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December 9, 2002 9:58 PM
Part III - Leaving Palos Verdes - Donny Laing 1952-1984
Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI
We had spent the perfect day at the boat show in Newport, Donny and I getting reacquainted without having to do the much of that male positioning thing that we did back at the American Club the winter before. I was actually getting to know his girlfriend, Jules and his other friends -- all in this fantastic California environment. We joked about what the hell we'd being doing if we both had stayed back in our small Wisconsin town. Who the hell cares -- we didn't. We were too smart, we got out.
The sun was still an hour from setting in Lido and we opted for dinner before heading back to Palos Verdes. Donny and friends would be my guests for the night.
Perhaps one myth about coastal California is that the sun always sets over the Pacific. The Stars, with their pricy homes in Malibu, do not have such a luxury -- they are facing south and their sun sets over Point Dune. I never could figure out the appeal of Malibu, a kind of trashy coastal stretch. I guess it is close to Beverly Hills.
I wanted to show Donny a bit of the Southern California Coast so we drove from Newport north on Pac Coast Highway, through Long Beach, Terminal Island and finally San Pedro -- sort of the armpit of LA. He was already complaining how he could never live here.
As I started climbing the narrow road snaking through San Pedro to South Palos Verdes Drive, the sun was perfectly positioned to set right when we got to Vincente Point. We pulled over to allow Ralph & Cindy (who were following in Don's car) to catch up. Everyone got out for a few minutes just to take in the view.
Now I was missing Naomi. It must have been the sudden breezy chill when I realized I had no one to cling on to. It may have been perfect beach weather in Newport, but up here it was still Spring. It was a spectacular way to end the day, but I had one more surprise for my new group of friends when we got up the hill.
By the time we had reached the house, it really cooled down so we all rushed in. I pointed the girls directly to each of the bathrooms (it had been a long drive) and the guys, myself included, opting not to wait, slipped out the patio door to fertilize my rose bushes!
We all regrouped in the living room, comfortably sitting back after a long day of touring, walking, eating and drinking. All were impressed with my little house in the hills. I started a fire to get the chill out. It felt darn good to be home and warm. I put on a new Ian Mathews album and we all just huddled around the fireplace on the floor.
Donny ask if I had any beer and Jules smacked him in the back of the head before he could finish the request. I grabbed three more for the guys and I figured we could call it a night as soon as the fire died down a bit.
I had almost forgotten my last big surprise -- my private view of the City of Angels. But it was too late, everyone was just too settled in. Almost everyone. Donny, the tough Welch kid grabbed a sweater from his bag and volunteered to go with me. "Oh, let's bring a nightcap" he whispered as we happened past the refrigerator to the side door. I was past caring.
Outside the wind had calmed and the stars shot out at us in a perfectly black sky. We stumbled down some steps to the back gate and then a path that lead west to the ocean and east to the view of the city. It was just a few yards and I had a favorite rock that was perfectly hued out to make a comfortable seat for two. One catch -- the drop below was about fifty feet. Part of me was thinking that maybe this is not such a wise idea. But what the hell, we were after all sailors -- risk takers and adventurers.
We hopped up on my rock, sat back and took in a perfectly clear view from King Harbor to Mount Baldy -- millions of lights and millions of people and the marvelous stream of aircraft floating down into LAX.
"Awesome" was all Don could say. "This is how I survive LA" I told him. We sat silent for maybe ten minutes and then headed back to the house. Everyone was asleep at the fire. I managed to nudge everyone up to the appropriate guest room and tumbled into bed fully clothed, asleep almost instantly.
Morning came too soon with a headache. Jules took command of the kitchen and was making veggie omelets for us. The rest were outside on the patio sunning themselves -- some talk about how my secluded backyard would be good for growing things other than roses!
Everyone seemed in a great mood except me. I wandered back into the house. Too immobile to shave, I took a long hot shower. When I finally got out, Jules was serving the group omelets, diced fruit and toasted French bread. Boy, I'm glad I shopped on Friday and boy, it was sure nice not having to be host and cook.
By eleven they were ready to head back to San Luis Obispo with one scheduled stop at the South Bay Mall. It was a complete weekend and I had all Sunday afternoon to recover alone in peace before work on Monday. The plan was for Naomi and I to head up to SLO over Memorial Day.
I waved them off as they left in Donny's new red under-powered diesel Audi and then immediately climbed back into bed. I slept for what seemed like ten minutes and the doorbell rang. It was Naomi and she was fuming. Sure enough, she called last night before we got home and said she'd be there by noon. Of course, I never checked the answering machine.
Fortunately she was just as tired as I (dancing the night away again) and I coaxed her into bed and we slept until dark. We woke around seven that evening hungry and I ordered pizza. Yes she had missed our planned reunion with Don and Jules, but now I was happy that she was here. It was way too late for her to drive back.
I forgot, completely forgot, that I even worked for a living, not having a clue that Monday would prove to be a major turning point in my life. I had so much to do in the weeks ahead. My new coworker, Dr. Peter Chen and I were going to create something great in the world of aerospace.
To be continued . . .
November 19, 2002
What a Ticket! - Woodward / Kristol 2004
Brothers separated at birth?
I really don't know too much about Bob Woodward and William Kristol. Both are super smart. I like listening to each of them. They each make sense in their own way. They look alike and sound alike. Sure, each has a very distinct political slant (even though Bob keeps his in "his back pocket"). But what a team they could make if they put their political bias aside and just worked on viable solutions.
