When the Cat's Away, the Mice will Play!

I am home, and, no, I did not start painting Yoda on black velvet, I do not listen to Babs Strsnd, nor to The Captain and Tenille (yuck, yuck, double yuck). I do not object to "Ebony and Ivory", however, and I do generally give Glen Gould an exemption to my vehement hatred for Bach played on the piano.

And I still maintain that Augusto Pinochet was the best thing that ever happened to Chile.

So, who led you to believe otherwise? A cell of infiltrators, headed by the lovely Melanie. Can you believe it?

Anyway, I am back, and I have plenty to write about the bizarre city that is Las Vegas. Plenty.

I also have some good photos, and will post a photolog of my trip by the weekend, if not sooner.

And the big news is that we are moving to Vallejo. An opportunity came up for a bigger house in a better neighborhood, accross the street from some friends. I have mixed feelings, as I have been in love with Oakland since the mid-1980's, but things have been a little rough between us recently.

You see, there is this matter of electing that evil twit Ron Dellums as mayor. I can forgive a lot, but voting for Dellums just shows a particular stupidity that is stuck in 1967. Somewhere in Montclair, a village has lost it's idiot. He's not my mayor. Don't blame me, I voted for De La Fuente.

There was a time when the left was a little smarter, when it could actually follow an argument, but that time is gone. It simply suffices for them to congratulate each other on how smart they are, and they get dumber and dumber. We live in an era when the difference between "it is", "I think", and "I feel" are considered insignificant, if they are seen to exist at all. The East Bay leftist is an imbecile, ready to jump on whatever cause Central Planning points to.

There is an excellent little grocery store near us that has been under attack by the union. They let their employees vote, the employees voted against the union, but the union will not let up. The other day they were picketing. I saw several people walk up, be told that "this is an anti-Union store" and turn away. Not to ask for more details, not to find out what the store's management has to say. The Left says it, I believe it, that settles it, and thank God we are not like those bigoted right wing fundamentalists who cannot think for themselves.

I have gotten to the point where I simply cannot stand liberals. Once in awhile you can find one who actually understands his position and can defend it beyond the use of misquotes and misapplied sayings (often ripped straight from bumper stickers), but these sorts are an increasingly rare breed.

"Why do you quote Chomsky on this matter? Has he studied it?"

"Noam Chomsky," she replies indignantly, "is one of the biggest geniuses in academia."

"Sure, he knows linguistics, but he is playing fast and loose with concepts in politics that he doesn't seem to fully grasp, and why are you accepting his basic philosophical premises anyway?"

-The look of an offended leftist, looking for all the world like I called her grandmother a toad.

I am sick of people who worry about their carbon footprint.

And I loathe and detest vegetarians. All of them. There was a time when I tolerated them and even numbered some of them among my friends. No more. They get stiff cordiality and a patronizing smile that says, "yes, run along, Boomer, I have friends my own age." And yet, not a one has ever caught on. Lack of animal protein turns you into a carrot. Be warned!

Speaking of Boomers, anyone who gloms on to Chinese philosophy is a fool, yoga is creepy, animals have no rights, Lenny Bruce was not that funny, the Beetles were not that talented, smoking tobacco in moderation is good, homosex is never good, marihuana makes you stupid, every last Volvo ought to be melted down, and...you people voted for Carter! Carter! Carter! For shame!

Not all Oaklanders are stupid leftist boomer clones, but that sector fo the public has gotten more and more self-satisfied. The being wrong I can live with, it's the smugness I can do without.

Sayonara, Dellums-voting twits.

And then there is the murder rate. I understand the concept that is cynically called by cops "public service killings" in which one gangster offs another, saving the public sector the hassle. But, Oakland goes beyond that.

Last week, a fellow was gunned down and killed four blocks from us. A few weeks before that, there was a SWAT action in our neighborhood. Last year, I was held up at gunpoint on my front stoop. I am more than done with this, and I am afraid that much more will turn me into a wild-eyed vigilante, heavily armed and ready to shoot anything with the wrong hairstyle or baggy pants. This, in and of itself, is probably not a bad thing. However, with Jerry Brown as AG, I wouldn't stand a chance in our justice system.

It is not that Vallejo is without problems. After all, the utterly insipid form of "music" called hy-fi was invented there. Think of hip hop uttered by kids too retarded to make up halfway clever rhymes.

And, it is Jeff Gordon's hometown.

So, no, we are not escaping into the walled security of suburbia, although the neighborhood we are moving to is much better and with a lower crime rate than what has crept into our neighborhood recently.

There are still things to love about Oakland: the parks, the waterfront, the domestic architecture.

And there is Amalia's school, which we are really happy with (and a public school to boot!). The Vallejo school district is wretched. We will probably have to figure out some way of getting an inter-district transfer (we have a couple of secret tricks in that deparment), or will have to send Amalia to Catholic school.

Whatever we do, I am sure that we will miss Crocker Highlands Elementary. Kindergarten has been a great experience for Amalia.

In other news, Melanie is singing again, which is always a good thing, and our new place will have room for a harpsichord.

Posted by erik at June 4, 2007 10:32 PM