The Sprenkliest

A Story from Sydney's Return

2010-08-01T09:51:00.003-04:00

Dad reminded me of the night Sydney returned after being missing for more than 48 hours. I had gone to sleep, but Dad stayed up. It was 2 a.m., and Sydney came to the back patio door, which is near Dad's computer. Sydney yelled to be let in, and Dad couldn't believe that it was really her that time because he had heard her before but she wasn't really there.

Dad knocked on my bedroom door.

Dad: Do you want to see a hungry cat eat?
Me, waking up slowly: Huh?
Dad: Do you want to see a hungry cat eat?
Me: Is it Sydney?

Dad thought that was a funny question. I was going to be really annoyed if he was waking me up to show me a YouTube video. I shouldn't be responsible for what I say when being woken up.

Explaining the Card

2009-12-31T11:59:00.002-05:00

I got a few questions about our card--if it is PhotoShopped. Nope, it's all real.

We went to the Natural Bridge Zoo in early September, and they had 2 tiger cubs, both female. One was a rare white tiger; the other an extremely rare "Golden Tabby". As you see, we had our picture taken with the white tiger.

The baby tigers are pampered during this time, so they love to get their pictures taken. The white tiger cub was eager to jump in our laps to get the bottle. She put her paw on Frank's hand, and it wasn't much smaller. She wasn't very soft, which surprised me. Her fur was kind of wiry. It was quite an experience that lasted about 30 seconds!

The site now only mentions the white tiger. I wonder what happened to the Golden Tabby cub. Since the Golden Tabby was so rare, I wouldn't be surprised if they sold it to a larger zoo or something like that.

I need to bug Frank to post his movies of the tigers getting baths. They complained less than Sydney does when she gets a bath.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T16:28:00.002-05:00

Where Does the Cat Go?

2009-12-03T10:33:00.001-05:00

Using GPS to Monitor Your Cat Slideshow/Video

The video is a little long, but it appealed to my geeky side, which rarely shows itself.

Special Guest Star Appearance

2009-09-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

(It's a dream note, but I'll keep it short.)

Isn't it fun when your dream features someone you haven't seen in a really long time. For example, you're on a subway, and you're trying to dodge some creep who is hitting on you, and you run into XXX, who you haven't see since you graduated from college 10 years ago. The dream audience cheers and whistles as the special guest comes on screen and your guest has to pause a bit until the cheers die down.

Later, you exchange phone numbers because he doesn't want you to get lost on the subway. But it takes forever because you can't find his phone number on the phone screen he shows you and when you do find it, you can't copy it because the numbers keep changing. (Your brain can't fake a number? Or just can't remember a number long enough?) You're frustrated and you start to realize that it is a dream and begin to wake up.

But, it was good to see XXX. He hasn't changed a bit in 10 years.

The end. See, that wasn't too bad.

Oxymoron?

2009-08-23T18:37:00.001-04:00

I read an ad in Glamour that says "state-of-the-art, vintage technology."

I guess that's possible if the state of the art hasn't changed, but...

Is this an oxymoron? Or, does it just not make sense?

Carbon Footprint Calculator

2009-08-05T10:22:00.002-04:00

Carbon Footprint Calculator -- from IEEE, not sponsored by someone selling carbon offsets. I haven't played yet because I don't have access to my electric bills, but I will.

How My Boyfriend Shows He Likes Me

2009-06-26T16:28:00.001-04:00

An email from Frank: "Did you leave yet? I have a table reserved at Friendly's for 7:30."

The Start of a List

2009-06-26T08:25:00.000-04:00

Pairs of famous people who died on the same day, from Dad:

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
Jim Henson and Sammy Davis, Jr
Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie
Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

Today's Rant

2009-06-25T19:55:00.003-04:00

At a recent research group gathering, several people didn't know who David Lee Roth was. Not that I'm biggest fan, but I know who he is. I joked that I was going to have a series of lectures on pop culture. Today, I explained that David Lee Roth is the lead singer of Van Halen. The response: "Who is Van Halen?" The top songs I came up with by Van Halen were "Jump" and "Right Now". Emily piped up, "You Really Got Me."

What? That's not Van Halen. It took me awhile to come up with The Kinks as the originator of that song. (I'm disappointed in myself too.) I didn't know (or at least remember) that Van Halen had a cover of the Kinks' song. Emily insisted that the Van Halen version was the famous one. What?!? I'm not sure how to measure that, but it just seems wrong to call that song a Van Halen song.

I was searching for the lyrics to a Christmas song on the Web, and the first page that came up was one that was titled "Hanson Lyrics". Sigh.

Emily said that she likes some remakes better than the original. I suggested Madonna's "American Pie", which Emily claimed she had never heard. YouTube to the rescue, and she was scarred for life.

Transformers Sequel

2009-06-25T19:47:00.003-04:00

A while ago, I saw the trailer for the Transformers sequel with a friend. The trailer started with Shia going to college and the Transformer said something mildly amusing. And then the action starts. My friend was a little disappointed in the movie. He thought it was going to be a buddy comedy: Shia goes to college with his robot friend and hilarity ensues. Maybe that can be the next sequel.

Yea, Get Fuzzy!

2009-06-15T22:27:00.000-04:00

Get Fuzzy Made Me Laugh

Sneak Attack

2009-06-02T22:13:00.002-04:00

Frank and I explored a local park last weekend. We took a little path along the river. There were stacks of hay on the trail. I'm not sure for what. Frank was walking in front of me. Suddenly, he gasps and spins, which makes me gasp and jump backwards. It was a squirrel. A squirrel. It was behind a hay stack, eating something and didn't seem to notice or care that we were coming. The squirrel ran up a tree next to the path.

I teased Frank, "A squirrel?" He said, "It was going to kill us."

On the way back, Frank made a bunch of noise so the squirrel knew we were coming. I reminded him that squirrel wasn't afraid of us, and we knew where the squirrel was this time.

In the Family

2009-05-24T21:07:00.003-04:00

My dad's cousin Julie had a birthday party for her mom, my dad's Aunt Norma. Aunt Norma turned 80! My sister is a big fan of Aunt Norma, so she was bummed she couldn't attend. (Jessie lives in Der Fatherland, Germany.) Dad told Aunt Norma that Jessie would have attended if she had more notice (so it was Julie's fault that Jessie didn't attend). Aunt Norma said, "80 years wasn't enough notice?" oooo, burn! Aunt Norma's last name may be Wise but she's all Sprenkle.

