"Would Suit DIY Handyman with Quantum Physics Background"
A friend in New Zealand just pointed out this utterly wonderful listing on an NZ internet auction site: an unfinished time machine for sale. Some of the comments are hysterical.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Since I Found Serenity...
So, I did, indeed, get out to see Serenity today. (Note the following contains some emotional reactions, but no spoilers.)
I have to say, I kind of had mixed feelings about it at first (and, in a somewhat different sense, later on as well). Unsurprisingly, there was a bit too much exposition in there for those of us who know the TV series well, and I suspect not quite enough for those who'd never seen it. Which is probably pretty much inevitable; that's a tough line for a movie of this kind to walk. It was also a bit odd trying to figure out exactly how to approach it... Should I expect something very much like the experience of watching an episode of the show, only bigger and with better special effects, or should I approach it as something entirely different? I think the movie itself kinda gave me mixed signals on that point for a while... But eventually it did sort itself out -- or I sorted it out in my mind -- and it settled down quite nicely into what was very unambiguously a cinematic shape, rather than a TV one. And, taken by itself, it was a very dramatically satisfying cinematic shape. Taken as a continuation of the TV series, though, it felt... kind of odd. Because it was very definitely the Firefly characters, behaving like themselves, living in what was very clearly the Firefly universe, with a plot that followed on without any obvious contradictions from where the TV series left off. And yet, the feel was very different somehow. More movie-like in every possible sense, yes, but also much darker in tone (despite the witty dialog and frequent moments of humor). And, considering that the series could get pretty dark on occasion, that actually is saying something. So I really do have this odd mixed reaction. As a movie, I loved it. As a Firefly movie... Well, yes, it is a Firefly movie. Joss Whedon knows his own characters and his universe, after all. But some part of my brain still doesn't quite want to accept it as "what really happened" to these characters after the credits rolled on the last episode, just because the feel is so different, and because the story is one that belongs to a movie, not a TV series. If that makes any sense at all. I've about decided that the best way for me to look at it is as a really big, extremely well-written, perfectly satisfying piece of Firefly fan fiction. Yes. That thought makes me happy.
Oh, and while we're at it, how about a relevant meme:
Alas, the mechanical aptitude part is completely bogus. And I'm not that cute and likeable, either. But you're entirely welcome to think I am
So, I did, indeed, get out to see Serenity today. (Note the following contains some emotional reactions, but no spoilers.)
I have to say, I kind of had mixed feelings about it at first (and, in a somewhat different sense, later on as well). Unsurprisingly, there was a bit too much exposition in there for those of us who know the TV series well, and I suspect not quite enough for those who'd never seen it. Which is probably pretty much inevitable; that's a tough line for a movie of this kind to walk. It was also a bit odd trying to figure out exactly how to approach it... Should I expect something very much like the experience of watching an episode of the show, only bigger and with better special effects, or should I approach it as something entirely different? I think the movie itself kinda gave me mixed signals on that point for a while... But eventually it did sort itself out -- or I sorted it out in my mind -- and it settled down quite nicely into what was very unambiguously a cinematic shape, rather than a TV one. And, taken by itself, it was a very dramatically satisfying cinematic shape. Taken as a continuation of the TV series, though, it felt... kind of odd. Because it was very definitely the Firefly characters, behaving like themselves, living in what was very clearly the Firefly universe, with a plot that followed on without any obvious contradictions from where the TV series left off. And yet, the feel was very different somehow. More movie-like in every possible sense, yes, but also much darker in tone (despite the witty dialog and frequent moments of humor). And, considering that the series could get pretty dark on occasion, that actually is saying something. So I really do have this odd mixed reaction. As a movie, I loved it. As a Firefly movie... Well, yes, it is a Firefly movie. Joss Whedon knows his own characters and his universe, after all. But some part of my brain still doesn't quite want to accept it as "what really happened" to these characters after the credits rolled on the last episode, just because the feel is so different, and because the story is one that belongs to a movie, not a TV series. If that makes any sense at all. I've about decided that the best way for me to look at it is as a really big, extremely well-written, perfectly satisfying piece of Firefly fan fiction. Yes. That thought makes me happy.
Oh, and while we're at it, how about a relevant meme:
 | You scored as Kaylee Frye. The Mechanic. You are a natural mechanic, and you are far too sweet and cheerful to live out here. How you can see the good in everyone around you boggles the mind occasionally. Still you don't seem to be any crazier than that, and it is a nice kinda crazy.
Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
Alas, the mechanical aptitude part is completely bogus. And I'm not that cute and likeable, either. But you're entirely welcome to think I am
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Writer Guys
Via Occasional Fish, here's a really good interview with Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman, in which they talk not so much about their about-to-be-released movies, but a lot about movie-making in general, about writing, about the mainstreaming of geek culture, and all kinds of other cool stuff.
I wonder if Mirrormask is actually going to be showing anywhere around here?
Via Occasional Fish, here's a really good interview with Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman, in which they talk not so much about their about-to-be-released movies, but a lot about movie-making in general, about writing, about the mainstreaming of geek culture, and all kinds of other cool stuff.
I wonder if Mirrormask is actually going to be showing anywhere around here?
Oh, Look. I Have a Blog.
Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I've been in a sleep-deprived haze of kitten-obsession. You know how it is.
For the record, Vir-kitty is now thirteen days old (well, OK, twelve-and-a-half), weights 6.3 ounces, and seems to be eating well and doing fine. It's hard to say for sure, but I do think I've seen his eyes opening just the teeniest, tiniest slit. (This seems to be a bit late for his eyes to be opening, but not, I think, worryingly so. I think his development's a bit slow in general. He was underweight when he was born, and I suspect he might have been a bit premature.)
