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      Tuesday, August 01, 2006

catstuff 06:37 AM - 08/01/2006 The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY! ---------------------------------------------- Today's tummy belongs to Richie. Caught sleeping on the sofa. ------------------------------------------- Got a weblog? Got a picture of a kitty tummy? Then link to it in the comment section or send a trackback. Share dat belly! | Permalink

catstuff 08:03 AM - 08/01/2006 The topic: Reflection ---------------------------------------------- Noofies of Home Grown told me yesterday, about Handsome “He was ready to go. He picked you on purpose, you know. He needed to be loved and cared for while he was getting ready to go, and needed a safe place to leave from, and knew he’d get all of that from you.”  Thinking about this, I believe it.  Just like Blackie, who lived on the streets for years here, a scary looking kitty cat if ever there was one, finally deciding that he was ready to have a home.  He was with us for forty-five days before he died.  He came to us as a hospice, somehow knowing we’d make his final days comfortable.  Of course, we didn’t know they’d be his final days.  But we couldn’t have treated him better if we had. Handsome always had the symptoms he had yesterday when I took him in.  His stomach always made a lot of noise.  His breathing was always a little labored.  He never completely relaxed when he would first lay down.  That came when he was finally in a deep sleep and he’d end up on his side, legs stretched out in front of him.  And I recall many times during the first few months he was here, how he would awaken out of a sound sleep and quickly get back into the meatloaf position, paws under him, head held up.  (Check out this entry from April 2005.) I put the noisy tummy off on the saliva he swallowed for the throat problem the vet mentioned that was common in FIV+ cats.  I put the labored breathing off to difficulty swallowing because of a sore throat. I put the changing sleeping position off onto the fact that he was so used to being vigilant, that he never felt quite safe being totally relaxed. Looking back on it, now I can see all of these symptoms stemming from the same health problem.  Something in his lungs.  It wasn’t his noisy stomach, it was his noisy lungs. It wasn’t a sore throat, it was fluid in the lungs. I don’t think he ever drooled because of mouth problems.  I think it was always from his lungs.  When he first came to live with us, his paws were a mess, I remember thinking that someone must have abused him.  It wasn’t someone abusing him, it was the drool that came from his lungs. I don’t know why the vet didn’t hear this on his first visit.  I don’t know why it wasn’t discovered when he went in for his teeth cleaning and neuter.  But I know, deep down, it was there.  And it gradually got worse. We did right by this old guy.  I’m glad he came to be with us.  He enriched our lives and he was one of the most charismatic cats I’ll ever have known.  I’ll miss seeing him in the kitchen, waiting for something special, something just for his Handsomeness.  There always was something for him.  Because he was a very special boy.  I hope we made him happy. I hope he knows how much we loved him and how very much we’ll miss him. | Permalink

      Wednesday, August 02, 2006

otherstuff 11:28 AM - 08/02/2006 The current weather is beautiful The topic: I think I’m kinda sorta depressed ---------------------------------------------- It’s a most beautiful day today.  The temperature is perfect, there are a few fluffy clouds out and there is an occasional gentle breeze coming through the windows. And I just feel like sleeping or crying. What a waste. Maybe a nice long shower would help me out. | Permalink

      Saturday, August 05, 2006

otherstuff 10:09 AM - 08/05/2006 I'm watching Wings The topic: Better ---------------------------------------------- I’m doing better. The kitchen is a tough place and eating is a little sad. Both of our beggar cats are gone (DeeJay and Handsome).  Handsome was so much fun with food.  *sigh*  Although this morning, Ron Howard ate a piece of a gingersnap cookie.  I wouldn’t think cats like ginger. I’ve been keeping busy.  I finished six pairs of earrings, that match the necklaces that are done.  I’m working on another now that’s going to be about fifty inches long, silver sterling chain and hematite beads.  I’d like to get that finished before the sun is high.  When the sun is high, I’ll start taking photos of stuff I have to sell.  I’ve got some fun things to sell, besides the jewelry. I also did flea treatments on most of the cats.  Tuesday, I got Rory, Ron and Katie done, although I think maybe doing the kittens right now might be a waste of time, since some cat always cleans the Advantage off of them.  Yesterday, I got twenty-five more cats done.  The other seven might be a little more difficult, since they don’t let me close to them. There was a time I got all cats but Little Bit, I hope I can do this again.  But they’re pretty wary of me since they know what I’ve been up to.  *lol* Well, going to get busy and get that necklace finished. | Permalink

