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Friday Pussy Blog: Unemployed and Still Late Edition

2012-01-20T17:49:00.002-06:00

Gee, you'd think with me being jobless I could get this posted earlier in the day on Friday, right?

I would like to say I was busy vacuuming under the bed but that is clearly not the case. Having seen this photo I will make time to do that soon. Sissy has been isolated in the bedroom for over a week now. She has her own litter box, food and water bowls. She seems happier without the constant torment from Tater Tot and Jessie Lee, and the house is certainly quieter without her frequent howling because they tried to touch her, or simply looked at her as if they might.

Jessie Lee is ready for me to go through that open door and fetch her some chow.

The Tot is also ready.

It's feeding time!

Happy Friday!

Two Zero One Two - Here We Go!

2012-01-15T11:24:00.001-06:00

I have been in the television advertising industry for nearly 22 years. I have been a data entry clerk and a VP of Operations. I have supervised a staff of 12-15 at my peak.

Half of my career has been spent in a managerial capacity during which time I spearheaded efforts to streamline agency operations. I know how to find ways to greatly improve efficiency resulting in a more pleasant "user experience." I have been the liaison between IT programmers and other departments in helping develop systems which allow more work to be done, and with greater accuracy, with the same staffing levels, and at the risk of sounding Romneyesque, sometimes with less staffing levels. And yes, I derived pleasure from it.

When I started in this business the amount of paper being used was unbelievable. The business of getting a broadcast-quality tape of an advertisement out to a cable network and on the air, as well as the subsequent tracking of effectiveness and reporting data to the clients, required a mountain of paper.

Back in the early 90s, media buyers (those who negotiate rates and arrange a schedule with national networks and local broadcast affiliates) would write up the schedules on paper forms. In a large agency with 10-15 buyers, these schedules would quickly become stacks of paper.

Buyers or their assistants would fax these orders out and then place the paper in bins. Data entry people would come and gather these stacks, take them back to their workstations and begin inputting the data on their DOS-based computers.

Requests for tapes to be sent would also be written up on forms and given to the traffic department. The traffic people would prepare a request, on paper of course, and fax it to the tape duplication facility.

In my branch of the industry, we were more about selling products immediately (think food dehydrators, miracle knife sets, or inflatable beds) rather than merely providing brand awareness for a client. This involved a need for toll-free phone numbers to appear in the ads which involved a need for large telemarketing facilities to handle the call volume. This meant more paperwork.

Media schedules would be faxed to telemarketers so they could plan their staffing levels based on when they would anticipate an influx of calls. Every morning the telemarketing company would return the favor by faxing over a shitload of call activity from the previous day.

The agency also had a staff to comb through this data and accurately attribute the calls to a specific airing of an ad on a specific station or network. My first job in the industry was to manually input this call center data from faxed pages which had been marked up with a pen by analysts. Media buyers and account managers would then print out stacks of reports in order to analyze the effectiveness of the media and make adjustments to future media as needed. Some even had weekly scheduled meetings to sit around a desk and read through these books together.

The process evolved to a point where the telemarketers would begin sending over data files rather than faxing the data. I worked with the IT department to design an efficient flow which enabled our system to take these data files and match up with our own data to automatically assign clusters to calls to specific ad placements. This was pretty cool in an era when we didn't even have email in our company, and if a fax machine broke down you were well and truly screwed. Imagine 3 or 4 people waiting their turn to fax out a stack. I've seen it and lived it.

[My sincere apologies to all the folks in accounting who have had their own mountains of paperwork. I didn't intentionally leave you out of this; I just think people reading this get the idea by now.]

The availability of email and office software began to flip this world upside down. From 1995 until around 2003 -- mind you, that's just 8 short years -- I witnessed my paper usage decline by at least 98% while efficiency increased by the same rate. In recent years I realized that many times I was still printing documents which really didn't need to be printed at all. It was habit coupled with the comfort of holding something tangible in my hand which would quickly become clutter on my desk. This clutter necessitated making file labels to keep things organized and neat, and insure that I would never see those particularly pieces of paper ever again.

Since 2008 I've made a conscious effort to stop all that. Files can be organized and stored on a hard drive. They can be easily retrieved when needed and I've never seen a brown ring stain from a coffee mug on any of these documents.

In the latter half of my career I have transitioned away from all the operations and management responsibilities to focus on what I love most: media buying and campaign management. It is far more satisfying for me than having to supervise the work of others, performing the dreaded annual reviews, being handed resignation letters because the employee's music career was taking off, having to begin the arduous interview process, or reprimanding an employee for pulling out a knife threatening a pregnant co-worker. Thanks but no thanks!

I get incredible satisfaction from making a few keystrokes and a minute or two later I've placed a $100,000 ad buy on a cable network. No assistant needed. No paper used. (At least not by me; I cannot vouch for what happens on the receiving end.)

I am extremely versatile or I never would have made it as far as I have. My experience is wide and varied. My career has taken me to several agencies with vastly different environments. The smallest had 2 employees when I started; the largest had over 500. Technology has allowed me to leave the cubicle environment, drop the commute, and work from my home which I have done for 11 of the past 12 years.

Thanks to so many similarities between the agencies (let's face it: after 20 years everyone eventually settles in to a similar set of procedures for doing the same work) I've never had trouble adapting to a new job. The longest was about 5 weeks at the aforementioned 500+ employee agency. I absolutely hated it during those initial weeks and then everything started to click. It was the peak of my career in so many ways.

After 2 decades in this industry, I'm pretty good at seeing trends and knowing when the waters are about to get choppy. I saw it in 2007 at the 500-employee agency when a large client (if you had an iPhone, you were signed up with that telecommunications giant!) announced they would be "reviewing" the agency at the end of the year. I expected the worst and had 6 months to prepare myself financially. In the end it was the bloodbath I imagined.

By the summer of 2008 I was fortunate enough to be rehired by an agency where I had worked at the beginning of the decade. Going back there was so easy because I knew the people, the systems, and the procedures. I told myself going in that it would be the last job I'd have before retirement. Well, assuming a steady course of business without any drama. You know what they say about assumptions.

Things began to slow down. I could see the writing on the wall and I knew some kind of instability was on the horizon.

During my career I have obviously known a lot of people. Almost all of my close personal friendships developed with people from my work. So when I started being coaxed to bail out and join a Dallas-based agency, I was reluctant at first. Despite the fact that I knew and had worked with 5 current employees of that agency during the course of my career, a number representing about 25% of the entire staff, it still was a difficult decision to make. Another job change, particularly one initiated by me, was not my preference.

However, the warning signs at my agency continued to grow and my workload had diminished significantly. After several phone conversations over two months with the Dallas-based agency, I finally made the decision to take the leap and I started there on March 28, 2011.

It felt right, and I thought it was a pretty cool testament to my reputation that I was hired without ever having an in-person interview thanks in no small part to the word-of-mouth recommendations from other employees there who had personal knowledge of my work experience and ethics. I still haven't set a foot in the Dallas office.

After my first week, I had already been handed a number of projects, mainly building media proposals for perspective clients, in addition to my media buying responsibilities. Frankly, I was startled by the volume of work being throw my way. Suddenly I was feeling utilized and needed again, and I was being stretched professionally in ways I never thought possible. But I thrive on that and enjoy developing efficiency procedures for myself which enable me to turn projects around more quickly and hand them off upon completion.

It was not an easy transition though. Six weeks passed and my personal adjustments to this agency were still a work in progress. I had surpassed the previous record five weeks of love-hate squirming before the waters calmed. By the time 3 months had passed, I was seriously wondering if I hadn't made a huge mistake in leaving the prior agency. Maybe job insecurity was something I could have lived with in exchange for having clear workplace communication and logical, familiar procedures.

Shortly thereafter, Hurricane Reality hit the shoreline at the ex-agency and 16 people lost their jobs. My instinct was still intact apparently. Any fantasy I'd harbored of returning, or kicking myself for leaving in the first place, quickly evaporated. To be fair and honest, there is no such thing as the perfect job environment. When I would sit down and imagine everything I didn't like about the ex-agency, it suddenly made the current agency look pretty good. (Big perk: no electronic time sheets to fill out.)

I still struggled for months. At the end of August I had received a job offer with a more generous salary and compensation package, and I agonized over that decision for days before rejecting it. Despite the passing of 5 months and still feeling a sense of being blindfolded while working, I didn't feel right in giving up and moving on again to the perception of another greener pasture. This situation would either improve or I would figure out a way to adapt.

It seems ludicrous that I was even having this adjustment dilemma. I have always thrived best in a smaller agency environment. Being one of two media buyers in my department makes things pretty simple. Business was heavy and brisk. New clients were coming on board. What more could you ask for?

The volume of work was such that we needed a third buyer. It wasn't essential, in my opinion, but helpful. In the event that one of us was out, the entire burden fell on one person. It wasn't impossible but it was a load for sure.

For me, the idea of adding this 3rd buyer was equally important in that it would force the opening of communication a bit more in addition to spreading out the workload. After all, if two of us are raising the same issues, that has to get someone's attention!

Barely a week or two had passed before I started to see warning signs flying about like arrows on fire.

Communication did not improve. Basic standard operating procedures did not suddenly materialize. Questions and suggestions continued to vaporize into the electronic ether. My workload and responsibilities started to disappear. The almost daily calls with requests for media proposals just abruptly stopped. It wasn't because things had slowed down so much. The work simply shifted to the new buyer. For all my years of experience and highly developed intuition, I didn't need a shitload of perception to notice I was suddenly being ~~phased out~~ passed over.

The rationale for adding a 3rd buyer was supposedly to lighten the load from the two of us doing the work. Another of those "arrows on fire" was when I realized the 60/40 workload split between the two of us evolved into more of a 60/30/10 split after the new addition. Gee, thanks! I no longer had an excuse for waiting until 5:30 to scoop cat shit out of the litter box.

It was quite clear that my issues and concerns were mine and mine alone. I could either drive myself crazy with the notion that maybe someday this agency would perform at the basic operational level as every other agency, providing clear directives, and create a sense of teamwork and camaraderie, or I could adapt and just learn to work within the framework of what was given.

As 2012 neared and finally rolled around, I made a conscious effort to stop feeling a sense of personal failure whenever I was given directive on a Friday to get something on-air or worse, off-air, the following Monday. Under such circumstances you do the best you can do and some factors are out of your control. But I was getting there. I had accepted the fact that suggestions at improving communication and streamlining processes were not likely to be entertained, that even basic minimal operational enhancements would be an uphill struggle, even if they made perfect sense in my mind. The lights would remain off and I could adapt to working in the dark, or not. So, darkness it was.

Earlier this week we finally got the long-awaited server upgrade. I was happy with any flicker of light at the end of any long tunnel. On Thursday I worked exclusively from my home PC while connected to their server -- checking email, managing my Excel documents, and placing media buys. I no longer needed the company-supplied PC to comfortably do my work efficiently.

I got all my work documents transferred from that PC to a public folder on the server and by Friday I never even needed to turn on the company-supplied PC. It was a rare breath of fresh air, a sense of moving forward into a new year with a newer way to work. Cleaner. Less clutter on my desk. I was even wondering whether I should box up the company PC and send it back or hang on to it as a backup just in case anything happened to my PC down the road.

I have boxed it up, along with the printer they supplied which I never have needed to use thanks to being 100% paperless in my work. What a contrast to the old days when I'd go through a friggin' case of paper every few months! This equipment sits in my kitchen ready to be carted off to Fed-Ex on Monday.

I marvel at the sleek and minimalist appearance of my workspace now. Emphasis on "space" rather than "work" because on Friday the 13th at around 5:05 in the afternoon, I was dismissed from my job.

At that moment, my access to the long-awaited awesome new server was permanently disabled. But hey, it was rockin' my world for a day!

The only reasons cited in my termination were "bad fit" and a "cultural" differences. Oh, the irony.

