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Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Rainbow Bridge
A short time after this picture was taken I had to make the gut wrenching decision to let my little girl go. She had a mass in her belly that was causing her a great deal of pain and discomfort. There were other factors that led to the decision but none that made it any easier. I thought that I had plenty of time left with her, time to do the little things that always get put off for another day. Now those opportunities have passed and I'm left with regret the sadness of stories unfinished.
Abigail was a wonderful companion, willing to go anywhere and do anything. Always there with a smile and a willingness to put up with what ever I threw at her. I loved to come home from work, let her stand in my lap and tell her what my day was like. I would then ask her how her day went and she would surely let me know, Aaarrrooooo!! She was such a bad dog when I first rescued her but wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything. She brought smiles to the faces of everyone she met. One look at that goofy smile, soulfull eyes and droopy ears and you were hers.
She was a quirky dog but there were some things you could always count on with her and number one on that list would be her love of food. Her passion for kibble was the reason I found out about the mass in her tummy. I have no idea how long it was there, but by the time that it got to the point that she no longer wanted to eat or even show interest in food, it was to late.
Now my girl is at the Rainbow Bridge, where she can eat until she is content, lay in a sunbeam and sniff the wind. Snuggle with her cow and play in the grass. Roll in dead things and chase butterflies and lizards. Her friends are there, Mopsey, Bigman, Indy. And Rowdy is there too, he'll show her around the place I'm sure of it. She'll wait for me, to greet me with her usual enthusiasm and I'll have a cookie in my pocket for her.
Momma misses you Abigail!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
DTV and Smoking
Topic for the day: Digital TV and smoking. What do these have in common? Not much, but stick with me for a few minutes and you'll find out.
My story begins a few weeks ago.......... our lovely government has decided that TV stations need to broadcast their signals over the airwaves using digital signals instead of the old analog signals. Something about needing more signals or channels. I don't really understand it all myself, if you want more info go here https://www.dtv2009.gov/ If you have cable or satellite it doesn't affect you. However, if you don't, then you're in big trouble and will no longer receive any tv signals after February 2009 if your tv is over a few years old. Long story short, my tv is older and I don't have cable so I was going to be staring at a blank screen come this February.
I did what alot of people are doing, sending for the coupon from the government that helps you pay for the converter box which changes the signal your television receives from analog to digital. I got my new box a few weeks ago (thanks to my pals Lesley and her dad Jerry, love you guys *smooch*) and got it all hooked up after a quick side trip to Radio Shack for some cables. What you may not know, and I learned after a story on the local news station, was that DTV has got a whole lot going on and is a great improvement over the old analog signal. The picture is crystal clear, you get alot more channels and on screen program information like the title of the show, duration and what's on that channel for the next couple hours.
Each TV channel can have what I'll call sub-channels. So local station 9 has become 9.1 and 9.2. Got it? 9.1 is the regular station just like the old days but 9.2 is just the weather, it's like my own personal "Weather Channel" excepy only local. This is great because the way I look at it, unless you're travelling, who cares what the weather is in Idaho. Well, I found a new station that I particularly enjoy, it's 27.2 and it plays all the old shows from mostly the 60's & 70's. During the day it's alot of cops and medical shows like Dragnet, Adam 12, Emergency and late at night is Alfred Hitchcock and Night Gallery.
So what does this have to do with smoking? Everybody smoked back then and they smoked everywhere. they smoked on planes, they smoked in restaraunts, they smoked in the police station and in the hospital (although not in th ICU I assume) Smoke Smoke Smoke have a cigarette. No wonder I smoked. Everybody had an ashtray in their house even if they didn't smoke. June and Ward Cleaver had one, they didn't smoke. I remember when I was a kid, mom would come home from grocery shopping and it was my job to open the cartons of cigarettes and put them in this one special drawer in the kitchen which they fit perfectly. If I remember correctly it was a carton of Salems for mom and dad smoked Kools. Yuck, menthols are like smoking a stick of gum. Not only could you smoke inside a restaurant, there weren't even "smoking" sections. Can you imagine strolling through Wal-Mart and lighting up a ciggy-butt? Or smoking on a plane!, on a PLANE, seriously!? I remember going to indoor concerts as a teenager and not only was it open seating but the smoke was so thick you could barely see the stage. Granted, not all of that was cigarette smoke but still, smoke none the less.
The whole anit- smoking thing is to the point now that some cities are trying to ban smoking in your own car!! I admit, I used to smoke but I quit a few years ago. And I can understand banning smoking in public places with the whole second hand smoke thing and all. BUT, and that's a big BUT, I would like to think that my own personal vehicle is an extension of my home being that it is a mobile "personal space". I should be able to smoke legal substances in it if I so choose. My space, my air, I'll do with it as I choose. Sometimes Big Brother gets a little to big for his britches and we must keep him in check because our civil liberties are already dwindling. The bigger our society becomes, the fewer freedoms we have.
