Journal Entry

Jan. 2, 2002 Wednesday

Happy New Year!

The Opie Project begins its fifth year, and we like to tweak the look with each successive year, so this year we've added the notebook graphic (to the left), and combined the welcome page with the today page, which saves most visitors a mouse click (we strive for simplification).

Not so noticeable is the fact that we've moved a buncha stuff to new servers, which required updating a buncha links. If you encounter a broken link, be patient; our quality control team is on it! Although dropping an e-mail specifying the broken link would be appreciated. It's mostly the obscure links that are being moved, so everyday surfing of the Opie Project should go unfettered.

I had a much-needed four days off to recoup from a very hectic Christmas this year. I finished off 2001 with a major head cold that immobilized me for three days. I shoulda stayed home from work last Friday, but we get a free dinner for two at a nice restaurant if we don't take any sick days in a calendar year, and Friday was the final day of said calendar year, which I suffered through for a free meal.

Apparently, getting sick was what I needed. I spent the rest of my days off vegetating right into the next year. We did nothing for New Year's Eve; we were both too exhausted. One of the Wife's sisters was working and the other didn't feel like doing anything either, so nobody even suggested doing anything.

New Year's Day the Wife had to go into work and check on a server, and I went with her to see her new office. We went out to dinner to make up for a lack of New Year's Eve celebrating. So now I am rested up, and ready to take on a whole new year!

Best o' luck with yours :)

Jan. 8, 2002 Tuesday

Happy Birthday, Elvis, wherever you are.

The Christmas tree is now history, although the bazillion decorations of the season remain in place, for the most part. It will be several more days before all vestiges of the holidays have been stored carefully and lovingly in their resting places until next winter.

Another family tradition has also been sent packing. Tonight I wrote the check for the final mortgage payment. The house is now ours and no longer possessed by a faceless mortgage company in Kentucky.

When we bought the house in 1984, we had a 30-year loan at 12.5%. Just a few years later, interest rates dropped dramatically, and we decided to refinance. We calculated our monthly payment at the new lower rate for 15 years and discovered that it was only 84 cents more than the old payment at the higher percentage was for 30 years. But in the long run, we saved $90,000. Cool.

So here we are, fifteen years later, with a home to call our own, literally, and no more monthly mortgage payment! We both have similar plans for the money we're saving - pay off credit card debt. Then some time this summer, I will be purchasing a new vehicle. And saying goodbye to the trusty, crafted-by-hand, strange, leaky, unique truck.

Thanks to the holidays, it's been three weeks since I last worked on a Monday. Now it's back, and it hasn't improved any.

Jan. 15, 2002 Tuesday

I read a little bit of Mark Twain today; humorous bits. And I dug up some O Henry. These were the guys that got me into reading as a kid. They had style and humor, something I probably wasn't aware of at 10 years old. I just felt drawn in; like I knew those folks in the stories.

When I was twelve, I read Wind in the Willows (Mr. Toad's Wild Ride), which was a kid's book, but very hard to read and absorb. I also read Moby Dick, admittedly for the adventure, but I was actually understanding a lot of the book's concepts (the religious significances even).

I thought Moby Dick was an easier read than Wind in the Willows. I had to read it again in college, and I was amazed at all I remembered, and how much more I understood at the college level (especially after seeing the movie).

You wanna get a taste of Moby Dick without the hundreds of pages of narrative? Read Billy Budd. It's Moby Dick without the white whale and heavy storytelling. The symbolism is obvious, and it'll grab you where it counts.

Both Opie and c.c. huddled around me while I read. They like it when I don't move around a lot, and they purred their approval. I even read them a few passages aloud, to which they listened intently (waiting to hear the word "dinner" most likely. It never came and they went back to nap mode).

Nothin' like a good book and a purrin' cat.

God bless Captain Vere.

Jan. 21, 2002 Monday

Yesterday I had that special experience that occurs infrequently. Snow shoveling. When the muscles ache, but you keep tossing that one more shovelful. When the sub-freezing temperatures don't keep the perspiration away. When you keep going, after any other activity would have you sitting down at that point. When the cats stare at you fixedly, like you're some kinda moron. When the satisfaction of your labors is rewarded with hot chocolate (the Wife usually supplies that part, but she's in the Florida sunshine this week).

The snow (the first this season) was minimal, and with above freezing temperatures and bright sunshine, the actual task of snow removal was also minimal. But I still worked up a sweat. And c.c. still stared at me like I was a moron.

The Wife called to gloat. Not really. She wanted to tell me all about Disney's Animal Kingdom, and her day at the beach. It's in the 80's F. down there. I reminded her of what snow was.

And c.c. did finally venture out into the snow (while I was shoveling), but it was more to investigate than to play. When I came in, she came in. We all spent the rest of the day watching old movies on tv and vegging out. Since we're down to a single human resident this week, the cats took turns sharing the only available lap.

The kind of day that's very welcome, on occasion.

Peace.

Jan. 27, 2002 Sunday

The Wife is back. I picked her up at the airport late Friday night (almost midnight). It was my first trip to the airport since the new security measures were instituted. Plus there are renovations underway at the terminal, causing detours and parking problems. Her plane arrived at the farthest terminal from the parking garages, of course, but other than that, it wasn't too much of a hassle - not a lot of people around midnight at the airport.

She had two large bags, both with wheels, and we rolled our way back to the distant parking garage. Because she had the additional security to endure, and a connecting flight in Atlanta, she had arrived at the airport in Florida early and failed to eat dinner. Neither flight served any kind of meal, so when she arrived in Philadelphia just before midnight, she was hungry. Make that ravenous. I wasn't really looking forward to patronizing an unfamiliar diner at midnight on the outskirts of Philadelphia, and the only place that I was familiar with that was open was a diner near home. Another 45 minutes without eating.

She had a very large cheeseburger, I had a club sandwich, and we were on the road again at 1 am. The felines, c.c. especially, let the Wife know she was missed, getting under her feet while she did some minimal unpacking. They both slept curled up against her the whole night. I got the space that was left. And we all slept 'til after nine am. the next morning.

I felt like doing nothing Saturday. The Wife felt like grocery shopping. We each indulged our wishes.

Feb. 2, 2002 Saturday

Groundhog Day. What a wonderfully dumb tradition. But it's party time out in Gobbler's Knob (residence of Punxsutawney Phil, the prevaricator of weather for the northern hemisphere - at least at this particular latitude). It's a major celebration each year, and we have considered making the trip (it's a six-hour drive from here), but have never been sufficiently inspired.

And what a great day to ponder how much more winter we will be having after a balmy 70-degree F spring-like day yesterday. The weather has been really weird this winter (extra-mild); Phil has his work cut out for him. At 7:25 am (Gobbler's Knob time), the sleepy rodent of the hour will be dragged from his ceremonial climate-controlled artificial tree stump and placed on the ground. As he waddles back to his stump, photojournalists with nothing more newsworthy to shoot, will click their respective shutters with ferocity.

Then everybody drinks or goes home, depending on their degrees of temperance and/or distance to travel.

Thanks to Opie and c.c., I've seen my share of rodents. Happy GH Day.

I'm going to have to write a check today, just so I can write the date as 02/02/02.

.

Feb. 8, 2002 Friday

It's nice to have a break in the daily routine of things, but when I drove into work yesterday morning to find ten fire trucks and two ambulances, all flashing red lights chaotically as thick smoke arose from the back of the building, it was a bit much. There was no way to get into the parking lot, so I found space along the road and hiked in.

The culprit was a trailer loaded with paper that was parked at the loading dock. The night shift called in the alarm at 5 am, then sprayed the loading dock with fire extinguishers to keep the fire from getting into the building.

When the fire company arrived, they immediately commandeered a large backhoe from a nearby construction site and used it to pull the trailer away from the building.

The trailer eventually imploded from the heat, and the rubble burned for hours. Despite the mess, hosing down by the fire company and a light rain, flames reappeared several times. It was still burning at 2 pm.

As always, I had my cheapie digital camera with me, and I took pictures 'til the card filled up (samples on the Today page, which you passed on your way in). I kept busy shooting everything. I shoulda been a photojournalist.

There was a meeting of all employees that afternoon. Seems the fire department suspected a cigarette to be the cause, and a very stern (and slightly emotional) boss advised all how close we came to going out of business, and that termination would be the result of violating the smoking rules (that area of the building included a lot of paper and flammable chemicals). We non-smokers nodded knowingly but smugly.

