Let Timmy Smoke! [pot, culture]

Tim Lincecum seems like a pretty cool dude. His minor pot bust was way overexposed in the media, but hey, at least it sparked some pretty cool t-shirts.

I saw the "Let Timmy Smoke!" t-shirts being sold all around SF right after the Giants won the World Series; I should have grabbed one then!

Kudos to Tim for appearing on the cover of High Times magazine!

The Golden Girls Tackle Lesbianism [television]

I happened to catch a 1986 episode of The Golden Girls this evening dealing with the issue of "lesbianism" entitled "Isn't it Romantic."

I found it interesting when the episode was made - I don't think of "gay" as becoming mainstream (ok, even talked about) until the 1990's, but these witty old ladies from Miami were always ahead of their time.

A show description from TV.com:

Dorothy's old friend, Jean comes to Miami for a visit and Dorothy decides not to tell Blanche and Rose that Jean is a lesbian. Then, after spending time with Rose, Jean begins to fall for her. Meanwhile, a new VCR, prompts Sophia to rent "dirty movies."

I also enjoy seeing the shifts in technology over the years, and it tickles me to death that Sophia is using the "new" technology of VCRs to rent and watch dirty movies!

Here is the entire episode via YouTube:

Senator Feinsten & Meth [drugs, politics]

San Francisco's own Dianne Feinstein has been active for the LAST decade and a half combating the meth epidemic.

In the mid-nineties California was declared a "source country" for methamphetamine by the DEA; Feinstein introduced the Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996, signed into law by President Clinton in October of 1996 to help curb the spread of the drug.

Feinstein and Jim Talent authored this article that appeared on April 30. 2005 in the Washington Post entitled, "A Remedy for the Meth Epidemic." On September 9, 2005, the Senate approved the Feinstein-Talent Anti-Meth Bill.

On October 12, 2010, President Obama signed the Combat Methamphetamine Enhancement Act, adding to the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2006, which was authored by Feinstein as well.

More:

Senate votes to double fines and jail time for cannabis candy & "candy-flavored" meth.

The twin epidemics: HIV and methamphetamine.

Oregon's solution to the meth problem here.

Methamphetamine [drugs, society]

Watched Meth: A County in Crisis earlier, and now watching "Meth's Deadly High" on Lifetime.

The first show detailed the meth problem in Missouri, and focuses on the epidemic in Franklin County, but meth is a plague rampant everywhere in the United States.

The Bay area is no stranger to the meth problem either but has launched rigorous campaigns to combat the meth crisis and according to Life or Meth, meth usage has almost halved in three years here in San Francisco.

Meth is also a huge problem in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California; the photo below details the admissions into drug and alcohol rehab centers over a four year time in California.

One can clearly see meth usage has spread like wild fire in California in just several years.

The San Diego area is also known for its numerous bizarre crimes involving meth; below is a video of the infamous incident in San Diego on May 17, 1995, when meth-addicted Shawn Timothy Nelson stole a tank from the National Guard Armory near Mesa College and went on a rampage through a city, only stopping when he ran into a median on the highway.

Two Walnut Creek Teens Die in Rafting Accident [bay area, news]

Two Walnut Creek teens were found dead this past Saturday, victims of a tragic rafting accident. The teens were identified as 16-year-old Matthew Miller and 17-year-old Gavin Powell, both of Walnut Creek and popular students at Las Lomas High School, where classes resumed today for the first time since the accident over the weekend.

Crisis counselors and other mental health professionals were available to speak to grieving students. Below is a video tribute to Matt and Gavin made by one of their friends.

Authenticity [video].

Last night I was feeling inspired while listening to "Fake Empire" by The National, so I put together this video using footage I have taken over the past couple of years since moving out to California.

Lifetime Movies: The Craiglist Killer & Amanda Knox [crime, movies]

I am just finishing up "The Craigslist Killer," the Lifetime movie portraying the story of Philip Markoff, the med student convicted of robbing and killing a young woman he met off of Craigslist in Boston.

In a completely self-centered act Markoff committed suicide in jail before standing trial, leaving the family of his victim in the dark about the last minutes' of their loved one's life. As if the suicide wasn't enough, Markoff went so far as to write his ex-fiance's name in his own blood on the wall of his cell where he killed himself, leaving behind a gruesome shrine with numerous pictures of his ex.
Next up is the controversial world premiere of Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, chronicling the story of American former University of Washington student Amanda Knox accused of sexually assaulting and killing her roommate while studying abroad in Italy. The film is supposedly going to air without a controversial graphic scene depicting the murder.

Amanda's family wanted Hayden Panettierre (who portrays Amanda in the film), to meet Amanda before filming but their multiple requests were never acknowledged by Lifetime. It has been reported that Amanda herself "was shocked and hyperventilating when she saw a TV newscast in her Italian prison cell this weekend about Hayden Panettierre playing her in the Lifetime movie."

I also eventually read the book written about this story, "Angel Face: The True Story of Student Killer Amanda Knox."

Lifetime Movie Network: My Neighbor's Secret [movies]

One of my indulgences is the Lifetime Movie Network. I am taking advantage of the rainy day to watch "My Neighbor's Secret," starring Nicholas Brendon, whose career was pretty much over after his run on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, save a few episodes of Criminal Minds and Private Practice as well as some minor film roles here and there.

He still has that slight lisp, too.
Up next is the much-anticipated "And Baby Will Fall," based on the novel by Hallie Ephron, and starring Clea Duvall. Yes, Clea Duvall.

No, I don't know why she is doing Lifetime movies either.

Girlfriend's Birthday Cake [baking]

I made my first cake completely from scratch tonight for my girlfriend's birthday, and it wasn't half bad! In fact, she liked it!

It was a chocolate cake with homemade vanilla cool whip frosting with a layer of fresh strawberries between the chocolate cake and strawberries on top; this was her "dream" cake, so I did my best with it.

I used the "Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake" recipe for the cake, and then this recipe for the cool whip frosting.