…is a known side effect of the type of chemotherapy I was on last year. It’s called peripheral neuropathy and affects hands and feet. Symptoms very from numbness to tingling, hypersensitivity to cold, swelling, pain, prickling, and some impairment of motor function. Even nicer news, it’s damage to circulation and nerves by the chemo, and while it’s pretty sure what causes it, it varies in severity and in duration. In some, it’s lifelong. In some, it partially goes away. In some it goes away. The culprit is the ‘novel platinum analogue’ part of oxaliplatin. But since it saved my life, I’m figuring it’s cheap at the price.
The fact it has highs and lows, good days and bad, indicates to me that there is healing going on—or at least change, and it has been on an upward curve since about December, when it was at its worst and I couldn’t feel the little pills I’m supposed to take for another problem. Now I can. And I can type far more accurately. Cold water is still painful, but I can stand it when I have to, and the swelling in my thumbs and first two fingers has mostly gone. So it is still improving.
That’s what’s delayed getting books done. But Alliance 2 (title uncertain) is underway again, our publisher is endlessly patient and sympathetic, I’ve caught up to where I was when the cancer intervened, and I’m back at work in my work station for hours on end. For those of you new here, I had colon cancer, which threw Jane off her schedule to get 2 hips replaced, while she took care of me (and my biweekly sessions in the chemo lab and two days later getting the inserted line disconnected) until I was through chemo, then a gallbladder attack sent me taking her to the ER clinic at 3 AM in a snowstorm and she ended up having emergency gallbladder removal at 10:30 the following morning. A week before her rescheduled first hip replacement. So that was how we spent OUR 2020. She’s now had her second hip replaced, and I’m recovering nicely, past the tests, and we’re both vaccinated and will be fully-aged-and-immune come this THursday. Yay!
Anyway, yep, I’ve tried 2 editions of Dragon and it still can’t punctuate or paragraph on its own. So I will type while I can poke one key at a time on the keyboard. Jane is doing her final edit on her book, Homecoming Games, before I hand her the half-completed Alliance for HER gothrough and writing of the next scenes in our collaborative effort. Then I’ll take it back, etc, etc.
Hi, all. Goober’s condition is getting worse. The vet is full until Monday afternoon, and I would have brought him in today if they’d had an opening. So I’m keeping his Tuesday morning appt. I am expecting to have to say goodbye to him then.
He is mostly sleeping. He is still eating, still wants attention some. I feel sure his weight is down again.
I don’t know when I’ll be ready for another cat, but I feel Brindle needs a companion close to her age, not just me. She’s doing fine.
I’m very down after having come to the decision about Goober.
I still need to order groceries; out of drinks except tea, a few other items, but I still have enough of some and oversupplied on others. Just don’t feel like dealing with the hassle. Maybe I’ll feel better about it this afternoon. Got to put in the order in the next couple of days, though.
Going to spend extra time with Goober if he wants; he’s mostly sleeping. At least we made it 14-1/2 years and a couple of weeks.
Take care, everyone.
@BCS, sorry to hear that about Goober, but probably the best you can do for him, not to let him suffer.
Wishing you strength.
I’m sorry to hear about Goober 🙁 Junior is in much the same straits; he is 22(!) years old, still gets around and purrs a lot, but consistently misses the litterbox with the poops, skinny as a rail, and meows randomly and loudly at nothing (although we are coming to believe it’s an informative meow: I want food, I pooped, I need water, etc.) We are just waiting for a definite sign that his quality of life is down enough that euthanasia would be a kindness.
Re: a new cat, one will come along and you will know it. All of ours have been drivebys that showed up randomly one day.
Hi, folks. Update: I stayed up a while, then slept quite a lot, woke to eat and feed them, and slept again, and now up a while. I put in my grocery order for delivery Sunday morning (today). — Goober is sort of OK, has not had another accident or spit up again, did have his antibiotic (I think they sent home more than was prescribed), but I’m not sure if he swallowed his steroid pill or spat it out. He came to me while I was sleeping so he could get attention and ask for food. He’s so, so skinny. So I am flummoxed; I think he is in decline, the pooping and spitting up are not constant but they are back to being severe, and he’s mostly sleeping, and so thin as a rail. For a while this morning, his coat felt good, but it’s a little unkempt. He’s grooming himself, and Brindle groomed him a little, which he didn’t mind. (She still wants to nibble or pester him sometimes, or vie for prime place, but she’s better these days, somewhat. It still bothers him.) He’s still not sleeping with me.
So I’m back and forth on whether it’s his time to go yet, but just like this morning now past, it was severe enough to feel he’s reached that point where he can’t thrive or he’s just hanging on. He still is eating some. He still wants love and wants to give love. When he woke me, that was clear. So he hasn’t given up. So…it’s a quandary for me. I’m leaning toward, this is several times now I thought that day would be his last, and my feeling this morning is what to go with. Then I see he’s still making do, trying to live, and I think, well, OK, I should go with that, let him tell me when. So this is hard. I love him, I don’t want to lose him or let go, but also, I don’t like seeing him obviously suffering and declining. He’s not yet feeling bad all the time, or rather, I can’t tell, because he does have times when he feels well enough to eat, ask for love and shows me love, and so on. We have Sunday (later today) and Monday and then the appt. Tuesday. Maybe the vet will have some better advice. If he has lost the weight he gained, if he’s down near or below 8 pound, then I thnk that will tell me.
I’m trying to enjoy the time left and I’ll see what happens at the vet appt., but I’m expecting to have to decide it’s his time to go; the conclusion I had come to this morning. (It’s sometime after midnight, I think, so my sense of which day is off track.)
I fixed food and ordered groceries, which helped a little. I’ve spent time with him and will give him extra time. Hah, he managed to pull his collar off, but I found it. Have not found the first one and tag. — Brindle is fine, still doesn’t know she can come to ask for attention, still doesn’t know to come when called, but loves the attention when she is around, and has been around more. She]s learning.
she]s chunky, stout, going to be a big cat and solid, but she isn]t overweight, just built solid, and lucky to have a good home where she can develop full. She needs a play buddy who can also handle her alpha girl sense. 🙂 Independent but loving kitty, still half-grown.
Everything has been pretty much on hold because of worrying for Goober. I will need to shampoo the carpet in my bedroom.
I expect to be up a little longer, then sleep again. Tired and down, although doing a little better, a bit more centered, coming to terms with t it, I think.
I haven’t seen Mystic since just before Brindle was spayed, now more than a month ago, maybe closer to a month and a half. I am assuming either he is isn with someone else permanently, or was taken to a shelter, or else something happened to him. I have heard cats a few times, but every time I’ve looked, I don’t see them or they haven’t come around. I think the strays have been reduced due to the freeze and some construction, and maybe the new mgmt. I miss seeing Mystic and I wish he would’ve stayed with me.
sweet big lug. I hope he got a home instead of a casualty.