A single fire vehicle remained at the end of the day. Smoke and flames were gone, and the rain continued to fall.

Today will be business as usual. Hopefully.

Feb. 14, 2002 Thursday

Happy Valentine's Day! Hug somebody.

We decided long ago that the romance of chocolate in heart-shaped boxes is a Trojan horse full of sugar and empty calories, so our exchanges in honor of good ol' St. Valentine have taken a more material path. While not mandatory, gift-giving on Valentine's Day has become an occasion for building our DVD collection.

I'll not divulge the gift I'll be giving the Wife this year, since she hasn't opened it yet, and on the chance that she's up past midnight and may be reading this, I wouldn't want to spoil the moment of ripping apart wrapping paper at breakfast.

We have the same arrangement at Easter. We exchange Easter baskets filled with anything but chocolate. Usually DVD's :) Decorated hard-boiled eggs are still accepted.

And on our anniversary, we jointly purchase something for the house, rather than exchange gifts. In the past this has been a new mattress, a new tv, etc. That says togetherness more than individual gifts, dontcha think?

But I'm getting way ahead. It's only Valentine's Day. So I wonder what movie I'm getting?

.

Feb. 20, 2002 Wednesday

Greetings to Alana in New York state, her four felines - Merlin, JoJo, Smokey and Molasses - plus her six feline-friendly dogs! Welcome to the Opie Project - there's room for everybody!

In the aftermath of the fire at work two weeks ago, the official designated smoking area is now an empty field across the parking lot. Before it was just anywhere outdoors; now it's thirty feet from the building. They dragged a rotting old picnic table over there as some sort of amenity. The smokers (which number fewer than a dozen) now park their cars over there so they can take a smoke break out of the elements.

I am a reformed smoker (nicotine-free for five years), and there are two types of ex-smokers - those who preach at every turn about the ills and evils of tobacco, and those who sympathize with the plight of the addicted (there but for the grace of God and NicoDerm CQ go I). I'm a little of each. It seems that if they're going to be banished, it should at least be to a spot with heat.

So allowing the smokers to park their cars in the field (previously off-limits) was a compromise. They can puff themselves to death in the comfort of their own vehicles, and they get to take their second-hand smoke home with them.

It also gives our barely-adequate parking lot some breathing room. There's a pun in there somewhere.

Keep warm.

Feb. 26, 2002 Tuesday

It was almost 60 degrees today. And it's going to be equally warm tomorrow. This winter has been so weird.

Soon warm days will be the norm, marking the return of convertible days. Those are the bright and sunny spring and summer days that are ideally suited and inviting to top-down driving. And this year, they will also be ideally suited for selling a convertible. In less than two months I will be putting my five-year labor of love up for sale. I'm already convinced that the new car dealer will not be making any suitable offers for it as a trade-in, so I'll be handling those details on my own.

I'm not looking to make money on it. It's more important to me that someone wants it just because it's unique, rather than for its material value. I would rather sell it to someone who can appreciate it, rather than to the highest bidder. And I don't know if anyone can appreciate it, besides me. It's certainly not a practical purchase - it is a fourteen-year-old vehicle with 115,000 miles on it, and a broken gas gauge and air conditioner; leaky roof, exhaust and power steering and water pumps. And the body work, while unique, is less than a masterpiece of execution. From about twenty feet away it looks great. Close-up you can tell it was constructed with hand tools and assembled in a driveway. But it starts reliably and runs smoothly, and it is definitely fun.

It's a car only its mother could love. And that would be me.

Mar. 2, 2002 Saturday

Work is boring, and the weather moreso. The credit card balances never seem to shrink, despite the number of digits on the checks I send them. The Wife is putting in longer hours than usual (and will be for two months while another new system gets put into place), and we can't seem to find the time to enjoy a free dinner out together (my award for not missing any days of work last year).

So whenever my life seems awash with annoyances, I read about nature and/or the cosmos. The vastness of both belittles the pettiness of humankind's daily toils. And somehow that makes me feel better.

F'rinstance: There's a wild tobacco plant that, when attacked by a particular species of caterpillar that could destroy it, emits chemicals that attract a certain species of wasp that kills the caterpillar. Talk about home security.

Or how 'bout the simple concept of distance? Using current technology, if we sent a rocket to the nearest star, (a mere 4 light years away) it would take 30,000 years to get there. By then we would probably have the technology to get there ahead of it and meet it when it arrives.

A hundred years ago, electricity and telephones were new and the airplane was just around the corner. What will be new a hundred years from now? How about a space elevator that rises up from the Earth into space, eliminating the need for those pesky rockets. Just put a satellite on the elevator and hit the up button. When it reaches the correct orbit it floats away. Check it out:

How long ago was a trillion minutes? Hint: Humans didn't exist yet.

Now doesn't that put your credit card's minimum payment due into perspective?

Mar. 8, 2002 Friday

The new car bug keeps biting me on the butt. But I can't do anything about it 'til I reduce my credit card debt. I figured somewhere around the middle of April I'll have it down far enough to juggle a car payment and a credit card payment equally.

Today I learned that Ford is offering 2.9% financing on new Rangers until April 8th. I did some hasty calculations and figured I could do it. So on April 8th (a Monday), I am buying a new car (my first one in 14 years). I downloaded the color brochure of the 'net and find myself pouring through it constantly, like something new is going to show up.

I'm counting on not finding what I want (specifically, a stick-shift); I just don't like automatic transmissions - they're expensive to purchase, operate and repair. And they're boring. You're not driving if you're not shifting. But standard transmissions are not all that popular, so I'll probably hafta order a vehicle from the factory.

That's okay, 'cause during six to eight weeks of waiting for its arrival, I can pay off more of the credit card debt. This all works out.

Mar. 14, 2002 Thursday

I'm in a stupid place. We're in a slow period at work, between seasonal activity. I'm ready to buy a new car, but I hafta wait 'til I clear up some credit card debt. The weather keeps trying to be spring-like, then takes a big temperature dip. The Wife is spending long hours on a special project at work and is dead-tired when she's home - this will continue 'til sometime in April. It's like I'm in-between everything in my life, all at once.

What's worse is that I've resigned myself to be in this place. Not that I want to be, but I have no idea what to do about it.

So I watch tv. The American Embassy premiered this week and I liked it; I will be watching it again. The new batch of reality shows are too unreal and I avoid them. Everything else is re-runs 'til the finales in May. It's a no-win situation.

Hey, here's something - I'm due for my regular eye exam next month. I can make an appointment; I can even go earlier and have it taken care of at the earliest opportunity. I can do something with my life starting tomorrow!

So the most exciting thing in my immediate life is an eye exam. Are you jealous?

:)

Mar. 25, 2002 Monday

The Wife goes back to the doctor today to see if he can prescribe some long-term treatment for her newly-found diabetes. It has been iffy so far because she has some form of viral infection that is masking the true readings of her tests. But the virus, if not already run its course, is waning (she's coughing and sneezing now, which, according to the doc, is a good sign). Her blood-sugar levels have improved, but they're still too high.

She's become comfortable with the fact that she has a life-long illness that has to be treated daily, and the fact that I have it also helps a little. She also learned she has a hypo-thyroid condition (I dunno what the official name of it is), but two of her sisters also have it, and it's treatable with pills.

The cats seem to know something's different. Opie has always hung out with me, while c.c. gravitates to the Wife's lap. But now, when the Wife lies down or goes to bed, Opie joins her, like he knows his presence is needed there. And we all know the therapeutic value of a purring feline.

So the last coupla weeks have resulted in some permanent lifestyle changes around here. But through all this, the Wife hasn't missed any time from work. Life goes on.

Mar. 31, 2002 Sunday

Easter Sunday.

While researching events for this date in history (for the Today page), I came across Easter Island, home of those huge monolithic stone carvings (called moai) that are still a mystery today.

The more I read about the place, the more I wanted to visit. I had wanted to visit Pitcairn Island too (where the mutineers of the Bounty fled to with their Polynesian wives/girl friends), but it was very remote, and had no airport, harbor, tourist facilities or attractions, other than the history of the island. But Easter Island does have tourist facilities, a modern airport, attractions and history. And it's even more remote than Pitcairn (which, oddly enough, is its nearest neighbor).

We have a trip to Australia in the works (in about 5 years) with a stop-over in Tahiti, and I've already checked into a side trip to Easter Island. There are regular flights there from Tahiti (4,000 miles round-trip, $800 U.S.), but I don't think we'd ever get any closer, and I think it would be worth it. At least today I do.

