Remembering Spot - 5 years

I can't believe it has now been five years since Spot had to leave.

Admittedly, I don't think about him every day. However, I do think about him a lot and the hurt is still there. I still miss him so much.

Time keeps on slippin'

It was during this hour four years ago that I said goodbye to my best friend in the world. It may seem strange that one would consider a cat to be their best friend, but Spot was with me for over fifteen years. He had been with me almost as long as I had been in my house. He greeted me when I came home, cuddled in my lap when the mood struck him, and trusted me to take care of him. I feel he chose me, not the other way 'round.

Spot was picked up by my family as a scared kitten stranded in the middle of a busy road in Grand Prairie. My first real memory of him was his first night here. He had been hiding under my bed for most of the day (as most scared kitties are likely to do in a strange place). Someone (I can't remember who) wanted to see Spot, so I started to crawl under the bed to get him. I couldn't find him and soon someone told me to look on top of the bed. There was Spot, curled up ON the bed. He was mine and I was his from the moment on. After sweating out a week of trying to find if he had other owners looking for him, Spot became my buddy for good.

Not everyone had the best relationship with him. He was a terror at the vets and my sister had more than a couple of run-ins with his claws. But he was always the sweetest, most loyal feline companion this lonely guy could have ever asked for.

So, Spotty, thank you for taking me in. I hope I did right by you, even at the end.

I miss you.

Goodbye, Chelsea

Today, my parent's beautiful cat Chelsea went to join her brothers Elliot and Marvin. Even at 16 years old, it seems too soon. I will miss her.

Spot - Three years gone (8/1/2006)

Three years ago today I lost Spot.



You will always have a place in my heart, buddy.

Elliot - One Year

I haven't posted here in a while, but I did want to make note that this past Wednesday was one year since we lost Elliot. I find it hard to believe that a year has already gone by.

RIP, buddy.

1,460 days to go

Obviously I am not happy with the results of the election (and eagerly await November 6, 2012). But, I am first and foremost a patriot so I sincerely hope the new administration does a good job (as I define it, not as they might).

On the plus side, we finally got Joe Biden out of the Senate.

One Day To Go...

Well, election day is tomorrow. As you might have guessed, I support the Republican candidates. In fact, I already voted last week. I just cannot support Senator Obama. I think most of his statements and ideas are just flat-out dangerous for our country. Whether it be stifling free speech (via the Fairness Doctrine), decimating the military (as the last Democrat President did), destroying the best health care system in the world (by bringing the whole system down to a much lower common denominator), or his plan for "economic justice" that will curb initiative and innovation as too many people sit around waiting for a handout instead of being part of the engine that is our economy.

You might not agree with me. That is your right. However, there are some out there that would call me racist because I refused to vote for Senator Obama last week. Race has nothing to do with it. I choose not to support him based on the content of his character, not the color of his skin. I think someone once said that's the way it ought to be...

The McCain Miracle

A few months ago I started hearing about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a possible VP candidate for John McCain. I looked her up and was very impressed with what I found out. However, I never thought McCain would have the guts to pick her over some of the more establishment candidate names that were being bandied about.

But, lo and behold, he picked her this morning. With a strong record of valuing personal responsibility and fighting public waste, I think she may be more of a fiscal conservative than McCain. This country could definitely use two of those types in charge. Especially when the other option is a pair of socialist liberals that seem to think every dollar in your pocket should go to the government.

So what, exactly, is the McCain Miracle? Simply that he made a decision that has actually made me EXCITED about this election. I can't wait!

The Three Amigos

Here is a picture of Spot, Ferrari and Cymbah (who can be partially seen in the upper left).


(on loan from the pettygirl collection)

Midnight?

I was going through a box from parents' old house and I came across a picture. I am not sure, but I think it is my first cat Midnight.

Sadly, I don't remember a whole lot about him. He didn't live as long as any of us would have liked, but he did sire MJ (Midnight Junior) with the beautiful Tiffany.

However, I still remember getting him. My sister Susan was going to get a new kitten and picked Tiffy. For some reason, her little gray littermate caught my eye and we ended up with two kittens that day.

I'm sure my sisters will chime on whether or not the picture is of Midnight. I suppose it may be MJ, but I don't think so. But I think you will agree that's a beautiful cat.

In Memorium (8-1-06)

The pain is mostly gone....but the ache will always linger.

I still miss you Spotty.

