This ain't no party, this ain't no disco...

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She's home safely.

Amongst the pack, there is much rejoicing!

Happy birthday,

animedude!

#40
Today, I finished reading a graphic novel based on a novel series that I loved, way back when. This collection is called Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and it's a good rendition of some of the tales that Leiber wrote about these rogues. Worth a look, either in the collections, or the graphic novel.

Then there was the comics. First was Warren Ellis' book, No Hero #6, which has taken a very curious twist. Gotta keep reading this one.

Then, Drafted went a very odd way, using Obama as a character in a one-shot, called One Hundred Days. Weird. I'm not sure how I felt about this one.

Finally, there's a new book out, which is definitely a Chthulhu mythos piece, called North 40. Creepy, weird, something I could see Lovecraft getting into. For my friends who like these things, I'd hunt this one down.

Finally, while waiting to hear from my beloved, I pulled out a Netflix that's been hanging fire here for a long time; it's a Hitchcock film that I'd never seen called Rear Window, and I loved the camera work in it. Very interesting piece, nicely done. Makes me want to hunt out other Hitchcock films that I've not seen before.

corveys moped all night; he slept near the front door.

brushette slept in her standard spot, but the slightest noise out front had her up and barking.

#39
This evening, while I ate, I finished another Osprey book, this one being Campaign #199: Philippi 42 BC: The Death of the Roman Republic, about the fight between Brutus/Cassius against Octavion/Mark Antony. Nice bits about their training similarities; background on the politics. These Osprey books have good, solid historical data.

According to Bru, the cats don't count.
Me and the dogs (

brushette and

corveys), this evening. Just the three of us. We're awaiting the return of our lady. Our prayers and good wishes go out to her.

Happy birthday,

cheesentoast!

Happy birthday,

ross_teneyck!

Happy birthday,

cscottd!

More furniture moved out of the front bedroom. Guy came to measure for new carpet; we're taking out the old...just a little of the padding left. We'll see when they can get in to put in the fresh carpeting.

Happy birthday

lesmeez!

Happy birthday

rubel!

OK, so I get to the office, and it turns out that the fluids my sister gave me for a birthday present weren't diet soda, but actually some hard cider. It turns out that one of them I've tried before and didn't care for, but I'll take the others home and try them someday. I did gift the staff with the others, for use when home, not at work.

Happy birthday,

majic13!

About a year ago (on the first of July, 2008), the state of California made it necessary to use only handsfree devices while using a motor vehicle. Prior to this law being in effect, it was a running joke that almost everyone driving was also talking on their cell phones, holding them up with one hand. For those folks who were also eating, changing their makeup, fiddling with the radio dial, etc, it became a real circus.

Since the law coming into effect, I've been watching the cars around me for evidence of old-style cell usage.

Total count for the one year period was 29. I'm fairly certain that prior to the law going into effect, I'd see that many and more in an hour, let alone a year.

I hope that the accumulated data show a commensurate decrease in automotive accidents; it would be a pity if they put it into effect to simply allow themselves to gather more income for tickets, wouldn't it?

Various news today.

forestcats took

brushette to an agility trial for the last couple of days, and came home with some ribbons, which I will use to adorn my office at work, for a bit. She and both pups got out while it was still cool in the morning, and got some exercise walking, while I hid in a cool room in the house, later to age out on the Wii Fit at 28. When she arrived home, my spouse and I went out for a Sunday breakfast at Panera.

Back again, we removed some more of the furnishings from the front bedroom. The bed and its supporting structures were freecycled (they disappeared this afternoon). A shelving unit made its way into the garage, where I expect it to be useful, when I have a chance to load it up. We still have a chest of drawers to move into the back bedroom, until we find out if Beth wants to use it, and we have the main structure of a wooden bookcase to remove. I'm thinking that it might end up offered to friends or freecycle as well, but that remains to be seen.