Check back five years from now.

In the meantime, Happy Easter :)

Apr. 6, 2002 Saturday

My notes from a year ago proclaimed how I planned to be debt-free by this time this year. But broken bridgework and root canal had not been part of the original plan, so I've still got a couple thou to clear up yet.

But that didn't stop me from the planned purchase of a new vehicle. I took yesterday off from work to get the old truck/work-of-art ready for the scrutiny of the trade-in appraisers (I'm not expecting anything) and took care of some banking and other financial duties to be sure I had the monetary necessities for this venture.

For the last 25 years, I've bought from the same salesman, who has always been honest and given me a good deal, so armed with everything I could find on dealer invoices, incentives and rebates, I headed for the dealership. It never occured to me that he might take a day off. He did. But they said he'd be in Saturday morning. So I will too.

It's been a while since I haggled price on a new car. I hope the rules haven't changed. If they have, you'll hear about it, shortly after I do :)

Apr. 12, 2002 Friday

I ordered a new truck last Saturday. I talked to the same salesman I've been buying from for many years, and we wrapped the whole thing up rather quickly. I got what I wanted at a pretty good price (I did my pre-shopping internet research and knew what a good price was). Then I took a couple days to think about it before returning with the $1000 down payment.

He said it would be four to six weeks. I think it'll be closer to eight. I'm not in a hurry for it - I still have credit card debt that I would like to reduce substantially, so the longer it takes the new truck to arrive, the more debt I'll have cleared.

Buying a new car is a kid-at-Christmas event, something to anticipate and salivate over. But I'm entering the age of old fartdom; credit card bills take precedent over anticipation and joy.

It's not that severe - I am looking forward to it. For the first time I ordered all the power goodies - windows, mirrors, locks - plus cruise control, tilt wheel and a cd/mp3 stereo upgrade, and other fun stuff. And it'll be nice to have a vehicle with working air conditioning, clock and gas gauge once again.

Still, I'm trying not to think that much about it. Yet. Maybe in a coupla weeks. :)

It's been 48 hours, and c.c. still has her collar.

Apr. 18, 2002 Thursday

It's HOT!!! Ninety degrees in April. The cats hate it. It hit Tuesday and we broke out the electric fans and placed them stategically around the house. Opie and c.c. were draped over the furniture, like fur-covered doilies with tongues. We finally decided that the air conditioner should be put into action, and it took several hours to cool things down.

Yesterday morning the felines ventured out as usual; it was not terribly muggy at 6 am. When it's a nice day, they're usually out 'til dinnertime. But this day they were back in before the Wife left for work - each spread out near an air conditioning vent. They were still there when I returned home.

I put the top down on the truck and drove to work naturally air-conditioned, for the first time this year. I'm going to have to sell it soon, which is for the best; I hope there's someone who can enjoy it half as much as I do, despite the non-functional gas gauge, air conditioning and clock.

The receptionist said someone came in a couple months ago and asked if she thought I might be interested in selling it. She said oh no, he'd never part with it. I just found out about that.

Soon I'll have a new truck with all the power goodies, working air conditioning, mp3/cd stereo and a roof that doesn't leak.

But no heads will whip around as I drive by :)

Apr. 24, 2002 Wednesday

Last night, after a week of temperatures in the 90's, it got down almost to the freezing point.

I had put the Pointsettia that we got for Christmas out on the deck - it's a routine we follow every year - the colorful leaves drop off, but the plant stays bushy all summer, and we bring it in in the fall, but only once did it survive past the next Christmas, and the colorful leaves never do return (there's a very convoluted procedure that permits the leaves to return to Christmas colors, but it involves cutting the thing back to nothing and storing it in a garbage bag in a closet. Too confusing for me).

Because temps had dropped last night, I brought the plant back in the house. It's sitting here looking at me like I've done it a disservice. I think it was looking forward to the tropical temps. Must be homesick.

The cats appreciate the cooler weather. The combination of sun and rain have greened things up considerably. It gives them lots of undergrowth to explore in the woods. The woods looks a lot better when it's filled out with greenery. I had to mow the lawn Monday or the weeds would have taken over; the dandelions were already quite menacing. But now the lawn will look good for a week. Hopefully.

Five years ago tomorrow, we had eight inches of snow :)

Apr. 30, 2002 Tuesday

Today's photos and Opie's latest entry pretty much tell the story, but I'd like to get my version on the record just the same.

Saturday I was summoned to the kitchen by the smoke alarm to see my breakfast engulfed in flames through the glass door of the toaster oven. It was like a miniature fireplace suspended from an overhead cabinet.

With the best intentions, I grabbed a fork and an oven mitt, intent on spearing the flaming breakfast and tossing it in the sink, to be drenched in running water, but of course, opening the oven door only supplied fresh air to the flames, which burst forth like a dragon's belch and headed halfway of the front of the kitchen cabinets. I shut it immediately before serious harm was done.

What I find interesting is the fact that there was a kitchen fire extinguisher within reach, and I chose not to use it because I didn't want to make a mess. At what point does a fire become messier than extinguishing it?

So I tossed a handful of damp paper towels into the oven and closed the door. I don't know why that worked - it certainly wasn't any well-thought-out course of action. But if it hadn't worked, there was the fire extinguisher.

The soot on the cabinet fronts cleaned up well, and a large fan blew the smoke out several windows. No major harm done. Except to the toaster oven. As luck would have it, the Wife had a gift card to a nearby department store that had a toaster oven on sale. Total cash outlay was only six bucks, and everything's back to normal.

Heh.

May 6, 2002 Monday

Once a year, a nearby town closes down its streets to all vehicles manufactured within the last 25 years. Anything older than that is permitted. This attracts about 800-1000 vintage cars. There are street vendors, entertainers, and of course, the cars themselves. People driving the more recent stuff have to park on the outer fringes and walk in, a distance of two miles, but all along the route are the cars, and the people do turn out.

My boss and his boss both have vintage cars (a '63 Mercury Comet and a '63 Studebaker Hawk), and they're usually there, but this time they both stayed home. As did many other regulars. They used to get upwards of a thousand cars every year, but this year it was only about 800. Maybe the novelty of the whole thing has worn off (I hope not, I'm still amazed by the flashy arrogance of cars from the fifties - have been since I was a kid)., although 800 cars is still 4 to 5 times bigger than the average vintage car "show."

I've wanted to bring the truck every year, although technically it's only 14 years old. I thought the novelty of it would make it an exception. But once again I chickened out, and walked in with the rest of the admirers of real vintage autos. And this woulda been my last chance, since it will be in the hands of others by next year's event.

But now it's back to the mundane look-alike bars of soap that make up today's car designs, where my chrome and tail fins still turn heads. :)

May 12, 2002 Sunday

Happy Mother's Day, to all of whom that applies (and you know who you are).

We'll be celebrating the occasion with the Wife's family at her sister's house, as we do every year. Joining us this year will be the Wife's grandmother, visiting from Pittsburgh. She'll be 100 in a couple months. So we'll be celebrating three generations of mothers this year.

Yesterday we celebrated the other end of the age spectrum - the twins' fifth birthday. Their birthday was actually a week ago, but today was the most convenient occasion for getting all members of both sides of the family together. I spent the afternoon assembling their toys for them, including a large pre-formed plastic sandbox with 150 lbs. of sand (too much).

Most of yesterday was sunny, and the animals did their usual sprawl on the back deck soaking up the sun. And when the sun moved around to the front of the house, they did too.

Today is s'posed to be a day filled with rain. All day.

Sorry, moms.

May 18, 2002 Saturday

If you read Opie's last entry, you know that the chipmunk that c.c. brought in the house last week did not find his way out through the door that I had left open for that purpose. Small critters have specific hiding places that they all manage to find once one of our precocious felines turns them loose in the house, and inspection of those spots the next morning revealed no chipmunk; ergo, he had found his way out.

This little guy seems to like it here though. He comes out periodically to run around. He seems to like running up and down the stairs before dashing back to his sanctuary behind the stove. We never know for sure when he plans to do his stair exercises, but the front door is at the bottom of the stairs, so if I can figure out his schedule, maybe I can leave the front door open for him.

But, like I said, I think he likes it here. Opie's dry food dish and water dish are in convenient proximity to the stove, and there's no rain indoors :) Also the family of mice we had living back there several years ago had burrowed into the walls and under the floor and had made quite a home for themselves. I think the chipmunk is moving into their old digs.