In other, non-kitten-related news, I am planning to go see Serenity tomorrow or Saturday, and I encourage all of the rest of you to do so, as well, so it'll have a huge opening weekend and people will give Joss Whedon more money to make TV shows and movies.
Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I've been in a sleep-deprived haze of kitten-obsession. You know how it is.
For the record, Vir-kitty is now thirteen days old (well, OK, twelve-and-a-half), weights 6.3 ounces, and seems to be eating well and doing fine. It's hard to say for sure, but I do think I've seen his eyes opening just the teeniest, tiniest slit. (This seems to be a bit late for his eyes to be opening, but not, I think, worryingly so. I think his development's a bit slow in general. He was underweight when he was born, and I suspect he might have been a bit premature.)
In other, non-kitten-related news, I am planning to go see Serenity tomorrow or Saturday, and I encourage all of the rest of you to do so, as well, so it'll have a huge opening weekend and people will give Joss Whedon more money to make TV shows and movies.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Cat Analogies
Feeding baby kittens, apparently, is like rocket science. Only in reverse. You know, with a rocket, as it uses up fuel it loses mass, so it needs less fuel to keep accelerating at the same rate. With a kitten, the more milk you feed it, the bigger it gets, and the more it needs to eat to keep growing at the same rate. You have to keep weighing them just to figure out how much formula you're supposed to mix. (Well, I suppose there's probably an equation for it, but in this case empirical methods are doubtless best.)
Vir-kitty now weighs five ounces. Which means he actually has doubled his body weight in a week, like all the kitty-literature I've been reading says he's supposed to. I wasn't quite sure I credited it, to be honest. As I've been putting it to various people, the little guy's growing like this is a B-movie and he got a big dose of radiation. I'm expecting him to be stomping down the streets of Socorro knocking over cars and eating pedestrians any day now.
Feeding baby kittens, apparently, is like rocket science. Only in reverse. You know, with a rocket, as it uses up fuel it loses mass, so it needs less fuel to keep accelerating at the same rate. With a kitten, the more milk you feed it, the bigger it gets, and the more it needs to eat to keep growing at the same rate. You have to keep weighing them just to figure out how much formula you're supposed to mix. (Well, I suppose there's probably an equation for it, but in this case empirical methods are doubtless best.)
Vir-kitty now weighs five ounces. Which means he actually has doubled his body weight in a week, like all the kitty-literature I've been reading says he's supposed to. I wasn't quite sure I credited it, to be honest. As I've been putting it to various people, the little guy's growing like this is a B-movie and he got a big dose of radiation. I'm expecting him to be stomping down the streets of Socorro knocking over cars and eating pedestrians any day now.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
A Non-Update, With Tacos
Yes, I know, it's time for a kitten update. Right? Uh-huh. You know what? You don't want a kitten update. Because I am capable at this point of going on and on and on about the details of the critter's bowel movements, and nobody should be subjected to that. I shouldn't be subjected to that. Suffice it to say that he's still alive and growing and seems to be doing reasonably well. Yay!
Instead, have a lame quiz result that apparently reflects the fact that I've lived in New Mexico far too long:
Damn. I could actually go for some Mexican food right now.
Yes, I know, it's time for a kitten update. Right? Uh-huh. You know what? You don't want a kitten update. Because I am capable at this point of going on and on and on about the details of the critter's bowel movements, and nobody should be subjected to that. I shouldn't be subjected to that. Suffice it to say that he's still alive and growing and seems to be doing reasonably well. Yay!
Instead, have a lame quiz result that apparently reflects the fact that I've lived in New Mexico far too long:
| You Are Mexican Food |
 Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you. |
Damn. I could actually go for some Mexican food right now.
Friday, September 23, 2005
A Sure-Fire Plan
I have discovered a marvelous new method of preventing teen pregnancies. You give kids a newborn kitten to take care of, and let them see what it's like to get up in the middle of the night for feedings and worry obsessively about every little body function of something tiny and helpless. And then you remind them that this goes on much, much longer for human babies.
They'll be stocking up on the condoms, believe me.
I have discovered a marvelous new method of preventing teen pregnancies. You give kids a newborn kitten to take care of, and let them see what it's like to get up in the middle of the night for feedings and worry obsessively about every little body function of something tiny and helpless. And then you remind them that this goes on much, much longer for human babies.
They'll be stocking up on the condoms, believe me.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
More Kitten News
Well, I think the little guy now has a name! A few days ago, I sort of had a conversation with someone (you know who you are!) which involved the subject of naming the kitty after an SF TV character. "Actually," she said, looking at the picture, "he looks like a Vir." And I thought about that, and eventually said, "Nah, he complains too much to be a Vir." (Which he does, too. If you pick him up when he's comfortable where he is, or he can't find the nipple on the milk bottle, or pretty much any other time he's unhappy, he lets you know about it with these little "Rrrrroww!" noises.) But, you know? She's right. He does look like a Vir. And, hmm... He's cute and cuddly. He talks a lot. He looks helpless and weak, but is clearly a strong little survivor, despite appearances. Cats are very like Centauri in their love of the decadent pleasures in life. Some of those little growly noises he makes actually sound sort of like "vir," which is too cute. And it seems fitting to name him after a Babylon 5 character, given that I found him "all alone in the night." Plus, when he misbehaves, I can do my best Londo impression and shout "Viiiiiir!" Which has got to be fun.
So. "Vir" it is, I think. After this guy:
(The Babylon 5 fans in the audience may now proceed to make jokes about ducks.)
Also, his umbilical finally fell off! I was beginning to wonder, as I thought it should have happened by now.
