Summer reading so far:
* The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
* Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
* Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins
* Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
* Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
* To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
* Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
* How To Be Good by Nick Hornby

Last movie seen:
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Rating: Ick

Oh, the pressure
I'm not sure why I did it, but I went and told a lot of people I know about this blog. Now I'm afraid to write anything, for fear that everyone will be looking at it. I know, I know, that's the whole point of a blog. But there was a certain anonymity before, and I could spout all sorts of rhetoric about whatever I liked (not that I did). But now I feel like everyone I know will be expecting me to say intelligent or brilliant things, and it seems more to be a study in routine than sharp wit.

And probably, most everyone is way too busy to give a damn what the small details of my life are. I mean, I've spent most of this blog talking about the stray cat, fer chrissakes. So anyway, I guess the point is that there is no eminent brilliance forthcoming. Boring and excruciating details of mundane life, perhaps, but I may be a little sparse with the brilliance, so don't worry about checking in frequently. But thanks for stopping by!
09:30 a.m. | Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Sheesh...
Monday mornings suck.
09:31 a.m. | Monday, July 28, 2003

More about kitty
Well, I called the animal shelter and they didn't have any cat that resembled kitty. BUT... the woman told me that some guy had come in and claimed a black and white cat earlier in the week. She said it was an older cat--11 years old. I told her that the cat had been living in my crawlspace for months, and she said yes, the guy had to readopt the cat because it had been so long. So I'm really hoping that kitty is home, where she should be, and is happy now. I miss her, but there are many, many cats that are in need of homes, and I'm happy she's back in hers. When I buy a house (which should be relatively soon now!), I think I'll probably get a kitten.

So hopefully, kitty gets her happy ending.
11:56 a.m. | Friday, July 25, 2003

On a lighter note...
I played my best game of disc golf yesterday--only a 4 over par! This is way better than my previous best of 13 over par (ok, it was the only other time I actually kept score, because it was too disheartening).
10:31 a.m. | Friday, July 25, 2003

Kitty is gone
Well, the cat hasn't been around for about a week now. She'd been acting kind of funny, like she was very scared of something. So then one night I'm sitting on my porch, petting her, and this raccoon runs up to about 10 feet of us. We all three sit there for a moment, paralyzed, then I make noises to chase off the raccoon and then kitty decides to get in on it. So she runs up to raccoon and hisses and then the raccoon runs off.

But then the next night I came home late with Scott, and kitty runs up to greet us. But then there's a raccoon too. We try to chase off the raccoon, but where does it run? Right into the crawlspace. Well, that was the end of that. I didn't want a raccoon living in my crawlspace. We finally got the raccoon out, and then Scott boarded up the crawlspace opening. And I haven't seen poor kitty but once since then. I didn't mean to evict her, but I didn't know what to do. I wasn't ready to let her into my house (she had fleas, bad). But I haven't seen her. I'm going to call the animal shelter and see if she's there. I'm hoping that some neighbors of mine took her in and now she's happy cat. But I fear for the worst. I'm afraid that because she's older, and she has a tumor, that she wouldn't be very adoptable, and the shelter would put her to sleep. If she's there, however, I still have the same dilemma--adopt or not adopt? But I have to admit that I miss the kitty.

As coincidence would have it, Indy (my dog) developed a nasty rash/hot spot two days before the appointment I'd made at the vet for kitty. So I took the dog instead of the cat. Indy is fine now, but I still wonder about the cat.

I'm such a softie.
10:01 a.m. | Friday, July 25, 2003

Thoughts on a stray cat
To adopt or not to adopt? There's a new cat in my life. Since sometime in the cold of winter, an animal has been living in my crawlspace. I was afraid it was a possum or a rat or something, so I shut the entryway up. But the opening to the crawlspace is right below my bedroom window, so I heard lots of scratching. I didn't want to trap the animal in, but I didn't want it living there. One night when I heard the scratching I went to the window and watched until it came out. It was a black cat. I was so relieved that it wasn't something nasty that I let it be.

Fast forward a few months. Hadn't done anything much about the crawlspace critter. I bought cat food and had been leaving it out, but hadn't seen hair nor hide of the critter in awhile, though the food always disappeared. So one morning I go outside and sitting in the opening of the crawlspace is a cat, meowing loudly at me. I went and got some cat food and gave it to it, but it was very wary of me. Another couple days pass and the cat starts expecting food. After it ate one day, I decide to try to entice it out with some kitty treats. I hold out a kitty treat and it cautiously creeps forward, then abruptly rubs itself against my hand. The cat is now the most affectionate thing. It waits for me to get off work, it visits me in the morning when I sit on my porch, and it seems to know my schedule. So now the question is--do I adopt it?

One big problem is my dog. She's an only child and she has this propensity for eating cat poo. Mmmmm, kitty litter crunchies. But I find myself calling for the cat and enjoying its affection. So if I adopt it, where do I put the litter box and the food? Will it kill all my plants? Will it get along with the dog? Poor kitty has been outside for so long, and it's been rainy. She's got a serious flea problem, and also has a small tumor on her belly. After a couple weeks of affection and feeding her, I finally made an appointment at the vet. But when I bring her back, do I just let her back outside and into the crawlspace? Or do I invite her into my home? I'm suspecting that it's going to be the latter, though it's going to be a challenge.

Oh, and I named her Calliope. After the muse of epic poetry, of course.
04:31 p.m. | Friday, July 18, 2003

Isn't it ironic?
What is irony?
02:45 p.m. | Tuesday, July 15, 2003

Darwinian poetry
not of like comes give
lord it used properness monster
old the deep silence of so
midwifing left your
02:02 p.m. | Tuesday, July 15, 2003

a great birthday weekend
My birthday was last Thursday. I turned 33, which is nice, because it's the coming-of-age for a hobbit. Speaking of which, my hobbit name is Bramblerose Moss of Lake-By-Downs. But I digress.

I turned 33 with relatively little fanfare, though it was a great day. A day playing disc golf with Scott, and then dinner at a great, cheap, Mexican restaurant with me and 12 of my best friends. Who knew I had so many friends?

As far as birthday loot goes, this year was one of the best. DVDs of the Fellowship of the Ring (extended version!)and The Princess Bride. A terrarium, wizard wind chimes, and a kick-ass camping stove, among other things. Maybe I should invite my friends out to dinner every year on my birthday.

But the fun doesn't end there. On Friday, Scott and I went canoeing 14 miles on the Blue River. It was gorgeous. We saw lots of wildlife and had an idyllic day rowing merrily down the river, that is, until we capsized in some rapids. Even that was fine, though we feel kind of bad, since we lost a couple gallons of water, and we were trying so hard to collect trash. Oh well.

Saturday I saw The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. All I can say is: Ick. I was not impressed.

Then Sunday was Scott's birthday. More disc golf and cake and ice cream and just all-round good-natured fun. What a weekend. I hope I enjoyed it thoroughly, because I'm not getting much, if any, time off for the rest of the summer.

And this morning, back to work, I'm reading some back issues of Mark Morford's Morning Fix. His wacky and right-on look at popular culture and politics usually makes me feel much better about the state of the country, or at least about its potential to get better. Dean in '04, anyone?
10:32 a.m. | Monday, July 14, 2003

a beginning
Ok, we'll see how this goes. I'm pretty sure that only my mother will be interested in this page, but what the hell. It's all part of my personal evolution.
02:39 p.m. | Wednesday, July 9, 2003