I was caught again-- someone sent me a link to a YouTube video, which led to another, and another. It started with a Muppet Show link, which led me to viewing a couple of favorites, such as Rowlf the Dog and Sam the American Eagle singing Gilbert and Sullivan's "Tit Willow". Which led, of course, to Victor Borge. Then Steve Allen hosting the original Tonight Show. Then the Marx Brothers, and Groucho singing "Lydia The Tattooed Lady."
An hour or so later, I was finally able to stagger off to bed.
Current events, nit-picks, cats, and other important things.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Re: Gummitch
I used to comment (sparingly) on the various blogs I read as "Gummitch." Lately there has been another established gummitch posting, and so I switched to "steverino."
I've tried to change my name here, but with no success; so, Gummitch I remain here, and steverino elsewhere.
I've tried to change my name here, but with no success; so, Gummitch I remain here, and steverino elsewhere.
Beer
Over at The Washington Monthly, there is a discussion about beer and the possible hostile takeover of Anheuser-Busch by a Belgian company. The discussion mentions the various quality of Belgian beer vs. Budweiser, and someone throws in a comment about Dutch beer.
Which reminds me of the last annual "Oktoberfest" I attended at the Submarine Base here in Groton. Someone was apparently disturbed at the potential negative connotations of the word, because it was now called "Autumnfest". While it did still have a beer stand, the beers served were Heineken and Amstel Light. Two Dutch beers.
Which reminds me of the last annual "Oktoberfest" I attended at the Submarine Base here in Groton. Someone was apparently disturbed at the potential negative connotations of the word, because it was now called "Autumnfest". While it did still have a beer stand, the beers served were Heineken and Amstel Light. Two Dutch beers.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Royal Flush
An interesting train of thought: balancing my glasses on the edge of the sink the other morning led me to remember the cautionary tale my mother told me: as a child she had put her glasses on the rounded top of the toilet tank, they slipped off, and broke on the floor. I grew up in that same house, with that same toilet, and so I have been careful evermore, even now when glasses are so much more robust, and toilets tank lids are flat and (in my house) covered with magazines and Sudoku books.
Which could lead me down one path, of thinking how these little anecdotes survive in a family; everyone is familiar with family sayings and phrases that outsiders don't understand. Deep thoughts, indeed. Instead, I thought of low-flush toilets.
The family that now lives in the house in which my mother and I (and her mother, too, now that I think of it) grew up made extensive renovations to it: it needed them, being built in 1910. They added some rooms, opened up my pathetically small bedroom into the next one and made it the master bedroom, and so on. And renovated the bathroom. New toilet (flat tank lid). I was thinking, then, of how silly they were to get rid of that old toilet, despite the danger posed by the rounded top; it was sturdy, reliable, and was definitely not low-flow. I had heard how people were bidding up the price on old toilets because of how poorly the new mandated low-flow toilets worked. I have encountered a few bad toilets myself. And, despite the decent operation of my current unit, I persisted in my prejudice against them.
Uncle Cecil to the rescue: that same day, the topic du jour: Do low-flush toilets actually save water? The answer: yes they do. And they work better than ever.
As a matter of fact, as mentioned, I have had very little problem with the flushing aspect of my unit, despite my best efforts. The only issue I have with the thing is with the guts; I must replace the flapper every other year, and the float assembly every four. Never had to do that with Mom's toilet. Hmmph. I've gotten pretty good at it; and I have finally gotten the downstairs toilet adjusted so I get a full flush every time: it's a small tank and a tight squeeze, but I've gotten every inch out of it. I finally realized that the inside of the tank lid isn't level with the top of the tank itself, which means the float unit can extend out a bit more. I even replaced the wax seal on the upstairs toilet, taking the whole thing out. The stuff you do when you're a homeowner.
Which could lead me down one path, of thinking how these little anecdotes survive in a family; everyone is familiar with family sayings and phrases that outsiders don't understand. Deep thoughts, indeed. Instead, I thought of low-flush toilets.
The family that now lives in the house in which my mother and I (and her mother, too, now that I think of it) grew up made extensive renovations to it: it needed them, being built in 1910. They added some rooms, opened up my pathetically small bedroom into the next one and made it the master bedroom, and so on. And renovated the bathroom. New toilet (flat tank lid). I was thinking, then, of how silly they were to get rid of that old toilet, despite the danger posed by the rounded top; it was sturdy, reliable, and was definitely not low-flow. I had heard how people were bidding up the price on old toilets because of how poorly the new mandated low-flow toilets worked. I have encountered a few bad toilets myself. And, despite the decent operation of my current unit, I persisted in my prejudice against them.
Uncle Cecil to the rescue: that same day, the topic du jour: Do low-flush toilets actually save water? The answer: yes they do. And they work better than ever.
