An Age of Friends

His coffee didn't taste good to him tonight. Nor, for that matter, did his cigarette. It's as if decades of his old reliables had eroded any pleasures his pleasures had afforded him. But he didn't mind. He knew the time was coming. And, so, he wrapped himself up in his ragged Army blanket, barely noticing the pain in his chest, and returned his attention to trying to keep warm in front of the roaring fire.

His memories wandered as the flames ebbed and the embers cooled. Family would have been on his mind, but he had none to speak of. Instead, he remembered his friends. His ages of friends.

When he was a little boy growing up in a San Diego suburb, he remembered that all he had to do to see most of his friends was walk a few hundred feet west or east, down a few houses on his block, and ring a doorbell. Sometimes a mother or a sister who he would feel attracted to would answer the door, and his shy little voice would ask, "Can he come out and play?"

Occasionally the question would be answered with a seemingly heartless "no," usually on Sundays when one of his overly religious friends had to read from something referred to as "the Good Book" or some such nonsense. His agnostic upbringing couldn't discern the concept, so he would continue down the street and ring another doorbell.

Usually, though, the answer would be yes, and he and his friend or friends would revel in a game of street ball (either baseball or football, both of which often resulted in broken living room windows or dismembered rearview windows from an unluckily parked car) or mock costumes consisting of blankets for capes and last year's Halloween masks in an imaginary world of superheroes.

Later on in life, through high school, college, and the military, he remembered that hanging out with friends required a bit more effort. Plans had to made, times had to be coordinated, and walking places was generally out of the question. Everybody had to drive, since everybody lived in different parts of the city. Being friends with neighbors was in the process of becoming an afterthought, and camaraderie seemed to belong in the realm of the workplace or the classroom. Back then, though, he didn't even notice. It just seemed natural.

Despite being older and more "free," hanging out with friends was more limited. Occasional movies, more than occasional drinks, and frequent loud, crowded, yet ultimately boring parties rounded out his repetoire. Sometimes he and his friends would get more creative and actually go away somewhere for a while... perhaps a camping trip, or an overseas adventure, maybe a skydive or a scuba dive or two... or both.

Still later in life, his friends were even farther away from him, as most moved away, or back home, or to one of those countries they might have visited during the overseas adventures. Neighbors once again became "friends" of sorts, but only because his mobility was becoming more and more hampered. Acquaintances, more likely, as he knew who his real friends were. Those men and women he grew up with, when friends were made without prejudices, and those men and women he served with, when friends were made in spite of prejudices. Everyone else, it seemed to him, were just faces in the crowd. Touched and gone, as it were.

Walking was definitely out of the question this time, as was driving... at least most of the time. Usually, seeing a friend involved a few hundred dollars and an uncomfortable plane ride. He went through a period of time in which he avoided them, under the auspices of saving a little cash, but when the destinations starting becoming funerals... well, he had too much respect for his friends not to go.

He remembered how he used to love hopping into an airplane, either on his way somewhere exotic or new, or on a one-way trip to a drop zone. Now, he hated them. Airplanes merely became a symbol of seeing a friend that one last time... only the friend wouldn't remember him coming, or even know he was there, laying the flower on the casket, throwing the dirt into the freshly filled grave. His tears went unnoticed... so much so that he soon quit shedding them altogether.

The fire had died long ago. The coffee long cold. The cigarette burned to ash down to the filter.

He remained there, curled up in his chair, underneath his blanket. His face seemed peaceful, serene, and had a hint of a smile.

A smile one only has when with friends... forever.

San Diego Sports Nightmares

The San Diego Padres lost their last two regular-season games to the Brewers, leaving them in a tie for the Wild Card with rival team Colorado. Jake Peavy has to pitch a tie-breaker. Fucking wonderful.

The San Diego Chargers lost to their first divisional opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, and are now last place in their division at 1-3. Ain't it grand?

Making Peavy pitch the tie-breaker means Peavy will only pitch once in the Wild Card series. Fucking wonderful.

To make matters worse, the Chargers are in last place BEHIND one of the worst teams in the league: the Oakland Raiders (2-2). Ain't it grand?

Still, the Padres have hope. All they have to do is win the tie-breaker and their season will continue for at least three more games.