In less pleasant news, he's had some diarrhea for the last couple of days. I'm pretty sure the problem is that I changed his formula. The vet initially gave me some powdered stuff to mix up for him, but I went through it far too fast. Mainly because, although he was only eating tiny amounts, I had to fill the bottle more in order to be able to get enough liquid to the nipple without holding it straight upside-down. And since the instructions say not to re-heat it more than once, but to mix up fresh stuff instead, I ended up throwing a lot of it out. So I got this canned liquid stuff at Wal-Mart, which he seems to like. But, well, that's when the diarrehea started. Sigh. This stuff is quite a bit thicker than the other kind, so I've started diluting it, per instructions from this website. So far, it doesn't really seem to be helping. I may have to go back to the vet and ask them if they have any more of the first kind they can give me.
Well, I think the little guy now has a name! A few days ago, I sort of had a conversation with someone (you know who you are!) which involved the subject of naming the kitty after an SF TV character. "Actually," she said, looking at the picture, "he looks like a Vir." And I thought about that, and eventually said, "Nah, he complains too much to be a Vir." (Which he does, too. If you pick him up when he's comfortable where he is, or he can't find the nipple on the milk bottle, or pretty much any other time he's unhappy, he lets you know about it with these little "Rrrrroww!" noises.) But, you know? She's right. He does look like a Vir. And, hmm... He's cute and cuddly. He talks a lot. He looks helpless and weak, but is clearly a strong little survivor, despite appearances. Cats are very like Centauri in their love of the decadent pleasures in life. Some of those little growly noises he makes actually sound sort of like "vir," which is too cute. And it seems fitting to name him after a Babylon 5 character, given that I found him "all alone in the night." Plus, when he misbehaves, I can do my best Londo impression and shout "Viiiiiir!" Which has got to be fun.
So. "Vir" it is, I think. After this guy:
(The Babylon 5 fans in the audience may now proceed to make jokes about ducks.)
Also, his umbilical finally fell off! I was beginning to wonder, as I thought it should have happened by now.
In less pleasant news, he's had some diarrhea for the last couple of days. I'm pretty sure the problem is that I changed his formula. The vet initially gave me some powdered stuff to mix up for him, but I went through it far too fast. Mainly because, although he was only eating tiny amounts, I had to fill the bottle more in order to be able to get enough liquid to the nipple without holding it straight upside-down. And since the instructions say not to re-heat it more than once, but to mix up fresh stuff instead, I ended up throwing a lot of it out. So I got this canned liquid stuff at Wal-Mart, which he seems to like. But, well, that's when the diarrehea started. Sigh. This stuff is quite a bit thicker than the other kind, so I've started diluting it, per instructions from this website. So far, it doesn't really seem to be helping. I may have to go back to the vet and ask them if they have any more of the first kind they can give me.
Good News on Several Fronts
On Day Six, and the kitten now weighs more than three ounces. Meaning he's gained an entire half-ounce since Sunday! Yay! Grow kitten, grow!
On the household side of things, I finally got an engineer to come and take a look at my house. I asked the person I bought it from if she'd ever had anybody look at it. She said no, but she did have an engineer review the new house she and her husband built, and I could call him. I did, and he came out the next day! Proving, once again, that in this town it's all about knowing somebody. Or knowing somebody who knows somebody, which is usually the approach I take. Anyway, he gave it a good looking-over and assured me that the cracks weren't a structural concern, and that, while there was some subsidence, it wasn't actually all that bad. He identified a couple of reasons why the cracks might have been getting worse lately (including stresses from the installation of the new roof last year, which he says sometimes cause symptoms that don't show up right away). And he gave me some advice on simple things I can do to keep water away from my foundation. All very reassuring and helpful. Yay! Keep standing, house, keep standing!
On Day Six, and the kitten now weighs more than three ounces. Meaning he's gained an entire half-ounce since Sunday! Yay! Grow kitten, grow!
On the household side of things, I finally got an engineer to come and take a look at my house. I asked the person I bought it from if she'd ever had anybody look at it. She said no, but she did have an engineer review the new house she and her husband built, and I could call him. I did, and he came out the next day! Proving, once again, that in this town it's all about knowing somebody. Or knowing somebody who knows somebody, which is usually the approach I take. Anyway, he gave it a good looking-over and assured me that the cracks weren't a structural concern, and that, while there was some subsidence, it wasn't actually all that bad. He identified a couple of reasons why the cracks might have been getting worse lately (including stresses from the installation of the new roof last year, which he says sometimes cause symptoms that don't show up right away). And he gave me some advice on simple things I can do to keep water away from my foundation. All very reassuring and helpful. Yay! Keep standing, house, keep standing!
Enough Kitten for the Moment. Have Some Random Links, Instead.
Touch the Frog: It's a frog. Touch it. It does vaguely amusing things. Don't click, though, or you get something annoying in French.
Find Your Superhero Name: I'm The Flying Figure. Which has a certain odd appeal, somehow.
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster: Makes as much sense to me as any religion, possibly more than most. Maybe I'll convert.
Out to Lunch: Some friends of mine set up this rather nice restaurant review site recently, so I figured I'd give 'em a plug. There's only five reviews up at the moment, all for restaurants in New Mexico, but they're planning on having more soon, I think, including out-of-state ones. They've also got it set up so people can register to submit their own reviews.
Touch the Frog: It's a frog. Touch it. It does vaguely amusing things. Don't click, though, or you get something annoying in French.
Find Your Superhero Name: I'm The Flying Figure. Which has a certain odd appeal, somehow.
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster: Makes as much sense to me as any religion, possibly more than most. Maybe I'll convert.