Unuseful Translation

2009-05-15T08:48:00.003-04:00

When I'm going to need to have to translate this?

Spanish: Tu gato parece muy alegre.

English: Your cat seems very happy.

Transparent Language doesn't know my cat at all.

Can It Be True?

2009-04-15T21:15:00.002-04:00

Greg Paulus Visits Ann Arbor, May Transfer to Michigan for Football

I agree with my dad's take on the story, but he also backs up his thoughts: "I had heard that there was a chance that Greg Paulus would be drafted as a quarterback. That seemed unlikely when I heard it, and I think it's a story because it makes a good story. I doubt that the NCAA will let him play college football. I remember Art Schlichter who was a quarterback at Ohio State and with the Colts. At some point, he decided to go back to college and play basketball. The NCAA said he had already used his eligibility."

Relationship Revelation

2009-03-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Tonight, I found out that Frank doesn't like Oreos. He claims they are his least favorite cookies. This may be a relationship breaker. I'm pretty sure that's one of the first questions they ask at eHarmony to determine cookie compatibility.

My Pick for Best Quote of the NCAA Tournament

2009-03-19T22:19:00.002-04:00

"This is the guy who has to get it done for Binghamton. He’s their CPU if this is a computer…. He’s the operating system…. He’s the processing unit, the one that makes everything happen."
-- Clark Kellogg on Emanuel Mayben

Like Roommate, Like Roommate

2009-03-12T23:39:00.000-04:00

Sydney and I are so much alike. We both are competitive and hate to lose. When we sense that we're losing, we grab our opponent and bite.

New Poster in My Bedroom

2009-02-28T16:12:00.004-05:00

Steve Martin Ironing a Kitten

A New One

2009-02-23T23:13:00.002-05:00

Dad reports

I started taking a grammar course. Since it's such a chore to try to take these courses, I decided to skip the instruction and just take the tests. The first test was on sentence fragments and subject/verb agreement. I only got 1 question wrong. There was a hypothetical question about a guy taking a grammar course and the results he might expect. There were 5 answers, and there could be more than 1 answer. One went something like, "His colleagues may appreciate his effort." I was torn, but since it said may, I picked it, but the computer told me I was wrong. That's a bit disappointing. "No way will his coworkers appreciate his effort. Doing well in this course is like wetting your pants while wearing a dark suit: You get a warm feeling, but nobody notices." Well, it didn't say that exactly.

I have heard many of Dad's lines many, many times. (Like that my mom and dad considered combining their last names to "Stinkle", but he can't remember why they decided against it.) This one about the warm feeling, I don't remember hearing before.

Surprising stories behind 20 Muppet characters

2009-02-10T20:45:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure the stories are so surprising. I liked the story about Bert and Ernie best. Boring can be interesting?

The Story

My Fight Cat

2009-02-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

Jeopardy!

2009-01-29T19:53:00.002-05:00

I nearly swept the Double Jeopardy! category of Classic TV Drama Episodes. The TV dramas were Bonanza, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI, Dynasty (the one I missed), and China Beach. The China Beach one surprised me; I don't think I've ever seen that episode. No one else got it or CSI. Nerds.

I also swept the Prime Numbers category, but it was ridiculously easy. The last one was "81, 85, 89". If you couldn't figure out that you have to pick which is the prime number, well, I can't help you. If it was "81, 87, 89", that would have been a better challenge. You shouldn't have one that ends in 5 and one that adds up to 9.

Discover The Power of Carrots

2009-01-27T10:35:00.002-05:00

Link thanks to (blamed on?) Jessie: Carrots in Today's World

End of An Error

2009-01-19T23:05:00.001-05:00

Dad wrote: I hope you are never happier to see a President leave office.

Stories of My Life that I Didn't Know Happened

2009-01-18T15:36:00.003-05:00

I talked to Andy yesterday, and he reminisced about the time Philip Rivers (now of the San Diego Chargers) was next to us at a Better Than Ezra concert. I asked him to repeat this a couple of times because it didn't sound familiar.

Andy: "Don't you remember those two tall guys near us?" Nooo, I do remember someone with a cigarette that I had to dodge to not get burnt. Me: "Why was Philip Rivers there?" Andy: "He played for NC State." Me: "He played for NC State?" Andy: "Argh!" or something along those lines. He was pretty frustrated (rightfully so).

Andy and I can't figure out when we attended the concert. Somewhere around 2001, maybe. It was after BTE released the album Closer, which is my favorite BTE album. BTE played some songs from that album. I was impressed because the crowd sang along with the new stuff, which meant that they were real BTE fans.

So, that is pretty cool. I wish I remembered it happening. I wonder if I remembered this as being a significant event around the time it happened.

Signs of the Economy

2009-01-07T09:08:00.001-05:00

Days stars' exit sure sign of recession

I don't agree with her take on John as "studly", but I appreciated her comparison of the economy and Stefano Dimera.

Slinky Cat

2009-01-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

See more at Today's Big Thing.

That Crap

2009-01-02T22:16:00.001-05:00

Frank said his mom bought Christmas trays to use next year to give people cookies on. I said, "No one wants that crap!" Frank said, angrily, "My dad makes all those cookies. What is she supposed to do?" I said, "I was talking about the trays. No one wants the Christmas trays. She could just use red plastic wrap or something ... Why did you think 'that crap' was referring to your dad's cookies?" Frank cracked up and couldn't explain his response.

New Year's Resolution

2009-01-01T20:25:00.001-05:00

I thought about it a long time: what do I want to improve? After much reflection, I decided that my New Year's Resolution is

To continue being perfect.

Brief Update on My Injury

2009-01-01T15:03:00.002-05:00

My cut is much less noticeable now. I don't think it will scar. It was tense for a little while, but Sydney and I friends again.

Local Celeb Sighting

2009-01-01T14:54:00.002-05:00

Frank and I went to the Olive Garden yesterday for lunch to use a gift card. We saw the Daniel L. Crandall--the lawyer from the local TV commercials who helps people who have been accidents.

