"You look better in person than in that photo on your blog."

I promised Dave that I would use that quote as the title of this post. It is one of the first things I said as I settled into my barstool between Dave and PDM this afternoon. I was the last to arrive after some unexpected traffic delays turned a 10-minute drive into 40+ minutes.

After almost, but not quite meeting Kat in real life back in September, I finally met one of my cyber friends in person. Dave and I have been corresponding, first on our blog comments and later via email, for about three years. At some undefinable point along the way, Dave began to seem less like an acquaintance and more like a friend. Given that we live in Atlanta, relatively close on our sprawling metro scale, and even frequent some of the same places, it seemed sort of odd that we'd never met.

So PDM and I met Dave at Zuffy's Place this evening and had a few beers. We had some "ill-gotten" (read: undeserved) gift cards for winning trivia there (mostly because our opponents did not understand math) that we'd been saving for a special occasion. This seemed like a good way to spend them. The three of us talked about all kinds of stuff - from PDM's teaching experiences, to our college years, privacy, technology, real estate, careers, to mutual blog friends and how they all tie together, and even (gasp) politics. I told Dave I thought he was a "liberal libertarian" and he seemed intrigued by that description. Time flew by and we were definitely having fun. I hope it will be less than three years before we do it again.

Guest CatBlogging - Doughnut

Doughnut is a very large cat, although it is not so obvious from this photo. He is a Maine Coon cat, with a long body and a weight of about fifteen pounds. He has the long fur, and tufted paws, solid build and friendly personality typical of the breed. When we arrived at our friends' house and I first glanced at him, I thought he was a dog because of his size. He was pretty curious about us and our stuff. We had a fun time playing with him, and laughing about how he kept methodically licking the nylon bag we had with us.

Real life has been happening and that hasn't allowed much time for thinking, much less posting (not counting all the fluff and catblogging). I do have some ideas rolling around in my head and hope to get thoughts on disk in the very near future.

Rather than phoning it in...

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

'Tis the Season...

...for procrastination.

I haven't done much about whittling down the list of gifts I need to buy. Even after deciding to do it mostly online, I am not feeling any sort of inspiration. I want to find unique and original things for people, but I don't even know where to start. Other than a few very cool things I picked up at an arts festival, I have only gotten a couple of other items. There is a long list to work through. I'd like to do a good job and find things that the people I love will really enjoy. This is probably one of those situations where my near total aversion to shopping of any kind is getting me into trouble. If you never set foot in a store, you generally don't ever see things that you think someone else might like. Then you sit in front of your computer like an idiot, wondering where to look and what might be out there. *sigh*

And Christmas cards? Yeah, haven't even started.

Old Habits Die Abruptly

The pub is closed forever. The one that PDM has been going to for ten years. The one where he first took me to meet his friends back when we started dating. The same place that we've spent nearly every Friday night of our married life together.

There was no advance notice. In fact, the management shut it down in the middle of the evening shift on Monday night and kicked everyone out. A bartender texted a regular about what happened, and he sent a bunch of us an email to break the news on Tuesday. The pub is part of a small local chain. The management's official excuse for their decision is, get this, that they want the chain to be more "family friendly" and this particular location was next door to a strip club. I hate to break it to them, but it is a BAR. If it was full of kids, most of us would go somewhere else.

I am disappointed that it closed, and angry about the way it was handled -- pulling the rug out from under loyal employees and regular customers. There was no chance to say goodbye, no chance to get together and figure out where else to see each other, and no closure. I don't know even how to get in touch with some of the regulars that I will miss, because I don't know their last name (lots of folks are known by their first name, sometimes coupled with their sports affiliation or a nickname).

It hasn't completely sunk in yet. Last night was weird. We felt adrift... moping around at home when we should have been in our usual spot drinking our usual libations, trying to get on the trivia high score list, talking about tomorrow's games, and showing the bartenders the new pictures of Silvio. We ended up going to a place where it is more normal for us to spend Thursday evenings, but we were craving something at least partly familiar. Boomer did her best to cheer us up, and we did enjoy her company and the live music. But Friday night wasn't the same, and never will be.

A Quick Update

Silvio came home this afternoon. He's not 100% back to normal with the peeing though. We'll see how it plays out from here. I worry because PDM has to work a long day tomorrow and I am not going to be home to check on him. It wouldn't do any good to have a friend stop in because Silvio would just hide.

That's all I have the energy to write for now. I've been out all day and still need to eat supper (yes, I know it is 10:30pm). I'll blog about it later, but today I saw some old friends - one here in Boston, and the other out in the boonies where I used to live. It was quite the project getting to Southbridge. Walked to the station, took the subway to the airport, then shuttle bus to rental car place, then long drive on the Mass Pike. It was gorgeous and sunny all day long, but somehow I had to drive through torrential rain to return the car to the airport. Weird. At least it stopped by the time I had to walk back to the hotel.

