exorbitant

Dog food got really expensive.

I used to be able to get an actual 40 lb. bag of dog food for just under $40. Then they maintained the price and dropped the quantity (to maybe 34 lbs.--I can't recall) so that I'd pay the same amount of money for less food.

Last week I bought the biggest bag - now 28 lbs. for $48 (almost $52 after taxes).

That's 30% reduction in quantity plus 20% increase in price ... sounds like dog food went up 50%.

What if an emplyee goes to the boss and said, "May I have 20% salary raise and drop my productivity by 30%?" But then again, that might be happening to some employers already over the course of history.

I'd have to seriously rethink this food thing. It wasn't intended to be a luxury. It was an investment in the dog's health, to hopefully reduce the risk of a larger vet bill. Right now the cost of flea treatment and heartworm prevention - for a big dog - is already a lot of money, in the sense that you'd best save up for it.

group dance

http://www.thrilltheworld.com/
Sunday, October 25th 2009 at 12:30am UTC / GMT
Do the Thriller dance with others worldwide. Full instructions available at the link. C'mon, just do it.

useful things

looks like useful things shown at BookofJoe
stickies for your clothes hangers
zipper pull replacement
caps for your potato chip bags and the like
portable humidifier
nose inserts to help reduce snoring

second gate

Success proves elusive on the second gate. Right now it is functional; the gate opens and closes and latches. To clear the slope, I decided to leave a huge gap at the bottom of the gate. The gap is conveniently the rot board. I made the rot board removeable. Screw eyes on the posts support square bend hooks on the rot board. The gate has to be opened wide to allow the board to be lifted off the hooks on the hinge side.



Right now the gate is out of plane with the latch post. The gate sticks out at the top and sticks in at the bottom. I'm guessing that if I loosen the frame screws and reshape the frame, I might can get the gate to line up better. It's just a guess. I may have to loosen the screws on the pickets too. Maybe some weekend when I have the time, I will experiment. There is still some staining left to do. I'm also not too happy with the uneven gap at the bottom of the gate, but oh well. Other things require my attention.

Since this is a secondary gate, I made no provisions to be able to open it from the outside. This time I did not make the hinges plumb but opted to allow them to follow the post. By luck, the weight of the gate swings it open on its own when unlatched. This is a good thing, reducing the likelihood that the gate would accidentally swing closed when in use and thereby locking you out. I used three butt hinges (like you see on your doors in the house) instead of gate T-hinges so that they wouldn't be as obvious. They squeak a little, telling me that they aren't lined up perfectly. But it's probably okay; I can open and close the gate with little effort.

(square bend hook)
(screw eye)

random shots

bock-bock-bock-baaark

mooo

mooo

... all thanks to Schepps.

live broadcast of profession of vows

This Sunday morning, there will be a profession of vows of three Sisters which can be viewed live over the internet. More information here.

fence saga continues

I've seen whole fences go up in two days: first day all the posts are set, second day everything else. They look good too, all lined up and straight.

In my case, it's been more than a month and I still haven't finished the little section of fence I'm working on. I do stain all my wood before I put them up, and that takes time. Digging the new holes was definitely a challenge. Yesterday I finally took down the old section of fence that the new construction replaces.

Yes, there is a gap between the new fence side and the old corner post. That's because I wanted my fence span to be around 6 feet. I'll deal with that later.

Next up is the gate. I'm still mulling it over. The section of fence is on a slope. As the gate opens, it has to clear higher ground. I can either leave a large gap at the bottom, enough to clear the higher ground, or do something else.

CatholicTV.com

CatholicTV.com: Catholic video on the internet. I haven't watched any so I can't tell you anything about it. Have fun.

wedding

We were at a wedding this afternoon. Very nice folks. We certainly wish them the best. We knew the bride since she was just a little toddler. Or maybe I should say we knew the family since she was just a little toddler. I don't think I have my mind wrapped around this thing known as the "passing of time" yet. Kids growing up and getting married. hmm.

splash

Since I was rather late getting up and we had a function this afternoon, there wasn't much time this morning to do much. So I let doggie play. I put down the kiddie pool, which actually is a plastic sandbox shaped like a turtle. I put water in it and let doggie splash around. He loved it. Several times he was in there aggressively "digging," making lots of noise and fantastic splashes. I had to refill the pool several times since his splashes would almost empty the kiddie pool. He had such fun all by himself. Maybe next time I'll attempt photos.

celebrating moon landing

Friday evening we were at a celebration for the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. We had two toddlers and two teenagers. The kids didn't enjoy the presentation, but they enjoyed all the fun afterwards. There were free moon pies for all (ha ha). It was late when we got back and everyone was whipped. I didn't wake up this morning until 9:30 a.m.

muzzle review

This is the Jafco muzzle. It is plastic with rubber straps--meaning that there will be no qualms about getting it wet. It comes in white, black, and clear.

The fastening hardware is smooth inside and out. The plastic is glassy smooth on the inside and bead-blasted for a matte finish on the outside. The felt nosepad is fastened in two places. I don't know felt weights but would estimate this to be medium to heavy felt. Photo 3 is to give you an idea of the thickness of the plastic; a nickel is there for reference. Photo 3 also shows that the holes are beveled - this makes cleaning easier.

