San Diego...

It is just past Thanksgiving and we are enjoying the three nice fall nights we get here in Austin. Actually, the weather at night is another whole reason I like living in Austin. Except for a few nights in the summer where the heat overwhelms even in the darkness, nights are generally pleasant.

Tonight, I’m working from my laptop on the back patio with a fire in the chiminea and planes gliding in for landings at the airport a few miles away – just far enough away that they are not loud, but bring a rather contented roar of commerce and opportunity.

I really do like flying when the destination is far enough away. A couple weeks ago I was in San Diego for a national conference and the quick trips there and back were so nice. And since I made friends out there, I am hoping it will become a flight I become accustomed to making.

I’ve never had a post-conference vacation quite like the one I had in San Diego. This was the second time I’ve extended my business stay by one or more days to spend time there. The city itself continues to be as pleasant as ever. It truly is blessed by location with good weather and blessed by culture and philanthropy to have good places.

But this time, I truly lucked into meeting some locals who showed me the city from their perspectives – the rolled tacos and take-out-everything. And for the first time ever, I did karaoke without drunkenness or shame being involved. They gave me the chance to relax without one time thinking about work. I had an amazing time with some truly good people.

I sit here enjoying the fire in my chiminea and wonder if the rats are back in Sasi’s pool heater.

Ran is somewhere in Las Angeles running around with his friends there.

And since it is Saturday night, Dominic and others are probably gathered somewhere eating and getting ready for singing.k

I’ll just watch the fire and hum a variety of ‘80’s tunes and remember the good time I had and think about things I can do to show them as much fun when they visit Austin.

IKEA is open!!!!

Bah...not that impressed. It's big and has many things to clutter up my house. Maybe I'll go back when there are not 10,000 people in the store at once and look again - or maybe not.

Colorado dreams...

The two best political ads I've seen this season.

And if the measure passes, the Colorado dreams will be psychedelic!

Schadenfreude

I just can't help it.

I just keep laughing.

I've searched out every salacious detail.

I just keep laughing!

The Ted Haggard news which has broken over the last four days has done more to lift my spirits than any other news lately. The cliche that the most homophobic boy on the playground is the one most enjoying his peers in the shower gets demonstrated here yet again. Here, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the organization which organized to pass anti-gay marriage amendments across the nation, finds himself caught with a drug pipe in his mouth and his pants down (dropped for his gay call-boy).

Surely a demon came upon him. ( A demon and half the male prostitutes in Denver)

The human part of me keeps whispering that I should show some degree of compassion. After all I denied my homosexuality for thirty-three years. But then the other side of me yells out that he devoted his life to hating himself and me and that even caught, he does not have the courage or grace or whatever virtue applies to come forth and admit who he is as a man. The yelling is winning so far and I'm just enjoying the spectacle. The deeper the schaden, the greater the freude.

I'm curious to know how the organizations with which he has so closely worked are going to respond. Did Bush call him with consolations saying that the nasty ol' prostitute should have just kept his mouth shut? Is Dobson going to lay hands upon him and declare him healed? The religious machine is going to do everything they can to spin this story in their favor (take a note from the Pharisees - there's not a stone big enough).

I'll continue to bask in the joy of Haggard's misery as I wait for the next homophobic bully to fall.

Schadenfreude. Big word. Bigger joy!