I think in spite of their differences, with their combined smartness they could actually come up with real workable solutions to the vast array of problems facing our country - not just watered down political compromises. I wonder if they like each other.
Here's what I recommend: They both get a little plastic surgery so they look exactly alike (I hope they are about the same height). Bob could run as a Democrat with William as his Republican running mate - talk about appealing to the centrists! Sure that's a bit odd, but lots of states have duel parties in the number one and two slots - why not a split ticket for Prez & VP? Come on - I'm talking electorate excitement here!
For security reasons each could double as the other - that's a smart move Saddam made years ago. Each could take turns in the number one spot and not tell anyone (except for maybe the secret service). Of course they would have to put their personal political leanings aside and, in a rare historic event, just come up with some smart fixes. They could hire smart people in their cabinets instead of old political cronies. I'd recommend Bill Gates right off the bat for some cabinet position. Scott Adams might be good at Chief-of-Staff. Imagine the great stuff they could do as a team!
Bill Gates in the Woodward/Kristol Cabinet?
I know, I know - crazy idea - never would it work. Smart people alone aren't the answer. Political opinion would prevail. The party rulers would have no part of it.
But I'm going to email Bob, William and a few other heavy hitters tonight and at least plant the seed. Maybe these two guys could meet for lunch before Bob rushes off on his book tour.
I mean, can't a guy dream once in a while? The perpetual "us against them" gets this country nowhere. I could actually get excited about something political again. Bob? Bill?
November 18, 2002
Southwest's Open Seating Model Sucks
Back in the 1980's there was this little airline called PSA. They had cute advertising as the "airline that could" and super cheap fares along the West Coast. For $29 one-way you could fly to from LAX to the Bay Area. It was great for weekend get-a-ways to San Francisco, wine country or the wonderful northern coast of California. I took many trips on PSA. Well darn, they went out of business. Maybe their flights were a bit too cheap.
I'm not sure about the timeline, but maybe Southwest Airlines contributed to the demise of PSA. Anyway SWA slowly took over much of that market and still offered cheap flights to the major cities in the West and Southwest. The stewardesses (and stewards) were great fun and the little bags of peanuts they served became a symbol of SWA cheap fares. Even though flights were rarely full, Southwest made money and became a model for other budget airlines to follow.
To save money, SWA had a few quirks: No assigned seating and they didn't participate in the airlines major reservation system. Yet with the advent of the internet, one could book on-line and, for a time, get a free airline ticket after only 3-4 flights (if you booked on-line and flew "ticketless" ). People didn't mind having to wait in line once or twice to get a "good" seat. SWA became the airline of the masses.
I never cared for waiting in lines, but as most flights back then were only about 2/3's full, one could still get an aisle or window seat, find space overhead for one's carry-on and still have the dreaded center seat empty if you didn't mind sitting back a bit.
NO MORE. Like shopping at Wal-Mart, I fly SWA when the fare is coming out of my own pocket. I dread it these days as just about every flight is full. If you don't get there early and manage to get an "A" boarding pass, you are most likely screwed - either stuck in that dreaded center seat or condemned to have your carry-on put in baggage or BOTH!
So what's the big deal? Well a good flight vs. a bad flight amounts to having that center seat empty and your carry-on directly above you. As my carry-on is always packed with an expensive digital camera, my Handspring and various other irreplaceable stuff, having it go to the baggage hold is NOT an option.
So now one has to get to the airport at least 2.3 hours before one's flight leaves. The security line is always about two blocks long, but it moves fairly fast.
The line to get your "A" pass forms 1.5 hours before flight departure. For this line, herd mentality prevails and stupid human folks always block at least half of the terminal aisle as they don't have enough collective sense to line up against the wall (this is universal ). I guess they forgot what they were taught in kindergarten.
The "A" line to board forms about when the aircraft arrives and deplanes. I'm real sick of standing about that time and there is still a 30 minute wait. Southwest's gates (except for SLC) are so poorly designed, now you have three poorly formed congested lines snaking all over the place. People are tense and aggressive at this point.
Finally I get on the plane, pick the best seat on the 737 (row 9 aisle - first to get service) and chuckle when the "C" group arrives in pairs, laden with large carry-ons, half eaten pizza and cold Starbucks. These fools are condemned to be split up and have their bags tossed in baggage. The look on their faces says it all - SWA sucks!
Southwest Airlines, if you insist on keeping your outmoded open seating policy, prepare to loose market share big time. Air travel is only going to get worse.
Yes, you have made some improvements with your new kiosks and issuing boarding passes at the ticket counter (screwing the fools waiting for their "A" pass at the gate). But one still has to show up 1.3 hours earlier than other airlines. Translation: I will NEVER fly SWA on a business trip and resort to flying SWA on personal trips only if JET BLUE or Air Tran are unavailable.
Until you start issuing assigned seats:
1. Redesign your gate seating so that the dreaded ABC lines can form in a rational manner. How about some simple graphics and maybe a little tape on the floor?
2. Instruct your gate attendants to teach the herd how to form a line without obstructing 50% of the terminal aisle.
JET BLUE Rules - please keep expanding your market. Air Tran - love you business class upgrades but hire more people at the ticket counters please, get rid of the rest of those old DC-9's AND take a row or two of seats out so anyone over 5' 9" can actually sit.
AA, NWA, United and Delta - clean up your act or just go bankrupt and go away. Why the hell does it cost me $1,400 to fly from National to Dallas direct even if I book 14 days in advance! IDIOTS!
OK no more airport blogs - promise! Now how about redesigning aircraft interiors?
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