Had to provide a closeup of the cuteness on the paw-action here. If you were not charmed by the eyes and face, curled paws are the deal-maker.
Toots & the Maytals (released one of the first reggae songs. I understand that Toots was responsible for that music style being called "reggae")
Memorial Day was originally intended to honor American Civil War dead but now is meant as a day to remember all dead soldiers regardless of the conflict. I don't see why it should be limited to American dead when so many people from so many nations have died fighting for our causes -- and the cause of all these deaths, when viewed from a larger perspective, is that people have answered a call of duty to defend their nation or homes from a perceived threat, and out of respect for their country and families, they do what they feel must be done. It is sometimes unavoidable to become involved as there are issues of self-defense and civil defense that are unresolved when the conflict arrives at your door.With all the clarity of dream
The sky so blue, the grass so green
The rank and file and the navy blue
The deep and strong, the straight and true
The blue line they got the given sign
The belts and boots march forward in time
The wood and leather the club and shield
Swept like a wave across the battlefield
Now with all the clarity of dream
The blood so red, the grass so green
The gleam of spur on chestnut flank
The cavalry did burst upon the ranks
Oh the iron will and iron hand
In englands green and pleasant land
No music for the shameful scene
That night they said it had even shocked the queen
Well alas weve seen it all before
Knights in armour, days of yore
The same old fears and the same old crimes
We havent changed since ancient times
We are a little late for Lost Sock Memorial Day, which happened on May 9th, but Alex is still celebrating it by getting cozy in a pile of mixed socks, underwear and T-shirts. It's all men's -- Alex is very macho and wouldn't ever get caught snuggling in women's clothing... unless he thinks nobody's looking.
Fun stuff, let’s see, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 starts Friday, so we are going on opening day. I am psyched!!! I cannot deny it. There are certain movies I have to see ASAP because I absolutely hate spoilers and they are hard to avoid. Reviews are often just a retelling of the story line – grrrrrrrr (ever listen to that guy on NPR? I turn that sucker down as soon as he starts talking). The Tomatometer is a bit in the splat range right now at a little over 50%, but I don’t care. I don’t usually agree with most critics, and the “tomatometer” is not a factor but it’s still fun to check out what they are saying. Put it this way, if a movie has a tomatometer rating below… say… 10%, it’s almost guaranteed to be a bona-bide stinker. It doesn’t mean I won’t give it a rental. Could still be good for a laugh, in fact, a laugh is a sure thing. Anyway, Jack is back and looks who's with him!!
We are now entering the most popular time of the year for weddings, and it's fun to look at how the already-weird rituals can get even more bizarre. Photo at right is from this site dedicated to hellish bridal fashions. Categories include such titles as "Strange Headgear", "Flower Abuse" and "Dear Wedding Lady, My Butt Isn't Big Enough". This style is referred to as "Bottlebrush". And oh, the evil that is thrust upon the poor Bridesmaids! Males are lucky, they get to rent something bizarre and then return it.
Day 2, Sunday, was much more laid-back as we went to the Deutschen Pfest in Pflugerville to see The Greencards (and work their merch table). Incredibly, here is a band now too popular for Threadgill's, the Saxon Pub, and many other Austin venues, playing before a small crowd of Pflugerville Pfairgoers and a pfew diehard pfans pfor a mere pfee of $3. Sorry!! I can't go to Pflugerville without putting a "p" in pfront of all the "f"s afterward. Sort of like being compelled to talk like a pirate after a viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean. Anyway, they played for 3 hours in beautiful weather, sold merch like hotcakes, then headed down to Gruene Hall for much more of a high-profile gig. Too short of a visit, and we probably won't see them again until November. Always hate to see them go, but they live on the road.
Jax would like to say that he is tired of everybody else "hogging" the catblogs, and he is going to be the star this week, even if he has to resort to posing with a cute "Babe"."He embarked on a long process of attempted "cures" for his homosexuality, including psychotherapy, prayer, Electroconvulsive therapy, and exorcism. None of these techniques changed his homosexuality, and after he attempted suicide, he and Lyla agreed to an amicable divorce."It's heartbreaking that people are put through that kind of crap, isn't it? Mel survived that hideous journey with his sexuality intact, and (with Gary) went on to found the "Soulforce" organization. Here's their mission statement from that website:
"The purpose of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance."
Wherever you are on your journey of faith,
Whatever your sexual orientation or gender identity,
Whatever your religion, race, age, ability, color, or creed,
You are welcome to join us in learning, teaching, and applying
the 'soul force' principles of relentless nonviolent resistance
as taught by Gandhi and King
as we work together to stop spiritual violence
against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people
that flows out of the teachings and actions
of religious leaders and their communities of faith.
-The People of Soulforce
The Big Five-Oh! The half-century mark!! Over The Hill and beginning to slide!! Just kidding, at least in his case. He's fit as a fiddle, goes cycling, works like a fiend xeriscaping the garden and pampering the butterfies and birds. He's a treehugging liberal who loves cats and other creatures, doesn't eat animals, and does household chores! For his birthday, he gave himself a Backyard Wildlife Habitat Certificate from the National Wildlife Federation. Guys like this don't come along everyday, sometimes never.
That's how long this Freudian bit of wishful thinking appeared on CNN. [LINK]
I was looking up "Today in History" in the Library of Congress (link on sidebar) and see that May 13 is the day that the first person was buried in what was to become Arlington National Cemetery (1864, and it was a Confederate prisoner of war). It now contains the bodies of soldiers from all of our wars back to the Revolutionary War. The picture to the right is not Arlington, it is the Santa Fe National Cemetery. This is where my mother was buried in 1993. She was not a soldier, but was married to one for 15 years until he died on active duty of natural causes, so she was entitled to this plot. Oddly enough, my father is not there, he is buried in his family plot in Makanda Illinois -- a place famous for being the birthplace of Sen. Paul Simon, and for having a water tower that looks like a big yellow smiley face (take that Wal-Mart, you didn't invent it).