Frank was waiting for me to come out of the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw DLC right away. I turned to Frank, who was oh-so-subtly gesturing with his head toward DLC. He's not as cool as I am when seeing local celebrities.

Unhappy Ending to the Trip

2008-12-29T20:55:00.005-05:00

I'm back in VA. Sydney was uncooperative when I tried to put her in her carrier to go into the apartment. As I tried to zip her up, she turned and scratched me in the face and even my inner bottom lip.

After Frank couldn't get her in the carrier either, we just let her out of the car and hoped she would run inside. Eventually, she did.

I hope this doesn't scar:

I'm not showing my inner bottom lip. Lucky you.

Bactine numbs your tongue pretty good if you accidentally get it in your mouth.

To me, the scratch looks a lot brighter red than in the picture. (But I'm a drama queen.) I'm wearing a band-aid so that the scratch isn't so obvious.

A Long Line of Gaggers

2008-12-28T23:12:00.002-05:00

Family "secrets" come out around Christmas. Siblings get together and talk, and the younger generation learns things they did not know. Some things I knew already but it's fun: my Great-Grandpa Sprenkle had three women to choose from when he married my Great-Grandma Sprenkle. How did he narrow the list to three? Those were the only three women that he had impregnated.

I also learned that my very tough Aunt Cinny and my Great Aunt Norma also have quick gag reflexes. Norma's husband Bob had to come home at lunch to change their daughter's diapers. Not just the dirty ones, also the wet ones. Norma said, "People always said it would be different with your children, but that's not true." I knew it!

Norma is proud to hear that I carry on that tradition: gagging even when people just tell stories with too many details. Glad I make someone proud.

80,000 Miles

2008-12-28T21:23:00.001-05:00

The Sprinter passed 80,000 miles today! The Sprinter is almost 9.5 years old.

How Christian Saved Christmas

2008-12-25T20:14:00.003-05:00

Jessie was making seafood chowder (a Christmas tradition) and couldn't find the chicken bouillon we had just bought. We looked throughout the kitchen and the dining room. No luck. So, Christian took to the garbage. He went out into the garage and started digging. He came back unsuccessful. Jessie knew that some Old Bay was also thrown out, and he hadn't found it, so he went back to the garbage to find either Old Bay or bouillon. Success! Christian found the bouillon, and Jessie made the yummy seafood chowder. Thus, Christian saved Christmas. Horray!

Dad was at the butcher shop earlier this week. He noted that the butcher shop was going to be closed Christmas. He asked, "What if Scrooge wants to buy a goose that day?" The worker didn't acknowledge Dad.

P.S. Merry Christmas to all!

That Feeling

2008-12-12T23:26:00.002-05:00

Frank was imagining what it's like being Sydney: spending most of your life in that groggy, just-waking-up state.

You don't know what that feeling is? It's something like this:

A Conversation with My Parents

2008-11-24T17:11:00.002-05:00

Dad: My blood sugar was 211.
Me: Is that high? What did you have for breakfast? Sugar pops and ice cream?
Dad: No. I had... What's that called?
Mom: Eggs
Me: What? You couldn't come up with "eggs"?
Dad: No-oo! It was those things...
Mom: Hot pockets.

Mom didn't understand that she had made the conversation funny by filling in the wrong word.

A Conversation with Grandma

2008-11-24T09:46:00.003-05:00

Grandma: [Jamie] has 3 dogs and I don't know how many cats.
Me: Oh. I didn't know Jamie had cats.
Grandma: Yes, he has 5 of them.

Good Thinks [sic] Never Last

2008-11-07T10:23:00.003-05:00

Frank emailed me with the title as the subject line:

Well, it finally happened. Your cat barked in the cat cave.

What actually happened (Sydney barfed in the Cat Cave, a.k.a, the office closet) isn't as cool as what he wrote. Frank was hitting the 'k' key pretty hard that day.

Typos are funny. I'm glad I never have them.

Dedicated

2008-10-13T22:47:00.003-04:00

Dad made a cd of songs about late musicians. I'm posting the songs on the cd to enlighten you.

The format is song title, artist name, and then in parentheses who the song is dedicated to. (This isn't formatted as well as I'd like.)

"Rock And Roll Heaven" The Righteous Brothers (various - rock)
"Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" George Jones (various - country)
"Six Strings Down" Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Art Neville (various - blues)
"Me and the Wildwood Rose" Carlene Carter (Mother Maybelle Carter)
"Sir Duke" Stevie Wonder (Duke Ellington)
"The Ride" David Allan Coe (Hank Williams)
"Buddy's Song" Bobby Vee (Buddy Holly)
"Three Stars" Eddie Cochran (Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper)
"The King Is Gone" Ronnie McDowell (Elvis Presley)
"Nightshift" Commodores (Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson)
"Tunic (Song For Karen)" Sonic Youth (Karen Carpenter)
"Free Bird [studio]" Lynyrd Skynyrd (Duane Allman)
"Brickyard Road" Johnny Van Zant (Ronnie Van Zant)
"SRV" Angela Strehli (Stevie Ray Vaughan)
"I'll Be Missing You" Puff Daddy (Biggie Smalls)
"Lord, I Wonder" Katie Webster (various - blues)
"I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven" Tex Ritter (various - country)

Some of the singers are no longer with us. Eddie Cochran died very young in a car crash. Ronnie Van Zant was the lead singer for Skynyrd, and then his brother Johnny sang about him. Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes mentions some people who were alive at the time the song was recorded but are gone now.

Tuesday's Child

2008-10-13T18:53:00.002-04:00

Are you familiar with the poem "Monday's Child"?

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath Day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Mom always liked this poem because she was born on Sunday. I was born on Tuesday, which, according to the poem, should mean that I am graceful. I am not.

Friday on my walk into school with a professor from the French department, I fell. I skinned my knee and rolled my ankle. I didn't realize the extent of the injuries until later. My pride was too hurt to notice the physical pain.

My mom said, "It really upsets me that all those years of dance lessons did not have any reflection in your ability to walk without mishap."

Just think how frequently I'd fall if I hadn't taken dance lessons.