Photo 4 shows the size 4S on our Labrador Retriever. It's been adjusted so that it doesn't smush his nose. Also, he is able to open his mouth, can pant and drink. However, I might try a larger diameter muzzle next time so that he can open his mouth more.

When dogs drink, their tongue roll under, so I wonder if that seam on the inside might bother him. He has given the muzzle a pretty good work-out since these photos were taken. The muzzle is a bit scuffed up now and there is mud and grass trapped in the seams, but that isn't a problem to me. He can't get out of the muzzle himself, but it is pretty easy to pull that neck strap right over his head and pop that muzzle off. That isn't a feature; just letting you know that it can happen.

He can now accompany me when I work outside. With the muzzle on, he can no longer run off with my tools (or otherwise hurt himself by putting them in his mouth). However, I discovered that I can't paint with him outside. The other night I was painting and he went around me to get to the can of paint and started to drink the paint. Did I already say that he can drink with the muzzle on? Other possible mishaps include him getting into wet paint or knocking over the paint can.

I like the idea of the clear one, but it's softer material than the white or black one. I thought I needed tough plastic for this dog, so I got the white. I thought the white would be cooler (temperature-wise) than the black. Also, I can see better if anything odd is happening in that muzzle. I might get the clear one for use in the car. He had chewed off a piece of something the last time he was in the car. A softer one would be less likely to scuff up the car or scratch the glass windows.

Leerburg has the largest selection of sizes and also offers all three colors.

Yes I would recommend this muzzle to prevent the dog from eating things he shouldn't. Of, course, the best thing is to train the dog away from the undesired behavior. But if you're like me and can't seem to accomplish that, the muzzle is better than not doing anything at all. All muzzled dogs should be supervised since they won't be able to use their number one defense mechanism. I'm not sure about using one of these to prevent them chewing on post-surgery stitches. Seems like they can still use the hard edges of the plastic to scratch at the stitches.

kudos to NASA

Wow. Really amazing when I stop to take it in: NASA got people to the moon and back, not once but several times. And that was way back then. Forty years ago to be exact. Recent photos show shadows of the lunar landers that were left on the moon. More information on NASA's celebration of the 40th anniversary are found on their website. Somewhere there was a list of fun facts but I can't find it now. One of the facts was that the moon was so hard that they were barely able to get flag but a few inches into the surface and then had to be careful not to knock it over. Also the lander legs didn't compress as much as it should and Neil had to take a jump to get onto the moon surface. It's pretty amazing that they were able to get live video from the spacecraft and from the moon back to earth. And all those buttons and switches! In any case the complexities of the whole affair is mind-boggling.

ready for church

All showered up and ready for church. I'm up for one of my volunteer gigs this morning. That means that I'll be at my parish. Sometimes we visit other parishes when we can (which we did last week). Gumby attends a different parish than I and sometimes I'm expected there. Happy Sunday to all.

blurbs

Busy. Hence not here.

Sick cat, but cat ok now. Cat now shares my bathroom; might be a permanent arrangement. Gumby wants me to go get second covered litter box. There is one in there but it's small and uncovered.

Dog gets muzzle; two words: Jafco, Leerburg. I hope to eventually give a review of the muzzle.

Putting a VHS tape video onto DVD: complicated, exasperating. First it was cabling: composite video (RCA connectors) to S-Video on the computer card. Running around store to store for 3 hours yielded nothing. Mail-ordered the adapters. Then it was getting the computer to recognize the S-video input and having the software to capture the video. Then finding out the recorded format is not DVD format ... so need converting software. I finally got it done but I don't exactly know how.

how to split a pill

I saw a video of how to split a pill (tablet form). Place the pill on a hard, flat surface. Then place an index finger of each hand on either side of the score and press down. The pill snaps cleanly at the score. Just that simple. No tools required. I discovered that it works with certain pills even when the pill is not scored (like doggie's pain pills). I wish I can find the video again, but I haven't been succesful. If you find the video, please drop me the link. Thanks in advance.

FlameDisk

This thing gets you cooking over an open flame in minutes with no mess. Camping. Tailgate partying. Roughing it during a power outtage. Or just visiting at grandma's. Not readily available in Texas yet (we'll have to mail order). So there you go. Grab one and get to grillin' ... then share with us how it turned out. Thanks.
FlameDisk

doggie is home

Doggie is home now. Car is in the shop. Our pocketbook needs rescuing.

Doggie is pretty exhausted and sleeps most of the time (thank goodness). I fed him his dinner, a bland canned food that the vet sent, and he ate just fine. Then he wanted to play so he was active for a while (moving around and not lying down for long), then he was ready for potty. Now he's sleeping again, thank goodness.

Vet gave us the stuff retrieved from his stomach. It stinks. Gumby wants to keep it for show and tell. I've washed it in Tide. I've washed it in dish detergent. I've let it sit out in the sun in our 100 degree heat today in hopes that UV kills stuff. Right now it's in a plastic bag with a bunch of baking soda. Other ideas: washing it in tomato juice since they use that for skunk stink, washing it in hydrogen peroxide to kill stuff, spray the hell out of it with Lysol ... whatever chemical activity is going on with the stuff, I want to stop it.

sweltering

96 degrees Fahrenheit (36 deg. Celsius)
38% humidity
101 deg. F heat index

crazy week

What a week. Wednesday p.m. I was at work and got a call from home. The air conditioner is not working. One of the toilets is not working. I go home and try to check on both. A friend guided me on the air conditioner and got it to limp along (the fan on the outside unit needs a little help to get it going). That same night I changed out a tire because apparently my car is out of alignment and it's wearing out the inside edge of my tire. It's almost bald there. Not wanting to risk a blowout as I drive, I change out the tire with my spare.