But wild animals are primarily wild, and he'll tire of the routine eventually (I hope). And an open front door will await his departure.

May 24, 2002 Friday

I really thought I'd have my new truck by now. It was ordered six weeks and one day ago. Should be any time now. But I'm getting antsy.

The Wife took me to dinner last night (she had a gift certificate) to celebrate the second anniversary of our most amazing vacation ever (that would be Alaska). We reminisced - it's amazing how much we had crammed into two weeks - we were constantly bombarded with new experiences. What started as a recollection of the vacation turned into a total reliving of the experience.

Two years ago today we were at the Arctic Circle. It was 180 miles up a dirt road from Fairbanks in the middle of pure isolation. It was amazing.

I heard that the temperature in Fairbanks yesterday (still 180 miles from the Arctic Circle) was 81 degrees.

Go. You won't regret it.

Update: The chipmunk is still in the house :)

May 30, 2002 Thursday

First of all, greeting to Zellie, Ito and Goldilocks, and their transplanted Texan caretaker, all living somewhere in the wilds of New Jersey. Welcome to the Opie Project guys. Prepare to be dazzled :)

Today was Opie's annual checkup - he passed with flying colors - and a few extra pounds. I had to bundle him into the carrier usually reserved for the much-smaller c.c. (couldn't find the bar for the door of the larger carrier) and he wasn't too pleased with that. It was a warm and sunny day, so we made the 5-minute trip with the top down. He was fascinated with that - he kept peeking out of his carrier and looking up at the sky passing overhead at 40 mph.

While at the vet, I got Frontline flea and tick treatment for c.c. (who refuses to wear a flea collar) and we will see how that goes. Regular reports will follow.

So Opie got crammed into an undersized carrier, transported against his will in an open vehicle to a strange woman who stuck a needle in him (not once but twice), then more cramming and transporting home.

But he eventually curled up next to me and purred his forgiveness.

June 3, 2002 Monday

Tomorrow is my birthday. Yesterday was my birthday party. Today I get my new truck.

It arrived at the dealer last Thursday, and they said they would need 'til Saturday to get it prepped. So Saturday I went in to get it, and I spent hours, literally, on paperwork. The dealer was able to get me financing at a good rate (I have excellent credit), which gave me a monthly payment much lower than I thought I could get. So I bought an extended warranty - I'm covered 'til 2009.

But of course, there was a snag. When you trade in a car, there is a brief grace period for transferring your insurance from the old car to the new. But I wasn't trading anything in, ergo, no insurance. So we tried to make contact with my insurance agent using several numbers from his business card and got voice mail on all of them, but no human contact. So I couldn't drive it home. It's still there. The Wife will be dropping me off there when they open this morning, we will contact the insurance agent, and I will drive off in my first new vehicle in fourteen years.

New cars are like new babies; nobody appreciates them like their daddy. But bear with me - these are the vitals:

V-6, 5-speed stick shift, air conditioning, cd/mp3 player, power everything (steering, brakes, windows, door locks, mirrors - not seats though), tilt wheel, cruise control, remote control locks, smart key anti-theft device (which is cool - it won't start without a special computerized key in the ignition - can't be hot-wired).

Thank you for listening. Have a nice Monday. I will.

June 9, 2002 Sunday

Yesterday was shopping spree day. Last week was my birthday and I got a bunch of gift certificates, which is the way it usually works. Then at some point in the future, the Wife joins me on a shopping spree with them. It's usually not this early, but I kinda knew what I wanted, so off we went.

We started with a lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then visited the Barnes and Noble in the same shopping center (with a $50 gift card) and got a book on cd and a movie on dvd (The Hobbit - cd; The Others - dvd). Then it was off to the local electronics emporium for cell phone accessories (spare battery, car cord, hands-free head set, case with belt hook and carry strap) and a couple more movies on dvd (Vanilla Sky and The Mothman Prophecies). We even stopped at our favorite home center and bought a new kitchen faucet (the old one drips).

Then it was back home with just enough time to get ready for a graduation party (friends' first-born), which was fun. Lots of our friends joined in celebrating, and we all watched impossibly young kids dancing and having fun. The kids are getting younger, and the music is getting louder. If I'm sounding like an old person, there's a reason for that.

Next shopping spree: Christmas. Next graduation party: next weekend.

June 15, 2002 Saturday

Today is my company's picnic. Usually it's extremely hot 'n humid for the occasion, but this year is cool and overcast, with a mild threat of rain. Today is also the day my youngest niece graduates from high school.

So we're being diplomatic, attending the company function long enough to get something to eat, gab briefly with all attendees, then bolt when the organized activities commence (if you've ever participated in an egg toss or a sack race, you know that participating once is usually enough). Then it's an hour's drive to Delaware to join in the festivities celebrating a much younger generation.

I haven't seen my siblings since Christmas, so I'll be distributing past due birthday presents to my sisters (7 weeks late) and a niece and nephew (just recently), as well as a graduation gift (cash) to the guest of honor. The fact that we see each other only two or three times a year means we usually have fun when we do. And I get to show off my new truck :)

We've had some heavy rains for the past coupla days, and the cats are mad at me. They're sure I had something to do with it and they want me to make it stop. Especially c.c. - she'll run to the front door, meowing up a storm, and when I open it and it's raining steadily, she meows at me even louder. I explain to her patiently that not even I can stop the rain, but she doesn't want to hear it. So I close the door, and she sits there, complaining vociferously.

Opie does a silent version of the routine. I open the door and he stands there looking at me, waiting for me to fix it.

But the rains appear to have stopped for the time being, and the animals head out without complaint. They don't like the wet grass and undergrowth any more than the rain, but by then I've closed the door :)

June 21, 2002 Friday

Today summer begins. Heat, Humidity and Hay Fever. The longest day (daylightwise) of the year. It also marks the beginning of Year Five of the Opie Project. Technically, it began January 1, 1998, when we began keeping a log of Opie's captures and releases and writing notes about them, but it was six more months of trial and error before we got a website design we liked (this was all new territory to us at the time).

We've met a lot of interesting people from all over the world during that time that we would otherwise never have crossed paths with. The www is definitely cool. And thanks to everyone who has written over the years. If you've never taken the survey on the FAQ page, here's your chance to be a statistic in the Opie Database (which gets you nothing but our undying gratitude).

Each year on the anniversary of the Big Upload, we added something new to the site. This year we haven't. We had an idea in mind, but it just never worked out in html. And we'd rather have a fun addition to the site, rather than a clumsy and uninteresting page. But we'll keep at it until we get something we deem worthy of the master cat's web domain. :)

I bought a "For Sale" sign to stick in the back window of the old truck. I still have to patch up the leaky exhaust and vacuum the interior before presenting it to the buying public. In the next coupla weeks I'm going to put a sales pitch on the truck page of the Opie Project and add Opie's URL to the sign. That may not sell the truck, but it'll get us a few more hits on the Web Counter :)

Thank you all for visiting! Come back often - it'll be different.

June 25, 2002 Tuesday

This past weekend I made the effort to realign the muffler on the old truck in preparation for selling it, and for my efforts I was rewarded with a deep gash in my thumb from a sharp piece of metal from its crusty 14-year-old underside. I washed it all out, swabbed everything with alcohol, and tried unsuccessfully to remember the last time I had a tetanus shot.

The Wife couldn't remember either. Her sister, the nurse, had been the one to administer the shot, so she might remember, but she was visiting her other sister in Colorado. I called her anyway, but they weren't home. I called another nurse I knew who verified that tetanus shots are good for seven years. Had it been seven years? Possibly.

I considered an Emergency Room visit, but insurance companies can be really ugly about non-emergency Emergency Room visits. And if they refused the claim I could be out a couple hundred dollars.

We finally agreed I would hafta wait and call my doctor on Monday. Then a little light winked on in the shadowy remnants of my memory. I managed to remember making arrangements with the nurse sister for the last tetanus shot at a Tupperware party the Wife had given. But she couldn't remember when she had that particular party. It was years ago. But she did remember a refigerator magnet she had gotten at that party - a miniature ice cream scoop. And I remembered videoing it at the time and digitizing it. So I began an in-depth search of every digital picture on my hard drive (there are thousands), but surprise, I was successful. The file was dated May 22, 1999. A mere three years ago. I was still protected. And the mystery was solved.

Sherlock Holmes woulda been proud.