      Sunday, August 06, 2006

catstuff 03:39 PM - 08/06/2006 I'm watching "Eight Men Out" The topic: Poor Georgie ---------------------------------------------- Poor little Georgie.  He’s feeling better, that’s a good thing. But he’s been walking under some sort of dark cloud the past few days. He’s finally not slinking through the house so much. He started doing that when Handsome came here to live, remember, it was a war zone until the testosterone left Handsome’s body. Fur instance, yesterday, he was sleeping on one of the openings between the entryway and the living room and he moved in his sleep and fell off.  I was kind of worried, checked him out and he seemed to be okay.  Then yesterday evening, I swear, something has it in for him. We’ve got this plum tree in the backyard. We’ve got two fruit trees. Lime, which come in handy at margarita time. And the plum tree, which has the most beautiful, fat juicy plums you ever did see. It has hundreds and hundreds each year. And we’ve eaten about, um, let me think….zero.  The tree is a waste.  And below the tree is a wasteland of split open plums. Well, the oddest thing this year is the bees. I’ve never seen this in the twenty years we’ve lived here. Bees on the fruit. Maybe it’s because of the heat, maybe it was because the weather had been so cloudy and the flowers weren’t opening up during the day, or maybe it’s because there was no catnip grown this year, but the ripe plums are covered in honey bees.  Since I walk barefoot when I’m home, this concerns me.  I figure I’ll wait until the sun goes down and go out and toss the plums from the path I take to the pool.  Figure the bees will be home for the night. All the cats except Benny, Oliver and Georgie were in. Georgie was sleeping up on the patio. My tossing plums caught his attention and he came trotting over to see what the deal was. And he chased a plum or two.  He was standing under the tree by the cathouse (first picture).  I heard a noise, then felt something splash me. Georgie jumped, ran from under the tree.  I looked at him and couldn’t figure out what his problem was.  I called him over, he came to me and I checked him out.  His back, where I usually apply Advantage, was wet.  *lol* A plum fell from the tree and splatted on his back.  Poor little guy. When he came in for the night, he lay next to me on the sofa and let me pet him.  He was pretty happy, he was purring and kneading the pillow.  I haven’t seen him like that in a while, so I guess the plum drop wasn’t so traumatic for him.  .     | Permalink

catstuff 03:57 PM - 08/06/2006 The topic: Benny ---------------------------------------------- A long time ago, Benny used to stand guard when I was in the shower.  Sometimes he’d try to get to me through the shower door, other times he’d just sit quietly and wait for me to finish. Sometimes, he’d roll around in my not-so-fresh undies. Once, he got so worked up, he ended up wearing them. I found him in the backyard, strolling along, happy as he’s ever been, with my underwear around his middle, dragging on the ground. Well, he’s started the vigil again and imagine my surprise to see him last week, rolling around in my undies. It was the funniest thing.  By the time I got the camera, he was tired out, but I did manage to snap a picture of him on top of my sweatpants, with my underwear directly under him. | Permalink

catstuff 04:01 PM - 08/06/2006 The topic: Lorelei has settled in ---------------------------------------------- Lorelei doesn’t wander the house meowing so much any longer. She does sleep an awful lot.  She’s moved from the bedroom.  She was in the family room under the sofa, then she moved out to the cat furniture forest in the garage, where old cat furniture goes to die. You know, it’s not good enough to have in the house (although some of what we’ve got in the house isn’t in any better shape) but not bad enough to meet the dumpster.  I’m still waiting for her to put on some weight, she’s an awfully thin kitty cat.   | Permalink

catstuff 04:05 PM - 08/06/2006 The topic: Angel face ---------------------------------------------- This picture doesn’t do her justice, but Angel has one of the sweetest faces I’ve ever seen on a cat. She has the bluest eyes…. I wish she wasn’t so darned shy.   | Permalink