So, I don’t know if a cat will simply show up (what usually happens) or if I’ll end up getting one from a shelter or the vet. Not sure if the vet adopts out, but I will ask. Like you said, Chondrite, one usually shows up, stray or dumped. Goober was an exception, given to me by a friend. Therefore usually luck of the draw; but if I pick from a shelter, I’d go for one close to Brindle’s age, so they are well matched; also, she needs a cat who can deal with her personality and not be overwhelmed. 🙂
Hanneke and Chondrite and others, thank you. It is rough getting used to the idea that I won’t have Goober around much longer, unless there’s some miracle. But at 14 and close to 7 months, well, he can’t live forever feeling like he does, with his weight down and fighting whatever this is. I don’t want him to suffer. So I’m trying to make peace with this, but still hoping against hope. He is pretty much my last link to my old life. He’s always been special, a real sweetheart.
I don’t have a preference on looks. I was surprised to get a girl kitten (Brindle), since it’s nearly always been boys, even though random chance. (Peppercorn and her kittens were the only other exception in a long time.) So boy or girl, fine. I either get picked by the cat who shows up, or I go with feeling led to that cat, that this is the one. So we’ll see.
Grocery delivery in the morning, so I’ll try to sleep again soon.\\Thanks, everyone. This is rough, but I’m trying to look ahead and trying to make peace with it. I know he can’t last forever. I’m thankful we have a couple more days together. I think I know how it’ll turn out at the vet. Little old guy has been wonderful all these years, a bright spot through it all.
Hmm, I think Junior probably is doing an “informative meow.” Goober does that sometimes. “I’ve pooped (outside the box); please clean up.” That one, and others, happen. Funny how it’s possible to read each other, cat and human, even though sometimes it takes a long time to figure it out, or other times, you know right away.
Take care, folks. I’m rambling, tired despite sleeping.
@BCS, cats tend to hide it if they don’t feel well – don’t let a predator see you’ld be easy prey. Eating minimally, getting so thin, can indicate he’s feeling nauseous almost constantly.
My old gent Julius got that way with kidney trouble, at the end. He stopped eating once when he was 14, I fed him invalid food with a syringe for a few days, and he started eating again, so I thought it still wasn’t his time. After that, his last year, he only ate the minimum needed to keep alive, and grew very thin, even with his daily kidney medicine.
He stayed on his cushion in one corner of one room, with food and water and litterbox just a few steps away in the same corner, and did nothing but sleep even though he would purr when I petted him. I thought he’d stop eating again when it was his time, but he didn’t, he just hung on for another year, not enjoying life but, the vet said later, probably constantly nauseous.
I didn’t want to take his life away if he didn’t show clearly that he was done with it; but I came to realise that the one time he had stopped eating had been his indication, and my refusal to accept that at the time had made him suffer in silence for another year. I’ve felt a lot worse about that, than if I had taken him to the vet for euthanasia instead of more medicine, when he stopped eating that time.
Four years earlier he’d also stopped eating; the vet discovered he had heart problems, and my hand-feeding him the same way for a few days gave his heart medicine the time to start working, and regain his zest for life.
I thought I was doing the same when his kidneys went, but didn’t recon with the very different prognosis for recovery. From no heart medicine to heart medicine made a big difference, but from already on kidney medication to a bigger daily dose while the kidneys continue to deteriorate is not a recipe for any greatly improved quality of life.
I promised myself I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Thanks, Hanneke. Yes, I’m struggling with this. He has spit up at least 3 times in the last 24 hours, not much, but he’s not eating much; better response to moist food, but he’s leaving some of that too. And yet he’s still asking for food and attention, and was happy after he ate, sitting proudly to get petting. I’m torn about it, but he’s only sleeping otherwise, he’s too thin, maybe not back near 8 pounds yet, but I’m sure he’s lost weight since the last vet visit, and his symptoms are back and increasing. I think like you and Chondrite have said, my (wavering) decision is what he needs. I just wish there was some way to help him, and yet, I know he can’t live forever. I don’t want to make him feel worse, or hang on suffering just because he loves me too. I don’t want to make the decision too soon, but I think what I’m seeing is decline, hanging on, maybe to please me, or maybe just because the illness is slow and he’s getting good care. Well, tomorrow is his appointment. I am glad to have had today with him, when he felt like getting petting and being with me. He and Brindle will get moist food again tonight. The vet has done a very good job, and will probably understand my feelings on this. Brindle has been sort of questioning things today. I think she knows something is up. I notice she has not pestered Goober any today, for which I’m very glad. She’s now somewhere around 7 to 8 months old and I’ve had her about 6.5 months (Nov. 5th will be one year.) So she is maturing socially too, more aware of Goober in a more adult cat way. She’s a good cat, loving, just still very feisty and playful; she’d like to play-fight and do all those kittenish things, but is getting more toward the adult cat play mode.
Irony: Goober’s spare tags are due tomorrow; I still have not found where his first collar and tg have got to, probably under something or behind something. — I think I’ll be OK to post afterward, but if I’m silent a day or so after, I’m just grieving. Goober has been one of the best cats and friends I’ve ever had, and he’s lived longer than any cat I’ve had before.
It’s raining heavily and we may have heavy rain again tomorrow.
Take care, everyone. I am reminded that the best friendships are rare and precious, and our friends, even long-distance such as here, can make a big difference in our lives. With all the crazy-stupid nonsense going on on the world stage lately, and with my personal situation so out of whack, I am glad at least to be reminded of the good things in life that make it worth it. I hope I can get re-energized to get going againn and improve things. I don’t yet know when or where I will be moving or what my situation will be, but it must happen in the next couple of months. I also expect that I’ll want a companion for Brindle and myself soon, but I don’t feel ready to push that. Usually, a cat shows up rather than me looking for one.
Take care, everyone. I hope you all have people and pets who help you through life.
Hi, all. Goober went to the vet this morning and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He had meowed unhappily at being in the carrier, but was quiet once we got into the vet’s. He went peacefully. He had dropped from 8.3 pounds to 7.5, worse than I had thought. He had only eaten a little of his food, except that during the night, he did have half a can of moist food. He hadn’t pooped in about 24 hours. And he had spit up about 4 times in 24 hours. So, well, I knew what he needed, a release. I think he was just hanging on.
I let the vets’ office know I’m expecting to move in Junior July, but no idea when or where yet, though hoping to stay here in town. I asked them to make Mystic’s records inactive, and said if I see him again, I’ll let them know. I also said I will want a companion cat for Brindle, around 6 months to a year old, a good match for her alpha and energetic personality. Although I said that if a cat doesn’t show up, I’d be asking the vet or looking at a local shelter; probably Special Pals, where I took Peppercorn and her kittens, now over a year ago. So I don’t know how long it will be until I have a new cat as a buddy for Brindle and me, but I am sure it will happen. It generally does; usually, a cat shows up like Brindle did. If one shows up from around the apt. complex, I know there will be yet another quarantine and round of dewormer, shots, etc. — But the stray population has been strangely quiet the past month or more.
The kitchen trash can is supposed to arrive this afternoon. — I am not up to doing cleanup today, but expect to shampoo the carpet and mop the bathroom, kitchen, etc. tomorrow.
It is going to feel so strange not to have a sweet old tuxedo cat to keep me company. Brindle wanted to be held extra when I got back, which helped a lot. She is shaping up to be a very good kitty, with quirks all her own.
I’m doing mostly OK, got some of my feelings out before the vet trip and at the vet/s. I miss him, but this was the right thing, better than prolonging it. I’m really shocked at how much weight he had lost so fast. So if he had stayed, I think it would have been worse for him before he couldn’t hold out any longer. This way, he got to go with some dignity and with me there for him. Such a good guy. I miss him.