I can only hope when they sent out the email announcing my departure they utilized the industry-standard closing line of "we wish him well in his future endeavors."

Work used to happen here.

Questions having immediate answers:

Do I need to toggle my monitor back and forth between work and personal PCs? No.

Should I de-clutter and send back the company equipment I don't need? Yes.

Do I need to use a personal day to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday? No.

Do I need to worry if my lunch breaks run longer than an hour? No.

Should I alert someone in the office if I'm running late? No.

Do I need to scan my internet bill as a PDF and email to anyone for reimbursement? No.

Should I fret over dysfunctionality? Give that a rest.

Will I need to visit the Dallas office? Not in the foreseeable future.

Do I have any excuse for not resuming my Rosetta Stone Spanish lessons? No.

When will I be able to take some extended vacation time? Now would be ideal.

Friday Pussy Blog: Friday the 13th Edition

2012-01-13T18:56:00.003-06:00

My girl loves Sheldon's office chair. We have this ongoing ritual where Sheldon gets up and she gets in it. Then I have to move her when Sheldon returns. (Sheldon, for some very odd reason, thinks she's unclean and he'd have to wash his hands after moving her.)

This scenario plays out 4-5 times daily.

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

Friday Pussy Blog: Feeding Frenzy Edition

2012-01-06T18:24:00.004-06:00

Chicken: It's What's For Dinner

Tot loving on my leg.

Jessie Lee waiting patiently.

Sissy pretending to sleep patiently.

FEAST!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:20:00.002-06:00

As usual, Hong Kong gets my gold medal award for best fireworks display thanks to another appearance by the french tickler!

Runner-up goes to Sydney:

I'm expecting 2012 to be some kind of wild ride, politically, economically, and climatologically. Buckle up! We're in it now and there's no turning back!

Friday Pussy Blog: Siamese Wuz Here Edition

2011-12-16T20:06:00.001-06:00

Friday Pussy Blog: Butt Slap Edition

2011-12-09T17:45:00.003-06:00

It must be feeding time because the frenzy is in the kitchen. I was headed in there and Tot & Jessie Lee were running ahead of me. The Tot popped Jessie Lee on the butt as I snapped this picture!

"Orange boy, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

She got over it soon enough.

TGIF!

This week has been bizarre. I had a vacation day on Monday, then took a sick day on Tuesday. Wednesday was one of the worst days I've ever had at work. Thursday was the exact opposite.

I thought today would be mellow but at the end of the day I had just finished a project that took 90 minutes and then was told I was given incorrect information. Monday morning is already shaping up to be a dandy one as I begin to correct what I spent the afternoon doing. Joy.

Oh well...

Friday Pussy Blog: Sweet Sprawling Baby Edition

2011-12-02T08:16:00.002-06:00

That's my sprawling girl!

The game is to try and consume as much desk space as possible.

Have a great Friday!

Friday Pussy Blog: Black Friday Pussy Edition

2011-11-25T17:44:00.002-06:00

Black Friday is one of those days when I'm most likely to forget to post the pussy blog because it feels more like a Saturday or Sunday. Not today!

Sweet Pea hasn't been featured in a while so I thought I'd showcase the boy. He's putting on his thick winter coat and I can start calling him my "black woolly bear" again.

Tater Tot had just finished his fish entree.

Jessie Lee is a very happy, stretchy girl.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Friday Pussy Blog: #OccuPussy Edition

2011-11-18T13:06:00.003-06:00

#OccupyWindowSill

#OccupyGuinnessBox

#OccupyOfficeDesk/#OccupyDiningArea

#OccuPussy

Wait a minute...I think my mental wires are getting crossed.

Four Decades of Love and Vinyl

2011-11-12T20:15:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure I have it in me to write the way I used to but I'm going to give this a shot because I need a distraction from the plethora of one-sentence stream-of-consciousness status updates I do on Facebook.

For the past several weeks I've been seriously into vinyl records again and rediscovering some old classics that I had when I was in my teens. It's bringing back a flood of memories.

Music has always been such an important part of my life. In fact it was the most important part until love came along and bumped it into the #2 slot.

It really amazes me how much the world has changed since I was a teen. I always had a number of pen pals -- mostly in Europe. We would exchange letters and occasionally cassette tapes so we could speak to each other and share music. It was a slow process and is positively archaic in this day and age when I can connect with Europeans, or anyone else, in real time.

During the 70s I had a friend in the Netherlands who gave me my first introduction to Queen. I came to love the band and quickly had collected their first 6 albums -- News of the World from 1977 being the sixth and my least favorite thanks in no small part to the opening tracks "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." The two prior releases, A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races were hard to beat.

In 1978 I left home and went off to college with a stereo system and crates of records in tow. The University of Arkansas had a radio station on campus and one day I noticed they were in need of some DJs. I went to a meeting which was sparsely attended and was given the opportunity for 2 hours per week during a night shift, from 12a -2a if I recall correctly. This was such a great experience! I had access to a vast library of music and being able to share what I wanted to play with a lot of other people was a dream come true. (OK, so the reality is there were probably not more than 15 or 20 people listening to the station! And even though it was FM, they were not even broadcasting in stereo at the time.)

Prior to each shift, the DJs would go in early and start assembling the records for their playlist. New releases would arrive frequently and those were always targeted. I will never forget sitting there at a table flipping through a stack of albums and suddenly my heart stopped for a second. There it was: the new Jazz album by Queen! I have no recollection of which song I played from it though.

From 1979 into 1980 I was discovering punk and new wave music. And I'm not sure who wrote the rules, but I was under the impression that all old stuff had to go to make room for the new. It was no longer cool to be a fan of Queen, Deep Purple, Rush, Jethro Tull or the countless other icons of the 70s. All of that got unloaded and suddenly I was starting over with bands such as the Ramones, Gang of Four, Sex Pistols, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. And I eventually had a collection that would rival what I had collected during the 70s!

Little did I know while I was spinning records over the air in 1978, in five short years my musical tastes would have changed drastically and I'd be living in London working at the HMV Shop -- one of the world's greatest record stores -- on the 3rd floor though, where VHS tapes and computer hardware & software was sold, along with a couple of racks of these new things called "compact discs."

I bought my first compact disc there before I even had a CD player! Scores of LP records were also purchased. Suffice it to say that whatever I was earning at the store was getting pumped right back into the tills and then some! I didn't actually have a hi-fi system in London so all the LP records were just being accumulated for when I returned to the States. However, I did buy a Phillips CD player (in 1984 that was $400, by the way!) into which I could plug headphones and get my music fix that way.

Right before I left London, I acquired a top-notch amp and set of audiophile speakers to go with my CD player, and arranged to have this shipped to my home in Arkansas. There it was united for the first time with my turntable and I had the best of both worlds.

By 1986 hard rock and heavy metal were making their presence felt in my soul again. (Lord, do I even need to go down this road?) Suddenly I was losing interest in so much of the music I had been collecting since 1980 and was fondly remembering all the records I had collected during my youth and wishing I had so many of them back such as the early Led Zeppelin releases.

It was a strange era as I was still straddling the technology fence. I still had a lot of vinyl I knew I'd never want to get rid of, and I was also buying new releases in the CD format when I could find them.

In 1987 I set up a big yard sale of LP records and CDs, as well as my London-purchased CD player since I had recently acquired a new one. The technology was still relatively new at the time so most of that stuff sold pretty quickly and for a decent price. I raised enough money to fly back to London for a couple of weeks and visit the old stomping grounds.

By this time the HMV had expanded their CD selection considerably! In fact, vinyl records only comprised a small section on the ground floor!

I look back with some level of embarrassment at my actions through the years. It's fine to get rid of things if you are sure you no longer want or need them, but in so many cases I was unloading music because I didn't think it was cool to own it, not because I had really lost interest in it. (I have never regretted selling the Controversy CD by Prince; that I can assure you.)

After 1990 I had found love in the form of another man, and music started to ride in the back seat. Not long after we met, when we were still living in our first apartment, my beloved audiophile amp got spiked during a rare electrical storm in Hollywood. Not having the funds to replace it, I bought a basic run-of-the-mill SONY all-in-one tuner & amp. That probably wasn't the best pairing with my $1500 speakers but it worked. And I was strictly in the CD realm by this time, and did not own a turntable. Yet I clung to 400 vinyl LP records like they were family jewels. Thankfully I never had to move them much since we only moved twice in Los Angeles before coming to Austin in 1997.

Another revelation was hitting me during the decade of the 90s: it's OK to like multiple genres of music. Wow! You mean, no one is going to think I'm uncool because I like punk and jazz, hard rock and Joni Mitchell? Even a little country here and there? The CD collection was soaring and probably surpassed my vinyl LP collection during that time.

I'm thinking it was around 2000 when I started hearing a buzzing in one of the tweeters. My prized audiophile speakers from London were dying. I can't help but wonder if this wasn't in some way related to me pairing them up with that SONY amp/tuner for several years.

The man who lived for music was suddenly reduced to listening on a Bose Wave desktop CD/radio or on the CD player with this surround-sound system used with the television. And it seemed OK since I'd already lost my high-end amp a decade earlier.

A couple of years went by and I decided I wanted to take steps to get back to the original audiophile sound I had enjoyed so much from 1984 - 1991. Being unsuccessful at getting the English-made components repaired in the US, I bought a new amp and a short time later a new turntable, both made in England like my original setup. This did not get used as much as I expected because I was still lacking speakers, and this setup was not compatible with the Bose stuff. I would occasionally put on headphones and listen to a record or a CD, but that clearly was not the end result I was so desperately craving.

It's been less than 2 years since I finally bit the bullet and ordered two high-end speakers to complete my heavenly system. So to put this in the proper perspective, I, Mr. High Fidelity snob, had gone from 1991 all the way into 2009 without an optimal listening apparatus! And it was even more astounding when I was able to compare the new system with the sound that was coming from the Bose system. I had no idea how much sound I'd been missing! To be fair to Bose, that system is just fine for movies and other television programs; it just wasn't delivering the music as well as I wanted. (I've since completely disconnected the Bose system and I'm even running TV programs through the hi-fi speakers now.)

From 2009 until the present I was enjoying some of the vinyl from my collection but I was mostly still playing (and still buying) CDs because of their "superior sound" and because no one makes records these days, right? After getting the new speakers, I did splurge one last time and got a truly high-end CD player. You can argue amongst yourselves whether that was a wise move, and whether the sonic difference is detectable versus a $100 unit. If nothing else, it'll likely last a lot longer. And I'm a high-fidelity snob, remember? How would I ever impress another audiophile snob if I had a fantastic system hooked to a $159 Onkyo 6-disc CD changer -- even if it features Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry?

The real irony here is that I've also become reunited with the act of purchasing vinyl again, and not just used vinyl, but some new releases. Among my recent additions are: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix, the debut by Vampire Weekend as well as their Contra LP, The Chemistry of Common Life by Fucked Up, and some oldies such as a reissued box set of the first five Grateful Dead albums, Hemispheres by Rush, A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera by Queen, and Alice Cooper's Muscle of Love. How's that for uncool diversity?

Thanks to vinyl I have also added another genre to my favorites list: rap/hip-hop! Some NWA and Public Enemy that would absolutely be among my top-10 albums of all time! I have more to say about this but will save it for the next post.

And did I mention I just found an original issue of Queen's Jazz? Sadly, it was missing the big original poster of the naked fat-bottomed girls preparing for the bicycle race, but we can't have it all.

They all sound positively mind-blowing on vinyl. In fact, I may never buy another CD if at all possible. What a long strange 40 years of musical transformations this has been.

Friday Pussy Blog: Cork Toy Edition

2011-11-11T18:15:00.002-06:00

The best cat toys are not the ones you go out and buy.

Jessie Lee may appear relaxed but she's merely plotting.