It's amazing how things change over the years.................
My story begins a few weeks ago.......... our lovely government has decided that TV stations need to broadcast their signals over the airwaves using digital signals instead of the old analog signals. Something about needing more signals or channels. I don't really understand it all myself, if you want more info go here https://www.dtv2009.gov/ If you have cable or satellite it doesn't affect you. However, if you don't, then you're in big trouble and will no longer receive any tv signals after February 2009 if your tv is over a few years old. Long story short, my tv is older and I don't have cable so I was going to be staring at a blank screen come this February.
I did what alot of people are doing, sending for the coupon from the government that helps you pay for the converter box which changes the signal your television receives from analog to digital. I got my new box a few weeks ago (thanks to my pals Lesley and her dad Jerry, love you guys *smooch*) and got it all hooked up after a quick side trip to Radio Shack for some cables. What you may not know, and I learned after a story on the local news station, was that DTV has got a whole lot going on and is a great improvement over the old analog signal. The picture is crystal clear, you get alot more channels and on screen program information like the title of the show, duration and what's on that channel for the next couple hours.
Each TV channel can have what I'll call sub-channels. So local station 9 has become 9.1 and 9.2. Got it? 9.1 is the regular station just like the old days but 9.2 is just the weather, it's like my own personal "Weather Channel" excepy only local. This is great because the way I look at it, unless you're travelling, who cares what the weather is in Idaho. Well, I found a new station that I particularly enjoy, it's 27.2 and it plays all the old shows from mostly the 60's & 70's. During the day it's alot of cops and medical shows like Dragnet, Adam 12, Emergency and late at night is Alfred Hitchcock and Night Gallery.
So what does this have to do with smoking? Everybody smoked back then and they smoked everywhere. they smoked on planes, they smoked in restaraunts, they smoked in the police station and in the hospital (although not in th ICU I assume) Smoke Smoke Smoke have a cigarette. No wonder I smoked. Everybody had an ashtray in their house even if they didn't smoke. June and Ward Cleaver had one, they didn't smoke. I remember when I was a kid, mom would come home from grocery shopping and it was my job to open the cartons of cigarettes and put them in this one special drawer in the kitchen which they fit perfectly. If I remember correctly it was a carton of Salems for mom and dad smoked Kools. Yuck, menthols are like smoking a stick of gum. Not only could you smoke inside a restaurant, there weren't even "smoking" sections. Can you imagine strolling through Wal-Mart and lighting up a ciggy-butt? Or smoking on a plane!, on a PLANE, seriously!? I remember going to indoor concerts as a teenager and not only was it open seating but the smoke was so thick you could barely see the stage. Granted, not all of that was cigarette smoke but still, smoke none the less.
The whole anit- smoking thing is to the point now that some cities are trying to ban smoking in your own car!! I admit, I used to smoke but I quit a few years ago. And I can understand banning smoking in public places with the whole second hand smoke thing and all. BUT, and that's a big BUT, I would like to think that my own personal vehicle is an extension of my home being that it is a mobile "personal space". I should be able to smoke legal substances in it if I so choose. My space, my air, I'll do with it as I choose. Sometimes Big Brother gets a little to big for his britches and we must keep him in check because our civil liberties are already dwindling. The bigger our society becomes, the fewer freedoms we have.
It's amazing how things change over the years.................
Friday, August 1, 2008
That Pretty Much Covers Everyone!!
Summer is Here and It's Hotter'n Heck!!
The other day I had been running around, doing errands, visiting my sister and stuff like that. Abigail, my co-pilot, was with me, eager for any excuse to take a ride in the car! When we got back to the house about 4:00 pm., the hottest part of the day around these parts. I parked the van in the street, got out, opened the side door and started grabbing all my goodies to take into the house. So, here I am, baking in the sun, wrestling with the dog on her leash, my ever present oxygen tank, my purse, a couple bags of groceries and some papers and mail. Usually Abigail's pretty good about this sort of thing and kind of hangs out at the end of her leash, eager to get inside for her Good Girl Cookie! But she's not! She's pacing back and forth between myself and the van getting in my way. She's kind of in my blind spot, underneath all the stuff in my hands, so I take a step back and I'm just about ready to let loose with, "Get out of the way you dang dog!" when I realize what she's doing.
She was pacing back 'n forth in what little protection the van provided on the hot pavement. Poor little thing!! Hence the reason for my current blog entry. Sometimes, we forget that our furry friends are walking around barefooted. The pads on their feet DO NOT provide adequate protection from the blistering sun. Remember that the black top, pavement, tar, what ever you want to call it, is even hotter because its color (black) absorbs the heat. Even the lighter color of the cement which most sidewalks are made of, can be extremely hot during these summer months. I've noticed when walking Abigail during the summer, she tends to walk in the grass where as during the cooler months, she'll stick to the sidewalk. Momma didn't raise no fool!!
