Pinch Me

Jackets win 45-42 between the hedges, and finish the regular season 9-3.

I still can't quite believe that third quarter comeback, but the long dry spell is finally over. Thank you Coach Paul Johnson for "getting it" about the rivalry, thank you DRad for hiring him, and thank you Yellow Jackets for playing a full 60 minutes and gutting out the win.

Happy now. And I don't have to take any crap from Georgia fans for at least 364 days.

Pumped!

TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!

Invasion!

Silvio's about a have a bad week.

We're hosting the big T-Day family gathering this year, and the most of the gang arrives tomorrow... with kids. Thirteen people for dinner, and eleven people sleeping here (including us). Silv was bashful with just PDM's older brother here last night. He'll probably spend the next few days quivering under the bed. Or maybe he'll finally grow a set and get over it. The girl cats do just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I took this week off, so preparations have gone on at a leisurely pace. Having company over forces you to clean things up. Having overnight company means you have to clean up stuff that rarely sees the light of day, such as the bottom shelf of the 'fridge. It's amazing how much expired stuff can accumulate -- and we had already kinda sorta cleaned out the old food last week (or so we thought).

I've done my best to ferret out all the hidden cat hair and other dirt. The linens are clean, and the cobwebs have been removed. The case+ of "two buck chuck" (only the best wine for my family!) has been lovingly selected from Trader Joe's, along with some crackers, cookies, nuts, and cheeses. I've got all the stuff we need to make hot bourbon-laced cider. All we need is a few last minute groceries and a beer run. Let the invasion begin!

Happy T-Day to all, and remember: TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!!!

11/23/93 - Fifteen Years

I still miss my Dad.

Most of the time it's a dull ache; other times it still has bite. I do know this -- you never completely get over it. Maybe some people do, but I won't.

Fall is when I miss him the most. His birthday in October when leaves start to fall, the death date in November when the trees begin to look stark and bare. Every year I remember it like it happened yesterday. The cold, harsh, sunny day when it happened. The crushing migraine and tears. The numbness that followed.

So much water under the bridge. But, really, no time at all.

Clean, Old Fashioned Hate

It's rivalry week. Get your hate on.

TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!

Oh yeah, and GO VIRGINIA!

Zima in the sun with highlights

When Zima isn't basking in the sun being petted, she likes to watch highlights of Georgia Tech football. She's a true blue fan.

41-23

It wasn't just good. It was great.

The U at The I

Tonight. I'll be there. Freezing my butt off. Damn, this better be good...

Tuesday is the new Saturday

I took today off as a comp day, since I spent all day at work Saturday not getting things done around the house. After allowing myself twenty minutes with some hot tea and the newspaper, I hit the ground running and didn't stop all day. I got surprisingly little checked off my list, although it should be vastly easier to clean the house for our Thanksgiving guests next week. I spent most of the day deep cleaning. I hate how it takes all that work just to get back to status quo (clean house, no cobwebs or cat hair). I only got a tiny bit of work done on the new bathroom. It is functional now, but I will save the picture show until we have painted and installed all the new hardware.

My reward was going to see Zack and Miri Make a Porno at the local movie tavern with a friend. (Getting out of the house was the only way I was gonna stop working -- I was obsessed.) The movie was fun. Raunchy of course, but the underlying story is actually kind of sweet. It was a good choice. We both needed to laugh and this movie delivered. Plus, I had wine and a quesadilla. And came home to a very clean house. Life is good.

A Yellow Wood

We live in a yellow wood in autumn. Makes me think of Robert Frost and "The Road Not Taken". It's very pretty, until the leaves fall. Then it becomes a ton of work moving the leaves around.

My back hurts, and I had almost no spare time this weekend. I could tell you about how frustrating my 12-hour day was at work with the water tank on Saturday and the part I couldn't find, or bitch about all the yard work we did today, or complain about the hours we spent removing the upstairs bathroom shower doors while we still have a construction dumpster in our driveway to throw them in. But instead, I choose to bring you this:


Gathering Leaves

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing into my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
'Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight;
And since they grow duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

-Robert Frost


Whenever you want to feel grounded and still let your spirit soar, I recommend that you read some Frost. I find his poetry especially suitable in autumn.