She wants that cork disk! The one I put my coffee on every morning! She has spent much of the day grabbing it and slinging it under my computer keyboard, and then nearly pushes the keyboard in my lap trying to reach under there to grab it again.

The most hilarious thing is when she grabs it in her mouth and walks off with it. Where I come from that's called stealing.

I know I'd catch all kinds of hell if I don't get some of the other kitties on here.

The obligatory Tot shot. He's looking rather thoughtful. Or sleepy after a meal of fish.

Ditto with Sissy. Satisfied!

Happy Friday!

Prop 26 - Mississippi: On Tap For Tuesday

2011-11-05T19:38:00.004-05:00

Tata posted this at Brilliant at Breakfast and I wanted to share. The letter was written by one of her Christian relatives.

All eyes on Mississippi this Tuesday...

Mississippi Proposition 26 – Think before you vote.

Proposals to provide single cells with the rights of citizens is dangerous on several levels. The ongoing desire of passionate groups to eliminate the reproductive rights of women is based upon the religious belief that a fertilized egg houses a human soul. That religious belief is based upon no evidence and a great deal of misguided faith. People who believe the special nature of humans is that we have a soul entering the body at some point in development and leaving the body at death also believe that causing that spirit to leave the body is considered manslaughter, if not murder. We have accepted the idea that once the brain becomes inactive (flat-lined) and the cells of the body continue to live, that the soul has left the body and that allowing the remaining cells to die is not considered manslaughter or murder. Those of us who have been to many funerals have heard clergy of all types describe death as the soul leaving the body behind and moving on to another journey.

The question that still creates much controversy is which event allows the soul to enter the body. Keep in mind that almost everyone understands that the brain is the part of the human body that houses the soul. Co-joined twins that have two heads have two distinct personalities and are treated as two people, regardless of how many body parts they share. A baby that is born with several duplicated body parts, but one head, is considered to be one person, not several. It’s all about the brain. If you are religious, you might accept the idea that God created a human brain to be able to house a soul. Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg which is then separated after fertilization and those two cells then develop separately into two separate bodies. Does each twin have half a soul?

Trying to determine the beginning of a human life or any other life is nonsense. Life does not begin at fertilization or at birth, it began a long time ago and continues through a series of important events. One of the things we have in common with everyone on this planet is that all of our ancestors lived long enough to reproduce and pass those living human cells on to future generations. That long line of life involves a sequence of living human cells going through a series of beginnings and endings of significant events, not the beginning or end of life. The question of manslaughter or homicide is determined by whether or not the human cells or cluster of cells houses a human soul, and if one has caused that soul to leave the body. An atheist or agnostic might use the word independent intellect instead of soul, but the same points apply. If your religious belief is that a fertilized egg or a fetus in early stages of development houses an independent soul, that belief is protected in this country and our government cannot punish you for having that belief. The same should be true of my belief that the soul enters the body at birth, the first breath of the baby. Both events are important in the continuity of human life, fertilization to create a cell with the full genetic complement to develop a human body, and birth to bring the body and spirit together and a new, independent individual into the world. If a fertilized egg houses a soul, what happens to it as that first cell divides into a ball of cells and later into layers of types of cells and finally into specific body parts? Do all the cells house the soul, or does it move into the brain later? I contend that most of society will accept the idea that a baby taking its first breath is an independent individual with a soul (or underdeveloped but independent intellect). If your religious belief is that an independent soul is present in a fertilized egg, you have the right to that belief, but you do not have the right to impose that religious belief onto the rest of society. I believe that a pregnant woman is developing a human house, but that there is nobody home until birth, when that house becomes occupied by a soul.

Imposing religious beliefs of one group on all of society is something this country has fought since before its beginning as a nation. Shall we develop laws that prohibit driving or other activities on Saturday or Sunday because some people have religious beliefs that require them to refrain from those activities? Shall we force women to cover their heads and faces because some religious beliefs require that behavior? We respect the rights of individuals to worship as they please. We do not allow the beliefs of those individuals to undermine the rights of the rest of us. The greatest danger is to promote the idea that our country needs to allow religious fringe groups to control the rest of the country. Be very careful of how much control you want the government to have over your independent decisions and individual rights, even if in this particular case the proposition under consideration is consistent with your individual religious beliefs.

Friday Pussy Blog: Sunburst Butt Edition

2011-11-04T17:55:00.003-05:00

After skipping a week, the Friday Pussy Blog is back! I can't promise for how long. Work has proven to suck all my life out during the week and by Friday I usually have to force myself to do this. However today was a pretty good day.

Tot Loaf enjoying the last of the Friday sun.

Sissy enjoyed her fish dinner.

Jessie Lee says the carpet is HERS! ALL HERS!

I'm not sure what the future holds for this blog. I need to do a major revamping of it, and get the commenting system replaced. I may work on that over the weekend. Seems like life is so much easier with Facebook. Photos go straight from the phone. No screwing around with Photobucket or editing. And I rather enjoy the simpler life after a hectic week.

But we shall see. Don't abandon konagod just yet. HAPPY FRIDAY!

What A Difference 25 Years Makes

2011-10-29T20:03:00.002-05:00

I finally got to spend some quality time today at End of an Ear -- an Austin record store on quirky South First street in Austin. This was probably the first time I've had 90 minutes to spend in a record store with vinyl since I came back from London in 1984.

I worked in a record store in London, but on the 3rd floor where they sold VHS/Betamax movies, and an embarrassingly limited CD selection by today's standards. I started buying CDs there even before I had my first CD player. I was ready to catch the next wave.

For the past 25 years I rode this pathetic wave until fairly recently when I realized vinyl is still being issued. It's official. I hate CDs. I may never buy another. I will keep what I've got though. It's not bad. It's just not....vinyl..

Today's purchase: Public Enemy - "Fear of a Black Planet" and a Phoenix LP.

I kept waiting for Jack Black to walk out of High Fidelity and tell me something else I should buy.

Friday Pussy Blog: Licking Fishy Chops Edition

2011-10-21T19:09:00.002-05:00

I just finished work so you KNOW what kind of snit mood I'm in, but hey, it IS FRIDAY!

Friday Pussy Blog: Siamese Seductress Edition

2011-10-14T18:24:00.002-05:00

It's the JESSIE LEE SHOW!!

Starring the incomparable Miss Jessie Lee!!

Friday Pussy Blog: Pussy Chair Edition

2011-10-07T14:55:00.002-05:00

I have taken Friday off and therefore can get the Pussy Blog up earlier than the usual 6pm!

Sissy has Sheldon's old office chair. When she needs to take a break from sleeping on my bed, this is her favorite place.

Jessie Lee has my old office chair, although she prefers Sheldon's new office chair when he isn't sitting in it. Sometimes Sheldon comes in and lifts her out of his chair, and then for some odd reason he needs to go wash his hands as if the girl is dirty or something, and when he comes back, she's in his chair again. This could easily be a vicious circle except I'm asked to participate in the 2nd removal.

Bad boys don't get a chair. But before you start feeling sorry for the Tot, just be aware that he actually prefers the floor over any piece of furniture with the exception of the kitchen table (only if there's a box on it). He likes this spot because he can basically monitor movements throughout the entire house from that position.

Happy Friday!!

An Inconvenient Solution

2011-10-01T06:42:00.004-05:00

I figured out long ago how to combat this shit.

Bank of America’s new debit card fee, which also has been tested or implemented by other banks, joins a long and growing list of similar charges that consumers now encounter in the course of daily life. Among them: airline baggage fees, hotel Internet fees, “convenience charges” for concert and sporting tickets, ATM fees, bank teller fees, paper statement fees, fees hidden in phone and cable bills, taxicab fuel surcharges and exorbitant shipping and handling costs.

I haven't flown on a plane in probably eight years. And yes, that has been inconvenient at times.

I'm trying to remember if I've even been to a big concert since 2005 or 2006. I don't think I have. And I don't miss it. I might make an exception if RUSH comes around again, or I might not.

I switched in a credit union in 1991.

The ATM only gets used in an emergency, and only when the cost of the fee is about the same as fuel costs to make a special trip to the credit union to withdraw cash.

I haven't quite figured out a work-around for the fees tacked on to the phone bill. They have us bent over reach for the soap on that one.

Shipping & handling? Who pays that shit? Even my 300-pound bed didn't have S&H tacked on. (Built-in tho the base price? Yeah, sure, because in this world, nothing is really free.)

Friday Pussy Blog: iPhone Pussy Edition

2011-09-30T18:17:00.001-05:00

Hot Off the Presses...

2011-09-26T19:23:00.001-05:00

Friday Pussy Blog: Archived Pussy Edition

2011-09-23T18:25:00.002-05:00

Another week from hell bites the dust. Nothing but problems and they don't go away just because I'm done working. The battery in the camera is dead! So you get pussy from the archives.

The Tot in October 2005 which was the month he showed up here. We let him in the house to stay on December 30, 2005. I can hardly believe it's been six years.

It's just as well. I'm too tired and frustrated to deal with photography and resizing tonight.

Happy 50th Sheldon!

2011-09-20T18:12:00.004-05:00

My man's long-awaited 50th birthday is today. The bastard took his sweet time about it. I've been waiting nearly a year and a half on him to join this club.

I could not let such a special occasion go unrewarded.

I few weeks ago we were at a local Italian restaurant (real Italian. The owners speak Italian!) and admiring some of the art on the walls. I decided right then Sheldon was getting the "barn cat" painting for his birthday.

And I may have gone over the top. He also got the goat and the chief!

Now, meet the artist:

Jared Dunten/Mouthpainter

He will paint himself out of that wheelchair!

Friday Pussy Blog: Face Time Edition

2011-09-16T17:45:00.003-05:00

Another Friday! WOOOT!

Sweet Pea rarely gets blogged. Today is his lucky day!

Tater Tot always gets blogged. But because he will not stand still at feeding time, he gets blurred.

Sissy is always well-behaved.

And Jessie Lee is just a squishy bundle of lovey cat joy!

Happy Friday!

Friday Pussy Blog: Tres Gatos Edition

2011-09-09T17:43:00.002-05:00

The scream of joy you heard at 5:20 was me logging off from work for the week.

All three kittehs waiting to be fed!

Sissy prefers to be above the fray.

The Tot got some unexpected and spontaneous lovin.'

Jessie Lee having what appears to be a calm moment. Only took 8 photos to catch it.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Friday Pussy Blog: Short Day of Labor Edition

2011-09-02T16:48:00.002-05:00

Sissy has been shedding an unbelievable amount of fur this summer. I guess 70+ days of triple digits will take a toll. She got a thorough combing with the Furrminator this afternoon. Now there is a pile of hair on the bedroom floor I need to go vacuum up. Her hair is so weightless and downy-soft it just seems to drift in the air.

Anyone sneezing yet at the mere thought of that?

Tater Tot got his comb-through yesterday but that didn't stop him from demanding a little more today after seeing Sissy get it. Jessie Lee got combed upon arrival a few weeks ago and so far so good with her. Not too much shedding there yet.

Happy Friday!! Happy Long Weekend!

Friday Pussy Blog: Hurricane Pussy Edition

2011-08-26T19:13:00.002-05:00

Friday. Bah. Exhausting week. Oblivious to what day of the week it happens to be. Spent much of the day thinking it was THURSDAY! Hence, the late post.

Jessie Lee knows not the day of the week, nor should I concern myself with such trivial matters. What matters is not the day of the week, but that the next two are off work.

And I shall spend my days reading a book and watching the Weather Channel and hoping my friends in the northeast will weather the storm just fine.

Friday Pussy Blog: Siamese Curling Edition

2011-08-19T18:03:00.002-05:00

Ahhh yes, another Friday is upon us.

Jessie Lee likes my rock!

Jessie Lee and Tater Tot waiting on dinner to be served.

Happy Friday!

Friday Pussy Blog: Hungry & Cranky Edition

2011-08-12T18:03:00.002-05:00

Shitfuck, what a week!

It's seafood Friday and everybody is ready!

