Shamrock Shakes at Becky's Island

Douglas, 1994-2009

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:26:53 GMT

I'm back from the vet. Douglas passed peacefully at around 4:15 Chicago time. He was so far gone at the end that he didn't know the vet from me (he hugged the vet around the neck), and I gave the vet several Lucky Charms marshmallows to put in his mouth before the end...so the last thing he will remember was marshmallows.

He was a good kitty, and I will miss him very much.

Douglas...It doesn't look good

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:34:03 GMT

It doesn't look good for Douglas, folks. I took him to the vet tonight, and his temperature was very low - the vet said this means he's starting to "shut down." She gave him fluids, and then I brought him home. He ate some marshmallows and Lucky Charms, and drank some orange juice...but I'm not terribly optimistic that he's going to live much longer. Stay tuned for details.

Douglas Vet Report

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:45:25 GMT

When my mother was here a few weekends ago, she noticed that "Douglas looks old." Last weekend when I went to San Francisco, his sitter left me a long note saying that he didn't seem as healthy as he used to be.

I took him to the vet today and had blood work done. Douglas is in the very early stages of kidney failure - this is very common in older cats according to the vet. He does not have diabetes (from the marshmallows) or thyroid problems, and his other organs are functioning normally, but the kidneys are starting to go. The vet gave me a prescription for Royal Canin kidney food, which of course costs about three times more than regular food, and said I should encourage Douglas to drink more water.

He just turned 15 in July, and obviously more of his life is behind him than ahead of him. I'm trying to be prepared for the time when he's not here anymore, but I know that will be VERY difficult.

Happy 15th Birthday, Douglas!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:55:23 GMT

Happy 15th Birthday to Douglas! He is now the longest-lived pet in my family's history (well, at least the history since I've been alive). Yay!

Short three question music survey

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:38:02 GMT

1. At what stage of your life (i.e. after college, after age 25, etc.) did you stop relating to the music in the Top 40?

2. What year (i.e. 1986, 1995, etc.) was this?

3. Was there any certain song or artist that when you heard them, you knew you were "getting old?"

Happy Fourth of July!

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:31:32 GMT

Happy Fourth of July! I post this every year...

Scene Eight: Ben Franklin Signs the Declaration of Independence

Narrator: The trouble continued to brew. It was a time for action, and a time for words. On a hot July night in 1776, Benjamin Franklin was aroused from his work by the call of destiny….

(Knock at the door)

Jefferson: Ben, Ben! Ya in there Ben?

Franklin: Who’s that, Sylvia?

Sylvia: It’s the “call of destiny.”

Franklin: Come on, take a look through the curtains, there.

Sylvia: It’s Tom Jefferson!

Franklin: What, again? Well, it’s no good, I’ll have to let him in…I’m coming, I’m coming!

Jefferson: Hi, Ben!

Franklin: Tom.

Jefferson: You got a minute?

Franklin: Well, to tell you the truth, I was just going out of town for the weekend.

Jefferson: But it’s only Wednesday.

Franklin: Yeah. Well, you know, a penny saved is a penny earned.

Jefferson: What does that got to do with anything, Franklin?

Franklin: I don’t know. It was the first thing that came into my head. I was just making conversation. An idle brain is the Devil’s playground, you know!

Jefferson: Say, you’re pretty good at that, aren’t you?

Franklin: Yes, they’re just some new “wise sayings” I just made up.

Jefferson: Wise sayings?

Franklin: Yeah, I call ‘em “wise sayings.”

Jefferson: Uh-huh.

Franklin: Well, what can I do for you?

Jefferson: Well, I’ve got this petition here I’ve been circulating around the neighborhood. Kind of thought you’d like to sign it. It’s called the Declaration of Independence.

Franklin: Yeah, I heard about that. Sounds a little suspect if you ask me.
Jefferson: What do you mean, suspect?

Franklin: Well, you’re advocating the overthrow of the British government by force and violence, aren’t you?

Jefferson: Yeah, yeah, but we’ve had it with that royal jazz.

Franklin: Who’s we?

Jefferson: Well, all the guys.

Franklin: Who’s all the guys?

Jefferson: Oh, George, Jim Madison, Alex Hamilton, Johnny Adams-you know, all the guys.

Franklin: Hah! The lunatic fringe.

Jefferson: Oh, they are not.

Franklin: Two wild eyed radicals, professional liberals-don’t kid me.

Jefferson: You call Washington a wild-eyed radical?

Franklin: Washington? I don’t see his name on it.

Jefferson: No, but he promised to sign it.

Franklin: Oh, yeah, that’s George for you! Talks up a storm with them wooden teeth-can’t shut ‘em off! But when it comes time to put the old name on the parchment-o-roonie, try and find him.

Jefferson: What are you so surly for today?

Franklin: Surly to bed and surly to rise makes a man…

Jefferson: Alright, alright. Let’s knock off the one-line jokes and sign the petition, huh, fellah?

Franklin: Well, lemme look at it here…When in the course of human events-so and so and so and so, so and so and so and so…that among these are life, liberty, and the purfuit of happineff?

