Facebook Privacy, Cooking Cats, and We Are The World 2010

In an unusual move one of the largest Seti@Home crunchers in the world has offered himself up for auction. He's #21 in the world. Steve from our team bid $200 to lure him to our team and I threw in another $50 -- donations go to the Seti@Home coffers. The thread is here.

This paragraph is upsetting and cat lovers may want to skip it. I rarely decide I hate someone without a lot of information. I've decided to make a special exception for Giuseppe "Beppe" Bigazzi who told his viewers how to make a cat casserole on his TV show and admitted to eating cats. He's been suspended from the show indefinitely after a deluge of viewer complaints. His critics included Health Ministry Undersecretary Francesca Martini. "Cats are pets protected by law," Martini noted, specifically against "cruelty, maltreatment and abandonment." Italy's National Animal Protection Board president, Carla Rocchi, announced she had instructed its lawyers to begin proceedings against Bigazzi for inciting cruelty to animals.

Speaking of cats, the latest Simon's Cat video is out here. As always, it's clever and funny and sure to bring a smile to your face.

And here's a nice English take on the French from BBC4. Having experienced this firsthand, I wholeheartedly agree with the article. "In France your waiter expects to be addressed formally as Monsieur, in exactly the same way he will address you." It's an expert commentary on the French, especially the Parisian, psyche. Well worth the read. Seriously.

We Are The World, the song Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, and Michael Jackson put together 25 years ago to help the starving Ethiopians has been re-recorded to benefit Haiti. The official video is on YouTube but please pay for a download at your favourite music site or buy it in your favourite music store. Don't steal this one. Please?




Yeah, the original's better but this one has a certain nice je ne sais quois about it. Give it a chance. Pay up.

Facebook has been taking a battering on privacy issues lately, and here's a great guide to total and complete customization of your privacy settings. I've not done mine yet, but I'm about to. I think it's important. And, for the record, I've disabled Google's Buzz service as of today. I don't trust it.

A quick shout out to Pablo. We did take out at the Chik-Fil-A and came home and watched USA v Switzerland men's curling and Germany* v Sweden hockey.

I've got more, but that's all for today's blog.

* Yay, me is on this team.

Spectacular Fail

I had a nice early holiday at Grandma's. Me, Mom, and my Aunt all chipped in and got her a 26" LCD flat screen to replace her 21" tube TV which was slowly dying. Sophia (a vendor of mine in China) sent a beautiful walking cane for her. By far the nicest gift of the lot. Sophia has adopted my grandmother and she's very sweet. Everything went swimmingly well.  Then we were to go to Houston's for dinner but somehow the ladies decided Outback would be a better idea. And that was a decision that will be forever rued. Been to the Outback in North Miami Beach a number of times and while the service is often slow, it's never been bad and certainly not incompetent.

There was a 20 minute wait for the table which is what they promised us, so there's no valid complaint there. We sat down and some 10 minutes later our waiter blew by and said he'd be right with us. A few minutes later he was. He took our drink and dinner order since we had plenty of time to decide. He brought back the drinks and the bread in a reasonable amount of time.

My drink ran out -- those of you who know me, understand that's an issue -- and I pushed it to the edge of the table hoping he'd actually stop by and do something. He did come by the other tables but not ours. I accidentally knocked Mom's wine glass and my drink glass off the table (making a spectacular save on both glasses, leaving my ice still in the cup and half her glass of wine still in the cup). Several waiters came, walked around it, pretending there was no puddle of wine on the floor. We asked the bus boy at the next table to clean it up and get our waiter. He cleaned it up. No waiter.

Some 20 minutes later (too long for what we ordered) someone else brought our food. Or I should say my Grandmother's food and my food. Mom's food didn't arrive. We waited a few moments, figuring he'd at least stop by. Mom told us to start eating so it didn't get cold. After about five minutes, I had enough, went to the maîtress d' and said we had a problem and to find the manager. She moved quickly to the back to fulfil my request.

The manager showed up, we explained what had happened so far and she acted suitable appalled and asked what was missing. Within two minutes, the drinks were there along with mom's food. She apologized again, with our waiter standing over her shoulder saying nothing. She said that she'd comp Mom's food (I thought she should have done the wine too, but that's her choice). Now, if you know someone's complained to your boss you figure you'd be on your best behaviour from thereon out. We finished and waited. And waited. And waited. He finally showed up, we asked for a box and our bill. Quite Some Time later he brought a box -- a small burger sizes box for quite a bit of food so he had to go get another box. While he was gone I noticed the bill was wrong and told him so when he returned.

Mom mentioned to him how bad the service was, and he blamed the kitchen and then I mentioned had he come by the table he'd have noticed there was a problem. He was unapologetic, and we waited on the manager (again). She fixed the bill, gave grandma a coupon for a free bloomin' onion, and we paid. Grandma wanted to leave a tip anyway and a fight ensued. We ended up leaving a dollar over my objections, so I wrote in pen on the store copy -- REALLY BAD SERVICE. And that concludes that story. A perfectly good day ruined by a shit-ball waiter. If anyone from Outback reads this, fire the waiter. Seriously. If it were my restaurant and the manager had to visit a customer's table TWICE, the whole meal would be comped. Seriously. I rarely decide to leave zero tip, maybe 3 or 4 times in my life, so you know how bad this was. (It was bad compared to European service mind you.) Enough of that.

If you read yesterday's post on Overstock.com you should read the comments as there are additional developments. I am checked in for my flight but I am still not packed properly. The balloon boy's father is getting jail time. I don't care technically, but I am pleased anyway.

DirecTV did not call me back as promised over my signal issues (dish alignment). When I return these is going to be a very big fight. I'm going to tell them I'm cancelling and switching to Dish if they don't do it. I've been a subscriber for 14 years. Every time I call they're impressed by that. I did the math on how much money that is and was apalled. 

Finally, let's talk about Liz's cat (technically it's Liz and John's cat, but as you know the final determination is made by the cat and therefore it is Liz's cat.) Prudence is a cute, soft, attention-whore of a kitty with the attention span of a gnat. Actually, I'm not sure her attention span would outlast a gnat but I like Prudence. Now you can see Prudence in this video, running time just under four minutes. Please leave a nice comment on the video.




Liz doesn't like my idea of teaching Prudence to ice skate. I don't know if she realizes I'm only half joking. (She being Liz and not Prudence as I am not daft enough to ever try to actually train a cat. Some things are doomed to failure.)

NASA Confirms Life On Mars

Well, almost. Bacteria is life of a sort. NASA is expected to confirm that there was life on Mars sixteen million years ago. They have reportedly found evidence of bacteria that does not have terrestrial origins. This advance report in the UK's Telegraph is astounding. Dr Emily Baldwin sums it up best herself, "If the features turn out to have an extraterrestrial, biological origin and were not formed during the 13,000 years the meteorite spent lying on Earth, this will have profound implications for our understanding of how life evolved in the solar system." It's coming. Really. Prepare yourself. (Thanks to Rob Barry for this one.)

Dan H posted this on his FaceBook account, and because Dan has always been a bit odd, and I mean that in the nicest way possible*, I had to follow the link. I read it. Twice. I have yet to decide if this is legitimate or legitimate satire or maybe it's parody. I'm not sure what it is, but it's damn funny. Especially if it's real. Yes, it's the Christian Anti-Porn add-on for Firefox. I wish someone would test it and report back. I'm not installing it on my machine.

A brief Black Friday report. On the way back from Thanksgiving Dinner, I passed BrandsMart USA at around 8pm and there were already a few dozen people in line. Some fifteen minutes later I passed BestBuy in Hialeah and the parking lot was full. Full. This morning, bored of my arse, I decided I would take a drive and get something to eat for breakfast since none of my alleged friends saw fit to suggest we eat this morning. I drove by the Sweetwater BestBuy at 910am and it was a madhouse. The parking lot was full, the street swales were buried in cars. The back streets were full. Nearly as crowded as BrandsMart will be today -- where cars are traditionally backed up on to the highway and they often park on the highway shoulder. The mall, surprisingly, had tons and tons of parking. Atlanta Bread was closed so I ate a Cinnabon. Blech.

There are certain people who are especially scummy. Some guy had posted a video on YouTube of him torturing a cat named Dusty -- video and account long since removed. I came across this story about the users of 4Chan who helped track the scumbag down and he was arrested. If you want more on the cat story, you can click here but I do not suggest it. Animal abuse is the worst kind of abuse. The folks at 4Chan receive tons of negative publicity, some of which they may deserve, but the fact that they do stuff like this is a good thing. It also shows what a pissed of internet community can do, and further serves to remind everyone that no matter what you do, where you are, you are never truly anonymous on the internet if someone puts their mind to it. 4Chan is quite amusing for the most part and they have a disposition towards craziness, which is a good thing.

Last night, I couldn't sleep so I was watching some late night (aka early morning) television and there was a special on the Travel Channel of  'extreme' restaurants by which they really mean weird. Lots of TV programmes confused 'extreme' with 'weird' but I digress as I am wont to do. One of the restaurants was called Modern Toilet Restaurant. First, read this blog entry, and then head over to their official website (the URL goes to the English part but there's still some Chinese there plus some beautiful Engrish as well). Go to the menu section as a picture is worth a million words.





Game tonight and pre-game food at Mario The Baker's. No idea what to do for the next five hours. Blech. Or all day tomorrow and Sunday for that matter.


