Year: 2007
Biting the Hand that Cures It
Posted on April 13, 2007 in Photos Strange
I suspect that this beastie is now in the process of being converted into an expensive set of luggage:
[tags]crocodile,anthrophagy,gross,strange[/tags]
City of the Silent 3
Posted on April 13, 2007 in Site News
Things are moving along. I expect to have the meat of the site up by next week except for the Epitaph Browser and Last Words, both huge projects. I am a quarter of the way setting up the Timeline. Made a good start on the Folklore section and just about done with the FAQs. The Taphophile’s Handbook is coming along nicely and the Articles section is just about up to date. Plenty to see in the galleries. And waiting for my first comment at the site.
Found a couple of photographers to show me their corner of the world and looking for more. And I am watching other sites for any hint of talent in this area.
Overall, it’s still a long way to go, but I am getting there.
Prowling Like a Cat for A Cat
Posted on April 13, 2007 in Cats Neighborhood
The stretch of Saddleback Ranch Road running between the school and its intersection with Ridgeline became excruciatingly longer after we posted several “Lost: Black Cat” signs. What usually disappeared with a little pressure on the gas pedal took us five to ten minutes to pass. Even as the clock approached midnight, cars and pickups zoomed by at a rate of about two per minute. In between the engine noise, we listened in the silence for a petite meow. Our baby, Virginia Mew, remained lost.
Yesterday I ran into a man who said he’d seen a strange black cat on Monday morning. Tonight, we combed that area and plastered the stop signs with signs. I whistled for it using a formula we hadn’t used since we moved from northern California. We never did need to call her. The scent of food or the snap of a cat food can lid brought her out of her hiding places. What could we use to bring her forth?
Sites suggested that we hang posters everywhere we could think of, call vets and visit the animal shelter. In the meantime, we were welcome to walk the streets and make noises that might make our neighbors anxious or mirthful.
When I whistled the “here kitty” jingle, someone whislted back at me. “I’m trying to find my cat,” I begged. “Please don’t do that.”
Padding the streets only exhausted our supply of posters and tapes. Virginia Mew remains at large and I despair of ever seeing her again. Someone called on the phone and hung up before I could answer. Was it a wrong number, a prankster, or someone who got my answering machine with news of my kitten and who decided to call back later? In the dark, when it is quiet, I go out to the deck and whistle. Out there she must be listening. Do I do it often enough or loud enough?
And when will my neighbor get home?
[tags]cats, Southern California, Orange County[/tags]
Friday Anteater Blogging – Rampage!
Posted on April 13, 2007 in Xenartha
This fresh out of Argentina:
A young Argentine zookeeper who worked on a giant anteater conservation project has died after she was attacked by an anteater who mauled her abdomen and legs with its sharp front claws.
“Her injuries were very serious and when she was admitted she was already in critical condition,” Jose Potito, director of the hospital, said.
Potito said Melisa Casco, 19, died after an operation to amputate one of her legs….
Different reports said the anteater was male, or female, and may have been protecting offspring or was in heat.
We never said that anteaters were cute and cuddly did we now? (Should I change this to Friday Sloth Blogging? Your opinions sought.)
[tags]anteaters[/tags]
Dream
Posted on April 11, 2007 in Dreams
I am home. The only room which possesses a floor is my own.
A Little Bit of a Rewrite
Posted on April 11, 2007 in Humor?
This is adapted from the article posted here and dedicated to my wife, who is a [[Quaker]].
The Quaker is highly social, friendly and energetic. They are playful, cheeky and inquisitive and make excellent talkers. The voice of the Quaker has a distinct croaky/clicking sound and raspy chattering is frequently heard. Socialisation and interaction form an important part of the Quaker daily routine. This positive training approach should be used to overcome the domineering behaviour that some Quakers may exhibit. They should not be confined to the cage as this may lead to behavioural problems.
Quakers are active, inquisitive, mischievous, intelligent, playful, and engaging.
Their antics are a constant delight. They are completely devoted, bonding closely.