Out to Lunch: Some friends of mine set up this rather nice restaurant review site recently, so I figured I'd give 'em a plug. There's only five reviews up at the moment, all for restaurants in New Mexico, but they're planning on having more soon, I think, including out-of-state ones. They've also got it set up so people can register to submit their own reviews.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Yet Another Kitten Update
OK, I just got back from the vet. Later than I was supposed to, because apparently in the process of double-checking my alarm clock last night I managed to unset it. And I was up until all hours doing kitten-feeding duty. Fortunately they understood when I called twenty minutes after I was supposed to have been there, and rescheduled me for an hour later.
Anyway, I can now report that he is, indeed, a he. And, according to the vet, he seems fine. Although he warned me that that's no guarantee of anything, that it's hard to tell at that age whether they have hidden problems, and that they can suddenly go south with no warning whatsoever. Which I kind of knew, really, but, hey, I'll take whatever small reassurances I can get.
OK, I just got back from the vet. Later than I was supposed to, because apparently in the process of double-checking my alarm clock last night I managed to unset it. And I was up until all hours doing kitten-feeding duty. Fortunately they understood when I called twenty minutes after I was supposed to have been there, and rescheduled me for an hour later.
Anyway, I can now report that he is, indeed, a he. And, according to the vet, he seems fine. Although he warned me that that's no guarantee of anything, that it's hard to tell at that age whether they have hidden problems, and that they can suddenly go south with no warning whatsoever. Which I kind of knew, really, but, hey, I'll take whatever small reassurances I can get.
Aw, Couldn't I Have Been Something More Exotic and Interesting?
| You are a Social Liberal (78% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (33% permissive) You are best described as a:
Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating |
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Sneaky Emotionally Manipulative Kittens
Sigh. Well, I suppose it had to happen. I finally went and bonded with the damn thing. There I was, sitting at work, giving him his bottle, like I've done six times a day for the last four deeply annoying days, and I suddenly found myself thinking about how cute he was, and how dependent he is on me, and how I'd saved his life, and how he was, well, mine. With all the predictable associated emotions, and the stupid smiling, and everything.
Shit. I'm never going to get rid of him now.
Sigh. Well, I suppose it had to happen. I finally went and bonded with the damn thing. There I was, sitting at work, giving him his bottle, like I've done six times a day for the last four deeply annoying days, and I suddenly found myself thinking about how cute he was, and how dependent he is on me, and how I'd saved his life, and how he was, well, mine. With all the predictable associated emotions, and the stupid smiling, and everything.
Shit. I'm never going to get rid of him now.
You Guys Are More Interested in the Kitten Than in Me at This Point. Admit It.
Took the kitty in to work with me today, seeing as he needs to be fed, like, every three hours. His first day at the office, I'm pleased to report, went entirely well. He was quite popular, and everybody remarked on the fact that he was cute. And tiny. Well, those are indeed, his two most noticeable characteristics.
I also think he's eating more now, which makes me feel better. We'll have him up to three whole ounces in no time!
Took the kitty in to work with me today, seeing as he needs to be fed, like, every three hours. His first day at the office, I'm pleased to report, went entirely well. He was quite popular, and everybody remarked on the fact that he was cute. And tiny. Well, those are indeed, his two most noticeable characteristics.
I also think he's eating more now, which makes me feel better. We'll have him up to three whole ounces in no time!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Well, OK, Not Just Kittens...
These reptiles, famous for their hard outer shells, spent their days roaming for food and relaxing in the water. As a turtle you are not very speedy, nor are you soft and cuddly. You tend to hide in your shell and you aren't much of a sprinter, however you are as cute as you are fascinating.
You were almost a: Duckling or a Mouse
You are least like a: Puppy or a PonyCute Animal Quiz!
That sounds like a good life to me!
You Are A: Turtle!
These reptiles, famous for their hard outer shells, spent their days roaming for food and relaxing in the water. As a turtle you are not very speedy, nor are you soft and cuddly. You tend to hide in your shell and you aren't much of a sprinter, however you are as cute as you are fascinating.You were almost a: Duckling or a Mouse
You are least like a: Puppy or a PonyCute Animal Quiz!
That sounds like a good life to me!
It's Pretty Much All Kitten, All the Time Here at Maximum Verbosity This Weekend.
Thanks to everybody who's commented, expressed concern, or offered advice about the poor lil' orphaned kitty. It's appreciated! As predicted (and hoped), the little feller is eating, sleeping, and pooping in a semi-regular fashion.
I bought a postal scale to weigh him on, by the way: 2.6 ounces. Googling around suggests that's a bit low, so hopefully he'll put on some weight over the next few days.
Thanks to everybody who's commented, expressed concern, or offered advice about the poor lil' orphaned kitty. It's appreciated! As predicted (and hoped), the little feller is eating, sleeping, and pooping in a semi-regular fashion.
I bought a postal scale to weigh him on, by the way: 2.6 ounces. Googling around suggests that's a bit low, so hopefully he'll put on some weight over the next few days.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Kitten Pic!
OK, people have been bugging me for pictures of the kitty... Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera. (I'm not sure I even have a non-digital camera.) And taking pictures with my cell phone and e-mailing them turns out to be kind of a pain in the ass. Hence, I managed one crappy picture. But here it is: new kitten snuggled up to his stuffed bunny and his hot water bottle. Aww.
OK, people have been bugging me for pictures of the kitty... Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera. (I'm not sure I even have a non-digital camera.) And taking pictures with my cell phone and e-mailing them turns out to be kind of a pain in the ass. Hence, I managed one crappy picture. But here it is: new kitten snuggled up to his stuffed bunny and his hot water bottle. Aww.