July 1, 2002 Monday

This weekend I cleaned up the old truck as best I could in preparation for finding it a new home. It really is a good vehicle with many years left in it, but it's also a product of my own imagination, creativity and skills (the degree of which can all be debated) and therefore, not just another used car. So it's not subject to the usual rules of selling a car. Especially where determining a price is involved. Is it worth more because it's unique, or less because it's uncommon. How would the newspaper ad be worded in three lines that would adequately describe it?

I've decided to devote a few web pages of the Opie Project to it, and I spent most of Sunday constructing those pages (they're not quite ready yet). I'll start with a sign in the back window of the truck with the url listed for the Opie Project, and I'll add a banner to the splash page (temporarily). Hopefully that will eliminate the need for fielding phone calls with questions and curiosity, rather than actual offers. If they actually want to come see and drive the vehicle, they can send an e-mail.

If that doesn't generate enough interest, I'll run a classified "display" ad (a classified ad with a photo) in the local paper. I might even put the thing on e-bay.

It might sell quickly, or it might take forever. I have absolutely no idea how this will turn out. Stay tuned.

July 8, 2002 Monday

Friday morning Opie came limping into the kitchen, favoring his right front paw. I gave it a once over (he didn't flinch at all when I touched it, although I had to turn him over to see the bottom of his paw, and he wasn't crazy about that). A cursory exam revealed nothing - no blood, no swelling, and no apparent pain. He wasted no time getting to his food dish, so I assumed he'd got it caught in something and that he would walk it off.

That night he was still limping, and I checked again. Putting him on his back on my lap (he really didn't appreciate that and squirmed considerably), I examined the aforementioned paw pads closely and discovered a rather large gash with dried blood therein, which I hadn't noticed in the morning. I dabbed at it with clean water but hestitated using alcohol or peroxide. We had some salve that the vet had given us the last time Opie had had a disagreement with something with teeth, and I applied that, which Opie licked off immediately. It didn't really matter; its expiration date was a year ago.

So I called the vet, but too late. They were closed and it was a holiday weekend. I tried again on Saturday without luck. There was an emergency number I could call, but was this an emergency? Opie certainly didn't think so. So I didn't.

There used to be a 24-hour animal hospital near here with an emergency room, but they had to eliminate the emergency room and the 24 hour staffing - I know we're going to miss that at some inopportune time.

So today I'm going to have to miss some time from work for the peace of mind knowing that Opie will receive proper medical attention (I'll have to make up the lost time 'cause we're really busy right now, but it's a worthwhile trade-off).

Opie, meanwhile, is peacefully oblivious.

July 12, 2002 Friday

Around two p.m., a nervous voice on the PA system announced "Everyone evacuate the building IMMEDIATELY!!" So I grabbed my essentials (that would be my cell phone, PDA and digicam) and joined the exodus.

I work next door to a dairy farm, and directly next to the 40 acres devoted to growing cow food (in this case, hay). Sweeping across that large field was a wall of flames, heading directly toward us. It was loud, hot, smoky and scary. It was coming like a wave washing into shore, but faster than anyone could outrun.

It was like the start of a Grand Prix, as everyone raced to get their cars out of the parking lot, myself included.

At the end of the field, besides us, is several square miles of woods. It seemed inevitable that the fire would reach the woods in minutes and then it officially would be a disaster, and our building would be part of it.

But the hay was so dry it incinerated completely, and once all the hay was consumed, the fire went out. Completely. The leaves on the trees at the edge of the woods were singed, but they never caught fire. We are in a drought, but we did have some heavy rains recently.

Three fire companies arrived, but it was pretty much over. They drove around the field, hosing everything down, and hung around to make sure it stayed down.

We were back at our computers by 2:30.

July 18, 2002 Thursday

I got new glasses. I'd been putting it off for a year. So I went in on a Saturday morning, grabbed a pair I liked and ordered them. They arrived Tuesday. I hate 'em. They're too big, too square, too fragile and too expensive. But I had to be different and go for the new rimless style. Except they're so thick, you can't tell they're rimless. And because they're more square than the old ones, the bifocal portion (lower half) occupies a larger share of the field of vision, which means at any time half of my field of vision is blurry. They're not that bad I guess; I'll adjust. Since I have no choice.

And I had my quarterly doctor appraisal Tuesday - I'm apparently doing great. My blood sugar levels are down overall, blood pressure is normal, and I even had an ekg, which showed a very healthy heart. However, my "good" cholesterol levels are low. So the Doc now wants me to lose ten more pounds (I already lost eight in the last two months). *Sigh*

Next, the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles adventure, as I try to procure a replacement title for the old truck so I can sell it. Stay tuned for that one.

July 28, 2002 Sunday

This is turning out to be a busy weekend. Friday night was dinner for 22 to celebrate grandma's big 1-0-0, and everybody had a good time. Especially Grandma. We had a private room at a local eatery, presented gifts, and there were many photos taken (mostly by the Wife) of Grams with the grandkids, Grams with her granddaughters, Grams with son and daughter-in-law, Grams with grandsons-in-law, Grams with the waitresses ...

Saturday we were invited to a "structural integrity" party for my niece's (and spouse-in-law's) new deck. They live more than an hour away (near Valley Forge), so it gave my new truck a chance to stretch its legs. I actually got to use the cruise control for a practical purpose. It ran smoothly, quietly and comfortably, as expected. All of my family lives in other states, and we only get together around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so this was a good mid-year occasion. My brother was there, but one of my sisters had other plans that day, though she said she would try to make it. She didn't. The other sister never responded to the invitation, but she did call during mid-festivities to say she wouldn't be able to attend as she was in Utah at the time.

And today is another birthday celebration honoring a good friend who has always attended our various family celebrations. That will be at the sister-in-law's house (with the pool), and it promises to be hot and muggy again, which makes a pool a handy item to have.

Even though it's a hectic weekend, we're still around at feeding time, so Opie and c.c. probably haven't even noticed.

Aug. 3, 2002 Saturday

Ted Koppel did an interview on Nightline with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, who have reunited and recorded and are going to tour again this summer. It was nice to see guys in their 50's doin' what they did in their 20's with the same enthusiasm and creativity.

My new truck, for all its goodies, doesn't have a tape player. I didn't think I would miss that, but I do. I have dozens of old radio shows from the 30's and 40's on tape that are great for road trips, plus old books on tape, so I bought a cheapy portable player and I'm working on creative ways to add it to my new vehicle where it'll be out of sight but handy, play through the car stereo and run off the truck's electrical system (mental exercises are always refreshing, and I'll take stimulation wherever I can get it).

Later today the Wife heads off to the shore for a week. I'll be joining her off and on, as free time permits (work is too busy just now to take time off), The shore is just a leisurely hour-plus drive away.

Which passes quickly while listening to some of those books on tape :)

Aug. 15, 2002 Thursday

I still don't have the title to my old truck, and I'm never going to sell it without one.

The DMV bounced my request for a replacement title, saying that there was still a lien on it, held by Ford Motor Credit Company (which I paid off eleven years ago), and I would hafta get a signed authorization from the corporation stating that the debt was clear before they would issue a title.

I visited my friendly Ford dealer (from whom I had just purchased a new vehicle) and managed to get a phone number at Ford Credit's Title Department.

Okay. Except Ford Credit needed the loan number to look it up to verify that it was indeed paid off. So I went looking for the paperwork for the loan I took out in 1988. I ended up looking in all the same places that I looked for the title, with the same results. About the time I started muttering audibly, I remembered that I used to write the loan number on the checks I wrote each month, and I knew where my cancelled checks were, and that's how I managed to come up with the loan number.

Today I may actually make contact with a human who can sort this all out. Stay tuned.

Aug. 21, 2002 Wednesday

As the Wife mentioned in her recent notes, her favorite uncle passed away last weekend. He lived in Pittsburgh, over 300 miles away, but he still managed to stay close to his family in New Jersey. Today is his funeral, and we'll all be there in Pittsburgh.

Sam was a fun kind of guy - he would easily have been anyone's favorite uncle. That's the way I want to be remembered. I don't want a funeral. I want a wake. Spend those thousands of dollars on a party and put me in a pine box without fanfare.

Actually, my funeral will be of little importance to me. Funerals are for the living, and should be according to the wishes of the living in tribute to the deceased.

Hopefully, these decisions will not need to be considered for quite a while.

Today we say good bye to Sam.

Aug. 26, 2002 Monday

First of all, a belated greeting to Hannibal, Sophie and Casey (a cat and two non-cats of the Miniature Schnauzer variety) in Somerset TX. Welcome to the Opie Project, guys; we hope to keep things interesting.

