Kaulapi World

Had a vivid dream that I only now realized was actually either part of, or was its own recurring one.  Different parts of it seem to blend in parts or themes of other dreams.  The first part is that I’m on my way home late at night, walking through the streets of some college town after a big event where there is the sense of social unrest.

Being a college town there is a chance that it is due to college students partying too much like Halloween in Madison, or after a big sports game like in other college towns.  There is a notable police presence on the streets and for good reason I’m trying to avoid it.  As I walk the blocks, I find it harder and harder to walk, at some point I reach down and am grabbing the cracks in the sidewalk just to pull myself forward.  Every other street or so I hear the police rounding up people, and tear gas is starting to fire around.  I find a way through a side street to my house and go in through a basement entrance.

The way the entrance is designed is a series of tightly fit gates, and I have to slide my way between them to get inside.  When I see these gates, I realize that I have been here before, and know how to get in, but its been so long that I went this way I have to try it a couple of times before going in. Once I squeeze in, I reach up and pull the light switch that is a dangling string.

Once inside there is a tiny basement apartment, most notable is that there 3 TVs in the room, one large big screen, a smaller, portable one on a rolling cart, and a much smaller one on the floor.  The one on the rolling cart has a bunch of wires and attachments to it, including a custom made antenna and battery pack to run when the power is off. I get a sense that I have been here in another dream, and that I had actually been working on something here with the TVs for some purpose.

Checking the other parts of the basement, I find the bedroom and to my surprise, the little guy is snoozing in a pile of blankets.  He notices that I am home and he wakes up to see what I am up to.  We start tinkering with the antenna and try to get the portable TV working.  The last detail that I recall before waking up is that attached to the antenna is a converter box for receiving digital broadcasts which I can’t seem to get working.  I notice that on the box itself is a written disclaimer that some of the material and information from these broadcast are unregulated, and therefore are potentially illegal.

Trying out a new WordPress app on my phone to see how it might help with more regular posts than I have been making lately due to just being extremely busy with work and life in general.  If it works out well then it might come in handy during my daily commute, if anything  posting a few thoughts seems to be a little more productive than playing angry birds. 

Already noticing one glitch, after a few lines of text I can’t see what I’m writing in real time.  When I start a new paragraph it seems to correct itself.  Oh well, let’s see how this one turns out. 

With a few days left in 2011 it seems right to write a quick post to sum up a huge year personally. My son is quickly approaching the 2 year mark, and has progressed all of the milestones without a hitch. Work for both me and Hana have had the expected bumps, bit have been decent so far. The parents came for a short but sweet visit, been a blast so far.

Financially, I’ve made a few risky trades that have paid off so far. Especially on the fast week, one move i made that i had second thoughts on ended up being a good one afterall. Been an interesting year, for sure. Looking forward to what 2012 will bring.

Thought I’d kill some time uploading a post. As the title suggests its a little after one and I am sitting in the Amtrak waiting area of union station waiting for the 3:15am train to New York. I’m scheduled to meet with some attorneys for work, the trip was initially supposed to be a 2 day gig, but ended up being a one day affair. Given my alternate work schedule it was a little tricky to free up some time to make the trip up the night before, so this why I’m most likely the most overdressed person in the station right now.

A little surprised how crowded the station is at this hour. Only wish there was a cafe or something open where I could hang out. The Amtrak announcement TV has already gone through a few cycles already. Mostly security notices and the usual, I’m glad I was able to arrange travel by train vs flying. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I flew. Maybe the last work trip?

Things have been very busy lately, work, watching the little guy grow up. He’s saying a few words, in cadence like full sentences, although its still in baby talk for now. Latest on the budget front is another threat of a shutdown looming this Friday. I’ve gotten so sick and tired of worrying about it that I try not to talk too much of it, but obviously ts on the mind.

The Senate just voted yesterday to approve a measure that would open the door to the indefinite detention of US citizens.  Given the historical track record of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII under the grounds of military necessity, I am more than ashamed that this type of legislation could get this level of support in the current representative democratic system.

Anyone who has been paying attention to the extent by which civil liberties have been outright abolished or at the very least eroded through years of attrition would be alarmed at the potential prospects of this legislation.  Some of the worst policies are created by a people driven by fear.  I hope the president has enough sense to veto this bill.

Been a few weeks so far for the occupy ___ movement which has gotten a considerable amount of attention and momentum. When it first began I wondered whether it could develop into something significant, whether enough of a movement could build to actually occupy the square. today the DC movement which has been camping out downtown tried to shut down the senate building, although their numbers weren’t very large.

The sound bite in the media is that it is a decentralized movement that while becoming increasingly more organized, it lacks an overall message. I think there are a few themes that are actually very clear. Decouple the amount of money and influence between the financial industry over politicians, and recognize the human toll that our system of debt has had on the majority of Americans.

In many ways I’m recalling a sense of frustration and outright rage that seems to have been building since 2008, but back then a lot of folks still had their jobs, still had some balances in their 401k accounts, still had some positive equity in their homes.

