Brother,

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10 Print "Hello, world"

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Internet 30 minutes at a time, for now (and using Internet Explorer, of all thangs). Watch for my book in early 2016.  ;)

Made it from Day 0 to Day 8, the latter of which is where my story will start. Gotta go a little Tarintino on ya just to keep things fresh and non-linear.

Can you believe I'm wearing a 34" waist in jeans, today?  I cannot, I tell you now. I haven't been this skinny since senior year of high school, 34 years ago. Even these jeans need a belt if I am to walk (and I will have walked 5-10 miles by day's end, today; I should retrieve Wanda, tomorrow).

Is all well?  Well, no. But they are improving vastly, I must say. Not terribly thrilled with the whole idea of AA meetings seven nights/week to keep a roof overhead, but it beats being eaten by a grue, I suppose. That's how I like to imagine it, anyway. My first meeting was last night, and hey, guess what?  Everyone had to speak to the new guy, telling him how they'd all be running screaming at the evening's topic, which was the Magic Guy in the Sky. Parachutes, open minds... but skepticism, as you know is my natural state.

THANK all of you, and THANK THE FSM that I have friends like you. You especially, Ivy. :) Bob, nashvegasdawg, Sallyh, bluesman and Ed -- damn, I have no words, but I'll find them, soon. I'm going to do better after this reboot, and that's my promise to YOU.

I hope DWD and TV are doing much better, as well as jude9 and any others who I've lost track of in the last couple of weeks. You're all dear to me, and I hope you know that. I'll try to stay in touch here when I can. I can't recall the credentials for CatopiaTN.com just now, but as I have no cats, well... yeah. Progress will be made.
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Weekend Recap, Succinct w/Lessons Learned

Wink is deceptively simple... for morons, apparently. If I hadn't seen this screen 100 times since Friday evening, I wouldn't have had to viciously cockpunch that old man for innocuously uttering "uh-oh" in my presence, today.  ;)

Eighth and Roast's hipster/quasi-vegan (not) biscuits are small, pricy and delicious.

Landlady felt guilty, gave me this.  :)

There are good people doing good works in Nashville. Click to, well, you know. h/t Ed.

Honda kicks major ass, forever and always, ramen.

Mormons can  be people, despite the majority who present as advanced androids with can opener personalities.

Awww, KITTEH!

Awww, HOPPY BEER!  I want the 12pk/2-flight "Deconstructed" set... brewmaster preparatory classes!

Steve is a fellow Smyrnan, rides a kickass Vespa 300ie Super and knows some awesome backroads in Roofie County. Also?  Hell of a Nice Guy, and newish friend. Here's our ride today, map junkies!

Steve and I are considering a counter-club alternative to Nashville's The Snakes SC. That would be the Volunteer Scooter Cooter Collective of Middle Tennessee. Must be age 40 or over to enter. And if your main ride is Chinese, under 100cc or pink and/or flowery, you must have a visible tattoo.  ;) Face/neck, preferably.

GoodYear is spying on me. I knew I shouldn't have started with the Michelins and the Wink mesh net.
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We Interrupt This Program...

... to bring you a message about a strong woman in my life. A woman I surely admire, and who inspires me to be better in all I do.

Ivy, this one's for you. You're the best.
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Dear Ivy

Thank you so much for offering to foster my kittehs for a time while I look for a runway to land this crazy thang. I figured I should put together a somewhat-comprehensive reference guide to co-habitating with these guys with a minimum of issues on the part of any of the involved parties, so here goes!

Curly:

Curly, the fat tabby, is pretty self-sufficient. I expect he will be most likely to want to hang out with y'all from the git-go. Very easy-going gato. He will expect a few minutes of petting and attention when people wake up, come home after an extended time away (like the workday) and right before bedtime, but other than that, he won't be terribly needy under normal circumstances. He's the old man -- will be 12 in June. But he has the heart of a kitten, and likes to play, and also to wrestle with LarryElvis (during which time he will scream bloody murder, pretending to be mortally injured, but he's not hurt until he starts the low growl and the hissing -- at that point, a loud handclap usually breaks up the fun).