Jefferson: That’s pursuit of happiness.

Franklin: Well, all your s’s look like f’s.

Jefferson: It’s stylish. It’s in, it’s very in.

Franklin: Oh, well, if it’s in. We therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, so and so and so and so…solemnly publish and declare, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm… that they are absolved from all allegiance to-uh-the British Crown….and so on. Uh, a little overboard, isn’t it?

Jefferson: Well…

Franklin: You write this?

Jefferson: Yeah, yeah, I knocked it out. It’s just a first draft, you know.

Franklin: Well, I’ll tell you, why don’t you leave it with me, and I’ll mail it in, huh?

Jefferson: Oh, come on.

Franklin: No, I’ll tell you, Tom, let me say this-I’m with you in spirit, I’m sure you’ll understand that. But, you know, I’ve got play it conservative. I’m a businessman.

Jefferson: Yeah.

Franklin: I got the printing business going pretty good, the almanac made “Book of the Month,” and then I’ve got the inventions, you know. I’ve got pretty good distribution on the stoves now. And of course every Saturday evening I bring out the “mag.”

Jefferson: The what?

Franklin: Magazine.

Jefferson: Oh. Oh, That reminds me. That artist I sent by, did you look at his stuff?

Franklin: You mean the Rockwell boy? Skinny kid with the pipe?

Jefferson: Yeah, that’s the kid.

Franklin: Yeah, I glanced at it. He’s too far out for me.

Jefferson: Oh, yeah. Well, I know, you’ve got to play it safe.

Franklin: Yeah.

Jefferson: But getting back to the signing of the petition-how about it?

Franklin: Well, I-

Jefferson: It’s a harmless paper.

Franklin: Oh, sure, harmless. I know how these things happen. You go to a couple of harmless parties, sign a harmless petition, and forget all about it. Ten years later, you get hauled up before a committee. No, thank you, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life writing in Europe.

Jefferson: Ah, come on.

Franklin: Come on and what?

Song: A Man Can't Be Too Careful What He Signs These Days

(Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin)

Come on and put your name on the dotted line

I got to be particular what I sign

It's just a piece of paper

Just a piece of paper, that's what you say

Come on and put your signature on the list

It looks to have a very subversive twist

How silly to assume it; won't you “nom de plume” it today?
You're so skittish--who possibly could care if you do?

The Un-British Activities Committee, that's who!

Let's have a little drinko and fill the quill

It sounds a little ”pinko” to me, but still...

Knock off the timid manner if you want a banner to raise! (banner to raise)

You must take (I must take)

A stand (A stand)

For this brave (for this brave)

New land (new land)

For who wants (who wants)

To live (to live)

So conser- (so conser-)

-vative? (-vative?)

I don't dis- (He don't dis-)

-agree (agree)

BUT A MAN CAN'T BE TOO CAREFUL WHAT HE SIGNS THESE DAYS!!!

Franklin: Well, if I sign it, will you renew your subscription?

Jefferson: Yeah, if you promise not to keep throwing it on the roof. If it’s not on the roof, it’s in the rosebushes or in the mud.

Franklin: My eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Besides, it’s hard to hit the porch from a horse.

Jefferson: Ah, come on, all we want to do is to hold a few truths to be self-evident.

Franklin: You’re sure it’s not gonna start a revolution or anything.

Jefferson: Trust me.

Franklin: Okay, give it to me. You got a quill on you?

Jefferson: Yeah, here you are.

Franklin: Hah! Look at that showoff Hancock, willya! Pretty flamboyant signature for an insurance man.

Jefferson: Ah, you did a good thing, Ben. You won’t be sorry, heh, heh. Now if I can just get another three or four guys, we’ll be all set.

Franklin: Well, I’ll tell you one thing.

Jefferson: What’s that?

Franklin: You better get ‘em to sign it in the next couple of days, before they all take off for the Fourth of July weekend.

Michael Jackson

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:12:23 GMT

RIP to a legendary entertainer who was one of the first famous people I ever became aware of in the early 70s.

Riding On The Metro

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:44:16 GMT

I was on the D.C. Metro Red Line, going through Takoma Park, about two months ago. I enjoyed the ride, got to see some parts of Maryland and D.C. that I hadn't seen before, and was able to visit a friend in Olney before coming back into town to go to the Wizards game that night.

I made it back...six people won't.

How Many States?

Sat, 16 May 2009 15:28:13 GMT

I've been to every state east of the Mississippi except for Mississippi.

visited 35 states (70%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or vertaling nederlands duits?

What Color Is Your Mind?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:46:20 GMT

Your Mind is Green

Of all the mind types, yours has the most balance.
You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver.
You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Mind?

And I thought it was because I'm Irish!