Thursday a.m. the A/C is not working again (since I was sleeping, I wasn't out there to give the fan a little help). The dog threw up. So I go clean that up. Plus it's the day to get the trash together and put it out. We thought our friend was coming to fix the A/C. I go to work, leaving gumby to deal with all that. By midday the dog had thrown up again. He continued to throw up as the day wore on. Gumby was constantly cleaning up. Our friend did eventually come and fix the A/C late that evening and diagnosed the toilet. I get home and I bathe the dog. He threw up 4 or 5 more times before we went to bed around 3 a.m., then again some time in the middle of the night, then again before 7 a.m., waking me up.

Gumby took him to the vet. I went to work. The dog was near death by the time he got to the vet. He was all dehydrated and his electrolytes were all out of whack. The vet re-scheduled a bunch of appointments and worked on saving him. He had eaten his bed over weeks if not months and that stuff was stuck in his stomach, which is now maybe three times larger than normal (but you can't tell by just looking at him). After giving him I-V treatment and stabilizing him, they were able to do surgery and remove that gunk from his stomach. They'll keep him over the weekend. My fault for not having prevented the dog from eating large amounts of that stuff; I thought it was all passing through.

Workwise, I've had maybe 4 or 5 hours to work on what I needed to work on. I've been stuck in meetings, with Thursday and Friday being day-long meetings. I've taken the work home, and hope to have the stamina to work on it this weekend.

My car still needs an alignment. Gumby can take it to the shop for me on Monday; I just don't know how the dollars are going to work out. I still need to straighten up the house. I have cleaned the crate yesterday, but would like to go back and do a more thorough disinfecting. I'm thinking I'll clean it with the same stuff recommended for cleaning refrigerators.

gate results

The J-B Weld seems to be holding for now. This was the second application. On the first application, the J-B Weld pulled the surface treatment off the brick. There's a layer of something on the brick to give it its texture; that came off. So I re-applied the J-B weld to the same spot now that it's cleaned off, and it seems to be holding. The close-up shot shows a failed attempt below it; I had tried some other epoxy before and it didn't work.

Actually, when the J-B Weld didn't work the first time, I attempted to drill into the brick so that I can set an anchor for a screw. After about an hour and I'd gotten only maybe 1/4 inch into the brick, I decided that J-B Weld was worth another try.

That might be too big a job for the one bracket and one screw into the post. I might go find another bracket that would allow me to put two screws into the post and add it.

I've discovered that I need a handle on the inside too, since the gate needs a slight lift into the paddle latch to close. I had positioned the latch to support the gate (not just capture it). Perhaps I shouldn't have, but it's done. It has definitely been a learning experience.

Matthew

I was listening to the reading of Matthew this morning as I watered the two trees and fed the critters, thanks to MP3 and MP3 player technology. I was surprised upon hearing what I hadn't noticed before (items in color):

Matthew 27: 50-53
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Matthew 28: 1-8
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, "Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.' Behold, I have told you." Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples.

(text copied from the USCCB website)

I didn't know the bodies were raised and they walked about the city. I didn't remember that an angel rolled away the stone from the tomb and sat on it and said what's indicated there.

gate - almost there

The gate turned out ok. It took all afternoon yesterday.

The first photo shows my set up for stabilizing the gate so that I can get the hinges installed.

I still have a wedge in the gate in the second photo because the hinge post has a tendency to lean with the weight of the gate. I've obtained an L-bracket and J-B Weld and attempted to secure the top of the post to the brick. That was last night. The J-B Weld should have cured by noon. If it works out, I'll post a picture to show what I'm talking about. Final touch would be to saw off the extra 4x4, but that can be put off until who-knows-when.

just checking in

Hectic times these days at work. And next week I'll have to start (and finish) a part of my work that I reeeeally don't enjoy and which I struggle with.

I purchased a Sandisk Sansa Clip MP3 player this week since they were on sale at Office Depot. I can now listen on-the-go to the MP3 New Testament and such. I also grabbed some downloads from the EWTN website: some Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR; Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.; and Fr. John Corapi, SOLT. I was hoping to get some MP3s from Dr. Scott Hahn's site but the audio repository seems to not be working.

I met with my Dominican liaison last week over dinner at a quiet restaurant. It was planned that way, but aside from us there were maybe two only other tables with people. She gave some info on the going-ons in the Order, discussed some of the other seekers who are interested in joining the Order, and the near-term plans for additional vocational activities. I talked some about my family. She gave me another requirement for me to meet before I can apply for entrance. Oh well. My debt is the mountain I have to move right now, I'm not really concerned with other barriers for the time being. I haven't asked for the full set of requirements for entrance ... it could be that I'm supposed to bring a wheelbarrow of money with me if I am to enter, ya never know. No point in hashing those details now. The rules could all change by the time my debt is paid off. Heck, I could be hit by a beer truck between now and then and everything would be moot.

