A Day in The City
It’s been a while since we’ve gone somewhere as a family. Seems like time just flies by and we never really get a chance to get away and have some fun, just the three of us. So today we took off and spend the day in San Francisco.
If there’s one thing I really like about Fresno it’s the fact that we can easily spend a weekend or even just a day in Sacramento, San Francisco or Los Angeles. They are all close enough to enjoy without having to actually live there. San Francisco is even easier because the transit system is so good. We left at 6:30am, drove to Pleasanton, hopped on BART and by 9:30am we were in the city. Not bad at all.
We started our exploration in the Haight-Ashbury section of the city. I’d never been there before and Deanna wanted to do some thrift store shopping so we headed in. Made famous back in the 60’s for being the place to be for pot smoking hippies, it’s still an eclectic neighborhood, but not as weird as you’d expect. There’s a lot of cool cafe’s, used clothing stores, record stores, tattoo shops and stuff like that. Everyone we came in contact with was super cool, and we enjoyed shopping and then a sandwich at a the Peace Cafe.
After that we decided to head to China Town. There was some huge flower festival going on and the whole area was packed full of people. Chinatown is a trip because it’s such a radical change in culture from just a few blocks over. The city literally changes in a heartbeat and suddenly there’s chinese architecture everywhere, all signage is in chinese, and there are almost no people groups other than chinese. It’s really wild, but very cool.
We strolled around for a while and then decided to head over to Fisherman’s Wharf so we walked over to Little Italy, and hopped back on the bus. Fisherman’s Wharf is what it is. It’s far more commercial and less interesting than other parts of the city, but it’s fun none the less. We had lunch at the Hard Rock and then jumped on the train back to Market Street and to our BART station.
We had a great day out together. I really love San Francisco. It’s just such a diverse town and there’s always so much going on and so much to see. It’s easy to think of it as some crazy place if you’ve never been there, but honestly, my experiences in The City have always been positive. I’ve never been attacked by gay sex addicts, or stabbed by a crazed homeless person. It’s actually a very civil city and much more comfortable than most places I’ve been to in the L.A. basin. Honestly, I’d say the rudest people in San Fran are probably the tourists in the high traffic areas. There is definitely a very liberal vibe to the place, but all in all, the city is a live and let live type of place.
One thing I really love about San Francisco is how easy it is to get around. I always take BART to get to the city, but today was the first time I ever spent time getting around on the buses and trolleys. $2 takes you anywhere you want to go in the city. That’s a steal considering that in places like Chicago you take cabs everywhere and they usually hit you for $10 a ride. I also can not get over how many interesting restaurants there are. I swear could have eaten 8 meals today if I had the room in my belly. The only downside really is that the place starts closing in on me after a while. San Fran is just so packed. There’s no open land anywhere with the exception of Golden Gate Park, but even that is fairly small considering the wide open spaces we’re used to here in the valley. So while I really enjoy visiting, I could never live there without getting claustrophobic.
So it was a great time hanging in The City with my girls. We’re already planning our next trip.
King Dana
It’s tax time. That wonderful time of year! I did a quick run through of my taxes this morning and it looks like after I pay my accountant I’ll just about break even. I guess that’s cool, I honestly don’t mind paying my taxes. We get some services in return. But it’s the way that taxes are levied in this country that makes it so distasteful.
I think the thing I hate most about taxes is the way the government views it. They basically use taxation for three purposes: to provide for public services, to buy votes, and to control the masses. It’s those last two that really bother me. Nobody should be getting tax breaks in order to shore up support for a political party, yet we see this happen all the time, with farming, manufacturing, banking, etc. They all get breaks and loopholes in return for lending support to political campaigns. Also, who is the government to tell me I need to spend my money a certain way, and if I don’t they will take more of it from me? This is a violation of the most basic form of liberty.
If it were up to me, taxes would serve one purpose and one purpose only: to fund the government for the purpose of serving the public interest. The WHOLE public interest. Therefore as King Dana the First, I would decree the following laws. *ahem*
First, everyone would pay a flat percentage of their income; Any and all income with the exception of family inheritances which I don’t really consider income. I would do a sliding scale like we do today. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s not because the rich can afford more, it’s because the poor can’t afford it at all. This goes for business too. Anytime money comes in, you pay your tax. No exceptions for charitable or religious organizations, etc, and I’d outlaw all other forms of taxation.
Second, no deductions, no write-offs, no breaks. Period. The government has no right to dictate how your money is spent, nor responsibility for your poor choices.
And honestly, that’s it. That’s my tax plan. Now some may suggest that some industries would suffer, or nobody would donate to charity without the write off, etc… and I say, that’s crap. This country was founded by people who despised government and it flourished specifically because the government had very little power in the beginning. I don’t think there’s a single person who can legitimately say our country is better off today, now that government has ballooned into this monster we have now.