Late afternoon found us in LA's Chinatown, to meet my mother, her brother and sister, my sister the artist, and my uncle's spouse and daughter for dinner together, mostly because Mom's elder sister comes to town rarely from the Twin Cities, and we wanted to spend a bit more time with her. (That would be Sheila, Joe, Deedee, Laurel, Barbara, and Arlynne, for those keeping score). The food wasn't much, as far as quality; in fact, any P. F. Chang's would serve far better. The company was pretty good, especially in that we were there primarily to fete my Auntie, and that seemed reasonably successful. There was smartaleck conversation, which is Aunt Deedee's forte; it was obvious that she gets it from her mother, my Grandy, and you can see it in Uncle Joe, and in Deedee's boys as well as in me. I suspect it can also be found in my nephew, and I expect it to flower when he gets out to college. Laurel tried to make the dinner into a birthday celebration for me, but it's not happening for several days yet, and I put my foot down on the subject. However, she passed onto me her birthday gift: diet root beer. Let me say first of all, that I wasn't expecting any gifting. In fact, Laurel has been outvoted, in that my youngest sister and I have agreed that there will be no more gifting amongst us; Laurel just ignores this. Let me say that I will not look a gift horse in the mouth. I will find a silver lining. However, I do NOT drink diet soft drinks. Ever. If faced with a plethora of such on a table, with no options of high test, I will drink water instead. So, I plan on sharing these sodas with my staff at work, because most of them never drink sodas that are caloric. Then, Mom gave me her gift, as well. Paper towels. They will get used.

Home tonight, we've gotten word that

forestcats mother has had a new site of metastasis identified. It's sad; it's not pleasant. Hopefully, she'll be kept pain-free through the hospice team, but it's very sad. With this upcoming week being the second anniversary of my father's death, and with my beloved's mother so ill, it's very hard to be celebratory with respect to my own natal anniversary. I mostly expect to recall it by only calling my mother to thank her for having me. I'm just not in the mood for more. Maybe, I'll also visit Dad's grave. We'll see.

#38
Yesterday, I finished a book I've been puttering with for over a year, Raymond Feist's novel Wrath of a Mad God. I've been puttering with it because I was having trouble with the vast number of books/characters/dieties/planets/lands/details that his series of novels has generated over the years. I mean, I read his first novel when I was back in medical school, and I've been in practice, now, for more than two decades. Still, once I got through the initial balking at trying to recall all the interrelationships, I enjoyed the novel. But each time, Feist puts out a story in which the nation/continent/world/universe is threatened, and the formula is starting to set my teeth on edge.

Mind you, this is after reading more than twenty novels set in these locales...

Later in the day, we went over to Randy and Heddie's place in Echo Park for a BBQ, and to watch fireworks out their picture window on the second floor. Lots of explosions with lots of color.

I spent much of the day slowly removing furniture and other bits and pieces from

froghugger's room, in preparation for removal of carpeting, some plumbing work through the wall at one side of the room, and the replacement of carpet...and soon, a new roommate.

Happy birthday,

aallinyte!

I can now confirm that I prefer LiveJournal over Facebook, games aside, because on LJ, if I want to get chatty, and write something a bit longer, I can do so without the system freaking out, but on Facebook, you get too long, and it's truncated.

Phooey on that.

Facebook is a toy.

LiveJournal is a tool. Variably capable, but a tool, nonetheless.

Menagerie Antics
This morning, before leaving for work, but after

brushette and

forestcats left for their agility trial, I was involved in some curious behaviors on the part of several members of the household, pet variety.

First, when I stepped outside to feed

corveys and the chinchilla, and after noticing the senior male cat, Ghost, wandering the backyard, I found Meatloaf, our eldest remaining feline, sitting in the tree there, bewailing her status. I figured she was hungry or thirsty, and so I retrieved her from the branch, brought her upstairs to the cat restaurant (otherwise known as the master bathroom), and was shocked when, once I placed her next to the feeding zone, she high-tailed it out of the room for parts unknown. Ingrate!

Then, to follow, I watched as

corveys sat at the window next to the front door, gazing out forlornly, awaiting the return of his pack. I gather I don't count.

Next, while I was shaving, I heard the sound of a cat, leaping over the gate into the bathroom (the protection from doggie depredations on the cat food). I thought, at first, that it was Meatloaf returning, but instead it was our third and last, and youngest, cat, Drummer. Having Drummer comment on my shaving technique isn't all that unusual; however, he was disinterested in feeding or purring and meowing at me, this time. Instead, he had brought a toy with him. He had in his teeth a beheaded bird, that was a bit rank in odor, like it had been out in the heat for some hours...probably not days. What a wonderful toy! I quickly grabbed a nearby towel that we could do without, divested the great hunter of his prey, and made my way out the front door to the trash bin, abandoning the cadaver, towel and all. When I returned to shaving, I found Drummer wandering the bathroom, looking for his bird.

Finally, it's not all that unusual for us to see people wandering around the riding trails that pass behind our corral, and throughout the neighborhood. It's also not unusual for the folks to pet our equine associates. However, just before I left for work, this morning, I saw a family of three, back there, petting the donkey. The other three horses tried to get the petters attention, but they were rebuffed in preference to Booboo. She seemed very glad for the attention. I watched from the breezeway until they moved on, but it was very cute.

And the beat goes on...