Headlines

2008-10-08T19:54:00.002-04:00

See, Andy. I'm not the only one injured by plants.

My Baseball Manager Philosophy

2008-10-04T18:47:00.003-04:00

I'm no Ray "The Genius" Miller, but here's some of what I'd do if I were the manager of an MLB baseball team:

If my starting pitcher has a rough start, getting lit up by the opposing team, I'd start him the next game. Why should he dwell on the loss? No need to "rest his arm". Get him right back out there.
If my pitcher wins, he gets the week off.

Mnemonics

2008-09-22T21:57:00.004-04:00

Today in class, we were talking about mnemonics, and I used the example of "My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" to remember the planets' names in order. The students had never heard that. I thought maybe it was because they didn't learn Pluto as a planet, but they said that changed after they learned the planets. They also said that they never had to learn the planets in order. What are they teaching kids these days?

I feel old when the students and I don't even have mnemonics in common.

But, turns out Frank doesn't know it either.

Canvassing for Obama

2008-09-14T20:06:00.004-04:00

You know me, I'm not very political. But, my good friend Joe (see below) needs some support in SW VA. (My sister had forgotten than I know Joe, so this picture is to remind her. I wish I had brushed my hair that day.)

Canvassing is just talking to potential Obama supporters (determined by data mining voter registration databases, I think) and finding out if they've decided who they're voting for and, if they're voting for Obama, find out if they need help getting to the polls.

So, my friend Katherine and I went to Buena Vista. Katherine had done this before and assured me it wasn't too bad. We went to the first house, and a man answered. We could tell he wasn't quite right--kind of talking low and shifty. Katherine asked if he knew who he was voting for in the presidential election. He said he can't vote because he's a felon. Katherine informs him that he can get his rights reinstated. He repeats that there's no way that he could get reinstated--he's a murderer and rapist. Katherine insisted that he could get his voting right reinstated. (By this time, I was running half way up the street.) He mentioned that he's on house arrest. Katherine thanked him for his time, and we moved on to the next house.

Reflecting, Katherine thinks maybe she talked to him for longer than maybe she should have. She was on autopilot and wasn't in a groove yet. My parents wanted to know if he was pulling our leg. I believed him. My dad asked, "Katherine wanted him to join 'Murderers and Rapists for Obama'?"

None of the other canvassers could top that for their first house/encounter.

We talked to one man who seemed to want us to leave--by being really short with us--but also seemed to want to talk. He talked about being undecided and being really confused, but by the end of our conversation (and I don't think we said much in terms of platform--just a little bit about Obama and his support of the middle class), the guy said that he's going to vote for Obama. The personal touch really can make a difference.

I'm not sure if I'll canvass again. I don't like bugging strangers, and the rejection can be hard to take. It was fun when we found supporters. It was tough when we talked to Undecideds because we didn't want to push them, but we wanted to let them know if they had any questions, we could try to answer them. McCain supporters weren't too bad. It stung a little bit (makes me nervous about November), but then we would just check the appropriate box, and no one from the Obama campaign would bug them again.

Sprenkliest Trip To England Ever

2008-09-03T21:59:00.006-04:00

My first trip to England, and I stayed across the street from Windsor Castle:

I couldn't find anyone to take my picture. Not too bad on a few hours sleep.

Big Surprise

2008-08-30T16:55:00.000-04:00

From Dad: "Well, I was surprised by McCain's VP choice. I just had a feeling that he'd pick someone I heard of."

Here We Go Again!

2008-07-28T22:38:00.003-04:00

On our evening stroll, Frank and I encountered a family of cats on W&L's campus: two young (but not baby) kittens and a mama cat. I would guess that the kittens are around that magic 2-month age that they need human interaction. I'm searching for local programs to help these kitties. My guess is that the local humane shelter is pretty overrun with cats right about now.

In my search, I found out that in 1987, 15 million animals were put to sleep. Now, it's down to 5 million. Yes, I know that is still way too many, but it seems like we're on the right track.

Here are some organizations I learned about that are worthy of donations:

Follow Up on 'Bumpershoot'

2008-07-28T22:10:00.001-04:00

According to Webster, it's actually 'Bumbershoot' and it's from the year 1896. Bumber is a fun form of umber in umbrella, and shoot is a variation from parachute.

So, not so PA Dutch.

Of International Interest, Somewhat

2008-07-25T09:42:00.002-04:00

From Jessie in Germany:

This morning at work, Jesse Gibson came in and posed a question to the room (there were a couple of English speakers there from all over the place): Who knows what a bumbershoot is? (He said bumbershoot, as opposed to bumpershoot).

I said, "It's an umbrella." And that was right. I thought that bumpershoot was one of those things that Dad just made up (he does that sometimes, you know).

Jesse explained that he had been watching CNN World and the weather girl (not to be confused with The Weathergirls) asked if anyone knew what a "bumbershoot" was. Someone emailed in and said it comes from Pennsylvania Dutch and means "umbrella". The fact that I knew the word (and no one else had any idea) seemed to prove it.

I did not think Dad had made up that word. I thought it was what the British called umbrellas. I was way off.

2 out of 3

2008-07-10T22:45:00.002-04:00

I trapped the mother cat (Joy) tonight. Stripey won't go near the trap. He's so smart. He'd be smarter if he let me trap him, though.

1 out of 3 Ain't Bad

2008-07-09T21:28:00.003-04:00

I trapped Earl. He's in my car, with the windows down a bit. I will take him to a Forgotten Cats woman's house tomorrow morning. Tomorrow night, I will try to trap Joy and Stripey (again). I'm exhausted.

Earl successfully ate the food from the trap once without getting caught. I had to put more food in the trap and position it a little differently. After he was caught, I wasn't fast enough covering him up. (They calm down with the cover over them. Strange.) He was really thrashing around. The sound of the trap and Earl's panic made the other two cats panic. (It is really kind of scary. If I didn't know it was for the best, I would have just let him out.) Joy and Stripey wouldn't even go for the bait after that. Sigh.

I put the other 3 empty traps in my car too. I worry that my car might be bait.

Here are some new pictures of the cats.

What Did I Get Myself Into?

