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7:21pm: Continuing a 4th of July Tradition...
I'm up in Alaska today and don't have time for a lengthy post, but I didn't want space on this annual tradition of mine. It's becoming more and more important to review this text often and remember the principles behind our Government. So, without further ado:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

-------------------------------

Let's keep those words in mind, people, as we watch what our elected officials do to our country.

1:55pm: Mission: Acquerello
It seems like it has been ages since I did a Mission: Michelin post, and that's because I've been slacking. I did eat at Quince way back in February, but I haven't written that up yet. Last night I got back on mission and dined at Acquerello, one of the Michelin 1 Stars. I invited my friends Brett and Aimee to join me, along with my friend Pamela. Unfortunately, Pamela got her wires crossed about the day and so didn't join us.

Acquerello's dining room is lovely; it features high ceilings, dark wood, and lovely watercolors on the walls. It's also a pretty quiet space; a great place for a small dinner with friends or a romantic meal. The wait staff is superb; attentive but unobtrusive, helpful, and perfectly content to let you sit and wait for your party to assemble with no stress about ordering or trying to turn the table. It might have helped that we had an 8:30 seating, but we waited for about a half-hour for Pamela before we decided to order, and they were content to let us do just that while making sure we had wine, bread, water, etc.

After a little consultation with the sommelier, we ordered a bottle of 2002 La Gerla Brunello di Monalcino. Brunellos are certainly one of my favorite red wines; I fell in love with them the first time I visited Tuscany. While it was the cheapest Brunello on the list (my pocketbook and palette just wont extend to spending a huge amount on wine), it was very good, big, smooth and tasty. The sommelier was excellent; he kept our wine glasses full and was very helpful with recommendations for glasses of wine later on in the meal.

I opted to go for the four course meal, which was a good choice. It was just the perfect amount of food. They started us off with a little chilled summer squash soup with truffle oil. "But I don't like squash," I said as I dug in. It's true. I don't like squash, except when it is prepared really well, as this soup was. Smooth and flavorful and perfectly complemented by the truffle oil (which seems to go well with just about everything.)

My first course was chilled Sonoma tongue with pickled baby carrots and salsa verde. I love tongue, and this was a tongue dish to love. The salsa verde and pickled carrots added the right amount of salty and sour to the rich, fatty flavor of the tongue. Aimee went with a beautiful salmon carpaccio and the "Colors of Summer" and Brett had the brown butter basted red abalone with celery and rainbow carrot salad.

For our second course, we all opted for the ridged pasta with foie gras, scented with black truffles and Marsala. Wow, this was a rich and flavorful pasta dish with all of the tastes working extremely well together. As I finished my dish I commented, "That was just about the perfect amount of pasta... of course, they could have given us a huge plate of it and it still would have been the perfect amount. It was so good, I could have just kept eating it."

Brett had opted for the five-course meal, and had an off-menu special of the evening next, a squab dish. I tried a taste of that; I think it was the best squab I've ever had. A lovely, slightly gamey flavor (almost a liver-like taste) with a excellent texture. I might give this the nod as the best course of the meal.

For my third course, I went for the crispy breast of duck, seared escarole and cherry mostarda. No big surprise there; I love duck. It was wonderfully prepared. Again, all of the ingredients contributed to the whole of the dish and it was just a great flavor sensation. Perfectly prepared. Brett ordered the parsley crusted lamb chops with carrot sformato and mint scented favetta, and Aimee had a double order of the squab (a nice touch there, doubling it up for the entree course.)

Then came the cheese course. I want a cheese cart at home! People could come over and ask, "What's that? and I'd respond, "Oh, that's just the cheese cart. Do you want some cheese?" It would be wonderful. Aimee ordered a sweet dessert instead, the Brooks cherry and apricot tart with Italian triple créme. It looked yummy. Now, I always suck at remembering which cheeses I had; we had a selection of 9 or 10 from which to choose. I think I had a Blu del Moncenisio, a Ubriaco di Capra, and a Boschetto al Tartufo. Sublime.

The end of the meal brought some nice touches, like a fortress of biscotti (I swear there were 8 or so of them, stacked up like a tower) and a little bag of chocolates for Aimee as we left. We got out of there about Midnight, making it a long evening of dining. It very much reminded me of spectacular meals in Rome and Tuscany, down to the unhurried pace of dining.

It was a wonderful experience, and I'd be happy to go back. I recommend this place for a special occasion, an anniversary, a special birthday, a romantic dinner, a quiet dinner with good friends. It represents how good fine dining can be.

12:27am: That's What I Call Dining
OMG, that was a long-ass dinner. More tomorrow.

12:50pm: OK, Decision Made
I accepted a job offer from NCSoft in Mountain View today. On July 8th, I'll start working on City of Heroes/Villains. I'm really jazzed about it.