An Ugly Win

Georgia Tech 19
Boston College 16

As Coach Paul Johnson said last week, “I learned a long time ago an ugly win is better than a pretty loss.” He said much the same thing today on the post game radio show.

It was a defensive game on both sides of the ball, with lots of mistakes to go around, but to my surprise Tech came out on top. We fumbled the opening kickoff return and recovered. First play on offense also featured a mistake. There were way too many fumbles today. It was getting ridiculous. But a good Tech defense kept BC settling for field goals, and we finally got enough offense going against a very tough BC defense to get the job done. Plus, we got a safety! That doesn't happen very often and is a lot of fun to watch. Good effort by both teams. We were on pins and needles the entire game. It could have gone either way, and was quite a battle.

Our gathering of friends was fun and the food was tasty (chili dogs and brats). We'll probably head over to the pub later to watch the 8:00 games and have some supper.

THWG!

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?

A Good Start

Walking into the clinic this morning, I see one of the facilities guys in the hallway. He is laughing it up with the person who is stocking the vending machine there. I'm bordering on late, but I slow down to say hello.

"Hey, Burt! How's it goin'?"

"Better now!"

I grinned all the way to my office, a new spring in my step. Great way to start a work day. Makes me want to "pay it forward" and put a smile on someone else's face tomorrow.

A Winkin' Kitty!

Happy Friday, everyone! This Friday CatBlogging post is dedicated to the original winkin' kitty. I'm sure she'd like it if you check out her new book lover's forum: Cyber City Bibliotheca. No doubt you'll recognize a few familiar screen names over there.

I'm exhausted from herding cats - figuratively at work, and literally at home (if two cats counts as a "herd"). The project I am involved with at work has to do with electronic medical records, and while we are evaluating paperless radiation therapy documentation, the physicians who are piloting this new system have to do it the new way AND the old way. Keeping track of them and making sure both get done (and match each other) is like herding cats. Add to that the changes that we are making in how the physics staff uses some the software applications, and you have a recipe for barely controlled chaos while we're sorting it all out. And a ton of extra work.

And at home, they've been painting the new porch this week. Guess where Zima and Moxy like to hang out now? You got it -- the new porch railings. So when we let them out in the evening, one of us has to stay with them and attempt to keep them away from the freshly painted porch. Now that Moxy has discovered that one of our birdhouses is occupied, we have a hard time keeping her out of that as well. Keeping two determined cats from going where they want to go in an open yard is a difficult assignment.

Cracking Up

This post contains crude, silly, juvenile humor. I've already admitted that I have a weakness for this kind of stuff. I understand that not everyone is so easily amused. If you are not, or you happen have a monkey butt, please accept my apologies.

I haven't been doing enough laughing lately, so it was excellent timing when I opened a group email last night from a friend. These are people I knew from my Massachusetts days and we all still keep in touch even though some of us have moved away. Lots of times the subject is bizarre-o stuff we've found on the internet and want to share. Friends don't let friends miss funny stuff on the internets!

Last night's email was titled "Anti WHAT?" and contained a link to this product:

Heh heh heh.... That, plus the responses to it, had me laughing hard enough to hurt. After a few exchanges, she sent around another product link for this:


Gack!! Can you imagine approaching the register with this stuff? The first two reminded me of another product I have run across somewhere (maybe one of your blogs, who knows?). So I sent around the link for Crack Creme.


And as an added bonus, when I searched the drugstore site for "crack", I also found this beauty!


By this time, I was laughing uncontrollably, like Beavis and Butthead in a sex-ed class. Sadly, I was at work and had to knock it off. But assembling the photos for this admittedly very juvenile post got me going again. Laughing feels good. And is easy to induce in people like me, who have a decidedly low-brow sense of humor. PDM doesn't understand it. But sometimes there is nothing funnier than a good butt joke. Except maybe a good fart joke...

An Evening at Eddie's Attic

Christmas came a little bit early this year! My friend Shelli got me a table for four, front and center, at the cozy Decatur music venue Eddie's Attic to see Kelly Joe Phelps last night. Phelps is a singer/songwriter/guitarist that I discovered when I started getting into blues and folk artists a few years back. He showed up on many, many recommendations lists, so I bought one CD. Then I bought all of his other ones. Shelli and I saw him perform a few times at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA. The first time was an especially memorable experience. A strong summer thunderstorm had passed through the area and left Northampton without power. The show went on anyway, as a purely acoustic performance, and with the stage and tables illuminated by candlelight. The audience obliged by being especially quiet and we all had a great time.

Here is a taste of what a KJP show is like:



If you like it, support the artist by buying some of his stuff. Or better yet - go to one of his shows. He's headed back up the east coast to New England this week.

Out of the Woods

Big Daddy is on the mend. He had a scary weekend in ICU, and is still hospitalized, but he has been getting a little better every day. He should be able to transfer to a rehab facility soon and begin his long road to recovery and full use of his new-and-improved leg. Here is a BIG HUGE thank you to all of you who took the time to write encouraging comments. Your collective thoughts and wishes are appreciated!

