December, Already

The to-do list for 2013 has many items unfinished, but the December calendar doesn't have a lot of room to complete them. The first order of business is to make a list--among all the other lists that we create this month--to determine how many tasks can be deferred to next year (unfortunately, not many).

December is the month when there's a final push to make the numbers, when year-end reports are drafted, and the final touches are made to next year's plan. Adding to the burden are card-writing, gift-giving, and tree-decorating, not to mention going away on vacation. And I really should take a look at last-minute tax moves for 2013.

December used to be one of my favorite months; now, January can't come too soon.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Time's recent cover story is about another example of how pendulums can swing too far [bold added]:

We have too many wild animals--from swine to swans. Thirty million strong and growing, the population of white-tailed deer in the U.S. is larger today than it was when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, according to National Wildlife Research Center scientist Kurt VerCauteren. They gobble up crops and vegetable gardens, dart into traffic and spread tick-borne diseases. Then there are the wild hogs. From a little herd imported to feed explorer Hernando de Soto's 16th century expedition, some 5 million feral pigs are rooting through city parks and private lawns in 48 of the 50 states...

And beavers. Nearly wiped out in the 19th century, they're back with a vengeance. In the Seattle suburb of Redmond, beavers are felling ornamental trees not far from Microsoft headquarters to build dams in the drainage culverts. Bald eagles are back too; one has been feasting on pet dogs near Saginaw, Mich. Raccoons bedevil the tony North Shore suburbs of Chicago. The world's largest Burmese pythons are no longer found in Burma; they are flourishing in South Florida. Wild turkeys swagger through Staten Island, N.Y. The yip of coyotes competes with the blare of taxi horns in New York City and Washington, while a fox has lately been in residence on the White House grounds. At least one mountain lion has had its photo snapped while hanging out in the Hollywood Hills.

It was easy to love the idea of wild animals....until the real animals foul gardens, damage property, or even endanger human lives. 40 years ago it was comparatively easy to ban certain activities in the name of animal protection; those bans have borne fruit, and not all are sweet.

Deer at the park last January.

Surprisingly Productive

On Black Friday family members wanted to join the mobs at the mall. The mall was the last place I wanted to be--we INTJs don't like shopping in crowds--but when one has a family one must sacrifice one's own preferences for the greater good. It took only 15 minutes of driving around to find a parking space.

I ordered a coffee at Barnes & Noble and planted myself at a table with the MacBook. (Free Wi-Fi is a blessing to INTJs.) During the next hour I cleared over a hundred shopping messages from various e-mail inboxes. Black Friday at the mall turned out to be surprisingly productive. Tip for the day: always keep your expectations low, then you'll feel better when things don't turn out as bad as you thought.

Turkey Day

The turkey entered the oven at nine. The back and front were seared for 20 minutes, then the heat was lowered and the automatic meat thermometer set to 160. The thigh temperature hit the mark six hours later, and the oven switched off.

We drove to Mimi's Cafe to pick up a couple of side dishes. (For $100 Mimi's will prepare a "holiday feast" that will feed 6 to 8 people, but never having outsourced Thanksgiving before, I didn't feel like entrusting the entire dinner to someone else.) Mimi's was strained to the breaking point; all tables were filled, plus the take-out line was ten deep. They had lost our order, which had been placed two weeks earlier. No problem, there were extra sides in the cooler, and they filled our order in 15 minutes. I was silently grateful (it is Thanksgiving) that I had not ordered the full holiday feast.

We returned home just in time to remove the turkey from the oven. Of course, today there are big things for which we are profoundly thankful, but a tender, juicy, flavorful bird certainly helped to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

The Easy Way

Thanksgiving, 2013: it's in the bag.

In previous years hours were spent preparing the turkey brine; we had to boil the vegetables and spices, cool and decant the liquid, ice the mixture, and dispose of the detritus in the compost bin. This time we did it the easy way by buying a brining kit (less than $10) from Urban Accents. True, the brine still had to be boiled, while the spice packet contained dried, not fresh ingredients, but the whole process was much faster, cheaper, and cleaner. [Update - 11/28: the proof of the turkey is in the eating, and diners pronounced the result excellent.]

Another plus: the brining kit came with a food-grade plastic bag. In past years we used large new bags of uncertain provenance. While the risk of chemicals leaching into the icy brine is minimal, it's best not to take chances.

Pulling the Brake

Last year we, er, railed against the boondoggle known as the California high-speed rail (HSR) project, aka the train to nowhere. Yesterday Sacramento judge Michael Kenny halted the $10 billion expenditure of bond funds until a realistic plan for raising the remaining $15 billion is presented.

the state's current financing plan does not comply with the promises made to voters in 2008 when they approved selling $10 billion in bonds for the project. Beyond the $6 billion in state and federal funds for the first 130 miles, the judge said, revenue is theoretical rather than "reasonably expected actually to be available starting in 2015." The current cost estimate for building the first 300 miles, which the judge has indicated he believes is what the bond measure intended to finance, is $31 billion.