* in case he's reading :)

End Of NIFS and the Flight Home

The purple bit is excerpted from our corporate Facebook page (full note here): We've always had warehouse cats, for over 30 years in fact. We're on train tracks - now abandoned -- and if you're on train tracks, you have a mouse problem. After trying two legged professionals, we found the four legged professionals worked better, are cheaper, cuter, more entertaining, and make the warehouse a better place. (And they, just like the two legged kind, are tax deductible as a business expense.)

Over the years we've had a collection of various cats -- always between two and three. Most die of old age, although one (Telico) was shot to death by some kids with a BB gun. Smokey came to us about 8 to 10 years ago. No idea from where the ball of fluff (and was he fluffy) came from. He was just there. Very friendly. He was in great shape when I left for the fastener show. While I was gone, unbeknownst to me, Emily (the official Keeper Of The Cats) noticed he was not feeling his usual very, very friendly self and took him to the vet. The vet called this morning -- that's when I found out Smokey went to the vet -- and asked permission to do a small exploratory incision to see what the source of the problem was as they couldn't figure it out. A few hours later, they called and said there were several tumours including in the liver. They said they could stitch him up and send him back to the warehouse, but he probably wouldn't last a week. Smokey isn't coming home. RIP Smokey.

I didn't get to say goodbye and I'm sad. Smokey loved me to death and would follow me anywhere I went in the warehouse. He'd head butt me for attention. And drool like Niagara Falls when you pet him. I'd pick him up and carry him with me sometimes. Visitors were fascinated by him because he always went on warehouse tours with guests. I'll miss you, you ball of grey fur with white tufts.

On the plane ride back from Las Vegas they showed a movie called Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell and it really sucked. I mention this because today BBC News released an article that named him the 'most overpaid film star' and I couldn't agree more. He still personally owes me a refund for Talladega Nights.

Wednesday morning I woke up and had a meeting before I packed and headed for the airport to fly home from Lost Wages Las Vegas. I arrived at the airport just about two hours before my flight and checked in without any incident. I went through security where TSA gave me a lecture and big hassle. Why? I took the company laptop out and put it in the bin as one must do. I've done it many times. I also put my belt in the bin with the laptop -- something I've also done many times. Apparently that's against the rules and I shouldn't do that. It's a belt. Assholes.

I take the train to the gates and notice there is a non-stop Miami flight still at the gate. I was certain the last non-stop was at 805am and it was 11am. (My connection was via DFW at left at 1245pm). So I went over to see if I could get on, but they said 'no' because I had checked luggage. This flight was the 8am flight that was having a mechanical issue. I used my Priority Pass card and used the Continental President's Club and took advantage of their free WiFi and their free cheese. Yummy. I went to the gate and boarded and left without incident. The plane was full of fastener people who left the show early like I did, skipping the last day.

When my DFW flight left at 1250pm, that 8am flight was still on the ground. Glad I wasn't on it. Arrived in DFW nearly 20 minutes early at terminal D gate 24 and was told my flight to MIA was in terminal A. I took the train to terminal A (10 minutes) and went to the gate to find that there was a gate change. Where? To D30 of course. Back on the train, and I go into the Admiral's Club where I find there is no free WiFi. Bastards. I pay $6 for an hour.

The plane is due to board at 655 so I get to the gate at 645 -- after a brief stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company for a chocolate Valencia truffle -- just in time to board. Instead, they announce a 30 minute delay. Then a 25 minute delay. Then another 20 minute delay. And so on and so forth. We finally board at almost 9pm. Yeah, two hours late. I have friends in Dallas who I could have called to come out and visit but they didn't just tell us the plane was two hours late coming in (which it was) and instead just strung us along. That pissed me off royally. We arrive in Miami at 1213am. My luggage shows up around 1248am because the baggage people in Miami suck. I find my car, pay for parking, swing by the post office to collect mail, and then come home to find my AC circuit breaker had tripped. It was 84 in my house. I fixed that. I decide to unpack and shower because the baggage area was 500 degrees and I was soaked with sweat. I can't fall asleep due to the heat in my house so I watched my DVR episode of House and finally go to bed at 248am but sleep like crap. Today, I am the walking dead.

I offered Mom the use of 25,000 US Air miles because they're expiring very soon but I can't get her a good flight on the days she wants to travel. If she can't use -- we're still trying -- them and any of my friends want a free ticket, I'll gladly book you a flight. I hate for them to go to waste.

Now, it's time to pay bills after I catch up on reading Fake Michael Yormark. He's been busy while I've been gone. Karen reports feeling better still. (And thanks to everyone who offered to help her....)

Apple, Ghosts, MacBook vs MacBook Pro

Thanks to Suzie-Q and Randy who came back with answers on the MacBook v MacBook Pro. Amazingly none of my local geek friends answered or knew the answers. Their answers -- not fact checked because I trust them -- are:

1. MacBook is less durable because it has a polycarbonate case versus the MacBook Pro which is solid aluminium -- that means the Pro is heavier
2. The Pro has a way better screen
3. The Pro has a way better touch pad in theory -- but this is zero issue because I hate touch pads and use a mouse and for me this is a minus as I need a less sensitive one when I do use one because my fat fingers have trouble with touch pads
   
4. The MacBook shares its RAM with both video and computing whereas the MacBook Pro has separate video memory
5. The MacBook gets better WiFi reception because the Pro's metal case interferes with the signal. 
6. The Pro is lighter by about 1/2 pound and is a bit thinner (though slightly wider)
7. The Pro's battery last much longer, though on the downside it's integrated and not replaceable
   
8. The Pro has Firewire 800 not 400 but this isn't an issue for me
   
9. You can expend memory on the Pro but not the regular: but with 2GB standard, I think it's enough
   
10. The Pro is faster, but not by enough for anyone to care
11. There are some minor differences in what cables you have to use with various audio and video ports for hooking up external devices but this is not an issue as the purpose of this machine is for employees to take on business trips. 

I'll probably wait until late in the month to decide, because I hear new models are coming out. It's damn likely, I'm going to be forced into buying a low priced Wintel machine anyway. So very sad, but I can understand.

Speaking of Apple, they withdrew from the US Chamber of Commerce over the USCC's environmental policies. The USCC is a very, very conservative organization whose goals are to further that of American business. While they try to appear progressive, they aren't. I know. Our company used to belong as well, but we left years ago because while it was good for our business: they lobbied hard for many things that benefited our company, I have to sleep at night and some of their policies were bothersome to me on a personal level. Unlike some companies, we actually care about our employees. The USCC's website will tell you more about them. They do some really good things like fighting for lower health care costs, but since I have a say in the running of our company, I like to make sure we do the right thing even if it isn't always the right thing for the company.

Lastly, I'm going to share a story with you about something that happened yesterday. I wasn't going to post it, because nobody will believe me. Hell, I wouldn't believe me. I'm sure you all remember my blog posts about Scooter -- I am still sad -- and many of you local people had the honour of meeting her. Some of you will remember coming home and finding a roll of paper towels or toilet paper shredded to within an inch of its life. This is a common form of cat entertainment. The cat gets entertained whilst spinning and shredding the roll, and then again when the cat's servant (some of you may use the word owner, but I assure you that is not the correct word) comes home and has to clean up a ton of paper that is strewn about. They watch you and laugh.

The night before last, I got up at around 3am to go to the bathroom. Yes, I know you care about that. Normally I don't turn the light on the in the bathroom. I mean, I know where everything is and how it works. I felt something a little slippery when I went in and thought fuck, something's broken. I turned on the light. The roll of toilet paper in my bathroom was partially shredded. I live alone and nothing with claws lives in my house. Yeah, cue the Twilight Zone music. That's twice Scooter has made her presence known (14 May 2009 post. Item #2) and both times involving my bathroom. Which is odd, since she didn't come into my bathroom very often. I pretty much had written off the first incident, this one, I don't think so. I cleaned up the mess, and it was still there in the morning, so it wasn't a waking dream or anything.

Dental Hell and the Death of a Florida Panther

Today was the first of several dental visits I will have as the result of my accident. Today's work involved the upper right side of my mouth and was unrelated to the accident. But we got that one out of the way because it was easy. I begged him to do two teeth per visit, but no such luck. Today's was quick and easy. It does feel much better so I am happier. But two more to go and, still, the one that hurts the most shows nothing wrong on the x-ray or visual inspection: that tends to mean a root canal is in my future. That is probably three visits all by itself and there are possibly one or two of them to be done. He and I are both hoping otherwise and that as the mouth trauma dies down, they won't hurt enough to require root canals. Tooth 14 is the big problem for all your dentists out there. Tooth 5 is what was done today.

Shout out to Erin who is moving along with her recovery process. And also to Pablo for having dinner with me last night while I was dropping my car off for repair. The estimate is back today and it's only going to be around $2000 -- I have a $1000 deductible. Happily there was no frame damage as originally suspected. That's great. After that, it goes to BMW service to see what mechanical stuff needs work. (It's at BMW body shop right now.)


And now the sad news -- I'm sharing this from Donnie's (Whale4Ever) blog because this story needs to be told. A Florida Panther was shot to death. Why someone would shoot such a beautiful, majestic, and nearly extinct creature is beyond me. Sure, it's a crime with a $100,000 fine and 5 years in prison, but that's not the point. I'm just really disgusted by this. I love all cats. I share Don's outrage. If you leave in or near Hendry county where this happened and know who did it, or have any information, be sure to call the authorities right away. So go read Don't excellent take on this tragic event.

