Back on Sunday, January 11 we were driving home from church and listening to 100.3 FM The Sound.  It was the My Turn segment where a guest DJ, usually someone famous in music, plays what they want and talks about their choices.  My Turn airs between 6 pm and 7 pm every Sunday.  A previous week had Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic from the Lakers.  On January 11 the guest DJ was Noel Gallagher of the band Oasis.  He played some pretty good music, mostly older stuff.  As we were listening one particular lyric caught our ears:

“I eat more chicken (than) any man ever seen, yeah, yeah,”

Now there’s a song lyric you don’t hear very often.  The song was “Backdoor Man” performed by The Doors.  It’s a funny lyric similar to when Queen sing, “Gimme gimme gimme fried chicken,” and the end of the song “One Vision”.  I couldn’t think of the most chicken I’d seen a man eat other than when I had a half chicken meal at Juan Pollo in early November 2008.  That was a lot of food.

Further research revealed that the song “Backdoor Man” was actually written by Willie Dixon.  That makes sense that The Doors didn’t write it because it seemed a bit silly even for them.  Later artists influenced by Willie Dixon include Jesus and Mary Chain and PJ Harvey.  The entire stanza that contains the lyric is funny.  It goes:

You men eat your chicken
Eat your pork and beans
I eat more chicken any man ever seen, yeah, yeah
I’m a back door man
The men don’t know
But the little girl understand

It tells a funny story or at least conjures up some funny images.

Two weeks later on January 25, Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame was on My Turn.  He also played a song that mentions food in the lyrics: “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay and the Techniques.  Wilson described the record as his favorite.  It was another silly-sounding song from the 60’s.  Who knew there were all these old songs about food?

In February I finally finished collecting the quarters (25 cent pieces) for all four states in which I’ve lived: Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and California.  I had to go to Tennessee of all places to accomplish this.  While in Nashville attending a conference for work I acquired the Alaska quarter.  I believe it came from a Coke vending machine from which I purchased a 20 ounce bottle of Dasani water for $1.50.

I don’t remember when I started collecting the quarters but the earliest ones for CA and OR came out in 2005.  I obtained the WA quarter later and it has a date of 2007.  Alaska’s came out in 2008.  I like how they all have nice designs; each has a nature scene or natural wonder.  Both Washington’s and Alaska’s show a salmon in some capacity.  They all sure beat most other states especially Texas that just has the state outline and a star.  Now I have one dollar’s worth of all my home states and my home coast: the West Coast.

Note: this post was originally published on 3/13/2008 to a different site.  Update appears below.

I auditioned for the prime time game show Jeopardy! today.  I had auditioned back in October 2005 when they didn’t have the online exam.  I went to the Radisson Hotel L.A. Westside and took the in-person exam.  They announced those who passed and I wasn’t one of them.  I did get to meet one of the Clue Crew, Jon, and I got some Jeopardy pens.  This time I passed the online exam and I knew a bit of what to expect because my wife had auditioned last year.

Like many functions in Southern California, just getting there was an adventure.  We left at 7:10 am believing we had plenty of time to arrive at the same Radisson Hotel in West L.A. near Culver City by 9 am.  We took the 10 all the way.  The traffic didn’t seem any slower than usual in the San Gabriel Valley.  It sped up after the 605 and through Downtown L.A. but got very slow in West L.A.  The streets we took after exiting the freeway were also slow and we barely got there at 9:01 am.  My wife dropped me off at the front door and left to find parking.

I entered the hotel and went toward the meeting room where I had auditioned the last time but there was no one around there.  I asked at the front desk and they told me to go upstairs.  I went and there still didn’t seem to be much going on.  I walked down some halls for a few minutes and finally found a table where someone sat giving out pens and applications.  He gave me a Jeopardy!  pen and application and another Sony employee named Robert took a Polaroid photo of me.