Friday Fright blogging
Here's a closeup of her. Isn't she pretty? We call her "Bottlebrush" (not her real name) because she has this huge fluffy bottlebrush tail. She's a real beauty, and loves to entice you to pet her by rubbing against your legs, cute meowing and waving that fluffy tail, but if you do try to pet her she will lay into your legs and hands with every tooth and claw she's got. She's a bit psycho.
Here's another story about a cat who has a restraining order against him. He has 6 toes, claws to match, and what has been described as "catlike stealth" (well, of course it's catlike! He's a cat!!). A half dozen people watched him ambush the Avon Lady. He looks like PoP's Fred, doesn't he?
Look who is reportedly looking for love on the internet. Mr. "can't get a date" himself, Orlando Bloom is, according to this article, using a friend as a cover on Facebook in order to meet a nice partner who loves him for himself and not because he's a fabulous elf (the MOST fabulous elf) or fabulous pirate. Actually, I will always prefer the long blond hair to his natural brown along with the shaved face, but the chocolate-colored eyes are every bit as nice as the blue. The "Paris" (boyfriend of Helen) look is nice too. That accent? It doesn't hurt. Yes, I realize that I am old enough to be his mother.
Congratulations to Keith Olbermann, who has been awarded the First Annual Molly Ivins Award.Quoting the article: "It is intended to recognize a journalist or media figure who's reporting or commentary has had a profound impact on the public's understanding of vital national issues, and who's work embodies the spirit of Ivins' courageous legacy.
"Describing her own style of writing, Molly Ivins once wrote, 'Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful.'
| Your Ideal Pet is a Cat |
 You're both aloof, introverted, and moody. And your friends secretly wish that you were declawed! |
OK, now I'm going to clear away that hairy-legged vision from the last post with -- TA-DA!!! -- another bug! This is a Leopard Moth and it's the first one I remember seeing, although I've seen the wooly caterpillers that turn into them. Isn't she gorgeous? [Steve Irwin voice] What a beauty!
And finally, below is the only thing that you really don't want to mess with whether you are human or feline: a prickly pear cactus, which are all getting beautiful blooms right now. I don't know if the flowers smell pretty. I won't stick my nose in the blossoms, because I can see what's inside them: bugs. Beetles aren't that scary but bees are not something I want to inhale. Besides, the star jasmine covering the back fence is fragrant enough to fill the whole yard right now. This is part of a monstrously big cactus that grew from an ear that had laying by the curb in a median. It's a lot happier these days.
I started blogging 2 years ago today. I never thought I would be blogger in a million years. In public forums I was always very shy and would hold back my real opinion to the point where you couldn't beat it out of me. This blog has helped me to come out of my shell a bit (OK, Ok, some of ya'll know that I have been keeping a personal website since... er... about 1997, but I'm very well-behaved over there. The website is more of a "display window", and this blog is kind of like "my house"... a place where I can let my hair down and say what I like.
Click to enlarge.
Alex has a new vet so we got him a whole slew of tests run, just trying to find out more about all the things going on with him. Here he is at the vet. Look at that face!! That's the look that makes us do his bidding... except that he would rather not have endured the 2 days with the IV and wearing this crazy getup all night. Looks like a little Super-hero, doesn't he? That's what we told him.
Alex has Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which we knew, and now he's been diagnosed with Pancreatitis. He is also dehydrated. So, even though he doesn't have to wear the silly cape anymore, we have to hydrate him every other day with a sub-Q needle and fluids. We've got pain medicine for him now too, which I'm sure he will appreciate. He has probably been needing that for awhile. Poor little Alex. He is a trooper.
Last week we went to a benefit for Thundering Paws, which is a no-kill shelter and rescue with mostly cats. We donated Duncan's canned food to them, since none of our 3 remaining cats eat that stuff. Marc Gunn played his "Irish Drinking Songs for Cats" set, which is a lot of fun. Marc is obviously as cat-crazed as any of us. 
You can hear Wild Kitty, and even get your own copy right here at the link (CD Baby).
A Happy birthday today to my friend who goes by the moniker "Boudicea" (which has LOTS of spelling variations). She might occasionally read this blog, but probably not recently because where she has been staying in the UK, the sheep sometimes eat through the phone cables, meaning no internet. Since she stays with a flute player and happens to be a Pottermaniac, here's a video for her with great classic Moody Blues music.
Sooo.... do you think Spiderman is smiling under that mask? Here's why.
May 1st is many things. Today (and yesterday) there were many marches and rallies for worker and immigrant rights. The day already represents the worker or labour in many countries, including Germany, Italy, Finland, Poland, Norway, Sweden and socialist (Communist) countries. On May 1, 1886 in the USA and Canada, the 8-hour day became law (the concept being 8 hours of work, 8 hours of recreation, 8 hours of sleep) (yes, I know, it doesn't exist for me either). The earliest celebration of May 1st is that of Beltane, the first day of summer (and I hold it to be the first day of summer too. To me, the summer solstice is MIDsummer, not the beginning of it), so enjoy your rituals if you are so inclined. Summer is here, for sure. It will be 90 this weekend for Cinco de Mayo.[Full transcript here]
President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended
Remarks by the President from the USS Abraham Lincoln
At Sea Off the Coast of San Diego, California
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment -- yet, it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other, made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.