As a matter of fact, as mentioned, I have had very little problem with the flushing aspect of my unit, despite my best efforts. The only issue I have with the thing is with the guts; I must replace the flapper every other year, and the float assembly every four. Never had to do that with Mom's toilet. Hmmph. I've gotten pretty good at it; and I have finally gotten the downstairs toilet adjusted so I get a full flush every time: it's a small tank and a tight squeeze, but I've gotten every inch out of it. I finally realized that the inside of the tank lid isn't level with the top of the tank itself, which means the float unit can extend out a bit more. I even replaced the wax seal on the upstairs toilet, taking the whole thing out. The stuff you do when you're a homeowner.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Do Serial Killers Carry Umbrellas?
A few days ago I gave a ride to a hitchhiker. It was 40 degrees and raining, and he looked OK. And had an umbrella. He was headed to New London from Groton, so I was able to at least get him over the river.
Curiously, thinking of the "serial killer" angle, I never took a good look at him. Round-faced, darkish skin was the impression I got; but I couldn't tell you if he was black or Hispanic, or white and tanned, for that matter. I guess I should re-read my "Hardy Boys Detective Handbook" on how to be observant.
Sue goes ballistic if I say I picked up a hitcher, but at some point being paranoid has to defer to being human.
Curiously, thinking of the "serial killer" angle, I never took a good look at him. Round-faced, darkish skin was the impression I got; but I couldn't tell you if he was black or Hispanic, or white and tanned, for that matter. I guess I should re-read my "Hardy Boys Detective Handbook" on how to be observant.
Sue goes ballistic if I say I picked up a hitcher, but at some point being paranoid has to defer to being human.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Lethal Injection
I just don't get the problem here. I am opposed to the death penalty altogether; I don't deny there are people whom we are better off without, but because there are major problems with identifying such people, and the risk so high of wrongly executing somebody, better to not execute anyone at all.
But that's not the issue here. Setting aside the death penalty issue, it should be readily agreed that the method employed should be humane. That is the ostensible reason for the electric chair, the gas chamber, and lethal injection itself. Given that there is reasonable doubt that the chemical "cocktail" used in the injection is pain-free, what is the problem with changing it? Isn't it a no-brainer?
Ah. There's the problem.
But that's not the issue here. Setting aside the death penalty issue, it should be readily agreed that the method employed should be humane. That is the ostensible reason for the electric chair, the gas chamber, and lethal injection itself. Given that there is reasonable doubt that the chemical "cocktail" used in the injection is pain-free, what is the problem with changing it? Isn't it a no-brainer?
Ah. There's the problem.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Looking Back
No, not looking back on the year past; looking way back.
In 2004 there was a reunion of my first sub, USS Kamehameha (SSBN 642), across the river in New London. I dug out some of my old photos and put them in an album, identifying the people I knew and supplying stickies and a pen so anyone could add notes. It went over well, and I promised to scan the photos and burn them to CD to distribute.
Three years later, I finally got around to it. Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, instead of burning to CD I posted them to a Picasa web album (thanks, Google!). Here they are.
I have been corresponding with some old shipmates, and we've been trying to figure out just when that first patrol, in which we of the Gold crew brought the ship from the US to Scotland, took place. We have narrowed it down to 1983, since we did our Poseidon missile test launch (DASO) from Florida before we went over. We watched a Space Shuttle launch while in Florida, and, matching a list of DASO launches with Shuttle launches, that has to be Challenger, STS-6, April 4, 1983.
Fun getting back in touch with old shipmates.
In 2004 there was a reunion of my first sub, USS Kamehameha (SSBN 642), across the river in New London. I dug out some of my old photos and put them in an album, identifying the people I knew and supplying stickies and a pen so anyone could add notes. It went over well, and I promised to scan the photos and burn them to CD to distribute.
Three years later, I finally got around to it. Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, instead of burning to CD I posted them to a Picasa web album (thanks, Google!). Here they are.
I have been corresponding with some old shipmates, and we've been trying to figure out just when that first patrol, in which we of the Gold crew brought the ship from the US to Scotland, took place. We have narrowed it down to 1983, since we did our Poseidon missile test launch (DASO) from Florida before we went over. We watched a Space Shuttle launch while in Florida, and, matching a list of DASO launches with Shuttle launches, that has to be Challenger, STS-6, April 4, 1983.
Fun getting back in touch with old shipmates.
So I have a Mac
As promised long ago, my Mac post.
My PC at work died; an old, slow machine, to which I had added (out-of-pocket) a 256K DIMM to bring it to a whopping 512K RAM. Not really missed, to say the least. I was able to salvage the contents of the hard drive, so no problem there. My supervisor, your typical Anything But Microsoft geek, preferred that I get a Mac. So he ordered me a Mac Mini with 1GB Ram and an 80GB HD. Sure, fine.