I'm also really jazzed that I had options in this job search and found a great job so quickly. Man, what a load off my mind! Now I can relax and enjoy my vacation. My thanks to everyone who sent a lead my way; I greatly appreciate it.

9:48pm: Damn It!
“It’s not what we do that disturbs our dreams, it’s what we don’t do. Action admits of ambiguity; inaction is absolute. We embrace the rationale that inertia is for the best. In the long run. All things considered. Given the circumstances. But the undone deed seldom admits to such evasion, and we live our lives shadowed by the consequences of timidity.”

I swear, lack of choice is so much easier than choice. Grr... I should have a decision tomorrow.

3:25pm: Put On A Happy Face...
Things are looking up. I hope to have details to post soon. Yay!

10:04am: That Post-Layoff Euphoria
I get in the oddest mood when I get laid off from a job; I get almost euphoric as messages from friends and business acquaintances start to fill my in basket as work of the layoff spreads around. It's such a great feeling to know I have such wonderful contacts and they are really letting me get through this period with a feeling of hope and a very positive outlook. Sure, that will change if I'm still unemployed in a month, but with these guys working on behalf, I'm pretty certain that won't be the case. Too, it helps that it feels like my skill set is actually in demand for once. That's an awfully nice feeling to have as well.

Friends, acquaintances... I love you all. You guys rock.

I had a couple of interviews this week and I'm feeling pretty good about them. We'll see what next week brings, but I'm very hopeful that this will just be a short, unscheduled vacation and I'll be back at work very soon.

10:46am: Oops! It Happened Again
I went into work this morning to find out I had been included in the layoffs going on at LucasArts. It was a good run and I wish I could have finished out the Indy project. I know my former teammates are going to kick out a kick-ass game.

If anyone knows of any good opportunities for a game designer or editor or writer, please let me know. I'm in need of a new job.

Man, I knew I should have slept in this morning. What were they going to do if I did, fire me?

9:07am: For No Real Reason...
If I were a Russian from the 50s, I could use the power of my mind to direct the bowling ball. That's how they were going to take our country over; they were going to get into the leagues and bowl perfect games using the power of their minds, thanks to their psychic research. It's kind of scary they came THAT CLOSE to winning.

8:54am: Happy
There's a teaser for the new Indiana Jones movie here. I'm happy.

8:55am: Cloverfield
I saw a screening of Cloverfield last night. It's totally not my kind of movie and I likely wouldn't have gone to see it if it hadn't been free.

Oddly enough, I enjoyed it, shaky-cam and all. It's well put-together and it moves along to a good conclusion. If you like monster movies, you should really like this one.

10:38am: Weather
It certainly is raining hard today. Driving to work was like an obstacle course, dodging the fallen branches and blown-over garbage cans. But at least I made it to work; many of the bridges in the area are having problems and the office is kind of empty right now.

My goal for the day: Stay dry.

And, not related to anything else in this post...

Want to be a x ray technician?

11:14pm: Mission: Manresa
I'm totally relaxed and replete and I hope I can finish this entry with the thoughts of tonight's dinner still in my mind. After a bit of a layoff, I decided it was time to return to my mission of eating at Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bay Area. There had been some attempts to get to various places in November and December, but to no avail. (Although I do need to write up my re-visit to Aqua from my birthday in October)

I decided that December would be the month of Manresa, and torvo was kind enough to volunteer to join me. Manresa is one of the Michelin two-stars, and Chef David Kinch is known for using fresh picked each day biodynamic veggies in his kitchen... whatever that means. Needless to say, I was greatly looking forward to the evening's meal.

The experience started off right; we were seated within a few minutes of our (slightly early) arrival. Manresa's dininig room was decorated for the holidays in a low-keyed fashion. It's a nice room and the tables are well-spaced. No Gary Danko-like overcrowding here! Our waiter explained how the menu worked (you read it, right?) and left us to choose between the four course meal or the tasting menu.We went the four-course route, with the paired wines.

We ordered and awaited the first course. First, though, came the amuse-bouche, accompanied by a 2005 Swekt Solter Riesling Rheingau, a really nice sparkling wine. The amuse-bouche was a series of five small dishes, brought in succession. They were wonderful and I wish I had a list of what they were. The stand-outs were the first, some kind of bite-sized croquet with a liquid center and some foie and the small espresso cup of soup, which also had some foie in it. And there was a pouch-like crepe containing crab meat, poached pear (I think) and tied off with a chive... or something like that. There was also a really brilliant soft-poached egg yolk with a sherried cream and maple syrup that was sweet and savory at the same time. Delicious.

