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Days, Weeks or Months

2012-04-14T18:29:51Z

My little black cat, Orion O'Ryan, has kidney disease. The exact words the vet said were his "kidneys are failing." When they said my Mom's kidneys were failing, that meant she was on death's door. But I guess a cat's kidneys can fail for a while. He was in the hospital for a few days a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I've had to take him in to have fluids injected under his skin every 2-3 days.

He's a very hungry cat these days. Almost every time I go to the kitchen, he comes begging for food. He has never done that before. This is a good thing, though. As long as he's hungry and eating, he's doing okay.

Just as I did when my Mandy dog was sick with cancer, I want to learn how to bottle up my time with Orion so I can experience it later when he's gone. I know I can't.

I'm not sure how long he will be with me. I guess it could be days, weeks or months. I'll give him as much love as I can.

Something I read on the internets

The Letters of Note blog published a note from one Rolling Stone wrangler to another with instructions on how best to situate band members at a hotel for their tour's last show in Vienna.

Keep Bill Wyman Away From Keith

It must have been challenging to be a Rolling Stone wrangler.

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Internet Fails

2012-03-25T20:03:56Z

IMDb

I like the new show with Ashley Judd, Missing. It's action packed and emotional like 24.

There was an actor in the second episode that I recognized, but couldn't place. I went to IMDb to look him up.

This is what I found:

NOT the full cast. I looked all over for the full cast list and couldn't find one. I was on my iPhone, so I thought it was a mobile problem. Some sites and apps have goofy filters for mobile. I guess it's to keep data transfer lower, but it's annoying.

When I looked on the full, desktop site, though, I only found the same list.

I resorted to searching DuckDuckGo.com and found the show on Wikipedia which told me that actor I was looking for is Joaquim de Almeida. Oddly enough, when I looked at him on IMDb, there was an entry for Missing. So why is he missing on the Missing page? Fail.

Netflix

I was in Vivian, Louisiana on St. Patrick's Day. I saw Tom's Market where they filmed the exterior shots of the grocery store in Stephen King's The Mist.

It got me wanting to watch The Mist. So I searched Netflix on my iPhone to put it on my queue, if available.

I couldn't find a trace of it. I searched for Stephen King, too, and it didn't appear in his list of movies. Again, I thought it was a mobile device problem, so I searched on my desktop. Still no trace.

This is odd because Netflix used to have a page for any movie I was looking for even if they don't offer it for streaming or DVD. You could even put it on an "I want to watch it when you get it" list.

I'm only subscribed to Netflix streaming and I noticed that all the movies I saw on there were available for streaming. I logged out of Netflix and searched. There it was, The Mist, available on DVD.

So this must mean Netflix filters out non-streaming movies to streaming customers. This is dumb because if I want to see a movie badly enough, I'll sign up for the DVD service. But only if I know the movie is available on DVD! Fail.

Have you Experienced This?

Have you come across this behavior anywhere on the web?

Something I Saw in Texarkana

The famous lake and leaning tree as I sing about in The Lake and the Leaning Tree.

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The Internet is Stalking Me

2012-02-25T19:38:24Z

I did a Google search a while back, and a rectangle at the top of the Google page showed me what my friends on Twitter were tweeting. But I wasn't on Twitter. I was on Google.

I bought a new router last weekend and discovered I needed a new wireless adapter for my TiVo. I looked for one on the TiVo website and on Amazon. The next day, I went to Best Buy and bought one. The day after that, I started seeing ads on the Sparkpeople website for that specific wireless adapter. I suspect Amazon was pushing it out to me because I searched for it. But I wasn't on Amazon. I was on Sparkpeople.

Two weeks ago, I started getting deliveries from Greenling.com (they deliver local produce to your door). Not long after, Greenling.com advertisements were everywhere on the Web. I'm not sure what action I took that made that happen... maybe it was coincidence, but I don't think so.

Almost every time I go to Target, I receive a coupon for Brita water filters when I check out. I bought some there once. I didn't think much about it until it happened a few times and I suspected they were tracking my purchases, which means they're tracking me by my credit card number because I don't have any kind of special Target card.

Then I read this and knew: Target knows when its shoppers are pregnant.

As far as I know, none of this is dangerous or damaging (except for that poor pregnant girl who was outed to her dad by Target). I don't feel paranoid that they're out to get me. But it feels like stalking and it makes me mad.

I've closed my Google Plus account and try not to use Google search if I can help it. I like Gmail and Google Reader enough to keep using them, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking of switching. I'm considering paying for Target purchases with cash, but getting cash is so inconvenient. I hate that I even have to burn cycles thinking of ways to keep companies from stalking me.

Something I Had Delivered

My Greenling.com haul this week: parsley, bananas, green kale, grass fed sausage, broccoli, live basil plant, rutabagas, black radishes (gotta look close because they can be none more black), lettuce (I think escarole), and red kale. Not pictured are crimini mushrooms, oranges and avocados.

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The River

2012-02-12T18:40:13Z

I watched the pilot of "The River." TV seems to be trending toward more scary/creepy TV series that push the envelope. Maybe this one doesn't push the envelope too much, but it's scarier than any TV series I've ever seen. I suspect "American Horror Story" might be scarier given that it's set in a house rather than an Amazon jungle that I'll never visit.