All I really use the computer for, at work, is a web browser, email, and a terminal window; and since I had just shifted all my email to Gmail (a browser-based email), even that was reduced. Even so, while not an MS-lover, I had at least beaten XP into submission; I had it set up the way I liked, I had bought (again, out-of-pocket) an SSH client (SecureCRT) that I preferred, and various test apps and utilities. Now I had to do the same for the Mac.
First, the SSH client: with SecureCRT I can open a separate window to each of 5-6 servers, each in a different color scheme: this allows me to easily keep track of which server I'm on. The latest version I bought added a tabbed interface, so now I can have one window, with a tab for each session. Not possible with the Mac; but since OS X is Unix-based, the ssh client is built in; and I found a free utility, JellyfiSSH, that "bookmarks" terminal sessions, so I can use that to open multiple color-coded sessions, at least. The new OS version, Leopard, seems to offer a tabbed terminal built-in. Hunh.
The browser is not an issue, really; I use Opera, and there is a Mac version available; but gmail doesn't work as well with the Mac version. I found a browser that uses the Mozilla Gecko engine, called Camino, and it does the gmail for me, as well as interfaces with some firewall devices we use that don't like Opera (on the PC, I used Internet Explorer for those). I also have to use Safari, which I don't care for, just to access my Sirius Satellite Radio streaming broadcast: the plug-in only works on it. So I'm running three separate browsers.
I found a free text editor, TextWrangler, that I use instead of the standard TextEdit. I just like it better. And I had to find a wrap-the-cursor around the screen utility, because I use a trackball and that sort of thing makes sense for trackballs (and touchpads). And so on. A utility that locks the screen for when I am away from my desk, without me having to log out, or hibernate, or anything: just lock the screen and input devices: thank you.
Printing: we have a Canon multipurpose device. It uses a parallel cable. The Mac is USB-only. Got a USB-to-parallel cable, and it don't work: the cable does, but there are no drivers for this thing. I am using my sup's personal USB printer, and we're working on getting a new one from the company.
The worst part of the whole deal is Windows: there are one or two apps, particularly our billing/service-order management app, that are Windows-only. With the Mac I got Parallels, an app that lets me load Windows XP (any OS, actually) within a virtual machine running on the Mac (sort of like Apple's own BootCamp, without the reboot). It takes 512K of my 1GB RAM (any less and Windows would suck wind), and I can forget about doing anything else while it loads. When I am careful, I have no problems running Windows apps within it; setting up the networking to connect to the office network over a VPN was tricky, but it is working okay now. Point being it would all be unnecessary if I had just been given a PC in the first place.
All that said, the Mac isn't too bad. Nice wide-screen monitor, the CPU is zippy, and I can work on it with no problems. It just brings its own set of frustrations with it, after I had gotten used to the ones that come with XP. In addition, the keyboard (using the Apple key and so on) is different than what I am using at home: the key strokes, anyway, since I am using the same type of keyboard, not a Mac keyboard (and my own Logitech MarbleMouse trackball). And the close button for the window being in the upper left rather than the upper right. It's the shifting back and forth, work to home, that generates the (mild) confusion.
And thus endeth my Mac post.
My PC at work died; an old, slow machine, to which I had added (out-of-pocket) a 256K DIMM to bring it to a whopping 512K RAM. Not really missed, to say the least. I was able to salvage the contents of the hard drive, so no problem there. My supervisor, your typical Anything But Microsoft geek, preferred that I get a Mac. So he ordered me a Mac Mini with 1GB Ram and an 80GB HD. Sure, fine.
All I really use the computer for, at work, is a web browser, email, and a terminal window; and since I had just shifted all my email to Gmail (a browser-based email), even that was reduced. Even so, while not an MS-lover, I had at least beaten XP into submission; I had it set up the way I liked, I had bought (again, out-of-pocket) an SSH client (SecureCRT) that I preferred, and various test apps and utilities. Now I had to do the same for the Mac.
First, the SSH client: with SecureCRT I can open a separate window to each of 5-6 servers, each in a different color scheme: this allows me to easily keep track of which server I'm on. The latest version I bought added a tabbed interface, so now I can have one window, with a tab for each session. Not possible with the Mac; but since OS X is Unix-based, the ssh client is built in; and I found a free utility, JellyfiSSH, that "bookmarks" terminal sessions, so I can use that to open multiple color-coded sessions, at least. The new OS version, Leopard, seems to offer a tabbed terminal built-in. Hunh.
The browser is not an issue, really; I use Opera, and there is a Mac version available; but gmail doesn't work as well with the Mac version. I found a browser that uses the Mozilla Gecko engine, called Camino, and it does the gmail for me, as well as interfaces with some firewall devices we use that don't like Opera (on the PC, I used Internet Explorer for those). I also have to use Safari, which I don't care for, just to access my Sirius Satellite Radio streaming broadcast: the plug-in only works on it. So I'm running three separate browsers.