Cats of All Kinds

Scooter has been in her final resting place, and here's a photo. I finally am posting what is the final picture of Scooter. Or, more accurately, her final resting place. Sorry that it took so long but this was a hard photo to take, edit, and upload. Harder still was the act of installing her ashes and sealing it with the screws.

I know the cat on top doesn't look quite like her, but it was as close as I could get. Anyway, it's still hard believe it or not. I still think of her especially when I come home and she's not here to greet me, when I go in the kitchen and see the empty spot where her food bowl belongs.

In other news, we have a running commentary about the cheerleaders at the BankAtlantic Center. We're not big fans. Nobody disputes that they are very attractive -- after all they are sponsored by a plastic surgeon. But they're just so trampy. They remind all of us of strippers at a strip club. Officially they're called the IceCats but Kathy Higgins dubbed them the PoleCats. It was a great nickname. Then, at the London Zoo, this Boxing Day, I snapped this photo which made me laugh:

I'm off to the mall to return oodles of holiday clothing items that don't fit. I hate this.

Oh what a day....

As if.

Anyway, last night I finally was able to fix a long-established irritant on my Mac. There's an ACL error that has always shown up in my monthly disk-check feature. All articles say it's harmless and just an irritant. However it makes DiskUtility take an hour to run instead of 3 or 4 minutes because I had over 4,000 files with that error and it ballooned my error log to 8.4MB! So, I keep thinking. A program I found called MacPilot came to the rescue: a new version has a repair ACL feature. You can ONLY use it on your directory -- never use this feature on a system directory. Anyway, I tested it on one directory and it appeared to work. I ran it on my entire ~/home folder and voila! Everything was fixed except QuickTime and DiskUtility. It now runs in normal time and life is good.

I got a haircut today in celebration of the Kwanzaa holiday. To hell with you if you don't believe me.

Scooter is back home in a small box. This is upsetting to me. I need to do something, but I can't. I thought I'd be able to put her somewhere but I can't quite do it. It came with a five stages of grief pamphlet designed for pet owners.

1. Denial. That's a river in Egypt. Sadly, there wasn't even time for me to have this stage.
2. Anger. I started here because the process took too long while she was suffering. And it talks about feeling of betrayal because some people are insensitive or don't show appropriate caring while you're suffering. Yeah, boy do I ever get that.
3. Guilt/Bargaining: Do I have some? Yes. Forever. When Scooter first got sick some time ago, maybe a year, if we had thought to take an MRI then we might have known and been able to do something. But everyone thought it was the thyroid -- though I kept asking why it was affecting her hindquarter. I'm mad I didn't fight harder but I'm not a doctor so how could I know.
4. Depression. Yes. Plenty of it.
5. Acceptance. I don't get this because I accepted it, knew it was coming, and all that rot. It doesn't mean I like it. But there's no way to not accept it. That's what number four is for.

It also goes on to council your friends and loved one who think they mean well to not try and get you to get another pet if you don't want one. Some people really don't want one.

I decided, today, who's going in our next round of layoffs at work. Sometimes you get lucky and some employee does something that makes your decision for you. We are still going to wait until mid-January to do it though. A batch of three is next. I'm also going to try and replace some of our other employees who think being lazy is okay when I'm not looking. Except I'm always looking and they just are too dumb to know.

Vacation in six days. I have a passport. I am not packed but will start packing based on a weather report on Monday.

I have to find entertainment for tomorrow. I have nothing to do. It was going to be a second day of Adrian but apparently he's grocery shopping. Perhaps I'll go to the mall. That should kill a few hours just looking for somewhere to park.

Breaking News On Identity Theft

I came home to a phone message from a South Florida police agency (to be named later) that someone has been arrested with oodles of my personal information and asking if I've been the victim of Identity Theft. I missed the detective in question but I left him a detailed voice mail and told him to call me at work tomorrow -- and I indicated I will gladly testify against this SOB. Sadly, it's apparent local agencies do not share information.

Also, my Official Vet (as opposed to the emergency vet) sent me a card. It was signed with nice messages from his entire staff. They sent along this poem (author unknown):

Just this side of heaven is a place called The Rainbow Bridge

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to the Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross The Rainbow Bridge together....

I also went to a soiree at my bank. Met lots of interesting people, ate, and came home thereafter. And to Beep: feel better. Sorry you're sick.

Today's Randomness

I came home today, shut the door quickly as I've done for many years to keep the cat from getting out, and was like suddenly "oh, damn." More leaky eyes.

Then, I opened my mail and there was a nice sympathy card from the vet. Not a form card either. She wrote a personal message. Which made me sadder.

I've also returned to the exercise machine. Today was day 3 in a row. I'm limited in how long I can last, due to my previously mentioned (I think) knee injury from a few weeks ago when I fell. The knee is definitely much better than it was. It's a better colour and is scabbing over nicely.

Last night Johnny B and Liz came over (first time visitors) and collected some of Scooter's belongings for their furry critters. I also sent a box of stuff to Maury that she had asked for. The pile is still big. The pet sitter is coming Thursday to return my keys and collect more stuff. The rest is off to SuzieQ. Except the thyroid meds which I sent to mom for her cat.

The Morning After

I'm up. I tried to make it a normal morning. I went to the dry cleaner to pick up stuff. I went to the post office. I went to Starbucks. I got gas for my case. All of that was no problem.

I had to drive by the vet's office. It's on the way to/from most of my errands. That caused a little pang. But what was really and unexpectedly hard, was going to the grocery store. The pet food aisle caused a reaction. Crying in a supermarket while shopping is embarrassing especially when you run into a neighbour. It wasn't too noticeable, though. Just runny eyes and sniffles. I told him it was "allergies" and I forgot to take my medicine. He was like "yeah, I know what it's like" so that went away quickly.

Last night, I tool all of Scooter's stuff and carefully moved it into the garage. Except the medicine which is still in the fridge. All the mats, beds, bowls, treats, rugs, toys, houses, stairs, food, games, art. Everything. I am keeping one set of bizzy-balls -- her favourite toy. I picked the most chewed-up nasty ones to keep. I really do hope some of you reading this will consider finding a home for some of this stuff -- I've got tons of food (wet and dry) plus all the items listed above. The medicines and vitamin supplements are very expensive and throwing them away would be a sin.

Grief makes you do weird things. Last night, I suddenly decided that I needed to remodel my house. In the living room, I moved the Vasse tower over by the curio case, moved the fake plant to where the Vasse tower was. I took the metal bird and put it in the guest bathroom where the litter box was and put a new rug in place of the kitty shaped rug in there. I took the terra-cotta coloured box from my office and put it in my bedroom in the corner where one of the cat houses was.

The big thing is, I moved my bed. That huge platform bed that required three people to bring up and install. I moved it all by myself about 1 foot to the left. I'm not sure how I did it, but I did. I just decided it need to be moved. And I did. I didn't even hurt myself, though I don't know how I managed to avoid it. It's a few hundred pounds.

Most of the changes won't be noticeable to anyone except the kitchen. Without all of the Scooter stuff it looks much emptier. I walk in and am sad. Every time. It doesn't look the same.

I think I'm going to try and meet my hockey friends for dinner tonight and go to the game. I'm not sure if I'll make it, but I might try. If I stay home, I know it'll be hard.

I want to thank a few people who've been especially helpful. Karen who called several times to check up on me -- she tried to help me, feed me, etc but I so didn't want it. But I appreciate her efforts. Also to Beep who tried repeatedly (and unsuccesfully) to distract me from my thoughts. Special thanks to Bart and Tim who really GET it -- I can tell from their heartfelt emails. I want to thank the online community many of whom have written and/or posted their support in various places. I'm not sure what to make of my friends who didn't say anything: there were quite a few of those, and I figured they'd at least say "I'm sorry" or something.

Erin's invited me over today, so I might go lay on her couch and watch football with her. I'll see if it can keep me distracted. (She's laid up with a bad ankle so we can be miserable together, just for different reasons.)

In other news, and this goes back a month, but I'm just now revealing it because I've been too bothered by other things to mention this, me and Austri are over. That's not bad news. Sad yes, but bad no. It was a long time coming and I'm the one who ended it. There's no reason to get into the why's and wherefore's or whose fault it was. So if I don't talk about her much anymore, you'll know why. And no, I don't want to talk about it. I'm okay with it.

In Pace Requiscat Scooter

It’s just past 1am Friday and I’m starting to write this before I actually send it out. As many of you know, I visited Scooter Wednesday 3 December. I wrote about it and most of the other visits in my blog. During that visit, Scooter told me it was time, but I didn’t say anything to anyone because I was waiting for final word to make sure. Today (Thursday), at a business dinner, my mobile phone rang with a call from my vet.

The tumour doesn’t need a biopsy. It’s malignant and there are signs it’s spreading. There is no surgical option, there is no chemotherapy option, and there is no radiation option. Sadly, time’s up. She’s in pain and it’s only going to get much worse, quickly.