      Monday, August 07, 2006

catstuff 07:37 AM - 08/07/2006 We found a nickle and a penny on our walk this morning The topic: This is a little spooky… ---------------------------------------------- I took this picture on March 11. In it are Ciara, Annie and Handsome.   | Permalink

catstuff 12:07 PM - 08/07/2006 The topic: Movie Monday ---------------------------------------------- Laurence, over at TBIFOC runs Kitty Movie Monday and I thought I'd share mine today (to hell with housework, right?). This is an old one of Richie doing close to a 360° in the kitchen sink.   ================================================ This movie was made with SwishVideo | Permalink

      Tuesday, August 08, 2006

otherstuff 07:01 AM - 08/08/2006 The topic: Offensive email ---------------------------------------------- “This is not your typical newsletter from Outsidepride.com, Inc. In fact, this is the first one in six years which is not business related. I apologize for cluttering your inbox with an unsolicited email; however you are free to unsubscribe just by clicking the link at the bottom. I want to share with you my television viewing experience the other night on prime time television. I ask those of you who agree with me to go to http://www.cbs.com and go to the bottom of the page, click the feedback link and express your opinion. I know the vast majority of you will agree with me as all polls indicate. We are the majority, not the minority as the liberal media would lead you to believe. “My wife and I sat down to watch television the other night with our children. Cold Case was on which is normally a fairly enjoyable show to watch; however, the last half hour of the show dealt with a young man who wished he had asked his male friend to come with him (long story short). The show ended with the two men hugging and obvious intimation they had discovered their gay feelings towards each other. The very next show was Without A Trace. The whole last half hour of this show was about two lesbians who were struggling with their feelings of lesbianism. It ended with full acceptance from one father and the two lesbians making out. Yes, they were kissing right at the end of the show on public prime time television. So much for wholesome family television. “Now, I am NOT trying to bash homosexuals and I am not a bigot; however, I feel homosexuality is morally wrong and should not be “promoted” as what is the norm for society. Text books are being rewritten as I am writing this to “highlight” every homosexual who has made a contribution to society. There are teachers who have been asked to make sure students know that, “This person in history was a homosexual.” History is being rewritten to promote homosexuality and prime time television is doing its best to make homosexuality a “normal” behavior. If homosexuality was the norm, civilization would have ceased to exist thousands of years ago. Procreation takes a man and a woman. There was Adam and then there was Eve, not Adam and Steve. “There are literally tens of thousand of you reading this email right now. If you are tired of the way public television is going let CBS know! It will only take about 1 minute of your time. Again, just go to http://www.cbs.com and click the feedback link at the bottom. It is time the majority speak up and not let the minority run this country. The majority can bring back the Christian heritage this country was founded on because it is, “In God We Trust.” “Thank you for your time,   Troy Hake President Outsidepride.com, Inc. ———————————————————————————————————————— Thank you for shopping at Outsidepride.com! Outsidepride.com, Inc. Phone: Fax: 503-606-0659 URL: http://www.outsidepride.com” This was a very bad business decision.  Sending out a preachy missive to his company’s mailing list.  I’ve already responded via their website and I’ve also removed myself from their mailing list and I reported his message to me as spam.  I don’t want a lecture on the morality of sexuality, no matter what kind.  Sex is sex.  It’s not moral or immoral (don’t forget, I was raised Catholic and that’s strongly flavored how I view religion and morality). In my response to him, I let him know that I don’t believe that homosexuality is a moral thing.  I don’t believe that people “choose” to be gay, anymore than someone chooses to be short, chooses to be black, chooses to have big feet, chooses to have brown or blue eyes.  It’s how you’re born. I don’t believe pedophiles choose to be pedophiles or rapists choose to have those urges.  They’re already there.  You can surpress them or act on them, but they’re already there, it’s biological, not environmental. (Which is why I think one strike for sexual predators is a good thing, I don’t believe this is something that can be “cured”....just like being short can’t be “cured”.) I’m not much for standing on a soapbox and shaking my fist at passersby, but this, this had me fuming.  How dare he?  How dare he push his narrowminded views off onto me? I reported his mail as spam. The asshole. I just noticed that he didn’t supply a phone number.  I got this one for orders on his website: 877-255-8470. I think people should do the same thing to him he’s requesting they do to CBS.  Send him a message and let him know you won’t buy from him and why.  Oh, and he sells stuff for landscaping.  Soil products, seeds, tools, those kinds of things, just in case you were wondering. | Permalink