I found a free text editor, TextWrangler, that I use instead of the standard TextEdit. I just like it better. And I had to find a wrap-the-cursor around the screen utility, because I use a trackball and that sort of thing makes sense for trackballs (and touchpads). And so on. A utility that locks the screen for when I am away from my desk, without me having to log out, or hibernate, or anything: just lock the screen and input devices: thank you.
Printing: we have a Canon multipurpose device. It uses a parallel cable. The Mac is USB-only. Got a USB-to-parallel cable, and it don't work: the cable does, but there are no drivers for this thing. I am using my sup's personal USB printer, and we're working on getting a new one from the company.
The worst part of the whole deal is Windows: there are one or two apps, particularly our billing/service-order management app, that are Windows-only. With the Mac I got Parallels, an app that lets me load Windows XP (any OS, actually) within a virtual machine running on the Mac (sort of like Apple's own BootCamp, without the reboot). It takes 512K of my 1GB RAM (any less and Windows would suck wind), and I can forget about doing anything else while it loads. When I am careful, I have no problems running Windows apps within it; setting up the networking to connect to the office network over a VPN was tricky, but it is working okay now. Point being it would all be unnecessary if I had just been given a PC in the first place.
All that said, the Mac isn't too bad. Nice wide-screen monitor, the CPU is zippy, and I can work on it with no problems. It just brings its own set of frustrations with it, after I had gotten used to the ones that come with XP. In addition, the keyboard (using the Apple key and so on) is different than what I am using at home: the key strokes, anyway, since I am using the same type of keyboard, not a Mac keyboard (and my own Logitech MarbleMouse trackball). And the close button for the window being in the upper left rather than the upper right. It's the shifting back and forth, work to home, that generates the (mild) confusion.
And thus endeth my Mac post.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Happy Birthday
How did I spend my holidays? On Black Friday, which I consider a holiday because I have off and my wife Sue works, I visited the Book Barn 
and got a good hour and a half of Quality Lap Time, mostly with Tiger (pictured)-- I didn't see Mrs. Howell, my favorite lap-kitty. Tiger is okay, a bit cranky because he hurt his hips at some point, and if you are too aggressive scratching there he will snap at you. Once, before I learned this, he took a swat at my hand; I let him, rather than pull away. He wasn't actually attacking: what he did was just grab my hand (with his claws, half-extended: how else for a cat?) and pull it up to his head, which is where he wanted me to scratch. After that incident I saw the note the Book Barn staff had posted telling of his injury, and then I understood. So we had a nice time, he all curled up on my chest (my belly makes a nice shelf) and me reading the book I bought, "Dreadnought," about the buildup to WWI.
The following Tuesday (Nov. 27) I had off, too: my 45th birthday. Birthdays are given as a holiday by my employer. I went this time to a local insurance company, Bailey's Insurance, who I can recommend as a friendly, cat-loving establishment: even though I don't do business with them, they welcome my visits. Mr. B lives there, and on the weekends I would see Mr. B in the window (their office is next to the Post Office). I finally stopped in during the week and they were more than gracious about me meeting the cat, and Mr. B loved it. It got so, they told me later, that anyone sitting in the chair I always used had Mr. B right there wanting his cuddle. He is a polite cat, though, and waits to be invited before he will jump up. Pictured is a photo they took on 21AUG07; that's me and my chins on the left,
and Mr. B on the right. They just aquired a kitten, already a young cat (7mos or so, now), a stray. Also affectionate. So that's my birthday: I enjoyed it, but rather pathetic, no? I don't even have my own cats to blog about. I have to grab my chances as I can. Vern the neighbor's cat still comes by, but the last time, Sue was home, and I couldn't let him in. He didn't want to be petted: he wanted his fix, and left in a huff (oh, you can tell, all right).
Steve
and got a good hour and a half of Quality Lap Time, mostly with Tiger (pictured)-- I didn't see Mrs. Howell, my favorite lap-kitty. Tiger is okay, a bit cranky because he hurt his hips at some point, and if you are too aggressive scratching there he will snap at you. Once, before I learned this, he took a swat at my hand; I let him, rather than pull away. He wasn't actually attacking: what he did was just grab my hand (with his claws, half-extended: how else for a cat?) and pull it up to his head, which is where he wanted me to scratch. After that incident I saw the note the Book Barn staff had posted telling of his injury, and then I understood. So we had a nice time, he all curled up on my chest (my belly makes a nice shelf) and me reading the book I bought, "Dreadnought," about the buildup to WWI.The following Tuesday (Nov. 27) I had off, too: my 45th birthday. Birthdays are given as a holiday by my employer. I went this time to a local insurance company, Bailey's Insurance, who I can recommend as a friendly, cat-loving establishment: even though I don't do business with them, they welcome my visits. Mr. B lives there, and on the weekends I would see Mr. B in the window (their office is next to the Post Office). I finally stopped in during the week and they were more than gracious about me meeting the cat, and Mr. B loved it. It got so, they told me later, that anyone sitting in the chair I always used had Mr. B right there wanting his cuddle. He is a polite cat, though, and waits to be invited before he will jump up. Pictured is a photo they took on 21AUG07; that's me and my chins on the left,
and Mr. B on the right. They just aquired a kitten, already a young cat (7mos or so, now), a stray. Also affectionate. So that's my birthday: I enjoyed it, but rather pathetic, no? I don't even have my own cats to blog about. I have to grab my chances as I can. Vern the neighbor's cat still comes by, but the last time, Sue was home, and I couldn't let him in. He didn't want to be petted: he wanted his fix, and left in a huff (oh, you can tell, all right).