They are strong chewers and can rapidly demolish even rigid items — which must be kept in mind for their safety. Keeping Quakers entertained will keep their minds off inappropriate activities.
The Quakers respond well to training. If neglected, they can develop behavioral problems, such as screaming and aggressive behavior.
Many Quakers sing songs and pick up extensive vocabularies. Most Quakers learn to talk at about six months. They speak quite clearly and use their skills most appropriately. They can entertain themselves for hours chirping, whistling and practicing human vocalizations. Some consider them very noisy, while others describe them as moderately noisy and might even enjoy their chattering. The rule, however, is that they like to “hold long (and noisy) conversations”. The Quakers also acquire modeled loud sounds, such as barking, screaming and the chronic coughing of a human.
The best response to inappropriate sounds, in most cases, is to ignore them, not by rewarding them with a reaction, such as shouting.
[tags]Quakers, Quaker Parrots, humor[/tags]
Open Thread #11: Therapist Gender
Posted on April 11, 2007 in Open Thread Therapy
Here’s a question for all you mental health consumers: do you think it is better to have a therapist of the same sex or the opposite sex?
Boring Within and Without
Posted on April 11, 2007 in Cats Daily Life Paranoids
Part of me wonders if the continued, unbridled hits on my site are merely efforts by my stalker to track each and every thing I say. I once saw someone do this to a prominent blogger who had the habit of making disparaging remarks about people and then changing them so he wouldn’t be caught. Or maybe he just had the habit of writing a nasty article first, then cleaning it up for the final review?
In any case, it’s not my time being wasted, but I’m inclined to check my bandwidth to see where all this traffic is coming from.
Meanwhile, little Ms. Mew has not returned home. My neighbor seems to have left on a trip. I wonder if there is a connection? (As in she went inside his house while he was packing and got locked in?)
[tags]cats,paranoids[/tags]
City of the Silent 2
Posted on April 11, 2007 in Site News
I’ve moved a few articles into the new setup. I still have a lot to do, mostly in the form of moving the epitaphs and last words collections — this could take months — and the folklore collection. The FAQs and the articles I wrote for the City in its old form are available to registered users. When you register, you are also entitled to contribute to the forums, make comments, and submit questions for the FAQs.
As I noted before, I am looking for volunteers — especially photographers and tombstone tourists (taphophiles).
Bad Weekend
Posted on April 10, 2007 in Anxiety Daily Life Frustration
Despite everything, I am feeling OK. Not crushed by the Universe, not in an unwinnable argument with God. Well, maybe I need to take a [[Xanax]] after all this. DAMN! THINGS ARE JUST FUCKED UP! My stalker will be happy except that I am going down mostly smiling. It doesn’t affect every minute. Really:
- I go to have a document notarized and discover that my driver’s license is missing. When I go to the DMV for a replacement, I get called to a window where I the clerk is yapping away with a pal while the two previous people are waiting for him to catch up!
- My student decides to bring me a special Easter treat which is colored hard-boiled eggs — a food that I loathe.
- I go on an Easter Retreat in Julian and discover that we have neglected to pack my [[Tegretol]].
- I discover that my digital camera is on the blink. I won’t have the money to replace it (as I want to replace it) until June. So much for some work I’d planned to do down there.
- When we get home from said retreat, we discover that we left the front door open. Everything is there except for one cat still, as of this writing, missing.
- I go to my second visit with a therapist and discover that she’s come to the difficult decision of getting out of the network of approved providers. (She’s going to refer me to another woman in her office.)
Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Apply sympathy below.
[tags]personal disasters, bad luck, torments, the wrath of God, divine retribution, life sucks, frustration, anxiety, daily life[/tags]
Friday Anteater Blogging – Oh Give Me A Home….
Posted on April 6, 2007 in Xenartha
Home, home on the range
Back to the real thing, the Giant Anteater of South America. Here’s a video showing one romping around in the Pampas.
Who needs cat or squid blogging when anteaters combine the best qualities of both?