Tomorrow I will meet with my spiritual adivsor. As usual, I am not at all prepared for that. I suppose I'm not very organized. Tomorrow I also hope to get a haircut, though I'm itching to finish the fence I started. It irritates me that I'm so close to finishing it and yet I can't get to it. I'm also a little anxious that it might turn out rather crappy, i.e. significantly misaligned in one plane or another. At the same time, I've recognized that it is what is, and it will be what it will be.

Logos bible software

Logos bible software

If you've been looking for software to assist you in your Bible study, they might have what you seek. The link is to their Catholic section for your convenience. So there it is; give it a go. It is an attractive site. Good Luck.

fence still needs gate

I worked on building the front fence on one side of the house this weekend. Yesterday I was able to dig out the old middle post and set a new one in its place. I stained new wood and pickets and put those up.

Today I set the post by the house for the gate. I stained new wood and pickets built the new gate. I was hoping to be able to hang the frame and then install the pickets, but the frame wasn't stiff enough without the pickets. So I built the whole gate. Now it weighs a ton. I was trying to figure out how to hang it, but I ran out of daylight. I think what I'll do is make props to stabilize the thing so that I can install the hinges. I need to make sure the hinge pins are perfectly vertical. One good thing: the gate WILL fit in the space between the two posts. I can't tell if it'll end up aligned with the rest of the fence.

gravel

Whew! I was at a landscaping place at 7:30 a.m. this morning to get gravel. I had to make a judgment call on which gravel I wanted; I ended up with granite gravel. The guy said that is what is commonly used to make the walk paths in parks. I purchased 1/4 of a "yard" for $20 plus tax. Much cheaper than the bagged stuff in the stores! I was armed with an assortment of buckets, some empty kitty litter bags, and a shovel. I mean the bags that the kitty litter comes in. Those bags are tough. Our doggie hasn't destroyed the one bag I let him play with.

An employee (actually, he might have been the owner) comes with a front loader truck (I think that's what it's called), scoops some off the big pile of gravel, and dumps it on the ground for me. I shovel from the small pile into little containers and put the containers in the car. Then I got to the big containers, where they have to be filled while they're in the car because there is no way they can be lifted. The gravel is HEAVY! Then one of the guys came out and shoveled the remainder for me. This was the harder part becuase the shovelful now has to be lifted into the car. The large containers were the two 16-gallon pots that our two trees came in, and a 50-gallon size "contractor" garbage bag.

I was concerned about the weight. From very brief research on the internet, I had estimated that it would be approximately 800 lbs. (assuming a "yard" meant a "cubic yard"). My car is specified to handle a load of 1,1xx lbs. Since I weigh less than 200 lbs. my car should be able to handle the combined load of gravel and myself. But I had not counted on the gravel being a little wet. Fortunately, my car pulled through and I'm very proud of my steed. I did 30 mph through neighborhood streets to get home.

Once home, it was imperative that I unload the car as soon as possible. I do believe the car grunted in relief with each little load I took off. Some two hours later I've cleared the car and moved all that gravel to the backyard. Did I say that the gravel was heavy? The gravel is HEAVY. I'm whipped. The critters have not had their breakfast yet, but they'll have to wait until I get a little rested. Considering that they didn't get their dinner until some time after 1 a.m. last night, they should be just fine.

eyesight restored?

cornea improved after wearing contacts coated with stem cells ... LINK

busy weekend

We haven't really been home. Friday I took doggie to the vet. Then Gumby and I attended an end-of-school program and spent the day with the kids (family). Saturday we attended an ordination mass; we've been to several of these over the years. Then a quick lunch, then bible study class (it wasn't very good). Then home to let doggie out. Then to a birthday party. Today Gumby will be at church almost all day starting early this morning. I'll head out around noon to bring some lunch. I think there's some sort of special mass at 3 p.m. followed by a procession. I will be attending that one. update: The special mass was for confirmation; there was no procession--that's coming up but it wasn't this one.

I'm kinda tired of being photographer. They have professional photographers and video people at these events, but we typically don't have access to those. So I get to be photographer. Apparently fuzzy or otherwise not-so-fantastic photos are better than no photos.

It's impossible to get things done at home when you're not home. I did water our two trees this morning and treated the backyard for mosquitoes. With any luck, I'll knock out the pile of dishes in the sink. The photos I took required some massaging so I've spent some time doing that. It was mainly just to rotate so that they're not all crazy-tilted and then cropping to get rid of the blank spots that resulted after rotating.

So You Think You Can Dance

I like the show "So You Think You Can Dance." It's judged by pros and the winners are selected by the pros, unfettered by some popularity contest. I like Nigel. He's fair, kind, honorable, and humorous. He has that teacher/coach quality about him. The other judges are pretty cool too. I don't mean to slight them. There's something about Mia that's just fun to watch. But Nigel gets my vote; I enjoy watching him respond to the different situations. And yeah, I also enjoy watching the dancers who are really good.

Bridgestone commercial

I like Bridgestone's commercial with astronauts driving in space.

flashlight

I just bought a Streamlight KeyMate flashlight as a gift for a friend; birthday party this weekend. I hope it works well. I got it at a "cop store" -- it actually says that on their window. Since it didn't cost all that much, I might go back and get two more. One for myself and the other for Gumby.