Kitten Update
OK, I went to the vet this morning, and they gave me some kitten-formula, with a set of instructions that were, actually, in places word-for-word what I'd found on the internet. Which is kind of reassuring. I've got an appointment to take him in for a look-over on Wednesday.
He (or she, I can't really tell) seems to be doing fine. He drank some of the formula -- not much, but then he's just a tiny thing -- and I even managed to get him to poop afterwards. It disturbs me how triumphant that made me feel. Whoo-hoo! I got a kitten to poop! Go, me! Also, the umbilical appears to have mostly fallen off, or at least the white cord-y part did. There's still a stump. I think this is probably normal and fine.
I'll keep you updated, but I think at this point his life is mainly going to consist of sleep-eat-poop-sleep, so it probably won't be terribly interesting.
OK, I went to the vet this morning, and they gave me some kitten-formula, with a set of instructions that were, actually, in places word-for-word what I'd found on the internet. Which is kind of reassuring. I've got an appointment to take him in for a look-over on Wednesday.
He (or she, I can't really tell) seems to be doing fine. He drank some of the formula -- not much, but then he's just a tiny thing -- and I even managed to get him to poop afterwards. It disturbs me how triumphant that made me feel. Whoo-hoo! I got a kitten to poop! Go, me! Also, the umbilical appears to have mostly fallen off, or at least the white cord-y part did. There's still a stump. I think this is probably normal and fine.
I'll keep you updated, but I think at this point his life is mainly going to consist of sleep-eat-poop-sleep, so it probably won't be terribly interesting.
Drive-By Birthing
So, I went out to get my laundry in off the line -- which, come to think of it, I still haven't managed -- got halfway to the clothesline, and realized I was hearing this loud, pitiful mewling sound from somewhere. It took me a while to figure out where, because the source was very dark and very tiny, and I looked right at it several times before even realizing it was there. Turned out "it" was a newborn kitten.[*] And I do mean newborn. As in, it was lying in a bloody patch on my driveway with an umbilical cord still attached. And no sign of a mother, naturally. Poor baby.
So, I've cleaned him off -- he was pretty dirty -- wrapped him up in a towel and gave him some warm milk with a syringe. (I stroked his tummy afterward, too, like the books tell you too, though it doesn't seem to have done anything.) And he's now lying in a shoe box, snuggled up to a stuffed bunny, and warmed by a hot water bottle, per instructions from this incredibly welcome website.
Thank god my vet has hours on Saturday morning, because, while the above probably made me sound all uber-confident at kitten care, I'm actually ignorant and petrified. And more than half expecting him to be dead in the morning.
[*] At least, I think it's a kitten. I thought at first it was a puppy, because I thought it was too big for a newborn kitty, but it looks more cat-like than dog-like, and the pictures in my ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual of momma cats with newborns show them looking about the same size as this one, after all. (Hmm. Also, dogs don't generally have stripes.)
So, I went out to get my laundry in off the line -- which, come to think of it, I still haven't managed -- got halfway to the clothesline, and realized I was hearing this loud, pitiful mewling sound from somewhere. It took me a while to figure out where, because the source was very dark and very tiny, and I looked right at it several times before even realizing it was there. Turned out "it" was a newborn kitten.[*] And I do mean newborn. As in, it was lying in a bloody patch on my driveway with an umbilical cord still attached. And no sign of a mother, naturally. Poor baby.
So, I've cleaned him off -- he was pretty dirty -- wrapped him up in a towel and gave him some warm milk with a syringe. (I stroked his tummy afterward, too, like the books tell you too, though it doesn't seem to have done anything.) And he's now lying in a shoe box, snuggled up to a stuffed bunny, and warmed by a hot water bottle, per instructions from this incredibly welcome website.
Thank god my vet has hours on Saturday morning, because, while the above probably made me sound all uber-confident at kitten care, I'm actually ignorant and petrified. And more than half expecting him to be dead in the morning.
[*] At least, I think it's a kitten. I thought at first it was a puppy, because I thought it was too big for a newborn kitty, but it looks more cat-like than dog-like, and the pictures in my ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual of momma cats with newborns show them looking about the same size as this one, after all. (Hmm. Also, dogs don't generally have stripes.)
Unstuck in Time
I don't understand how the hell it got to be the middle of September already. I barely remember the last couple of weeks even happening, like I slept through them or something. Which actually isn't far from the truth: I've been having a bitch of a time switching off of nights this week, and have found myself more often than not puttering around doing not much of anything until about 4 or 5 AM and then sleeping until the afternoon. I've certainly accomplished absolutely nothing that I intended to get done, that's for sure.
Just to illustrate how much time's managed to get away from me lately: I missed a paycheck. Just completely failed to notice a payday while my check stub sat inconspicuously in the shadowy back corner of my mailbox at work, until it finally occurred to me to look at the balance in my check ledger and wonder, hey, wait a minute, why am I running out of money? It took a while to convince myself that, yes, it really had been three weeks since I wrote down the last deposit, too. And, I mean, wow, I know I'm capable of forgetting all kinds of things, but I would never, ever have guessed that payday would be one of them!
And, of course, on top of all that, autumn has somehow crept up on me while I was asleep. The trees aren't changing color here yet, but the nights are getting noticeably colder, and it doesn't feel like that should be happening yet, either. It's kind of... surreal. And, damn it, one of the things I didn't get accomplished this week was winterizing my swamp cooler. Which I'll probably pay somebody to do, actually, because I'm lazy and incompetent. And apparently not entirely out of money, after all.
I don't understand how the hell it got to be the middle of September already. I barely remember the last couple of weeks even happening, like I slept through them or something. Which actually isn't far from the truth: I've been having a bitch of a time switching off of nights this week, and have found myself more often than not puttering around doing not much of anything until about 4 or 5 AM and then sleeping until the afternoon. I've certainly accomplished absolutely nothing that I intended to get done, that's for sure.