The Chargers, however, have officially hit "disappointment." 13-3 is the best they can possibly finish, but with Norv Turner running the show, I doubt the Chargers will even get to 10-6. A friend of mine from Oceanside yelled "Cam Cameron, Cam Cameron" at me earlier this year, but he's 0-4. I guess we should've stuck with Wade Phillips, eh?

On a slightly brighter note, LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for more yards in the loss to the Chiefs than he had in the previous three games combined.

On a slightly dimmer note, Philip Rivers is, as I suggested in my last Chargers blog, looking more and more like a college quarterback. This can be fixed, and could probably be fixed by Norv Turner the Offensive Coordinator, but I'm betting against it being fixed by Norv Turner the Head Coach.

A.J. Smith, what are you going to do?

I'm rambling, I know, but I'm upset. The Chargers couldn't possibly have gotten this bad in one off-season. Still, I've stuck with my team since Dan Fouts-to-Wes Chandler, and nothing's going to change that.

Ah, well... here's hoping the Padres win.

Los Angeles Traffic

Everyone knows that a shitload of new miles of road are about to be planted through California, particularly the headache areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area. This is, clearly, a good idea intent on alleviate a lot of the fucked up traffic in these metro areas. Unfortunately, I'm thinking it's not going to make much of a difference.

Think about this... other than that really weird disappearance of freeway lanes between Orange County and Los Angeles County, the number of lanes on the 5, the 405, etc., doesn't really seem to be the problem. I'm actually of the opinion that there are plenty enough freeway lanes through Southern California. The bottlenecks (other than the one mentioned above) don't seem to be the interstates at all, it's the fucking exit ramps.

Seriously, how many times have you driven through SoCal and made decent time in the center or far left lanes. Yes, I understand you're still moving way under the speed limit, but take a look at the far right lanes... the ones that lead to off ramps taking you to Pico, Santa Monica, Olympic, whatever. THEY'RE ALL FUCKING BACKED UP.

And why? Well, shit, most of them only have one exit lane. If you're lucky, there might be two. What Los Angeles needs are off ramps that are two to three lanes wide. Yes, this isn't going to solve all the problems, as 3+ million people in one area is going to lead to bad traffic regardless, but damn... instead of worrying about those two or three spaghetti bowl interchanges, start worrying about those smaller bottlenecks called off-ramps. If people can get off the interstates quickly and efficiently, they won't be stuck on the interstate, backing it up, slowing down the other six lanes of traffic.

Of course, I don't really know much about urban or highway planning, but this sure as shit makes sense to me.

10 Reasons to be my Roommate in Los Angeles

1. It's Los Angeles.

2. I'll pay for a slightly larger percentage of the rent and utilities, as I have three dogs and two cats (I may have fewer by the time I get there, however).

3. I'm so quiet, you won't even know you have a roommate.

4. Las Vegas and San Diego, two of the greatest places on Earth, are not very far away.

5. If you're afraid of Los Angeles because you "don't know anybody," I can help change that literally overnight.

6. I travel a lot, so you'll have the house to yourself fairly often.

7. Cruises to Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii leave from the L.A. area damn near every week.

8. If you're interested in breaking into the film industry, my friends and contacts will immediately be available to you.

9. I'm reliable, on-time, and generally don't let people down.

10. It's Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Chargers

I'm not a conspiracy theorist or anything, and I truly love my Chargers, but it does seem a little odd that the best season in San Diego history since A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR, AWAY... is happening right when the Chargers are trying to force their way into a new stadium deal.

Yes, the team, led by the Spanos family and their wicked-evil yes-man, Mark Fabiani, are currently in negotiations with National City and Chula Vista to try to work out a stadium deal. Yes, the Chargers have committed (verbally, anyway) to staying in San Diego County. Yes, LaDainian Tomlinson and company are bringing out all of the fair weather Charger fans that have been hiding the last couple of decades (I guess that's not fair; San Diego always has fair weather).

But... Anaheim, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Antonio have all made overtures to the team. And, as it stands right now, the team will be able to negotiate with any or all of those cities come January 1st, 2007... perhaps the time when the Chargers are making a convincing Super Bowl run. Can anybody say, "Increasing the market value?"

Let me back up and set something straight before I continue... I truly, and wholeheartedly, believe that the San Diego Chargers are the best team in the NFL right now. Not because of conspiracy, but because of talent. I mean, shit... look at who we have on the team.