I entered the room behind the table and it was already filled with about 16 contestant hopefuls seated at small meeting tables and facing a screen on the far wall.  I sat at a table in the back.  Another Sony employee, a woman named Bobbie, was asking people where they were from.  A couple came from Colorado and one guy was from Albuquerque that Bobbie had trouble pronouncing.  She said something like “Albuquirky”.  A couple of other contestant hopefuls arrived after me and sat in the back.  Bobbie asked whether anyone had taken the test in their pajamas or less.  No one answered but she said she saw some people blush.  She explained that around 90,000 people signed up for the online test and about 60,000 actually took it and submitted their test.  She didn’t say how many passed it but did say that they had to fill 400 spots for the season.  She also mentioned that contestants would be notified three weeks before their taping and said something about how they try to have people from outside Southern California on for the Monday shows and use locals as alternates that they eventually let on later shows.  She said contestants can be called within 18 months of their audition and that we cannot do another game show during that time.  They tape five shows in one day and give everyone snacks and lunch.  Not everyone gets called and some famous contestants had tried out several times before getting on.  She also talked about how Brad Rutter has won the most money from Jeopardy and Ken Jennings’ technique was to buzz in for questions he didn’t know the answer to yet and figure it out within the five seconds. 

We did a warm-up game where they projected Jeopardy categories up on the screen and we answered by raising our hands.  I didn’t do very well at this.   Some of the questions were hard.  They did call on me to answer one even though others had their hands up before me.  It was just a warm up and I think they wanted to give everyone the chance to answer.  In the actual game contestants only compete against 2 others and not 18 others.

They played a video on the screen that showed the Clue Crew and Alex Trebek giving tips for contestants such as waiting until Alex finishes answering the question before buzzing in.  The Sony employees then passed out answer sheets for us to take another test.  They displayed 50 questions for eight seconds each that showed the category and the question.  A recorded voice read the question and it wasn’t Alex Trebek’s voice or Johnny Gilbert’s.  I thought this test was easier than the one I had taken on October 2005 and the ones I’ve taken online.  I skipped a couple questions and guessed on three others but I think I knew most of them.  I am bound by agreement not to talk about any of the content of the test.

They collected the answer sheets and Bobbie talked to us some more.  While she talked a couple of the other contestant hopefuls and I filled out our applications.  The application asked if I had been on any other game shows and when (I had not), whether I knew anyone who worked for Sony Entertainment (no), whether I knew anyone who had appeared on Jeopardy! (yes, someone we knew from the puzzle parties was on last year and was a two-time champion).  As far as I could see it didn’t ask for dates we wouldn’t be available for taping.  They collected our applications, Polaroid photos, and the sheets where we wrote down interesting things about ourselves to discuss with Alex on the actual show.  My wife and I call these the “chit-chat” sheets, a name she learned when she auditioned.

Bobbie talked about how they want contestants to speak loudly and look like they’re having fun not like they’re all stressed out.  She said we would try to keep the game moving along quickly because the TV audience wants to see all the clues on the board played.  It’s also in our bests interests to play all the clues because more clues mean more money to wager in Final Jeopardy.  She then explained that we were going to be called up to the front to play a mock game and then be interviewed.  She and the others would give us tips if they felt we were buzzing in too quickly or not speaking loudly enough.  She brought out some buzzers that were replicas of the ones used on the show.  We did some more warm-ups and this time practiced the “buzzer” positioning with our hands.

She called up the contestant hopefuls in groups of three to play the mock game and then she and the other employees interviewed them.  Most did very well on the game.  A few had some mistakes possibly due to nerves.  When no one attempted to guess on one Bobbie would give them hints until one of them got it.  She explained that Alex didn’t give hints.  She would tell some to speak up when they were too quiet and would complement others on their energy or strong voice.

