j040201 (imported)
February 1, 2004
To all of you who commented and emailed regarding Tubby: thank you for your words, thoughts, and prayers. He was a well-loved kitty all around the world, it seems. Emailers in particular, please accept my apologies for not replying to each individual email; there were just too many. I read and appreciate every one.
Life is still very quiet, which is good for me but not-so-good for my site. Robyn and I engaged in what she calls "a little retail therapy" on Friday, and went to Best Buy. There, we got a new LCD monitor for her computer, and a new notebook computer for me. (Yeah, I know, I got the best end of that deal.)
I’ve had a hankering for a notebook for several months now, and it hasn’t gotten any better, so I figured I must really want one. My intent is to use it when the writing bug strikes, so I can write out in the den where Robyn is instead of hunching over my desktop in a room by myself. I can only imagine the quality of fiction penned in front of the TV.
Here’s what it looks like:
Three things:
- Seventeen-inch notebook screens kick ass.
- Wireless networks in your house kick even more ass. I can Google from the bathtub now.
- Microsoft’s notebook mouse is the cutest little thing ever. (My feminine side, and all that)
"Fred," the spud said, "how many pipes are there in your neck?"
We sat at the kitchen table, eating our pork chops and crack, having the sort of conversation only people like us seem to have.
"What?"
"Sometimes when you’re eating you start coughing and turn red, and then you say that something went down the wrong pipe. How many pipes do you have in your neck?"
"Oh. There are two pipes."
"One for food and one for water?"
I started laughing; I couldn’t help myself.
"No, one to your stomach for what you eat and drink and one to your lungs for air."
Behind the wheel in less than a year, folks. Be scared. Be very scared.
I hope that whoever you’re rooting for in the Superbowl wins. Sadly, I don’t even know who’s playing (though I actually do know one of the teams is the Patriots). We’ll watch it, though, just for the commercials.
And, of course, Survivor All-Stars starts right after it.
Normally I hate working out on a machine, but I have to say, the new elliptical trainer we got a couple of weeks ago is pretty fun. Recently, running has made one of my hips hurt (I refuse to think age has anything to do with it) and I’ve been relegated to walking, which just doesn’t seem to give me the level of workout I want.
Enter the elliptical trainer, which I’ve been using for my last six or so cardio sessions. Two thumbs up for it, because it gives me a great cardio session. It’s not even too terribly boring, either, especially with a good audiobook (the third Dark Tower, if you’re interested. I’m listening to all five in order) and a mindless exercise video on the TV.
My only gripe? The longest built-in program is only 30 minutes, and even if I set it on the hardest one and go faster than it paces it still doesn’t get me to the level of cardio I’m aiming for. Doing part of a second program takes care of that, though.
And for the record, I’m apparently in way better cardio shape than I thought I was. Not that I’m complaining (or bragging), I was just surprised. It’s amazing what I can do when creaky old joints are taken out of the picture.
Speaking of pictures, here are a few of Miz Poo and the Stump from yesterday.
Stumpy loves the mommy.
And the sun.
I’m too sexy for this box, too sexy for this box…
Miz Poo slumbers in the warmth of the 200-watt lamp.
What’s that you’re pointing at me, Dad?
Enjoying the breeze from high atop Mount Coleman.
Alrighty, I’ll shut up now. If you don’t hear from me for a while, don’t assume something bad. Just assume life is still slow and quiet.
Have a good one. 
Retail therapy rocks. I’m glad yall got some electronic goodies =o)
GOOOOOOOO PATS!
Skin those CATS!
We’ll be rooting for the New England Patriots, seeing as we live in New England and my hubby is a HUGE football fan!
Oh yeah, retail therapy works for me! I love my laptop too. I haven’t been able to network it for some reason though. Have to call someone in to help. Can’t wait to Google from the bathtub too! Nah, I’ll just Google from downstairs. Does networking go that far?? (1000 feet)
Love the kitty pics. :~)
I bought a laptop a few months back and didn’t know anything about wireless internet when I bought it. Now I’m addicted. I can sit in my bed all day, 2 floors above the router, checking e-mail, working, surfing the net if I choose. The only gripe I have is that I can’t seem to use it in my family room, and I suspect that is because of the phone. Otherwise, it’s a wonderful invention.
Our kitty Chrissy sleeps on my Hubby that way. No matter how he moves, she hangs on for dear life and then resettles herself.
She loves her Daddy.
Fred,have you heard of guerilla cardio? It’s where,with any form of cardio of your choosing,you do a few minutes of warm up,then a few minutes of maximum sprinting,then back down to a warm up level to recover ,then back to sprinting,repeating the pattern over again.
You can cut that former hour of cardio down to twenty minutes and have BETTER fat loss and heart conditioning. With your elliptical trainer’s program only being a max of 30 minutes I thought you might be interested.
Before my knees got damaged, I did the guerillo cardio and it was MAGICAL.
Oh,and thanks for the nice image of you in the bathtub with your new notebook (wink).
Although I love your posts, Fred, I would also love for life to stay nice and quiet for you & Robyn! Also, can’t wait for Survivor All-Stars! Go Rupert!
You know I love the kitty pics and comments.
For the spud comment on driving - too funny! I can just imagine the conversation. I too have a driver, now isn’t that a lot of fun. Can’t wait to read all about that!
Go Pats! (I just watch for the commercials too, which reminds me, I need to get my booty upstairs to watch)
So very sorry to hear about Tubby. I lost track of Robyn’s journal and I follow yours and was wondering how everything worked out. Thanks for the pictures, he was such a cool kitty. He will be missed.
Your new digital camera rocks! Awesome pics.
Don’t worry, the pain in your hip isn’t age-related. It CAN’T be, because I have it too! (And I’m 25.) I have an ache in just about each joint on 1 side or the other from the waist down: hips, knees, shins (yeah I know, not a joint), ankles. So far Aleve and ice is all I require. You’ve got me a little curious about an elliptical machine, though, with what you said about subtracting achy joints from the problem. Something to look into…
Stanley is sooooooo CUTE! (Miz Poo ain’t too shabby either, with her bi-racial looking face.
fab cat pics, as usual! I especially love the one of Miz Poo running towards you, Elvis sneer in place.