So, remember your little buddies tender feet and provide allowances, either walking in the grass or waiting until the sun has begun to go down. Kick your shoes off and stand there on the pavement for about 30 seconds or so and see if it's tolerable. A dogs love is unconditional and they are loyal to a fault, which means that they will burn the heck out of their feet if that means being with you. Hopefully, dear reader, you have enough brains for the both of you!! ;) Enjoy the summer............................. Oh yes, I almost forgot, I seriously hope that I don't have to remind you about leaving your buddy in a hot car during the summer, even for the briefest of moments, big No No !!
She was pacing back 'n forth in what little protection the van provided on the hot pavement. Poor little thing!! Hence the reason for my current blog entry. Sometimes, we forget that our furry friends are walking around barefooted. The pads on their feet DO NOT provide adequate protection from the blistering sun. Remember that the black top, pavement, tar, what ever you want to call it, is even hotter because its color (black) absorbs the heat. Even the lighter color of the cement which most sidewalks are made of, can be extremely hot during these summer months. I've noticed when walking Abigail during the summer, she tends to walk in the grass where as during the cooler months, she'll stick to the sidewalk. Momma didn't raise no fool!!
So, remember your little buddies tender feet and provide allowances, either walking in the grass or waiting until the sun has begun to go down. Kick your shoes off and stand there on the pavement for about 30 seconds or so and see if it's tolerable. A dogs love is unconditional and they are loyal to a fault, which means that they will burn the heck out of their feet if that means being with you. Hopefully, dear reader, you have enough brains for the both of you!! ;) Enjoy the summer............................. Oh yes, I almost forgot, I seriously hope that I don't have to remind you about leaving your buddy in a hot car during the summer, even for the briefest of moments, big No No !!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
July 4th Sky Flowers
It's the 4th of July!! Whoopee!! Today, we celebrate our Independence!!
I'm not going to rant or rave today, what's the point, no one listens anyway............... big "SIGH".......... I live in a semi small town and my apartment is in the old "downtown" area, which the city is fixing up real nice. The city is doing alot of things to unite the community and most of it centers around the area I live in. OK, picture this, if you walk 5 blocks South on my street you wind up in the heart of downtown and if you walk 5 blocks North, well then you're at the new Lake Front park which is VERY nice. Now, I'm not a big fan of parades but whenever this little hick town has a parade, it goes right down my street. Ordinarily, I wouldn't make any kind of effort to go to a parade but when the thing's in your front yard and all you have to do is walk out your front door...... well what the heck, twist my arm I say! I found out about the parade route the hard way, as I recall I was roused from a peaceful slumber by some high school band butchering Jingle Bells or something along those lines. Which brings me to the reason for my post.
Today was July 4th 2008, the 4th of July, the day we celebrate our Independence, Independence Day. Hot dogs, apple pie, BBQ, beer, drunken neighbors and fireworks! The fireworks, or sky flowers as I like to call them, are set off out over the lake from a barge. Do you remember how far I said I was from the lake? Of course you don't, it's 5 blocks dumb ass, pay attention, seriously!! Poor pathetic me, I didn't have anyone to share the holiday with, screw it!! I didn't feel like messing with all the idiots and trying to park anyway. Then I had an epiphany (a thought, like a light bulb coming on) I have a new handy dandy hadicapped parking thingy for the car. I can drive right down there, get a primo spot, sit right in the back of the van with the dog. Plus, I'll be right there at the car, in my primo spot and I can get out of there just as easily as I got in!! How cool is that? So anyway, here is the video of the last 5 minutes of the fireworks including the Grande Finale!!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Get a Job
Ughh!! I hate looking for a job! It sucks, it's so degrading, demeaning and belittling. The job hunt itself is not the same anymore either. You used to just grab the Sunday paper or drive around town looking for "Help Wanted" signs. Now it's all done on the computer or the internet. Hell, you don't even get to talk to anyone at the store level anymore. Nor do you get the chance to make that ever important deal making or breaking first impression because most places have these little kiosk thingys over in the corner where you go and sit for half an hour and fill out an application on their computer. Gone are the days where you walk into a place and ask for the manager, shake hands with a human being, look them in the eye and say "Gimme a job man!" well, you get the idea. So, I'm off to create my on-line resume, trying not to lie through my teeth while stretching the truth just enough to be believable and hopefully grab someones attention while not tooting my own horn so much that I'll be the inside joke of some corporate human resource office for days to come. Wish me luck.
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