Little Taylor (LT) Update #3

80% sure ain't what it used to be.

Um yeah ... "Zak" is a girl. So "Zak" is now "Madison."

I think I'm going to call her Zak anyway.

Win a free Pepsi!

Just grab and/or show the attendant your blue ball!

(Photo taken by yours truly on Monday afternoon at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas)

A few things to ponder ...

These are only related, insofar as they both came up within 24 hours of each other. Please feel free and weigh in ...

1) If a someone very prominently displays his/her "stuff," (in one instance, a woman wearing a corset, quite literally with her boobs displayed on a shelf, or another case in which a man was wearing pants that may as well have been his skin) is it wrong to look at said "stuff?" Should you feel bad if you just happen to find yourself looking at his/her "stuff" out of consequence?

2) When you are traveling out of town and someone asks you "where are you from?" should you answer with the place you presently live or, if different, the place you are actually from?

Pinball Hall of Fame

It pays to read those in-flight magazines. Of course, it helps when you have the motivation to keep yourself busy when you are circling Las Vegas in the air for 45 minutes.

On page 108 of last month's Spirit Magazine, we found this story and a new Vegas destination was determined, in addition to obvious plans to spend time in casinos and see this show.

We ended up spending about 3 hours at the museum one afternoon, and about $10 working our way through the rows of machines. I varied my targets, but played far fewer of the newer games. I will admit, though, that the pinball machines based on the films Lord of the Rings & Pirates of the Caribbean are pretty badass with their attention to detail and sound effects and such.

The classics included (oft mentioned in the article) The Wizard, King Pin (which had the weakest bumpers but the best old school pinball sounds,) Captain Fantastic, The Circus, and Q*Bert's Quest. We also hit up a few arcade games, including Tetris and Horse Race. However, I was never more in my element than when I bought myself a can Hawaiian Punch and set myself up next to Ms. Pac Man. (And yes, I left behind the high score - yay!)

We finished the day putting a quarter into The Relaxator, which basically shakes the living crap out of your feet in a relatively violent manner while you stand on a platform and hold on for dear life. But damn, my tired feet sure did feel better afterwards.

Little Taylor (LT) Update #2

This is LT ... chillin' ...

Workers can be fired for using medical pot, state Supreme Court rules

This really shocked me, especially in a state that has a myriad laws that protect the employee (sometimes to what could be said is a ridiculous extent.)

"Ross said he had never used the drug at work or been impaired by its effects on the job, and that he had performed his duties competently."

If that is true, I can't say I support the decision the Supreme Court made. Toking up at work is one thing; legally using a prescribed drug outside of work is quite another.

"We are sort of Ozzie & Harriet. But homos."

This week, Real Time with Bill Maher featured a pre-recorded clip of Dan Savage speaking to Huckabee supporters in South Carolina (followed by Savage's stint as part of the panel.)

I know that switching to recorded video bits is a crutch right now for shows to use during the WGA Strike. But when the strike subsides soon (*fingers crossed,*) may I still see video footage of Dan Savage on the campaign trail? Pretty please?

Did he just refer to use of selective Bible scriptures as "ancient desert prejudices?" Yes, I believe he did. Oooh ... you are going to hell. But from the content of the video, the people in South Carolina already told you that.

I have always believed that people need an example that counters their prejudices to be able to abandon their prejudices. And I've been lucky enough to see that happen in small doses.

But I also realize that is not the norm, and that many people aren't interested in examining their prejudices, even when given evidence to the contrary. So no matter how childish this is, for me, there is something satisfying about seeing prejudiced people be made to look dumb by those they are prejudiced against.

And if that's wrong ... I don't want to be right.

(On a side note: one of the first discoveries I made when I moved to the Bay Area way back when was the "Savage Love" column in SF Weekly. Nearly a decade later, I've rarely missed a column, and my bulletin board is still adorned with one of my favorite Dan Savage quotes: "You couldn't be a bigger sucker if there was a white stick in your ass and your head came wrapped in cellophane." 04.05.2000)

Little Taylor (LT) Update #1

Here begins the first in a series of Little Taylor (LT) updates, based on conversations with my brother, father of LT.

First bit o’ trouble – LT’s heartbeat couldn’t be detected yesterday, so they went to have an ultrasound today. After a trip to the hospital, they learned that LT is just fine. They also learned this:

• LT is about 11 weeks old presently
• LT is due on my brother’s birthday.
• They are “80% sure” that LT is a boy.

I am, of course, flipping this and saying that LT is 80% boy. A true metrosexual.

At this time, I will not be referring to LT by the name they have chosen if LT is indeed a boy because 1) I don’t know how they are choosing to spell it and 2) I think it’s funny that he will share the name of a President. (You can figure it out from there.)

Future Darwin Award Winner

I know the kid was only 12, but by that age you should already know the following:

1. Don't f*#k with a Girl Scout.
2. When robbing someone, don't leave them your name and number.
3. Girl Scout cookies are worth more than U.S. currency.
   

Laurinaitis staying at Ohio State

"I know I can still improve as a player, and I know there is still much more to me and for the Buckeyes to accomplish," Laurinaitis said in a statement. "There are a lot of things that money can't buy, and some of those things are the experiences of a senior season. Going through those things with my teammates next year is what I look forward to the most."

I really hope his (and the others’) decision to stay works out better for them than when, one year ago, Chad Henne, Jake Long, and Mike Hart decided to forgo the draft. *cough*Appalachia State*cough* No, seriously. I am actually typing genuine sympathy for Michigan players. Especially ‘cause the Buckeyes beat them for the duration of their careers. Hee.

In all seriousness, I have always had immense respect for players who choose to finish college in lieu of grabbing the professional brass ring. I know it’s a risk (financial and otherwise) to wait it out, and it takes a high level of maturity to stay for the right reasons.

Bravo, sir.

That's a nice surprise.

Maybe I'm actually not a completely horrible judge of character.

(But the realist in me reserves the right to amend this post at a later date.)

Champaign wishes and Buckeye dreams.

(Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Tomorrow. 5:15p (PST). It's on.

I hope the Buckeyes are.

(Really? LSU is watching 300 tonight?)

Results from the Hawkeye state

Eleven months before the election, I hesitate to give too much significance to these results. I believe U.S. politics may be the reason the expression "life changes on dime" came to be. (No, not really.)

But I can't say the results are as I expected. Game on.

Really?

Socially awkward - "Presenting a form or different forms of uncomfortability when around others."

Stoned - "A degree of intoxication from the pot. Enough to change normal thought processes. Normally manifested with absent mindedness and stupidity."

Fine. I can see how someone can confuse one for the other in theory. Except that my eyes were clearly not bloodshot.

Update 01.10 - Maybe if I just wear this shirt things will be clearer ...

Happy New Year!

Wow. I'm writing in '08.