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Today is PDM's birthday. I managed to surprise him with a new bicycle -- something he said he had actually been thinking about recently, even though he never mentioned it to me. I put the owner's manual in the package for him to open. It would have been nearly impossible to hide a bike, so we'll pick it up later today.

But now... mimosas! And sausage balls. (Yes, true to form, I have already made several crude "ball" jokes. I just can't help myself. They are so easy.)

Overstimulated Kitties, Little Miss Neurotic, and the Letter P

The cats got a bunch of new catnip toys for Christmas. They are officially overstimulated. Did I mention that many of these toys are filled with catnip? Good times...

Little Miss Neurotic (Moxy) has licked herself a bald spot between her shoulder blades that doubled in size overnight. That earned her a trip to the vet today, and got me out of work early -- just before they brought in a patient with active tuberculosis! I'd call that perfect timing. I'd rather not be exposed to TB any time soon. The Moxinator got herself a round of antibiotics and a cortisone shot. We'll see how it goes with her. If she won't leave it alone, we may be pulling out the e-collar. The horror.

Thanks to Kat, I've got another meme to do. This one is the “Brought to you by the letter…” game. I'll let Kat tell you how it works:

"You leave a comment on this post, and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on."

Kat assigned the letter P, which turned out to be harder than I thought. But it all worked out. Here are ten things that make me happy AND start with a P.

Physics - I liked it enough to major in it three times and to make it my career.

Planets - I don't know how anyone can look at the Voyager or Cassini mission photographs of moons and planets and not be in awe. Or how about Saturn, eclipsing the sun with the night side illuminated by its own ring system? Wow.

Pandora - I've been exposed to dozens of artists and hundreds of songs through Pandora in the last year and a half. In that same time period, I discovered exactly one new song by hearing it first on the radio (not counting NPR, which is also a decent source of exposure to new music, especially on the NPR Music website). Pandora is by far the most effective way to find new music that you'll love on our blue planet's world wide web. By "new", I mean new to me, not necessary a recent recording.

Pinot noir - I like almost all of the red wines. This variety boomed in popularity after being favorably mentioned in the movie Sideways. It's a good movie, but don't take every line in it so seriously. I still drink "fucking Merlot". Seriously.

Peppercorns - the finest of the seasonings. My favorite. Freshly ground (coarse, of course) pepper will perk up any dish.

Peaches and pecans - that's Georgia food, y'all. There is nothing like homemade peach ice cream on the 4th of July. Except maybe a big slice of pecan pie.

Planting - I love gardening. From picking out the plants to getting my hands in the dirt, there is no better way to ground yourself than plant and take care of a garden. Can be herbs or veggies, a wild cottage garden or a small container garden. I will always have a garden of some sort.

Paul Johnson - Georgia Tech's first year football coach who made football on The Flats fun again, PLUS he beat Georgia for the first time in what seemed like forever. Superman wears Paul Johnson pajamas.

Photography and Photoshop Elements - I've always enjoyed photography. I may have gotten this bug from my Dad. Now I have his old cameras, along with a small collection of vintage models that are fun to play with if you can find the film. Digital photography makes it easy and cheap to experiment and try new things. And since I got Photoshop Elements, I can rid my photos of many of the flaws and limitations of both camera and photographer. And maybe even make some art. Or lolcats. There is room in my life for both...

PDM - saved the best for last! He puts up with my crap AND he cooks for me. Plus there is that crazy little thing called wub.

THWG!

Good times.

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.

41-23

It wasn't just good. It was great.

An update to the last update, plus an unrelated update.

I got home last night and was finally able to see Silvio. He was a bit standoffish with me. Other than that and his peeing tiny amounts very frequently, he seemed normal to me. Normal enough to be getting into everything and bugging the other cats. He warmed up to me overnight and decided to be snuggly once it got cold.

The other big update is that I PASSED PART 2 OF THE BOARD EXAM!! You know... the one I spent all summer studying for. Just got the letter today. One more test to go -- an oral exam given in the spring of next year.

We've got a lot of other stuff going on. Trying to get ready for a party we're hosting on Saturday, and lots more to do on that front. I had some catching up to do at work as well. I'll get around to your blogs again soon, I promise. But it might be Sunday before it happens. Gotta run - we're off to Trader Joe's to stock up on party stuff.