Sissy waiting patiently.

Tot and Jessie Lee waiting not so patiently.

By the time you are reading this, everyone is happy.

Friday Pussy Blog

2011-08-05T18:48:00.002-05:00

I had a week from hell and didn't finish work until 6:30. So don't give me any shit about "only two photos" or "being late" because I don't fcking give a damn.

Sheldon HCWI (herding cats while intoxicated).

Jessie Lee loves how her daddy looks upside down.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Friday Pussy Blog: Eat & Sprawl Edition

2011-07-29T18:22:00.002-05:00

Eat and Sprawl... and throw up..

I have a hunch who did that.

His name is Tater Tot. The same boy who ripped the sofa the shreds.

Sissy has had her own problems this week.

(Sorry, no photos of the dried diarrhea I had to clean up in the kitchen this morning!)

Jessie Lee has been a good girl!

(Aside from the stanky sardine dump in the litter box this week!)

I loves my Siamese baby!!

Happy Friday everyone! I've had 12 straight days of work and I plan to kick off a real weekend tonight! Woot!

Friday Pussy Blog: The Jessie Lee Show

2011-07-22T18:31:00.002-05:00

It's The Jessie Lee Show! Starring the incomparable Jessie Lee!!

We now have the Cat Loaf position perfected!

She likes to stretch that arm out!

She thinks she wants a career in advertising because we .. um... sleep at our desks?

She's my big spoiled heavy girl!

Happy fuckin' Friday! Don't get me started on how insanely busy this week was!

Friday Pussy Blog: Siamese Action Edition

2011-07-15T16:23:00.002-05:00

It was one week ago yesterday that Jessie Lee arrived here. We kept her in a bedroom for the first 3 nights or so, and gradually began letting her out for a bit in order to get some exposure to Sissy and Tater Tot.

Things are going pretty well this week. She now stays out all day but hasn't yet had a full night with free reign over the house. Now that the weekend is here maybe we'll break that trend.

All 3 cats in one room!! Well, it is getting close to feeding time!

The Tot has been behaving himself for the most part. Hard to believe.

Sissy is handling the situation OK as well.

Jessie Lee is an in-your-face kind of gal! Definitely not shy!

The "Tit Eye" cracks me up.

Sheldon has to do cat removal from his office chair several times daily.

Watching Sheldon work in the kitchen.

It's actually been a fairly mellow week. Jessie Lee will still growl and hiss occasionally if another cat gets too close, but I think it's just her way of playing a game. A second later she has no problem with taking a swat at Tater Tot when his back is turned to her!

She's also quite adept with those cute little hands and will open cabinet doors with them!

We've always had good luck with new cats coming together and I think this new addition will be no exception.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Sunday 俳句

2011-07-10T21:36:00.001-05:00

Good Poetry is
fucking free so dive right in
tax due quarterly.

Friday Pussy Blog: Jessie Lee Intro Edition

2011-07-08T17:57:00.003-05:00

Sissy and the Tot know something is going on in the back bedroom behind the closed door.

Yes! We have a new cat!

Her name is Jessie Lee and apparently she's another shoe-sniffer!

Look at those whiskers!

The Siamese girl loves her daddies already. Especially me.

Sweet girl!

Slut!

Jessie Lee was adopted from the Austin Siamese Rescue and arrived at her new home yesterday afternoon.

She's about 2 years old and very much still a playful kitten. I think she is trying to make up for lost time since she didn't really get a lot of loving in her first home. She was taken away from it because they were burning her with cigarettes.

She then spent close to a year with her foster mom who works for the Siamese Rescue. It was too many trips back and forth to be put on display at various pet stores and she's ready for some relaxing time in her permanent home.

I love how she's so chatty and likes to use her hands to touch me, poke at me, etc. I'm so glad we got this girl even though it took close to 2 months after I first met her before I could get all the arrangements made!

Happy Friday!!

Friday Pussy Blog: Human Trauma Edition

2011-07-01T14:54:00.004-05:00

Those who follow me on Facebook know that I've had my eye on a sweet Siamese kitty for a couple of months. She's been living with her foster mom who works for Austin Siamese Rescue.

In order to adopt, there are a number of strict requirements. Current kitties need to be updated on all their vaccinations and daddy has to fill out a questionnaire and submit to a phone interview, and three friends were kind enough to write a few words on my behalf as a purrrfect cat daddy.

Trips to the vet have always been a huge ordeal for me. Samantha, my first cat (and partial Siamese), was probably the easiest cat to transport. She never put up much of a fuss about anything and enjoyed the company of strangers. Tater Tot is probably next in line in terms of ease, although he is on higher alert mode when strangers are in the house.

That brings us to the brother and sister: Sweet Pea and Sissy.

Sweet Pea isn't that difficult to coax into a situation. It was quite easy to just go outside, pick him up, and bring him into a bathroom until the vet arrived. He struggled only a bit. But once the bathroom door was closed, he howled like a banshee.

Sissy was enough to make me feel like I needed a valium. She was fiercely resisting as soon as I picked her up and headed for the master bath. The instant I placed her on the floor she was bolting for the door at lightning speed. I decided I might need to go ahead and put her in the pet carrier until the vet arrived.

I called out for Sheldon to bring it to the bathroom. When he arrived with the device, Sissy immediately knew this was going to be some kind of trouble. Her legs were flailing as I tried to ease her into the carrier. In a split second she can go from the sweetest kitty to something incredibly wild when any kind of uncertainty is on the horizon! Anything out of the ordinary just freaks her out!

Sheldon says the correct method for placing a kitty into a carrier is to set the carrier on the end with the door facing up, and lower the cat into it. Next time I may let him try this as I prefer to avoid scratches and puncture wounds. I think it's easier to set the carrier on the floor, open the door, grab the cat and poke her in and then close the door. Lowering the cat from above into an upward facing opening sounds good as long as the cat remains flaccid. Sissy was not flaccid. Anyone reading this have any preferred method?

Anyhow, I survived this trauma and so did the cats. Sissy has forgiven me and joined me on the bed for a nap. Sweet Pea subconsciously wishes he had just stayed inside where the air is cool rather than howling to get back out. And Tater Tot acts as if nothing at all happened.

Sweet Pea has a heart murmur we learned. He also has a little bit of gingivitis. The vet thinks before we take him for treatment, he should have an ultrasound performed on him to assess his heart condition. Mercy.

Tater Tot has a pretty severe case of gingivitis and one of his front fangs is longer than the other. The vet thinks it may be an infected abscess and might even need to be removed. Good heavens! We weren't expecting this!

What wasn't a surprise is that the Tot is obese. He weighs almost 17 pounds and his ideal weight is around 10 pounds. The vet seemed to think we'd be doing well to get him down to around 12 or 13. She approved of the cat food we're buying; he just needs less of it.

Ironically, Sissy also has gingivitis (apparently that's very common in cats!) and a possible abscess around the same tooth as the Tot! We also learned it's very important to treat these conditions because dental issues are the ones which can eventually lead to kidney failure.

So, it seems as if my mobile vet solution was only a temporary convenience and doesn't get me off the hook from having to poke a cat into a carrier and hauling it off to the vet. Oh, joy.

Happy Friday. Happy long 4th of July weekend!

When Facebook Fails

2011-06-28T20:43:00.003-05:00

You get your message out in another way. And then post it to Facebook!

Fine then. I'll post it this way. I am a resourceful man used to circumnavigating IT bullshit.

I even had trouble getting this far. Must be solar flares.

Friday Pussy Blog: iPhone Hipstamatic App Edition

2011-06-24T14:21:00.002-05:00

The Tot trying to snooze on a shelf in the office. Guess he got tired of "supervising."

Sissy waiting on Daddy to come take a quick nap. That may not happen today.

This was a week from hell. HAPPY FRIDAY!

Sunset 俳句

2011-06-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

sky is pink and blue
boys and girls now rejoice
segmentation rocks

俳句 - 今日は金曜日です。

2011-06-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

By the sound's silence
you will know when I have passed
with the night watchman.

Friday Pussy Blog: Patiently Awaiting Friday Seafood

2011-06-17T17:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday! About time for me to spoon up some moist treats for the pussies!

Tot waiting patiently.

Sissy waiting patiently.

WOOT! It's teh weekend! And a HOT one.

Tornado Tales

2011-06-15T12:28:00.002-05:00

Almost two months have passed since our family’s house in Vilonia was destroyed by a tornado. That devastating whirlwind seems like a pleasant summer breeze (not that such a thing exists in Arkansas) compared to the storm of change that has become our life since that April 25th evening that at once seems so distant and at the same time seems to have happened yesterday. We have gone from being homeless, staying with family and briefly at a hotel, to buying a house in Conway. Our oldest son is finishing college; our youngest son graduated from Vilonia High School, started a job, and will soon leave for college. Along with my beautiful wife, Netta, they are the reason I live.

Zoey the cat who took refuge in the closet, and who I couldn’t find afterward was found safe and sound the next morning. Our cat, Kelly Pavlik who thought that riding out a tornado underneath a king sized bed was a good idea, was as he usually is when it comes to matters of survival, correct. Two days after the tornado our neighbors Harold and Paulette were paid a visit by Kelly, who decided to steal a bowl of food left out for their cats. Since then he has been visiting Sue, my mother in law, at her house next door to the now barren empty lot that was our little piece of heaven. He shows up every night just after dark to eat and have some fresh water, just like he did for the four years he chose to live with us. I went over to Sue’s to wait for him to appear the other night, and he showed up, looking just fine. When I carefully opened the screen door to go visit with him and catch up on things, he walked off, meowing all the way, cat cursing me under his breath. I can’t say that I blame him. Eventually he may let me near him, but I understand. That night changed little Kelly Pavlik, just as it changed everyone and everything that survived that terrible night in April. I don’t know how much I have changed; my family and friends might be better judges of that, but I know I have changed.

I was in a daze for the first few days after the storm. There were so many people that showed up at our ravaged house the day after the storm that I can’t even place them all. There were heroic acts of kindness that still bring tears to my eyes. The parents of my son Evan’s friend who showed up and gathered all the clothes they could, stuffing them in garbage bags and taking them home to wash and dry. There must have been sixty loads. Thanks to them we saved almost all of our clothing. Family, friends and strangers showed up to cut trees, salvage what they could, and put the rest in piles of rubble. We moved all we thought that was salvageable over to my mother in law’s carport to sort through. The tornado had spared Sue’s house save for some roof damage, and destruction of nearly every tree in her yard, while our house, only a hundred yards east of her had been shredded. There were times I did not want any of the stuff that was left, it seemed so unimportant; what were once things I had worked to save for and buy were now a burdensome pile of mangled and meaningless junk.

Our belongings were scattered over an acre. Bicycles and wheelbarrows had been flung 500 yards across Highway 64, along with a good chunk of our roof, into our neighbor’s yard. The master bedroom furniture had seemingly disappeared. The house itself had been picked up and moved twelve feet. The roof was gone, the shed was gone, the carport was gone. My new KIA was totally destroyed, having the misfortune of having not one, but two BBQ grills bounced off of it. My little BMW convertible was parked next to it and had very little damage. I’d like to say it was because of the fine German engineering, but like everything that either survived or was destroyed in this tornado, including me, it was just a matter of blind luck. Being in the right or wrong place at the time; no divine intervention; nothing but chance.

As much destruction that was wrought by the Vilonia tornado, it also bore a gift. It made me realize how important people are, and how powerful the bond of family, friends, and community truly is. Material possessions are meaningless. People are what matter most. We were given help from so many that I am hesitant putting names down on paper for fear of leaving one person off. We were overwhelmed with what people gave us. We were loaned a truck to use for a month. We were given food, shelter, gift certificates, money. Our son Mason was given a place to stay to finish the school year near Vilonia. People offered their homes for us to live in. Most importantly we were given hope, and a reason to fight our way out of the hole fate had dug for us. There will never be any way we can repay the friends, family and strangers that saw fit to rescue us. They are the most precious and special commodity. Thanks, Tornado, for pointing that out to me.