2008-07-09T10:28:00.003-04:00

As you know, I've been taking care of some feral cats. Because of the holiday and my recent trip to NSF, I haven't been feeding the cats as regularly. I fed all 3 last night, and they were quite happy about that.

Anyway, I contacted Forgotten Cats and they just got in touch with me about the cats. The current plan is for them to give me 3 traps, I'll trap the cats and then take the cats to their clinic (about 30 minutes away) to be spayed/neutered. I have to be fast when a cat is trapped. I need to cover the trap and put it into my car so that they other cats don't realize what is going on. I have to do that 3 times (once for each cat). The woman in charge is trying to find a place for the cats, but she may have to return them back to the dumpster area because it's difficult to find homes for the feral cats. Sigh.

The woman was wondering if there was someone else who could feed the cats after I leave. Last night, a 7-year-old girl saw me feeding the cats and she seemed intrigued. A kid might be a good one to take over for me.

I couldn't find the location of the clinic on their web site. The woman told me that they can't do that because people drop cats off there all the time. They can't even put their name on the door. The people dropping off the cats are well-intentioned, I'm sure, but that must be difficult on Forgotten Cats.

The woman was really assuring that I'm doing the right things. She said that the cats will be a lot harder to trap after I leave because the cats trust me. I still think anyone who brings food would become the cat's friend. She also said that I can feed the cats as much as they'll eat. I was worried that they might be overeating because they eat so much, but she said not to worry about that. It's really difficult for the cats to get enough calories in the wild and they tend not to overeat.

One of the funniest things that the cats do is to look at me through plants and think that I can't see them. I'm looking right at them! I saw the mother cat across the street from the dumpster. I talked to her, shook the food bag, and reminded her who I was. I thought she might follow me, but she didn't. However, after I got to the pavilion where I feed them, she showed up pretty quickly after that.

Frank asked if I'm up for this. Um, no, not really. I'm leaving Delaware Friday night, and I have a bajillion things scheduled for this week. I am hoping one of the students I'm working with this summer may be able to help.

The things I do to save the world (like recycling the tons of empty liquor bottles in the apartment I'm subletting).

Dumpster Cats

2008-06-29T23:03:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the cats that I've been feeding:

From left to right, that's Randy (kitten), Joy (mother cat), and Earl (kitten). I'm guessing at the relationship between the cats. Joy isn't much larger than the kittens, but Frank thinks she's the mom.

The picture isn't black and white, but the cats are all variations of gray and white. I only see the cats at night, so I can't take great pictures of them.

The more I think about the cats, the more upset I get. I've been looking at shelters, the DE humane society, and various other options. I can donate money to the organizations, but what they really need are homes for the cats, and I can't take any more cats in. (Sydney won't allow it.) I adopted Sydney from a no-kill shelter--to support an organization that doesn't kill animals, but maybe I should have gone to a different type of shelter to save a kitty. Or, maybe I should have gone to one of the smaller organizations.

I have contacted Forgotten Friends, an organization that will spay/neuter stray cats and then release them back where they were. They figure that cats are better off in the wild, where some kind person will feed them, than at a shelter that could euthanize them. For the most part, I agree, but I read several stories of mean children/people abusing stray cats.

I was considering various scenarios for how things will play out for Earl, Randy, and Joy, and none of them seem good. Like, the three cats could be spayed/neutered and released back to the dumpster, but I won't be around much longer to feed them. On the other hand, what if Forgotten Cats decide that the kittens can be tamed and adopted out, but that the mother cat won't. So, the mother cat goes back to the dumpster without her kittens? That doesn't seem right.

These scenarios are why I don't like SUV. They don't package things up
nicely in the end. I'm not sure how to end this story nicely. I mean, of
course, all 3 cats would find good homes, but the adoption statistics posted on some of the sites I've looked at don't seem promising.

Dumpster Treasure

2008-06-26T23:35:00.002-04:00

The dumpster at the apartment complex where I'm subletting is the home for 3 gray and white kittens. Frank and I discovered them Saturday, and I've fed some combination of them every night since then (dark gray kitten; dark gray kitten and stripey gray kitten; dark gray kitten, mostly white kitten, and stripey kitten; stripey kitten).

We went to the Blue Rocks game. The Blue Rocks are a minor league baseball team--Royals farm team. The Blue Rocks have three mascots. (Plus Reggie the Party Dude.) Mr. Celery is the second mascot. The story behind Mr. Celery is something like "Someone found a celery costume by the dumpster, took it, and we have another mascot!"

I was reminded of the Glitter poster that Patrick got from me from a pile of posters by the dumpster.

My sister replied: "I swear, you get some of the best stuff from a dumpster: up to three gray and white kittens, a celery costume, a Glitter poster. Why do people throw this stuff out?! But let's not underestimate the value of the highway. Where else could you get a giant inflatable microphone?"

The Legend of the Giant Inflatable Microphone is a whole other blog entry. I wonder if Dad remembers the Legend.

Comfort is lowest priority

2008-06-11T22:50:00.003-04:00

The Best Compliments Ever

2008-06-11T22:36:00.003-04:00

Tonight, at the Italian Festival, drunk guys told me that I don't look like I'm 30. To prove my age, I showed my driver's license. That was probably a bad idea because one took it away from me. I tried stopping the conversation with the drunk guys by making sure they knew that at least a few of us were much older than high school and by saying stuff like that I majored in computer science.

For handling the drunk guys, Lucy called me "The Coolest Professor Ever", so I definitely have to put that on a mug now.

Red or Brown Squirrel Sighting

2008-05-26T22:45:00.001-04:00

At the Stonewall Jackson cemetery, Frank and I saw a red or brown squirrel--it definitely wasn't gray. (And, no, it wasn't a chipmunk or a rabbit; I know my rodents.) I don't think they're supposed to be around here.

P.S. I don't have time to write long, well-thought-out posts.

Bad Sequels

2008-05-26T22:44:00.001-04:00

Speaking of bad sequels (see the subject line), there are a bunch (3?) of Geico commercials featuring a caveman talking about dance moves. The tie-in with Geico: the cave man accuses Geico of thinking that the dance moves are easy.

There are another series of Raisin Bran Crunch commercials that I like. Granted, I am partial to raisin bran commercials and the "uhn-tz" sound. But, I think the Raisin Bran Crunch commercials have a punch line and actually sell the product.

