The Manic Mechanic

This one one of the most beautiful things I have seen.

Louis Schwartzberg, a filmmaker whose focus is on nature, gave a TED talk in 2011 about an often unseen activity happening all around us: pollination. Nature's method for continuing, diversifying and expanding is not only an essential mechanism, but has such unbelievable beauty as well. After his talk, he shows excerpts from his film that positively must not be missed. Find the biggest screen you can, sit back, and prepare to be awestruck.

This is one film that begs to be seen in 4K.

These days I have more of an interest in football than I ever had prior, thanks to Jeff. Any time his beloved Cowboys or Penn State are on TV, he's there yelling at the set. He had warned me of becoming a "football widow" during the season, but rather than trying to beat 'em, I joined 'em, as it were. Jeff dutifully answered my questions regarding the finer points of the game, along with the not-so serious ones ("Why is it called 'football' when they rarely use their feet and it's not technically a ball?") and in no time I started getting pulled into the action. I would often watch the Super Bowl throughout the years just for the spectacle of it; it would occasionally fall on my birthday weekend like this year. The programming preceding the game often shows the personal side of the game as it relates to player, coaches and whatnot, this adds to the human side of the game, reminding me that it is not just all about the game itself. Stories like that of O. J. Brigance, former Ravens linebacker (as well as linebacker from the defunct CFL Baltimore Stallions) stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) who, despite the advanced stages of the disease is still active with the team as Director of Player Development. It was a touching story, made even more so at the end of the game when they dedicated their win to him. The win was also a huge one for Baltimore, which, after years of mediocre activity of their major sports teams, economic issues and so on, have been buoyed recently by improving economic conditions, an almost-World Series from the Orioles, a successful Grand Prix that will be held again this year, and lots of external good will. It is easy for me to dismiss the success of a city's team, especially when I hear of rioting and destruction in the wake of a major win. No, the effect is real, with local businesses doing well, folks upbeat for more than just a winning team, and lots of positive benefits for the city and the people as a whole. Sure there will always be negatives, but even seeing the old folks wearing team colors in public along with the very young, brings smiles to faces.

Of course, the big draw of Super Bowl Sunday, for some even more than the game, is the commercials. Those who know me well are aware of my love/hate relationship with advertising. Yes, there is more hate than love, as I see advertising a parasitic relationship with the environment and most times quite dishonest. Super Bowl Sunday, however, is a time when advertisers pull out the stops to make some really good commercials, often with the actual product being secondary to the overall message. No one does this better than Budweiser with their ongoing series of ads featuring the trademark Clydesdale horses. These have always been very entertaining and some quite moving. I really fell in love with the ads when the Dalmatian was brought on board, and recent years have made the ads something I look forward to even more than favorite movie sequels. This year didn't disappoint. I dare the viewer not to get even slightly misty-eyed at this one:

Anyone who knows horses can probably attest that this is not a far-fetched scenario (I'm looking at you, badgerpdx).

The Big Game is over, Baltimore can hold its collective head a bit higher, along with the entire state of Maryland, and I can dote on Jeff as he goes through pangs of football withdrawal. :-)

Today is Jeff's 49th birthday! Like I have, he begins his last year in his 40s. We celebrated by going out to dinner, I took him to a newish Japanese place called Sake House in nearby Laurel. He had learned about this place on one of those local television station "things to do around town" sort of programs. While running errands some days ago, I found the place, so I knew where we were off to. I made reservations for seats at the hibachi (of course), and we enjoyed a terrific, if rather pricey (but he's worth it, and more) dinner. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the chef's theatrics. We opened with traditional soup and a salad with an unusual dressing, then some amazing sushi and our main courses. Jeff had a combo of shrimp, chicken and beef off the grill, I had lobster and beef which was very good. We then staggered out of the joint rather stuffed to the gills and came home and took it easy. The weather today was in the mid-90s, and it sapped most of our energy once the afternoon rolled around.

On our way out the door to the restaurant, Jeff walks out ahead of me as I am gathering up my keys, glasses, phone and such. I then hear "HONEY?! HONEY?! HONEY?! HONEY?!" from the front walkway. My response? "Okay, where's the snake?" and sure enough he points right at our front step, where the tail of a black snake is, well, snaking its way from the brick step then under the dwarf Alberta spruce planted next to the front door. Walking around the tree to fetch the snake, I see it sliding underneath the concrete stoop. Ah hah! I now know the source and entry point of the truly bizarre hanging death snakes in the basement (of Mayhem). Jeff will of course be treading warily around that area until I wrangle that wreptile and carry it off somewhere.