10:10pm An update to these updates: OUT OF GAS!!! Drove around all over and passed about eight gas stations. No one has any gas to sell. I have less than 1/4 tank now, and will of necessity be taking the shuttle in to work tomorrow, which I can catch a few miles from home. Since I have no idea when I will be able to find gas again, I will be driving as little as possible. They say the shortage is panic driven. Well, I totally understand getting panicked when you cannot find any gasoline ANYWHERE. I have never in my life encountered this situation, even after Katrina, when gas was available, just merely expensive. Damn! I'll try again tomorrow morning (maybe some of them get an overnight delivery), but if I can't find any, then I am pretty much grounded until the situation changes. I didn't get gas before my trip because it was so expensive. I figured by the time I got back, it would be nearly back to normal. Looks like my strategy was flawed.

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!

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.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving

'Tis the season for turkeys, naps, and football!

Georgia Tech 33, Notre Dame 3

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Unexpected, but oh so nice. Win or lose, I really thought this game would be close. I'm happy to have been wrong about that.

Edited to add: This was the worst opening day loss for the Irish, well, ever. And I added the photo of the newspaper, because I am damn proud of my Yellow Jackets. Yahoo! Go Tech!

THWG!

Just an ordinary Thursday night...

... but sometimes the ordinary can be very, very satisfying.

This thought occurred to me as I was sipping wine and listening to a local duo sing "Into the Mystic". I was sitting next to the man I love. Our friend Boomer was tending bar. We talked to the owner for a few minutes; he is also friend of ours. We had full bellies after a good meal. I had the lobster ravioli. PDM had his old standby - fish and chips with beer. Laughing and talking easily, we were watching the Braves game on a big screen TV while listening to the live music. The place was full, but not crowded. The musicians, Mike and Barry, have a long-standing regular gig at this place on Thursdays. They play the kind of old rock and roll that is always welcome and never goes out of style, and enjoy an easy back and forth with the crowd during their performances. They're regular guys in jeans and tee shirts, just like most of the patrons. And as we listened to them play, that's when it hit me out of the blue: it doesn't get much better than this. Nothing fancy, just good.

At the end of the evening, something on the check made us smile. Boomer had been running our bar tab as "PDM+WIFY".

Zima's Better

CatBlogging: Special Edition



Q: How do you know when your cat is getting over being sick?

A: When she takes an interest in her "feline opium den" (otherwise known as the catnip patch) again.

Zima had been ill for several weeks, but after two rounds of antibiotics, twice daily antihistamines, several vet visits, and messy eardrops, she is finally feeling more like herself. No more sneezing, no more raspy meow, and no more slinking around hiding under the furniture. I am so relieved!

10 Gees

Magnetbabe has covered the letter B in her latest blog entry. Why? It's another meme, silly! Why else would someone do it? And since it is a meme, it lives to be passed on to other bloggers. I was game and got assigned the letter G. The gist of it is that I should list ten of my favorite things that start with G. Got it? OK. Here goes.

1. Georgia Institute of Technology. This was an easy one. Kind of a softball pitch to get things rolling. Anyone who has spent any time here knows that I like Georgia Tech. Between the two of us, my husband and I have five degrees from Tech. I grew up in a Tech house. It's in my blood. My Dad had three degrees from Tech and worked there as a research scientist for 33 years until his death in 1993. He had football season tickets for most, if not all of that time. He was a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a helluva engineer (and scientist, and administrator). College sports are fun, but I am more proud of Tech's academic reputation. And I put my money where my loyalties are: this will be my 20th consecutive year of giving to support the institute.



2. Geeks. I'm a geek. I'm married to a geek. Many of my friends are geeks. There are all kinds of geeks out there -- science geeks, computer geeks, music geeks, movie geeks, sci-fi geeks. There is nothing wrong with souping up your calculator and proudly displaying that pocket protector. Embrace your inner geek. It's hip to be square.



3. Gatos. Just 'cause my letter is G doesn't mean I won't find a way to work cats into my list. Dogs drool. Cats rule. [Disclaimer - I really like dogs, too. Especially big, goofy, sloppy dogs. Just not quite as much as cats.]