Hannibal used to be Hannah until a closer inspection was made :) Somerset TX is south of San Antonio. We were there a few years ago (San Antonio) and had a wonderful time - stayed at the Hyatt on the Riverwalk. Great fun.

Everything's belated recently. Apologies to anyone awaiting an e-mail reply - things are still a bit hectic. Soon. In addition to being quite busy at work (both of us), we have had the unexpected addition of a funeral, two weddings and jury duty. Things at work are just beginning to ease up, the funeral and one wedding are behind us, and jury duty commences in a couple days.

I had jury duty a few years ago, but nobody wanted me. There were three cases pending; you'd think I woulda looked honest enough for one of them.

I am to report for jury duty on Wednesday. My instructions were to call for a recorded announcement with further instructions after 5 pm on the Friday before I was to report . The further instructions were to call back Tuesday for further instructions. Y'gotta love government work.

But then the hectic weeks should be concluded and we can get back to something normal.

I'll probably be sequestered for six months.

Sept. 1, 2002 Sunday

It's the middle of a three-day weekend here in the U.S. (Labor Day), and things are finally starting to slow down. We managed to get in two birthday celebrations on Saturday (one which had been postponed because of the funeral in Pittsburgh). And work is almost back to a normal pace. At least I feel that I can begin to relax a bit.

It was the middle of this same three-day weekend two years ago that we brought home a kitten we ended up naming c.c. We were driving home discussing what to name her, and considering that we had chosen the name "Opie" from the letters O.P. (for Orange Pussycat), we arrived at "c.c." for Calico Cat. Except that we weren't sure she was a Calico; she was possibly a Tortoise Shell. We considered Torty, very briefly, before rejecting that.

We tried a totally different approach. Certain tribes of American Indians selected their colorful names from observed events surrounding the birth of the child. So the Wife looked out the window as we were passing Tinker Road. We both kinda liked Tinker, so we agreed that would be the chosen name. Until we got home, when we remembered that neither of us was American Indian, and that first impulses were generally the best, so she was c.c. once again.

And will be forever. Happy anniversary, c.c.

Sept. 7, 2002 Saturday

The Wife and I have an anniversary tradition - we buy a single gift for both of us; this year we decided a new living room tv was in order (the picture on the old one had been getting progressively darker recently), but we never got to the point of deciding size, brand, etc. (our anniversary is next month).

Last weekend we were in one of those electronics megastores looking at digital cameras for our nephew's upcoming birthday, when I wandered over to look at the tv's. And there it was - a widescreen hdtv. Most widescreen hdtv's are devices of considerable size with price tags to match, but this was a tabletop model (by definition only - it would have required a rather hefty table) that would conceivably fit into the current tv's location in the bookcase (with some modification to the bookcase). It was a basic no-frills entry-level model.

And it was on sale.

Two coincidences came into play - October is one of those months with an extra payday in it, and we had just gotten a state tax refund. We hadn't planned on getting hdtv for a coupla years. Very few shows are broadcast in the new format, and you need an additional converter box to view them anyway. But the higher resolution and the wide screen make DVD movies look great.

And it was on sale.

So we bought it. And we got it home and into the house (with the help of the brother-in-law's timely appearance). We hooked it up to make sure everything worked, but it's still sitting in the middle of the living room, awaiting the required bookcase modifications (which will occupy most of this weekend).

But it was on sale :)

Sept. 13, 2002 Friday

Greetings, triscadecaphobes, and happy Friday the 13th.

I used to be self-conscious about Friday the 13th. I always knew what months it fell in and when it was coming. It was all part of the learning experience, when being aware of stuff like that seemed important. But as we get old and jaded, it doesn't matter any more. Like birthdays.

Birthdays are for the young, who like to accumulate as many of them as they can. They even acquire half birthdays, prouldly announcing their ages in half-years (I'm eight and a half!) But have you ever heard anyone proclaim to be forty two and a half?

Today is our nephew's eleventh birthday. He was born on a Friday the Thirteenth. The party will be Saturday, and it will be a festive occasion (eleventh birthdays are quite important). Meaning there will be lots of food. And I just managed to lose five pounds, and I've been good about keeping it lost, and would prefer that it stayed that way.

We (mainly the Wife) got the kid a digital camera - a relatively cheap but decent starter camera - he had mentioned that he would like one, but we didn't want him to be intimidated by too fancy a model. We got a Samsung, with the basic flash, media card and digital zoom. He'll like it and learn from it.

So after I get through Friday the 13th, I get to attend a party where I can't eat the food unless accompanied by a guilt trip. Sounds like fun.

Good luck.

Sept. 19, 2002 Thursday

The new tv season is upon us. I used to be quite good at picking the winners and losers, sometimes just by reading the descriptions. My success average was very high.

But I am no longer part of that key demographic that appeals to advertisers (youth with money - which is who all these new shows are designed to appeal to anyway), so my predictions ceased to have influence on the movers and shakers of the entertainment conglomerates.

But this year I'm regaining confidence in my abilities. Most of the new shows seem to be rehashes of old shows, and they all suck. Boomtown might catch on, 'cause it's different. Same with Push, NV (although having seen it, it feels like a Twin Peaks wannabe - I'll probably hafta check it out further).

Around Thanksgiving, the networks begin running Christmas specials and moving shows around to accommodate them. That's when they drop all those shows they hyped so much in September that didn't work out. In all the shuffling, they think we won't notice. Your first clue: back-to-back episodes of established shows - what used to be in that second show's spot, hmm? Or they'll run 3 specials in the same time slot in consecutive weeks, then move some old show to "a new night" (i.e. that time slot).

It becomes a game - find the shows that aren't there any more. I anticipate that almost as much as the new season.

Pass the popcorn.

Sept. 25, 2002 Wednesday

Between Independence Day and Labor Day are the Days of Hell. At least at work. The seasonal burden runs the gamut from tedious to boring and back at breakneck speed. The fun of being creative isn't there because there isn't time for creativity.

So we crank it all out as best we can. Of course the customer is always right, so we work our collective butts off to assure them that, yes, their way is better.

The work flows through like a flash flood, and our job is to bottle it. I get home late and I'm too keyed up to do anything, so I don't, and I end up staring bleary-eyed at the computer by 10:30, typing in something meaningless, then go to bed. Then it starts all over again. By the time the weekend arrives, just being able to do nothing seems like an accomplishment.

Then it all ends. Suddenly. Which is where I am now. After working simultaneously on several unrelated jobs all due at the same time (usually yesterday), here I am defragmenting hard drives to keep busy.

Hope I wasn't griping too much. This is my therapy. I'll get over it.

Have a nice day.

Oct. 1, 2002 Tuesday

This past weekend I faced the ongoing ritual of cleaning up the garage (I select a small area each time and satisfy myself by making a small dent in it, tidying-up-wise). This weekend I dragged all the tools that I've accumulated over the years into the center of the garage floor. I then assigned each tool to its on spot on, over or under the workbench, with every intention of seeing that it returned to that spot after each use.

It took most of the day, but it was successful. And I saw the surface of the workbench for the first time in years. I even discovered that I had duplicates of several tools. I sorted things so I had a set of tools I could keep in the truck and another set for the workbench.

Opie had selected a cool spot on the cement floor and kept a watchful eye on the whole operation.

And when I was done, I wondered why I'd done it. I'm left-handed and right-brained, the opposite of most people. Left-brained people need organization and order. Right-brained people thrive on chaos. And it's why a disproportionate number of creative people are left-handed.

For years I left my tools where I had last used them. And I always knew where they were when I needed them. Now I have to go looking for them.

Have patience for those of the right-brained world.

Oct. 7, 2002 Monday

One of the key treatments for controlling diabetes is a blood test every three months. Blood cells regenerate every three months, and sugar clings to these cells, so measuring the amount of sugar present on these cells gives an accurate average of blood sugar levels over a three-month period. One is required to fast for twelve hours prior to the test. My next test is at 8 am this morning, which means I had to stop eating at 8 pm last night.

I was at a co-worker's wedding reception last night.

Lots of food. The main course arrived slightly past my deadline, but I was hungry. Of course the dessert and wedding cake arrived too late, but they're not on my approved list anyway, so it didn't make much difference. Still, I had to sit there while all around me devoured ice cream and cake.