The days after the tornado were a blur of never-ending trips to the old house, each one dredging up good and bad memories. We were and are alternately grateful, angry, sad, happy. As the weeks have flashed by we have replaced, bought, and sold vehicles. The week after the storm as we contemplated life without a house, we were inundated with offers of places to stay. With a Great Dane and a cat though we did not want to turn an act of kindness into an ordeal for anyone. We looked at a couple of rent houses, and then got a call from two dear friends. Their friends were selling a house in Conway; they had just finished painting it and getting it ready for sale: would we like to live there until it sold, rent free? Let me think….Heck yes! It was the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood. Friends and family started bring over furniture. Cat and dog beds, household items, furniture, food, and lots and lots of love.

We loved the house so much, we ended up buying it. We closed on it barely three weeks after losing our other place. We have begun furnishing our new home. The insurance folks were a pleasure to deal with and have made an unbearable situation bearable. We still continue to sort through the remains of our old house, always hopeful that the next plastic container we go through will yield some unbroken treasure from our past, alternately surprised that a Christmas ornament survived, and disappointed that some keepsake is missing or has been damaged beyond repair. Sorting through those plastic containers is exhilarating and heartbreaking. It seems like a never ending process.

We go shopping to replace things. Every decision seems monumental, and oft times we end up not buying anything. For everything we contemplate buying we think “How will t his look when it gets destroyed by the next tornado”? Nothing is permanent, nothing endures. As Stephen King said, “Everything’s eventual”. Through it all though, we press on. We have hope, we have friends; we are alive, and we are thankful. We love, and we are loved.

Friday Pussy Blog: Up Close and Personal Edition

2011-06-10T17:41:00.003-05:00

Holy shit, it's Friday already?

Holy shit, what a week!

I spent a few minutes on the bed this afternoon trying to catch a quick nap. That didn't happen. Thought I'd share with you what I get to see in my field of vision when I get on the bed.

Head rubs.

More head rubs.

Sitting on my chest with hairs tickling my lips and chin. VERY relaxing!

Of course, the Supervisor must monitor the situation. Always.

Nap time over. Let's go eat!

Friday Pussy Blog: Ball in a Box Edition

2011-06-03T17:49:00.003-05:00

A Zen-Like Day

2011-05-28T12:08:00.006-05:00

I get a 3 day weekend and how do I decide to kick it off? By sorting out white office paper from "other" paper and manila folders in an effort to recycle this 5-year-old crap that's been sitting around our house for too long!

And people think I'm funny because I now work almost 100% paperless. Never do I want to go down that road again.

This is what it looks like when you go through 5 or 6 boxes of files and separate out the white office paper from other paper. Pulling out the white paper was like reliving the 2 years of time I spent working for my own advertising agency.

I got all the white paper neatly packed into boxes. One piece of paper is almost weightless. Several thousand pieces of almost weightless pieces of paper is absurdly heavy.

I also got all the manila folders packed tightly in a box. Each one of those represents a television station in the US! Each had a label on it.

What a waste of time that was. We made labels, we created documents tailored for our business, we printed documents, faxed documents, got signed copies of our documents faxed back to us, and all that shit got filed away.

I loaded up the car with all the stuff and headed out to the Eco Depot recycling center and feeling quite pleased with myself for spending over 2 hours getting this properly prepared for recycling rather than just dumping it in a landfill.

The attendant at the recycling center took one look at the paper and said, "Oh, that all has staples in it. We can't recycle it with staples."

So it had to go in as garbage. The huge machine that processes the garbage was about 10 or 12 feet below the deck where I was standing. As I began to empty my boxes directly into this rather dizzying square "hole" and hoping I wouldn't fall into it, I realized that I was taking all my delicate sorting work and mixing it all back together again. White paper, colored paper, cardboard, and manila folders suddenly became reunited.

And I had to pay $13.50 for the privilege.

I could have more easily put all this in my dumpster at home although it might have taken a series of weekly pickups until it was all disposed of, so I guess it was worth the $13.50 to get it done all at once.

But this really has me a bit disturbed by the realities of recycling.

At the end of my wasted day, the Tot was happy to have an empty box.

Friday Pussy Blog: Orange on Orange Edition

2011-05-27T17:51:00.002-05:00

What a day! Office closed at 1pm. I had a nice lunch out of the house! And on top of that, it's a 3 day weekend! Despite the fact that I came home after lunch and worked until nearly 3PM, it still feels like a Saturday already. I almost forgot it was Pussy Blog Friday!

TOT!!!!

Thursday Bitch Blogging

2011-05-26T18:19:00.002-05:00

I've been taking care of the sweet bitches next door while the neighbors took a jaunt out of town this week.

Rio rarely sits still for a photo, and when she does, she's usually urinating or taking a dump.

Scout decided to be a good bitch and pose!

Rio coming to me. I have to snap fast!

Finally calming down. Rio needed a back rub.
(Yes, she was rolling back and forth on her back when I snapped this.)

It's been a fun week. I've always been partial to Rio but this week I bonded a lot more with Scout than I have in the past! Rio still gets the belly rubs though which is similar to the pose above when she's ready for it.

We Are Ancient!

2011-05-25T20:38:00.005-05:00

This is embarrassing but I'm telling it anyway.

Sheldon was just telling me about his computer at our first job together, and he said it didn't have a mouse.

What?

How can a computer not have a mouse??

Then I had to think back for a few seconds and remember that we were using pre-Windows units. All data entry, and tab over to the next field.

Could I cope with that now?

Might I also admit that I have enjoyed FM AM radio, 8-tracks, and the beautifully immediate editing capabilities of cassettes.

I'm not sure if I ever owned a recordable 8-track. How much do you think those might have cost?

Toad Shadows

2011-05-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

Toads are so odd. Sometimes I walk out on the patio in twilight and I hear them crawling down the toad-hole plastic drainpipes. They see shadows.

Other times I will walk out and catch one empty-handed and exposed. They deal with the vulnerability of human companionship on an as needed basis.

5 Year Blogiversary! YAY!

2011-05-23T19:56:00.006-05:00

I am tired of politics. I am tired of Republicans. I am tired of Democrats. I am tired of evil. I am tired of greed. I am tired of Netanyahu. In fact, I am tired of Israel. I am tired of war. I am tired of division. I am tired of terrorism. I am tired of weather. I am tired of the Pentagon. I am tired of media. I am tired of manipulation. I am tired of Wall Street. I am tired of speculation. I am tired of religion. I am tired of intolerance. I am tired of the Federal Reserve. I am tired of pointlessness.

I am tired.

Happy 5-Year Blogiversary to meeeee!

Friday Pussy Blog: Prepared for the Flash

2011-05-20T18:23:00.003-05:00

The Tot knows how to do it!

Sissy just stays focused on the food bowl.

Friday Pussy Blog: Waiting Around Edition

2011-05-13T17:48:00.002-05:00

Everybody is just waiting around on a Friday afternoon...

I have teased teh kittehs enough! Time for me to go open up a can of ~~whoop ass~~ ocean seafood and then pour myself a cocktail.

Happy Friday!

Life and Death and In Between

2011-05-09T18:44:00.006-05:00

Note from konagod: Wilf has contributed to my blog several times in the past. He and his wife, Netta, had a rather large loss recently. I asked Wilf if he would mind posting a diary of the event, and this is his submission. They are both very lucky people and I'm so happy they are a part of my life.

April 25, 2011 at 7:18 PM. My wife has left our house in Vilonia to go to her Nephew’s house down Highway 64 because of the impending severe storm. My son has already left the house to go stay at his friend Cody’s house who has a safe room. Nothing left in the 108 year old house at 945 Main Street but me, my dog Daisy, and my two cats, Zoey and Kelly Pavlik. Kelly has spent the day in the house, as he usually does, but has decided not to foray outside, as is his nightly routine, likely because of the stormy weather; he has the good cat sense not totry to brave this storm!. Unknown to me, Zoey has decided that hiding in the master bedroom bathroom walk-in closet is a good idea, and she is safely nestled in my wife Netta’s side of the closet, in amongst some shoes.

I have decide to stay behind because frankly I hate having to go and spend time in a dark, damp basement for what inevitably turns out to be a non- event. Severe storms with possible tornadoes have come through this area since I moved here from Canada in May of 1999, and I have steadfastly refused to budge out of what I imagined to be my safe little home regardless of how bad things are predicted to be. “What are the chances of a tornado hitting this exact house”? I often joked, just before my family, often at the insistence of Netta’s mother, lit out to take cover. At first Netta would get upset that I refused to take these storms very seriously, despite having seen what damage a tornado can wreak. Eventually she became resigned to the fact that I did not have the good sense to realize that the low odds of a tornado hitting our house did not mean zero odds, and that despite her pleading, I would always stay behind. I was probably a little smug even when the family returned and once again, I had escaped the big bad weather bogeyman.

April 25, 2011 was no different. At 7:00 PM, before Netta left in her truck to go to her Nephews she asked, with her usually silly sense of humor, “If something does happen, is this double indemnity”? “Nope” , I quipped, ” I think a tornado is considered an act of God”. We kissed, and I told her to be careful driving, and to call me when she got there. Mason, our 17 year old had already left to ride out the storm at his friends house, west of where we live.

At 7:05, I post on facebook “”All of the family off to shelters. Ill ride this out with the animals. I’ll take snow over this crap any day!” Netta posts back at 7:10 “Love you Wilf”, follow immediately by “Its almost like we are together” I respond at 7:18 with “Love you too, Netta”. Lots of lightning. Worst storm I’ve ever seen.”

Lighting strikes close to the house, thunder follows immediately, followed by more lightning and more thunder.. The lights flicker, then go out. My IPAD from which I have been posting to facebook loses the WIFI connection. I am really alone. The lights briefly flicker back on and almost as quickly the house is once again pitched into near darkness as the electricity to 945 Main Street, Vilonia Arkansas is cut off for ever. As I sit in the double recliner my in my bedroom, a recliner Netta and I have spent hours on, with Daisy, our Great Dane, snuggled between us, in our bedroom with the perfect bed, in our house that we have poured years of love, sweat, and tear into fixing up, remodeling, entertaining our friends and family in, raising two fine sons, and numerous pets, at times loving, at times laughing, and at times arguing, and at times making up, I realize that I may have made the final mistake of my life.

A tree limb, or possible an entire tree, crashes on the deck out side the French doors of our bedroom. I know this is no ordinary storm.. The rain is beating on our tin roof and the wind is screaming. I know that something very bad is going to happen. Daisy is in the bedroom with me. I grab her by the collar, pulling her with me towards the bathroom door, and towards the one place in the house my dear and beautiful wife has told me to go if I need shelter against a tornado. The one place surrounded by four walls none of which are on an outside wall. The closet in our master bedroom. I run into the closet with Daisy, close the door, and lay down with my arms around here, and then notice that our sweet little rescue cat, Zoey, is peering up at me from the corner of the closet. Kelly Pavlik, the cat who showed up as a scared kitten four years ago and who Daisy the Great Dane carried around like her puppy, is in the bedroom under the bed.

Then hell comes to 945 Main Street, Vilonia Arkansas. The wind is furiously ripping at the house, wanting it gone. Unknown things are hitting the house, wood is creaking, glass is breaking, the entire house is shaking. I look up to the ceiling as it disappears and is replaced by a view of a putrid yellow sky. It is now raining plaster and debris on me and the two animals I am sure are going to die with me on this terrible night. I hold on to Daisy, the rescued Great Dane from Mississippi who survived being abandoned, brought to Arkansas, and being adopted , only to end up here in a closet with a stupid, stubborn old man clutching her and trying to protect her from this cruel attack from mother nature I think of my wife and my sons, and I think what an idiot I am to be dying this way. I know that I will die, and am strangely resigned to that. I am wondering, though how exactly it is going to happen.. A tree on my head, or worse yet trapping me? Will I be sucked out of the closet and end up impaled on something? Will it be painful, or quick? There is no life flashing before my eyes, no panic, just the thought that if I have to die, please make it merciful.