Our taste bud amused and awoken, it was time to get to the dinner. I started with the Amberjack, sashimi style, with olive oil and chives. I didn't know what amberjack was, and I still don't (OK, it is some kind of fish), but ... wow. Just wow. This was incredibly delicate, with the oil really melding well with the taste of the fish. It was served with a 2006 Txakoli Gurrutxaga from Vizcaya, Spain, a Basque wine (with a name like that, I guess it had to be.) I'd never had a Basque wine before; it had a really smoky nose but a very clean taste. Excellent pairing. (I'm not a real wine guy, so I'll shut up now about the wine.)

My second course was fish again, the Sea bream with chestnuts and cabbage. This was a very nice presentation, but my least favorite of the evening. It was a little fishy but the ingredients all worked pretty well together. I drank some 2006 Westerly Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from the Santa Inez Valley with that.

My third course was Suckling pig and our boudin noir, with dried plums in black tea. Heaven on a plate. Really. Excellent boudin noir; better than Bouchon, I think, and who could resist suckling pig? The pork was light and moist and succulent. I cleaned my plate. I washed it down with some 2004 Marcel Lapierre Morgon from Beaujolais.

And then dessert, which was chestnut ice cream with chocolate pave, chocolate mousse, mandarin slices, and lemon sorbet, along with Blandy's 5 Year Old Maderia Malmsey. Do I really need to say anything more? No, the dish wasn't too much; the stuff all went very well together.

On a side note, the dining room is pretty quiet; it would be a great place for a date or a group of friends to go to talk and catch up on events. Speaking of which, I really need to find a girlfriend, so I have more excuses to go out to meals like this. I'm taking applications; the line forms on the left...

I would definitely go back to Manresa. I'd love to try the tasting menu; I think it would be worth the price (about $145, if you are interested.) It probably nudged Michael Mina out of the top spot in my Michelin adventure; we'll see if it stays there as I continue on with my insane quest (though Michael Mina is closer and excellent).

I don't know if I'm going to be able to hit any place else before March, but this experience certain;y has renewed my enthusiasm! As always, if you are in town (or going to be in town) and want to join me on one of these outings, drop me a line. If you have my contact info, you're probably someone I'd care to share a meal with...

2:00pm: A Jewish Christmas
Christmas Day means one thing to us out here: Chinese food and a movie. We took care of the former at Ton Kiang, who fed us pretty well. For the movies,well, we actually saw two, one the Sunday before Christmas and one of Christmas day.

Sunday's movie was Charlie Wilson's War. This is a darkly funny and ultimately depressing movie. The depressing part comes from the events upon which the film was based and the way my country handled them in the end. It's depressing to see us walking down the same road -- again. But the movie itself is a lot of fun. Aaron Sorkin's screenplay is bang on, and the performances by Tom Hanks and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are wonderful. Very much worth seeing.

On Christmas Day, I saw Juno, which was a wonderfully amusing comedy. Who would have thought that a movie about a teen pregnancy would be a light and uplifting film? Very well written and well acted and had a really excellent soundtrack to boot. I can see why it's the darling of the indie film circle right now and why it's going to get some notice by the various awards. Anyway, go see this one; you'll be entertained.

That's about it for the exciting holiday update.

4:53pm: That's The Way The World Goes Round...
So I finally pulled the trigger last night and bought an iPhone. I've wanted one for a few months and even went as far as "accidentally" destroying my current smart phone in a thinly-veiled attempt to justify purchasing the current geek tech toy. I visited the Apple store, had dinner with unseelie23 (who was kind enough to help my purchase with a bit of his Apple mojo), and then headed home to play with my new toy.

I arrived home to find our entertainment electronics scattered all over the living room, as my roommate decided it was time to hook up a new receiver and that meant doing a complete job of rerouting all of the cables, cleaning the area, and setting up all of the game consoles and cable boxes and stuff. Which meant that we had no internet connection until he was finished. Argh! New tech toy and I couldn't activate it...

A couple of hours later, we were back up and running and I switched my phone services over to the iPhone. It was a painless transition and I'm greatly enjoying the new phone. Not to mention the new electronics stack; we finally have the 360, the PS3 and the Wii all set up and working with the big TV. Way to go, Jim!

10:26pm: There Was A Little Town Called Rockridge
There's a certain pleasure in showing someone a movie they've not seen but that you really enjoyed. There's always that fear, "Will they think this is as good/funny/awful/whatever as I do?" But there's the gratification that comes when your friend sees the movie and likes it.

One of my co-workers had never seen Blazing Saddles, if you can believe that, and that was a state of affairs that could not stand. So a small group of us got together last night and watched it in the screening room at work. Fun times. Judging from the laughter, Blazing Saddles can still thrill the kids. I hadn't seen it in some years, and was pleased to see it still is as funny as ever.