Feline Friends

I haven't done Friday Catblogging in a while. I also haven't posted much about Silvio, and he is freaking adorable. And it is slow at work today, so here they are...

Silvio and Moxy have become friends. Sort of. They tussle a lot, but also curl up together for catnaps.

Sparring over the new cardboard scratcher (freshly dosed with catnip):


Snuggled up together for the very first time:

The Big Honkin' First Blog-O-Versary Post

It has been one year since I started the blog one evening on a whim. I believe there was some alcohol involved. Shocking, no? All of you who not only stop in here on a regular basis, but who take the time to comment, are the reason I am still writing posts a year later. It wouldn't be fun and interesting without you. I mean, come ON! Someone's got to come up with good content, and it usually isn't me. It started with a few people that I knew from the old 'Frell Me Dead' Farscape message board, and through the magic of links and getting to know your commenters, it eventually grew to a damn good set of regulars. So today I am giving a shout out to everyone who has ever contributed a comment here. THANKS!

The cast, in order of appearance:

trinamick
NYPinTA
john
LL
PDM
MW
Terri
Beth
Madre Farbot
shellig
ctheokas
BC
wa11z
Chelle Belle
TheWriteGirl
Mom
Kathleen
Dave
dr sardonicus
Taylor
Hedy
Jim Donahue
Eartha Kitsch
Linds
Jay
MyUtopia
Nat
magnetbabe
Ryan
punkinsmom
Brooklyn Frank
Welfl
Susan
tiff
mr. schprock
Posolxstvo
Paul Champagne
labwench

Thinking Blogger Awards

Beth made my day today by giving Cosmic Cat a 'Thinking Blogger Award'.

Says Beth: This is another blogger who is just witty, but her wit isn't what I love best about her blog. Strangely enough, it's her photographs of cats. I hate to admit it, but I'm not a big cat lover. I'm a dog person and haven't seen any pictures of felines that ever made me stop to study them. Hers do. If she never has a coffee table book of her cat photos, it'll be a crying shame. Even if you don't love cats, check out these amazing photographs of hers. In them, perhaps for the first time, you'll see the personality and soul of her subjects -- her own cats.

Thanks, Beth! In spite of the blog's title (which I came up with while drinking copious amounts of wine one summer evening), I try to limit the cat stuff, because the blog isn't really about cats. I'm not sure what the blog's supposed to be, to be honest. It is part creative outlet, part social activity, and part therapy for the writer. But I do hope that I can write in a way that keeps great people coming around. Even if I have to bribe them with the occasional cat photo.

Before I spread the love, here are the rules:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme, and
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

I only get to pick five, but if you are in my "linky goodness" list and I visit you a lot, then you all deserve the award. Except Stellar, who never posts anything new. But since I have to choose... Here are five blogs that make me think (and sometimes laugh hysterically):

1. Random Squeegee - This was the first blog I started reading that wasn't written by a total stranger. John, or 'generic_screenname' as I knew him back then, linked to his freshly-minted blog from the message board that a lot of us used to frequent back in the good old days several years ago. He is one of the most creative story-tellers on the net (the other would be trinamick, who has already won one of these). My only complaint is that he isn't posting very often, but I can't fault him for having a life...

2. Kat's Musings and Meanderings - Kat was the first blogger I discovered through my friends' links who wasn't part of the old message board crowd. I quickly became hooked, and especially enjoy her thoughts on books and movies. Her personal stories are also highly entertaining.

3. Rather Than Working - Dave is another Atlanta resident who somehow wandered into Cosmic Cat one day and is now a regular commenter. He's got an interesting blog. Insightful posts about current issues are woven in with humor and posts highlighting other very high quality blogs that I probably would never have found on my own. His posts tend to be accompanied by thoughtful comments from his regulars. It definitely qualifies as a 'thinking blog' without being dry and stuffy. Who knew a lawyer could be so likable? ;-)

4. Pole Hill Sanitarium - One of my favorite things about this blog is that I never know what I'm going to find, but it is always something good. Current events and politics are frequent topics, with plenty of supporting links. Then there are the humorous posts, and lots of biographical entries. Great stuff!

5. The Velvet Blog - I'm going to finish up with a blogger who knows how to make people laugh, and sometimes think at the same time. Think Jon Stewart. Pithy, witty posts with plenty of visuals for your amusement. Mix in some vintage 1950s video clips from YouTube, posts about obscure music acts you've probably never heard of but should have, and a regular guest Sock Monkey, and you've got more than enough reason to go get some Velvet every day.

Now... just for Beth: A photo of Zima and me (well, part of me is in the picture).

We Miss You, Dickie.

You were special. One of a kind. A true gentleman. Unique. Wonderful. Classy. Funny. A good friend. And you were loved.

A lot of people will miss you. May you rest in peace.