But with my simplified tax law, government would also have to be more fiscally restrained. So I would also set forth the following decrees with regards to Federal spending.
First, the federal government would have to save 10% of it’s tax revenues as an emergency fund and it would donate 10% to charitable causes in depressed nations. This is just a good rule to have. Put some money away for a rainy day, and help those less fortunate.
Second, the fed could not target any money toward specific states or people groups. Basically, no pork. If it doesn’t serve the republic as a whole (meaning, national infrastructure, defense, etc) then it doesn’t get spent at the federal level. I’d also do away with social security and federal employee pensions.
Third, the government would not be allowed to hold massive debt. I don’t have any debt with the exception of my mortgage, why should the government be in debt? This is a matter of sovereignty and national security in my opinion.
Lastly, the federal government would have severely limited ability to pass laws controlling the actions of the states. I figure with this one law you could totally get rid of the EPA, the office of Education, and about 100 other federal panels and offices. Let the states sort out things for themselves. That’s the original concept of our republic anyway. Yeah I know, we’d still want education standards, and pollution standards, etc, but these things can be determined by Universities and other voluntary organizations and left to the states to implement or not.
So that’s basically my theory. The federal government should provide for national infrastructure, national defense and foreign policy. The states should handle everything else however they see fit. Push the power back down to the local communities and trust people to do the right thing. And if they don’t, well they have to live with the consequences it don’t they?
So now that I’ve laid it all out for you, you can either thank the Lord I don’t run things, or vote for me for President King in 2012. :-)
Thoughts on 42
That’s right suckas, 42 years old today! Honestly it doesn’t feel too bad. Better than 40 that’s for sure. So since I’ve been pondering the concept of aging, I think I’ll share some of the pluses and minuses of hitting 42.
Pluses
I feel more mature. Don’t laugh, I mean that. And not in an “all I want to do is put on a sweater and listen to Count Basie” mature. For me it’s more of a confirmation of responsibility. I have a daughter graduating high school. I have a retirement account. I own a house. I don’t get drunk every weekend for fun. These are all things that I just could not fathom when I was 22, or heck… even 32. I’m fairly responsible. And it feels good.
Younger people defer to you. This is probably the coolest thing about getting old. Young people in general will treat you with more respect and maybe even fear you. They do it for no other reason than you are older than them. Of course that doesn’t apply to everyone, but it’s the general rule, and if you don’t abuse it, you can get a lot of mileage out of it. It’s especially fun to exert a little of that power when boys come over to hang with my daughter.
I’m more determined. I’ve learned over the years that anything you want to accomplish takes hard work and perseverance. So when I take up something today, be it a hobby or exercise or a project at work or whatever, I’m not easily deterred.
I’m more even keel and I can see through the crap. Seeing so much stuff happen in the world and still be around to tell about it kind of seasons you. I don’t get all that upset over things anymore, and I don’t get overly excited at the “latest thing” either (except for the iPad).
Minuses
My body hurts. All over. Every day.
I can’t see anymore. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was four years old adn then switched to contacts when I was 14. Now I wear reading glasses on top of my contact lenses. No lie.
I can’t handle chaos. Remember when you were a kid and you could be watching TV and listening to music and talking with friends all at once? Now that drives me absolutely bonkers. Silence is golden.
People call you “old”. I’ve heard more old jokes today than I ever have. It’s like there’s a sign on my back that says “tease me for being an old fart”. There might be actually. I can’t bend my arms far enough anymore to reach back and check.
I think new music sucks. I never thought I’d say that but it’s happening. The stuff my daughter listens to is awful. I try to not put it down because I know it doesn’t really suck, it’s just my artistic tastes setting up like concrete, but it’s hard. OK, I take that back, new music really does suck.
Conclusion
So those are some of my thoughts today. All in all I’m pretty happy with 42. I’m in good shape, I have a fantastic family, a good job, and a relationship with Jesus. Life is good, man. But there’s still plenty to do and experience.
In fact, today I’m going to take up home beer brewing. Cool eh?
P90X: Review
Alright, so I’ve completed two weeks of the famous P90X workout DVD set. I feel like I’m going to puke. This is one really hard workout let me tell you. I’m sweating all over my macbook as I type this, but I can already feel myself getting stronger. P90X is not really anything new or groundbreaking. It’s back to basics exercising: get the heart rate up and flex those muscles. But the way it’s done makes it interesting, and certain workouts are even fun.
P90X consists of 13 DVD’s. Each DVD is one workout and they run from 60 to 90 minutes each. The whole set is broken up into phases, and each phase is broken up into weeks where the exercises change every so often. These workouts include strength training, but also some great cardio workouts and even some yoga. This does several things; It keeps the body guessing utilizing a concept called muscle confusion. The theory goes that if you do anything over and over again, the body will adapt, so by mixing it up, you keep the body working harder. I think this also gives you a more well rounded physique and keeps you from getting strong arms and skinny legs. Lastly, it makes the program more interesting.