I do have a re-chargeable pocket LED light, but it requires that you hold down the button for it to light. That means that you only have one hand left to do whatever it is you need to do. Also, I get tired of holding it down after a while.

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to all.

To all who serve to protect the U.S.A., THANK YOU. I cannot begin to understand the sacrifices you've made and are making, but I know it isn't a walk in the park. May God bless all good folks.

lumber

That's over $200 worth of lumber. I hope nobody steals them; we don't really have a fence. The lumber is for new fences on the front, on either side of the house. We had a walk-through gate on one side. This time I'll make a gate on both sides.

I buy the lumber and let it sit out, hoping they'd dry. The 4x4's have been there a few weeks. The 2x4's have been there a week, and I just got the pickets yesterday morning. I still need another 4x4; a slight mis-calculation on my part.

Hopefully next week I'll get the stuff to bury the poles with: gravel and concrete mix. I think I have the screws to fasten the pieces together; I'll have to check. We should have new front fences by end of June. Yeah, it's taking me a long time. I can only spend a fixed amount of $ each week. I suppose it's ok since I need to let the wood dry anyways.

dog bowl cited in fire

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Fire officials in Washington state said a sunny day and a dog's glass water bowl combined to cause a blaze that charred the back of a home.

fun wheels

The following are not new, but they're novel to me

Somewhere I stumbled on mention of the Trikke, so I checked out their website. Product looks like fun, but after viewing several of their videos, I decided that the product is severely lacking in "cool factor." However, if balancing on wheels is not really your thing, the Trikke would suit you just fine. With three spread out points of contact on the ground, handle bars and hand brakes, it should be pretty stable for those just learning. PRICING: refurb T78 ~$200 ($500 for the T8 shown)

So then I wanted to see something cool. So I went back to the website for the Flowboards. I've mentioned them somewhere before on this blog. The Flowboards are definitely cool. I want one. My knee has been giving me problems lately, so I don't know if I could ride one if I had one at this time. But hope springs eternal, so I want one. PRICING: $80 ($70 at Target, $40 at Newegg) for the 32" model
UPDATE: Aw. After seeing the reviews at Newegg, I have a change of heart. I think I'll stick to a regular skateboard. Thanks for your reviews at Newegg! (~$70)

Then I stumbled upon Newronsport skates. Definitely cool as well. If I were to buy skates, they'd be inline skates and they'd be the Newronsport design. They do a better job of mimicking skating on ice, they say. PRICING: $250 (model shown is $350)

Star Trek

We just saw Star Trek on IMAX today. Very cool! Totally enjoyable. I was concerned about whether I could like the new cast, since I so enjoyed the original cast. But to my surprise, I really did enjoy the movie and I can see that the new characters can grow on me. I like my Spock more unemotional though, so hopefully as this Spock grows, he'll start to lose more of those emotions.

What made the original Star Trek so engaging was the creativity in the story line: the obstacles they faced and what they did to resolve them. The hokey special effects added charm, but they could have done the same thing with card board box props and painted backgrounds, I still would have enjoyed Star Trek for its storyline and characters.

The new movie is entertaining and the special effects is everything you'd expect of today's movies. Go see it.

Milk

We saw the movie "Milk" the other day. Wow, I wasn't really aware of the intolerance of gays/homosexuals at that time. I was just a kid. I do remember that in school, "gay" was one the terms used for denigrating. I'm glad that we are generally not that intolerant these days. But I can see why society would resist: the public gays were very radical. I can also see why they were radical: it was a reaction to being suppressed.

It got me to thinking on the issue of whether gay men should be allowed in the priesthood. Homosexuality is a concern only because acting on it would be sinful. I'm trying to find an equivalent ... if a heterosexual man has strong urges to lay with any woman who's willing, would that be equivalent? If he controls those urges, then there is no problem. He has a propensity to sexual sin, but he doesn't act on it. So if a homosexual man is celibate, there isn't a problem, as far as I can tell.

art cars

more photos here

Mission Accomplished!

Our two elm trees have been planted in the ground. Woo hoo! I spent Friday afternoon and evening planting them. We just have to go get some mulch now to cover the ground around them. I am sore today from all that activity.

Thanks to jury duty, I have finally finished reading Mother Angelica's biography. Miracles do happen (read the book). Mother Angelica is the founder of EWTN. It took me a few year to finish reading that book, mostly done while waiting bedside in the hospital, or waiting in the car come pick up Gumby; reading is usually done in moments of "waiting" if I can stay awake. Sometimes a nap is more critical. This last moment of waiting was at jury duty.

This morning we have a vet appointment for one of the cats. Then we need to get my car from the shop (it's been there for two weeks.) And we have to go get some mulch. Then a class on the New Testament late afternoon.

Y'all have a great weekend. And Happy Mother's Day!

elm trees

We are proud owners of two Chinese Elm trees. They are each in "15 gallon" containers which I measured to be around 18 inches in diameter, 16 inches deep with the dirt being approximately 1 inch below the rim. I estimate that the tree trunk is 1 inch in diameter and the height is 10 feet.

Getting them into our minivan and getting them home was something of an adventure. Our friends with pickup trucks had other obligations, so minivan it is.