I am glad to have Brindle, who reminds me life goes on. She is happy and healthy, growing up into quite a cat. It will soon be 7 month since she arrived.
I’m going to take it easy today and clean some tomorrow. If I don’t post for a couple of days, I’m OK, just taking time to grieve and get going. I expect I’ll check in, though, to read what’s going on.
Hoping CJ and Jane are doing well still and the salads here are OK, esp. those who haven’t posted in a while. It is good to know how everyone is doing.
I’m so sorry for your loss, BCS — I’m glad Goober’s no longer suffering, but it must be very hard. Many hugs from afar!
Sincerest sympathy BCS
@BCS, my sympathy for your loss. It’s always hard to let such a good, long-time companion go.
But with his weight down so far, and his digestion so doubtful, it’s good he doesn’t have to suffer to the end.
Just because you know it’s coming, doesn’t mean it’s good or enjoyable. “You lost today, kid. That doesn’t mean you have to like it.” I’m sorry Goober is gone; I know he was your bff. You will find another cat to help fill the hole in your heart when the time is right.
Our deepest condolences on your loss. Losing a furkid is rough in the best of times, and this time is far from the best. Take some time to breathe and grieve then refocus on yourself and your needs.
I’m sorry to hear that, BCS. Be well.
Oh, I’m so sorry, BCS. It’s a tough, tough time but Goober is at rest. Take’s a lot of courage and empathy, what you did. Hugs to you and pats to Brindle.
My sympathies. I know how you feel. My dog Munchkin passed away the day before Goober did. He lived with my ex and I haven’t seen him for a while but that didn’t make it hurt any less. He’s was sick for months so we knew his time was short. It was time. He’s one of the two dogs in my profile picture. I’ll always miss him.
Just realized, Alliance #2 should be “Alliance Proofing”, then #3 can be “Alliance Baking”.
😉
Now I’m hungry. ; )
In a similar vein, I first thought of “Dawn”, but dawn starts at first light, so it would be before rising. Maybe “Morning”, “Noon”, or “Day”? Or, “Rising”, “Surfacing”, “Flying”, on another tack?
On the other hand, perhaps we should wait for CJ to ask before making proposals. I think the Foreigner suggestions would get us to volume 100.
And I’m starting to get a little peckish, too. 🙂
DH and I both need to lose weight, so baking is off the menu (with the exception of tonight’s lasagna 😀 ) Satan get thee behind me, and don’t push!
But then we’d need the Alliance Garlic Butter for the inevitable Salad and Pasta with Sauce, or perhaps Pizza, which seems like a crossover…. 😀
owwwwwwww…..
A certain enthusiastically bounding, chunky young feline landed one too many times on the lid of the kitchen garbage can, which hath met its demise after only two to four years. (I don’t actually recall, but I know I’ve replaced it at least once since moving here.)
Plastic models with a lid like the one that just broke run from $30 to $40 to %60, but all the reviews say the lids fall off, the plastic is flimsy and breaks too easily, and so on, which I now tend to agree with.
Steel models with lids run from $74 to “Are you sure that’s not sterling silver?”
After hunting through plastic models, I came to the frustrating decision that for almost twice the price for a steel can with lid, it is overpriced but worth it, maybe. I bought the $75 AmazonBasics model, as it was cheaper than almost any of the brand names from China or who-knows-where-never-heard-of-them or from known US brands.
I find it hard to believe a very basic kitchen garbage can with lid is now $30 at absolute minimum, more like $40, which the quality doesn’t last too long, and $75 seems to be the minimum for a steel one.
I did not feel I needed the robotic garbage can (battery, sensor, it opens if you come near it, which my cats or any dog would just love…). But if I did, I think it’d have to look like Rs-D2. I also did not feel that the “Are you kidding me, over $100 for a garbage can kitchen size?” was necessary, and I feel like the $75 I bought was high. But I checked Walmart’s site too, and didn’t find a better price; they were worse.
I was only looking for a standard 13 gallon tall kitchen trash bag garbage can. Now experiencing sticker shock and inflation shock.
I am not too surprised the now half-grown 8.5+ pound chunky, strong kitten (girl) could do that to a plastic can. But the lid on it has always wanted to pop open at random unlesss you are very, very careful with it. So…if I’d bought another at $30 to $40, I would’ve had the same problem. I hope the new one will last.
LOL, now being licked by said kitten, but have to clean up after Goober. Can’t tell if that’s a side-effect of the meds or not, as he had his 2nd daily dose a few hours ago.
I could use fewer unplanned expenses. 🙁 — However, groceries arrived fine with few substitutions Sunday morning.
Ironic:
given the baking bread theme above, I forgot to get bread. It’ll wait until m next order, which I hope will be small. Also forgot to get chocolate. Pretty sure I got all other needed items, though.
<RANT>
Well, it’s the old story of planned or induced obsolescence. It’s why we can’t have anything nice. Most of the old brands we might have trusted have been bought and sold. Sears sold Craftsman, Diehard, and Kenmore to finance their failed (lack of) recovery. (I will note that Lands End seems to have survived its ownership then spin-off by Sears.)
It rarely makes any sense to take a long term view purchasing because the conglomerates are just putting out contracts to the lowest bidder, not making things themselves. The exceptions are pretty rare, and many of them are under such financial pressure that they have to go lowest bidder, too.
And then everyone is trying to add and bundle mostly useless features to manipulate their customers. I received the top-rated Consumers Report coffee maker, a chichi brand (pretty much to boil water for tea, or for guests’ coffee). Two carafes shattered after about ten uses. Returned. Then, I just got a Mr. Coffee for about 1/3 the money, which lasted and never had a carafe break. But I was just looking, and of course their cheapest model (probably the one that sells most) has a digital clock to reset twice a year for daylight savings time, and with every power blip; does anyone actually run their life so rigidly that they want coffee at the same time 365 days a year and do they remember to refill everything? They have a simple on/off model, a little more expensive, but the window you look through to see the water level is on the side where it can’t been seen. If you want a visible window, you have to buy the model with more “features” to fail. (Actually, I’m a touch unfair: automatic shutoff after two hours is good.)
(The last major “nice” thing I bought, computers and cars aside, was a film SLR with auto-exposure. Next year they added auto-focus. And on and on, then DSLRs, adding features one by one. Then mirrorless cameras, almost SLR quality. Of course, now most people only take photos with phones, which are getting pretty good if you don’t value a natural look. But I buy a pocket camera for photos, so I can spend much less on phones; so far I’ve bought only two pocket cameras.)
Amazon is a trap, though I use them, but maybe a manageable trap. One option is to check out Target or Walmart for home goods and groceries before going to Amazon; Amazon tracks you and may drop their prices to keep you captured. For electronics, all that comes to mind is Best Buy; for books Barnes and Noble. Remember when many electronics and book stores competed?
(Example: 12-cup [1.5 liter] Mr. Coffee on/off model: Amazon $25, Target $20; fancy model: Amazon $43, Target $19. Via Google Shopping: $30, $40, $50, $25; on/off: $10@Walmart; fancy: $25@Walmart. Today. Prices and model equivalency approximate, shipping not accounted for,, but Target is $35 for free shipping. But after stopping at Target to look at the $19 model, what do you think magically appears on Amazon?)