Curly likes:

* Petting -- Begin with top of head, cheeks, down the back and tail. Ears, chin, sides, later. Advanced: Nose & eyes, and chest -- His Favorites!  Only pat him at the base of the tail, and not much, at that.
* Dry food -- I'll supply.
* Water -- He drinks a lot of water. Diabetic?  Possibly.
* Hearing his name, especially if you're too busy to pet him.
* Play -- Needs none other than what L.E. will provide. A laser pointer is good for a laugh, usually.
* Litter Box -- Just keep clean (no more than 2 days between scooping), and I suspect he will be fine, there.
* Sleeping -- On dirty clothes, generally, or preferably under the covers with J.P. (I don't expect you to let either cat in your bedroom for any reason, so don't worry about that).

Curly dislikes:

* Loud/sudden noises.
* Being picked up/held. He probably won't even try to sit in anyone's lap, etc. At most, he might rest his front paws on a thigh. If he HAS to be picked up, he probably CAN be, safely, but I can't predict. He dislikes it, but will tolerate ME doing it, and I do it often to get him used to the idea that I AM THE BOSS.  :)
* Doesn't like his paws messed with. Yes, he lets ME do it, but again, I'M THE BOSS.

Curly's annoyances:

* May find a piece of upholstery to stake out as a scratching post.
* May throw the occasional hairball, although the Iams food keeps that to a minimum.
* WILL go on the floor if the litterbox hasn't been scooped in a couple-three days!

LarryElvis:

The meezer is pretty dumb, VERY vocal and extremely  affectionate. He will take petting over food 99% of the time. He is also quick to go from affectionate to playful, so I recommend NOT petting him for more than a minute or two at a time, unless he likes someone enough to "assume the position" (paws on shoulder, head against neck, being cradled like a baby being burped) -- at that point, he can be petted for as long as one can stand to pet him, and he won't get sassy at all. It's best to start by just letting him rub his face all over your hand, which he will do until he gets tired of it, and that'll be all he really needs... but he'll need that every 30 minutes for a couple of minutes each time. He's very needy. And he won't shut up until he is asleep.

Larry likes:

* Petting, but BE CAREFUL not to overdo it, or he will  nip and paw/claw. Also NO PATTING, EVAR!  He considers that to be Cat Assault, and will over-respond with the pointy bits!  Oddly, he can deal with near-unlimited belly rubs, and doesn't get attack-y. He'll stretch out to let you know when he's up for that, btw. He doesn't seem to have any spots he doesn't like being touched, including feet and paws.
* Petting -- See #1.
* MOAR Petting -- See #1 & #2
* Playing with/annoying Curly. Allow at all times.
* Playing with string being dragged on the floor, paper bags.

Larry dislikes:

* Loud/sudden noises.
* Sudden movement -- may induce a mad scramble to find a short-term hiding place.
* PATTING. Don't!

Larry's annoyances:

* Needy, and vocal about it. Let him rub his face on your hand for 30 seconds, and he'll get over it for 30-60 minutes, though.
* Drops kibble EVERYWHERE. He can't just stand at the bowl and eat like a normal fucking cat. Or keep all the food in his mouth as he walks around. "OMG, kill the kitteh!  I stepped in crunchy bits 15 times getting to the bathroom!"
* Licking -- OMFG, THE LICKING!
* Likes to seek out the high ground, which means he will get on countertops and/or any horizontal surface he sees that might lead to higher ground.
* I expect him to go into hiding for a couple of days when he arrives. He may freak out, but he'll use the litterbox and eat his kibble from Day One -- he just may not be sociable at first. Once he is, OMG, you'll be ready to hand him back ASAP.
* You will find at least a dozen other thangs annoying about L.E., but they will pretty much fit into all the aforementioned categories.  :)

Okay!  I think this will help minimize the usual insanity caused by cats, in general.  :)
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Merry Xbox

... and Thank You  to Lil Red and Bob for the very kind gift of the Xbox Cheer I am consuming in the photo, above. They were also so kind as to be replacing the rear tire on Wanda, unbeknownst to them.

And Soprano dropped off some awesome homemade cookies for me (and I actually wasn't here,  as opposed to hiding out from a certain ex-GF who loves to show up unannounced this time of year... no visits that I know of, thusfar!). Between the delicious cookies and Lil Red's delectable New Mexican chocolates, my sweet tooth is well-placated. Thank you again, folx. Y'all are too awesome for words.

Bless you, each and every one, and I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.
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Different Day, Same Cats

Top of heads touching bed.

Look at the pretty chocolates from Lil Red!

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All Hail Duffybear!