Goodbye

Elliot lost his battle this afternoon. Thanks for any kind thoughts that all of you have sent our way. We're really going to miss him.

Elliot

Anyone that has read my blog knows that cats are important to me. And losing one of them usually hits me pretty hard.

Tonight, it looks like one of my parents' cats, Elliot, is about to move on. He's in his twenties and has lived a good life, but that really doesn't make it easier.

Although he has lived with my parents for most of his life, our paths did intersect for a while. When my cat MJ died (while I was still living at home), we adopted each other. He's been special to me ever since (as he has been to all the members of my family).

He has gotten progressively weaker (especially in the last few months) and I doubt he will be with us much longer. Although it will probably be for the best, it will still hurt when he's gone. Shoot...it's hurting already.

There's not much that can be done. But I just wanted anyone who passes this way to know that there was once a great cat named Elliot.

And he is loved.

And he will be missed.

Trying to decide...

I'm trying to decide which set of sports fans I find more obnoxious:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans (including, unfortunately, those in the broadcast booth)

-or-

Tiger Woods fans that yell "It's in the hole" at the top of their lungs the second he strikes the ball.

Tough call.

Birthdays

I turned 44 yesterday and feel every bit of it. This feeling was not helped by a toilet repair that went very, very wrong (but that's a story for another time, perhaps).

I had a nice lunch with the family. Mr. and Mrs. AVGeek were there as well. I think everyone had a good time. I know I did. If it weren't for that darn toilet it would have been a good day all around...

Of course, the other "birthday" I celebrated this month was the second anniversary of the beginning of this blog. Although, admittedly, I have kind of let it lay fallow for a while. Perhaps December will be a better month for blogging.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed the Cowboys smacking down yet another team. Let's hope it keeps up this Thursday when they take on the Pack.

It's that time again...

NaNoWriMo 2007 kicks off today. Are you the next member of Oprah's book club? Give it a shot and find out!

Apparently....

...I'm not the only who likes The Big Bang Theory.

What I Think is Cool

My buddy AVGeek left an infernal tag in his last post. Since I am now honor-bound to comment, I thought I would respond with a post of my own (instead of having it buried in his Comments section). The fact that it gives me a good excuse to finally make another post is just a bonus.

So, what do I think is cool? Well, I have decided to answer that by letting you know which new series of the nascent television season is my favorite.

So far, I have been entertained by several of them.

Shows such as Reaper with Ray Wise as one of the wittiest Devils ever seen.

Journeyman has been interesting. As has it's NBC stablemates Life and Bionic Woman (which I admit I have watched much of yet).

But, to me, NBC's strongest entry is Chuck. I have enjoyed all of the episodes so far (and it has gotten stronger with each one).

Still, it's not my favorite.

Over on ABC, the only new show that I plan to follow is Pushing Daisies. Witty and quirky, this show makes me smile. I hold out hope for Samantha Who? and look forward to its premiere on Monday. I also sampled Cavemen and Carpoolers. You will notice I have not taken the effort to make links for them. That should give you a hint about my opinion of them.

There are several others that I am still sampling (such as Aliens in America, Back to You and Moonlight).

But that's not why you are here, is it?

So, what's my favorite show?

Believe it or not, it's The Big Bang Theory

Okay, probably not what you were expecting. Well, neither was I. It's easy to dismiss this as a frothy, useless comedy. However, I have found the writing to be very witty and not condescending to the geeks (even when they do geeky things). And for some reason I find Kaley Cuoco much more attractive to me than her 8 Simple Rules days. I think that is partially because her character is much more intelligent and she's not playing a high schooler. Also, I find Jim Parsons' Leonard to be one of the funniest new characters on TV.

So...there you have it.

There's no hope for me, is there?

One Year...

One year...

12 months...

365 days...

8,760 hours...

525,600 minutes...

31,536,000 seconds...

No matter how large the number, it still seems like it was only yesterday that I lost Spot.

I miss you, buddy.

Happy Birthday, Star Wars

I can't let this day go by without acknowledging the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars. Simply put, the advent of Star Wars is the most influential non-personal event of my life.

I still remember the first time I saw the film. It was June 10, 1977 at the much-missed Northpark Theater in Dallas, Texas. Yes...I still have the ticket stub somewhere!

I just finished re-watching the film. Of course I chose the non-Special Edition version just like I saw it back in 1977. I find it sad that today George Lucas cannot see in the film what we all felt back then. But that is the subject for another blog post.

For now, I simply salute this film that rocked my world.