4. Gort. Gort is the robot from the classic 1950s sci-fi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. He's in my list representing the science fiction genre in general. There is something very powerful and enduring about the older science fiction books and movies. Don't get me wrong. I like a lot of the newer science fiction as well. I grab a lot of books on their first day of publishing. Many of the newer TV series are extremely good (B5, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Doctor Who), and who can resist the astounding special effects of movies like Independence Day or Men In Black? But there is something about old sci-fi movies and stories that appeals to me. I love the early visions of the future that were created when most of the technology was still just a glimmer in man's imagination. They were so imaginative and interesting. Way off base on some ideas, but eerily prescient on others.



5. Geometry. It may seem like a strange entry into a favorite things list, but geometry was the first math subject that I actually liked. I hated the elementary school math class material - memorizing multiplication tables and doing long division by hand was so mind-numbingly boring. But when junior high rolled around and we got to geometry, I lit up. I loved the logic of it, and enjoyed working out proofs. This new enthusiasm for math carried over into other advanced classes. I loved trigonometry, algebra, and even calculus. It was all so elegant and logical and beautiful. My careers in engineering and physics would not have been possible without a love of mathematics, and I didn't find that until geometry struck my fancy. Geometry is also something that, along with trig, I have consistently used over the years. Both at home and at work, it is handy to know how shapes relate to each other and to be able to calculate arc lengths, volumes, areas and angles.



6. Gardening/Green Thumb. This year hasn't been a good year for it, but normally I spend many of my summer evenings and weekends doing some sort of gardening project. It is a hobby that evolves on a different timescale than most other things in my life. The years I spend in a place are marked by ever-growing flower beds and landscaping. By the time I left my former home in Massachusetts, the yard had been totally transformed into a lush paradise (winter months excepted). I hear from my old neighbor that the flowers I planted still come back every year, better than ever. Gardens are fairly forgiving, and working in them can be a great stress reliever. There is always something that needs doing, but the demands are gentle and not urgent. I enjoy the work (except the part where I get poison ivy and can't sleep because it itches so bad), and love to live with the results. Steadily over the years, I leave my mark on a patch of land by making it just a little bit like an Eden.



7. Galileo. The list wouldn't be complete without a great scientist. Father of astronomy? Father of modern physics? Father of science? He was all of these and more. Galileo pioneered the use of the scientific method - using experiments to prove or disprove a hypothesis. He was the guy who figured out that the earth revolves around the sun. He designed and built the improved telescopes that allowed him to make the accurate observations to prove it. He was persecuted as a heretic for daring to suggest that the earth was not the center of the universe. Galileo was brilliant and had the courage to stand up for his discoveries.



8. Gargoyles. I wish these were still used in architecture. Gargoyles are just cool. Twisted, strange, beautiful. I enjoy seeing them on old buildings, and in homes and gardens. There was (is?) this cool shop on Newbury Street in Boston that sold gargoyles. I always liked walking through it - it was like another world. The interior was moody and gloomy, with dead leaves scattered around as if it were always late October there. It was a bit hard to find, which only added to the mystique.



9. Getaways. It's good to change your horizons, even if it is just for a day or two. PDM and I like to go places off-season. The less crowded it is, the better we like it. Beaches, forests, waterfalls, mountainsides, lakes, caves, rustic cabins, country roads... they all have their place. I hope I can always make time to get away, relax and recharge.



10. Google. Yes, Google's definitely on my list of favorite things. There are other online sites that I rely on for instant info (Wikipedia, IMDB, etc.), but no one place is quite as useful as Google. Maps, images, blogs, news, info, satellite, email... there is a lot to love about Google.



So that's my list. If you'd like to join the fun, and haven't asked Magnetbabe or someone else further up the meme chain for a letter, ask for one in the comments and I will assign you a letter to run with.

Go see 'Waitress'. You won't be sorry.

Went to see Waitress tonight with a friend. It was a very good movie, and I am not just saying so because it stars Nathan Fillion. But you don't have to take my word for it - this movie rates 90% fresh on the Tomatometer!

I laughed. I cried. Now I really want some pie. And the movie's pie names are part of the fun:

I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie
Kick In The Pants Pie
Pregnant Miserable Self Pitying Loser Pie
I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong And I Don’t Want Earl To Kill Me Pie
Falling In Love Pie

Like I said, the movie really made me want pie. And Nathan Fillion. ;-)

It's time to save the world.

Heroes is back on tonight!