Then it is over. Somehow, I am alive. How can that be? I stand up in the debris filled closet. I grab Daisy by the collar. I look around for Zoey but cannot see her. .. I open the door, not knowing what to expect. The bathroom is destroyed, except for the two closets. My wife has saved my life. I grab a jacket and some shoes. Outside the bathroom, all that is left in the bedroom is the floor. Both outside walls have vanished. The king sized bed is gone. I notice a TV set on the floor as I make my way to step out onto the deck. The deck is no longer there. I jump three feet down in mud and debris. I gingerly make my way along the side of the grass by the house and notice the Catawba tree the one that used to shade our front porch and was the place Netta always took a picture of the boys on their first days of the school year, was completely uprooted, and now lay across the walkway to what was left of our heavenly littlie home. I make a mental note that my carport is gone. Of the two cars that were parked under it, the convertible seems to have fared better than the new KIA. The KIA looks as if some giant has stepped on it, crushing it, while the BMW with its cloth top and plastic rear window seems unscathed.

I start running down highway 64 towards where my wife had sought shelter. I hoped the thing that had tried it’s best to kill me had spared my nephew’s house and she and her family were safe. There are trees, all manner of debris, power lines and telephone pole all over the highway. I run a quarter mile until I get to the Captain’s Carwash” where I see two trucks and people. I make my way into the carwash, and immediately hug a stranger who suddenly not a stranger, but a brother. A brother survivor. That was the first time I actually cried that night.

I decide to continue east, and flag down an SUV, that somehow is making its way down the obstacle course that used to be Highway 64. Two women let an old man with a Great Dane into their SUV. I am soaking wet, I am exhausted, and it is the best truck I have ever ridden in. We make our way through a maze of destruction: a semi tractor rig is overturned, on the side of the road, it’s under side facing the highway, the cab wrapped around a tree. Power lines criss-cross the highway. The destruction seems utterly complete. Houses are without roofs, trailers have disappeared, every tree seems uprooted, and everywhere there is debris form a hundred people’s lives. As we drive further into Vilonia, the damage lessens, but is extensive. After what seems like an eternity, but is actually probably 30 minutes we arrive at my nephew’s house. I get out of the truck, and am greeted by the most beautiful woman in the world. My wife Netta is safe. I cry for the second time that night. It is April 25, 2011, 7:54 PM, and my life has changed forever.

The Cost of Goods Sold

2011-05-07T09:36:00.004-05:00

I'm fascinated by boxes and packaging. Some of it can be quite elaborate and I suspect some engineering team is paid quite a sum of money to devise the packaging so that a piece of cardboard or plastic can be constructed in such a way to facilitate a rather complex arrangement of products inside them. It's mind-boggling to me sometimes. And the only purpose is to get a product -- usually an electronic gadget of some sort -- delivered to us efficiently. We unpack and toss the box. It served its purpose. Trust me, I have a lot of experience with boxes and packaging.

This morning I went to the garage to break down some boxes that were stacking up in our utility room. They were beer boxes used to bring home six packs that we have purchased the last few months. Nothing too elaborate or complex there: four flaps on the top and four flaps on the bottom.

I often think about the beers we like being so expensive. Yes, they are high-end beers brewed with loving care by people who love the craft. And frankly, after breaking down a few boxes and contemplating this, I'm amazed they, and everything else we consume, aren't more expensive. I wonder how much of the $9 for some six packs is actually to pay for the 72 ounces of beer?

The bottles can't be cheap. There are full color labels on each one, and bottle caps as well. Sometimes clever stuff is printed on the underside of the caps. Six beers go into a carrying container which is covered with full color graphics promoting the brew. Four of these carrying containers go into a box. Each of the boxes are covered in ink promoting the product, and the bottoms and tops of them are glued shut for shipment.

Some graphics designer had to be paid to come up with the artwork, and marketing concepts take time to develop. All that cardboard had to be shipped from somewhere, as did the bottles, caps, and labels, and the glue used to seal them. Workers are paid to make the brew, and box it up for shipment. Equipment used to bottle the beers can't be cheap and surely requires frequent maintenance. These facilities require cleaning, and their utility bills must be enormous.

Large 18-wheelers come and load up hundreds of cases of these beers and prepare to haul them thousands of miles across the land. Truck drivers need to be paid, trucks require maintenance, insurance, and lots and lots of expensive fuel.

Upon delivery, some store clerk is paid to unpack the boxes and place the six packs attractively on the store shelves, and many of them sit in refrigerated compartments. Those of us craving a nice hop-filled brew will go to the store, select our brew of choice, and pay a clerk who is earning several bucks an hour to take our money. They place the beers back into a shipping box and off we go to drink it. We throw away our bottle caps, and toss the bottles into a recycling bin so another large truck can come every Wednesday and pick them up.

After a few weeks of this, I start breaking down boxes again, and thinking about all that ink.

Friday Pussy Blog: Mighty Fine Loaf Edition

2011-05-06T17:50:00.003-05:00

CAT LOAF!

The Tot is waiting on the feeding to commence.

He's being rather pissy and looking away.

Sissy is running around like a wild woman. She needed to scratch on something.

OK, now where the hell is my seafood entree??

Happy Friday!

Friday Pussy Blog: Button Claw Edition

2011-04-29T18:26:00.002-05:00

Sissy's button claw finally came off today on the bed! I hope she grows another round one!

The kittehs are all making funny faces because I caught them just as they were cleaning themselves up after a tasty canned dinner.

Sissy

The Tot

Happy Friday! Busiest damn week I may have EVER had at work and it really didn't get that way until Thursday morning! So that gives you some perspective.

There Were Four. And Now There Are Three.

2011-04-23T08:02:00.008-05:00

Tiger showed up here mysteriously not long after we moved here in 1997. It was several years before we started referring to him as "our cat," despite feeding him daily and petting him when he needed some love. I was so detached from him for the first few years that I couldn't even be bothered to give him a creative name. He was just a generic "Tiger."

I also have a strong hunch he is at least a partial daddy to Sweet Pea and Sissy. Their mother was a neighbor's cat and would hang around our yard a lot. And then after having a litter of kittens, she deposited them on our back patio. We took Sissy to be an indoor cat and kept Sweet Pea and Coal Pot to live outside with Tiger.

There were many times when we tried to chase Tiger away because he was prone, in his younger days, to pick a fight with Sweet Pea. But he would always return on his best behavior, for awhile anyway.

I honestly thought Tiger was dying about 7 years ago. I had found him at the front of the house and he did not seem well at all. But he rebounded. Again and again. I can't count the number of times I had thought he only had weeks to live.

In the last 3 years or so he really mellowed out. The cat fights ended. Sometime last year he began to deteriorate again. He seemed dizzy and unstable. I knew something was wrong but it took awhile for me to figure out that he'd gone completely deaf!

He was also prone to having bad allergies and those really intensified during the last year as well. And for the past 2 or 3 months he had a really nasty nasal discharge, sometimes thick and brown, sometimes bloody red. Aside from the allergies I figured he was also having liver or kidney failure.

The deafness had an impact on the way he'd meow. Sometimes he'd just lip-synch it and it was barely audible. Around feeding time he developed a meow that was more gutteral and reminded me of the noise one of the aliens would make in the old original Star Trek series from the 60s. I got pretty good at mocking the sound and I always continued talking to Tiger even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

He never gave any indication he was in any pain though. He craved constant attention and I had to keep my eye on him because he'd sneak up on me and prick the back of my leg with his sharp old man claw in an effort to get my attention. That always worked!

I knew by the middle of this week that he probably only had hours to live. His right eye was runny and gummed up, the nasal discharge was getting worse, and his habits and personality were changing. He wouldn't come to patio at feeding time.

I think the last day I saw him was Wednesday afternoon when he was sitting on a step at the garage. He seemed to be meditating as he gazed over his ranch for the final time, or he may have just been suffering from severe dementia. That was the last time I rubbed his head. He began purring and then he meowed for real two or three times. It had a sharp edge to it. A death meow. He tried walking out to the yard --wobbly-- and then he fell. He got himself up, walked up the steps and back into the garage.

For awhile he sat just inside the the door we keep open so the cats can have garage access. And then he moved on into the garage and we haven't seen him since.

We've both looked throughout the garage and don't believe he's in there. We don't have that much clutter either. I walked around the yard yesterday searching and cannot find him. And honestly, he didn't have the stamina to wander too far.

I guess he needed to go just as mysteriously as he arrived. And I hope he died peacefully. Part of me finds it to be emotionally jarring not to have some official closure (i.e. a body I can bury in the ground) but I'm convinced based on his condition that he could not have survived the past 48 hours. He decided to die his way, and on his terms, and that is natural. I prefer that over hauling him away from the house to a vet's office to be injected with chemicals.

Watching a cat get old and die is not one of my favorite things, and I'm finding that writing cat obits is also not on my list either. But there is something strangely calming about the end.

Tiger: 1995-ish - 2011

Tiger at his prime!
Enjoy your rest, old man!

Friday Pussy Blog: Pussy Torture Edition

2011-04-22T18:00:00.003-05:00

Stick your fingers in your pussy pads, people! It's FRIDAY! YEEE-HAAA!

(Yeah, some of us had to work today!)

Sissy and her hairy feet!

Tot and his peachy pink toe pads!

Witchay Woman gave me the idea by sending me a photo of her finger in Gus' pads!

Then I had to ask Maggie Jochild to send in a shot of Dinah! (She was high on catnip!)

Friday Pussy Blog: Orange Overlord Edition

2011-04-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

Sissy was sprawled out across the kitchen floor waiting on that special can of something yummy to be opened. I grabbed my camera and she quickly got up to pose like a proper lady vs. the slut sprawl.

About that time the Totosaurus had to investigate and intimidate from his throne. Sissy then moved under the table to escape his gaze.

And the Tot was pleased with his accomplishment!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Friday Pussy Blog: Pooped Out Edition

2011-04-08T18:29:00.003-05:00

My computer is not cooperating tonight so there will be no pussy blog until Saturday. I probably need to reboot. This has been another hellish workday and I'm too tired to trouble myself with it.

Happy ~~Friday~~ Saturday!!!

Sunday Cat Food Discovery

2011-04-03T19:14:00.004-05:00

Today we went back for a 2nd visit to a pizza joint we like, and decided to check out the pet store nearby: Tomlinson's at Circle C.

Aside from a nice relaxed Siamese up for adoption, I was surprised at the brands carried at this store. I'd never heard of any of them. No IAMS; no Science Diet. It seemed like high quality stuff though, and the canned food was from $1.07 to $1.37 which is quite a bit higher than the 93 cents we pay at Petsmart.

I was also intrigued by the ingredients in many of these. Less grains. More veggies with the meat.

I opened up a can of the chicken tonight and was surprised when scooping it out that I could see pieces of bright orange carrot. I had no idea what to expect, but after buying 8 cans of the stuff, as well as a bag of dried food, I sure hoped they'd like it.

They did. It was the biggest hit yet.

Everyone is very laid back and content after dinner.

Sissy hanging out in the kitchen.

This poor old dying man is going to exit with some quality food. Poor old Tiger.

Sweet Pea enjoyed his meal.

The Tot always enjoys his!

Friday Pussy Blog: Feeding Frenzy Edition

2011-04-01T18:15:00.002-05:00

On the feline menu tonight: salmon!

Holy crap, what a week. First week on the new job and not a moment to even check on my blog since last Friday, much less finding time to post anything!

It'll get better.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Friday Pussy Blog

2011-03-25T13:40:00.002-05:00

I really need to get the boy a new box soon, although he thinks there's nothing wrong with the old one!