Speaking of Mutual of Mayhem's wild kingdom, we had finally gotten into the veggie garden and cleaned up, tilled and planted. This morning Jeff unearthed a nest of rabbits. We kept them secret from Kodi and covered them back up, as much as I know they will probably wreak wrabbit havoc on the veggies, neither of us had the heart to do anything else with the critters. The wildlife far outnumber us here (one time while having a cookout with friends, a total of 19 deer trotted through the yard after being spooked from a nearby field by some sort of very loud motorized vehicles), and my nature is to, well, live with nature. When pruning bushes by the garage that had gotten way overgrown, I discovered a bird nest in one of the branches I was removing. I was hoping it was empty, but when I looked in, there was a clutch of three aqua-blue eggs. I set the branch aside until I could finish up, and noticed a grey wren or mockingbird hanging around. I put the cut branch back in place and secured it, later on in the day I see the bird flying in and out of the nest. The leaves are all wilted on that branch now, and once there is no more nest-y activity, I will remove it.

This weekend was very productive, busy, but still fun. We have our pride of accomplishment, and, most importantly, Jeff had three days away from work. He came home, switched off his PC and cell phone, and enjoyed his much needed time off. I enjoyed my much needed time with him. Old man that he is.

Happy birthday, Jeff!

In my earlier post I lamented on not having the frame of mind to make creative posts (or posts in general) here on LJ. My reasoning was not entirely forthright, because there have been times I wanted to make a post, but external factors thwart my attempts. One in particular, actually.



This is Pinky. Beneath Pinky is my keyboard. She insists on laying in my keyboard drawer practically every night, or practically any time I am in front of this particular computer. I push my keyboard as far back on the surface as I can lest she provide her own input, and she settles in for the evening. I'm allowed the use of my mouse, but alphanumeric input is verboten. Actually, since the keyboard itself (as well as the mouse) is Bluetooth wireless, I can remove them both and let Pinky have the full 16 by 24 inch surface to stretch out on. The table itself is a dire mess, so ol' Pink can't lounge on the upper deck yet. You can also see a bit of my now-scrawny legs lost in my jeans. I hope to change that soon.

I also lost one of my USB hubs a while back and with it, my flash card reader connection. I remedied this tonight and can now go through some photos that have piled up on the SD/CF cards.

We are currently experiencing a notable SNOMG Event as I type this. The power has been on and off, lightning flashes in the distance, and a sticky/wet snow is clinging to everything it touches. I expect more busted up trees and shrubs from this one similar to what happened last winter during the numerous snowpocalypseses. I hope Jeff does not have to go to work (he is considered essential personnel who have to trek in even during facility closure, which is lunacy IMO), and I hope my doctor's appointment gets axed. Jeff had a wild ride home today, it's not gonna be nice tomorrow morning. My two snowblowers, By-Tor and Snow Dog, are squared for battle.

There's something quite assuring about a nice, warm house, a fire going in the woodstove and everyone home safe and sound while Ma Nature breaks bad on us right outside the door. If the power goes, no big deal, the warmth and safety continues unabated, and the generator is ready if the power gets knocked out for the count.

On a final note, youse guys make it pretty darn difficult for me to go skulking off into that dark, cold night. I acknowledge and cherish the friendships I have beyond my cat-covered keyboard, and like any friendship, it takes a certain amount of effort on my part to keep it thriving. Yeah, I could close up shop here, but the one who would ultimately suffer the most is me. I ain't gonna let that happen, trust me. Thanks to all of you who have kept my head in this space.

The cats that visit and hang out around the house, garage and yard are an endless source of entertainment for Jeff and I and, especially, Kodi. The cats (four regulars and a couple skittish visitors) know that Kodi will give chase at a moment's notice, and they've learned some tricks to send Kodi off on a wild goose cat chase when they are not up for it, but will indulge him now and then. I've figured a way to ensure a peaceable kingdom when it's feeding time. Everyone gets their own little pile of cat food, even Kodi. One of these days I gotta have my camera ready for one of these food fests, as everyone looks like part of the same litter.

