Quick Hits

A dogwood tree fell in our yard during Thursday evening's storms. Not a big deal since it didn't hit anything and isn't in the way. It seems almost a shame to have to remove it -- the cats think it is their personal feline jungle gym. They are all over it.

I've decided that planning our vacations is nearly as much fun as actually going on them. It finally got slow at work the past two days so I started working on our August plans. We're going to Washington state to see North Cascades, Olympic, and Mt. Rainier national parks. And since we're flying into Seattle, I think we'll have to make time to see the Science Fiction Museum just because.

Work is still kicking my ass, but in spite of that I am glad that they switched me to the Midtown location. Change is good. Still covering the "gritty downtown location" two days a week. Also still forced to "share" my Midtown office with a physician two of my three days there. And by "share", my employers mean when she is there I don't get to use it. Not fun.

So why haven't I been around here more? Ironically, my near constant access to the internet provided by my smart phone is the reason that I haven't been around very much. Now that I don't need a computer to read my email and get directions and stuff, I have less of a reason to get on the internet. I'm too busy to do it at work any more and don't really want to sit behind a computer at home since I spend so much time staring at a screen at work.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Forty five sure feels like halfway (or -gulp- more than half way) to something. Anyway, I decided to get myself a present: I'm hiring a housekeeper. I suck at cleaning, don't do it often enough and don't like it. I am more than happy to pay someone else to do it. So that's the plan. We've talked about hiring people to do the yard work also, but I am on the fence about that. I don't dislike yard work. I just don't like doing it when it is hot (kind of a problem when you live in Atlanta - it is hot all the dang time). I'd rather mow the lawn than vacuum any day, even if it is 95F and 95% humidity.

Alive and Kicking

'Been a while. Figured I should let people know I am still alive (PDM and the cats are all OK as well - I know LL must have been worried sick). I haven't been posting since my work assignment changed a month ago*. When I feel like posting, I don't have time. When I have time, I don't feel like posting. Thus my month of silence.

I don't really feel much like posting right now, so I will leave you with the little blurb below and this photo of the morning sky over the north Georgia mountains, where PDM and I had a short getaway last weekend. We stayed in a cottage at a state park, and this was the view from our back porch. Not bad, eh?

*Still covering the gritty downtown location, but now I spend the other three days at the upscale midtown location. I was feeling burned out at the main location, so I am generally happy that they switched me to new horizons. Traffic is more of a hassle since I am going into the heart of Atlanta every day, but on the plus side my lunch choices have improved dramatically. You gotta look at the positive. This is a good thing long term, but in the short term there is a situation that makes this change very challenging and sometimes irritating. It should smooth out in a few months (fingers crossed). Maybe I won't be quite so damn busy after that. One can always hope.

Redecorated

Lots of new options for templates on Blogger. Couldn't resist. And so much easier than painting the house.

A few short shots.

1. Work is really trying my patience. Oh what the hell. My patience lasted about five minutes, and then I just about exploded. *sigh* Whatever. I'll get over it. Because I like having a job.

2. Fermicat's law of occasional banking: If you let a few checks sit around your house for months and then finally take them to the bank, you will find another check in your mailbox the minute you get home. I shit you not.

3. Old comedy shows contain jokes that are REALLY DATED. Tonight's show seemed like a blast from the distant past, but it was only five years old. Wow. And now they are showing stuff from the late 80s. OK, that schtick is really old. Funny, but old.

Feline Alarm Clock?

This week, I bring you.... cat-related Friday catblogging having nothing to do with my cats, other than the fact that mine are annoying in the morning also, but so far have not resorted to the same drastic measures as Simon's cat to wake us up. Mostly because we free-feed them, so our presence is not required in order for them to eat breakfast. If it was, we'd never have any rest.

The posting drought (other than catblogging and a sentence here or there about basketball) is almost over. I have several half-written posts rattling around in my brain just waiting to bust out. Things have been happening. Oh yes. Nefarious things. My workplace is going all Dilberty on me, and I have an anti-Valentine's Day themed post in mind for next week. And that's just for starters. But I promise not to break out that "25 random things" crap that is going around on Facebook. Which I am still not on. For now.

Busy Living...

...not blogging. Sorry. Will be back when I have something to say.

Rather than phoning it in...

...I'm going to go see all of you and write on your blogs.

Lame Excuses For Not Posting

I took the weekend off, and I'm having to work overtime this week to get some machine stuff done after hours. Regular posting to resume soon, I hope. I have some post topics in mind, but the thoughts need to roll around my brain some more before they are ready to share. Plus, so many cat photos... so few Fridays.

Two

The blog turns two today.

Once again, I will thank all of you who read and comment here. You are the reason that this is fun. I have enjoyed the friendships that have developed over the past two years (and much earlier for those of you from FMD and SSD).

Two years ago, I was in the summer doldrums and going a little bit crazy trying to study for Part 1 of my board exams. Back then I was posting about stuff like Dilberty things at work, laughably annoying and incompetent people I used with work with, how it never rains here (the big drought was just getting started then, and I had no idea I'd still be bitching about it two years later), and of course books, TV, and movies. Catblogging started very early on, as did LL complaining about the cat pictures. But wait! There's more! Top ten lists, bizarre "research" into odd subjects, and shameless YouTube filler posts. There was also a generous helping of the habits, hazards, and just plain goofiness of ordinary living.

