at all, in case you're sarcasm-challenged). But Star magazine? Did the new owners of Radar really think that people that read Radar would want to read a celebrity gossip magazine that you find at every single dentist and doctor's office in America? I mean, I read Radar because it was smarter than that (at least in the beginning). And the worst part is that the postcard includes the disclaimer, "You will receive Star if no response is received by January 12, 2009".

Of course, there was no option on the postcard for a refund and no contact information. I had to search "The Internets" to find out that AMI purchased them and then contact Star magazine to ask for a refund. Of course, the very nice girl that answered the phone didn't yet have any information about the Radar cancellation and no way to process a refund for me; she was good enough to contact a supervisor, take down my information and tell me that she'll try to process the refund once they do get the information on "their system".

My brother-in-law is an artist in metal

We now interrupt our irregular programming...

My brother-in-law, Fritz Church, is an incredible artist and metal worker. He lives in Tacoma, Washington and owns his own business, Fire Works Forge, which creates custom metal railings or other custom metal work that are both practical and beautiful. (He also does metal sculpture, which is beautiful, but not meant to be practical.)

I encourage you to visit his web site just to see the artistry in his work. And, if you need any custom metal work, I highly recommend him.

How you should vote on Tuesday

I'll make this simple:

President and Vice President: Barack Obama/Joe Biden

If you live in California:
Prop 1a: Yes
Prop 2: Yes
Prop 3: No
Prop 4: No
Prop 5: Yes
Prop 6: No
Prop 7: No
Prop 8: No
Prop 9: No
Prop 10: No
Prop 11: No
Prop 12: Yes

If you live in San Diego:

City Council District 3: Stephen Whitburn

City Attorney: Michael J. Aguirre

Prop A: No
Prop B: No
Prop C: Yes
Prop D: Yes
Prop S: Bonds-No

My dad started dialysis today

My dad's side of the family has been hit hard by Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). We know that my Grandma "Kitty" had it and my dad tells me she was on dialysis for 20-25 years before she finally got a kidney transplant in the mid-to-late 80s. She felt much better after the transplant, but due to other health issues, she died within a few years of her transplant.

Her brother, beloved Uncle Nick, also had PKD and he also died from complications in the mid-90s. My dad thinks that several of grandma's other siblings also had it.

My dad was officially diagnosed with PKD in 1992, so I went in for an ultrasound shortly afterwards and found that I also have it. My PKD is still at the very early stage with normal creatinine levels. I do have to take blood pressure medication, but I have no PKD-related pain.

My dad is a different story and he had to go to the hospital earlier this year because his potassium levels were through the roof. At the time, we thought he would have to go on dialysis immediately, but thanks to an extreme diet change (the incredibly difficult renal diet) and changes to his meds, he was able to postpone dialysis for several months. Unfortunately, he has now reached the stage where he must start dialysis and that's what he did today. I took him to his first appointment this afternoon and I'm about to head out the door to pick him up as I type this.

My dad's a fighter and I know that dialysis will be really good for him, even if it will be a hassle. But if he doesn't eventually get a kidney transplant, he will remain on dialysis for the rest of his life. That saddens me, but it also makes me all the more driven to raise funds and volunteer for the PKD foundation so that all PKD sufferers will have much better options in the future.

If you would like to support the PKD foundation, I encourage you to do so.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains

As mentioned previously, I first saw parts of Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains in the mid-80s when it showed up on late night TV (Night Flight on the USA Network), but since it was never released on video or DVD, I never got to watch it from start to finish. I remember that I really liked what I saw, though, and I've kept my eyes open for it for the last 20 years.

When I found out that it was finally getting a real DVD release, I pre-ordered the movie, waited for it be officially released and finally watched it in its entirety a few weeks ago.

Actually, I watched it twice in the same night: the second time while listening to the highly entertaining commentary track from Diane Lane and Laura Dern. Ms. Lane was 15 and Ms. Dern was 13 years old when they shot this film surrounded by punk rock legends.

Since I watched it twice, you probably already realize that I really liked this movie. I can't write film reviews to save my life, but I found the story fun, the characters very believable (and grounded in reality, even if the plot is a bit absurd) and the music is just great. But, the music has to be great when you have two Sex Pistols and members of The Clash and The Tubes not only playing music but also acting in the film as musicians. For me, though, the greatest thrill I got while watching this film was realizing that the fictitious rock band The Looters, which included the aforementioned Sex Pistols and Clash members, was fronted by none other than (an incredibly young-looking) Ray Winstone. I had only known Mr. Winstone from his roles in recent years in films such as Sexy Beast, The Departed and that abortion of a franchise movie starring Harrison Ford earlier this year. Ray Winstone is a great actor, but I now know that he is also a great punk rock singer.

I'm walking for PKD again

As I have for the last several years, I am walking again to fund research to find a cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). My walk is on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 9:30 am at the Spanish Landing Park on Harbor Drive in San Diego, but similar walks will occur that same weekend all across the United States.

I walk because I have an extensive family history of PKD, including, my grandmother (who died from PKD), my dad (who is on a special renal diet to keep him off of dialysis), at least one cousin and me. My PKD has not progressed to the point where I have to worry about dialysis or a kidney transplant, but I'm still relatively young and there are many others who are not as lucky as I am.

If you want to support me in my walk for PKD, I've set up a page where you can donate money on my behalf to the PKD Foundation or, if you want to walk with me, you can join my team. The link is here.

For more information about PKD, check out the PKD Foundation.

Thanks,
Ray