Today is my last day at my current company and on Monday I start with a new one, also working from home!

I've had some supplies and equipment to get boxed up and with several new empty boxes sitting around, the Tot has been enjoying himself!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Living in the Digital Age

2011-03-21T19:53:00.002-05:00

I've been scanning a lot of 35mm slides from my early years which predate digital photography and it has got me really appreciating the current era.

I'm in the process of creating Facebook photo albums of my early travels and I'm putting myself back in those shoes and it's incredibly frustrating.

Today the photo album was my Middle East trip when I was 17 and I was so disappointed that the only photo of me in Petra, Jordan was blurry. Had digital cameras been around, I could have had several shots taken until I had a good one.

There's also the upcoming European photo album in which I have a great photo of an older gentleman on a train in Switzerland smoking a pipe. He agreed to let me take his photo if I'd send him a print. So I had to get his mailing address, have a print made when I got home, and send it to him.

Good Lord, don't we have it easy these days? Now, he'd probably have an email address or a Facebook page, I could take the photo, upload to my page, and send him a digital print in a matter of seconds.

Film was also weird because I'd come home from a trip and have an unfinished roll in my camera. It might be 3 months before I'd shoot up the last 8 or 10 photos on the roll, send it off to be developed, and then get the slides back in the mail.

We have it so easy these days.

Photography has been a beneficiary. Not so sure about music.

Hello Limbo! I Really Haven't Missed You!

2011-03-19T09:15:00.004-05:00

Despite holding jobs at 7 different advertising agencies since 1999, I still forget how stressful it can be when you voluntarily leave one for another. I'm not saying that getting fired and/or laid off and subsequently being unemployed for a spell isn't stressful, but it's a different kind of stress. Being laid off or fired is rather immediate. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Resigning from a position and giving two weeks' notice is a different animal. In many instances, particularly when leaving one to take a job with a competitor, it is very common to be dismissed on the day you give your notice. And that's great. Especially if they pay you for your 2 weeks. I just happen to be one of the lucky few who always seems to be kept on for the full 2 weeks.

I had been toying with the idea of leaving agency A for agency B for a couple of months. Leaving agency A just never made much sense though. If you are enjoying your work, and love the people with whom you work, and you make an adequate income and have excellent benefits, including a month of paid vacation each year, why leave?

That is the question I kept asking myself and the answer was always easy: I don't leave. There's no point.

Sometimes it's just not that simple. Sometimes you may feel you are not being adequately challenged. Perhaps there is no perceived growth opportunity, or one is lacking all the tools needed to excel in work. And then there is the mother of all excuses: job insecurity.

On Friday, the 11th of March, I found myself on the receiving end of a verbal employment offer. And this started a frenzied whirlwind of emotions as I analyzed and compared the status quo to the new adventure. I believe I had immediately made the decision to accept, but wanted to give it a night to sink in. Ironically, while I was on the phone discussing the new employment offer, my boss was trying to call me with a proposition involving a change in my work responsibilities which I interpreted as not ideal.

Saturday morning I spoke to my future boss and accepted. Earlier that morning I had already composed my resignation letter. But it really wasn't a relaxing weekend, and those two events kicked off an anxiety storm I haven't experienced in a long while.

I did not resign right away on Monday. I had a hunch there was drama brewing based on the Friday call with my boss. Sure enough, here came the "organizational announcement" email announcing some layoffs. Soon to follow would be some restructuring announcement.

At the end of the day I somehow harnessed the strength within me to call my boss and announce my resignation. She took the news rather hard and tried to convince me to reconsider. In the end I told her to keep the resignation email she was hoping to delete, treat it as real, and I'd call her Tuesday morning and let her know the final decision. I already knew the decision but that did not stop me from waffling again and wrestling with various factors for the 53rd time.

On Tuesday I had the call. That, of course, set off a chain reaction. First, there was the call from HR asking questions about my motivations and whether or not I'd reconsider. Then came the call from the VP with a similar set of questions.

By early afternoon I was mentally exhausted and decided to take a lunch break at 1:45 to go rest on the bed for an hour. Unfortunately, at around the same time, another "organizational announcement" email appeared which informed the staff that I was leaving the company on March 25. And then my phone began to ring. Needless to say, there was no lunch break that day! Nor would there be the typical immediate dismissal which would have provided me a sense of relief!

Wednesday and Thursday were brutally busy as I spent time on the phone with co-workers who would be taking on my responsibilities. Thankfully, by Friday, things began to calm down and I was able to leave the house for a nice relaxing lunch at a restaurant. I got some of my non-essential equipment and office supplies boxed up ready to ship back to the office.

Next week I'll be available for support as needed and I'm hoping it will be a quiet week. However, this limbo is a strange sensation and I now remember why I dislike changing jobs. It is a form of agonizing torture and emotionally disruptive.

March 25 seems so very far away.

Friday Pussy Blog: Passed Out Edition

2011-03-18T17:08:00.002-05:00

I've had quite the week and I'm tired as a Tot!

Normally, he'll wake up for the camera. At least one eye.

Not a chance. That boy is GONE.

This afternoon he was able to assemble a loaf.

Although Sissy is not known for being a Cat Loaf, she managed to get about as close as she ever has.

I'll post more about the events of my past week, which severely inhibited any other posting this week, on Saturday.

Sunday Shopping

2011-03-13T13:51:00.001-05:00

I'm so very happy that my Kohl's card still functions normally after filing bankruptcy in December because I was able to save 30% on a new business suit!

Friday Pussy Blog: Pussy Galore Edition

2011-03-11T10:26:00.002-06:00

Just some random pussy stuff today. Pulled a couple from an email chain making the rounds....

This is how hairballs get started.

This is the funniest cat photo I've seen in eons! Cat Loaf from below! Always wondered what it looks like under there. Now we know.

Witchay Woman's Gidget.

And Witchay Woman's daughter's Gadget.

And of course, the grooming Tot.

And a boxed Tot.

I really am tempted to get a clear plastic box so I can get a photo of a square Tot! That would be a screamer!

Happy Friday!

Where Do Gurus Hide?

2011-03-09T08:14:00.002-06:00

I've heard him described as a "living saint," and something more than a mere mortal. And now he's a fugitive from justice with an arrest warrant. God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

With the subject of their deliberations still missing and presumed on the lam, a Hays County jury on Tuesday sentenced a religious guru to 14 years in prison for each of 20 counts of molesting two girls who grew up on the Hindu ashram he founded and led in Central Texas.

This should not be so shocking. We read about church leaders all the time who have been caught in a sex scandal of some kind of another. But I have a keen interest in following this story due to my personal involvement and experiences, and the friendships I've had with a number of devotees, as well as having business dealings with some of them early in my career.

I can't help but be dismayed by the blind allegiance to this man, and attempting to justify improprieties against a 12-year-old.

When he began fondling her when she was 12, Rose said: "It just felt so wrong. He was my first kiss by a man ever. The first time anyone touched my breasts, it was Prakashanand."

In the few instances in which they told an adult of the incidents, the women said, they were instructed that the touching had a higher purpose. "I was told it was a test and if I failed it I would go to hell," Rose said. The other women said they were told the guru was gracing them.

[...]

The dramatically differing testimony left jurors with the task of establishing whether the women were lying to hurt the guru or whether his devotees were lying to protect him. Each side struggled with proving or disproving a case based on incidents alleged to have occurred 15 years earlier.

Well, let's see here. A devotee tells a young girl who has not yet entered her teens that she will go to hell if she does not allow a saint to fondle her breasts and kiss her lips. It is not hard to see who is trying to protect whom.

One also has to wonder just how brainwashed you'd have to be to fork over enough bail money to sustain a struggling town during an economic downturn, or feed 100,000 poor and homeless people quite well for a month or longer.

Hays County authorities also began the process of collecting $11 million in bond money and other financial commitments they said Prakashanand forfeited when he did not show up in court Monday morning.

[...]

...[Peter] Spiegel, a direct-marketing executive who lives primarily in California, has the most to lose from Prakashanand's disappearance. Not only did he put up a $1 million cash bond, he also signed a $10 million indemnity agreement in October 2008. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to return the guru's passport so he could travel to his other temples.

Prakashanand's passport was revoked five months ago, but prosecutors said the agreement still called for Spiegel to pay $10 million if the guru did not show up for trial. On Tuesday, Spiegel said he did not fully understand what he was signing at the time.

Bullshit! I've known this savvy businessman for 20 years. He did not amass his wealth by not fully understanding what he was signing at any time! I'm sorry he placed a bet and lost, but you don't get to demand your $11 million back from a casino because you didn't fully understand how the craps table works!

WHAT WOULD JESUS DRIVE?

From my early exposure to Swamiji and his devotees, I distinctly remember an emphasis being put on total devotion to God, rather than being focused on maya, the illusion of our present reality which interferes with our understanding of God.

It's always refreshing to see the preacher of such a beautiful philosophy driving around in a Lexus with vanity plates!

Meanwhile, the guru is missing and law enforcement can't seem to locate an 82-year-old bearded man in saffron robes. I can't help but wonder if they are searching in the wrong country, despite the revocation of his U.S. passport. Perhaps the notion of justice is also part of maya.

Falling From Religion

2011-03-05T09:39:00.007-06:00

I'm not sure why I spent so much time earlier in my life searching for a religion that was right for me. In my 20s I basically explored every aspect of Christianity before abandoning that altogether.

As I entered my 30s and got my first real job in the advertising industry 20 years ago in Los Angeles, I worked for a company whose founder and several employees were involved in the Hindu religion. They were great people and were passionate about their religion.

I attended a few events and ceremonies in an effort to give that a whirl. It seemed like the last best chance. The spiritual leader would swing through town two or three times a year and I looked forward to attending a service in his presence.

The first time I saw him I was rather surprised at his child-like qualities. At one point during the service he unexpectedly began throwing candy at the devotees. And I don't use the word "throwing" lightly. I mean he was hurling candy at us like there was a large cash prize for any injuries sustained!

After a few more weeks of careful consideration, I decided to opt out. There were too many rules, too much obsession, or devotion, if you want to call it that. Clearly, it was not right for me.

I like to attribute my departure to Ella Fitzgerald. One evening as I was driving to a satsang, I had the radio set to my favorite jazz station and heard Ella. It wasn't the first time I'd heard her sing, but the particular song resonated with me in a way that few songs do.

At that point I decided I'd rather do a U-turn, skip the satsang, swing into Tower Records, and buy that CD! And then I went home. I have never had a calling for any particular religion again since that night.

There is an Austin connection to all this. The owner of the ad agency was a major figure in this group, and was a key financial contributor as they acquired land outside of Austin and began construction of the temple. She also established a 2nd advertising agency in a building on the temple grounds. Devotees at the Los Angeles agency began their exodus to Austin in the mid-1990s.

As I was getting tired of the LA rat race, txrad and I made the decision in 1997 to take positions at the agency on the temple grounds and we moved here. We bought the house we live in today primarily because of the proximity to the temple. It was a short 9.5 mile commute to work.

That agency is no longer around and I've had 5 other jobs in advertising since I left there. I've also seen a number of my friends who were hardcore devotees drift away during that time which I thought was rather surprising considering their earlier intense feelings about it.

Maybe they had a hunch that something was amiss with the guru. I don't know for sure, because I've never discussed it with any of them. Let's just call it a "touchy" subject.

God Bless Ella!

Friday Pussy Blog: Pussy Supervisor Edition

2011-03-04T17:15:00.001-06:00

I am always closely monitored at work.

Happy Friday!

I Can Do This Here

2011-03-02T20:11:00.001-06:00

No Facebook needed.

Politics 2011

2011-03-02T19:11:00.004-06:00

I just don't think I can deal with it.

Between the various birthers and other nutbags on Facebook, I've about had it with the right wing rigidity.

Facts and logic no longer are of any consequence.