catstuff 07:19 AM - 08/08/2006 The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #3 ---------------------------------------------- Today’s tummy model is none other than the very substantial Wally.  Wally’s hobbies are eating and biting when getting petted.  His dislikes are having large mats of fur combed off.  Which makes him bite. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————- If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. | Permalink

catstuff 09:00 PM - 08/08/2006 The topic: Please ---------------------------------------------- forgive me. I couldn't help myself, I just had to share. | Permalink

      Thursday, August 10, 2006

catstuff 11:04 AM - 08/10/2006 The topic: I just dropped Bart off at the vet’s ---------------------------------------------- I was finally settling in to have my first morning cup of coffee when he came stumbling into the living room.  I mean stumbling.  He seemed very disoriented and was having a hard time keeping his balance. I grabbed him up and held him and he just held on to my shoulder, purring.  I called the vet, said I’d like to bring him in.  I did. Please, say a prayer this is nothing serious.  ================================================ A Little Bit Later ================================================ Of course, I come home, do a websearch for “cat suddenly disoriented” and find it might be “Feline vestibular disease” which comes on quickly and leaves quickly. Remember, that’s what we thought Annie had at first.  *sigh* ================================================ And He’s Home ================================================ Vet didn’t find anything awful with him, said it was probably the vestibular disease.  Since Bart isn’t doing badly, we now just wait for it to resolve itself.  He said that some vets prescribe Dramamine when it’s really bad and the kitty can’t eat, but Bart isn’t that bad. So, we dodged something there. | Permalink

      Tuesday, August 15, 2006

catstuff 09:00 AM - 08/15/2006 The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #4 ---------------------------------------------- Today’s tummy model is, once again, Richie Cunningham.  He just loves showing off that spotted tummy.  ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————- If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. | Permalink

      Wednesday, August 16, 2006

otherstuff 08:40 AM - 08/16/2006 The topic: I’ve been busy ---------------------------------------------- The past week I’ve been hard at work on the Disney DVD from our trip/party last October (I don’t procrastinate much).  I finally got a copy of Adobe Photoshop for a reasonable price (which means under a million dollars; actually, I got it for less than a hundred on eBay, it’s an education edition, it was brand new and it works just fine) so I was able to do a custom stylesheet for MyDVD.  Finally, I can make my own buttons.  The first thing I had to do was to put together the photos.  I got over five CDs of pictures from the others who were there and I had to put them in order for slideshows. Then place the videos I had, then find music for the slideshows.  I placed the chapter buttons manually and for some reason, when I’d edit something and apply it to all the pages, it would change the order of the and buttons/chapters.  I burned what I thought would be the final version yesterday, we watched it last night and I apparantly didn’t catch one of the transitions and the flow of pictures/video didn’t work.  So, this morning, I had to redo this and I’ll be burning the latest version shortly. So, I’ve got one dual layer DVD along with a single layer DVD with “bonus” material.  *lol* I don’t like to run other applications while I’m burning because I’m superstitious about having the computer crash.  It most likely won’t, but it’s not a chance I’m willing to take.  Yesterday, when I started burning what I thought was the final version, the computer rebooted and all of the work I had was gone.  I saved my work every time I changed something, but when I got the same message, telling me that what I saved wasn’t good, I had to go back to one of the previous builds and redo it.  I’m glad I had previous versions to work with. So, now I burn what I hope is the final version, then I have to imprint the label on the disks and make the cover art.  I’m hoping to have them all done and in the mail by the end of the week. | Permalink

catstuff 08:50 AM - 08/16/2006 The topic: KittyMeeze ---------------------------------------------- For the first time since Carla left, he wasn't here this morning. This has me worried for his safety. I hope he's okay, just sleeping in someone's yard (the yards on either side of us are fenced with no doggies; safe places). | Permalink