Steve
Worth Noting...
Reading about lobbyists reminded me of this, which I did first hear of via Molly Ivins:
--Steve
"If you can’t take their money, drink their whiskey, screw their women, and vote against ‘em anyway, you don’t belong in the Legislature” is a quote by Molly Ivins (1944-2007) that’s often attributed to Texas politics. It was first used by Jesse Unruh (1922-1987) in California politics in the 1970s. Unruh was talking then about lobbyists.
--The Big Apple
--Steve
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Big Game
Since my wife had to work yesterday, today she wants to get in some shopping. By god I am going to be in the house with the TV on by 4:15 if I have to drag her out of the checkout line. Pats-Colts: can't miss it.
Quality Cat Time
I got in some quality cat time yesterday: my wife was working, it was windy, cool, and raining (thanks, TS Noel), and the cats at the book store were bound to welcome some cozy laps.
Mrs. Howell and one of the several black cats were on the porch at the Book Barn in Niantic; thanks to a kid who grabbed the black cat (Mrs. Meow, I learned later) and brought her inside, I was able to claim her chair. Mrs. Howell on my lap, a good book I found to read; I was set. Then Mrs. Meow escaped the kid and got back outside, making a beeline for "her" chair. I persuaded her to try my chest: I am so fat there is a nice shelf on my belly, with an assisting arm. She was happy to curl up, and I got a good double-cat hour in before duty called and I had to leave.
Steve
Mrs. Howell and one of the several black cats were on the porch at the Book Barn in Niantic; thanks to a kid who grabbed the black cat (Mrs. Meow, I learned later) and brought her inside, I was able to claim her chair. Mrs. Howell on my lap, a good book I found to read; I was set. Then Mrs. Meow escaped the kid and got back outside, making a beeline for "her" chair. I persuaded her to try my chest: I am so fat there is a nice shelf on my belly, with an assisting arm. She was happy to curl up, and I got a good double-cat hour in before duty called and I had to leave.
Steve
Pet Peeve
Hitting the button to activate the "Walk" signal, and then, looking up, seeing no traffic and crossing, threreby leaving the cars to sit there for another 30 seconds or so. I've seen people do this without breaking stride.
I understand that in some places, including NYC, some or all of the buttons are disabled: placebo buttons. In downtown Hartford where I work there is never so much traffic that a healthy person cannot cross with the light. Of course, I don't mind justified use: old, wheelchair, kids in strollers, and so on; who bugs me are the same bozos that get on the elevator and hit the button for their floor and the "close doors" button in rapid succession: screw everyone else.
Steve
I understand that in some places, including NYC, some or all of the buttons are disabled: placebo buttons. In downtown Hartford where I work there is never so much traffic that a healthy person cannot cross with the light. Of course, I don't mind justified use: old, wheelchair, kids in strollers, and so on; who bugs me are the same bozos that get on the elevator and hit the button for their floor and the "close doors" button in rapid succession: screw everyone else.
Steve
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Cat Tales
Sunday I saw Vern the neighbor's cat in the yard-- we have a bird feeder, and access to the woods-- and he was acting frisky, climbing a bit up a tree and sharpening his claws on a stump. Then he looked up on our deck to see if I was there. I went to the sliding door and he ran right up.
He's sort of friendly; he will rub and be affectionate, and then suddenly start hissing and bite and run off. I have let him in the house before, where he does a quick tour and then leaves. Needless to say, this is when Sue isn't home-- she is mildly allergic, but mainly just doesn't like animals. I have given him catnip on the rug by the door, and that's what he wanted Sunday: he knew just where I keep it and was all excited when I took it out.
This stuff is 20 years old: I got it when I first got Alice and Trixie as kittens in Florida; it was some special "weed", not your run-of-the-mill Hartz stuff. I keep it in an old peanut butter jar. It's a mark of how often I treated the cats that I still have any left after all this time.
So Vern got a good dose,
rolling and rubbing in the pinch I put on the carpet. Sue was squalling all the while-- "Get that cat out of my house!" but I let Vern have his fill, and then he left. I had to vacuum immediately. The picture is Vern on the wall in the back yard, taken that same Memorial Day weekend before I went to the hospital.