Two years on, I'm in the doldrums of summer, studying for Part 2 of my board exam, still not getting enough rain, and posting about the same old crap as in 2006. You would think that doing something for two years would involve getting better at it, but sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case here. Maybe the third year's the charm?

Under Construction

I temporarily removed all my sidebar items last week when I posted about Big Daddy's death. They seemed too distracting and frivolous to occupy the same space as such a post, and were easy enough to get rid of. But now I am thinking this is a good opportunity to clean up my template and make some of the changes I have been meaning to do for a long time. So my blog will keep the plain Jane look for a while longer until I get everything the way I want it. Not sure how long that will take. Now that daylight savings time has kicked in, I am more likely to work or relax outside when I get home from work than to spend much time on my computer.

It isn't just my blog that is undergoing some construction. We just signed a contract to have a screened in porch built where our patio is now. This time we were smart enough to hire somebody rather than to try it on our own. Photos to follow, of course.

And no, the bathroom is not yet finished. PDM wants you to know that my use of "we" when I have discussed this project is misleading, as he is doing nearly all of the work these days.

"SEO Theory" Is Just A Theory

But so is gravity, knucklehead. So listen up! Tiff was spreading bloggerly, linky love last week and some of it came my way. This meme is way to read some very fine posts and promote a few of your own. Below, you will find a list of blogs with three of their very best posts (or at least the three they most want to promote). To participate, simply copy the existing list and add your own blog and three stellar posts to the end. Tag a few people and you're done! You might pick up a few new readers or get hooked on one of the other blogs on the list. If nothing else, you'll increase your Technorati rank and authority and help your blog's self esteem.

Oh yeah, and "SEO" stands for search engine optimization, just in case you were wondering and too lazy to look it up.

Instructions from the originator:

"This seo meme was conceived and designed by Bobby at Revellian .com. This is a new fun seo meme ride for us all. This is based on the seo theory that links to posts inside your blog are more important than links to your home page. I have selected three posts I want to promote along with my site’s name. You will do the same thing.

Let’s keep it simple and spread our good work around to both share and build some ratings! Make sure you pick three posts that you feel are your best. You could also select 3 posts you simply want to promote. Your site name is listed with your 3 selected posts beneath.

Once you have your post up: Add the sites and post links of the folks you tagged onto your post. Try to add the site and post links to anyone involved to maximize the effectiveness. Tag a minimum of 5 people.

Try your best not to double tag people so it will spread better! Please actually read the posts from everyone so you can see some really good work from our beloved blogging friends! Make your title a little different from mine to avoid repetitive titles."

Instructions from Tiff:

"Links to posts inside your blog are more important than links to your home page. The players of the seo meme select three posts they want to promote, and adds their name and chosen posts to a list of links in their "taggers" post, then posting the whole list inside their blog. A minimum of 5 people are tagged by each new player. The new players are encouraged to read posts from everyone so that the work of fellow bloggers can be discovered and enjoyed."

The list of primo posts:

Revellian dot com - SEO Keywords For Beginners, Content: The Kings Illegitimate Stepchild, Tales of Blogger-X Illusion

Mariuca - Wishing On A Falling Star - Love In Disarray, In Love With A Dream, The Good Client

Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery - Perfume Shopping Spree, Defining Beauty, In Full Splendour

Speedcat Hollydale Page - Rocket Boy in Hawaii - DC9, Speedcat’s Death Ride into Terror!, The Boy Inside All Men

Terri Terri Quite Contrary - Just How Immature Are We?, Finding a Voice, So Much More to See than the Game

Mahala- Uncle Huberts Custom Cows, Pray for the Child at Big Lots, The Legend of Saushie's Crotch

Tiff - How am I like Ron Weasley, A Social Experiment, Absolutely Boring Entry 101

Cosmic Cat - Just An Ordinary Thursday Night..., Not Gone With The Wind. Just Gone., The "Weekly Thoughtful Reminder" And Other Hazards Of Working


Now for the fun part: Who do I tag? Well, I think everyone on my links list deserves recognition and awareness. I will name a few, but anyone who wants to do this meme should do it, invite or not. I will leave my fifth and upwards tags open to all who wish to participate. The other four tags are magnetbabe, dr. sardonicus, beth, and dave. Among other things, I am damn curious to see which three posts y'all pick to share with the world! One more thing.. Once all is said and done, add your post at Bobby’s site by leaving a comment at Revellian’s Best Posts SEO Meme.

Edited: I will be adding links that my tagged bloggers post so as to maximize all of the linky benefits! Just added magnetbabe's contribution.

Here are the Fantastic Posts from the friends I tagged, so check 'em out!


Field Lines - Even MIT Girls Get the Blues, Bye Bye, Friend, Bad Hair Day


Pole Hill Sanitarium: 756, Stocking Stuffer, Why It Matters

dave: Tryptophan and Thanksgiving Walls and History The More Things Change

Bored Today...

Can you tell?

Hope you enjoyed your "cat scan".

feeling fragmented

Dave pointed out in the comments on my last post that I am overdue for another post. I have a few ideas tumbling around in my brain, but have not had time to sort them out to my satisfaction. Call it writer's block, or whatever. I haven't been feeling all that well and it has been busy at work. Napping after work has been more of a priority than blog stuff. And we are having yet another heat wave. It reached 100F again today. Damn. Hardly the perfect weather to clear your mind or make you feel energetic.

When the time is right, I will be back with a new post. Hopefully it won't be long! Until then, enjoy this abstract "self portrait" from my vacation. If you like my photos, there are many more here at my Flickr photostream.