      Thursday, August 17, 2006

catstuff 09:06 AM - 08/17/2006 The topic: KittyMeeze update ---------------------------------------------- He didn’t show up at all during the day yesterday.  The food I put out in the morning just sat there. Then, last night, after we’d gone to bed, I got up around 10:30 for a drink of water and looked out. He was there, eating.  I told Brian (who was in bed) if he’d shut the garage window and that KittyMeeze was back.  He got up to shut the window and got Meeze a fresh can of food. Meeze was here this morning, ready for breakfast.  I don’t know where he was all day yesterday, I’m just glad he’s safe. But when I spoke with my mom this morning (who lives less than a quarter of a mile from us), she said the coyotes were out.  I don’t know when she got up, but she let her cats out and she said they were tearing down the door to get back inside.  They were still in when we talked about a quarter after eight.  I hate coyotes.  Have I ever mentioned that?  We went to breakfast on Sunday, up to the Descanso Junction Cafe (great little place, good food, decent prices) and on the way there were a couple of coyotes dead on the side of the road.  I didn’t feel one bit sorry for them.  I hate coyotes | Permalink

      Friday, August 18, 2006

otherstuff 06:11 PM - 08/18/2006 The topic: Wanna hear me scream? ---------------------------------------------- | Permalink

      Saturday, August 19, 2006

otherstuff 10:33 AM - 08/19/2006 The topic: Bad tech day ---------------------------------------------- I have no connection to the internet on the Gateway.  The Gateway runs three of the webcams. I don’t know why this is happening.  I’m working on it.  If it turns out to be the card is bad, I’ve got a new one.  *sigh* I didn’t need this. | Permalink

otherstuff 06:58 PM - 08/19/2006 The topic: Well, it’s back up ---------------------------------------------- But I have no idea why.  I did change out the old card to a new one I had on hand from a couple of years ago (which I found out is no longer supported).  I reinstalled the win98SE software.  I changed out the ethernet cable to the modem.  It didn’t help that our internet also went out while I was working on the old computer.  I thought I broke things good.  But I could still access the laptop and Brian’s computer, so I knew the router was working as it should. Whew, what a day. And to make matters worse, the people behind us were playing the same fricking CD they were playing last weekend at a very high volume.  It was a warm day and it made me absolutely miserable to have to shut the house up so I could think.  Those people are at least my age, they should know better. Anyway, we think someone went over and said something to them (or her) shortly before four this afternoon.  Because the volume came down, then it was just turned off.  Then we went shopping. When we came home,  I started working on the old computer again and was thrilled on one of the reboots when one of the programs activated.  That meant I was accessing the internet. Then I had to find out why the new computer would not burn to a CD.  I did a system restore to the beginning of the month and it still didn’t work.  I found out in WMP that there’s actually a place to allow the drive to burn to a CD.  How that got changed in all three burners is a mystery. But we be back! | Permalink

      Sunday, August 20, 2006

catstuff 06:59 AM - 08/20/2006 The topic: Ever try to catch ---------------------------------------------- A falling cat? I’ve tried bunches of times. Never had much luck. The few times I did catch the kitty, it was pretty awkward. Well, last night in the garage, a couple of cats were looking up at the rafters. I looked up, didn’t see anything. Then I walked to the other side of the garage and got a better view. Captain was hanging on. He was trying to pull himself up, but wasn’t having any luck. There were a bunch of electrical cords in the way (for the lights). I went under, held my hands up and told him I’d catch him. He tried once or twice more to climb back up (I don’t know how long he’d been like this), he turned his head, looked down at me and my outstretched hands and let go. I caught him. Perfectly. His back cradled nicely in my hands, my thumbs on one side of his spine, one towards his butt, one towards his head , my fingers on the other hand his spine was in the palm of my hands. I held him to me for a couple of minutes, giving him some rubbing and stroking, kisses on his head and told him what a fine, brave kitty cat he’d been. Then I put him on the floor. I think he wasn’t overly traumatized, poor guy. | Permalink