Today, Tuesday, I telecommuted, as I try to do once a week to save some gas (110 mile round-trip commute). I took advantage of the weekday at home to visit a nearby office, Bailey's Insurance, in a shopping plaza. They have an in-house cat, Mr. B, who just loves me: a long-haired orange tabby. They have just adopted a stray kitten, but Mr. B, who was hiding from the kitten in his play tunnel, came right out when he recognized me and jumped in my lap. He loves to be scratched and rub his chin, and I was covered with hair. I had a good 15-20 minute visit, lowering my blood pressure, before I had to put him down and leave.
This is what I'm reduced to in order to get my pet fixes. I also play with Sophie, the black Lab next door. Come the cooler weather, when the cats come back inside, I can visit the Book Barn in Niantic, who have about 20 cats-- grab a book and a seat and get a good hour or more of Lap Time (Mrs. Howell is my favorite).
He's sort of friendly; he will rub and be affectionate, and then suddenly start hissing and bite and run off. I have let him in the house before, where he does a quick tour and then leaves. Needless to say, this is when Sue isn't home-- she is mildly allergic, but mainly just doesn't like animals. I have given him catnip on the rug by the door, and that's what he wanted Sunday: he knew just where I keep it and was all excited when I took it out.
This stuff is 20 years old: I got it when I first got Alice and Trixie as kittens in Florida; it was some special "weed", not your run-of-the-mill Hartz stuff. I keep it in an old peanut butter jar. It's a mark of how often I treated the cats that I still have any left after all this time.
So Vern got a good dose,
rolling and rubbing in the pinch I put on the carpet. Sue was squalling all the while-- "Get that cat out of my house!" but I let Vern have his fill, and then he left. I had to vacuum immediately. The picture is Vern on the wall in the back yard, taken that same Memorial Day weekend before I went to the hospital.Today, Tuesday, I telecommuted, as I try to do once a week to save some gas (110 mile round-trip commute). I took advantage of the weekday at home to visit a nearby office, Bailey's Insurance, in a shopping plaza. They have an in-house cat, Mr. B, who just loves me: a long-haired orange tabby. They have just adopted a stray kitten, but Mr. B, who was hiding from the kitten in his play tunnel, came right out when he recognized me and jumped in my lap. He loves to be scratched and rub his chin, and I was covered with hair. I had a good 15-20 minute visit, lowering my blood pressure, before I had to put him down and leave.
This is what I'm reduced to in order to get my pet fixes. I also play with Sophie, the black Lab next door. Come the cooler weather, when the cats come back inside, I can visit the Book Barn in Niantic, who have about 20 cats-- grab a book and a seat and get a good hour or more of Lap Time (Mrs. Howell is my favorite).
Knock, Knock, Knockin'
I was feeling tired leading up to the long Memorial Day weekend, and by Sunday was panting for breath just standing up to walk to the next room. Must be some bug, that will go away if I just rest, huh? Memorial Day I did nothing but sit in my La-Z-Boy. Just getting up to pee was a major event-- being a Type-II diabetic I pee often, and I would stand there with my head spinning and heart racing. Tuesday I stayed home from work, and finally I got the hint when I threw up some bright red blood. Ah-ha! Bleeding ulcer! So *that's* why I was shitting this black goo (oh, yeah, that's what digested blood looks like: now I remember). So when Sue got home she drove me to the clinic (the bloody sink really impressed her). Thinking I might pass out, I told Sue to tell them I had an ulcer and needed blood. The clinic doesn't do blood. Hunh. They sent me right over to the hospital via ambulance.
At the hospital I went straight to ICU where they gave me four units, did an endoscopy, and patched up some severe bleeding in my stomach. I put off going to the hospital for so long I almost bled to death. The doctor later told me that it was one of the longest endoscopys he had done in 30 years; I was coming out of the sedative they give you (no anaesthetic) towards the end-- not pleasant.
They were poised for emergency surgery the next morning because the doctors weren't sure they plugged all the holes, but they had. The remainder of the time until Sunday --two days in ICU, four days in a private room-- they spent pumping blood back into me-- nine units total! --and checking to see that my blood count was going up as it should: checking for leaks, as it were. The long time in hospital was due to it not going up as they expected, but neither was it going down as if I were bleeding. They finally let me go home, with me feeling fine and out of ICU from Thursday on, just lying and sitting around the hospital room. I finished a large book, and enjoyed looking out all week on the bright sunshine. The day I was released, it poured rain. Figures.
I actually went back in for an overnight: I was released on a Sunday, and beginning on about Tuesday my legs/ankles/feet were swelling up: I was retaining water. I called my doctor and he had me come in, and he gave me a high-powered diuretic to take Thurs/Fri/Sat and come see him again Saturday. It was like turning on a tap at first-- peeing every five minutes. Finally died down but I was still up every 20 minutes: hard to sleep (I had the same issue during my hospital stay, once they restored my fluids). The swelling went down: between visits to the Doc, Thursday to Saturday, I lost 25 pounds in water! The overall hospital stay I lost for real about 20 pounds.