The workouts themselves are dynamite. I had been going to the gym three times a week for the past few years and really had not seen any improvement. I wasn’t really getting fatter, but not really getting any more fit. I think when you are a slave to workout machines, you kind of get used to doing certain things and so you go on cruise control after a while. The P90X workout really made me realize how little effort I’d been putting in. These workouts are strenuous! But the good thing is that you can tailor them to meet your fitness level, and they give you something to shoot for. The day that I can follow the DVD to the letter without an extra break or a altered movement is the day I’ll know I’ve accomplished my goals.
One of the great things about this workout too is that you don’t need a lot of gear. I bought a chin up bar and some weight bands from a local sporting goods store and that’s all I’ve needed. Most of the exercises use your own weight against you and honestly I think that gives you a better perspective on your fitness level. It’s easy to put a certain weight on a machine and feel good about pushing it around, but try and do a pull up or 20 push ups, and suddenly you realize how out of shape you are. If there’s one thing we should all be able to do is carry our own weight right? So I think the industry has made a lot of money off of gym memberships and whatnot, but Jack Lalaine was right. All we really need is a chair, a few hand weights and some motivation.
That motivation comes from a guy named Tony Horton. Horton is annoying as heck at first and comes off as some genetically perfect psychopath bent on turning you into a pile of mush. However, after doing two weeks of P90X I’m actually starting to admire the guy. He was in his mid 40’s at the time of the making of P90X and he’s in dynamite shape. I also get the feeling that he’s a genuinely nice guy. He motivates without sounding like a drill sergeant and constantly reminds you to go ahead and take a break if you need it. “Do your best and forget the rest” is repeated constantly during the workouts which gives me the urge to push, but doesn’t make me feel like a total loser in these early weeks.
So I give the P90X workout 5 stars. It’s a great workout and you can do it in your own home without buying a bunch of gear. It’s still too early in my plan to say what the results are going to be, but I do feel much stronger already. I’m able to get further into the ab workout without taking a break, and I’ve noticed my coordination and balance have improved a lot in the Yoga and Kenpo workouts in just these two weeks. I expect to start seeing noticeable fat loss and muscle growth in the coming 2 to 4 weeks. I’ll be sure to post here as the program continues.
Check out the P90X workout at the following website. The workout alone is around $100 which compared to a gym membership is pretty affordable. They also sell packages if you need a chin up bar, etc., but I found that you can get the equipment for much cheaper by shopping around.
Obama Promises “Help” for the Middle Class
So now that the radical left has pissed off the entire country and Obama has failed to materialize as the prophesied messiah, we now hear the president returning to his campaign talking points to try and make nice again like he did in the campaign. The only problem is that this time I’m not buying it. I did not vote for Obama but I was willing to give him a shot and not slam him every chance I got because he sounded like somebody with a level head. He talked about openness and responsibility and change and I like that. The problem is he never delivered on it. What we’ve gotten so far was a few crumbs thrown our way while the back room deals, closed door meetings, outrageous spending and partisan hatred continue on unabated. Nothing has changed one single bit.
So now the president is kicking into campaign mode again with a new push to help out the middle class. What he’s proposing is bigger child tax credit, some changes in how student loans are repaid and some credits for taking care of the elderly. Which in reality means he’s trying to by us off, but what he’s missing is that none of this crap matters. It’s completely inconsequential to the majority of the population and the only reason he’s offering this carrot on a stick is to give the appearance that he’s doing something great, when really, it just is not going to make a difference whatsoever in most of our lives.
If you want to help us Mr. President, here’s what the middle class really needs.
JOBS.
That’s all we need. The middle class doesn’t want handouts or charity. We want to work. We want to be left alone to make a living for ourselves without the interference of some out-of-touch greedy politicians sticking their nose in our business. And you’re not going to create jobs by making everyone a government employee. You create jobs by making it easy for people to start and do business. And how do you make it easy? Get out of our way.
Once upon a time you could have a business and employ other people without a truckload of fees and taxes and red tape, and without the fear of getting sued for having your bathroom mirror two inches too high or killing a field mouse and end up losing everything you worked for.
And once upon a time you could actually build things in America without fear that some sweatshop in a third world country who employs what basically amounts to slave labor will undercut you to death because they don’t have to play by the same rules you do and they have access to your market while they lock you out of theirs.
I could go on and on, and this is really a giant rant, which I don’t like to do, but honestly, it’s not a crazy concept to figure out. Government should do a few things: protect us from our enemies; maintain our infrastructure; and ensure that everyone plays fair according to the Constitution. After that, get the frick out of our way and let us do what we do best; Work our American butts off and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