The thing about scary shows with supernatural events is they can make the rules up as they go. In "The River," it feels like a stretch when the characters figure out the rules under pressure and quickly enough to dig themselves out of a deadly situation.

I'll keep watching.

Incidentally, every time I think about this show, that line from Rush's "Tom Sawyer" pops into my head: The river (ba dum ba duuuum, ba doo be doo be, ba dum ba duuuum....).

Reasons not to immediately toss boxes or put laundry away

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A Busy Mid Day and an Untied Shoe Lace

2012-02-04T04:19:31Z

My Mid day was busy.

I sang the national anthem at a pre-Super Bowl party. [The key to singing the national anthem is to start low.]
Then I drove home to eat the lunch I packed last night, but forgot to take to work. [Pork roast and roasted cabbage with bacon]
Then I bought a ticket to see Eddie Vedder in April. [$90 for one ticket - sheesh. I remember when tickets cost a quarter of that. Uphill, both ways.]
Then I stopped at a coffee shop on the way back to work, giving in to a craving for a mocha latte. [NOT on my diet]
Then I took some ibuprofen for the headache that was getting worse by the minute. [A couple hours later, I felt on top of the world. I don't know if I was back to healthy good, or just high on caffeine, sugar and OTC painkillers.]

In the evening, I tried Duck Duck Go search engine. I like it so far. One baby step toward reducing my Google consumption.

Something I Saw At Work

This table's shoe lace was untied.

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Hiking at Mary Moore Searight Park

2012-01-23T02:17:48Z

My spontaneous, planned-to-be-quick trip to Mary Moore Searight Park for hiking today turned into a 1:15 hour, almost 3 mile hike. Thank goodness for the GPS app on my iPhone, or it would have been longer.

I discovered some nice trails along Slaughter Creek. The water is low, and at one point, I crossed the creek. After crossing, I think I was on private land because there was barbed wire. I was expecting someone to show up with a shotgun and call me a tresspasser, but the worst that happened is some little dogs at an apartment complex perched on a cliff barked at me.

There were horse shoe tracks on the trail, and I saw a couple of mountain bikers. People were walking their dogs and pushing strollers, too.

My only complaint is that the trails aren't marked, and it's very easy to get turned around. You can see on the map of my route below where I crossed the creek and walked one way and then the other only to go back the way I came. And even then, I found myself on a different route around the perimeter of the park. I looked at GPS several times to find my way.

The exercise was beneficial and something I still don't do regularly. I've lost 35 pounds since I started following the Primal Blueprint and hiking out in the sun is a perfect fit for that lifestyle.

Some Spam Comments On My Blog

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Bird of the Rings

2012-01-19T01:57:20Z

I am the lucky owner of a custom Bird of the Rings (BotR) drawing from That's A Girl's Car blogger and my friend, Sarah. She offered readers a drawing in return for a donation to Small Chance Rescue.

A BotR drawing includes a bird and a quote from Lord of the Rings. She let me choose the bird and the quote, so I chose a female cardinal to which she replied, "you know the female cardinals are brown, right? Just making double sure." Oh yes... the lesser colored gender was perfect for my favorite quote from the books (not the movies). Eowyn said, "But no living man am I! You look upon a woman." just before she proved to the The Lord of the Nazgûl that prophecies should not be too specific.

Behold, for she is a beauty.

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The Politics of Kitty Litter

2012-01-03T00:37:08Z

The cats who occupy my house have three litter boxes. They don't usually mix pee and poop in the same box. They used to use one for poop and two for pee, but lately, it's been two for poop and one for pee. Every once in a while, though, they'll mix it up in one box.

I can only imagine the discussions they have about this. Does Mr. Orion get upset when he finds pee in the poop box? Maybe take it personally as pay back for some other slight? Or does Mr. Ripley constantly remind Mr. Orion which boxes are for which? And what precipitated the change from 1 poop/2 pee boxes to 2 poop/1 pee box?

A few months ago, I switched from Scoop Away (clumping litter) to Yesterday's News (made from recycled newspaper). The vet recommended this because Mr. Ripley has asthma and the Scoop Away produces a lot of dust. The boys made the switch without a problem and the lack of litter dust is a great improvement for me as well as Rip. My only complaint is that I have to scoop a lot more to ensure I get all the pee pee out. Consequently, I have to buy more than I used to.

Something I Watched Today

New video log (vlog) from my friend Shannon. She's cute and she used one of my songs.

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Happy New Year('s)?

2011-12-31T21:13:25Z

Two people told me "Happy New Year's!" Isn't it "Happy New Year" without the 's?

Today is the last day of the year to make donations and claim them on your income taxes. Goodwill got a box full of stuff from me including two Yoga DVDs. That'll be good for someone's New Year's resolutions.

Merlin: New Year's resolutions. People do these. Dan, do you know about New Year's resolutions?
Dan: This is the thing where you say "This year, I am going to do this thing." And then, for some reason, saying that at the start of the year makes it less likely for you to actually do it than if you just started doing it.