Continuing: (and I'm rambling now... what can I say? I'm at work) if the Chargers leave San Diego, I'm no longer a Chargers fan. That's not to say I won't be a Tomlinson fan, a Rivers fan, or a Merriman fan (I do root for New Orleans, a la Drew Brees, after all). But, I won't be a Chargers fan.

The scary thing is that out of the four cities that have expressed interest, the Chargers would be a good fit for at least three of them. Think about it... the San Antonio Chargers? Well, little known outside of San Diego is that a stallion used to be the Chargers logo. I guarantee you that a move to Texas will prompt the stallion's return. The Las Vegas Chargers? Electricity? Lightning bolt? All in the Sin City of Lights? Come on... And, last (and the most frightening), the Los Angeles Chargers. Another little known fact is that the San Diego Chargers started off as the Los Angeles Chargers. This would just be a case of a team moving back to its original home.

Ugh.

We all know that San Diego's city government is recovering from a shitload of corruption right now, and is in no position to support a team trying to upgrade a seriously outdated stadium. We all know that the Spanos family has ties to the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas. We all know that San Diego, other than the Padres, can't seem to hang on to a sports team to save its life (the NBA's Rockets and Clippers, anyone?).

In all likelihood, I'm moving to Los Angeles next year. One would think I'd be happy that the Chargers might move there. But San Diego is, and always be, the county I call home. And I don't want to see my beloved team leave my home.

Fuck the LA Chargers.

San Diego: Sports Town? Or Not?

As of this moment, the San Diego Chargers are undefeated and maintain sole ownership of first place in the AFC West (sure, they've only played one game, but that's not the point). They are heavy favorites to whoop the Tennessee Titans today.

As of this moment, the San Diego Padres are 77-70, 1/2 game down in the NL West race, and 1.5 games up in the NL Wild Card race. They're playing the rival Dodgers today and tomorrow, and should whoop them (they smoked them 11-2 last night). If the Padres make the playoffs this season, it will mark the first time ever that the Pads made the playoffs in two consecutive seaons.

Both teams have produced national greats. The Chargers: Dan Fouts, Lance Alworth, Junior Seau, Leslie O'Neal, LaDainian Tomlinson. The Padres: Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Benito Santiago.

But still, damn near the entire country outside of Southern California still considers San Diego a second-tier sports team. Unfortunately, it's hard to disagree with them.

San Diego is, among other things, one of the most beautiful places in the United States, and is easily arguably the most beautiful big city in the country. A beach culture, the Western Hemisphere's best weather, a foreign country right next door, Hollywood to the northwest, Vegas to the northeast... what more could you want?

Well... dominant sports teams. And more of them.

San Diego is in danger of losing the Chargers to another city (likely Los Angeles, which would really piss me off). A few years ago, they were in danger of losing the Padres to Arizona (thank you for the Diamondbacks). A little known fact is that they've lost two NBA teams (the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets both used to call San Diego home). They've never had an NHL team, and despite being a soccer haven, they can't even attract an MLS team.

The storied San Diego Sockers of arena soccer? Now defunct. Hell, even the San Diego Rip Tide of arena football is now defunct. Is San Diego a damned sports town or not?

Well, that depends on if skateboarding and surfing are sports in your book (and they should be), because we've got plenty of those superstars.

Anyway, the point is that San Diegans should be PISSED about not being considered a sports town, and should do something about it. Long have the Padres and Chargers been victim of "fair weather" fans... the irony being that San Diego ALWAYS has fair weather. We need to step up and support our friars and our bolts. This is bullshit.

I'm not a huge basketball fan, but come on... San Diego is the 8th largest city in the country. The largest without a basketball team, the second largest without a hockey team, and in danger of being the largest without a football team (should the Chargers move to Los Angeles). What fucks San Diego's position as a sports giant is the damn media market it's in. Despite being number 8 in U.S. population, San Diego is ranked a measely 26th in terms of media size (right above Charlotte and right below Indianapolis - 20th and 12th in terms of population, respectively).

So, I'm ready to admit that I really don't know how to fix the problem... but we need to. San Diego is America's Finest City for a reason, and we need sports to stay that way.

Cecili's MySpace Etiquette

A lot of you know that I am an obsessive San Diego Chargers fan. And a lot of you know that, with that, comes an obsession with the San Diego Charger Girls. Anyway, one thing led to another and the next thing I know, I've found the MySpace page of my favorite Charger Girl of all-time.