Camelcamelcamel tracks Amazon prices, which vary wildly. If you can find out the range of prices an item is at, you can recognize a good price when you see it.
But all this costs time, of course.
I got as freebies from Gevalia (the mail order coffee company) 2 different coffee makers, a 4 cup and a 12 cup, combined lifespan 20 years. The 12 cup one lasted me for about 10 years. I still have the carafe and filter basket from the 4 cup one because first I broke the carafe, found a replacement at Goodwill, then the coffee maker body gave up. Found a replacement body on ebay and it will hopefully arrive in a few days. Not as efficient, perhaps, as buying a whole new/used coffee maker, but I hope more environmentally responsible. Carafes, OTOH, are wildly fungible and fragile. These days, I make my coffee with a 1 cup pourover filter and hot water kettle.
A “replacement body” coffeemaker. Name it Frank and use a stein for your coffee?
Or, hmm, do you have a spare brain in a jar? (Hey, I could use a spare brain at this point; possibly a spare body. Roommate solved. Is he, y’know, cuddly? LOL. Or a good handyman? Can he drive? This could work….) (Yeah, right! 😀 )
Well, the vastly overpriced kitchen garbage can is supposed to arrive tomorrow, $75 + shipping. Whee. (I’ll admit, that might not be too far about the price for the steel etc. it’s made of, given prices these days. I’m still in sticker shock.) (I saw several models for $100 to $150. For a kitchen garbage can with a lid. I question people’s sanity, only I’m not too sure of my own for paying that. It’s just that to pay $30 to $40 for a plastic model that breaks in a few years of normal use seems…also crazy.)
—–
Goober spit up again earlier, which has answered my dilemma, I think. I fed them moist food earlier. Goober ate only a little, but has had some dry food. He’s asked for more wet food, and I pointed out what he had, which did not meet with kitty approval. So he’s having more dry he already had out. Poor guy. — I will likely give him a treat, chicken or ham or turkey lunch meat, if I wake up overnight. Or I may give them a can of moist then. — It’s not going to feel the same around here for a while, after the vet trip.
—–
Local weird news: It seems someone had been keeping a tiger for months, and the tiger got loose in a neighborhood. No known casualties. The tiger was brought back in by the owner or someone related. It seems the owner had had prior, ah, infelicitous encounters and unfinished business with the police. So the tiger getting loose did not endear the owner to the authorities. A couple of days passed and the wife or gf of the tiger’s owner arranged with the police for the tiger to be picked up and taken to a sanctuary, rather than continuing to live as a pet in a home (!) (Wild expressions of dismay that someone would think they could keep a tiger as a pet.) It seems the owner’s attorney is still to work things out regarding whatever prior issues plus the tiger escapade have caused with legal authorities. — But at least the tiger got a very good outcome. Word is the tiger is about 9 months old and there were papers in proper order, except, you know, keeping a tiger as a pet in one’s home within the city limits is not allowed, and a tiger getting loose to roam the neighborhood is, ah, rather frowned upon for obvious reasons. However, no one was hurt, the tiger got sent to a sanctuary outside of town, in the county, and so…lucky tiger, who perhaps has more sense than the human owners, who are quite lucky no neighbors or themselves became, ah, a snack. — News covreageappeared on YouTube, which was how I saw it. — I love cats, but I would never be crazy enough to do that. A housecat is serious enough if they get unhappy. One of the great cats? They belong in their own element or in a sanctuary or wildlife refuge, where they can be great cats. They aren’t pets.
Felines are not pets. They may occasionally have pets though…
Have you tried massage? No personal experience but a friend seemed to gain some benefit.
Felines, eh? Know about “ligers”, lion-tiger hybrids? Know about “hybrid vigor”?
Uh-huh. So check out Hercules the Liger. https://welovecatsandkittens.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hercules.jpg
922# , 11′ long, 49″ at the shoulder
Ben, I’m very sorry to hear you lost Goober. He was family and that hurts, you did your bravest best for him though. Please take some time to allow yourself to grieve for him, and use that time to get your own care in order … and a new friend will appear for you and Brindle when the time is right.
Thank you all. — I’ve had some extra time with Brindle, and I think she’s questioning why she doesn’t see Goober, but she doesn’t know yet. — I keep noticing little things: He’s not in his favorite places or doing his usual routine, not there at mealtimes, and I haven’t had to double-check the bathroom floor, which had been constant for months. In some ways, it has sunk in; in others, not yet.
We’ve had heavy rainstorms and still have water standing here. There was a tornado warning last night, but nothing happened here. Still ongoing for a couple of days, maybe into the weekend. So last night was a little more exciting than usual.
I’ve swept the bathroom, but haven’t done any other cleaning yet. I’m just a bump on a log right now. Should pick up tomorrow or the next day.
I heard a cat outside last night, but when I went out and looked, called, no response. I think it was the charcoal black tomcat I’ve seen around, but not sure. He seems very standoffish and aggressive when I’ve seen him before. I was hoping it might be Mystic, but no such luck.
Standing water still, but it’s sunny right now. One bonus, it’s been cooler the past few days and my A/C, overtaxed before, has finally caught up again.
Take care, everyone, and thanks again.
So sorry. You did all anybody could.
The applicant to the outside clowder, Cassius, actually deigned to sniff my fingertips yesterday. He also meows ‘Good morning’ when I come out with everyone’s a.m. kibble. I have hope that he will declare detente and stop wrangling with everyone. I’ve caught him fighting with all 3 of the outside posse, even the wimminfolk. His manners need improvement.
Well named.
Sounds like he’s realized he can get a regular meal and you’re the provider and not too bad for a human, if he’s decided to sniff your hand. 🙂 Maybe he can realize this is a good gig, it’s dependable, and therefore rocking the boat and making everyone else unhappy with him is not a good idea. If he can think that far past his stomach and his mindset.
For some reason, the line, “Yond Cassius hath a lean and hungry look. Such men are dangers,” made an overly large impression on me. But it’s been too long since I reread the plans or looked for a video version of it.
Both of you are spot on about the name; Cassius originally was called ‘Skinny’, which was undignified but accurate. The dangerous part was accurate too, considering all the fights he would get into.
@CJ — Any word yet on the title or pub. date of the next Foreigner novel? And likewise for the 2nd Alliance Rising book, or if there will be a 3rd? — I was wondering when we’d be able to pre-order. Thank you!
Title still undecided. So is turn-in date. I’m still working. So is jane. We’re just slower than ever before.
CJ, from what anecdotes I’ve read, and my personal experiences, the inoculations seem to commonly cause the same kind of fatigue and “brain fog” as Covid. It should pass over time.
Hi Ben, I am so sorry to see Goober’s death. He was such a part of your life through thick and thin I am sure that there is a Goober shaped hole in your life.
Meanwhile we continue to try to bring some sort of order to the outside. The pond is looking good. Proge managed to find and fix the leaks so there are a lot of happy goldfish swimming about.
We have suicidal squirrels. So far we have found two drowned in the swimming pool. I can’t figure out why since the pond is so easily accessible. Throw in a ton more shock and run the pump. It’s still too cold to swim…however!
We are in pollen season. My navy blue car is definitely green.
Belated anniversary congratulations to you and Jane, CJ. The cake looked spectacular!