So now the swelling is gone, but I am beginning to feel dizzy standing up again Sunday night and Monday morning. Am I still bleeding internally? No other symptoms, but better safe than sorry: Sue drove me to the emergency room Monday morning; I was dizzy and sweating profusely but still ambulatory. They did a blood test and I was down, way down, on potassium, and my other levels were screwed up, too: between the transfusions and the diuretic, I was AFU. So they kept me overnight (had to share a room this time) and pumped me full of fluids again. Since then I've been okay, but taking plenty of iron pills while I build up my red blood cells.
I went for a follow-up endoscopy a couple months later: nothing. They see an old, healed ulcer, and this current one is healed. Nothing to indicate a cause, no tumor, nada. I'm still on stomach pills, but that's it: goodbye, have a nice day, don't come back. Go figure.
At the hospital I went straight to ICU where they gave me four units, did an endoscopy, and patched up some severe bleeding in my stomach. I put off going to the hospital for so long I almost bled to death. The doctor later told me that it was one of the longest endoscopys he had done in 30 years; I was coming out of the sedative they give you (no anaesthetic) towards the end-- not pleasant.
They were poised for emergency surgery the next morning because the doctors weren't sure they plugged all the holes, but they had. The remainder of the time until Sunday --two days in ICU, four days in a private room-- they spent pumping blood back into me-- nine units total! --and checking to see that my blood count was going up as it should: checking for leaks, as it were. The long time in hospital was due to it not going up as they expected, but neither was it going down as if I were bleeding. They finally let me go home, with me feeling fine and out of ICU from Thursday on, just lying and sitting around the hospital room. I finished a large book, and enjoyed looking out all week on the bright sunshine. The day I was released, it poured rain. Figures.
I actually went back in for an overnight: I was released on a Sunday, and beginning on about Tuesday my legs/ankles/feet were swelling up: I was retaining water. I called my doctor and he had me come in, and he gave me a high-powered diuretic to take Thurs/Fri/Sat and come see him again Saturday. It was like turning on a tap at first-- peeing every five minutes. Finally died down but I was still up every 20 minutes: hard to sleep (I had the same issue during my hospital stay, once they restored my fluids). The swelling went down: between visits to the Doc, Thursday to Saturday, I lost 25 pounds in water! The overall hospital stay I lost for real about 20 pounds.
So now the swelling is gone, but I am beginning to feel dizzy standing up again Sunday night and Monday morning. Am I still bleeding internally? No other symptoms, but better safe than sorry: Sue drove me to the emergency room Monday morning; I was dizzy and sweating profusely but still ambulatory. They did a blood test and I was down, way down, on potassium, and my other levels were screwed up, too: between the transfusions and the diuretic, I was AFU. So they kept me overnight (had to share a room this time) and pumped me full of fluids again. Since then I've been okay, but taking plenty of iron pills while I build up my red blood cells.
I went for a follow-up endoscopy a couple months later: nothing. They see an old, healed ulcer, and this current one is healed. Nothing to indicate a cause, no tumor, nada. I'm still on stomach pills, but that's it: goodbye, have a nice day, don't come back. Go figure.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Scribendi Cacoethes
I have lots of things to post about. I compose marvelous essays on many topics, but when it comes time to set them down I run out of time. Tonight I have Things To Do, and I have to get up a bit earlier than usual in order to drop my car off at the shop (safety inspection for buying out my leased car, and timing belt replacement). There's another topic for you.
I will give up most of the political stuff (after all, I have been so verbose on it lately), and just tell the none of you that read this about my daily life and the random thoughts that cross my mind.
I can bore you with the thrilling saga of my Recent Brush With Death, via an upper GI (gastro-intestinal) bleed-- procrastination on my part carried out until I almost bled dry, literally. My adventures with my PC: I am having a Mac thrust upon me. And more!
Stay tuned...
I will give up most of the political stuff (after all, I have been so verbose on it lately), and just tell the none of you that read this about my daily life and the random thoughts that cross my mind.
I can bore you with the thrilling saga of my Recent Brush With Death, via an upper GI (gastro-intestinal) bleed-- procrastination on my part carried out until I almost bled dry, literally. My adventures with my PC: I am having a Mac thrust upon me. And more!
Stay tuned...
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Department of Wretched Excess
People driving RVs will frequently tow another vehicle behind them-- a small car, maybe, for tooling around in while the RV is at a campsite.
Today I passed a large RV towing a Hummer H2. Not only does an H2 suck up gas (about 9.6 mpg around town), but it weighs three tons! Imagine towing that around, just to cruise to the convenience store! Let's be generous; maybe they go off-roading in it at their destinations... no, who am I kidding. This thing was tricked out and immaculate.