It is becoming apparent that all the hope and promises of change that came with a new party in power have been largely empty, and at least some of the folks organizing in the streets may be waking up to the sorry state of our political systems.

Meanwhile I’ve been reading up on the faces of the 99%, some stories are pretty gut wrenching. I’ve been struck by the number of students and recent grads in pretty depressing situations in terms of student loan debt.

I was recently introduced to the cable TV series featuring Madison Ave. advertising executives set in the 1960s by recently, honestly due to my pake tendencies, the mere fact that it was recently made available on demand via netflix.  I had heard a lot about the series in general, but never really looked into it until recently.  I just finished the season 4 finale a few nights ago, which left me looking forward to the season 5 starting early 2012.  Hana is several episodes behind, so I have to be careful not to ruin the various plot lines abound in the day to day operations.

For me, I’m especially drawn to the complexity of the characters that come and go in the storyline, no matter how little or brief the side plot around the main character, Don Draper, the writers captured very well the essence of human beings living more than half a century ago, in an America very different to what we see today.  Throughout the series there is this tense nostalgia for the simplicity of the 1950s and the dread of what the future may bring.  Vietnam, Civil rights movement, stagflation and recession, break up of societal norms and values all looming in the viewers mind who have the benefit of being a witness to history. Meanwhile, the characters are dedicated to writing advertisements for consumer products reflecting the norms and values of the times.

Adding to the enjoyment of the series, we have over the years run into more than a handful of people that actually would’ve fit in much better back then as opposed to know.  It seems strange how little nuggets of culture and attitudes linger on several decades later, sometimes unconsciously.  In some aspects, I too may fall squarely in that camp, although wearing a suit and hat all the time wouldn’t quite be my speed.

It’s slightly scary at times, really how despite it being a period piece, there are several parallels to the world of Mad Men that still without a doubt exist today.   Maybe not as brash and out in the open, but the attitudes, hopes and dreams, lightness and darkness still linger in American society.  Especially in professions that command a level of societal power and influence.

Just after midnight, and the winds are really picking up now. Maybe after suffering from some news overload during the day, I started wondering whether the hurricane was going to make much of an appearance inner area after all. We seem to have dodged a bullet here, the storm took just enough of an eastern path that we are just out of the hurricane force wind range, but checking outside real quickly I can definitely say this is much more than an usual dc area summer storm.

Lights just started flickering, and there is a low rumbling outside with the wind whipping around. Some of the larger trees on our street have started to sway, increasingly more just in the past hour or so. Maybe a metaphor how thing don’t seem that different at first, but give it some time for shit to get real.

Probably will stay up at least until the eye if the storm passes the eastern shore, after that I’ve been reading, things will begin to get less intense. NYC is up next on Irene’s warpath. Manhattan in particular, hopefully folks took the evacuation warnings seriously, just in case this thing is as bad as the forecasts have been showing.

5.8, scale tremor, just before 2pm, EST. Was sitting on my couch at home, just about to log in for work, and it felt like someone was shaking the couch violently. Went to check on the little guy, ready to grab him and get out of the house, he was still sleeping.

Kind of freaky, growing up in the ring of fire, I’ve lived through several tremors, but never while living in DC. The local news stations are talking about how unprecedented this is, bot the size and magnitude of the quake.

Updated to 5.9 now. Epicenter near mineral, VA.

I came across this linked C-SPAN clip from one of the economic blogs that I’ve been reading since the great recession came to a head in late 2008 when everything and anything was seriously FUBAR when it came to the financial and politcal state of the country.  I remember appreciating the authors candor to how seriously fucked up things were at that time, and how the policy fixes being crafted at the time ran the risk of putting us in a situation where we would be seeing the same old shit again in just a few years time.

The clip itself features two distinguished senators from both sides of the the aisle actually debating  some of the more underlying, but arguably more meaningful aspects of the ongoing debt ceiling debate.  One of them has come up in past conversation with friendly D-bags over the years, mostly with scorn to his cost-cutting ways.  The other, was once a candidate for the presidency, who many voted for out of default, not out of any meaningful admiration or inspiration.

This clip which I’m sure won’t see the light of day on any major cable news network does raise the question to what is really going on in Washington DC these past few weeks.  Are we really talking about meaningful reductions in government spending or are we just hearing another episode of partisan political theater to prevent our elected officials from making the decisions that are too politically difficult to make?

Flashbacks to 2008, how many hill staffers were put in a hard place answering overwhelming public outcry something like 1000:1 against the bailout of wall street while knowing their respective member had already made up their mind to go along with the leadership?  How many of them have wised up to the reality of the power structures in this country today and how many are still living in fantasy land?  I’m pretty sure that in the next 48 hours there will be some deal to raise the debt ceiling, this current battle is more smoke and mirrors, I’m more concerned with what reality might be waiting for us around the corner, one that won’t give a shit if we  consider ourselves democrat or republican or independent.