I asked the doctor if we could bring Scooter home for her final moments. Normally the doctor doesn’t do that, but she would have been willing for me as a special favour except, and I agree with her, that moving Scooter would be a very cruel thing to do, as it’s very painful for her to be moved. Which is why, you will recollect, she couldn’t have the MRI in Fort Lauderdale and we had to sneak her into a people MRI centre that was closer. She just hurts too much where the tumour is pressing into her nerves.

Because of where I was when I received the call (Sunrise) there was no way for me to make it back in time to do it today (Thursday) – which probably would have been better instead of making Scooter wait 18 hours more. But I really thought I should be with her.

So, later today (Friday), after my doctor’s appointment (GI), I will go to the vet’s office and meet the vet. I didn’t want to tell anyone in advance, but I had to tell Dad because I’m not going to be at work Friday except for a few moments to change my voice mail, set my email away message and such, so there was no getting around that. Dad was remarkably understanding for a change.

Scooter has been with me since about 1987 (I’m thinking late 1987) when I was in school, and when I first got her – or more accurately when she moved in and adopted me -- she was between 1 and 2 years old. That’s how me and her primary vet arrived at her age. Her regular vet confirms this analysis and she’s been seeing the same vet (barring the trips to the emergency vet) since day one.

This has been really hard on me. Scooter is my best friend. I love her more than anyone. I’d find this a lot easier to do to a person than to my cat. If you’re a pet owner, you get this. I realize I'm not the only one to go through this, of course, but she's been part of my life for over half of it, so this hurts. I decided some years ago that Scooter would be my last pet, and I’m certainly not planning on changing that, so don't ask.

I have a large number of cat items that would be useful to any cat owners. I will ship them to you free of charge but I really need them out of here quickly, because looking at them makes me too sad. I have beds, blankets, medicines (prescription and regular), food, treats, houses, litter, litter boxes, carriers, and tons of toys. If you’re interested you need to contact me via e-mail immediately. It's all getting binned within 5 days and that would be a terrible waste. Make your cat happy and contact me via e-mail. I just can't look at it. (Having just returned, walked in and seen her bed, I realize this decision is the right one.)

I know I did everything that could be done, and more than most people would do. This wasn’t ever about the money and charging those thousands of dollars to my credit cards was never even a consideration. I’d have spent all my money if she could be saved and lived a happy, longer life. Quite frankly, I’d much rather be dead right now than her: I'd make the trade. But don’t worry, I’m not planning on doing anything like that but I am very depressed now. This hurts more than I can explain. I’m dying inside.

I really don’t want to be there for this, but I will. I couldn’t do that to her -- leave her alone at the end. I’m going to bring her two more treats (though I'm not sure if she can have them) and her brush. I will brush and cry the whole time. I will be a wreck after so please don’t call.

----

All that stuff above was written last night (or early this morning) because I couldn't sleep. It’s now 2:36pm and I’m back. It’s done. I tried really hard not to totally collapse. I failed. This was definitely the hardest thing I ever had to do. I went in, and did all the paperwork because I knew I wasn't hanging around after to do it. I was doing okay -- just leaky eyes -- until they gave me a choice of urns to select. That’s when I started to really cry.

I went back and visited Scooter in her holding cell. The IVs an tubes were all removed. The original plan was to take one last photo of me and kitty as I'd brought my camera, but neither one of us was in any shape to have a photo. So there isn’t one so you'll have to make do with what I've got -- a selection is now on Flickr. I offered her a last Petrodex, but she didn’t even look at it. I brushed her, petted her. She knew. She knew I knew. She wasn't mad at me.

After brushing her, they picked her up, along with all her bedding as it was the safest way to move her. I would have carried her, except at the point I was in pretty bad shape. They kept asking if I was sure I could do this. The answer was no, but I said “I’m going to try.” We went to one of the interview rooms where they meet new patients for the first time. Some of the nurses actually were sad too.

In the room, I totally broke down and wailed “I can’t do this” while the tears and snot ran, but I still held on to Scooter. The vet explained there would be a pink injection and then a yellow one (I might have that in the wrong order). If I could have spoken, I’d have asked for my own set.

It didn’t take 90 seconds. They put in the pink one and waited about 60 seconds – that’s just a muscle relaxant. Then the yellow one, and it’s over. “She’s gone,” the vet said after checking with her stethoscope. Scooter never closed her eyes the whole time and I never let go. I didn't let got for a few seconds (it might have been 1 or might have been 100 -- time was frozen). Then I ran out the door and drove home. I hate life right now. I miss her so much. I am dead inside.

In Pace Requiscat.

Scooter Update 5.1

1. I went and visited Scooter today. She wasn't happy at all and refused her Petrodex treats. That was a bad sign and I made sure the vet knew it. I petted her And brushed her, but she was just not interested today. So after about 20 minutes I left, leaving her treat behind.
2. I spoke to the surgeon today. He has two older cats and after tomorrow they're going to decide what to do. He told me he'll tell me flat out whether he'd do it if it were his cat or not. He is also concerned about her quality of life even if he does the surgery. Recovery is from 6 weeks to 6 months. I'm not sure if I can do that to Scooter if it's that long and complicated. So the news doesn't look good.

I love my kitty and I am very, very sad. News tomorrow most likely.

Scooter Update 5.0

News will be further delayed until tomorrow or Friday. A CD of her MRI is being overnighted to the University of Florida veterinary school for another opinion. Three radiologists have reviewed her results and prior to the formal biopsy there are some concerns about the nature of the tumor, her chance for recovery, and several other factors. I am rather testy because I had this MRI done this past Saturday at extra expense to minimize Scooter's suffering (and she is). Further every day she can't move weakens her muscles further and reduces her chance of recovery and the delays are very much irritating me and I made that very clear to the vets yesterday and today.

She has a probable meningioma tumor but it's on her spine near the front half of her hind quarters. It's on the spine and not in it. This particular type, they tell me, is genereally benign but now they're not sure if it's this type. She is not a candidate for radiation therapy or medicinal therapy due to factors involving her age and health. She is either a candidate for surgery or not.

I will let you know when there is more news.

Scooter Update 4.3A

The news will be tomorrow. There will be no news today due to complications unrelated to me or Scooter. There was an emergency involving another critter in the vets office. I had only 10 minutes of visiting time tonight and she was very happy to see me. I hope it's early in the day 'cause I really can't take this. It's killing me inside.

Scooter Update 4.3

I visited her today after work. She was less happy than yesterday but she cheered up quickly after I brought out her brush and treats. The vet staff is always amazed at how well she responds. (Her neighbour for this entire time, Cujo a Siberian husky, went home today.)

There is a delay in an answer until tomorrow while we wait on the Orthopaedic vet to collect the information and decide what to do and if anything can be done. No word on the other options. I did not speak to the vet today but not for lack of trying.

American Airlines denied my reimbursement for lost luggage expenses AFTER they told me they'd pay it. My pal Mr & Mrs Murph work there, but I will say AA just continues to blow me away. First, they lose my luggage. Second they give me a list of what I can and cannot buy. Then they give me the procedure to file the claim. Then they deny they claim saying it wasn't pre-authorized per company policy. They screw it up, I follow their instructions, and they won't do what's right. I have sent them a diatribe via certified mail today.

I am going to Dr Cohen tomorrow for a follow up about my MRI. I'm going to see if he'll x-ray my knee.

Scooter Update 4.2 plus today's events

I went to visit Scooter this AM but there was someone in the surgery area so I couldn't see her. I left he treats, promising to come back later.

So I went skating with the Berners. I will not humiliate him by pointing out in my blog that his son Shane skates much better than he does. Oops. Too late. It slipped out. We had fun. The whole Berner clan was out there at some point skating.

Right near the end I had a spectacular wipeout when my skate caught a groove. It was my first fall in close to eight years. It was a high speed crash, but I controlled myself but couldn't maintain my balance, and rather than go face-first into the boards I opted for a controlled fall to the ice -- that failed and I landed on my good knee. It hurt but didn't look too bad.

Afterwards, Karen met us and we all went to lunch. The Steak And Shake on Pines is out of business so we ended up next store at NY Pizza. I've never seen such a poorly managed restaurant. The service was horrendous -- though I fault the guy running the place for putting a 15 year old to wait tables. It was just not in his skill set. Afterwards, the Berners bailed on us so it was just Karen and I for bowling.

We bowled three games and I won two of them, and the one I lost (the middle one) was by only a point. I dominated the third one with a 173 and turkey in the 5th through 7th including a spectacular Brooklyn on the last. It would have been four but the centre pin wouldn't drop. Sadly, afterwards my knee was stiffer than a teenager watching his first porno. I will now it call it "the knee that was formerly good" because it's bloody, bruised, and swollen. It hurts. Ouch.

I visited Scooter as soon as I got home, and there was no change except the AC at the vet's office was busted. She was happy to see me, and she got her treats and brushing. The visit was cut short by a Siberian Husky that couldn't even come in under his own power. (Scooter's cage is near the surgery table where the IVs are so if there's surgery she can't have visitors).

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes for Scooter.

Once the Scooter saga is resolved one way or another I have several other pieces of news.

We are currently under a tornado watch.

Scooter Update 4.1

I visited Scooter. Saw the MRI. The problem is Quite Evident. There is nothing wrong with her spine at all. Nothing. There's this tumour in the tissue surrounding the spine. It's a bright white spot.

Scooter was in good spirits, I pet her, brushed her, and fed her some food out of my hand. She's definitely not HAPPY though. She wants to leave but the inability to stand is a problem.