All is not peaches and cream with these kitties, however. They've been clawing up the deck posts, one or more of them bit holes in a coiled hose that is used on the deck for watering plants. I was sitting on the deck in a funk during my Great LJ Blackout a little while ago talking situations out with Jeff. I noticed the hose full of teeth marks, and when I turned the water on, it was spraying everywhere. I figure since this is also where we get the water for the little varmints they figure they would try to get their own drink. The spigot is in the same area where we feed everyone. Ah well, one more thing to be replaced.

The kittehs put up with my silly playing, and they are great company. They all have been subjected to various LOLcat indignities (holding them like Longcat, smooshing up their faces like Serious Cat, asking if they want cheeseburgers, etc.) and they take it in stride. In fact, the more they get handled, the more wanting they become. But something strange happened the other day, and it proved a theory I had as to how one of the skylight screens got messed up a month or so ago.

A couple weeks ago Jeff heard a loud ruckus in the sunroom. He found TiggerToo meowing in the room. Thing is, all the doors were shut. The skylight screen was on the floor, now with a bent frame. The cats know how to easily get on the roof (jump up on the railing, then from there jump on the canvas pergola roof, then onto the house roof) and Pinky scared the absolute crap out of me while I was working on the skylights earlier (I should not have been on the ladder, but it had to be done). So, in my twisted little mind, I could see what TiggerToo was up to that day.

(TiggerToo climbs up on roof, finds open skylight)

TiggerToo: Guys? Hey guys! (nothing)

TiggerToo: Hey, I got a new LOLCat for you, since you like them so much! Guys? (nothing)

TiggerToo: Oh well, you'll love this anyway, here goes... (climbs into skylight)

TiggerToo: "Ceiling Cat is watching you maAAAAAAAAAHH!!!" (screen falls out of skylight, T2 rides it all the way down)

*CRASH*

*meow?*

Kitteh was not harmed, though the screen frame is kinked up pretty bad. More work for me.

Tonight, despite being in a serious world of hurt earlier, I managed to get into the garage and finish up part of a project I had going, putting larger wheels on the huge portable generator. I needed to make a new axle, make up spacers and bushings to fit the larger, one inch bore bearings, and mount everything up. The 400+ pound monster is next to impossible to push across lawns and soft ground with the dinky wheels it came with, so I rectified that. I will put the final touches on as much stuff as I can and attempt to change the oil and a couple burned out bulbs in Jeff's truck before my surgery. Everything else after that will have to wait till I recover.

I had company while I tinkered, it was T2, alone this time. Since I am stuck sitting on the floor, the cat insists on getting in my lap and pushing his face into whatever I am doing. I did notice something though, after I picked him up by the scruff of his neck to move him like kitteh moms do when they are kittens. T2, already purring, mewed a bit and started purring louder, then slowly wanted back in my lap, this time, he was nuzzling under my arm and burying his face in my lap, quietly kneading with his paws. I guess I brought back some kitten memories. Come to think of it, I had picked up each of these cats like this early one to determine the he- or she-ness of them, After doing that, they all seemed to like me even more. Must be a cat thing.

Word is getting around even more. The other day one of the swirly orange cats was hanging around, and eventually had some food. Upon closer inspection, this one was not entirely like the rest, where "Tigger" aka "Snaggletooth" is two tones of orange, and "TiggerToo" has an almost pure white underbelly, this one is a compromise, with a very light orange with white in the underside and legs. The three look obviously from the same litter, all the same size and shape. I immediately came up with a name for s/he, simply because this is getting outrageous (but still fun): "TiggerPlease."

There is also a striking calico colored puss that stops by on occasions, and I've spotted a jet black cat in the yard a couple times as well. These I am sure belong to someone.

Kodi is not sure what to do. Except, well, chase anything that moves while barking like a maniac.

I decided to get to bed early for a change. Well, no dice. I hear a ruckus on the carport, Kodi starts growling, Jeff tried hushing up the dog. I had a feeling what the racket was all about, and sure enough, it seems our raccoon had returned from some extended absence and decided to find an evening meal in the trash cans. Well, this time it's a little different, since I had replaced the cracked and broken can with a rather sizable wheelie-bin with an attached, hinged lid. Previously, the consarned varmint would knock the can over then drag everything out as part of his feast. That is now thwarted by the size and stability of the new can as well as how it gets parked, with something on three sides. It ain't going over. Well, as I watched Rocky The Raccoon from the window, I wondered what his trick would be. Sure enough, he pushes the lid up, walks around the lip of the mostly-empty can, then jumps in. The lid closes on him and that's when I decided to have a little late-night fun.