From their interviews the other contestant hopefuls seemed interesting and like tough competitors.  Most of us were Caucasian males.  Of the 19 of us, there were 5 women, all of them Caucasian.  Of the men, there was one Asian and one African American.  Most seemed around my age or older but some were clearly younger from their interviews.  Many of them had appeared on other game shows.  One had beat both Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on this show called 1 vs. 100 and won $250,000.  Another had answered the $125,000 incorrectly on 1 vs. 100 and won nothing.  Another had appeared on The Newlywed Game 39 years ago and won some pots and pans and a cutlery set.  Another had been “foed” on Friend or Foe.

Several contestants were students, one undergrad, another recent graduate, and several graduate students.  There were some writers, a professional blogger, a personal historian, a couple of lawyers, a retired army vet, a stay-at-home mom, and one other statistician.  A few worked in the entertainment industry and a couple did some acting, though not much more than bit parts or community theater.  Most mentioned traveling as a personal interest.  Some talked about how they met their spouses.  When asked what they would do with the money they mentioned traveling, paying off debts, buying a car or a house, and building a school in Africa (that costs only $4,000).

I was the last contestant hopeful called up to play the mock game and be interviewed.  Everyone had already played and been interviewed.  I play with two others who had already played.  I thought I did fairly well at the mock game.  It seemed like I answered more than the other two and only got one wrong.  I spoke loudly and excitedly.  They never had to give us hints to get us to answer a question and never said I need to speak up or us my buzzer differently.  They then interviewed me first asking “what’s going on?”  I said this was my second time trying out for Jeopardy and it was so much more fun than my first time.  They ask about my job as a statistician for Medicare, what I did for fun, and how long I had been married.  I told them I liked to read and they asked what good books I’ve read.  I told them about Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado and we had a humorous conversation about cannibalism.  They ask what I’d do with the money and I said some would go toward paying my wife’s speeding ticket and the high insurance premiums from it.  I also mentioned saving it and taking a trip to Sweden.  The game and interview seemed to go quickly and I was a bit nervous but one of the other hopefuls said I did a good job.

They asked if we had any other questions and then let us go.  We won’t really know how we did on the test, mock game, or interview, unless we make it to the next stage.  I’m not sure what that is but I’ve heard something about getting called to the study.  As we exited the room around 11:30 am we saw some other contestant hopefuls filling out applications for the next auditions.  I got two more Jeopardy pens from the employee at the table.  I met my wife in the lobby and we had lunch at the hotel.  In all I think I did OK at the audition and that there’s a chance I’ll make it to the next stage.

Update: as of 5/1/2009 I still have not been called to come to the studio.  My sister-in-law also took the online test.  She auditioned in August and was on the show taped in October that aired on 12/24/2008.  See www.marmijeopardy.com for more info on that.  I'm still waiting to get called.  I believe I have until September 13, 2009.  After that I can try the online test again.

Note: This post was originally published on 2

I heard that Senator Hillary Clinton was coming to Cal State LA in my class at the school last Tuesday.  A student passed around a flyer saying she would be coming on Saturday and be there from 12 noon to 2 PM.  The flyer had an url to go to for more information.  I wrote down that url and later we looked it up.  It said it was a “get out the vote” rally and that the time had been changed to 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and that it was free.  Other politicians and lawmakers would also be there.  We decided to check it out because we could just go there on the Metrolink train using our monthly passes so we wouldn’t have to find and pay for parking.  We had never seen a major presidential candidate in person before let alone a U.S. president.  This may be our only chance.  We liked that she chose to come to Cal State LA that is easily accessible to public transportation and doesn’t play a favorite between UCLA and USC.

We caught the earliest Metrolink train on Saturday that arrived at the Cal State LA station at 8:30 am.  We walked from the south end of campus and there were some large “Hillary for President” signs placed in prominent places.  We passed the main gym where the event was to be held and there were security people, event staff, police tape and the start of a very long line.  There were tables selling refreshments, places for people to buy or pick up signs, buttons, and other campaign paraphernalia.  The people in line carried their own signs, wore t-shirts and sweatshirts and buttons supporting Hillary.  They were mostly nonstudents though there were many others that looked like students.  The line went north from the gym up past the Luckman Fine Arts Complex and turned east along Circle Drive past the music building and finally ending in front of King Hall, the building where I’ve had most of my education classes.