      Tuesday, August 22, 2006

catstuff 07:07 AM - 08/22/2006 The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #5 ---------------------------------------------- Today’s substantial tummy belongs to Oliver, he of the sharp teeth, awesome appetite and very loud purr.  When he’s not eating, his favorite thing to do is sleep. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————- If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies! | Permalink

otherstuff 03:45 PM - 08/22/2006 The topic: Cat pee ---------------------------------------------- Gah. Cats peed on the base for our cordless phone.  They ruined the charger part.  If I had a half of a brain, I’d have only ordered a new charger.  But no….. I went and ordered a new base unit. Except the base unit uses a corded phone.  Imagine my surprise when it got here today and there was no corded handset, only the phone. Now, what the hell good is that?  I put some black electrical tape on the button so that the phone isn’t always off the hook (I’m still shaking my head over this). And my existing cordless handsets are not being recognized by the base unit.  I’ve tried all the reregistering instructions in the manual with no success.  So, I call the 800 number listed on the phone.  Punch “4” because I’m getting the “out of range” message, even though the base and handset are less than six inches apart. Unplug everything.  Take the battery out of the handset.  Then set it all up again.  Then reregister.  Great.  I can’t get the fricking back off of the handset to get the fricking battery out of the fricking phone.  I finally figure it out.  Well, that was easy, why is there no instruction on that?  Grrrr… So, now I’m waiting.  I’ve got about seven more minutes before I put the damned things back together.  I’m not happy.  Damned cat piss.  That stuff is lethal, too bad they can’t find something useful for it. | Permalink

      Thursday, August 24, 2006

otherstuff 08:34 AM - 08/24/2006 The topic: Disney DVDs are done! ---------------------------------------------- I got the last one done just before ten last night.  What a load off that is.  This week I printed the labels on the disks (two in a set) and made the jewel case covers.  I was delighted yesterday morning to find that my new HP color laser printer automatically prints on both sides of a sheet of paper.  I was not delighted when I had to find out why I kept getting a paper jam message.  Took me close to an hour to figure that one out (there was some paper caught at the bottom of the feed tray, which I didn’t think to check).  Then the toner started to smear on the paper, both sides, which was totally unacceptable.  I threw out a lot of paper yesterday.  But the printer prints much more quickly than the inkjet does, so that was good. And since I was doing it on specially coated paper, I couldn’t use my pre-perforated forms, I used the plain paper setting.  And I had to cut each sheet out individually.  I made some templates to use for cutting, but it took me a while to get them just right.  The front cover was nothing, I just used the guides I’d made previously on my cutter, but the back panel was a different situation. But they’re done and I’m going to start sending them out to the folks who were there last year (and some to folks who weren’t, but wanted to be). It was miserable hot in the office yesterday, too.  Three computers going, the sun hits this side of the house full on in the afternoon, no breeze to speak of, it was humid and I so wanted to go into the pool, but I knew if I stopped, I wouldn’t start again and I really wanted these things done.  I did take a break when Brian got home, got into the pool to cool off.  And Brian took care of dinner last night, made chili cheese omelets.  He cooked up some tomato and onion to put inside the omelet and boy, was that good. I made sure all the black kitties were in before the light was gone from the sky (they’re the worst at coming in after dark, they turn feral or something) and ended up tossing Marco outside because he wouldn’t leave us alone.  That wouldn’t have been such an issue if he’d stayed with Brian, but he kept coming over to me and I didn’t want him on top of the things I’d printed out, leaving some sort of cat scuzz on them.  So, I finally picked him up (which he hates, he fights and squirms to be let down, and let it be known that he’s not the tiniest kitty cat in the world and it’s hard to hold on to him) , opened the screen door, and placed him on the mat outside of the office.  Then I shut the screen door.   Getting rid of him made it a lot easier to do what I had to do. So, now I can get back on a regular schedule. | Permalink

catstuff 12:00 PM - 08/24/2006 The topic: Beautiful kitty cat ---------------------------------------------- That’s my Kirby, on the back of the sofa yesterday.  I love his claws.  Some of the cats, you don’t usually see them. But you can sure see his. =============================================== Visit the Friday Ark #101. | Permalink