Thanks, Smartcat. I am getting used to it, but still not quite there yet. — I have realized, too: What I thought was the two cats peeing a lot in the litterbox was actually mostly Goober, so his output volume had increased for some weeks or months much more than I had realized. I am still getting used to not having to check every time I go into the bathroom, as he was pooping or having accidents outside the litterbox for months, but it had increased over the past two to three months. It was his time to go, I know that, but dang, I miss him.
Brindle is doing OK, but keeping to herself. She is odd about this, compared to most cats I’ve had. She’s friendly, loves attention, but still has not caught on that she can come ask for it, or to come when I call, and she hasn’t been sleeping on my bed. She does get attention and does come around once or twice a day besides when I get her. She’s put on some weight, and I’m not sure if she’s abut to have another growth spurt or if this is more permanent. She’s been spaced for notquitetwo months now, and is just shy of being here 7 months. I keep wondering if she has a hearing problem or if she simply has something else going on, or if she’s just content to be in the apartment but not always in the room with me. Whenever I go outside, though, she always is anxious to greet me when I get back. I am still being extra careful not to give her the chance to get out, even though she is chipped and has an ID tag on her collar.I keep hearing one or two cats, including fighting or mating noises (or hunting?), but each time I’ve gone out, still have not sighted them and they haven/t come up to me.So if Mystic is still out there, or the two others I recognize, I don’t know it.
I’m not quite ready for another cat, but maybe getting there. Brindle loves to window watch, but hasn’t shown special interest in cats, or else they haven’t been by for a while. I guess I’ll know soon if I’m going to look more.
It’s getting darker outside and back to raining fairly heavily from the system out in the Gulf.
—–
I wonder if the squirrels think they are seeing something in the pool (reflection, leaves?) or are they getting chased or dropped there? Who knows what motivates a squirrel to go swimming?
Spence, wow, that’s heavy work! Please be careful.
The tree just the other side of the wall with my neighbors lost two rather large limbs in the last windstorm. They broke off the tree but the other limbs held them up, 20 feet in the air. So I chatted with him and then took my chain saw up and freed those branches and smoothed down the trunk. Their dog was not happy with me up in the tree (I’d put the ladder up from my side of the wall) and when his girlfriend came home for lunch, she let me in their yard to saw up the branches.
I am very stiff this morning!
You are a fine person! 🙂
And last night’s wind storm broke a few more branches. It looks like this old man is going back up a 20′ ladder with a chainsaw.
It’s always good to have a good-quality chain saw. I bought mine when I lived on the farm, would cut fallen trees up and bring the logs to the house. I had a dual-fuel furnace, so would use the oil burner to light the logs, and then shift to wood-burning. I bought the saw on the recommendation of a friend, who said it was the same saw the local electric companies use for trimming trees. It’s been pretty reliable, and I’ve started using it on the honeysuckle in the back yard, and will also use it to trim two very overgrown “shrubs” in the back. Once in a while, I lose a branch off the Bradford pears. This fall, I’m going to start trimming those trees, their branches are much too low, and I keep hitting my head on them when I mow the grass under them. Ouch!
We recently bought a battery-driven chainsaw. It is comically cute in size, but I’m telling you, it is very effective. But kudos to you for getting up on a 20′ ladder to do that — I don’t think I’d have the courage!
My wife is the same way. She had to go into the house and shut the door. But she’d come out every 15 minutes or so to see if I’d fallen and needed an ambulance.
A BBC article on the secret, addictive, and sometimes disgusting ingredients in food. In this case, pet food.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210519-the-hidden-reason-processed-pet-foods-are-so-addictive
What a fascinating article — thank you for that!
Completely off-topic post, but I recently saw a video on YouTube about the invention of trousers. It’s pretty good, and also covers attempts to reconstruct an ancient pair of pants, so if you’re interested in textiles, it’s a cracking good watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl7siWwzibs — it got me thinking; were trousers invented on the Earth of the Atevi by the first people to “domesticate” mechieti? (I use the term loosely. It’s more like “came to an agreement with”, I think.). If you decide to watch it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. : )
I don’t sew or weave or do needlework, but the trouser video is really interesting for all the aspects they went into to research and reproduce the original archeological find of ancient trousers. I’m at the midpoint of the video, where they have decided to source wool in order to make yarn like what was used for the ancient pants. I never would’ve guessed the stair step form used for the crotch piece. There must be some good reason in making it like that instead of a triangle, trapezoid, or arched U shape. They use different weaves and decorative patterns and colors instead of making them plain. And it’s curious that pretty much every human culture, even the earliest, use artful patterns and colors instead of plain solids, for self-expression from the textile makers and the culture and the self (maker and wearer). That urge to creative expression and complexity seems to be there always, a way to break up the monotony and to identify self and group. It’s also striking that one of the ancient examples uses leggings and loincloth, in Europe and Asia, much like Native Americans did, separated by thousands of years and thousands of miles (km).
Aside from wondering about the trousers, this makes me wonder about the very earliest clothing, possibly before modern humans. IIRC, Neanderthals also used some clothing, but I don’t know how sophisticated their clothing was. Past that, I don’t know if earlier humans or hominids did. I think I recall that the new Denisovan fossils or new other hominids had jewelry, so perhaps they had clothing too.
Textiles and costuming, clothing designs, are really interesting. They always show a lot about how people did things, why they did, what their ideas of beauty and form and function were. They always find a way to do something new. Neat subject. I’ll bet it’s of interest to the crafters here, the needlework and weaving and sewing people, the textiles and crafts makers and costuming fans. Since a few fans here are into anthropology and archaeology, that’s of interest too. Neat video, neat subject.
Oh, and for related subjects, I found a podcast called Tides of History which covers ancient peoples and archeology worldwide, from earliest human history to modern times. Well worth checking out.
I suspect that the crotch piece is stepped so that no cutting would be needed; the way I imagine it (and an actual weaver is welcome to step in here, because I am definitely not one of those yet) is that the weaver wove each section, and rolled the finished section around the bar holding the warp threads, and then added in new warp threads to extend the weaving out laterally (and then, towards the end, cut and wove in the warp ends when it was time to stop that section). That way, very little thread would be wasted (and no leftover bits from cutting the cloth, or need to serge or fell or otherwise hem the end to prevent fraying). It’s really clever — you can go straight from weaving to sewing! I’m curious as to how they managed to weave the diagonal section of the pants legs (perhaps they simply took in one or two warp threads at a time as they advanced the weave, assuming a top-down process). There’s so much the documentarians didn’t explain (such as the actual technique for the color change section; they named it, but didn’t explain it) that makes me want to do more research. A good documentary, that — leaves you with extra questions to chew on. : )
Thank you very much for the advice for “Tides of History” — I will check that out!
Interesting documentary!
It’s clear that weaving techniques were well advanced before trousers were thought of; they knew which kinds of weaves would be best for which effect, and had the weaving apparatus for wider cloth lengths.
People had beed wearing woven kilts, cloaks, tunics, ponchos, peplos etcetera for a long time before trousers were thought of, and mostly those were made from straight(ish) pieces held on with belts, ties and/or shoulder pin(s), or sometimes simply sewn together. No offcuts wasting resources, no need for hemming cut pieces, and not much need for shaping the weaving itself, which would be more complicated than weaving a straight piece of cloth.