Supporters of HSR were undoubtedly counting on the project's momentum and arm-twisting by special-interest beneficiaries to force continuation of the project regardless of the wording in the 2008 initiative. HSR may still proceed if the legislature votes the funds, or if a realistic financing plan is devised.  Nevertheless, Judge Kenny's insistence that the Governor and other supporters live up to the promises they made to get the law passed is refreshing....and rare.

We'll Be Back

Our table for two hours.

In Las Vegas it's easy for non-members to sport the appearance of being part of the one-percent club. (For example, as of this writing a Maserati may be rented for $675 per day.)

We were invited by friends to lunch at the Mansion, the MGM Grand Hotel's oasis for whales. We were the only patrons in the garden while we enjoyed a quiet leisurely lunch. There was no hint that the bustling Strip was only a block away. After lunch we strolled around the trees and admired the statuary.

Whales don't care that the duck breast entree
weighs less than a hamburger and costs $35.

On this trip we didn't set a foot in old Las Vegas. I missed having gaming palaces a short walk from each other, but I didn't miss the cigarette smoke or the grime. A vacation on the Strip is more expensive than downtown but costs less than Honolulu, New York, or LA....that is, if one is disciplined at the tables. This time I kept my head, or maybe just was lucky. We won't wait five years to return.

How the Young'Uns Do

Grilled scallops at the Sage

The Sage served the best meal we had during our long weekend in Las Vegas. We ordered small plates, a forced choice after three days of ceaseless consumption. Every dish was made of fresh ingredients and offered flavors and textures in interesting combinations. The only drawback was the noise. The Aria Hotel is oriented toward the younger crowd, which seems to gravitate toward venues that play high-energy music. We had to shout to make ourselves heard and decided to communicate how the young'uns do by texting each other. When in Rome....

A Bargain Indeed

Travelers from Hawaii have been known to head straight from McCarran Airport to the craps and blackjack tables for an all-night session, but those days are long since past for your humble observer. First, the desire has diminished; second, I just can't do it any more (oh, were we talking about gambling?)

On this week's trip to Las Vegas, our first in five years, we passed up the excesses of the all-you-can eat buffets and opted for less stomach-stretching fare. Each of the Strip hotels has at least one celebrity chef. On Thursday night we dined at Julian Serrano's at the Aria, and Friday at 9:30 we got in to Shawn McClain's Sage, also at the Aria. The ticket for two (without wine) ranged from $100 to $150, not unreasonable when compared with prices at top restaurants in San Francisco.

When one takes into account the money saved by not spending time in the casino, fine dining in Las Vegas is a bargain indeed.

Julian Serrano's mixed paella

That Day: A Personal Remembrance

I wrote this personal remembrance, reproduced below, on the 40th anniversary.

Mrs. Matthews calmly told us the news, but her normally severe demeanor seemed strained. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. The class grew quiet. In the face of tragedy we tried to act like adults, who we thought would not cry or shout or otherwise carry on.

After an interminable wait, school finally let out, and kids got into their buses or waiting cars. My ride wouldn’t come for another hour so I wandered around the empty halls. I thought about going to the main office to call Mom, but the phone was only to be used in the direst emergency, like the time I got sick in Mrs. Millar’s fourth grade class and my father had to take off work to pick me up. I borrowed a book from the library and went across the street to wait for my uncle. I opened the book but didn’t see the pages.

These days we say we are “shocked” or “stunned” by an occurrence, when, in truth, our imagination, combined with knowledge of actual horrors experienced over the past 40 years, has inoculated us against surprise. But those reactions are appropriate to this seminal event, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, that signaled the end of our childhood.

The entire week was quiet. No one felt like playing football, so games were cancelled. The churches were filled, just as they were a year earlier when we prayed that God would spare the world. It was a week of blackness--black suits, dresses, and veils filling our black-and-white TV sets and newspapers.

In 1960 my parents supported Richard Nixon, and, being an imitative child, so did I. But once JFK was elected, he became the President and had our unswerving allegiance. The world was extremely dangerous. As we learned in geography, Russia had the most land, China had the most people, and these colossi were united against us. And more and more were joining their fold: people in Africa, in South America, even in neighboring Mexico, were burning the flag (I remember when some burned the old flag with 48 stars: didn’t they know that Hawaii and Alaska had become States?). The map of the world that hung on the bedroom wall was bathed in red, the color of communism, while the blue part--the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and Japan—seemed puny in comparison.

At school we would practice ducking under our desks in case the bombs started falling. People say now that these instructions were a big joke, but I didn’t know anyone who laughed. Life and Look magazines ran page after page on the devastation wrought by atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I studied the huge mushroom cloud produced by the thousand-times more powerful hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll. Today children have nightmares about the Twin Towers falling; we worried about towers vaporizing…..everywhere.

