Entries from March 2008 ↓

I read this yesterday. If you’ve done the same, and you’d care to discuss it, remind me about it sometime over cocktails.

To begin that loaded conversation, bring an answer to the following question, which I’ve phrased a few different ways:

What is more important in Life: having a dream that does come true, or having a dream that can come true? Is it the fulfillment that matters, or is it the dream itself that keeps us alive? Is it about the kill, or the chase?

Therein lies the philosophical difference between Santiago and the crystal merchant, and what I believe to be the proverbial backbone of the entire piece. Decide which rationale you identify with more, and we’ll go from there.

That one should take all night.

From Sunset Boulevard at Descanso, late Saturday afternoon, looking east. That’s the Los Angeles skyline straight ahead.

>> A fan’s guide to identifying pitches

Via ESPN:

1. Walk
2. Intentional walk
3. Hit by pitch
4. Dropped 3rd strike
5. Failure to deliver pitch in 20 seconds
6. Catcher interference
7. Fielder interference
8. Spectator interference
9. Fan obstruction
10. Fair ball hits ump
11. Fair ball hits runner
12. Fielder obstructs runner
13. Pinch-runner
14. Fielder’s choice
15. Force out at another base
16. Preceding runner put-out allows batter to reach first
17. Sac bunt fails to advance runner
18. Sacrifice fly dropped
19. Runner called out on appeal
20. Error
21. Four illegal pitches
22. Single
23. Game suspended with runner on first, that player is traded prior to the makeup; new player is allowed to take his place

I must poke at this one for a couple seconds, pointing out that not all of these are legitimate “ways” per the scorecards. I can actually only count eight ways; all of the 23 listed above would officially be recorded as one of the following: Hit, Base on Balls, Hit by Pitch, Error, Fielder’s Choice, Catcher’s Interference, Dropped Third Strike, and (up for debate) Pinch Runner.

Rebuttals welcome.

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
– From ‘The Alchemist’

Last night, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of calling Los Angeles home, the Dodgers played an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at the Los Angeles Coliseum located several miles south of downtown. For those who don’t know, the Dodgers played their games at the Coliseum in South Central Los Angeles for their first four years here (’58, ‘59, ‘60, and ‘61) while their permanent home at Chavez Ravine was being built just north of downtown.

And so we rallied, braving traffic, parking fees, and the scalping scene to take in the experience. What a trip. A gummer in the hood! We joined 115,000 other people with the same idea, packing the Coliseum to capacity. That’s like packing Dodger Stadium more than twice. To quote KFWB News: “Not since the Christians were thrown to the lions has the Coliseum been this full.”

Two of the first things we noticed were the glaring absence of Dodger Dogs (replaced by bratwursts; did the Farmer John deal come after 1961?), and a left field that looked smaller than my backyard. With this set-up, the Left Fielder assumes more of a Rover role, which most of the time equated to having three middle-infielders.

The photo above was taken from our scalped seats on the southwest curve of the venue. I imagine this is what it looked like fifty years ago, although, if I’m not mistaken, they didn’t play night games back then. I also doubt they ever drew 115,000 people to one game. And I guarantee you beers weren’t ten bucks a pop.

And yeah, I kept expecting the Trojan horse guy to come galloping out at any minute.

A book report from 1981:

“There are weapons that are simply thoughts — ideas, prejudices — to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy.”
– Rod Serling

>> The Rod Serling Conference at Ithaca College

I love the implications of this. Adobe has just announced that they’re launching a free Web-based version of Photoshop Express, the stripped-down poor man’s version of Photoshop.

While it’ll no doubt have its limitations, I’m stoked by the ability to do on-the-fly digital photo tweaks (cropping, sizing, levels adjustments, some filters) from anywhere with a Web connection.

Any day a good tool becomes Web-based is a good day.

Written forty years ago in 1968, a Mechanix Illustrated article predicting what life would be like in 2008.

The writer got it pretty close, only he forgot the part about tossing out a tweet from your cell phone as your air-cushion car glides along the smooth plastic road at 250 miles per hour.

By the way, is it gonna be Someday soon?

Last night’s sunset, shot from White Point. I couldn’t help from tripping on the orange sword blade on the horizon, and noticing the placement of the sun on it. Look closely.

And for the vertical-minded, I simply HAD to crop this photo to give you same vibe on the y-axis. Which, now that I look at it, uses the same math found in this painting, only it’s flipped vertically.

• If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills…
• If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains…
• If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles…
• If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it…
• If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time…
• If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong…
• If you can take criticism and blame without resentment…
• If you can face the world without lies and deceit…
• If you can conquer tension without medical help…
• If you can relax without liquor…
• If you can sleep without the aid of drugs…
• If you can do all these things…

…then you’re probably the family dog.

(via iwiggins)