Considering the time and work that does into spinning and weaving, weaving the cloth pieces to shape so you don’t waste time, thread and work on offcuts and on sewing hems also makes sense. I agree that’s probably the reason for the stepped crotch section.
Working from the already known idea of chaps/leg tubes (tied to a belt, combined with a loincloth for the a missing middle), and the need for room in the center for the wide ‘stance’ of sitting astride a horse (or barrel-chested pony), the shape of the center piece makes sense. These trousers were clearly not meant for walking – the excess fabric would chafe and be uncomfortable.
Maybe that is why they took a long time to catch on more widely?
Also, maybe more work (and harder to do discretely) to undo the side ties and the top part when he needed to pee, and then putting it all back on again, than would be involved with shoving aside and rearranging a loincloth in the older loincloth-belt-and-legtubes arrangements.
I went on to look at the following short bit about buttons, which was interesting too. They said that only after the invention of the buttonhole, several centuries after buttons were invented for decoration, did clothing start to be shaped more to the body. Only then did it become easier to put it on and take it off when fitted closer to the body, instead of needing the baggy wiggle-room of more or less straight pieces sown together and held closed with a few ties.
So that shaped connecting piece was quite an advanced idea!
I’d wondered about the weaving process to achieve the white and brown stair steps too, at the top of the legs, hips. I’d think they’d have to tie off or else interweave and move threads up each time, but I don’t know anything about weaving.
Think about this again, I wonder if they actually re-invented trousers. I know arctic peoples throughout Europe, Asia, and North America all use trousers (pants) in cloth and/or leather for warmth of their legs, and boots for their feet. So we don’t know, I guess, how far back that dates, or if more southerly people forgot about pants / trousers and then re-invented them.
I’d think the main problem with buttonholes would be keeping the cloth from fraying, pulling loose the threads, by putting cloth piping over the edges or sewing all around the edge, which (I think) both are done, either/or. It’s funny how what seems so basic to us didn’t all happen at once, and stages which seem like they’d go together can actually be far apart, with trial and error often missing from the surviving examples.
But yes, the work and thought that go into something like that, when everything has to be made by hand, days or weeks at a time, just to make yarn or thread, then cloth, then sewing together a garment, and avoid waste because you then have to do it all again, o laborious and time-intensive.
It’s interesting that they already had at least those four, surely other, weaving styles and knew which were best suited to heavy wear, strength, and so on. Also interesting that what they had available was wool rather than other animal hair or plant fibers.
One big advantage of trousers: Not as drafty as a kilt / skirt or the loincloth and leggings / chaps arrangement. The wool (or other cloth) would presumably be better for the human and horse sweating and not chafing. (I could be wrong, it might not make too much difference.)
I would expect they already had cloth and leather dye methods, since they knew how to combine natural colors with varying the weave patterns. The documentary didn’t mention it, but with their weaving technique that advanced, and people’s love of color, plus they’d know how plants can provide staining or dyeing, I’d expect it. I supposed they’ll need to find examples to prove they were dyeing cloth or yarn/thread though.
Hmm, so they had already refined the design structure so each portion of the garment is specialized for durability, with different, appropriate weaves or hand work, pattern and color to differentiate it, and it’s highly useful. From their other comparison, it would seem to have developed in less than a thousand years. And aside from a few details in refinement, it’s not hugely different than modern trousers. It was especially interesting that modern denim is also a twill weave, much like the ancient version.
While I think I’d much prefer the cotton denim jeans I have now, I would guess that the color and maybe even the patterning could sell today for men or women, for an ancient folklore or tribal look. The poncho, belt, and a pouch and those boots and boot covers might work. Combine that with a shirt or tunic and it could work well today, updated.
But this shows too that the ancient people who wore this had spent time refining it. It didn’t likely just emerge fully formed like that. Someone, a lot of people, must have adjusted the design over many years. That’s also characteristic of human ingenuity, to keep adjusting, innovating. I notice they talked about his tools and the bridle and whip.
All the impressive work that went into reproducing that old clothing, and the rest of the site, really shows how expert the team was, and how much goes into investigating a site like that. So much is interesting about that, and I’m just a layman or amateur with a little background in languages and such. Hmm. 3100 to 2900 BC, I think that would be not contemporaneous with the Prot-Indo-Europeans, and it’s way too far over in Asia to be them, but the group under study at that (West Altaic?) site could’ve contributed their knowledge to the other, contemporary and later groups. Trousers anyway, did.
Funny that denim jeans are so associated without cowboy culture in America, and here we see the first known trousers coming from horse-riding people in Asia, thousands of years ago.
Imagine wearing a kilt while riding a horse bareback. This gives evidence as to why saddles, trousers and stirrups were invented, in that order.
The use of stirrups was necessitated by horseback archers. It’s practically impossible to aim and fire arrows, and wield lances (and later fire powder weapons) without a means of stabilizing the rider. North American plains Indians got by in a pinch with a rope around the horse’s barrel, but in order to be effective warriors, just about every horse culture evolved a means of stabilizing the body against recoil.
Audiobook Recommendation: Some of you may remember I’d recommended two Audible Originals novellas, I think it was a couple of years or so ago. Now there’s a new one. The first two later also came out as ebooks from amazon, which owns Audible.com. I don’t know if the 3rd is now out as an ebook.
Author: Dan Wells
1. Zero G
2. Dragon Planet
3. Stargazer
These are YA/Juvenile novellas, but they’re enjoyable enough for this adult science fiction fan. They follow a (presumably) Chinese-American boy protagonist, and have included various supporting characters as heroes or villains. There’s some silly kid-friendly humor, some daring space adventures worthy of old-time 1950’s juvenile SF but updated for today. The first book has him dealing with space pirates when he wakes up too soon on his colony starship. The second has him face a weird planet, fending off alien critters and villains to protect the colonists. o I’m happy to find the new 3rd installment.
The 3rd audiobook, Stargazer, is another Audible Original, and shows up as available for free to listen and add to your library for Audible subscribers, not requiring a monthly credit or purchase price. As I recall, these took a few hours, but could be heard in one or two sittings. I thought they were a lot of fun, though the kid-humor is a little silly in a couple of spots. Still, it was entertaining, in that old-time space adventure style. I’ll have to listen to the other two again. I’m blanking on the boy’s name. Dan Wells apparently writes other science fiction, but also modern-day thrillers.
Off topic, only perhaps of slight interest to people interested in astronomy.
At the age of 100 years and one month, professor Kees de Jager died yesterday.
He was my dad’s mentor and friend, someone dad worked for and with for a lot of his life (even after they were both retired), and a truly remarkable human being.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kees_de_Jager
He had enormous enthousiasm for astronomy and science, which he loved to share, and interesting life stories. Here’s one that made an impression on me.
As a student of astronomy in WW2 he hid out with a friend in the lovely old complicated astronomy observatory in Utrecht (like Anne Frank, except they were never found out), hiding out quietly during the day, and studying in the old library at night. Visiting my dad at work as a teenager, touring the building and seeing the same library still in use, and the tiny enclosed garden where they could sometimes carefully get some air at night, brings those stories close to home.
And to think we’d nearly lost him to a Princeton professorship, if he hadn’t been deemed too leftist to get a visum in the McCarthy years. That would have been a loss to the Dutch astronomy world, and to my father.
visum? Odd. Never saw/heard that before. I think it should be “visa”.