Just to illustrate how much time's managed to get away from me lately: I missed a paycheck. Just completely failed to notice a payday while my check stub sat inconspicuously in the shadowy back corner of my mailbox at work, until it finally occurred to me to look at the balance in my check ledger and wonder, hey, wait a minute, why am I running out of money? It took a while to convince myself that, yes, it really had been three weeks since I wrote down the last deposit, too. And, I mean, wow, I know I'm capable of forgetting all kinds of things, but I would never, ever have guessed that payday would be one of them!
And, of course, on top of all that, autumn has somehow crept up on me while I was asleep. The trees aren't changing color here yet, but the nights are getting noticeably colder, and it doesn't feel like that should be happening yet, either. It's kind of... surreal. And, damn it, one of the things I didn't get accomplished this week was winterizing my swamp cooler. Which I'll probably pay somebody to do, actually, because I'm lazy and incompetent. And apparently not entirely out of money, after all.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Wow, I Know Somebody With A Relative Who's Made International News!
I'd heard vague references here and there around the blogsphere the last few days to an American peace protester who was being held by the authorities in Australia, having been labelled "a threat to national security," but I hadn't realized until today that the fellow in question is actually the brother of my blogging buddy JK (who, incidentally, was responsible for me starting on my own blogging career, way back when). It sucks that he's being kicked out of the country -- and I can totally understand why a lot of Australians, as well as US peace activists are seriously upset about the whole thing -- but I'm at least glad to hear that he's expected to be out of jail and back with his family soon.
And, y'know, this is a serious matter, and I know JK's been all kinds of stressed about it, so I'm trying very, very hard not to make any Simpsons jokes involving Australia "giving him The Boot." It's proving extremely difficult, though.
I'd heard vague references here and there around the blogsphere the last few days to an American peace protester who was being held by the authorities in Australia, having been labelled "a threat to national security," but I hadn't realized until today that the fellow in question is actually the brother of my blogging buddy JK (who, incidentally, was responsible for me starting on my own blogging career, way back when). It sucks that he's being kicked out of the country -- and I can totally understand why a lot of Australians, as well as US peace activists are seriously upset about the whole thing -- but I'm at least glad to hear that he's expected to be out of jail and back with his family soon.
And, y'know, this is a serious matter, and I know JK's been all kinds of stressed about it, so I'm trying very, very hard not to make any Simpsons jokes involving Australia "giving him The Boot." It's proving extremely difficult, though.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
What Is the Internet For, If Not Posting Photos of Your Cats?
Via Sore Eyes, it's pictures of pets with their heads in food bags!
I'm wondering if I should send 'em this picture of Nova:
Via Sore Eyes, it's pictures of pets with their heads in food bags!
I'm wondering if I should send 'em this picture of Nova:
Sunday, September 11, 2005
So Many Books...
This weekend, I reached Book #2,000 in my Big Database o' Books (wherein I enter volumes only after I finish reading them, so all those still-unread ones don't count). I feel like I ought to be celebrating this somehow, but mostly I'm just looking at my shelves going, "Wait, why do I have 2,000 books again?" The whole book-hoarding thing seemed like a wonderful idea when I started, but it seems a lot less so when you've recently had to move 'em all.
I've long since achieved my book-related life-goal, which was to have 1,000 books by the time I was 30. I actually hit that at 25. Which seems to imply a rate of 1,000 books every nine years. At this rate, I'm going to need a bigger house again right about the time this one gets paid off! (My other life-goals, by the way were to get my name in the acknowledgements of a professionally-published book, which I achieved entirely by accident a while back, even if it wasn't spelled correctly, and to appear on Jeopardy!, which I admit I have let slide. I did try to apply online a few years ago when they were having a contestant search in Denver, but my browser crashed and I couldn't tell if it went through. In any case, they never got back to me. Which may be just as well; Denver is an annoyingly long drive from here.)
Sadly, book #2,000 was in no way an exceptional volume, but rather a somewhat disappointing Doctor Who novel called Escape Velocity. Ah, well. I have a dim recollection of Book #1,000 being a Star Trek novel or something.
This weekend, I reached Book #2,000 in my Big Database o' Books (wherein I enter volumes only after I finish reading them, so all those still-unread ones don't count). I feel like I ought to be celebrating this somehow, but mostly I'm just looking at my shelves going, "Wait, why do I have 2,000 books again?" The whole book-hoarding thing seemed like a wonderful idea when I started, but it seems a lot less so when you've recently had to move 'em all.
I've long since achieved my book-related life-goal, which was to have 1,000 books by the time I was 30. I actually hit that at 25. Which seems to imply a rate of 1,000 books every nine years. At this rate, I'm going to need a bigger house again right about the time this one gets paid off! (My other life-goals, by the way were to get my name in the acknowledgements of a professionally-published book, which I achieved entirely by accident a while back, even if it wasn't spelled correctly, and to appear on Jeopardy!, which I admit I have let slide. I did try to apply online a few years ago when they were having a contestant search in Denver, but my browser crashed and I couldn't tell if it went through. In any case, they never got back to me. Which may be just as well; Denver is an annoyingly long drive from here.)
Sadly, book #2,000 was in no way an exceptional volume, but rather a somewhat disappointing Doctor Who novel called Escape Velocity. Ah, well. I have a dim recollection of Book #1,000 being a Star Trek novel or something.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
WTF?