What I'll be doing instead of having fun this Friday and Saturday

This is how I will be spending my Friday evening, rather than having fun with good company, good food, and a glass of wine. Once a year, every medical accelerator has to have an extensive round of testing done. This tank is a "water phantom". It is pictured here with a Varian 21-EX linear accelerator. The water phantom is used for a variety of tests and calibrations. I'll be doing much of this work after hours on Friday and continuing on into Saturday.

Catblogging will continue when I am less busy.

"Would you like to save 10% on today's purchase?"

No, I would like for you to STOP ASKING ME THAT QUESTION every time I come in here.

Backaches and Improbable Statements

The amount of work I get done around the house and yard on a given weekend is directly proportional to the intensity of the backache that inevitably results. I got a lot done this time. There is not enough naproxin sodium in the world to fix this. Now I'm sitting here with a hot pack wrapped around my lower back. I hadn't planned to work in the yard at all on Saturday, but the Tech game was such a crapfest that I went outside to burn off my frustration. For three hours. At top speed. *sigh* I was pretty mad.

At one point, I had to go get PDM and ask "Hey honey, can you move this toilet so I can get to the lawnmower?" Then I cracked up. Never thought I'd have to say something like that. That ranks right up there with the redneck classic: "Can you move this transmission so I can take a bath?" The bathroom construction project is still going on, and we have bath fixtures all over the place. Including the carport storage room, right in front of the lawnmower.

It wasn't all drudgery, although our fun plans for today were scuttled by my waking up with a sore throat -- we were supposed to spend the day on the lake in a friend's boat. That didn't seem like a great idea given the cool temps and my possible cold or whatever this is. We stayed home and painted the wainscoting in the new bathroom instead. But I did get to see my sister. She spent last night with us during an Atlanta layover. We went out to dinner, then watched Clerks II and drank the bottle of Bordeaux she brought back from Paris. Classy, no? Nothing goes with "ass to mouth" dialog like fancy French wine.

Silvio 2.0 and extras

Silvio is back to his old self again. Well, almost. The hair will grow back. But not the other stuff...

Oh, and just for LL (and The Offended Blogger, and Kathleen, and Kat again, and JennyLu, and The Offended Blogger, and Kat yet again), here is an extra special addition to this week's catblogging post:



If you can't get enough cheesy 80s video madness (or Adam Ant), how about Strip? And I dare you to watch Goody Two Shoes without at least tapping your toes.

11.4.2008

Here's to the millions of people who helped make history. Yes we can!

Hopes and Fears

It is Election Eve. I've already done my part -- I waited in line for one hour and forty five minutes early last Thursday morning to cast my ballot during Georgia's "advance voting" period. PDM did the same later in the day and waited for two hours and twenty five minutes. That is a lot of time to wait in line to cancel each other's vote!! But only on the top of the ticket. I would be willing to bet that we had a lot of the same choices on the ballot initiatives and other down-ballot items. We're pretty much on the same page about local issues.

I am a high information voter. I've read a lot of articles and blog posts over the last year, from a lot of different sources. The general flavor of the arguments is that Obama supporters tell you why you should vote for Obama, and McCain supporters tell you why you should vote against Obama. It is hope versus fear. The classic battle. Well, you know what? I'll take hope over fear any day. If that means I'm "drinking the koolaid", then pass the pitcher.

No More Conehead

I removed Silvio's e-collar today for the first time in three weeks. A very thorough round of grooming took place immediately, followed by rolling around on the rugs and some play time. (The cat. Not me. Just wanted to clear that up.)

The dude abides. (Yes, he's still a dude. It's the attitude, not the equipment. Plus he still has that pesky Y-chromosome.)

1975...

...was the last time that Georgia Tech beat FSU. Until tonight. After the game, the students rushed the field. I approve! The team deserves it. They won in spite of being way down into their depth chart because of injuries, both before this game and during it.



Before the game, we had our usual tailgating party. PDM made bite-size Jamaican jerk chicken, and it absolutely ROCKED. You want some, don't you?



And to top off my excellent football weekend, Florida creamed Georgia (sorry Jenny) and got their revenge for that ridiculous stunt that UGA pulled last year. Unlike last weekend, I am looking forward to reading the AJC sports page tomorrow.