Next up, Repo Man. Can you believe there's people working in the video game industry who've never seen it? For shame! We'll fix that, next Tuesday.

10:04pm: Happy Thanksgiving to Me
I supposed it was bound to happen... Mass Effect came out on Tuesday; a perfect game for a long holiday weekend. So I fired it up on Wednesday night, played a bunch today before I went over to my folks' place for the annual Turkey feast, returned home around 9 PM and fired up the xBox 360 once again. Five minutes into my play session, my console crashed. When I power-cycled it, I saw the dreaded Red Ring of Death flashing at me. Damn. How did it know? I've been waiting for Mass Effecgt for months. Why couldn't it have died during Stranglehold or Assassin's Creed or something? Bah.

Tomorrow I get to deal with MS customer support. I hope they make my 360 all better soon.

8:51am: Is This A Surprise?

6:10pm: Out of Touch
I dropped my phone in an unfortunate place today. While it looked like it was working after it had dried off, it's having severe problems. (I probably would too, if I had been dropped in there... at least the water was clean.) I'm in the process of moving back to my old phone, which means charging the battery and hoping that the SIM card will work in it.

If ever there was a clear sign from the heavens that I needed an iPhone, this was it.

12:38pm: Mission: Rubicon
After a 4 month delay, I finally returned to my Mission: Michelin with a visit to Rubicon. I'd made a least one attempt in the past to get to Rubicon, so it was good to actually make it there.

Rubicon is in a very nice space. It's not a fancy room, but it's pleasant and the tables were space reasonably far apart. That also helped keep the noise level down, which is a plus. I arrive right on time and was shown to my table straight away. My companions were a little delayed and, after checking if I wanted a drink and bringing me some water, the wait staff left me alone to wait in peace until Armando and Mary-Carmen arrived.

I was tempted by the tasting menu, but decided I really didn't need that much food. Instead, I went ala carte and ordered the Duck & Pistachio Pâté with Plum & Hibiscus Vinaigrette and Grain Mustard for my first course. It was excellent; the pâté was very flavorful, and the flavors all melded together so well. I'm a big fan of pâté and this one ranks right up there with my favorites.

There was a lot of good looking stuff offered for the main course, but the Ragout of Oxtail, Oysters & Monterey Squid with Smoked Paprika Custard, Cranberry Beans, and Fennel Bulb looked too unusual to pass up. Plus, I love oxtail, oysters and squid; I've just never had them all combined in one dish. Oh my, what a great selection! The dish was well plated and everything worked together taste-tastic harmony. I asked our waitress for a wine suggestion to go with this dish, and she went off to consult with the sommelier before coming back to offer me an unusually "big" pinot noir. It went very well with my entree.

The service was excellent, the ambiance good, and the company enjoyable. I declare Rubicon a win, and I suspect I'll be revisiting it at some point in the future.

Thumbs up!

As a side note, I have to start taking pictures of the dishes, ala iamnikchick.

8:34am: We Know This To Be True

12:00am: Happy Independence Day
I posted this last year, but you know... things haven't changed for the better. They've only gotten worse. Even with the change in Congress, the Executive Nranch continues to erode the foundations of this country, and we sit back and let them do it. So, in honor of the day...

I've been going back to review the Declaration every 4th now. These days, reading it makes me angry. How has our nation come so far from the sentiments upon which it was founded? I can't blame the politicians or our government for letting our country drift so far off course. If I have to blame anyone, it's myself and the rest of my fellow citizens. We're the ones who've put the politicians (of both parties) in office, and we're the ones who've let things head towards hell in a hand basket.

So this year, a challenge to us all. Read the Declaration. Get upset, get angry, get mad. And then do something about it. Get involved. Get involved with what every party in which you believe and let your voice be heard. Help steer our ship of state away from the rocks for which it is headed.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

2:17pm: For Ruggels
So we were playing Champions and I made a Ranma 1/2 reference. Dave thought I said Rommel 1/2 which immediately made us wonder what ruggels would do with that...

4:01pm: Revisiting the African Queen
The Stanford Theater was showing The African Queen this weekend as part of their Katharine Hepburn Centennial Celebration, so I paid a visit to the theater on Sunday night to take in this fine film. I hadn't seen this movie in quite some time, and I don't think I'd ever seen it on the big screen. The Stanford had a pretty nice print and was as great as I remembered it. Although it's billed as a drama, it is a very light one, with many funny scenes and lines. I always forget what a good comedic actor Bogart was; he's got a light touch and his portrayal of Charlie is spot on. Katharine Hepburn is, of course, wonderful.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it, or hasn't seen it in a while. It is a pity that is still hasn't been released on DVD in the US. Ah well, I guess the public would rather watch Ghost Rider. In any case, if you see it showing on TV, set your DVR to record it. You won't be sorry.