“visa (n.)
1831, ‘official signature or endorsement on a passport,’ from French visa, from Modern Latin charta visa ‘verified paper,’ literally ‘paper that has been seen,’ from fem. past participle of Latin videre ‘to see’ (from PIE root *weid- ‘to see’). Earlier visé (1810), from French past participle of viser ‘to examine, view.'”
Ah, that was an incorrect carry-over from Dutch, then.
Here, it’s singular visum, plural visa.
As that looks like a good Latin form, and both languages regularly use those, I automatically used the same words in English. Possibly the Dutch singular was retroactively and wrongly constructed from the verb by some historical clerk who thought it was a noun?
Thanks for the correction!
I know of another error of that nature, a mistaken assumption. It happens.
Spanish has two idiosyncracies, “j” pronounced like “h”, and “ll” pronounced like “y”, at least in some dialects, not exactly in others. In Southern California, north of San Diego, there is a picturesque and wealthy, “jewel-like”, community sitting on a coastal headland. When it came to incorporating, somebody filled out the form, “La Jolla”. Except, in Spanish, “joya” is jewel. It’s still called “La Hoya”, compounding the error. By rights it should be as spelled, “La Jolla”.
We do not discuss Welsh, save to note that they are disputing use of ‘w’ and ‘l’ and most of the vowels with Hawaiian 😀
Sorry to hear of the loss of Professor De Jager. It’s good he stayed in the Netherlands. The McCarthy era was something my parents lived through, and though they were conservative, they were against McCarthy’s blacklist witch-hunt as contrary to American ideas of freedom. I grew up hearing about this occasionally, once we’d covered it in history class. So maybe it was better for the professor to promote astronomy and popularize science in the Netherlands. — Carl Sagan’s Cosmos on PBS helped fire my imagination as a teen, with his love of science and the sense of wonder.
Visa — Yes, in both US and UK English, it’s visa for the singular, visas for the plural. I do not know if historically it was visae; I don’t know the Latin or English etymologies; when it was borrowed into English from Latin, or the Latin noun gender or verb conjugation, which part of speech it was borrowed from. Current US English seems to be redefining Latin-borrowed words to take English’s default -s/-es plural, like antennas instead of antennae, octopuses instead of octupi, and so on.
Side Note: I’ve lost track of how many times recently I have seen words ending in S given a plural with -s’s, including from sources that ought to know the correct usage (-s’/-es’).. There’s some validity to the argument that we often say it as if it’s that way, and I admit it looks odd to end with the apostrophe, but it is a simple rule. I have seen a lot more confusion in the last few years over when to use the plural or the possessive, when to use the apostrophe. I think kids must not be getting taught this properly, so it sticks in their heads. However, to be honest, the ending with an apostrophe is really odd and that apostrophe has no phonetic meaning, it’s only a graphical marker, so maybe a reanalysis, a new rule, would be a good thing, as heretical as that is. (I’m old-school, I know how to do the pulural and possessive.)
La Jolla — I’d have to look up which is the correct spelling, Jolla or Joya; my instinct is, La Jolla like the city name. Yes, LL in Spanish is typically a “y-” semivowel / glide / approximate sound (like y in yellow), in Spanish except in the Castilian dialect, where it stayed -ly- (like in English million). In dialects, LL and sometimes Y can shift to a DJ / DZH soundalike in English jello, judge, but it’s not always consistent, it’s a transient allophone. And yes, J and soft G in Spanish were historically more like CH/KH in German Buch, Bash, Scottish Loch (not K). But in modern times, they are usually like English H before a vowel and the KH or a very strong HH after a vowel, such as Spanish reloj, meaning a watch, like a wristwatch or stopwatch.
In Texas, pronunciation of Spanish words for place-names is sometimes true to Spanish but sometimes it’s been halfway or totally mangled into Angliscized pronunciation. So if you are from out of state, you have to learn on a case-by-case basis what the local native pronunciation is, instead of going with the Spanish. (Llano becomes /lan-oh/, but Bexar county is still /bay-HHAR/.)
Spanish X, particularly in the New World, varies. Mostly, it’s /kss/ but sometimes it’s /hh/ like the J and soft G, and importantly, historically, it was and still can be /sh/. This is why for Inca and Aztec and Quechua words, the X gets pronounced as /sh/; also for Basque words.
Oh, and Z and soft C are /ss/ except in Castile, where they remain /th/ like in theta, the older historical pronunciation.
Spanish is very much simpler to spell and pronounce, unlike English and French, which went through some heavy pronunciation changes after the printing press came along, so English and French spelling is “fossilized,” while the spoken languages changed further. French is only slightly more regular about it than English.
As Paul said, Y and LL can get confused in spelling in Spanish, if people aren’t good spellers or they don’t get such good schooling. I remember one of my Spanish teachers saying a boy who’d recently immigrated was having trouble, and when she’d tested his learning in Spanish, he’d spelled yo, the pronoun for “I,” as llo, which was way below grade level, since it’s obviously one of the most common words you’d see in Spanish. He was 8th or 9th grade at the time. So spelling can get tricky, even when you’d think it wouldn’t be.
Just to further confuse the issue, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visa comes:
History and Etymology for visa
Noun
French, from Latin, neuter plural of visus, past participle
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Anent La Jolla, I traveled down that way with an Australian. Unlike many places, Australian native words were entirely, as far as I know, rendered into English by English speakers, so they use common English letter sounds. Even in the US, we have a mixture of Native American, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Hawaiian, and probably more. The Aussie pronounced La Jolla with English pronunciation values.
However, it’s a little dangerous to say, “Spanish letter values are….”
First, Spanish has probably changed in the last few hundred years as English has. Consider rhotic and non-rhotic, R pronouncing patterns, in English (Ha’va’d Ya’d) or (h)aitch addition or removal, such as ‘istory, ‘ospital, or (h)ar; though I think the latter is relatively unpopular these days. Supposedly, the purest 17th Century English is used in the backwoods of the Appalachian mountains, near the east coast of the southern US.
Second, as mentioned, Castilian is different from other dialects of Spanish, and Mexican Spanish, as I’ve mentioned before, drives Spain-Spanish speakers to distraction sometimes. Cartagena’s G can be as in got or as an H; if it matters, I’ve mostly heard different pronunciations about Cartagena, Colombia.
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WRT English plurals for words ending in S, like dress, I believe current thought is that the plural should be written with -s or -es unless it would suggest an incorrect or difficult pronunciation: dresses, but not glasseses, which while plural is singular in construction, so, The glasses’ lenses…. Similarly, possessive shouldn’t suggest an incorrect or difficult pronunciation, The glasses’ lenses’ coating… but The magnifying glass’s lens’s… since the possessive S is pronounced in the latter case. However, it’s often better to just avoid an awkward construction.
As an Aspie with a long attention span, I usually spend the morning listening to the local public classical music station, streaming at allclassical.org, while I’m online. I called them on pronouncing Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera as if he were Spanish. Oops! His father was Catalan, and Catalans are NOT Spanish. Just ask them! His mother was Italian. So he wanted the “G” pronounced with the soft g of garage. Most announcers don’t make that mistake any longer.