Today I've spoken with Doctor Child and Cabeza. Everything else is in my earlier post. So we'll see.

Scooter Update 4.0

It's 919am and I have news on my beloved kitty, Scooter. She had her MRI at the people-MRI centre and she handled the anaesthesia fine -- which the vet says surprised her. They've reviewed the results. This will sound odd, but the best possible news would be for a benign tumour compressing the spinal column. I know it doesn't SOUND like good news, but that's what it is. To be accurate the benign/malignant status is not determined.

Now here's what's going to happen. Monday they will (in consultation with my real vet) contact a special hospital in Fort Lauderdale that does non-invasive removal of benign tumours using lasers and ultra-something-or-other. If she is a candidate, they will biopsy the tumour. If it's benign, we'll arrange for that surgery. Although it's about the same price as a small car, I am not thinking about price. I have four credit cards which all hold nearly five figures so I can run them all up. I've still got three that aren't full.

If it's malignant there is no hope and that is the end. At her age she cannot survive cancer treatments.

If she is NOT a candidate for this surgery AND the tumour is benign, then the fourth consulting doctor will decide if he can safely remove it with a small operation. The tumour is not IN her spinal column but under it. It's compressing the nerves in the spinal column which is why it's been manifesting itself as a neurological problem. It's what's causing her extreme pain and why the problem comes and goes. Of course, I will continue to kick myself for not having an MRI done a year ago, but who knew.

She's definitely going to be in the hospital through at least Tuesday. But there is now a chance, even if it's a small one. The vet said Scooter woke up from the anaesthesia in a good and feisty mood. I'm leaving to visit in 1hr -- the doctor's meeting me at the clinic. And don't doubt the quality of her care. Several doctors took time off their holiday weekends to arrange this, and allow her not only an MRI at a people centre (so much for health department rules) before they opened, but had a radiologist and two veterinarians there for an immediate reading. Last time I had an MRI I had to wait five days for results.

Thanks to every for caring and praying. Keep it up.

Scooter is approximately 22 years old and I really hope she lives many more years. She's been with me for over half my life.

Special wishes to the Murphs for their kitties Eddie and Amanda who are also having difficulties. Please keep them in your thoughts as well.

Today's Scooter Report

Down to the wire and tomorrow's the big, bad day. I visited Scooter again this morning. She was alert and responsive today. It didn't make the visit any easier. She greeted me with a meow. She nuzzled me and suffered her brushing gladly. I gave her a Petrodex treat which she ate out of my hand.

The vet (the one who looks 14 -- see previous post) said she was even grooming herself earlier. She's relatively healthy except for whatever this condition is. They suspect now, it's neurological and that means there is likely no treatment. Tomorrow isn't likely to be a happy day.

Various Items

1. Visited Scooter this AM. I was happy not to get any grief from the holiday staff. I brought her brush, and brushed her. She didn't seem happy to see me but it wasn't personal. She was just out of it.
2. I met the weekend vet. He looked like he was 14 but he said Scooter wasn't any worse or better. She's eating but they have to hand feed her. I'm going to try that tomorrow. She also needs help to go to the bathroom because she can't stand on her own.
3. Two more days until The Decision. ::sigh:: Pray for Scooter.
4. I am going to auction off my mother to the highest bidder. Before dinner we were discussing where silk came from because my Grandmother got a new silk scarf from Sophia in China. (I just finally gave it to her because I am a less than perfect grandson and it's been here since I got back from the NIFS show early this month). Mom asked if silk came from ... Wait for it ... Wait ... Wait ... Wait ... Panda Bears. I am not making this up. Bidding starts at £1.50 and will go in 50p increments. Winner pays shipping. Cash in pounds sterling only.

Scooter Visit (Tues)

I went to visit Scooter today after work, or more accurately I left work before 4pm and went to visit Scooter. They made me wait a few minutes before I could see her. Because she can't be moved, I have to visit her back in the actual clinic -- they normally don't allow visitors. But that's where she housed because it's staffed 24/7. While I waited, I filled out all the paperwork for Saturday's big test and paid for my bill up to now. Thank god for credit cards.

She was asleep, of course, when I walked in. On a bed of blankets and lined with one of those blue/white accident cloths under it. There was an IV hooked up to her front paw. I opened the door and pet her but she didn't really move. Then I whispered in her ear, and remember she can't hear any more. So, I rubbed her nose gently (in the special spot she likes) until she decided to open her eyes. She saw me and started to purr but she didn't really have much strength, so just continued to lay there. I continued to pet her and stroke her until she fell asleep and for awhile thereafter.

I ran to my car and drove home.

Scooter News -- More

The orthopaedic guy has inspected Scooter. She is not a candidate for anything but the most minor surgery The odds on there being anything that can be done are close to zero. Doctors Cabeza, Child, Diaz, and he all agree. That's four vets with the same basic opinion.

However, it might be a small tumor or something that could be impacting the spinal area and that could be easily removed. So, we have arranged with the local MRI center to allow Scooter to come in Saturday for an MRI -- they normally don't do animals. There is a high risk from the anesthesia as well. The orthopaedic guy says with these results he'll be able to look me in the eye and tell me what to do, but without out there is still some doubt.

I can't/won't make a decision unless I know for sure, though I'm sure that decision will come Saturday evening sometime. I'm also going to visit her today. I wish I could let her come home but that's not an option in her shape. I really hope this is something simple but I probably know better.

Quick Scooter Update :(

I don't have too much to report and what I have is not good.

I didn't get any further answers out of the emergency vet last night, so this morning I called the regular vet. He called the emergency vet and he has no ideas either. I spoke the the head doctor at the emergency vet early this afternoon. She also told me (cry) that Scooter is now depressed. Poor kitty. But she is in no shape to be moved or taken home.

It's definitely neurological and I've given the okay for an orthopaedic guy to come in and take a look at it. Surgery on Scooter is not an option (all my vets agree on this) but maybe it's something simple.

I am really scared that time is running out. Probably no more news until tomorrow.

No More Scooter News Really

Scooter is still in hospital. All tests so far are negative and the gas is gone and she's still immobile. The vet is running additional tests in an effort find the problem. She's not comfortable at all and there's no clue as to the issue. I am expecting additional news later today, but that's all I've got now.

A rare work related item: Boeing's 787 program has been delayed due to fastener failure. Obviously I have interest in this topic. It turns out they are not installing them properly and there are gaps between the head of the fastener and the metal (see Aviation Week 11-10-08). Why is this bad? In an airplane, the play would allow the metal to flex, metal that flexed gets metal fatigue. Metal Fatigue causes failure, and failure causes planes to crash. Metal fatigue is actually small microscopic cracks the develop in airframes. They occur at pretty predictable rates which assume number of landings/takeoffs and number of air hours. They cannot account for metal flexing due to improperly installed parts (be they fasteners or something else). Thus the failure will occur before an inspection.

I saw Bolt today. Bolt was much better than I expected and was quite enjoyable though due to my circumstances the cat caused me a great distraction. It's an entirely predictable Disney film, so if you're looking for surprise, this isn't it. We saw it in 3D but that really didn't add much, so save the extra $2 and see it without the 3D. It's a little longer than your typical Disney cartoon which worked well and Bolt himself is a very loveable character, though the fat hamster steals the parts of the film in which he appears. Yay hamster.

Dave Barry's Gift Guide was in today's Herald/Fishwrapper. In other news, the exchange rate £ to $ is down to 1.47 today!

315pm Update: Dr. Child called. Scooter is still in pain but she is unable to find a cause. She's got Scooter on pain medications until this evening when they other doctor comes in. All of Scooter's blood work came back GREAT. She's in great health THEORETICALLY. Only she's not. So another night or two in hospital for Scooter :(

A Lazy Sunday

First, Robert Lynn Asprin, author of the Myth series of novels as well as the Phule's Company series of novels is dead from natural causes in New Orleans. He died in May in bed whilst reading a Terry Pratchett novel. I just found out when I got my new issue of Locus Magazine.

Second, Adrian is in the doghouse today. After skating it seems his new shoes picked up a large quantity of dog shit. This, alone, is not news. The fact he didn't notice and got in my new car with it, is news. I have used massive amounts of carpet chemicals and, in a few hours, we'll see if you can tell or not, happily you can barely tell there was ever a problem. He's my friend, so murder is probably out of the question. But I figured a little public humiliation will at least make me feel better about cutting the day short to go home and clean up shit stains. However skating and breakfast were fun. And I hope Adrian feels better. I'd hate to kill a sick man.

Third, Erin visited yesterday -- an always fun event. I have given Erin dishes and silverware from my overstock. Yay. If anyone's moving I still have overstock available for a new abode, just ask. I also took her to the office to get hurricane supplies such as lights, batteries, and whatnot. Today she's home awaiting a matters for her new bed which, as of yet, is unused. We also passed a gas station where diesel was $5.39 a gallon -- near the airport of course.

Fourth, I filled out Identity Theft Affidavits for all the credit bureaus today. They'll go out certified return receipt tomorrow.

Fifth, I also have to write I've written my flame of Western Digital and will send that off to them. I am still hating them greatly over my hard drive. Also, I am sending a copy to Apple Computer so they know what kind of shite they sell in their stores. CBL has declined to write a letter indicating what files were on the drive, and I respect their desire. However, a quick perusal of Google has shown me there are massive failures of this drive. They have some sort of QC or design flaw.