Gumby is most unhappy that I had not called before yesterday to get the go-ahead for digging. We'll have to wait for those folks to come out before we can plant the trees. They'll be planted in our front yard, which is currently devoid of any trees. We hope to have them planted (by me) before Mother's Day. We had originially hoped to have these trees in the yard by Easter, but the slew of rainy weather we've been having made that impossible. It's a little late in the season to be planting, I think, but we'll take the chance. We're so excited. These trees will give us such lovely shade when they're grown. We've already named them; they were named even before we ever decided what trees to plant.

work ahead

We haven't made any repairs to the damage from Hurricane Ike. No money from the homeowner's insurance (they say the damage is less than our deductible), no money from FEMA, and due to a glitch that I won't go into, unable to finish our FEMA loan application. I plan to slowly buy the lumber to fix our front fence and get that squared away first. Summer is approaching, that means lots of work around the house for me.

We also have Skip's house that we're keeping an eye on. More work. We're not doing much there, but it does take time to commute there and back. A few weeks ago I did replace the floodlights that were in front; the old ones weren't working right.

Yesterday, Sunday, I decided that I didn't want the whole weekend to pass by without me being able to get some work done at home (we were gone most of the time). So after getting back from Skip's house, around 6pm or so, I took a ladder and our wood saw out back and started on the tree. There were some branches that I've been dying to trim off. I sawed off two medium branches; there are at least two more I want off, but they're pretty big. I worked until 10pm hacking those two cut branches into smaller pieces that the trash folks can handle and haul away. I have discovered that the mosquitos are here. At one point, there must've been some 20 of them on my legs. Now I remember why I don't wear shorts outside--it's not because of the dog, it's because of the little blood suckers.

Today, my upper back and certain upper muscles are tired and perhaps a little sore.

around the web

Once in a while, I'll drop by Book of Joe and I'll usually find interesting things there. Here's a smattering of some of the recent posts:
Sport Stacking
Pocket Sax ... large variety of pocket sax here
Steampunk Giraffe

This fun reporting on Nightline caught my ear the other day.
Kogi on Nightline
Kogi on NPR

and here's a puzzle to tickle your noggin'
Japanese IQ test

ciao!

Woohoo!

Finally, after weeks of intermittent internet access, the problem seems to be resolved. Last week, between Gumby and I and AT&T, the modem was agreed to be replaced after talking to four AT&T representatives. First was tech support. Then account services. Then tech support again, I think, different person. Then manager because they said the modem is out of warranty and cannot be replaced at no charge. Manager asked for the serial number of the modem and then determined that the modem serial number is among those determined defective. Manager took care of the approval and transferred us to the equipment replacement department. That was Friday. Now Tuesday, the modem is here. All is hunky-dory. Mucho gracias, AT&T. I think it would have been resolved earlier, except the other time that we attempted, the equipment replacement department wasn't open (it was a weekend).

to quit or not

I'm off to 11am mass in just a moment. I do two volunteer gigs at my parish. I'm up for one of the gigs today. Truthfully, I don't think I've been all that great at them in the past year. Not too bad, I don't think, but not great either. It's just my opinion, I haven't sought the perceptions of others. I've been wondering whether I should quit either or both. I haven't jumped to any conclusions; it's just been on my mind. I have to volunteer in something, so if not these two things, what else? hmm...

cooking

Yesterday I attempted the Woman's Day Pasta Primavera with Shrimp and Basil. I suppose it went okay. But since I'm no cook, it took me several hours and the kitchen was a big mess. I forgot the salt and pepper until I got to the end and said, "Hey, where's the seasoning?" Heh.

Happy Easter

HAPPY EASTER!!!

may all be blessed

Wishing everyone a most blessed Holy Triduum.

Arrgh.

We keep our dog crated most of the time. He comes out to use the bathroom and if I'm not too tired, then he might get an hour of play at night. We don't like to keep him crated that much. So I've been trying to give him a little time in the house. Having this dog free in the house is like having football guys play football in the house. He's better these days, but he did manage to break a large Corelle bowl this morning with a fantastic glass breaking sound and fragments flying as far as some ten feet away.

This dog does not care what he puts in his mouth, what he steps on, what he pushes out of the way, or what he knocks over; he gets even more destructive with temper tantrums. This is one destructive dog; it seems to be part of the breed. I've known people to give this breed of dog away due to the sheer level of destruction. I simply cannot see how Labrador Retrievers can be America's #1 dog. I can't help but wonder whether some of this could have been curbed had we had him when he was just a puppy.

I can really kick myself for "saving" this dog from his previous owners. I'm not doing too good a job myself.

Our cats are fully clawed. I'm waiting for the day when they teach him a lesson in respect. Since he isn't free in the house much, he and the cats haven't really tangled. But as he gets more time in the house, there will come a day...

Help! What is this tree?