OK, so, I'm outside hanging up laundry. The sky is mostly blue, except for a few vaguely rainy-looking clouds, which are not directly overhead. Suddenly, I start to hear this sound, all around me. It's a lot like the sound of water droplets hitting things like, oh, metal shed roofs. It confuses me. A few moments later, I begin to feel drops of water hitting my body. Water falling from the sky. Which is blue.
Is this that strange phenomenon folks in the Pacific Northwest refer to as a "sun shower?" Because I always kind of thought they were making it up.
OK, so, I'm outside hanging up laundry. The sky is mostly blue, except for a few vaguely rainy-looking clouds, which are not directly overhead. Suddenly, I start to hear this sound, all around me. It's a lot like the sound of water droplets hitting things like, oh, metal shed roofs. It confuses me. A few moments later, I begin to feel drops of water hitting my body. Water falling from the sky. Which is blue.
Is this that strange phenomenon folks in the Pacific Northwest refer to as a "sun shower?" Because I always kind of thought they were making it up.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Your Regularly Scheduled Monthly Meme
Current clothes: Light tan jeans. Off-white t-shirt with the words "Sentenced to Life on Planet Earth" on it. Blue denim short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned over it. Brown belt. White tube socks. No shoes.
Current mood: Hungry. And kind of bleh. Haven't been getting quite enough sleep lately.
Current music: Been listening to random playlists again. Before that it was Warren Zevon's The Wind.
Current annoyance: I find that I don't really have much room for annoyance at the moment. I'm too busy with disgust and rage.
Current thing: Swearing I'm not going to look at any more news from the Gulf Coast, due to aforementioned disgust and rage, and then constantly doing it anyway.
Current desktop picture: A wallpaper made by an online friend of mine, featuring the Ninth Doctor and Cally from Blake's 7. British TV aliens, unite!
Current song in head: There's been a lot of Zevon in the brain lately. Mostly "The Vast Indifference of Heaven" just now. That and "My Dirty Life and Times."
Current book: Roger Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness. Strange, strange, strange book. But weirdly compelling, because Zelazny's like that.
Current video in player: None at the moment. There wasn't a Battlestar Galactica on last week, because they were having a Stargate marathon instead.
Current DVD in player: The last disc of Buffy season 7. Two more episodes to go!
Current refreshment: Hey, I don't have any water! I need some water.
Current worry: That freaky creeper vines, having smothered my trees and rosebushes, will cover up my house so that I need a machete to hack my way out of the door, at which point I will discover that they have grown to become hideous carnivorous mutants, and no one will ever hear from me again. Hey, I didn't say it was a rational worry.
Current thought: I don't have any. My mind is completely blank.
Current clothes: Light tan jeans. Off-white t-shirt with the words "Sentenced to Life on Planet Earth" on it. Blue denim short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned over it. Brown belt. White tube socks. No shoes.
Current mood: Hungry. And kind of bleh. Haven't been getting quite enough sleep lately.
Current music: Been listening to random playlists again. Before that it was Warren Zevon's The Wind.
Current annoyance: I find that I don't really have much room for annoyance at the moment. I'm too busy with disgust and rage.
Current thing: Swearing I'm not going to look at any more news from the Gulf Coast, due to aforementioned disgust and rage, and then constantly doing it anyway.
Current desktop picture: A wallpaper made by an online friend of mine, featuring the Ninth Doctor and Cally from Blake's 7. British TV aliens, unite!
Current song in head: There's been a lot of Zevon in the brain lately. Mostly "The Vast Indifference of Heaven" just now. That and "My Dirty Life and Times."
Current book: Roger Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness. Strange, strange, strange book. But weirdly compelling, because Zelazny's like that.
Current video in player: None at the moment. There wasn't a Battlestar Galactica on last week, because they were having a Stargate marathon instead.
Current DVD in player: The last disc of Buffy season 7. Two more episodes to go!
Current refreshment: Hey, I don't have any water! I need some water.
Current worry: That freaky creeper vines, having smothered my trees and rosebushes, will cover up my house so that I need a machete to hack my way out of the door, at which point I will discover that they have grown to become hideous carnivorous mutants, and no one will ever hear from me again. Hey, I didn't say it was a rational worry.
Current thought: I don't have any. My mind is completely blank.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
But of Course They Weren't Prepared. No One Could Have Predicted How Bad It Would Be.
A friend just forwarded me a link to this National Geographic article. Familiar stuff:
A friend just forwarded me a link to this National Geographic article. Familiar stuff:
...[T]he storm gathered steam and drew a bead on the city. As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however—the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party....So, what's interesting about this? It was published last October. Yeah. Eleven months ago. The next paragraph starts with:
Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued... It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.
When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet. But the doomsday scenario is not far-fetched. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City.Well, we're up to two out of three. Here's hoping California has better luck, because if I were them I wouldn't exactly count on a prompt, competent response when that quake hits.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
A Second Look at the Seventh, Which Features the First
I'm almost done my DVD-watching of season 7 of Buffy: only four more episodes to go. Sadly, while it does contain some genuinely brilliant moments, I think I still have to peg it as my least favorite season. Too many potentially interesting ideas handled far too clumsily. Too many heavy-handed iterations of "Oooh, look, we have theme! See, this is the theme! Don't worry, if you missed it, we'll repeat it again in five minutes, whether it's actually in-character for the person who's saying it or not." And it starts out with a great concept, then loses momentum completely on the follow-through, which, if you ask me, is much worse than starting off slow and getting more interesting.