Nothing this dude says reflects presidential material.

But can someone explain this to me?

The south is gaining seats in the Electoral College as a result of the 2010 census, giving the region a little more clout in the presidential race.

The people moving into the south are coming from other areas of the country, obviously. Is it just conservatives who are migrating and no one else? So why doesn't this make the other areas more liberal as their conservative residents vacate for nirvana?

I've Lost My TweetDeck

2011-03-01T22:04:00.001-06:00

But can someone on the planet reassure me that Radiohead didn't ALSO steal from Heligoland's "pitcher, flask and foxy moxie?"

Thank God I'm Still Here

2011-03-01T21:39:00.003-06:00

I'm just not ready for it, I guess!

Please, God, don't turn me into Atrios.

At least nothing was Tweeted here.

Oasis Was The Best Band Ever

2011-02-28T21:07:00.003-06:00

God, these guys are so full of themselves. So pompous in a Beatlesesque, Doorsy, Bunnymenishy with Echo. But thinking they are the greatest turds the shitgod ever shat.

Lemons in February

2011-02-27T17:19:00.001-06:00

Yes, as a matter of fact, I did just pick some lemons in February from our tree.

Tomato Crop 2011

2011-02-27T11:20:00.005-06:00

I'm rather excited. I got off my butt in January and planted heirloom tomatoes from seed at the appropriate time and we'll now have a pretty good crop ready to be planted in the garden in about 2 weeks.

Look how hairy they are!

Video Comparison Test

2011-02-26T17:06:00.006-06:00

I decided to spend my Saturday afternoon trying something fun and a little different. I got out the old Digital 8 Handycam and shot about 35 seconds of video at kona ranch, and then shot the same video using the iPhone.

I won't tell you which is which. I can tell you which one I prefer holding and using!

If the iPhone is indistinguishable from the Handycam, the latter will be getting donated to Goodwill.

Video #1:

Video #2:

Cast your thoughts in comments.

Here's what is funny. By the time I got these uploaded to YouTube and got this post ready, I had gotten confused about which video belonged to which device. Having seen them side by side, there really is no doubt.

Friday Pussy Blog: Dirty Pussy Edition

2011-02-25T16:30:00.002-06:00

Rejoice! It is Friday!

Sweet Pea has apparently been rolling around in a dirt pile. He is covered in grass and dirt.

Sissy doing her Queenly pose atop the down comforter.

Tater Tot doing his smug-ass supervisor pose.

The Truth Shall Set You Free

2011-02-23T20:07:00.003-06:00

People are starting to express themselves
albeit, minorities, but everyone is a minority depending on the position you hold.
The majority is going to have to deal with it, as well as the minority.

And then we have to grow. Buckle up!

Friday Pussy Blog: Pussy Footin' Around Edition

2011-02-18T17:06:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, Witchay Woman sent me this photo of her daughter's cat with a suggested "cat paw" theme. I didn't see the email in time to get it together last Friday, but here we go!

The Gadget paw.

The outrageously pink Tot paw.

Two Tot hands and an outrageously pink Tot nose.

My human paw poking at the pink Tot belly.

Happy Friday!
And President's Day weekend.
All 3 days of it for those of you (like me) who are fortunately to have 3 days off.

Now Playing

2011-02-18T10:13:00.000-06:00

Tuesday 俳句

2011-02-15T08:42:00.002-06:00

Hate to break the news...
blonde chicks bouncing up and down
do nothing for me.

A Test for Office Seekers

2011-02-14T19:49:00.003-06:00

I have decided we need to have a test for anyone planning to run for public office. If you fail the test, you can't run.

I normally don't approve of this sort of thing, especially when applied to the right of citizens to vote. But when it comes to running for office, these are like job candidates who have to submit a resume and in many cases, take a test to determine competency.

If an aspiring candidate believes, for instance, that the world was made in 6 days, and is only 6,000 years old, and that evolution is bunk, then they need to be excluded from eligibility.

We need to get back to some basic intellectual standards in this country if we are to survive as a nation.

Plenty of voters are quite stupid and gullible. But their choices in a race should be limited to those who do not exploit the stupidity. Voters might actually have to start thinking for themselves again. Maybe the really dumb ones will bow out once the lowest common denominator of politician is barred from running for office.

Can you tell I'm tired of this shit?

Grammy Commentary Starts Now

2011-02-13T19:10:00.027-06:00

As much as I love Christina, she needs to tone it down just a notch. Florence isn't in the big leagues but she's got her own niche anyway. Aretha should be proud of her sisters nonetheless.

Here comes the Lady Gaga egg. My mother would not understand or appreciate this!

I like Miranda Lambert because she just sings without any "show."

I'm amazed it's so bright there. Lots of sunglasses after dark.

MUSE!!
Best show for world revolution!

Miranda for Grammy! YES! I can predict this shit!

She looks like she's wearing the mud outfit in the Swiffer commercial.

Justin Bieber is a Maple Leafs fan!! And he can play an instrument!

Black horns and George Clinton wannabes.

I may have to toss off for the night. Missing a lot, I knew this was a mistake.

There is a chichihua puppet in color next to a black man in color? Amid a field of color and egg shit.
Country radio redux. You can fu..get yourself!

Does Bob Dylan only stand up for the grammys?

It doesn't what on Maggie's farm no more?

I'm not stupid. I figured out Mumford & Sons and the noose around my neck.

Te band I accused of being the Decemberists?

Black hair. You can be anyone.

He's gonna get old and lose that hair eventually. And then what's he gonna do?

And Christina Aguilera will be like 80 by then. It'll be like Mae West revisited.

Ninja drummers and flames provide a distraction.

MUSE wins a Grammy!!

I hope Bob Dylan can stay awake and display some enthusiasm.

Susan Boyle's nomination was a mercy vote.

Lady Gaga still has shoulder horns.

THIS. One big fail. All the commentary from the iPad failed to post here. I think I'll just shut this down here and maybe delete.

Oh, wait. It did get everything.

Never mind.

Going to watch Katy Perry. Like her red gown is so fucking large it requires a crane to carry it. Nice job and making the lesser peons feel like shit.

Once the pot humor starts, I'm done and baked.

Bravo for free speech and whatever.

Can we just turn this into an art form and forget about the profit motive?

Technologically Obsessed

2011-02-12T17:15:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I send emails to myself.

Friday Pussy Blog: Workplace Ultimate Challenge Edition

2011-02-11T16:39:00.002-06:00

It's been a wild week on all fronts!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Nothing to see here because...

2011-02-10T20:19:00.002-06:00

... I just wanna read shit.

Yeah, seriously.

And change my header.

No.more.snow.

And pretend like mortality is a figment of my wildly distorted imagination.

No.more.truth.

Time for a fry flip....

be back when the logistics chick stops sounding like that chick who has stolen the sound of that chick's album I bought back in the 80s. Yeah.

Login with:

2011-02-09T19:44:00.004-06:00

Does anyone else hate this shit? I mean, come the fuck on!

Why do I need so many login options?

Does this not remind you of deregulation circa 1984 when you used a pay phone and there were buttons to press for whether you wanted your long-distance carrier to be AT&T, Sprint or MCI? There were others.

What fucking difference does it make? Deliver the fucking message!

Ah-Ha!

2011-02-07T22:28:00.004-06:00

The joke is on you.

It is a hippie movement.

Socialist.

Athenian,

Hippiest. Fuck. Wgat==t?

Adele questioned me?

Shut the fuck up and let me get my butt in the right place.

What the did that have to with Adele?

Something. I'm not sure what.

Keeping Austin Weird and Wonderful

2011-02-06T13:53:00.004-06:00

I felt like I had a mini-vacation today as we headed into the big city for lunch at Veggie Heaven across from the campus of UT. I was craving some veggie ham and we have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Veggie Heaven is a great little restaurant. They put out boxes of cooked rice on a table next to the door so the homeless can come help themselves for some take-out.

After lunch we headed to a nearby crystal shop where I bought my opal back in the summer of 2008.

As I was browsing various rocks I could smell incense burning and was tempted to ask the young woman working there what it was. It smelled like pot. I picked up an unmarked stone and turned to ask her if she knew what it was, and I swear she was holding a burning joint.

She did not know what it was. But I bought it anyway because I like it a lot. I also bought txrad a Seraphinite so that he may establish contact with the highest order of angels, as well as seeing his life clearly.

We may have to take turns wearing it! It was worn to prevent snakebite during ancient times. Can't have too much protection against that!

Now I need to do some research and figure out what I'm protected from with the one I bought.

Gifts From Afar

2011-02-05T17:53:00.003-06:00

My neighbors just got back from Costa Rica and brought me a couple of treats for taking care of their dogs while they were traveling.

There's the coffee from Costa Rica which I shall be having in the morning...

And then there's the nifty bottle opener which I'll grasp firmly tonight as I open the first beer.

Those folks in Costa Rica do pay attention to detail. It even has a little pee hole in the tip!

(Start counting the hours until Photobucket clues in and deletes this from their photo storage site.)

Oh, dear, let me collect my thoughts...

2011-02-04T21:30:00.001-06:00

This insanity will NOT pass muster!

Friday Pussy Blog: Snow Cat Edition

2011-02-04T11:05:00.002-06:00

I may have figured out the origin of some of the paw prints in the snow.

Yep, Sweet Pea is one of them.

Making more tracks.

Meanwhile, the Tot is snuggled up in his box.

And Sissy is huddled up on the bed.

The cat treats have sprouted in a sunny window and will soon be ready for nibbling.

Happy Friday!

February Snow

2011-02-04T06:47:00.004-06:00

It's 21° as I type this, and with an unprecedented 72 hours of sub-freezing weather under our belts, we end the week with snow!

And there is clear evidence of a feline coming out of the garage for a morning meal.

The good news is that snow never hangs around as long as our sub-freezing temperatures have this week, and I suspect that by noon there will be no trace of it. Sunshine is in the forecast! And the weekend should be near 60° finally!

I'm the kind of asshole...

2011-02-03T21:01:00.001-06:00

...who would buy up the first 5 seats at an Iron Maiden concert just so I could stretch out.

A Fine Day for January Gardening

2011-01-29T17:13:00.003-06:00

I woke up this morning with a minor hangover which usually means I will not be venturing far from the house. We had leftover spinach & mushroom casserole from last night so that took care of lunch. After lunch I was starting to go a little stir-crazy after having been working at home all week, so I decided it was a fine day to start some gardening projects.

I emptied all the soil from pots on the patio into the wheelbarrow. I removed all pots from the patio, got some trays soaking in water to loosen the dried dirt, and then swept all the leaves and acorns from the patio.

A bit later I ran over to the nearby Natural Gardener to select some heirloom tomato seeds. A generous number of those have been planted and are residing on a bench in a south facing window in the living room.

Black Krim on the left and Cherokee Purple on the right. (I think! Who cares! They're all good.)

I also got some seeds for the kitties: mixed greens and catnip!

After photographing everything, I got a few containers of the Amish Paste and Mortgage Lifters planted, as well as the felines' mixed greens. The only thing left to plant is the catnip.

The cats will get their treat long before I do as the mixed greens should sprout and grow rather quickly.

Productivity is a wonderful thing.

Friday Pussy Blog: Tres Hombres Edition

2011-01-28T16:44:00.003-06:00

What a spectacular Friday! Sunny, calm, 73°F/23°C, it doesn't get much better than that for January!

I really tried to get a shot of the two boys sitting on the mat, but if Tiger thinks there is an opportunity for some fur stroking, he'll come running.

The Tot is content to sit in the sun waiting for feeding time which will happen in about 10 minutes.

Happy Friday!

SOTU

2011-01-25T22:14:00.002-06:00

Dear Teacher,

The one thing I learned tonight is that I can pick any buttharp out of 6 notes and nail it with Jethro Tull.

Do I get bonus points for that?

Signed,

konagod (with love most sincere)