Sixth, a special shout-out to Maury who sent me this link about the Room 8 School Cat. I can't tell you why I liked it so much, but I did.

Seventh, I got a copy of my "independent medical evaluation" which is basically accurate but there are some errors. I will be writing have written a correction letter and sending that in as well.

PS: iDrive still sucks ass. I haven't yet written a missive, but I will. Soon. I just have to stop finding new stuff to hate about it. I may never finish. I support the execution of the person who invented it.

More Car and More Politics and Scooter

CAR
1. I have insurance. Yay. Tomorrow I begin regular use of my new car. My MDX has been turned in after its inspection (passed just fine).
2. I put the HAT TRK tag on the X5 though it's still technically registered to the MDX. One hopes BMW is making haste with that transfer. (I have a copy of the transfer paperwork with the registration in the meantime.)
3. I have Sirius now instead of XM, something I am not very happy about. I have yet to find a good solution. The Sirius system is integrated into the car so a change isn't very easy. On the plus side, the first year is free. But I'd rather pay for XM but don't want to have to plug in a separate radio.

POLITICS
1. David Higgins was kind enough to make me piss my pants with this link. The idiotic religious right has gone off the deep end. Er, I mean, gone off the deep end AGAIN. Or perhaps I mean STILL off the deep end. Anyway, you gotta love when they corrected Tyson Gay's (the sprinter) name to Tyson Homosexual. Which is also ironic because, well, he's supposedly very conservative. The article, as changed, read in part: Homosexual didn’t get off to a particularly strong start in the first semifinal, but by the halfway mark he had established a comfortable lead. He slowed somewhat over the final 10 meters-nothing like the way-too-soon complete shutdown that almost cost him Saturday. Asked how he felt, Homosexual said: “A little fatigued.” That has to make you pee your pants.
2. My friend Paul started a political blog. I refer you to it at your own peril. At the suggestion of some … to the dismay of others (probably more numerous) … I’ve started a political blog. See, and you thought all my friends were liberal nutjobs. Some are conservative nutjobs. Some are even libertarian nutjobs. But at least they're all nutjobs. Leave a comment if you'd like.

KITTY-CAT
Scooter went in this past Saturday for her bi-monthly blood work.
1. Her kidneys are fine. Yay. This is good news because this is the part they're concerned about. As I mentioned they are just over the line in the red zone. But that's been over six months and though they haven't improved, nor are they likely to, they haven't gotten even one micron worse.
2. Her thyroid has gone wonky again. We are increasing the dose slightly.
3. She's down to 8.3 pounds. I gotta get her to gain weight. I've done everything. I hope increasing her medicine dose helps with this. I can't get her to eat like a pig and she used to be such a professional at it.
4. She now completely hates anything salmon flavoured, so I have to get new Pill Pockets for Donna my pet sitter. Just out of the blue, she decided no more. A very cat thing to do.

Foreclosures Lead to Abandoned Animals

That subject line above comes from an AP report today. I shouldn't have read it because it was so upsetting, but I did. And now I feel compelled the misery with you, my loyal reader(s). I wish to point out how scummy humankind is. Though against the death penalty, I will make exceptions for anyone leaving a domesticated animal to die alone.

This article is contraindicated for those who have a strong sense of empathy.

What's in brown is excerpted from the article. What's in regular colour has been added by me.

The house was ravaged - its floors ripped, walls busted, and lights smashed by owners who trashed their home before a bank foreclosed on it. Hidden in the wreckage was an abandoned member of the family: a starving pit bull. The dog found by workers was too far gone to save. Pets "are getting dumped all over," said Traci Jennings, president of the Humane Society of Stanislaus County. "Farmers are finding dogs dumped on their grazing grounds, while house cats are showing up in wild cat colonies."

In one such colony in Modesto, two obviously tame cats watched alone from a distance as a group of feral cats devoured a pile of dry food Jennings offered. "These are obviously abandoned cats," Jennings said. "They're not afraid of people, and they stay away from the feral cats because they're ostracized by them." The abandoned pets are overwhelming animal shelters, drawing fury as photos of emaciated animals circulate on the Internet.

The first people to enter an abandoned house have discovered dogs tied to trees in backyards, cats in garages, and turtles, rabbits, and lizards in children's bedrooms. What kind of person does this? You love an animal and then abandon it. Better to abandon your teenager who can fend for him/herself than a poor little critter. Absolute scum these people are. Savages who deserve to be put down in a cruel, inhumane way.

The situation has become so widespread that the Humane Society urged home owners faced with foreclosure to take their animals to a shelter. The San Joaquin Animal Shelter is fielding more desperate calls from animal owners about to be evicted. Many call as a last resort after being turned down by various rescue groups with no room for more animals. "They're usually breaking down on the phone," said Kathy Potter, a shelter dispatcher. "I'm quite direct with them that there's a 50-50 chance the animals might be put down."

Great, I mean you were stupid enough to buy a house that was $500,000 and think the payments are $500 a month forever and the rate won't change. And now you're going to kill a creature that loved you because of your stupidty. Most people losing their homes in this fiasco are doing so because they're idiots. My sympathy level is low for them because they forgot the simple saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Who's suffering? The critter. Don't say the homeowner because most of them deserve what they're getting.

Some critics say the pet owners have already proved they are irresponsible by buying houses they could not afford or mortgages they did not bother to understand. "They see a pet as property, no different than a worn sofa tossed into the alley when the springs pop," says a posting about foreclosure pets. Yep. That sums it up nicely.

"Their best shot is for the owners to plan ahead some," Jennings said. "But they didn't plan when they bought their house. I don't see that happening anytime soon." Right. In short, it's still their fault for being idiots. Suffer eternal damnation you assholes.

Scooter Update 3.0

Hello Boys and Girls:

Today's Scooter Update: After an all-day fast (poor kitty) so she could be sedated for an x-ray, I come home to a ravenous kitty who looks like she wants to bite me. Her plaintive meow is responded to by me picking her up and shoving her delicately as possible into a cat carrier. I drive to the vet at Warp 2 to minimize the in-car time because as I drive, Scooter tries to break out of said carrier. She's been successful before, too so it's a real concern.

I must add, this is my original vet and not the new vet. He's checking for stuff that she hasn't done that I've asked her about several times with no discernible result.

We arrive at the vet's office which is, happily, deserted. I take Scooter out of carrier so vet doesn't have to risk life and limb to do so. He decides to try and x-ray her without sedation. I offer to hold her in place but he insists that it's not safe in x-ray room. I scoff, mentioning I've had more x-rays that anyone except Evil Knieval, but he refuses my assistance. I see why as he sends his two poor nurses in to do the dirty work while he discusses Scooter with me. He plays 20,000 questions and takes notes.

I try to pet the office cat -- they have an office cat -- named Levi. Levi takes one look at me and hides behind the microwave. Vet assures me I shouldn't take it personally, but I do anyway. I say hello to poor doggie who almost died of a ruptured appendix (or something like that) but is recovering but in pain.

X-rays are complete and I get Scooter and hold her while vet and I talk more and X-rays develop. X-rays show Scooter has mild arthritis so her walking issues are not related to that. She probably needs more exercise which she can't get. I'll try and get her to play more laser-pointer. He said he would discourage me from medicating her with anything at this point as it would cause more problems than it would cure. Glucosamine works well in dogs but he says not all cats respond well and he doesn't recommend it for Scooter -- something the other vet said as well. So, Scooter's back legs are slightly arthritic but not bad for a cat her age. He can't find the problem with her shoulder that is obviously there somewhere. Other vet thinks it's a torn ligament and says she can feel it but neither original vet or me can find said problem.

Ask vet to look at Scooter's ear gunk -- which both he and other vet have ruled out as ear-mites. He's amazed at how bad since I've just cleaned it again. He takes a sample to send to lab for testing to make sure it's nothing serious. Pay for vet bill -- Scooter has now cost more than my car. She's worth it, and I'm not complaining.

Take Scooter home and she eats like the pig she used to be. I want her to gain weight so she can build strength.

I'm stressed and Scooter's sleeping.

There's a box from Apple in my room. I'll open it this weekend.

Today's Medical Reports

Lots of health news today. I'll be self-centred and go first.

I am relieved as all hell to report that I do not currently have Barrett's esophagus which I was afraid I might have. Barrett's esophagus is a relatively uncommon side effect of Acid Reflux (see multiple previous blog entries) that often leads to esophageal cancer, which is generally fatal. Anyway, I don't have it so enough of that. However, my Acid Reflux is acting up strongly again because a new granuloma has recurred (if you remember, I had a previous pair) and is also located on my vocal cords. As such, I'm going on a new regimen of drugs and dtronger dosages and frequencies thereof and expect more arguments from my shit-ass insurance company. I am confident in Dr. Arin H. Newman, the doctor in question, so we'll see what happens. I go back in six months unless I feel my granuloma is getting worse in which case I go back immediately. Those of you who have talked to me recently know how bad my voice has sounded.