The Song I'm Writing

2008-05-26T22:42:00.001-04:00

I'm working on a song to the tune of the Doors' Riders on the Storm that's called "Spiders on the Door". The song was inspired by the large spiders on the garage door from when I opened the garage after it was closed for about a month. What you're humming is what I have written so far. Pretty good, huh? I was humming that all morning.

Coin Collecting

2008-05-18T20:26:00.001-04:00

From the Simpsons:

Coin collecting is a lot like life. It stopped being fun a long time ago.

Are There Too Many Women in IT?

2008-05-14T10:24:00.004-04:00

For every valid point this man makes (No, there aren't too many women in IT), he makes two asinine points. Made me mad so I had to share.

Are There Too Many Women in IT?

While it is true that programmers aren't very visible to 11-year-olds, that does not mean we shouldn't make them aware of the field. What makes careers interesting to 11-year-olds is not the same as what makes them interesting to 22-year-olds. It is not true that people who haven't programmed before they are 18 aren't interested. They may not have seen the many applications of programming that make Computer Science interesting. I am one of those people who didn't program until I was a freshman in college.

I'm sure you have more thoughts to share, so I'll end there.

May the Fourth Be With You, Drew!

2008-05-04T19:47:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Andy! Andy reminds me that it is his last prime birthday for 6 years and that his age is a palindrome in binary. But, most importantly, Andy reminded me that he is a nerd.

It's Here! It's Here!

2008-05-04T04:55:00.002-04:00

The CRA-W Newsletter is here! Thank you for helping me look better. It takes a village.

Poor Fuller Figured Models

2008-04-24T22:36:00.001-04:00

I read an article today about how magazines are PhotoShopping their models to look fuller figured. Poor fuller figured models can't catch a break.

Things I Learn on er

2008-04-19T14:28:00.001-04:00

The other day in an er rerun, Abby mentioned that babies look like their fathers--to give reassurance to the fathers that the baby is theirs. So, I looked it up and found this story that confirms what Abby said.

Hobby Shots (Sat: Updated)

2008-04-18T20:15:00.006-04:00

Frank and I took some pictures of me participating in my favorite hobby. No, not watching TV or reading TV Guide. Throwing a Disc!

I added two shots of disc golf. I tried to take more like #1, but they didn't come out as well.

The Consensus

2008-04-16T22:32:00.003-04:00

The consensus seems to be #2. CRA-W asked for another photo of me participating in a hobby, so Frank and I need to do another photo shoot. That will probably involve a disc. We'll see what we come up with and have another round of voting.

In case you're interested, here is my sister's take on the photos:

Picture 1 is too far away.

Picture 2 says "yeaaahhh." I think that one's my favorite.

Picture 3 is too direct.

Picture 4 says "tee hee" as in "that was funny, tee hee".

Picture 5 says "begyourpardon?"

She's a lot less critical than I expected. She's losing her touch.

New Picture Poll

2008-04-15T16:00:00.002-04:00

I need to provide a picture for the CRA-W newsletter. Frank and I did a photo session today. Here are the options.

I also have the options rotating in an example Web page.

I'm just guessing that the picture in the newsletter will be closer to the size that's rotating than the size on the page with all the pictures.

Let me know which one you like best.

Born to Soon...

2008-04-10T12:07:00.002-04:00

Or something like that.

At the University of Delaware's home page, I saw the headline Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. to speak at UD Commencement May 31. Oh, man, why did I insist on graduating last year? It is open to the public, but I don't know if can make it...

An Ad for The Gettysburgian

2008-04-09T21:49:00.002-04:00

Today, I had a great idea for an April Fool's edition of The Gettysburgian. Only a few years past being a useful idea. I emailed a former Burgian editor. She liked my idea. She was up at Gburg last week and their April Fool's edition had a Marxist theme (not of the Groucho kind). She passed along the Burgian's ad:

I recognize a lot of that equipment.

Truly Outrageous

2008-04-03T19:24:00.005-04:00

Dad got a new toy that allows him to transfer music from audio cassettes to digital. Dad asked if Jessie and I had any tapes we wanted to transfer. Of course we do! We have about 11 tapes that aren't available on iTunes (or any other similar service): the tapes that were included with our Jem and the Holograms dolls. So far, Dad has gotten the songs from 9 tapes (Jem, Kimber, Aja, Rio, Pizzazz, Roxy, Stormer, Danse, and Synergy). The tapes for Clash and Jetta are missing.

Hmm... This makes us sound a bit spoiled and we probably were, but we probably only had a total of 4 Barbies. We much preferred Jem dolls and we would save up and buy them with our allowance and ask for one for every birthday and Christmas.

Anyway, here's a sample of the theme song:

Dad told a coworker about this project, and she was very excited. Since she's about 30, that's the reaction Dad expected.

European Rivers

2008-04-03T19:19:00.005-04:00

was the final Jeopardy! category. I probably wouldn't have bet much, if anything, and I actually would have gotten it right. The answer is:

20 miles from Frankfurt is the meeting place of these 2 rivers, whose names rhyme despite the spelling.

Did you get it right?

The Beauty of the Blog

2008-04-03T12:22:00.002-04:00

I watch Corner Gas on WGN as I go to sleep. It's a Canadian comedy--a sure-fire way to beat insomnia. Last night's episode was minorly funny. Hank started writing a blog, so no one would listen to him because they would read it on the blog later. Someone commented something along the lines of "Why be ignored by your friends when the whole world can ignore you." Yeah, that's why I love my blog.

The other part I liked was that Hank used the word "talkin'" in his blog to show that he had attitude. Leaving off the 'g' is one of the best indicators of attitude.

Runny Nose

2008-03-30T16:17:00.002-04:00

There's a New Balance commercial that didn't make any sense to me. It was like

"Runny nose when you've cheated on it.
Runny nose when you sleep in."

Anyway, apparently the voice-over dude is saying "Running knows..." He needs to enunciate.

See the ad for yourself.