President Kennedy also contended with many problems on the Mainland, as we called the contiguous 48 states. (I don’t want to give the impression that in my tender years I was a news junkie: it was primarily to advance my vocabulary that I read the grown-ups’ newspapers, the morning Advertiser and evening Star-Bulletin.) Good news was rare. Powerful labor unions, such as the Teamsters and steelworkers, went on strike and shut down much of the country. Troops had to be sent to Alabama because Governor Wallace wouldn’t let black kids go to school. The powerful Mafia was a big problem on the East Coast, and Robert Kennedy, the callow Attorney General, seemed inadequate to the task. As the Untouchables TV series vividly showed, you needed men with machine guns to take them on, and the President’s younger brother did not have the authoritative air of Elliott Ness.

The troubles came to a head in October, 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis. The fear in adults was palpable, and I became convinced, after a few days of excruciating tension, that the world was going to be destroyed. Every night I concentrated with special fervor on the final line of the children’s prayer, “if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take”. When the Russian ships turned around, and Mr. Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba, I felt the exultation of the patient who is given a second chance, and President Kennedy was my doctor.

He is remembered for his grace, his wit, and his handsome family. But I remember most of all the contrast between the joyful heights of Thanksgiving, 1962 and the somber depths of Thanksgiving, 1963. He saved us all, and then he was gone.
© 2003 Stephen Yuen

"The Greatest LIve Show They Have Ever Seen"

After yesterday's rain, "water" has become the theme for the week.

Tonight I saw my first Cirque du Soleil show, "O", at the Bellagio. Yes, the tickets were pricey at $181 apiece including the Ticketmaster surcharge, but there's nothing like it in the world. The mix of acrobatics, dancing, synchronized swimming, heart-stopping dives, live original music, and costumes all choreographed for a non-stop two hours, is, to use an over-used adjective, unique. Many people are willing to pay the price to see it: "As of early 2011, O has grossed over a billion dollars since the show opening in 1998."

Equally amazing was the wizardry behind the set, a vast pool that transforms into a wooden stage and back again (performers high-dive into the pool, so the machinery better be working). Physical and technical legerdemain aside, the two-hour production is beautiful. Chicago Tribune: "Many people consider it the greatest live show they have ever seen."

The set's elaborate machinery means that this show won't be going on the road. One must come to Las Vegas to see it. "O", the sacrifices we have to make....

Posing for this set piece is one of the few occasions the performers aren't whirling like dervishes.

Suddenly, A Storm

Rain-slick streets are an unusual sight this year

2013 is shaping up to be the driest year since 1850, so rain was a welcome sight this morning. The reservoirs and snow pack are still in reasonable shape though, and with above-average winter rainfall the Bay Area will avoid water rationing next summer.

I was happy just to turn off the sprinklers for a few days. The combined water-and-sewer bill is running about $120 per month, and one never likes to see money going down the drain. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

It's Time

Director Mary Watt (left) oversees
organized chaos during Thanksgiving

Food Stamp allotments have been cut this month (the conservative justification is that spending had more than doubled in the past five years) and many Americans are facing hardship.

Let the people in Washington re-hash old arguments. It's time for liberals who say they want to help the hungry to step up. It's time for conservatives who decry government inefficiency to step up.

One Bay Area organization that gives direct aid to the poor and operates on a shoestring is CALL Primrose. This week our church doubled its contribution of Thanksgiving food boxes and will double its commitment for Christmas.

It's time for deeds, not words. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Courtesy at Costco

One of the benefits of shopping at Costco is the abundance of free food samples. One of the disadvantages is that the tables seem always to be placed at the mouth of crowded aisles. Eaters plant their carts where no one can get past; stares and other nonverbal signals don't move them, so I must usually circle around.

Rule #1 of courteous Costco shopping: park the cart in a low-traffic area and come back for the sample. Added benefit: without the cart you'll be less inclined to buy food that you probably don't need. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Life Lessons

Two diagrammatic answers to the question, "What has life taught you?", from Quora.

The Venn diagram displays how difficult it is to hit the sweet spot of careers. Very few individuals are able to make a lot of money while both doing what they love and what they're good at. Top-tier athletes and entertainers are on the list, as well as billionaire entrepreneurs. Most of us, if we're lucky, become good at something that pays well. Love? that's for retirement and/or second careers.

The Project Triangle is a favorite way of picturing the difficulty of achieving three conflicting goals. Achieving two is difficult, and accomplishing all three is nearly impossible. Students usually strive for good grades and social life, with sleep coming in last. However, that would be a mistake, as sleep is more important to performance than most people think. Well, maybe in our lifetime, science will come up with a pill, not to help insomniacs sleep but to safely get by without it. © 2013 Stephen Yuen