My dad is not-cancer free, but he's almost cancer free and it has retreated to negligible levels. There's no such thing as "almost" or "negligible" in the cancer world, but he is no longer in any immediate danger of dying from his lung cancer (second hand smoke is bad which is what caused it). All good news has some bad news with it, and this is no exception. His bronchial passageways, which were already a mess because of his chronic and severe asthma, are in very, very bad shape due to damage caused by the cancer treatment, so he is going to a pulmonary specialist soon to see what, if anything, can be done.

And, for those concerned, Scooter has stopped gaining weight but she is at a relatively healthy weight for her advanced (20+) years -- having recovered from the 5-1/2 or so pounds she sunk to at the bottom of her illness. She's happy. She's not so playful any more -- probably because of the ligament that's torn which they can't operate on due to her age -- but she's happy to be petted. She's even jumping small distances again, though getting down still challenges her. Her hearing is definitely shot for good (cry) and she has dental issues which they also can't fix due to her age.

Iriomote Cats, English Teachers, Yellow Submarine, and Bush Declares Martial Law

Today we have another random group of eclectic posts.

1. Way back in December 2006, I wrote about the Baiji Dolphin become extinct. Truly a sad thing, indeed. Well it's about to happen again to another species. Now, Japan’s Iriomote Cat is Headed for Annihilation
according to the latest news. I am far more saddened about this because I love kitties of all kinds. This has been reported in National Geographic. It's a beautiful cat, too as you can see.

2. I am trying to locate Karen Goff; she was my eighth or ninth grade English teacher from McMillian Junior High School in Miami, Florida. It's an off chance, but she was one of the best teachers I ever had -- and in a subject I am rather fond of. I want to thank her. If anyone knows where she is, that would be great. The school was of no help whatsoever nor was the local school boards.

3. In other disturbing news: I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I often ridicule those who are. Let's be honest, most of them are utter and complete crackpots. However there's a new one making the rounds that even my regular "upstanding citizen" type friends are subscribing to. And, I think I do too. As you know Dubya's term is coming to an end -- and he's not happy, nor does he understand why he's the least popular president ever. There are more and more rumblings being made about Iran from inside the administration, but nowhere else. What happens when he uses some random event -- you know the odds are in favour of an event -- to declare martial law and take over and remain in power? Will anyone be able to stop him? Will the military say no? It's looking more and more real to me every day. Him and his cronies are looking for a way to stay -- just like the Kremlin in its heyday. It scares me.

4. Next Wednesday, I am still predicting a Yellow Submarine iPod pre-loaded with the Beatles oeuvre. It will look similar to the current iPhone without the actual phone functionality. Further, regardless of what comes next, I bet you get a Bluetooth iPod so people have no more wires. You'll also get some form of the iPhone touchscreen. Apple has ordered way more screens than it needs for phones. There's really no other conclusion to be had.

Cat Thyroid Disease Causes

This link was sent to me first by Evan followed by several other friends over the next few hours:

The article starts: An epidemic of thyroid disease among pet cats could be caused by toxic flame retardants that are widely found in household dust and some pet food, government scientists reported Wednesday. And goes on from there. I found it very interesting, though at this point it's probably too late.

I keep wondering, after reading the article, if it might have been something I bought and brought into the house. Maybe some sheets, a mattress, or something else. My carpet is the original stuff and over 10 years old, so we can probably rule that out. There's no fabric in my blinds. Or maybe it's not even this. But it's still interesting.

More Tidbits. Everyone loves a tidbit.

1. I went to the Chiropractor today. My shoulder feels noticeably better right now, but overall it will return to crap in a few hours. I hate that. The pain has slowly been moving further towards the top.
2. My AC at home is still not behaving properly and it's got me pissed off. I'll revisit this with the AC people next week. I am far too drained to deal with it right now.
3. In my unending quest to find out the mysterious source of my rash, I went to an allergist previously. Since my last post I had the patch test (wearing a few dozen chemical patches on your back for 48 hours) -- all of which were negatives. Then I came back today and the rest of the injections. Over the two visits, I received a total of nearly 200 injections. I look like a druggie. Each battery you have to sit for 15 minutes for a reaction. I am not allergic to most moulds (odd) and barely allergic to cats. I am violently allergic to dust mites. On a scale of 1 to 4, I rated a 4++++. I am also allergic to dust (duh), parakeets, and horses. That's it. I passed all other allergen tests. All that would be fascinating except based on the rash, these aren't the causes. All done and no practical results except to try Claritin/D for a few weeks and see if that helps.
4. Scooter is seeming even more lethargic today. ::sigh::

Scooter Update 2.0

Scooter went in for a follow-up visit today.

Here's what I had given to the vet. (This refers to her original condition):
I just want to reiterate a few points: The morning Scooter had her incident she was fine. She was jumping up on tables, playing, being her usual rambunctious self. When I came home, she couldn’t move. When she tried to stand up, she would fall over and was unable to maintain any motion at all. She was lying in an unusual spot on the floor in an unusual position. I do not dispute the Thyroid diagnosis, but that is not a sudden onset condition with all these symptoms. I think that there is/was something else at work, and the Thyroid condition was certainly there but is probably unrelated to what actually happened.

Then I listed all of Scooter's current symptoms:
NONE OF THESE SYMPTOMS WERE EVIDENT PRIOR and all were sudden onset:
1. She doesn’t walk with a normal gait. She lists to the left like a poorly loaded ship as she moves. And on stairs especially, she walks near the wall so she doesn’t fall. (I bought her stairs so she can get in and out of my bed easily.)
2. The faster she moves, the harder it is for her to keep balance. If she runs, she falls over, especially if it’s on the stairs.
3. She can jump UP onto objects with no trouble (my bed, the counter, the table) so her muscle strength appears to be pretty good. But if she jumps down she lands and the falls forward, hitting her head and often rolling head over heels.
4. She has trouble climbing though. For example her litter box (4” tall) is an enormous challenge for her and she sometimes gives up and uses the floor next to it. She tries, but watching her try to balance and crouch isn’t fun.
5. She’s far more lethargic now – she just lies in her bed most of the day. I know that may sound normal for a cat, but it isn’t normal for Scooter. She used to run around with her bizzy-balls and drop them all over the house and scream at the top of her lungs for me to come throw them so she could chase them. When I used to come home, the house was a mess. This was true right up to and including the morning she fell ill (because the house was a mess when I got home and she had eaten that day as well).
6. She’s lost a lot of her hearing. I can actually sneak up on her if she’s not looking my way. Nobody should ever be able to sneak up on a cat. Especially my cat.
7. She is grooming approximately normally and seems happy if somewhat bored because she doesn’t want to move around much.
8. She also can’t talk except a quiet squeak.

So that's what's up with Scooter as of today. The Vet agrees there's something else going on. They currently have a cat there with the same exact condition (symptoms 1-4) but that cat has been there for months and they are unable to determine what's wrong. I suggested an equilibrium problem or a stroke. I was told cats don't have strokes in the sense humans do, so that wasn't it. The Vet agreed an equilibrium problem was possible.

Scooter had a new batch of blood work and thyroid tests. All pretty much normal. They are very concerned about her kidney results. In cats with thyroid conditions once the condition is controlled sometimes a kidney condition becomes evident. They're going to check her again next week.

They checked her (always nasty and gummed up) left ear and were sure she had ear mites. I told them it's always full of gunk which I generally clean every few weeks and that Scooter's regular vet has tested. Another test later, and it isn't ear mites. They've never seen so much ear gunk before considering they cleaned her out last visit too.

They've had me get non-drowsy Dramamine and suggest I give her a 1/4 tablet per day until next Tuesday and then I will bring her in again for more tests. After that the emergency vet is on vacation for 2 weeks.

Also, my condolences go out to Tom O'Drain whose mother passed away this morning.

Update on Dad III (Good News)

PET Scan: Lymph Nodes didn’t even show any cancer at all -- it's gone. That’s excellent news, of course. That's right: there is no trace of any cancer in the Lymph nodes. The tumour itself still has some activity, though. The doctor can’t be 100% sure it’s still cancerous due to residual radiation and scar tissue, though he's pretty certain it still is cancerous because he has no reason to believe otherwise.

The CT (cat) scan was still difficult to interpret due to lingering radiation. Different people dissipate radiation at different rates. There is still some lung collapse (hence his continued difficulty in breathing). The tumour is not well defined and the shadow is less solid. It is still possible that live cells could escape and go elsewhere, so we must be vigilant and he must be tested regularly.

Despite all of this, Dad has shown significant improvement and he is out of any immediate danger. However new spots of cancer are always bad because that means it’s spreading and we have to hope and pray that is never the case. We will retest in three months --- first week of November -- and see what’s happened then.

There will be no surgery, period. The doctor is confident no reputable doctor will perform any operation on Dad. With his lung partially collapsed, and the surgical risks he has due to his other conditions, the risks far outweigh any possible minor benefit and Dad’s chance of surviving the operation is very low.

His continued coughing is caused by radiation damage. It will eventually lessen and may even disappear, but it may just be a permanent, chronic cough. His tiredness is a combination of age and effects from his diminished lung capacity. There will be absolutely no radiation injections or even further radiation treatments at this time.

So, all in all, this was a very good day at the doctor. This was also significant for me, because this is the first time I've actually met the attending physician and talked to him in person. Dad's done his best to keep me out of the loop and given me his "sanitized" report so I don't worry -- apparently he thinks that will stop the worry process. So while I've been to the doctor's office with him before (see previous posts), it's been with the many other doctors involved in the process and not The Doctor.