Some Good News

2008-03-27T22:56:00.002-04:00

Mary Jean Harrold, a computer science professor from Georgia Tech, asked me to be the CRA-W Featured Alum in the April Newsletter. CRA-W is what sponsors the Distributed Mentor Program that I participated in as an undergraduate and as a graduate student mentor. I was pretty flattered. She's going to send me the questions and then call to interview me. That's strange. I'm trying to remember if I've been on the receiving end of an interview of this sort... I was always the interviewer at The Beacon, The York Daily Record, and The Gettysburgian. When the newsletter is posted, I'll put up a link. Well, if the interview is any good.

An Idea for Next Year

2008-03-26T22:05:00.001-04:00

Gym story: there was an intramural power lifting contest at Monday at the gym. I saw a female professor on the bench press. I told Frank. He asked, "What was her last name?" I told him, and he said, "She went to Penn." She was in the Ms. Penn contest the year before Frank was in the Mr. Penn competition. I talked to her briefly (Frank had a fit because I wasn't supposed to go into that area while they were competing), and she confirmed that she went to Penn.

Even after seeing my biceps, she encouraged me to participate next year. Well, I would have come in third in the women's competition if I did it this year, so maybe ... "Congratulations, you lifted the bar once. That's good enough for the bronze."

What Makes Sydney Cry

2008-03-22T23:30:00.002-04:00

The Pitt Panthers lost to Michigan State (the Spartans). Sydney got off her scratcher and repeatedly cursed. Normally, I would think it was a bad dream or something, but she seems really bummed that her cat-mascot-picks aren't doing so well. Go, Memphis! Don't make Sydney cry.

Favorite and Despised Teams on Facebook

2008-03-22T22:01:00.003-04:00

I found this interesting. UNC and Duke are loved and hated. I didn't realize Duke was hated so much. I hate them a little bit myself because of how they played today.

Top Favorite NCAAB Teams
1. Tar Heels (38,248 Fans)
2. Blue Devils (26,763 Fans)
3. Jayhawks (20,249 Fans)
4. Badgers (13,414 Fans)
5. Wildcats (11,484 Fans)

Top Despised NCAAB Teams
1. Blue Devils (74,059 Haters)
2. Tar Heels (35,654 Haters)
3. Gators (10,641 Haters)
4. Buckeyes (8,765 Haters)
5. Jayhawks (7,917 Haters)

Gettysburg Hoops

2008-03-19T14:38:00.001-04:00

A story from Dad about Gburg hoops:

They were down by 7 points with 40 seconds to go in the championship game. A guy (and I forgot his name) hit a 3-pointer - now behind by 4. The other team missed a foul shot. The same Bullet hit another 3-pointer - behind by 1. A guy from Opponent made a foul shot. With time running out, the Bullet hit *another* 3-pointer to give them the lead. Then a guy from Opponent fired a shot from half court at the buzzer. And it went in.

And the referee said the shot was after the buzzer. Gburg wins.

Pets

2008-03-18T21:22:00.003-04:00

Campus notices had an ad for a free puppy: part Siberian Husky, part Sneaky Neighbor's Dog.

Frank has been checking out the Lexington SPCA and a litter of St. Bernard/Bassett Hound puppies.

This one is my favorite:

This one is Frank's favorite:

Sydney doesn't have a favorite.

They are tempting, but they'd outgrow the apartment quickly. Or maybe not. Who knows how big they'll get.

Happy Birthday, KK!

2008-03-10T10:27:00.001-04:00

Nothing witty to say,
Just wishing you a happy day!

Happy Birthday, Frank!

2008-03-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

Recently, Frank's 3.5-year-old niece was counting "27-28-29... 100!" I'm glad I turned 30 before the rules changed and 100 is after 29.

Ultimate

2008-02-25T12:14:00.002-05:00

Frank was flipping through the channels, using the "Guide" feature, and I saw a show called "Ultimate", which was about the growing interest in this "dangerous" sport. What? That doesn't make any sense. Frank said, "Ultimate fighting" and flipped to the channel to show me what was on. Ah, I see. Why did they just call it ultimate, then? There is no trademark on "fighting".

More on Funerals

2008-02-24T21:00:00.002-05:00

My great uncle Bob died. I liked Bob, after I was old enough to appreciate his humor. As a kid, I didn't realize that he was kidding often as he took jabs at us, so I was wary of him. One time when Bob said something to Jessie and I was a little horrified by it and Dad laughed, I realized that it was a joke and then I understood. His style is now one part of my delivery--saying things with a straight face and letting others realize you're kidding or being ridiculous. Bob married into the Sprenkles. Since he was so funny, that was also a surprise to me. Bob was also an avid Orioles fan. During the last week, he was concerned about the Orioles recent trades, including the possibility of trading Brian Roberts.

I did not attend his funeral. I probably should have. My mom said something strange: "It was a nice funeral. I think you would have liked it." Huh? I didn't think I was really rating funerals...

Funerals...

2008-02-22T09:47:00.004-05:00

I'm not real good at funerals. I tend to cry a lot. That may not be that unusual. Do you remember Love Actually and Liam Neeson's character's wife's funeral at the beginning of the movie? We hadn't met the wife, but I cried. Kristina didn't understand why I cried. I can't help it; funerals are sad. I don't consciously think about other funerals I've attended or anything. It's just a gut reaction, an overload of emotions--I cry.

What brought this up? Frank's grandmother died Saturday morning. It wasn't unexpected. She was 90, had Alzheimer's and bronchitis, and was getting weaker. Still, I cried a lot at the viewing and funeral. Frank thought I should be tougher. He should know me better than that.

A neighbor made Frank's family ravioli and wedding soup. Note that they just call it "wedding soup", but every time, I thought, you mean Italian wedding soup. We also had wedding soup at the reception. Dad thought they might have been confused, but I don't think the Italians have a funeral soup.

There were lots of Italians at the viewing and funeral. Frank's mom asked if I could tell which were the mafia. I assumed they all were.

At one point at the viewing, I somehow wound up in the receiving line with Frank's mom, uncle, and cousin. So, people were kissing my cheek and saying they were sorry for my loss. I know they weren't sure how I fit because I wasn't Italian. I got myself quickly out of that line.

Frank's 3.5-year-old niece was at the viewing for a little while and the funeral. Someone commented that viewings aren't much fun for kids. Yeah, but for the rest of us--it's a blast.