There is another frustration factor with weddings - the participants keep getting younger. Nine years ago I attended the last of the weddings of my peers, and one year later began attending the weddings of the offspring of my peers. Yesterday had the added frustration of the all-too-obvious youth of the bride's parents.

Back to the blood test. Next week I visit the doctor, who will review the results of the test and let me know how I'm doing. He was concerned about my triglyceride (fat) levels last time and wanted me to lose ten pounds by this visit. I still hafta lose three pounds by next week.

Gettin' old. I'll letcha know how it works out.

Oct. 20, 2002 Sunday

Technically, we're still on vacation.

Meaning no housecleaning, no cooking, no chores. Getting away from it all. Spending money.

Yesterday, I went out and got breakfast sandwiches from the local convenience store (they're pretty good), then laid around, doin' nothin'. Eventually I fell asleep.

The wife went shopping for no particular reason and came home with some new jeans, ink cartridges for the printer and a new dvd (Insomnia), just as I was awakening from a rather refreshing nap.

We were about to settle down to the movie when her sister and family arrived to ask about our vacation - we informed them that we were still on it and invited them to join us for the movie. But the conversation superseded the flick, and by then it was dinner time, and being on vacation (no cooking allowed), we ordered food from the local Italian eatery.

There were leftovers, to the joy of Opie and c.c. - they both love Italian. Well, the tomato sauce part, anyway.

By then we had all become engrossed in the movie on broadcast tv (The Fugitive) and never did get around to Insomnia.

But then, hey, we're on vacation.

Oct. 26, 2002 Saturday

The web is once again keeping me away from my only real life. I spend way too much time here. Sometimes I feel like my life has been assigned to me, rather than having any free choice. I'm allowed to feel this way occasionally; it's in my eccentricity contract.

I sometimes confuse being in a rut with being in control. When things are so boringly routine that you know exactly what's going to happen, you may assume you're in control of the situation. Then when the routine is disrupted the control factor is gone. I know how to cope with this stuff, I just don't like it. I'm not in control.

Sometimes I follow Opie's lead and take a nap. It seems to work. Everything will be taken care of in due time.

I just tried to upload this mess but I can't get on the server. I'm not in control.

Only 59 shopping days 'til Christmas. Joy.

Nov. 1, 2002 Friday

Lemme tell you about my hallow's eve ...

We live in a large housing development (800+ houses) with lotsa kids and potential goblin-types. We've gotten upwards of 100 kids in a 2-hour span. And our front door is on a landing, halfway between the first and second floors, which keeps us hoppin' every time there's a knock at the door.

This particular night I knew the Wife had to work late, which meant I was to be singlehandedly responsible for the kid-a-minute barrage, at least at the beginning.

Then it turned out I had to work at bit extra also - not much, just enough to make me late getting home, arriving around ten of six. That was just enough time to use the bathroom, feed Opie and c.c. and administer my insulin, before the parade of ghoulies began, and before I could get anything to eat. I grabbed a can of cashews between handouts and nibbled on them for dinner.

Opie, in his patently curious way, sat at the top of the stairs to observe each of the strange visitors, while c.c., who is now three years old, seems to be discovering the world for the first time - with every knock on the door she came running to the railing that overlooks the front entrance and sat wide-eyed, transfixed on the costumed arrivals. Even after their departures, she remained intently glaring at the door. Just as she decided it was safe go about her usual business, there would be another knock, and she would again run to the railing and repeat the behavior.

The Wife arrived near the end of the annual event, fearing she had missed the arrival of the nieces and nephews, but they too were running late, arriving around nine. The twins were a princess and a Power Ranger, but they both coulda been zombies. They were asleep on their feet after a busy day of trick 'r treating. The Wife subjected them to the annual photography ritual, then gave them each large bags of treats, then they were mercifully released to return home to sleep.

We were kinda beat ourselves - it was a hectic evening all around. We had 78 kids show up - way less than our record of 120, but still up from last year's low of 56.

We hope you exceeded your chocolate quota :)

Nov. 7, 2002 Thursday

Another down 'n dirty election season is over, and the balance of power has shifted in the U.S. Congress. Exactly how all this will manifest itself remains to be seen by a waiting but indifferent electorate.

Every year I publish my Election Reform Plan, and will continue to do so 'til somebody pays attention. Here 'tis:

Eliminate political ads entirely (sounds good already, huh?) Billions of wasted dollers saved. And the victor would no longer be the richest candidate.

Create a central election website (crap.gov) where every candidate for every office from dogcatcher to president posts his platform (the site would be subdivided by federal/state/county, etc.). The candidates can use their page to say whatever they want. At no cost! They can add and/or change their message at any time. And voters would be actively forced to find out about their candidates, rather than be bombarded by them. The week before the election, each candidate would submit his resume to the local papers, so that voters could compare them side-by-side.

You say voters won’t bother to do the research? You think they do now? They tune out those billions of dollars of advertising and stare dumbly at the panel of names in the voting booth, awaiting divine intervention. Is there a benefit to making it easier for the clueless to vote? Did you think the incumbent’s advantage meant they were the best person for the job?

What about people without internet access? Introduce them to the library. The government’s "matching campaign funds" (which would no longer apply) would go to providing terminals at every library strictly for the purpose of accessing crap.gov. Take it further: put a terminal in every post office. Or every shopping mall. Someday we’ll be voting on the ‘net, y’know?

Every position on the voting machine would include a "no confidence" choice. If No Confidence receives the majority of votes, all candidates for that office are eliminated, and a new election for that office would be required. Eliminates the lesser-of-two-evils choice. The new election would be funded by fines levied against the failed candidates who were too lame to get elected.

Every voting machine should have a keyboard for write-in candidates. Computers could search and count the names, rather than the tedious manual reading and counting . Nobody understands the write-in procedure anyway. And they should.

Tax cuts (every candidate promises 'em) would only go to those who vote.

Election day should be two days long, with results reported after the first day. Dunno if that would help, but it would make it interesting. Kinda like a halftime report.

But I had you after "eliminate political ads entirely," didn’t I?

Nov. 13, 2002 Wednesday

I have always changed my own oil and anti freeze ever since I got my first car. So when the time came around again this year, I didn't hesitate, even though I am a year older.

It was a warm and sunny Saturday, and the Wife's old Bronco and my old Ranger were both due for oil changes. So I dragged out all the maintenance paraphenalia and prepared to spend time lying under the respective vehicles, doing my thing.

I was accompanied by c.c., who just had to find out what the fascination was on the underside of the trucks, but she didn't stay long. Opie watched from a spot on the front steps, but felt no need to join me.

After the oil changes, I also flushed out the cooling system of the old Ranger and replaced the anti-freeze. By then I had spent several hours on my back on the concrete driveway. I cleaned up everything and took a shower, during which I began to feel all those muscles I'd been straining start to tighten up. And they continued to tighten up all evening. By the time I went to bed, moving around had become quite difficult. But not half as difficult as it was the next morning.

I could barely move at all. So I didn't. And what does one do under those circumstances? Watch some really bad movies on tv. How 'bout Morons from Outer Space. Yes, that's a real movie. Barely.

I was slightly better Monday morning, although I hobbled around work like Frankenstein's assistant, Igor, but I am slowly returning to an upright position.

And I'll probably do it all again next year.

Nov. 19, 2002 Tuesday

Last year at this time, the Earth passed through some space debris (remnants of a long-departed comet's tail), resulting in a really spectacular meteor shower (one every few seconds). The same thing will be recurring this morning around dawn.

But this year there is a spoiler - a full moon - its light will block out half the meteors. Still it's supposed to be spectacular (the moon will set around dawn, which will make it the most desirable time to watch).

The Earth will not pass through the comet debris next year. It will be another thirty years before the situation repeats itself. And it's predicted to be another 100 years before a shower of this magnitude reappears.

Kinda makes it seem important to get up at 5:00 a.m. But I am not a morning person, and that's only 5 hours from now. I saw them last year, and I was impressed. Will I be impressed this year, having already seen them once under more ideal conditions?

That will be decided in a sleepy fog at 5 am when the alarm goes off.

I'll letcha know.

Nov. 25, 2002 Monday

Well, the meteor shower was a dud. I stood out on the deck at 5 am shivering and straining my neck skyward for five minutes, saw nothing, went back to bed.

For the last five months I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to sell my 14-year-old highly unique but rapidly aging truck before it had to face the dreaded NJ vehicle inspection. NJ has a rather tough emissions standard that doesn't bode well for vehicles with over 100,000 miles. It flunked the test last time, and that, along with a new tie rod end, cost me $750 to get fixed and through inspection successfully (barely).