      Friday, August 25, 2006

catstuff 07:26 AM - 08/25/2006 The topic: Natives are restless this morning ---------------------------------------------- Well, they’re probably more hungry than restless. We pulled the food up last night because Potter is going in this morning to get a haircut.  I just can’t get the mats out of him.  In previous summers, I was able to, but this year, for some reason, they’re really bad and he just doesn’t like being combed out.  It’s gotta be bothersome, I’ve had my hair in clips and it yanked on my scalp whenever I moved and I imagine that might be kinda sorta how he feels. So, even though it’s late in the season, he’s getting snipped today. And that means they might have to mask him (which I’m sure they’ll have to do) and he can’t have any food in his tummy.  So, when one kitty can’t eat, no kitty can eat. Rachel knows where the food is, though.  She’s been sitting outside of the exercise room, crying.  She knows.   Thirty more minutes until the vet’s office opens. | Permalink

      Saturday, August 26, 2006

otherstuff 04:38 PM - 08/26/2006 I'm watching Boston Legal, season 1 The topic: Out to dinner ---------------------------------------------- Yesterday was another warm day.  We’ve been eating light at night, because it’s so hot.  Last night, I didn’t even want to heat a can of beans up.  I called Brian around 4:30 to tell him I was going to let him take me out to dinner.  Hey, I didn’t even care if he took me to Der Wienerschnitzel, as long as it had air conditioning, I was there. It so happened that he was helping a long time acquaintance put in a shower door and they wanted to take us out to dinner.  And they wanted to go to the same place that I’ve been thinking about.  Black Angus. I changed into something presentable, put on some makeup, Brian came home, went for a swim in the pool and we took our car, since it has more room than their’s did.  Our timing was great, which was surprising because the parking lot was full.  Walked right in and were seated right away.  Brian and I had the combo meal.  We shared an appetizer, had our own entrees, and shared a dessert.  Both the appetizer sampler and the dessert we picked were huge, so we shared them with our hosts. I was pretty gabby, seeing as I rarely see real people.  We had a pretty good time.  And they aren’t even cat people! | Permalink

      Sunday, August 27, 2006

catstuff 02:23 PM - 08/27/2006 The topic: New poll ---------------------------------------------- I was thinking about this after dinner Friday night. | Permalink

catstuff 05:42 PM - 08/27/2006 The topic: Free cat food ---------------------------------------------- A free bag of Nutro Natural Choice Cat Food is being offered through 8/31 (Thursday).  This is the stuff we use as treats for our cats.  It’s a lot cheaper than buying treats. We just picked up another twenty pound bag this afternoon and we were pleasantly surprised to get a ten dollar rebate coupon.  We also take advantage of the Natural Choice frequent buyer program, buy ten, get one free. | Permalink

      Monday, August 28, 2006

catstuff 08:32 AM - 08/28/2006 The topic: Movie Monday ---------------------------------------------- I put down a little catnip yesterday morning since we haven’t had a party in a while.  The cats enjoyed it. There was minimal snarkiness. ================================================ Check out TBIFOC's new Kitty Movie Monday!. | Permalink

      Tuesday, August 29, 2006

catstuff 07:07 AM - 08/29/2006 We found seven pennies, one nickel and a quarter on our walk this morning The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #6 ---------------------------------------------- click on the picture for a larger image Today we have Benny Da Kat showing off his tummy.  His fur is coming back in from his summer do and it’s wavy!  It won’t stay that way, though. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————- If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies! | Permalink