We got in line at around 8:43 am behind a student studying to get his masters in electrical engineering.  He had a free t-shirt that some people were passing out farther up in the line.  The only stipulation was that those who took them had to wear them at the rally.  Two women, one holding a “Got Experience” sign soon got in line behind us and the line kept growing.  We were wondering if we would get into the gym.  The masters student said that he heard the stadium was a back up location.  The line started moving at 9:00 am and a police car drove by with the officer announcing that the gym doors were about to open and then the line would move quickly.  That answered the question about whether it would be in the gym or the stadium.  Now we worried that we wouldn’t get in.  We didn’t know how many people fit in the gym, though later we learned a capacity of 4,000. As we waited people came by selling buttons, usually for $5 each.  One button said “Bill Clinton for First Laddie.”  The line moved in spurts; I guess because they had to let groups through security.  As we moved back through into the main campus and past the library we could hear the speakers broadcasted from inside the gym.  We heard Brad Sherman, a congressman representing part of the San Fernando Valley; Judy Chu, vice chair of the California Board of Equalization; and Gray Davis, recent former Governor of California.

Earlier in the line a student (or volunteer?) came by and said that we weren’t allowed to bring signs into the rally.  They wanted us to hold up only certain signs that we would be given.  As we got closer to the gym other volunteers came by reassuring us that we would get in but that those who couldn’t get in could wait for an outdoor rally following the indoor one that Senator Clinton would also speak at.  We got to the doors at 10:15 am where they had airport-like security gates.  They had the metal detectors turned up high.  I had to get “wanded.”  We finally got to gym where Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW) was speaking.  We went to the bleachers elevated behind the stage.  It looked like there were a lot of seats but many of them were reserved for UFW and machinist union members.  We found some seats close to the top of the bleachers.

They passed around some red, white, and blue “Hillary for President” signs and my wife got one.  Most people there were holding up these signs and also some yellow ones that said “Hillary Smart Choice”.  I guess they wanted the signs to appear homogenous and that’s why they didn’t let people bring their own.  There was a large American flag on the gym wall to the right of the stage.  Many people were on the gym floor surrounding the stage and the speakers mostly had their backs to us, though most were nice enough to turn around at times.

Ms. Huerta ended her speech and introduced America Ferrera, the star of the hit sitcom Ugly Betty and the only speaker under 25 that we saw.  She talked about how she’s been campaigning for Hillary for the past two weeks.  She was raised by a single mother with five siblings and made it through college with student loans.  She talked about how students now are put into “involuntary servitude” by their student loans and that Hillary plans to fix that.  Hillary, she described, was able to go to law school with a federal loan that had a 2% interest rate.  Is it possible to get that now?  No way!  America asked everyone under 25 in the crowd to scream and they did very loudly.  She said that this election was our election and that Hillary won’t just provide hope, she’ll provide help.

After America finished speaking, Ms. Huerta introduced two local congresswomen, one of whom was Hilda Solis who represents Azusa, El Monte, and other parts of the San Gabriel Valley.  Their speeches were followed by ones from L.A. City Councilwomen Wendy Gruell and Janice Hahn who described how Hillary inspired her.  The speeches were sometimes difficult to hear because of the crowd cheering.  They chanted “Hil-lar-ry”, “Viva Hillary”, and “Sí se puede” (i.e. “yes she can”) at various times.  Campaign volunteers would also throw t-shirts into the crowd that said “Hillary Speaks to Me.”  They came close but not close enough for us to catch one.