It was a draining day, but generally a good day for Dad.

PS: No new news on Scooter. Several severe issues remain and spoke to the vet and she said to give it another week and bring Scooter in next week. If there is any noticeable change, of course, she said to rush her over. Scooter is not getting worse but she's not getting better either. I think a big problem is she isn't drinking enough.

First, a Scooter Update

Scooter is home. I picked her up from the vet earlier today. I'd love to tell you she's feeling fine, but she isn't. However, she is thrilled to be home. I spent some time with her, then left her alone for a short time to do a few errands. She cannot walk all that well, but she can walk. She made it to her litter box (and used it), she made it to her food bowl (and ate barely any), and she managed to jump into my chair where she was fast asleep when I came home. She doesn't smell too good, but I think that's because they weren't expecting her to come home today. She's also got a shaved leg where the IV was located. (See previous post if interested).

It still hurts me to watch her try and walk. On the one hand she is walking, on the other hand I use the term walking very loosely. It's more like staggering you'd see on a drunkard. But she seems happy, and is grooming herself. I brushed her repeatedly because she's shedding like mad. She sat in my lap for hours.

I spoke with Dr. Child who informed me that she was eating and has regained an entire pound. However I suspect it's mostly fluid from the IV. I will continue to monitor her carefully. She's also going to be on a wet food diet for a little while so she'll eat more and I'm going to increase her rations. I have the pills which I have to give her twice a day for the next month before they decide what the future dosage will be. I also got pill pockets to try to see if she'll eat them without a fight that way. My regular vet would like to examine her, but I will wait a few days rather than traumatize her with another vet's visit -- she also has to go back to the ER vet in 3 weeks for a follow up there.

I spent most of the day at home with her reading Harry Potter, and a review will be coming shortly.

Even More Scooter News :(

First, see previous post from yesterday. I had an appointment today at 4pm to pick up Scooter and take her home. This appointment was made yesterday because Dr. Child was confident Scooter would be in better shape and able to go home. Friday afternoon is not the time to go to a vet's office.

After a 15 minute wait, the vet came out to answer all my questions. It was Dr. Child's day off so it was one of the other two vets. She was a bit frazzled having finished some surgery on another critter of some sort. She patiently answered all my questions though not what I wanted to hear. They hadn't notified my regular vet Dr. Diaz who has many years of Scooter's medical history. They hadn't made sure she was able to walk. They were just going to send her home and have me bring her in every day for a week for a hydration. Fortunately, I have far more sense than they do, apparently.

Scooter was brought to me and she wasn't struggling with the assistant which was a bad sign. They put her down and she didn't make it two steps. I picked her up and held her. I explained to the vet how unsuitable it would be for Scooter to come home (two stories is bad if you can't walk -- too much risk of falling and getting seriously hurt trying to move around). She agreed and said they would hook Scooter up to an IV and try to rehydrate her and give her more food.

I told them I want time alone with Scooter before she went back to her cage. So I spent a half-hour with Scooter petting her and talking to her and trying to keep her happy -- all while trying not to cry. It was so pitiful I couldn't stand it. When it was time for her to go back to the holding pens, I took her myself and wouldn't turn her over. I am going to visit her again Sunday when Dr. Child is on duty -- and I might go Saturday afternoon as well.

Things just aren't looking too good right now. This vet has a totally different demeanour and outlook than the first vet. I left and went to my regular vet and demanded an immediate audience, and he graciously spoke to me. I explained what had happened and he agreed moving her to his office (or home) right now would just be a Really Bad idea. He also promised to check up with the doctor there. He feels much of this is due to Scooter's age and not the thyroid issue because the symptoms are still not fully matching. Cats with thyroid problems eat a lot and Scooter does not eat a lot any more. I won't likely hear from him again until Monday.

So I am going to have a bad weekend. I didn't sleep last night because Scooter wasn't beside me. I woke up, saw her bed, her dish, her toys and was reminded of her. Then I came home today and saw the same things. A few minutes ago, I caught myself checking her litter box even though she wasn't even home to use it.

Scooter News :(

Scooter has been losing a little bit of weight -- mostly eating a bit less. But otherwise she has been behaving normally. Just this morning she jumped up on the table and had a try at my breakfast -- something she normally does. She still jumps all over, and is generally active and cantankerous. Her only unusual behaviour change was about three months ago, she decided she wouldn't drink water from her bowl -- only the guest bathroom toilet. I have no idea about that, don't ask.

I came home today a little early, at around 515pm and I was not greeted at the door. I called for Scooter and got a meow in reply. This is unusual because she always greets me at the door and demands fresh food. She was laying next to her bed (not in it) and looked at me plaintively. I said hello and went over to pet her. She stood up, and fell back over. She tried to walk, but listed heavily to one side and fell over again. She tried to run and didn't get two feet before collapsing. I picked her up, grabbed the phone and called the vet's office immediately. My dumb luck that his day off is Thursday and Sunday. I swear violently and stuff Scooter into her carrier and she doesn't resist -- a bad sign to be sure.

I drive like a maniac to the 24hour emergency vet in my neighbourhood. I get there in under 3 minutes, narrowly missing several cars and bicyclists and using the sidewalk as a passing lane. I park illegally and run into the emergency vet's office. I notice Scooter had pissed in her cage, something she's never, ever done before -- meaning she really has no control over her muscles. (I talked to her the whole time so she wouldn't be afraid.)

The Vet's name is Doctor Jill Child, and she sees Scooter (but not me) almost immediately after I answer a few basic questions of the "what's wrong" variety for the receptionist. They put me in the holding cell for distraught parents, which describes me perfectly.

Scooter's been to the vet. She's even been to the emergency vet when she had blood in her pee. But I've never been in fear for her life until today. After about fifteen minutes the Vet comes and talks to me and says there's nothing obviously wrong and she doesn't feel her life is in immediate danger. She said she'll run blood tests and such and call me later and I should go home. She asks me lots of questions and observes that Scooter is a quirky but intelligent cat.

I come home and notice a few things (a) she ate about half her breakfast, (b) there's a relatively fresh log in her litter box, and (c) her toys are strewn about upstairs and downstairs. So clearly this is a recent development. A matter of hours, at most. I prepare to call the Vet to give her more details and just as I do, my phone rings. It's the Vet. She says all of her tests indicate Scooter's organs are in good shape but her weight is critically low and she's got an absurd amount of crud in her ear (an ongoing problem for nearly 7 years). Her cell counts are all very good. She believes it's a thyroid problem even though she has passed several previous tests. She will consult with Doctor Diaz tomorrow.

Scooter must spend the night at the clinic and be force feed via syringe. They are also going to medicate her with Thyroid pills twice a day -- good luck to them with that -- which she will have to take twice per day for the rest of her life. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that since I have to travel and such, and she's a very bad patient, too. Feeding her antibiotics for an occasional urinary tract infection has always been a challenge.

I will have more news tomorrow and update then.

I am sad, upset, and terribly anxious.

Scooter Update

A busy day for me, to be sure. I came home after receiving the hernia news, and had a message to please contact the vet's office to schedule an appointment for more blood work on my cat Scooter. Of course, I immediately called and made an appointment to do so. (If you'd like to see pictures of Scooter, feel free to peruse them.)

Not 15 minutes later my phone rings again and it's the vet. Dr. Diaz who thought she may have a thyroid condition because her previous tests (T3) were all one point out of whack and scheduled the second test (T4) said her results came back perfectly normal. He said she doesn't need to go on medication and as long as her appetite and behaviour are normal, she doesn't need to go back to the vet. He recommends a check up every six months just to be safe.

At least there was some good news today.

Cat News

A number of you have inquired about Scooter's well-being. Thanks to those who cared. My vet is a good vet (a very overpriced vet, but I'll take overpriced any day over cheap and not good). She's been on antibiotics for a week to clear up any infection she might have had prior to said surgery.

Today, she went to the vet for a tooth extraction. At her age (18 or 19) that's a risky proposition. However she wouldn't eat, so that was the plan. She was dropped off this morning promptly at 8am. Lots of hugging and such, because I was told up-front this was a very risky operation at her age.

Showed up at 4:30pm for cat pick up as instructed. Vet came right out to see me. First, Scooter's doing well. She had her first bath in several years, ears cleaned, nails trimmed, all of which can't be done to Scooter while she's conscious because she tries to kill anyone who has the temerity to trespass on her person. She also had her teeth cleaned, her gums scraped, and all that good dental stuff we all hate.

But she didn't have an extraction. After all that cleaning, the vet decided it wasn't needed. There was so much tartar on the tooth, he thought that was the problem. His careful inspection prior to surgery saved her the operations (though the sedation is what's risky, not the extraction). How many of your vets would second guess themselves?

On the bad news side, he believes that the first blood test was wrong and is sending a second one out. He thinks she's got a thyroid problem because she has all the symptoms. So he's testing T4 instead of T3 whatever that means. We'll know Saturday. If so, she's on medication for life. That's good because it'll cure her, but it's bad because my body is already rough from one week of giving her antibiotic. It also means travelling anywhere will be out of the picture because no pet sitter can even catch her to give her medication. So it's me at home for quite some time. I will discuss with the vet if there's alternatives for this situation.

More as it becomes available.

(Addendum: Here's a full link with all sorts of details about the drugs, side effects, additional treatments, and so on).