Another day, another dollar...

The last couple of days have been pretty crammed pack with all sorts of local, national, and internationally newsworthy happenings.

Obviously the Haiti earthquake is overwhelmingly devastating. It seems Haitians get shit on on a regular basis. If it's not some sort of natural disaster, it's another coup. These people can't catch a break. At least there seems to have been a significant outpouring of funds heading in that general direction, and hopefully it continues for sometime.

Today was Day 3 of the Prop 8 trials in SF. As stated below I've been following @FedCourtJunkie's twitter stream. Today has been much more compelling (many more direct quotes and detailed info on the proceedings) than yesterday's tweets. I will admit though, that with at times it's difficult to tell whether the Plaintiff or Defendant side is doing the directing of questions as the twitter stream doesn't always distinguish which character is speaking for which side. Most of the time it is apparent though who's witnesses are who's. I might add that those for the repeal of Prop 8 have clear, concise, and well backed testimony while it's still unclear how the pro-Prop8ers are going to try and establish that allowing gay marriage will destroy the institution. At times it seems the pro-8ers are doing more damage to their cause than good. Check out @FedCourtJunkie's twitter stream or the Prop8Trial Tracker for more detailed information than I could ever hope to provide.
*On a side note it looks as if the Youtube streaming of the trial has been blocked indefinitely.*

There steps have been made to make legal the possession of marijuana for recreational use in CA with the instituting of a $50 per ounce tax (Tom Ammiano sponsered Assembly Bill 390). So far it has passed the preliminary stages of being approved by the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee, but it's unclear as to if it will get any farther.
While I would have been much more excited about this while I was in high school, I'm still going to mark it up as a success. Personally I don't really partake all that often anymore, but it would be nice to be able to go to my local bodega and legally purchase 1/4 oz. and enjoy myself a little walkabout from time to time.

Toll increases on the Bay Bridge look to be inevitable at this point.
I am sooooo happy I no longer have to make the dreaded daily commute to the East Bay.

And on another sad note, Jay Reatard was found dead before dawn this morning. He apparently died in his sleep at the young age of 29.
Items like these always make me a tad uneasy at the thought of shuffling off this mortal coil.

Finally on the Cocogate front, there appears to be no new information at this point today. Which is probably a good thing considering the real news that's going on right now. The last thing we need is something that isn't all that important distracting us from the ongoing tragedy in Haiti.

Miscellaneous Items On My Mind

Just a few short items for today.

1. I've been following @FedCourtJunkie's twitter stream of the Prop8 Trial which kicked off today. It's looking like it will prove to be a provocative trial and hopefully with any luck this horribly bigoted amendment will be overturned.

2. I went and saw Daybreakers last night at the Metreon. The sheer magnitude of just one screening room astonishes me every time. The screen and sound system are almost overwhelming (especially if slightly enebriated). The crowd at times is my least favorite part. People almost always feel the need to over-exaggerate their reactions with inappropriately timed howls or scoffs. I'm sure I don't have to go into further explanation as everyone has experienced this phenomena. All in all this is my preferred theater for blockbuster and heavy-on-the-action movies hands down.
And Daybreakers, while rather ridiculous, wasn't that bad.

3. We hopped on the K Ingleside to get back home after the movie and as we were boarding I noticed that the interior of one of the windows was dripping with some sort of liquid. Next I noticed a particularly homely looking woman sitting alone in the three seats in front of that window with sopping wet hair trying to absorb the liquid explosion by lightly and randomly dabbing at clothing with a mangled tissue. Upon entering the car a fine waft of malt liquor assaulted nasal passages and it became clear that this woman had just recently been the source of the smell and the subsequent mess. She was clearly dick-million sheets to the wind at that point and everyone on the train gave her a wide berth leaving all of the surrounding seats vacant opting to stand instead. Luckily the lady chose not to interact with anyone and promptly got off at the next stop. You could see the relief on everyone's face, and people kindly advised the new riders not to sit in the seats where she had been sitting, although not everyone got the message before it was too late.
In the future I hope to provide photographic or video evidence of similar experiences.

4. I have been absolutely obsessed with the NBC/Leno/O'Brien madness that has been going on. And after reading multiple articles on the matter I think we can all agree that Conan is getting the shaft. On the other hand these articles have brought to light a few positive things that may come from this mess:

• If all goes well Carson Daly may no longer be broadcast into the homes of Americans
• Conan may get an opportunity to bigger and better things on another network. And if you ask me, I think the late night talk show format has been stale for some time now anyhow.
• Finally there may be a new show in the works to fill the gap that Leno's failed prime time slot will be leaving. This show may be featuring the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Charles Barkley, Tina Fey, and others attempting to solve the problems of couples in deteriorating marriages. This sounds potentially golden to me!