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I have this habit where I like to be on top of all the murders that are going on in this city via the Chronicle and this website. This story is especially disturbing to me because a) at least at first blush it would appear to be a pretty random act of violence (road rage perhaps?) and b) we were actually about two blocks away from there around the time the article reports shots were reported to police.

Sometimes I find it really hard to believe that liberals can actually think this city makes a great case for letting them run the country.

Labels: Criminals, San Francisco

and boy does this city love barry o

If you want to know what an America run by knee-jerk liberals would look like, well, look no further than the beautiful city of San Francisco:

Tourists are flocking to San Francisco in droves. Property and sales taxes are up. Unemployment is down. Residents and businesses are spending money - lots of money - to live and work in the city.

San Francisco is rolling in green. But it is also bleeding red.

Monday is Mayor Gavin Newsom's deadline to submit a budget that erases a $338 million deficit, and he has warned that the city's fiscal forecast is so bleak that hundreds of city workers could be laid off and services slashed. But it's not because the money isn't coming in, even despite poor economic times nationwide.

"We don't have a revenue problem - our revenue is strong," Deputy City Controller Monique Zmuda said. "Even though the economy's been good, our expenditures are growing at a faster rate than our revenues."

...

Last year, city officials approved a series of new labor deals with unions, giving workers like nurses, police and firefighters hefty pay boosts. Next year, those labor contracts are expected to cost the city $118 million more than they currently do.

Voters over the years have generously approved ballot measures that require the city to spend a fixed dollar amount on everything from public schools to public safety. This year, the so-called set-asides added up to $883 million, a figure that is expected to jump by $57 million more next year.

Add to that the millions in state cuts and the fact that the city can't tap its rainy day fund unless revenues are dropping, and what's left is a huge budget shortfall.

...

The size of the city workforce has ballooned in the past two years, bringing the city payroll to 27,885 people. That's about 1 city employee for every 27 residents.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

how about a gun and a bullet?

There are some weeks, more than others, where I come out at the end feeling like someone just kicked my ass. Hard.

It's only Thursday, but it's safe to say this has already been one of those weeks. The funny thing is, though I can point to certain things that made this week hurt so bad (i.e. $52,000 in losses to company due to trade errors...not really my fault but at least $12,000 could probably have been prevented by me, so sh*t, go me) a lot goes wrong at work on a daily basis and this week wasn't really unique in that sense. It's the nature of the business and why I have a job.

I just wasn't up for it today, being bombarded from the first hour in the morning with stupid compliance/trade issues (cancel this, terminate that, then assign this before you rebook it with all the same details EXCEPT change this one line) and things just kind of getting worse as the day went on...Sigh. Wow. This is a downer.

Every job has days like this though, yes? Right?

Labels: Annoyances, the grind

Monday, May 12, 2008

reminder that sometimes a blurb is all you need

This story is so depressing, that your first instinct is to hope it's made up. My heart and prayers go out to the family, especially that poor mother. To discover your daughter's body and your son to be a in a horrible car crash...both on Mother's Day. Ugh. Cannot imagine how (or if) she must be coping right now...

Labels: News

Saturday, May 10, 2008

class act (alternate title: rambling very early in the morning)

We had NBA League Pass this year so it truly irks me that I haven't really been watching Chris Paul until the playoffs started.

And to see this just takes my respect for him to an all new level. Oh Chris Paul, how do I love thee, let me count the ways...

My favorite thing about watching Chris Paul play is that his greatness never conflicts with the true nature of basketball. That's actually what bugs me the most about Kobe (and no, I don't buy his whole transformation bit, his "THIS is who I am!!" crap...if Kobe had gotten his wish he'd be off in Chicago or Dallas basking in their, uh, "success"), there's no doubt he's incredibly talented and has an unquestionable drive to win, but the way he does it just doesn't seem right to me. If I wanted to see individual feats of record I'd be watching singles tennis or golf or swimming or something. Chris Paul poses a danger to other teams because they can't tell if he's going to score or get one of his teammates an easy bucket. That little floater he does when he's in the lane? It looks almost exactly identical to when he's lobbing it to Tyson Chandler for an easy dunk! What is that?? The boy is a miracle to watch. Want to see what "making your teammates better" looks like? Just watch Chris Paul.

The cool thing about him, though, is that he just comes off as a genuinely good guy. I remember at some point in the season when people were finally noticing how good the Hornets are they did a little piece on Chris Paul where they talked about how he would let opposing players he was buddies with stay over at his place before their games against the Hornets. The "sports analysts" discussing the piece were flabbergasted and said that he wouldn't be doing that after his first taste of the playoffs, so apparently it's not a very common practice, but doesn't it just give you the impression of how sweet and naive Chris Paul must be?

Then of course, there's Tyson Chandler's recent blog about CP3:

I just love how genuine CP is. It's just a combination of things over the last two years that make me really care for the dude like a brother.

Here's a story for you: My wife always teases him about "CP3". She doesn't call him Chris. She's like, "Hey CP3!" Just messing with him and giving him a hard time.

So, one time my wife was sick on the road, and he brought her a little note like "I hope you feel better, blah blah blah. Love, CP3"

It's just little things like that where he takes the time out. He could be a little arrogant prima donna, but he's not in any kind of way. For example: He's going to the zoo with my daughter today, on his birthday. How many NBA All-Stars live like that?

It's like, "So what? I'm not CP3. I'm Chris Paul, son of Charles Paul." And I love that about him.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

ch-ch-changes

I keep trying to post. I have all these half-written posts about things ranging from my health to how pissed I am about the House foreclosure bailout bill. And yet, I don't know. I feel like I've forgotten how to write creatively, how to say things in such a way that I don't bore myself to tears...

This design has remain unchanged for a year and a half and at this point I'm willing to blame it for my lack of inspiration. So...we'll see if I can pull myself together (I am gearing up for some hardcore Series 7 studying soon so you KNOW I'll be looking for any way to procrastinate) and make myself a layout that actually makes me want to write again. I'm considering moving towards more of a diary format as opposed to a blog, mainly because I'm hoping that will push me into the type of writing that will actually improve my writing abilities, as opposed to just posting little snippets here and there. Stay tuned!

Labels: blogging

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Confessions

My new favorite show to watch when I get home at 3:30pm? What I Like About You

And does anyone else think Wesley Jonathan is Jamario Moon's twin? And is anyone else as disgusted by the current Kobe-Lovefest taking place in the NBA as I am?

Labels: Basketball, Random