I stayed with my parents one night and told them about the funeral. I mentioned Frank's cousin Sonny (who I was next to in the receiving line). My parents thought about Sonny Corleone from The Godfather. See? My Italian stereotypes are genetic.

Reminiscing

2008-02-18T16:28:00.002-05:00

Mom reminisced about a time shortly after she went back to work after having Jessie. Mom came home from work, and I (about 3 years old) told Mom that "Daddy was changing Jessie's diaper and went ." Mom asked me to clarify, and I demonstrated again.

I asked Dad about this story. He didn't remember it, but he didn't doubt it. I asked, "What were you feeding her?" Dad replied, "Gerber's chili."

PG-13 Warning

2008-02-13T22:59:00.000-05:00

Frank has been complaining that he pulled a groin muscle. I've been having a field day with that one. Such as, "How is your groin today?" and in response to his saying that he's not feeling as sore today, "So all that rubbing worked?" It's almost too easy.

I shouldn't get so much pleasure from his pain.

2nd time at a voting booth

2008-02-12T22:04:00.002-05:00

I think today was just my second time at a voting booth. (That's different than only voting for a second time. I have done the absentee ballots.) The last time I was in a voting booth was for some local elections in Dtown, I think. Maybe it was also a primary. I was home from Gettysburg and it was a warm day. Is that enough clues to figure it out?

The voting machine was a touch screen! It was pretty fast because I was only voting for the Democratic primary. I considered voting for Kucinich, even though he's no longer in the race, because I believe in most of what he stands for. (Insert short joke here?) But, I don't need to throw my vote away.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2008-02-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

I went to my first Mardi Gras party last night. I have no idea what Mardi Gras is--except for a big party. I dressed a little goofily with lots of blue eye shadow, a loud shirt, and a Mardi Gras mask, but other people at the party were a pink elephant, a Mediterranean dancer, and a bunch of grapes. I got the baby in the King cake, so I need to make the cake next year.

Frank and I were the youngest ones at the party by at least 10 years, so the highlight for us was the dance party segment, where people danced to Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl". The songs had to be declared "no longer cool" after that party.

Super Bowl

2008-02-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

Brendan asked Frank and me who we were "for" in the Super Bowl. I answered dreamily, "Tom Brady." Brendan said, "Don't say it like that!" But, I was too busy dreaming about Tom Brady. Brendan commented that Tom Brady is an All-American guy--the kind of guy your mother would like. I said, "My mom does like him!" Ever since he was in his tighty whities on SNL...

Heath

2008-01-23T20:38:00.000-05:00

I'm saddened by the news of Heath Ledger's death. I'm surprised that the bios of Heath in stories about his death don't mention is first American TV show Roar. That Summer of 97 show on Fox was awesomely bad. Good times in Gburg that summer.

Slogan

2008-01-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

I heard some female students talking over the weekend. They claimed the slogan for the school should be "You'll find your bridesmaids but not the groom." They also said that if you're looking for personality, you can find guys, but if you're looking for more than that...

Dental Mystery

2008-01-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

I went to my first dentist appointment at my new locale. The dentist asked if I grind my teeth. I wouldn't really know that, and I tend to wear a retainer. He noticed that one of my teeth is worn down. I now know which one he means. I'm looking at pictures, trying to figure out when this occurred--if it happened suddenly (like getting hit in the mouth during ultimate) or if it happened gradually.

The following are not for the weak of stomach.

Here's a picture of my smile from graduation. Look on the left half of my mouth (you facing, not my left). It's the second tooth from the left. It's much smaller, without a point, compared to the second tooth from the right.

Compare to the pointy tooth (now third from the right) in this picture, also from graduation:

I can't believe none of you noticed this before. You don't usually notice my hair cuts either.

From other pictures, I know that this tooth has been point-less since graduation. It looks like it's been worn down since December 2006. I don't have enough close-ups of me to analyze my smile easily. I wish I were more vain. I go back to the dentist soon for a cleaning, so I will ask him about if it's possible that I broke the tooth in ultimate and what the tooth looked like in my 2004 x-rays.

One of the Joys of Being 30

2008-01-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

I was walking down the steps of my building and happened to see two guys on a couch and one of them (I didn't see which) threw garbage on the floor. They laughed, and one looked up who saw me walking down the steps. I mailed my letter (which was in a different direction), then went back and picked up their litter and asked if one of them dropped that. They pointed at each other. I tossed the litter in between them and let them deal with it.

My friend saw this go down, and she said, "Good for you."

I don't think I'm overstating what I did when I say that I'm a hero.

I learned that trick from my dad: don't accuse, just ask if they had dropped it. (Dad gave someone their garbage and innocently said, "Excuse me, sir, you dropped this," like he was being helpful.) I thought I would have to wait until I grew to be six-feet tall with a mustache before I could confront a litter bug. It's also convenient that I'm at school in a position with some authority. I don't know if I could do that on the street yet.

Yup, I'm a hero.

Incredulous

2008-01-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Frank is watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles. He doesn't understand how they have the money to stay in these different homes. I asked, "Of all of it, that's the part you find hard to believe?" He glared.

He's finding more things that aren't consistent with "The Story".

The Skeleton

2008-01-11T19:57:00.000-05:00

(Did I get Kristina's attention?)

During er, the local news advertised that they had a news story about a skeleton that was found at a construction site and the information about the skeleton that may surprise me.

Luckily, the news led with this story. The bones were found at a construction site in Lexington. OK, now I'm more interested. Then, they mentioned where the bones were found--corner of Nelson and Randolph. I didn't think much of it. Then, I realized that that's the construction site that I walk past everyday on my way to school.

The skeleton appears to be a woman, possibly buried in the 18th or 19th century. They don't think there was any foul play. Bummer.

The Roanoke Times story is more understandable, but the WSLS story has pictures (sorry, no close ups).

I heard that there is a Cold Case episode loosely based on this event.

Comfort

2008-01-02T15:42:00.001-05:00

We all have different definitions of when we feel comfortable. For Sydney, it's lying on her scratcher in the sun. Syd's head is lying on the floor in this picture. Dad says that Sydney looks like a cat who had the scratcher as a kitten and didn't realize that she outgrew it.