I will say, though, that in some respects it does improve on second viewing. My biggest complaint the first time was that, for several episodes in the middle of the season, we get a lot of "OK! Big things are going to happen! Everybody get ready!" And, y'know, big things would then completely fail to happen, week after week. Just more damn speeches. It was clearly meant to be tense, but mainly ended up being frustrating. I've discovered, though, that when you're watching them at a rate that's closer to one a day than one a week, it comes much closer to achieving the intended effect. Partly because you lose the "I've been waiting all week for this?" effect, and partly because that seems to put you somewhat closer to the characters' timeline, where individual episodes might take place only a day or three apart.
Should be interesting to watch the final episode again...
I'm almost done my DVD-watching of season 7 of Buffy: only four more episodes to go. Sadly, while it does contain some genuinely brilliant moments, I think I still have to peg it as my least favorite season. Too many potentially interesting ideas handled far too clumsily. Too many heavy-handed iterations of "Oooh, look, we have theme! See, this is the theme! Don't worry, if you missed it, we'll repeat it again in five minutes, whether it's actually in-character for the person who's saying it or not." And it starts out with a great concept, then loses momentum completely on the follow-through, which, if you ask me, is much worse than starting off slow and getting more interesting.
I will say, though, that in some respects it does improve on second viewing. My biggest complaint the first time was that, for several episodes in the middle of the season, we get a lot of "OK! Big things are going to happen! Everybody get ready!" And, y'know, big things would then completely fail to happen, week after week. Just more damn speeches. It was clearly meant to be tense, but mainly ended up being frustrating. I've discovered, though, that when you're watching them at a rate that's closer to one a day than one a week, it comes much closer to achieving the intended effect. Partly because you lose the "I've been waiting all week for this?" effect, and partly because that seems to put you somewhat closer to the characters' timeline, where individual episodes might take place only a day or three apart.
Should be interesting to watch the final episode again...
Monday, September 05, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Day of the Triffids
While I wasn't looking, some kind of freaky creeper vine crawled up one of my trees and all over my poor rosebushes. I pulled it off of the tree (well, mostly, sort of), but rosebushes bite you when you try to do that. Anybody have any suggestions (other than "wear thick gloves")? Is there some kind of herbicide that kills freaky creeper plants but not roses?
Yes, I know. My ignorance is utterly appalling. I am merely an indifferent housekeeper, but I am a terrible gardener. Really, I shouldn't even have plants, and I certainly wouldn't have roses if they hadn't come with the house. If I ever have the cash, I'd like to just xeriscape the whole damn yard. I approve of xeriscaping, both environmentally and aesthetically, but most importantly, once you've covered a yard with gravel and cactus, you can then effectively ignore it.
While I wasn't looking, some kind of freaky creeper vine crawled up one of my trees and all over my poor rosebushes. I pulled it off of the tree (well, mostly, sort of), but rosebushes bite you when you try to do that. Anybody have any suggestions (other than "wear thick gloves")? Is there some kind of herbicide that kills freaky creeper plants but not roses?
Yes, I know. My ignorance is utterly appalling. I am merely an indifferent housekeeper, but I am a terrible gardener. Really, I shouldn't even have plants, and I certainly wouldn't have roses if they hadn't come with the house. If I ever have the cash, I'd like to just xeriscape the whole damn yard. I approve of xeriscaping, both environmentally and aesthetically, but most importantly, once you've covered a yard with gravel and cactus, you can then effectively ignore it.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Well, I Guess If There's No Terrorists Involved, It Doesn't Count.
Shit. I just have to stop reading the news. This is upsetting me worse than 9/11. Especially as it makes me wonder what the hell the government's been doing since 9/11, because it sure hasn't been preparing to keep American citizens safe in the face of disaster.
Homeland security, my ass.
Shit. I just have to stop reading the news. This is upsetting me worse than 9/11. Especially as it makes me wonder what the hell the government's been doing since 9/11, because it sure hasn't been preparing to keep American citizens safe in the face of disaster.
Homeland security, my ass.
I Feel Sick.
Woke up today to the following bit of "CNN breaking news" in my inbox: "'The results are not acceptable,' President Bush says of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts."
No fucking kidding.
I read stuff like this, and... Literally, I had to step away from the computer, put my hand over my mouth, and try not to be physically ill.
This is 21st century America. We have money, we have resources, we have technology, we have the ability to predict fucking hurricanes days in advance. There is no excuse for letting this sort of thing happen. None.
Woke up today to the following bit of "CNN breaking news" in my inbox: "'The results are not acceptable,' President Bush says of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts."
No fucking kidding.
I read stuff like this, and... Literally, I had to step away from the computer, put my hand over my mouth, and try not to be physically ill.
This is 21st century America. We have money, we have resources, we have technology, we have the ability to predict fucking hurricanes days in advance. There is no excuse for letting this sort of thing happen. None.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
RIP, VHS
According to the Washington Post, the VCR is now a dead technology:
It's true, though, that's it's been a while since I've rented a videotape, and even longer since I've bought one (or at least, one that wasn't blank). They're still handy for taping Battlestar Galactica, though, at least until I finally get me one o' them new-fangled DVD recorders.
According to the Washington Post, the VCR is now a dead technology:
VHS -- the beloved videotape format that bravely won the war against Betamax and charmed millions of Americans by allowing them to enjoy mindless Hollywood entertainment without leaving their homes -- has died at the age of 29. It passed away peacefully after a long illness caused by chronic technological insignificance and a lack of director's commentary tracks.Apparently this sounding of the death-knell is occasioned by the fact that the new Star Wars movie is only being released on DVD. (I will refrain from making snarky comments about how the death of Star Wars and the death of videotape as sources of entertainment are thus inextricably linked.)
It's true, though, that's it's been a while since I've rented a videotape, and even longer since I've bought one (or at least, one that wasn't blank). They're still handy for taping Battlestar Galactica, though, at least until I finally get me one o' them new-fangled DVD recorders.
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