Sally Field and Bradley Whitford, who appeared in the TV show The West Wing, came to the stage.  Sally Field described how she was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley.  She watched every debate, even the Republican debates to decide who she should support.  She wanted to “let the candidates speak to [her].”  She was most impressed with Hillary because of how she behaved.  Sally felt that Hillary dealt best with the attacks against her, that she drew strength from the attacks and was “willing to be human when others looked for weakness.”  Bradley Whitford said he represented the “acting” presidents (i.e. the actors that played presidents).  He said that Hillary would “fight for a future where our schools are shinier than our missiles.”

An all-female mariachi band of 14 singers and musicians took the stage and performed four songs.  They played guitars, fiddles, a large acoustic bass, and horns.  Some of the Latino audience members sitting near us were singing along.  The singers sang some long notes that drew cheers.

After the mariachi band left the stage was empty for 10-15 minutes.  Over the PA system they played “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Every Little Thing She does is Magic” by The Police, “Suddenly I See” by K.T. Tunstall.  While the music played they set up a stool with a bottle of water on the stage, presumably for Senator Clinton.

They introduced “a man who needs no introduction, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.”  He started by saying that he grew up not very far from Cal State LA in a neighborhood called City Terrace part of a community better known as East L.A.  The mayor described how he has been voting since 1972 and he has never seen a more talented field of presidential candidates than the field this year.  But, he stated, Hillary Clinton is “head and shoulders above the others.”

At the end of the mayor’s speech the cheering got very loud.  I’m not sure who came out first or the exact order but the mayor introduced Magic Johnson, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellum, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, CA Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina, and finally Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.  The stage was crowded and would get even more crowded as they spoke.  Hillary greeted the other leaders and waved to very loud cheering.

Magic Johnson spoke and had perhaps the best line of the rally when he described how “all the people will be happy.”  Maxine Waters followed and mentioned how she attended and graduated from Cal State LA as a single mother.  Speaker Nuñez spoke followed by Mayor Ron Dellum who quoted Martin Luther King Jr.: “Peace is not just the absence of war but the presence of justice.”  Supervisor Gloria Molina came next.  As they spoke, leaders and celebrities that spoke early joined them on stage.  Brad Sherman, Sally Field, Bradley Whitford, Gray Davis, and Ted Danson came back out.  At the end of her speech Gloria Molina introduced “The next president of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton!”

All the local leaders and celebrities cleared the stage and Hillary spoke clearly and eloquently for half an hour.  She faced both the other side and our side of the stage as she spoke.  She emphasized that getting access to health care for all Americans wasn’t just an issue but a cause that is central to her mission.  Unlike her opponent, she supports universal health care.  She mentioned how she had spoken earlier that morning to a couple in Inglewood who had to take out a second mortgage on their home to pay their daughter’s college tuition and their adjustable rate mortgage went up.  They’re worried they won’t be able to play for their younger daughter’s college.  Hillary stated that she would end the unfunded mandate known as “No Child Left Behind” that turns children into “little test takers.”  She talked about giving support to students who want to go into public service jobs such as teaching or medical research so that they don’t have to spend the decade after graduation working to pay off student loans.  She said she is trying to be very specific because she believes we have the right to know exactly what she plans to do.  She mentioned Bobby Kennedy and César Chavez from 40 years ago and how Bobby Kennedy Jr. and César Chavez’s grandson support her now.  She mentioned ending the war in Iraq, supporting veterans, reforming the mortgage industry, and ending the era of “Cowboy Diplomacy.”

After Hillary finished speaking most of the crowd left the gym.  Many others crowded around Hillary to shake her hand and have her sign their campaign signs.  We tried to get in to see her but it was too packed and crazy so we left the gym and started walking back to the train station.  Outside the gym another crowd was assembled, presumably for the rally they said would follow the indoor activities.  We walked around the crowd, took a few photos with my wife’s cell phone (our camera had run out of battery power), arrived at the train station and caught the 1:30 train back to Covina station.  We saw a major presidential candidate for the first time along with several local leaders and celebrities (though this is the third time we’ve seen Mayor Villaraigosa, he’s always in the spotlight).

Californians, don’t forget to vote on Tuesday!