People are just amazing.
Today I passed a large RV towing a Hummer H2. Not only does an H2 suck up gas (about 9.6 mpg around town), but it weighs three tons! Imagine towing that around, just to cruise to the convenience store! Let's be generous; maybe they go off-roading in it at their destinations... no, who am I kidding. This thing was tricked out and immaculate.
People are just amazing.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Outrage Overload, Again
By the end of the day, I'm just weary-- tired of the constant beat of news, the sense that the world is going to hell while the powers that be do nothing. Heck, the Senate won't even debate the issues, much less do anything about them.
Global warming, Iraq, Iran, for Pete's sake; Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and on and on.
Healthcare, taxes, the economy, income disparity, jobs (or lack thereof), energy policy, environmental policy, et cetera, et cetera.
I am reducing the list of blogs to my right to better represent a good list of what I keep up with; for example Froomkin's White House Watch is a good daily summary.
I guess the most immediate thing to worry about, and work to prevent, is an attack on Iran. Via Froomkin, among others, here's a snippet from James Fallows:
Global warming, Iraq, Iran, for Pete's sake; Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and on and on.
Healthcare, taxes, the economy, income disparity, jobs (or lack thereof), energy policy, environmental policy, et cetera, et cetera.
I am reducing the list of blogs to my right to better represent a good list of what I keep up with; for example Froomkin's White House Watch is a good daily summary.
I guess the most immediate thing to worry about, and work to prevent, is an attack on Iran. Via Froomkin, among others, here's a snippet from James Fallows:
"Deciding what to do next about Iraq is hard -- on the merits, and in the politics. It's hard on the merits because whatever comes next, from 'surge' to 'get out now' and everything in between, will involve suffering, misery, and dishonor. It's just a question of by whom and for how long. On a balance-of-misery basis, my own view changed last year from 'we can't afford to leave' to ' we can't afford to stay.' And the whole issue is hard in its politics because even Democrats too young to remember Vietnam know that future Karl Roves will dog them for decades with accusations of 'cut-and-run' and 'betraying' troops unless they can get Republicans to stand with them on limiting funding and forcing the policy to change.
"By comparison, Iran is easy: on the merits, in the politics. War with Iran would be a catastrophe that would make us look back fondly on the minor inconvenience of being bogged down in Iraq. While the Congress flounders about what, exactly, it can do about Iraq, it can do something useful, while it still matters, in making clear that it will authorize no money and provide no endorsement for military action against Iran."
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Super Bowl
Today is the Super Bowl, and I am rooting for the Colts in a half-hearted way. I am a Patriots fan, and was sorry to see them lose, but at least now we'll see if Peyton Manning can overcome his past. He has been winning Big Games lately to get this far, and I suspect he will be able to pick apart the Bears defense with little trouble.
On the menu is my famous chili, to which I will add a bit of leftover sausage: chili is a work of art, with no set recipe. The downside to "flavoring to taste" is that as the process continues, I get inured to the spiciness, and the end result is a little hotter than others care for: I always have to make it a bit less hot than I think is proper. Not that anyone will be with us: the problem with a football party is that I want to watch the game, and with a bunch of people around it's hard to concentrate.
I just thought: maybe I'd want some beer: but now it is Sunday, and this is Connecticut: package (liquor) stores are closed. Ah, well, no big deal.
From the gathering yesterday we brought home some pastry and such, plus I have my creampuffs. We have some cheddar cheese, but will have to pick up some more crackers. Tomorrow it's back to eating properly.
On the menu is my famous chili, to which I will add a bit of leftover sausage: chili is a work of art, with no set recipe. The downside to "flavoring to taste" is that as the process continues, I get inured to the spiciness, and the end result is a little hotter than others care for: I always have to make it a bit less hot than I think is proper. Not that anyone will be with us: the problem with a football party is that I want to watch the game, and with a bunch of people around it's hard to concentrate.
I just thought: maybe I'd want some beer: but now it is Sunday, and this is Connecticut: package (liquor) stores are closed. Ah, well, no big deal.
From the gathering yesterday we brought home some pastry and such, plus I have my creampuffs. We have some cheddar cheese, but will have to pick up some more crackers. Tomorrow it's back to eating properly.
Get-Together in New Jersey
Yesterday I went to a get-together in New Jersey; a bunch of school friends we met again at the class reunion in November. It was a very pleasant gathering; we were able to talk now as we weren't able in the party noise, and the food was good. I had made the Stella D'oro Anginetti Creampuffs, but left them in the fridge, and so I am eating them myself.
I am starting up a group blog that I am hopeful the others will want to join, and maybe we can keep in touch better that way.
I am starting up a group blog that I am hopeful the others will want to join, and maybe we can keep in touch better that way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)