... who contacted me about a week ago, and basically said that she had a Win7 netbook that she wasn't making much use of, and that she'd happily send it to me if I could help her figure out how to get all her personal data off of it. Well, we kinda figured all that out, and today, I received from her a dang-near new HP Mini 100. I mean, it's still got protective film all over it. It's a lovely machine, and I am already quickly learning some Windows 7 stuff that may very well be helpful to me in a support environment. This is amazing, and I just want to give thanks again in public to Duffybear, who made this wonderful gift to me.
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The Safe Cig "Technique" Video

Eventually, there may beThere is some schmaltzy music added toin the clip, now (YouTube has been a bear all afternoon), and I will add to this post later, but I would like to invite all my customers (and prospective customers) to use this thread for comments, questions and just plain ol' reporting in on how everything is going for them vis-a-vis The Safe Cig system.
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Thank You, Griffin Technologies!

I've won two tickets to Music City Roots @ Loveless Cafe's Barn, tomorrow night (some "barn"!), thanks to Griffin Technologies, whose case I really wanted to buy for my HTC Incredible 2 after seeing this video. Alas, they do not yet make a case for it. When they do, I will probably get one. Good Nashville company.

Now, I'm glad they've had her at Music City Roots, but I'm kinda glad she won't be there tomorrow night, as I'm not sure I would want to blubber like an idiot in public. Here's an awesome recording of an awesome tune (I still like this version better... it's more ethereal, but the video and audio quality are pretty poor).


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The Cat's Pajamas

Growing up so fast!

It's really nice to know one very happy family this year.

Off to prepare to celebrate Santa's birthday. Be well, and happy-merry to you all.
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Soprano Cookies!

This is but a couple of the hand-crafted cookies that Soprano dropped off for me last night (I would take others, but I'm having battery and lighting issues... with flash on, the camera wouldn't even power up, and after taking this shot, it complained about needing a fresh set; the rechargeables don't even seem to work for one shot, now).

THANK YOU!
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A Couple of Larry For Thursday

One fuzzy, one backlit. Sorry about that.

Thanks to YOU, Dear Readers, I ought to have regular Internet access again next week. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
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Best Gift This Season

Sallyh reunited with her granddaughter. So, so happy.
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Santa Has Landed!

stuckinlodi sent me a lovely washable woolen blanket from L.L. Bean!

Soprano dropped off cookies (apparently this morning, while I was sleeping), the Brothers Wells sent an Xmas card (w/a Gary Cooper stamp), as did Missouri Bird and GWPDA, and Camel gave me a free tin of Snus!

Someone also sent me a slew of Super Hot Hands (thermo-chemical hand warmers that last 18 hours!), but I don't know who did that... the packing slip lists a Miami address from a name I do not recognize, but it also says that I received a Power Rangers Jungle Fury Master Jaguar Ranger -- Blue/White. :)
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I Need Your Help

I have a good friend and neighbor, James, who has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a/k/a Lou Gehrig's Disease). James is doing very well for someone who has been diagnosed so long, but he has finally had to go on disability, yet still works from home as much as he is able. James is about my age, and he has been a good friend and neighbor to me ever since I've lived here in the condos, giving me rides to the bus stop when my scooters have been out-of-service, taking me to the grocery store, and being generally willing to help out with all kinds of neighborly tasks above and beyond the call of duty.

On September 19th, there will be a Walk To Defeat ALS, in which I will participate, but I can do little other than show up to walk in support of James. If you can, please consider sending a donation to The ALS Association in sponsorship of James and me. It doesn't have to be a huge amount -- whatever you can send will be appreciated. Or, if you can, please participate in an event near you, instead.

Thank you.
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$14 Steadycam

Special thanks to Noble Machine Company, Inc. for drilling the end caps for me. They rewl.

Footage to come!
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Dumpster Diving: Mini-Fridge

What red-blooded, American man hasn't at one time lusted for a beer fridge? Maybe even big enough to fit a pony keg inside?

Well, I was fortunate to have still been working at Peabody College when the students were packing it in to go home for the summer. We vultures skulk about the dumpsters, and find perfectly serviceable goodies that Mom & Pop don't wanna haul back to Indonesia Indiana, such as this very new Kenmore fridge!

It's mine, now. And it works perfectly. The freezer even works!
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Santa Arrived

... in the form of sittenpretty. She's spoiling me.
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Happy Hollerdays

Yes, cats love Christmas, tool.

Get drunk with someone you love, tonight, and if consent is granted, do naughty thangs to one another.
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