It is deciduous. I don't think it has flowers; strictly for shade. I don't know if it has fruits or nuts. As you can see, it grows very tall/big. Its canopy seems pretty airy. Photos were taken today; the leaves are new growth. A few weeks back there were no leaves. From a distance, the bark seems smooth; close-up you can see that it's just a finer texture but not smooth. Help!!! What is this tree?

update: I think it's a Chinese Elm (otherwise called a Lacebark Elm?) or some variation thereof.

rainbow

on the blink

My internet connection has been on the blink. I can't figure out whether the problem is with my modem or filter or if it's on the service provider's side.

gracious

Every child would benefit from learning how to be gracious. Gracious in winning. Gracious in losing. Gracious in accepting compliments. Gracious in receiving criticism. Gracious in giving compliments. Gracious in giving criticism.

We're all humans. We'll all fail some time. We need to be gracious to ourselves when we fail; gracious to others when they fail.

changed world

Every day, we live in a changed world. Someone, somewhere, dies and is gone from this world every day. Someone is born. Something is destroyed. Something is created. Something is consumed. Something is generated. No two days are ever the same. We are never the same, one day to another so long as we can make new memories. Because we are all "different" each day, the world is "different" each day.

not enough hours?

We've all heard the expression: There's not enough hours in a day!

Hmm. God made day and night. I'd say there is enough hours in a day. We're just trying to put too much into our days. We won't be able to fit everything, no. We'll have to sift and sort and figure out how to fit what IS essential and important into the hours we have. Then let the rest go; none of us have any control over the passage of time.

Shuttle launch tonight

NASA's space shuttle is scheduled to launch tonight at 7:43:44 pm EDT. 

Count down clock here.

NASA TV options for watching the launch here. (There is a "Other View Options" tab on the right.)

The space shuttle is scheduled to be retired in 2010.  This mission delivers the last "big" piece to the International Space Station.

update: launch successful !!!

faces

multi-tool

I purchased an SOG S66 for a friend.  I had originally eyed the S63 but the S66's feature of having the knives available without having to open the tool sounded good.  I played with it some upon its arrival and indeed, the V-cutter rivet heads do rub against the neighboring tool, requiring a little manipulation to pull either one of those out by itself.  This thing is too big for what they call EDC (every day carry) in my opinion, but for my friend who may not have ready access to tools, this should be useful.  The grip on the knife isn't very comfortable, due to the top of the second blade biting into my grip.  But hopefully it won't be too much of a problem (wear gloves?).

For myself, I think I want a Leatherman E33B. Yup, just a decent knife with a nice screwdriver functionality.  Actually, I wouldn't mind it being even a shorter blade.  It looks great but I don't know how well it performs ... can't tell until you get it in your hands and work with it.  Some other reviews of the Leatherman bit holder design indicated that the bits tend to fall off (not good!).  I don't know if that is still true for this model.

tool love

I would like to own one of these babies (a Peter Atwood G3 Prybably XL) but they're not being sold any more.  Aside from that, they are just a hair beyond my budget.

However, I can still get the Pocket Wrench II. It's affordable. 

Other nifty stuff discussed here

Praise be to God!

Praise be to God!  I have knocked off $10K from my student loan balance.  I still owe more than the cost of an average new car, though.  I pay more on the student loan monthly than I pay on the mortgage.  The student loan balance currently is higher than the mortgage balance, but hopefully that won't be true by the end of the year.  It's a long, slow march, but progress is being made.

tent cities

Old news, perhaps, but I've been busy with my own problems and haven't given any consideration to the fact that people who lose their homes have to live somewhere.  And for an exceedingly large number of people, that somewhere is a makeshift shelter in a "tent city."

I have no solutions, I just wanted to raise awareness in case there are folks like myself who are not very aware.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26776283/

funeral

I cried my eyes out at the wake and some more at the funeral.  This was unexpected, as I had been cool upon hearing the sad news.  There were a few tears here and there as I drove home each day leading up to the funeral, but it was controllable.  I suppose God allowed me to set those thoughts aside so that I could be functional on my job.  But Thursday night, the sorrow grew deeper.

I missed much of the wake service.  Apparently this is how the Sisters give a send off to one of their own: they do their own funeral service of sorts (there was a program with music, scripture, prayers) and folks were invited to come and tell their stories as it relates to the deceased one being honored.  This is the time for eulogies. As one Sister put it: it's intimate.  I'm sorry that I was not able to hear most of the stories.

The funeral was difficult as funerals go, but it was good.  Three bishops were present, along with a smattering of Brothers and other priests.  Religious from other communities, some from out of town, were present.

Lent begins

So Lent has begun.  I hope everyone who wanted to was able to attend an Ash Wednesday mass or service.  Yesterday's no snacking was really tough for me.  This year I will once more give up sweets (candy, cake, cookies etc.) as well as sweet drinks (soda, punch, etc.) while giving myself an "out" by allowing juices.  I'll also commit to setting aside some fixed amount of dollars per week for alms.  As for prayer, I will have to work on that one.

Wishing everyone a good Lent!  May this be a special time of growing closer to Christ for all of us.

Funeral on Friday

I have a funeral to attend on Friday.  Christian burial of a most wonderful person.  I'm sure the ripples from this loss extends to the ends of the earth.

The Reader

We saw the movie "The Reader" this morning. One word: complicated.  The movie itself is not complicated.  What's complicated is the human dynamics for the circumstances presented.  This is not a feel good movie.  If you want to watch a movie and then go to dinner afterwards and have a philosophical discussion of "should's" and "ought's" then this is it.