Time to change costume to something celebratory. Yep, 2 days before D-Day! It would have been on the Eve of D-Day, but the weather in the Channel was bad. Ike could wait a day, Mom couldn’t! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Thanks for allclassical.org! In return, you may want to try KUSC (University of Spoiled Children, as we joke locally).
I’m a rare beast, native-born Angeliño, and KFAC was part of my life there. I heard it went CW after I left in ’92.
Happy B-Day! : )
@Walt, on plurals and possessives, yes and no. — 😉 Words like pants, scissors, glasses are odd in that, although they appear plural, they reconsidered singular. (English had an odd idea about why they were so: because they can be considered to be “pairs” of things: 2 legs of pants or trousers or breeches, two blades for the scissors, two lenses for the glasses. So they you have “a pair of pants or trousers,” even though they are one unit, not two in a pair. We don’t usually hear “a pair of glasses” in modern / current times, but I guess they were. (We still use the plural: Where _are_ by glasses, instead of “is”.) But we see socks as two in a pair, so you have one sock, two socks, a pair of socks. Then we have collective plurals for groups of things, or for some things viewed as a whole en masse. Those usually take singular in American and plural in British, but American English does make a distinction (or used to) about speaking of a collective plural as a whole unit, versus as individual members within the collective group, such as the family is, versus the family (members) are. British English defaults to plural for those cases either way.
But where I’d disagree with you is on the case of “The magnifying glass’ lens’ coating.” We’ve got one magnifying glass rather than two, but if we had two, it would become glasses’ for the plural possessive. Usually, a magnifying glass has one lens, while reading glasses (spectacles, oh my!) have a pair of two lenses, for which the possessive plural would be lenses’. The possessive plural for the magnifying glass’ lens is lens’. Then since the coating is not possessive, it gets no apostrophe, but it would go by the regular singular and plural for possessives: coating’s, coatings’.
Note when I went to school and when I edited for work, I’d use those rules, which were from the 70’s and 80’s, but agreed with the 50’s rules my mom learned.
So an -‘s on those (the magnifying glass’s lenses’s coating) would get counted off in English class, unless they’ve changed the textbook rules or some weird Style Guide decides differently. (The Chicao Manual of Style sometimes does odd non-textbook things.) And how I ws trained, it “looks funny” with the -‘s after the plural S, even though spoken English sometimes (or often) may say it with the S. It’s more what we get used to. I admit the bare ending apostrophe looks odd and is tricky in typesetting in quotations. (Typesetters bicker over whether to add a space for clarity. 😉 )
And yes, Spanish pronunciation and spelling can differ by dialect / region and by time period, and the official orthography changes periodically. The famous divide is between Castilian and other Spanish, but there are other things from history and in modern times.
@Paul — I know too little about Catalunyan (Catalonian), but yes, it has a very long history asa separate language, not a dialect of Spanish, and they are still dealing with trouble between Spain and the province over independence, which could still happen. (Elizabeth Castro, a well-known tech and computer writer, is either native or adopted Catalunyan.) I had reviewed a little from the Wiki page on the language, but I haven’t retained all of it. — And so I would’ve guess an Argentinian name to be pronounced in Spanish instead of Catalunyan. I’m unclear whether Miguel(?) Alcubierre/s name is Spanish or French or other, and I’ve heard it pronounced the Spanish way or the French way (silent final E, e-muet). But yes, those details do matter as family and personal and other pride. 🙂 So it’s good to know the G is Catalunyan there. (I’m going to revisit the Catalan language wiki page too.)
I went to a car show and barbecue in Boulder City (East of Las Vegas). It wasn’t a huge affair, but there were lots of people there. Without masks. Vegas has a very high inoculation rate and a very low infection rate. As my wife and I have been inoculated for over 6 weeks now, we both felt liberated and safe. It was so good to be back with people again like we had climbed out of a hole in the ground that we’d been living in for the last year.
It was so good to see people smile and to be able to read the emotions on their faces.
We had a very good day. The BBQ was great, too.
I’m so glad that people are able to get out and about. I finished percolating last week and am now fully immunized, and it’s nice to be able to go to more places, and it’s nice that group events (meetings and whatnot) are starting to happen in person again. I think you put it perfectly: it’s like climbing out of a hole. (Though I have to say, I’m pretty introverted, so it’s nice knowing that there’s a hole to climb back into when I need it. ; ) )
It seems like the flood-gates opened when the CDC came out with recent re-evaluations.
Yes, you’re not wrong there — I’m not going to lie, it’s giving me an all new level of anxiety. But there’s always still social distancing, and regular hand-washing.
Yes, the CDC has been a little inept on messaging and processing data; I suspect they lost some senior people.
For example, they had detailed evidence of one or a few people infecting many by aerosol spread indoors over a year ago, if I recall.
I’ve read that the policy of, “If you’re vaccinated, you don’t need to wear a mask,” was expected to motivate vaccination. Instead, some are taking it as a sign that the pandemic is over.
Meanwhile, as we start to open up, Vietnam has discovered a variant that’s a hybrid of the UK and India variants, very fast spreading, but the vaccine should protect from it.
I’m just past the percolation period after the 2nd Moderna shot, but I’m going to stay cautious for a while. As shown by the range of severity of Covid cases, people react differently, both to the virus and the vaccine. A little extra percolation won’t hurt.
When you make personal fealty the only qualification for a job, institutions get purged and replaced by incompetent yes-men. It takes time to rebuild a quality team. We got lucky surviving this time.
I just got back on the train from spending the weekend with my Mom in New Hampshire, courtesy of both of us having gotten our vaccines and percolated nicely too. I hadn’t stayed over night with her since two Januarys ( Januaries?) ago, courtesy of COVID. I had planned to spend the weekend with her the last week of March, 2020… just as COVID became a reality in the US. Since that time she has sold her house in the country last November and moved into Senior housing in my old, home town of Durham, NH (right opposite my old, elementary school!). I had seen her a few times and helped her pack up the old place but never spent a lot of time with her, especially indoors. It was so nice just to be able to relax and simply hang about with her, even if her new, much smaller quarters meant sleeping on an air mattress on the floor of her hot, living/dining area rather than in a bed in the cool upstairs of her old house.
My aunt and uncle sold their place two Novembers ago and have moved into the very high end (rather than subsidized) Senior housing in Durham too and we went over to see them this afternoon. I had never actually been inside their place and —much more importantly—hadn’t seen my aunt since she had had a heart attack this past January just after Christmas. Oh, it was so nice to see them too! This vaccination concept has a lot of good going for it!
Hanneke, glad to hear that you’ve gotten your first shot… soon you and your family will be fully vaccinated (a friend of mine in the Nederlands also just got hers this past week). Paul, I quite understand your decision to stay away from the mass (or even the minimum) of humanity for a while more. I’m happy to still be working from home and am not flinging myself back into the whirlwind of society yet either.
I just got my first jab this afternoon, will get the second on July 4th. Being in a health-risk group I got Pfizer.
My brother who isn’t a health risk gets his in a week, just the one jab of Johnson & Johnson.
They’re working down the birth years here, the late 1960s got their letter last week. Still a while to go before everyone is protected, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction.
Next job: get the vaccines into the poorer countries.
Just so’s the avatar can be a little bit more obvious…
Happy Birthday!