No... I'm not stalking her, so leave the jokes at home, please.

What I found is not only the MySpace page of an ultra-beautiful former cheerleader and apparent current dancing queen, but a blog full of poignant wisdom and subtle humor, to boot. Her most recent blog is so spot-on, I had to ask her if I could repost it. And so, without further ado... here are Cecili's rules of MySpace etiquette:

"For those with delicate egos, proceed with caution. This is for your own good.

Disclaimer: I too have violated some of these myspace directives. Nobody is perfect, but we can always be better. This list is by no means exhaustive. I hope upon reading it you will have your own grievances and or suggestions to add to the list.

1. Comments should be comments. (If you are confused: There is a function on myspace that allows you to send a message).
2. Don't post millions of pictures of your face all over your page--all the vanity and imagery is nauseating.
3. Only post a bulletin if you have something important to report on.
4. Bulletins should be reserved for general information only. If your "friends" want to know the answers to a survey you took, write it in a blog and they can read it at their leisure. Sadly, not everyone cares who your last crush is or what you think about jesus.
5. Try to refrain from commenting on someones page twice in a row--its aesthetically unpleasant.
6. Comments should be thought out and grammar should be observed.
7. Don't tell people to comment on your pictures--if people like you and/or they are in one of your photos, they will make a comment.
8. There is no need to list EVERY single book/movie/hero you have ever read/watched/loved. People get bored after reading the first three or four entries. You are better off sticking to your favorites--and if this is disconcerting, you can always change your entries every so often depending on your mood. Which reminds me: update your page every now and again. You log on every day.
9. When commenting on a blog: stay on topic.
10. No Blind friend requests... Ever.
11. Comment approval takes the fun out of posting comments.
12. Avoid reading blogs from people who make lame lists like this one and call it news.

General note:

Blog: This function allows you to write about whatever you want and post it on your page so that people--this is the most important part--who are interested can read it. FYI: It is not to be used to post more photos of your face unless they are pertinent to the blog itself. While tempting, try to only write a blog if you have something interesting, funny, or thoughtful to say. And last but not least, if you're in college, don't post your book reports online--most likely, we havent read the book you are citing and we have no reason to read your blog. Cultural critiques, movie reviews, and current events are always good topics. Book suggestions are also good and should be placed in general information under the sub-heading: Books.

Works cited: An example of a good blog can be found on Irreverent Primates page--also, see Natalie's page; she writes some funny blogs with pictures included. She also posts amusing captions by the photos, the layout is clean, and most importantly: the pictures are related to the blog itself.

Please feel free to add to the list."

San Diego's 29-Foot Crucifix

In America's Finest City, there's a 29-foot cross that stands atop Mount Soledad. It's been standing there since 1954, and is almost as recognizable a San Diego landmark as the Hollywood sign is a Los Angeles one.

Unfortunately, beginning in 1989, the cross came under fire, thanks to a self-righteous atheist who thinks that because the cross is on public property, it is unconstitutional. In order to alleviate the controversy, the city of San Diego decided to transfer ownership of a portion of Mount Soledad to a private organization, one that wouldn't fall under the jurisdiction of separation of church and state. This, however, wasn't to the liking of said atheist and his lawyers, so they got the state of California involved to deem the land transfer unconstitutional (per state constitution) and started a whole new set of lawsuits and other problems.

In 1998, Mount Soledad was dedicated as a Korean War Memorial, and an attempt to transfer the site to the National Park Service was made. Atheist and lawyers still unhappy... more problems for city and cross supporters. Appropriately, now that it is a war memorial, it is in all likelihood that the Korean War veterans that it represents were Christian, making the cross on Mount Soledad a very suitable monument to the war dead.

The cases are still pending.

The irony of the situation is that this is all happening in the city of San Diego. SAN DIEGO. Named for Saint Didacus of the Franciscan Order. Hmm...

So let's get this straight: an atheist who lives in a city named after a famous Christian files a lawsuit against said city because it has a big cross on top of a hill. Dude... if you're really all about your belief in separation of church and state, then you should either A) sue the state of California for allowing cities named after religious figures or B) move somewhere else (Corpus Christi, Texas, maybe?).

I'm no devout Christian or anything (read my Noah's Ark rant), but I know an asshole when I see one.