Slumdog

The day was taken up by major traffic snafus.  Major accidents had highways shut down.  We spent hours in that stuff.  

"We'll exit here." 

"No, that exit is closed off." 

"We'll exit here." 

"No, everybody's trying to exit there. Just look at the line."

So we end up exiting many miles beyond where we need to be, and doubling back via neighborhood streets.  A trip that normally would take 45 minutes now took two hours.

And that was going.  Coming back was the same story.  The freeway was still shut down and on top of it, rush hour was starting.  Oy, what a nightmare.

Any how, we later caught the 9pm showing of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."  Good movie, but it's not as good as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."  It has a unique story line, culture exposure (learning value), different music, and it does have a more upbeat ending.

a long time ago

color photo source

Congrats to Chandra Wilson for her "Supporting actress in a drama series" award at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.

We were in class together one year in grade school. She must've made an impression on me, because I don't remember any other names from grade school. I remember hearing her name on TV one time. I then went and dug out my only yearbook from grade school and sure enough, it's her (that's the black and white photo). I suppose that's about the same level as "Hey, I sold her a hamburger one time."

Well, I just thought y'all might find it mildly interesting.

No, I still don't watch much TV and am only vaguely aware of the existence of the show "Grey's Anatomy." I can't name a single character in the show and I still don't know who "McDreamy" is and whether it's a nickname or a real name for the character.

great movie: Benjamin Button

We saw the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" this morning. It's a great movie; both entertaining and thought-provoking and altogether well done. You just have to see it for yourself!

no, really, I can't

I think we all have one of those friends: really nice people whom we wish were not SO friendly. A few weeks back, they heard I was sick and cooked for us. Except neither Gumby nor I can eat their cooking (waaay too salty). And they loaded us up; it wasn't just a single meal. I tried to eat it, but got a tummy ache. This isn't the first time. And probably won't be the last. Yes, I feel bad about throwing out food, but what am I to do? It would help if they'd just make the offer and give us the option to decline.

why not err on the safe side?

Some atheists pooh-pooh the idea that there is a higher being, a heaven, or a hell because there is no scientific evidence for such things.

So let's take the flip side: if science says it is so, does it make it true? There was a time when science proved that women are intellectually inferior, that they are incapable of growing intellectually beyond a young girl's intellect. Okay, so that was flawed science. Until just a few years ago, science believed that dogs cannot see colors. They've since changed that position, saying that dogs can see colors, but not as well as humans do. Bottom line: science can be flawed.

Now to go with the science as positive evidence, I say that just because you don't perceive or understand it doesn't mean "it" doesn't exist. As far as my dog is concerned, heartworms don't exist in his world: he never sees one and he'll never understand what a heartworm is or does.

I love the observation "your God is too small." Anyone who expects to be able to wrap their mind around God is suffering from the "your God is too small" syndrome.

I wonder if the people who demand evidence of a higher being to their satisfaction also demand evidence for everything else. Do they demand proof that you were where you said you were: I've been at the store. Look here are groceries. I was at pool hall. Look, here is the receipt. I didn't go anywhere this afternoon; I was at home taking a nap. Here's the video.

Why not err on the safe side? It's not going to be awkward to face God eventually and say, "Uh, I thought you didn't exist." Now if God didn't exist but you believed He did, the only consequence is a life lived in faith, hope and love.

sniffle

I think I have the cold. I'm all stuffed up. Kinda hard to breathe.

any coverage of the march for life?

hmm... was there any coverage of the march for life on January 22, 2009 (and here) by the major TV networks? Any coverage in any newspaper?

paper house

paper house via Gizmodo

Dominican Retreat

January 23–25, 2009

registration due January 14, 2009

The retreat begins
Friday at 5 p.m. and ends
Sunday at 11 a.m.
San Antonio, TX

click for more information

Carmelite discernment half day

All women ages 14 to 30 who are open to the possibility of a religious vocation are invited to spend the afternoon with the Discalced Carmelite Nuns.

Saturday, January 31, 2009, 10am-1pm

A small community of contemplative women, The Discalced Carmelites live in a wooded area 30 miles north of Houston in New Caney, Texas.

You will have the opportunity to join the Carmelites for questions and answers, experience midday prayer with them in their chapel, followed by lunch and conversation.

RSVP: For details about this event and to RSVP, please contact Sr. Pauline in the Office of Vocations at (713) 652-8239 or

Ptroncale at archgh.org

Important: Parental permission required for those under 18.

job opening

Enjoy the beach? Good with communications? Check it out.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090113/od_afp/lifestyleaustraliatourismoffbeat_20090113032028

a little theology

aye. Theology can be difficult for me to grasp.
What does Jesus's dying on the cross have to do with our salvation?
What is our relationship to "the Law" -- what is the law to us? (I get this one!)
What is the sacrifice of the Eucharist?

question and answer session recording here (starts at 26:00, but there is a nice story about a kitten at 18:27)

See if your answer matches Dr. Scott Hahn's.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.

best commercial (Honey Baked Ham Christmas)

wanted: action figures

We saw the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still" on Saturday. Wow. I gotta have the action figure of the new Gort when they come out with it. Man, that is one gooood lookin' Gort. He'd make a great action figure.

I want the Iron Man action figure too. (You see I'm not very fast at acquiring these things.) Someday...