So with the deadline rapidly approaching, I was not optimistic about the whole procedure this time. I did patch up a leak in the exhaust with this gummy junk that's supposed to sit for 24 hours and harden, sealing the leak. I put it on one hour before the inspection (I procrastinate). If they detected a leaky exhaust, they'd make me get it fixed before they did the emissions test, which woulda meant multiple return trips. So I patched the exhaust. In the rain. While I was giving it a whole hour to harden, I checked stuff like the horn, turn signals and lights. I had a taillight out (1 outa 10), and a license plate light out (1 of 2); small potatoes next to meeting the emissions reqirements.

Driving over there in the rain (I never drive that thing in the rain), I turned on the wipers, and one of the blades was hanging half off the wiper arm, flopping around like a streamer.

There is a big long driveway outside the state inspection lanes, and it was empty (it was 11 am on a Friday), though there were cars in the lanes themselves. The inspection takes about five minutes, so I turned off the engine and waited. The power steering pump has a slight leak, and it drips after shutting off the engine. Right onto the exhaust manifold. This creates a foul odor and smoke briefly rolls out from under the hood. So there I was, the only car on the long driveway, conspicuously awaiting inspection with a shredded wiper blade, two burned-out bulbs and smoke wafting from the engine. I was seriously considering driving to the nearest charity and presenting it as a donation. Except they'd probably reject it too.

But as usual, the vehicle always draws a crowd, and the employees had to gather 'round to check it out. A debate ensued about whether the thing would fit on the dynamometer (a machine that measures exhaust emissions while running through the gears up to highway speeds while the truck's drive wheels spin on a set of rollers) - they were concerned that the vehicle was too low to the ground, and the rollers are below ground level, and it might drop the frame onto the concrete floor. The pros and cons were discussed, the rule book consulted, but no one wanted to make a decision. So they decided to see what the results were of my last inspection, called it up on the computer and discovered that it hadn't had the dyno test then, so it didn't need it now. I smiled.

I was required to go to the waiting area while they finished the inspection, and it was then that I noticed that I had never put the new registration sticker on my license plate.

So the ol' truck finished up the inspection with two burned-out bulbs, a foul smell from the engine compartment (burning power steering fluid), a ragged windshield wiper, and no up-to-date registration sticker.

And it passed. It is now street legal for two more years. I was so amazed, I had to tell the story to anyone who would listen.

That includes you. Thanks :)

Dec. 2, 2002 Monday

Thanksgiving is behind us, and Christmas is mere weeks away. And in between lies the dreaded Christmas shopping.

Thanksgiving occured at the home of my sister in Delaware. She hosts the annual family get-together each year, while my other sister, in Pennsylvania, hosts the annual Christmas feast. My brother and I don't host anything; we just show up and eat.

And in my case I alternate occasions. Since the Wife and I had Thanksgiving with my family, we will share Christmas dinner with her family. Next year, the Thanksgiving meal will be shared with her family, while Christmas dinner will be at my sister's house in Pennsylvania. It's been that way for eighteen years of marriage, and who am I to threaten tradition?

Besides Christmas shopping, there is also the ceremonial decking of the halls and exterior walls with garlands of Christmas cheeriness and small electric lights of varied colors. I dragged out these accoutrements from the previous year to determine their display-worthiness for another season. A plan was devised for the placement of such decorations, and extension cords were assembled, along with the tools required for the sensible placement of the festive paraphenalia.

And that was as far as I got. Somewhere among dragging, lifting, unpacking, sorting, measuring and toting, I exercised a shoulder muscle beyond its satisfaction, and it let me know that. So climbing, reaching and hanging were choices unavailable to me. Maybe next week, when we drag a 6-foot-wide Frasier Fir through a 3-foot-wide front door and up a flight of stairs, will the halls be sufficiently decked.

Not that the weekend was fruitless - I spent several hours online, wrapping up my Christmas shopping. Except for the Wife, I'm done.

Like that's a small exception.

Next week -- the tree!

Dec. 8, 2002 Sunday

How can I be so far ahead with my Christmas shopping and so far behind in everything else? Half the weekend is gone and the house continues to lack seasonal decorations. The seven inches of snow didn't help any (It's tough to get a ladder to stay put in snow). I did get a few items in place, but the snow has to go.

And we were going to get a tree yesterday, but there is much furniture rearranging necessary first, plus numerous small touches to be put in place, and a general housecleaning would help.

The Wife still had shopping to accomplish, and several discount coupons expired today, so that was a priority. She figured a hurried cleaning and rearranging this morning would leave time to procure a tree and have it upright in the living room before dark.

I pointed out the folly of cleaning the house, then dragging a tree into it, leaving a bazillion pine needles scattered in its wake.

She pointed out that I just didn't get it.

We had a really big snow (for around here) last Thursday, and I was all ready to drag out my newly-acquired snow blower and realized I had no oil for it (it uses special oil). So yesterday, after shoveling the driveway, I bought oil for the thing.

I'll be ready for the next snow. Just as soon as I get some gas for the thing.

Dec. 14, 2002 Saturday

A weekend arrives again. Last weekend should have been spent getting the house decorated for Christmas, but for various reasons (seven inches of snow being one of them), it didn't happen. So that kinda makes getting it done this weekend an imperative. Except that it promises to rain all weekend.

So I will be running up and down a ladder, strategically connecting many brightly-colored lights to temporary electrical outlets in between raindrops so the neighbors will be impressed. The Wife, meanwhile, will be doing similar duty indoors (where it's dry), not the least of which is tending to the overdue decoration of the tree (which has sat naked in our living room since last weekend). Some of the indoor decorating has already begun, but much remains.

Thirty-eight boxes (give or take) of decorations have been dragged from their yearly storage and placed in hallways, to be unpacked and arranged with glee. Once that is accomplished it is once again my task to make the boxes disappear, only to have them magically reappear next month so the procedure can be completed in reverse. The garage gets very crowded in the interim.

There is a good chance I can also complete my Christmas shopping this weekend; I have only a few items left to get. And I could conceivably have everything wrapped and tagged by Sunday night. But there is still one more weekend before Christmas to finish all of the above.

Let's not get carried away.

Dec. 21, 2002 Saturday

We are so disorganized!

Work has been crazy for both of us, keeping us late and wearing us thin. In my case, we lost a pregnant co-worker to doctor's orders, who advised her not to keep working, just as the busy crunch hit. She just brought Baby Isabel into the world Thursday. An early Christmas present. Both are doing well.

We just took our Christmas cards to the post office yesterday, which is later than they've ever been (but there's still a good chance they'll all arrive before Christmas).

All our shopping is done, but none of the wrapping, which is what we'll both be doing this weekend, locked in adjoining bedrooms and carrying on modified communications through the walls as we wrap gifts to each other.

The felines love to help out with the wrapping part. Opie usually helps me, while c.c. joins the Wife. If they start to get in the way, a wadded up piece of wrapping paper tossed into the corner generally resolves things, at least temporarily.

Today is the first day of winter, the winter solstice (important to our Druid visitors). It was sixty-one degrees yesterday; I'm wearing a short-sleeved shirt. We had seven inches of snow a little over a week ago. Adds wonderfully to the general chaos.

But I believe I'm beginning to experience little twinges of Christmas spirit, now that all the heavy lifting is done. Yep, there goes another one.

Dec. 27, 2002 Friday

We had a white Christmas. Barely. There was a covering of snow on the ground when we arose Christmas morning, but by the time we managed to carry on a cogent conversation, it had changed to rain and washed away most of it.

We exchanged the goodies that all the chaos of the past few weeks had centered around, involving the purchase and wrapping thereof. We got the gifts, Opie and c.c. got the discarded wrapping paper and everyone was happy.

We spent the rest of the day visiting nieces and nephews and enjoying their elation, then ventured deep into Bucks County PA to visit my sister and the rest of my family who had gathered there also (it's one of the few times we all get together any more), where we exchanged more gifts while overeating.

During that celebration, the rain, which had been falling steadily, changed back to snow and began an appreciable accumulation. We departed in its midst to rejoin the Wife's family for Christmas dinner. Fortunately we had the Wife's 4-wheel-drive Bronco, which handled the weather admirably. The snow was almost non-existent by the time we made it back to New Jersey, and there were more gifts to exchange and food to eat, and it was another typical hectic, harried, fun Christmas day.

Hope yours was too.

Ho ho ho.