The beating goes on
2010-03-09 17:46

Just to keep things interesting, Jeanne's laptop has decided to die. It looks like the video card has gotten cooked by the heat from the processor and has started going on and off. Soon it will croak entirely. We could take the laptop to a shop for repair, which would cost as much as a new laptop and would put Jeanne totally out of commission for a couple of weeks.

So we ordered a new laptop, and it's here. Next, get the data moved before the old laptop melts. I think I have that done now, after struggling with myriad problems. That's a big load off my mind. New copy of Office 2007 should arrive tomorrow. Load it, and we should be good.

It's been hilarious (if you know what I mean) working across two or three operating systems that don't like each other. Now all the PCs are on Windows 7, which I like.

I'm still searching for a good backup solution. We backup offsite every night, but the problem (it turns out) is getting the data back down over an unreliable Internet connection. Lots of timeouts. So I'm going to give it some more thought.

Timing
2010-03-08 20:01

 

Jack. We met with the internist. Way TMI, but what it amounts to is 3 to 4 months without chemo, 6 to 8 months with chemo. Because poodles have hair, like people, he'll lose a bunch of it. And he could experience bad reactions. For 3 or 4 months. What will be the quality of life? What to do?

Trees
2010-03-05 09:01

We had a classic town tiff recently. A lawyer and his wife bought a hilltop parcel for investment in 2003. They were trying to sell it, but no takers. Its topography is bad for development and it has poor access. And there's a recession on. Naturally, they decided that the problem was that it had too many trees. So they sent a bulldozer out on Super Bowl Sunday, presumably because they assumed that no one would be watching, and cleared out a bunch of oaks. Sort of like a napalm bomb might do.

A city councilman who is not a big football fan noticed the activity, and asked the bulldozer operator for his tree-cutting permit. The dozer guy called the owners, who called the cops, and some city-hall types came out, and everyone had complicated discussions, and they're all still pissed off.

Today's paper has a letter from the owner; as I understand his explanation, rabidly anti-growth tree-huggers forced him to clear the trees. If it weren't for them, he could have left the trees until someone was ready to build something. I take it that he had no choice but to clear the lot when the socialist control-freaks should have been watching television, because no one would buy land in the face of the unwarranted eco-Nazi controversy that attends a little friendly slash and burn. According to him, the blame for the tree-cutting rests with the city councilman. He closes with a complaint about Chicago-style politics.

And so it is my pleasure to award him the Gold Medal for Loopiest Letter to the Editor of the Year, So Far. I do so with some sadness, because I was the proud holder of the title until this morning.

Seeds
2010-03-04 21:47

We're buying seeds tomorrow. If they're not in stock yet, we're going mail order. In this climate, they should be in stores. I should have planted tomato starts a month ago. We have a damn greenhouse. I should have planted tomatoes and peppers and herbs and baby back ribs two months ago.

Our new view is that you only plant stuff that makes you happy. You can buy veggies in the store for half of what it costs you to grow them. Always plant tomatoes because grocery store toms taste like amateur tofu. Otherwise, don't get too worked up. Given that garden-view, this year we plant early, get a crop, then kill the garden for June, July, and August. Spray Roundup on the beds and spend the next 90 days in the pool with iced Budweiser. Sometime in September, plant another garden and enjoy it into December.

It works better if you're selective. Don't be a hero.

Flashback
2010-03-04 21:31

Fido, our runt goat, is doing okay. He's still a runt, but his humped back is getting better. He doesn't really run with the other kids, but he's out there and he's grazing, and he seems healthy. He's never going to be Class President, but he's still with us, and that's a small miracle wrought by Jeanne.

Now for reality. We're going to cull the herd soon. Probably cut it in half. Maybe more. And I doubt that Fido will make the cut. We have five bucks--two small, one medium, two gargantuan--and the big bucks are Jeanne's favorites.

So, for all our work, for all our love, Fido will go to summer camp in Fredericksburg, and they'll send us a check for $50.

Snap
2010-03-04 21:23

We're sitting on the couch, watching Stupid TV. Buzzy is asleep, Jack is barking at invisible alien invaders. I move my leg and casually touch Buzzy with my toe. She snarls and bites me. No blood, but a hell of a bite.

Does anyone else have dogs like this? Hello, Earth? Has anyone ever run into this before? What did I do to deserve this blessing?

Frisky
2010-03-04 20:04

Jack, aka 2010 Vacation Budget, is feeling great. Looking at the snapshot, he's incredibly vital and active for a 15-year-old dog. It's a reprieve. We're trying to enjoy every moment.

On the other hand, he's a most annoying dog. Aggressive chow hound crossed with neurotic orangutan. He's a mess, but he's our mess and we love him.

I will not engage in metaphors or similes involving children, and in return I trust that mine will not offer ones involving parents.

Efficient Elections
2010-03-03 08:46

We held our primary elections yesterday in Kendall County. They're the elections that count; the general elections are a waste of time due to the scarcity of Democrats.  On the entire county primary slate there was one Democrat, so there will be exactly one contested seat in the general election. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2. Should be a doozie.

Conspiracy
2010-03-02 09:15

I spent a couple of hours yesterday trying to get a website to send an automated e-mail. It's not a particularly challenging task, and the same website sends other e-mails successfully, but I just couldn't get the feature to work. I tried probably a dozen times.

This morning I discovered that my junk mail folder held a dozen e-mails from the website.

Quote
2010-03-01 10:00

Favorite understated Al Gore quote of the day, so far: "It would be an enormous relief if the recent attacks on the science of global warming actually indicated that we do not face an unimaginable calamity requiring large-scale, preventive measures to protect human civilization as we know it."