Grateful Dead in the Oval Office

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:44:22 GMT

Grateful Dead: Live in the Oval Office
Posted April 14, 2009 5:00 PM

by Mark Silva (Chicago Tribune)

We haven't seen any Jerry Garcia ties on President Barack Obama lately, but the Washington Post's "Sleuth'' has a great off-the-schedule sighting:

"The surviving (and formerly feuding) members of the Grateful Dead had a secret impromptu meeting Monday evening with the man they credit with reuniting them: President Obama. The president welcomed all the members of The Dead, who are performing tonight at the Verizon Center in Washington, to the Oval Office just before dinner last night.

"Apparently the band was quite taken with how tidy the president keeps his desk. And how down-to-earth he seemed, according a source who was there. "The president was so gracious. Really, really nice and so welcoming. It hit you: you're in the Oval Office, but it was so normal," the source told the Sleuth.

The visitors: The four surviving members of the Dead - Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann - plus keyboardist Jeff Chimenti (from Weir's Ratdog) and Warren Haynes, joining the Dead on their Spring tour as lead vocalist and guitarist -- the late Garcia's old job.

Greetings from Washington

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:22:09 GMT

Greetings from Washington, DC! I lucked into a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building today (usually you have to get the tickets from your congressperson, but I happened to get there when there was one spare ticket left) and saw the Rotunda, the old Senate chamber where Abe Lincoln sat, and the steps where everyone went out to the inaugural ceremony. I also left my umbrella in the Capitol restaurant, so I had to use a plastic bag from the gift shop to keep my head covered.

Later on I'm going on a "Monuments by Moonlight" tour of the major memorials, then tomorrow greywingnut and I will be hitting the Smithsonian.

Washington, DC

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:47:23 GMT

I'm off to Washington, DC for a few days of sightseeing. Details later!

3/17

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:54:40 GMT

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

3/16

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:01:29 GMT

I'm almost over this bug; thanks for all your support. I truly am very lucky!

3/15

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:41:40 GMT

Happy Birthday to Phil Lesh, bassist of the Grateful Dead!

Yes, I'm slowly and steadily feeling better, but I still haven't gotten back my appetite. I'm barely hungry at all.

3/14

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:47:09 GMT

Today's the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago, and yes, I'm staying home. I'm at that point where I'm starting to feel better, but I know I'm still sick. There's been much less snorting and trumpeting of my nose, and even less coughing, but I don't want to push it and stand out in the cold all day. So I'll just watch it on TV.

3/13

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:55:59 GMT

Thanks to all who have sent me good health wishes! I'm feeling SLIGHTLY better, but at times my head feels like a balloon bouncing around in a giant hotel lobby. This is one bad bug!

Personality type

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:46:36 GMT

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer

You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.

A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways.

In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.

You find it easy to be devoted to one person... a partner who you do special things for.

In love, you express your emotions through actions.

Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!

At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time.

You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's Your Personality Type?

Random thoughts

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:40:51 GMT

*I've been sidelined for the last four days with a bacterial sinus infection. Usually, any sort of upper respiratory upset, I attribute to my hay fever and try to ride out, but this one was worse. It was so bad that when I went to work on Tuesday, they took one look at my face and said, "You have a fever, go home and go to the doctor." So I did, and he gave me antibiotics roughly the size of my thumbprint. I probably caught it from one of the literally hundreds of schoolchildren that come through my workplace every day.

*This is usually my favorite time of the year, but the weather has been so nuts here. First record-setting rainstorms, then temperatures in the 20s overnight.

*Did I mention I'm going to Washington, DC the 26th through the 29th?

I'm not Beethoven

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:49:17 GMT

I was very surprised at this result, after years of concerts and loud headphone listening. I did turn up the volume all the way.

Created by Train Horns

Becky Needs

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:03:43 GMT

Google "[your first name] needs" and share your 10 funniest results.

1. Becky needs a home. Becky came to the SPCA as a stray 7 months ago. She had been found tied to a tree in a local park.
2. Becky needs to listen to "Kareem Abdul Jabbar" by Kevin Devine and to laugh about it.
3. Becky needs a little taste.
4. Becky needs a psychiatrist!
5. Becky needs to blackmail a friend to get information about her blind date.
6. Becky needs phone numbers cause her phone got ran over.
7. Becky needs a Texas scout show.
8. Little Becky needs a crane to get her lazy Dad off the settee.
9. Becky Needs an Exorcism.
10. Becky needs 2 just shutup and go find a new job how pathetic is she!

Happy Friday the 13th

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:28:57 GMT

Happy Friday the 13th from Douglas!

Bad Ads

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:16:40 GMT

The Super Bowl ads really stunk this year, didn't you think? There were really only five I liked:

1. The Coke ad where the insects stole the bottle to the tune of "Peter and the Wolf."

2. The Budweiser ad where the Clydesdale had a Scottish accent.

3. The parody of the Mean Joe Greene ad where they tried to take the Coke 2. Great '70s nostalgia.

4. Mr. Potato Head's wife's mouth falling off.

5. The bad office under the moose's rear end.

Every other ad seemed to involve someone getting hurt. They weren't funny.

Fool's names, like their faces, often appear in public places

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:26:01 GMT

Before:

After: