Thu 24 Nov 2005

Too Darn Cold

Posted in Cats at 4:36

The forecast is calling for the first snowfall of the season. Nothing major, only a couple of inches, but all of us around here are not looking forward to the beginning of winter.

It was cold and windy today, but the cats still demanded to go outside, so Pat and I dutifully bundled up and followed them out.

Naturally, once they got outside and felt the wind and cold, they were soon demanding to be let back inside. But it’s a safe prediction to forecast that tomorrow, they’ll be at it again to go outside.

Even though it’s cold, at least many days are clear, so the cats can lie in sunny spots inside the house. It appears sometimes that this is not enough for Kelly; today Pat found him lying behind the curtains next to the sliding back door. Whether accidentally or intentionally, the curtain was arranged to form a kind of tent over the heating register on the floor.

So there was Kelly, in the sun, next to the heat, and enclosed by the curtain. Pat claims that he’d created his own little sauna.

Wed 23 Nov 2005

Hello, Ms. Mia

Posted in Cats at 2:56

I’ve just learned that a beautiful tuxedo cat (you remember, the one who was the subject of the Texas style Friday Cat Blogging post a few days ago) has her own blog. So, now go meet Ms. Mia…

She Remembers It Well

Posted in Cats at 0:55

The Memoirs of an Empress in Exile, as dictated by the lovely Kukka-Maria, describe the bad hand that life has dealt her, and how, deprived of power in her true homeland, she settles for ruling her household. Courage, little one…

And she’s written to say that her brother Brach bears a strong resemblance to our own Kelly cat. I’m inclined to agree — See for yourself.

Tue 22 Nov 2005

Problem Solved? or, the Turbo-Cool 425 Dell Upgrade Power Supply

Posted in This, that and the other at 0:32

I bit the bullet last night and ordered a Turbo-Cool 425 Dell Upgrade Power Supply from PC Power & Cooling. Premium price, but widely regarded as the best around. (Oh well, as the saying goes, buy quality and only cry once.) With expedited shipping, it should be here in time to install it over Thanksgiving weekend.

Kelly Cat Strays

Posted in Cats at 0:25

Kelly paces along the curb/kerb in front of the neighbor's house.

I don’t like to say No to cats. If Nicky wants to jump in my lap for a Zoom Groom after dinner, then jump down for some food, then jump back up for more Zooming, then jump back down to chase Caitie, if he comes back for a third ZG I’ll welcome him back.

The only things I can think of that both Pat and I enforce with the Good Cats are:

(1) no mooching for scraps at the dinner table. They get plenty of good food intended for consumption by cats. We don’t want them hanging around the table when we have visitors, either. Personally, I’m used to (as the saying goes) having cat hair as a condiment, but I know that’s not how most people are.

(2) no cat is allowed on the counter or any table where food is prepared/served. Chairs, couches, the sofa, the bed are all OK, but not the kitchen table or the dining room table.

(3) cats don’t go outside unsupervised. When they do go out, they can roam anywhere on our property or on public property, but if they go toward a neighbor’s yard, one of us always stops them.

Or, almost always, as it turns out. Today, Kelly decided to walk up the sidewalk a couple of houses. I stayed with him, and though I wanted to encourage him to go back to our yard, he wasn’t breaking any of the 3 rules above, so he was allowed to keep walking.

He was munching some grass next to the sidewalk when a UPS truck roared around the corner. Cars don’t bother Kelly, but at the sound of the big brown truck, he panicked and headed straight for home — and straight through our next-door neighbor’s yard.

Fortunately, their 2 dogs were inside, and I could hear them barking furiously as I followed Kelly. The Big Guy sprinted between the neighbors’ house and swimming pool and back into our yard.

I sense an amendment to rule 3 will be forthcoming….

Sat 19 Nov 2005

Problem. Solving?

Posted in This, that and the other at 23:42

Took the afternoon off Friday and cleaned a few dust bunnies out of the PC and its cubbyhole in the desk. Figured even if it does turn out to be the PSU causing the sudden shutdowns, the machine could still use a dusting anyway.

After plugging everything back in, the PC worked great. Even sounded as though the fan wasn’t as loud as before.

I pushed it, trying to make it fail again. Watched streaming video of France 2 news while backing up the HD and DL’ing banking updates to Quicken. Not a hitch or a hiccup. Hmm, was I too hasty?

This morning, Pat booted up the PC, and started Outlook to get our mail. A popup reminder came on screen, and she reached for the mouse to get rid of it.

And CLICK, the PC went into a standby coma.

OK, so the dust bunnies probably weren’t the problem…

I’ve already looked over NewEgg, Outpost, Tiger Direct, and ZipZoomFly. After Pat’s quick knockout this morning, it doesn’t sound like overheating is the problem, so IMO no need to make too quick a decision. But I’ll be ready, as the song goes, “When Black Friday comes…”

“Let the punishment fit the crime…”

Posted in Cats at 23:19

In Painesville, Ohio, Judge Michael Cicconetti has passed sentence on a woman convicted of animal abuse. The linked story says Judge Cicconetti has a reputation for imposing unorthodox punishment. As for this sentence, I have no objection to it.