otherstuff 10:44 AM - 08/29/2006 The topic: Late start on cams today ---------------------------------------------- The Gateway did not want to boot up.  It would start, then shut down.  I think it’s something with the video card or video adaptor.  I tried rebooting four or five times, then quit at that point because it was time for our walk. When we got home, before pulling everything apart, I turned it on and the monitor was showing the boot process, which it hadn’t done previously this morning.  I’m thinking maybe the video card is going out.  More computer annoyances, a friend of my emailed yesterday saying her work number had changed.  I figured I’d use the computer to change the information on my cell.  First I couldn’t find the cable (it was right by my head, if it was a snake, it could have easily bit me), then I realize the new computer doesn’t have a serial port.  Aha!  Remember when I first got the new computer and it didn’t have the advertised parallel port and I purchased an adapter?  I did the same thing for the serial port.  I found it quickly in the mess that my office storage closet has become and got everything up and working. That was much easier than just changing the number on the cell, using the cell. | Permalink

catstuff 01:23 PM - 08/29/2006 I'm listening to Disney's Peaceful Piano Melody - Kentaru Haneda The topic: Potter’s new do ---------------------------------------------- Potter was a little freaked out by the entire ordeal.  He screamed on the way over, he screamed when he heard me in the front office, waiting to pick him up and he screamed all of the way home.  I asked if he was so noisy when he was in the back and I was told “no”.  I guess he just screams around me. Anyway, he was still a little damp when I got him and I was warned that they’d gotten at least twenty fleas off of him, so I’d best readminister Advantage (I just did them all on the 4th of this month).  I guess mats are a great hiding place for fleas and their eggs. click on the picture for a larger image When we got home, I let him out of the carrier and boy, was he weirded out. He didn't seem to know what was going on. I think maybe it was a little residual of the gas he'd gotten. But you can see by the first three images how nervous he looked. click on the picture for a larger image click on the picture for a larger image As the night progressed, he became more relaxed. I think the barenaked thing felt a little odd, too. And the fact that his skin wasn't being continuously yanked on. click on the picture for a larger image click on the picture for a larger image Sunday, he was back to normal. He's a lot more comfortable and happy now. And since the heat hasn't let up, I'm sure it helps him out there, too. click on the picture for a larger image click on the picture for a larger image ================================================ Be sure to visit The Friday Ark #102. | Permalink

      Thursday, August 31, 2006

otherstuff 09:18 AM - 08/31/2006 We found a penny on our walk this morning The topic: Depending on pills ---------------------------------------------- This scares me.  Someone posts on a messageboard somewhere that they’re a little depressed.  This is someone who’s never shown any signs that there’s something wrong in the past, she’s always bubbly and upbeat.  People start telling her to see her doctor, that there’s medication for this.  And this scares me. Life is full of ups and downs.  As a matter of fact, my mom calls the down days “the downsies”.  Sometimes they’re hormonal, sometimes just a reflection of the environment at the time (lots of cloudy weather, for instance, with very little sunlight), and sometimes because of what’s happening in life.  Like having a bad day on the job and deciding you really and truly hate what you do.  Until it passes and things get back to normal.  The blues, the downsies, a funk, PMS (Poor Me Syndrome), there are many names for this and, you know what?  I’m not a doctor or anything like that, but from my experience, most of the time these things don’t last more than a couple of days.  And to be told “you can take a pill for that”, well, my God, what kind of a society have we become where normal hormonal changes need a pill? I’m not talking about the truly depressed.  I’m not talking about the people who have these symptoms for weeks, months, years on end.  Not the people who have a real medical need for medication to help balance out their body’s chemistry.  The truly depressed don’t just “snap out of it”.  What I do when I’ve got the blues is I wallow a little bit, feeling really sorry for myself.  Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, where did I put the worms?  Then I’ll read an entertaining novel, murder mystery or horror story along the lines of Stephen King or Peter Straub.  Or I’ll get busy cleaning something I’ve put off for too long.  Do something physical that I don’t need to think about very much, but something constructive.  And once that’s done, I’ve forgotten about my downsies and I’m usually quite pleased with myself.  But it bothers me that those of us who can and will snap out of it are advised to see a doctor.  Because, you know, there’s a pill for that. | Permalink

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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities. In her spare time, she makes pretty things to sell in her store.

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