I stumble outside, walking stick with me, and I place two heavy boards on the can lid. I then proceed to bang the can with the stick, driving the critter crazy. Each time he's try and pop up, I'd shove the lid back down on him. He did this for a while then quieted down. Darn.

It was then I noticed the hose.

I turned the water on, set the spray head for a nice powerful stream, then cracked the lid and started the spray. The wheelie-bin looked more like a washing machine trying to spin-dry a bucket of bricks. This time though, when the lid would pop up, the arcade game changed from Whack-A-Mole to Shooting Gallery. Ka-bloosh right in that masked face! Finally, the ol' coon had enough, pushed his way out of the can, scattering the boards and running off across the yard, getting blasted the entire time. I was laughing so hard the whole neighborhood could probably hear it. Pinky the Cat showed up in the middle of all this, and I swore I heard her laughing too. This is the most fun I had in my underwear all week.

Let's seem him try that stunt again. He's probably going to stick to raiding the cat food dish on the deck.

Only problem? I'm now wide awake.

The past several days have been spent climbing up and down short ladders in the garage and the house, running cabling for all manner of applications. Sadly it was too cold and ridiculously windy on Wednesday to be able to get the Cat5e, RG6, replacement cat3 4-pair and some alarm and control cabling run to the garage I'd been hoping for. No chance to test the pulling lube either. Instead the wiring marathon has been going on inside the basement and the garage. A lot of this is stuff that's been put on hold for years, or had been partially completed. I finally have a cable TV drop in the studio, and the little 9-inch Panasonic TV/DVD player is free from the fiddly heck of the rabbit ears. There is also a finally operational phone jack here as well, so the base for the multi-handset cordless phone setup got tucked away in here as well. There are two gigabit ethernet drops in the wall as well, now all I need to do is get an appropriate switch. I have six more runs of cat6 and cat5e to run for the home theater setup and the networked printers in the closet.

The garage door opener project has blossomed into electric wiring upgrades and installs, some much needed organizing and cruft-tossing, and completion of more postponed chores and the like. I've collected parts and supplies for a lot of tasks over the years and it's high time it all gets put to use. '09 will be the year of needed home repairs and upgrades, and a reclamation of my garage space.

I had one of my long-term fears realized this afternoon when I found the dessicated remains of a kitten in the garage. I always worry that critters would find themselves into the garage when the doors are opened, and they'd get locked inside when I close up shop. Usually it hadn't been a big deal, anything that had gotten trapped inside usually gets a chance to escape in a day or two when I open the doors back up. Unfortunately, this little critter must have found it's way inside at a time before I had gone on vacation or otherwise not entered the building for many days. I felt downright awful after my discovery and had to take a bit of a break. I usually make sure to make a lot of racket to scare out anything that might find their way inside. I guess it doesn't always work.

In other dead animal news, while running cabling in my basement with the help of a friend, I discovered yet another dried up, rather substantially-sized snake dangling off the foundation wall. This is the second time this has occurred, and in roughly the same spot. Ironically, the discovery was made as I was talking about the first encounter from a couple years ago. Near as I can tell, there is a gap or other opening where the house sill plate meets the concrete wall near the front door that cannot be seen. This is also where a lot of crickets and spiders manage to enter as well. My best guess is that the snakes find a home in the area as well, no doubt drawn by the bounty of insects. I think the snakes eventually get too large to work their way back outside, and eventually starve. Oddly, I never smelled anything nasty in the basement (or the garage for that matter). The area where this occurred is in a far corner of the basement used only for storage and rarely accessed. One more task to add to the list.

Jeff has Friday off, making it two days in a row for the first time in a while. He took apart the xmas tree and we cleaned up the living room. A couple more items to put away and the mess can go up in the attic until next year. The holiday was a quiet one, and just what I needed. I am trying to get back into my old groove, find my focus and do the stuff I like doing. If the upcoming days unfold as these last ones have, there's a lot of change that's going to happen.