Back to Work 47: Utter Failure and Hotel Steak

Something I Gazed Upon Yesterday

Colorado River Bridge as seen from Fisherman's Park in Bastrop, Texas.

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Sweet Hostage

2011-12-22T17:47:06Z

I bought a movie from the Warner Archive that I thought I would never see again. Sweet Hostage stars Linda Blair and Martin Sheen (who looks a lot like his son, Emilio Estevez in this). Sheen escapes from a mental hospital and kidnaps Blair. She falls in love with him. It made quite an impression on me. It's been about 35 years since I've seen it, and I still remember the title, premise and some details.

Do you remember any obscure movies from that long ago?

Something From Facebook

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Vaclav Havel

2011-12-19T19:04:43Z

My father's side of the family was from Czechoslovakia. I don't know their history — why they left Czechoslovakia to end up in Nebraska and then Oklahoma so many years ago. I don't know much about Czechoslovakia even though I have a nearly two inch thick coffee table book called "Czechs in America."

So when I read that Vaclav Havel died yesterday, I don't know why it brought tears to my eyes. One of my friends in grad school talked about him being president of Czechoslovakia. And back in November when I was writing "On The Strength of Hope," I was browsing through famous quotes with the keyword "hope" and he had a few things to say on the subject. Here are a couple:

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.

The article about his death in the Austin American Statesman paints a picture of a great man. I would like to learn more about him and the country of my ancestors.

Something Lily Dawg Wanted To Tell You

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Live Oak Cemetery

2011-12-11T23:13:05Z

I used to drive to San Marcos 1-2 times a month for pizza and coffee. On the way there, I would pass a turn off to Live Oak Cemetery. I always had an idea to turn off and see it... next time. I don't go to San Marcos as often now because I don't eat pizza, so today I decided to make a trip to Live Oak Cemetery for the sake of seeing Live Oak Cemetery.

It was peaceful, as cemeteries are. One grave caught my attention -- a little girl who was born May 1977 and died Oct. 1980. Just 3.5 years old. Her picture was on the gravestone and there were a small Christmas tree and two angels on the ground above it. I wonder who put it there 31 years later.

Sometimes I visit my parents' graves in Houston. I don't know how to act when I go, really. First, it takes me a while to find their plots, and I almost always give up but then always make myself keep looking. I find them, and I stand over them, and I look at them. Sometimes I move some grass or dirt off of their headstones, mainly because I saw my aunt do that once. I think if there was a bench, I would sit for a while. There's usually a bench in the movies. But to sit on the grass would mean sitting on someone else's grave and that doesn't seem right to me. But I like this ritual better than the alternative of not going at all.

Something I watched today

Pearl Jam Twenty - Great documentary by Cameron Crowe, especially if you love Pearl Jam the way I love Pearl Jam.

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More Than I Can Chew, NaSoAlMo 2011

2011-12-05T03:50:19Z

For the low, low price of $0.00, you can download all of the songs I wrote and recorded for National Solo Album Month in November. I named the album in October, thinking it would be short of the goal of 29:09 minutes. In other words, I thought it would be More Than I Can Chew.

I'm happy with the songs and especially happy with "What Went Wrong." It's classic folk rock chick.

I'm also debuting my new music website, Kimp3.net. I've had that domain name for years. Catchy, eh?

Enjoy the music!

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NaSoAlMo 2011, Day 30

2011-12-01T03:31:12Z

I spent the evening tweaking mixes on the album. I haven't posted anything yet because I don't want to start something I can't finish before bedtime (which is right now!). I will post the songs sometime on Sunday, 12/4. Or maybe Saturday, 12/3 if all goes well.

Doing the album this year was easier than expected. I could get introspective and try to figure out why, but I won't. I'll just say...

YAY!

Something I Started Watching on TV

The Color Purple - I've never seen it. I think it's about time.

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NaSoAlMo 2011, Day 29

2011-11-30T03:25:31Z

I finally got back to working on the music today. I added the cymbal crash that my BGFF Shann gave me to "Count the Sunrises" and I like how it sounds. I added the clip of the Occupy Austin people chanting "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out" to the beginning of "Bright Eyes (Disenchanted)" and I like how it sounds. I also tweaked the reverb and deesser on both. Deesser (pronounced dee-esser)--tones down the sssss sounds. Then I edited the drums a little on "On the Strength of Hope" as well as messed with the volume and reverb of some tracks and I like how it sounds.

That doesn't mean I will like how any of them sound tomorrow. :P

I took Mr. Ripley to the vet today. He hasn't been eating, but he acts like he wants to eat. He'll beg for a treat and then will only sniff it and walk away and then come back to beg again. The vet gave him an anti-nausea shot. He ate some food the vet tech fixed for him and kept it down, so I'm optimistic it's nothing major.

Something I Got In The Mail Today

I got a check for $18.04 for the settlement of a class action lawsuit from the "Foreign Currency Fee Litigation Settlement Fund." This tickles a memory, but I can't recall the details. I'm going to cash it, but I really hate these class action lawsuits. The lawyers are the ones who clean up.

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