Charlotte is Gone.

This morning I found my dear little turtle, Charlotte, dead. She was about nine years old.

Back in March I wrote about Charlotte, and how I found her. You can read that post by going here.

After I found Charlotte this morning, I went to the store and bought her a nice jewelry box, and two small baby security blankets. I cleaned her up, wrapped her in her blankets, and placed her inside the jewelry box. Charlotte now rests under a small palm tree in our front yard.

Jacqueline and the Sheepskin Throw

I usually write about Jacqueline and Angel, which is logical because they are very close. They live in the house whereas Mariah lives in the backyard. Being house dogs, Angel and Jacqueline spend all their time together. Therefore any adventure one may have invariably involves the other, so I am almost obliged to write about both.

But today I feel rebellious, and I am going to more or less showcase each. (except Angel will have to share a little noteriaty with his sister Mariah.) We'll start of with Jacqueline, who as it turns out also has an attraction to the sheepskin throw. The following photographs were taken a while back. In fact, they were taken back when Jacqueline was still a puppy. Consider it an extra treat. (Afterall, everyone loves puppies!)

Be sure to check out the Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings, and the Friday Ark at The Modulator for more interesting animals.

Thalia and the Sheepskin Throw

Few things in life give Thalia as much comfort as the sheepskin throw that adorns the futon in our living room.

More cats can be found at the Friday Ark at The Modulator, and the Carnival of the Cats this Sunday.

Clean Angel

Angel is a Maltese that got caught in some evil nuclear accident. He outweighs any normal specimen of his breed by a good twelve pounds. However he does exihbit the playfullness of the breed, and is seemingly always happy. He is most happy when he is on his walk. Get him outdoors with a big mud puddle to splash around in, or some cool grass to roll on, and he is in doggie heaven. He acts just like a little boy should, and gets equally dirty. If you look back on some of the earlier posts that involve Angel here at Athenamama, you might notice that his coat is, well, a bit on the shabby side.

Part of the reason for this is because Angel is allergic to fleas, and one bite sends him into a biting and scratching tizzy that has the awful effect of leaving him with no fur, and raw skin. (Luckly a little antihystamine seems to clear up his skin entirely.) Another reason Angel looks like a tramp is because he IS a little boy, and he LOVE getting dirty. In fact, we should've named him Pig Pen, because just like the Peanut's character, two seconds after his bath Angel attracts dirt like Angelina Jolie attracts other people's husbands.

So, I though I would dig up some pictures of Angel when he was a nicely groomed, adorable little dog. The next few shots are of Angel romping around the backyard with our lessor known pooch, Mariah. Notice how WHITE Angel's coat is, and how well grommed it looks. He's absolutely dashing.

Be sure to check out the Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings, and the Friday Ark at The Modulator for more interesting animals.

Would You Buy A Used Car From This Man? UPDATE

We ended up buying a 1997 Toyota Camry LXE. It has 41000 miles on it, (about 5000 a year,) and is in great shape. It took a good hour and forty-five minutes of negotiating, but I left with a deal I could live with.

Favorite exchange;
Salesman: "If you agree to this number you will make my manager happy. You will give him something he can be happy with".
Me: "I don't care if he's happy. I want to be happy."

And I am. The Camry is quite possibly the best car made today for the money. I have owned one before and it performed well beyond my expectations. I would still own it except the dealership I bought it from, Ventura Toyota, didn't want to accommodate me when we decided to buy the car at the end of the lease. (BTW, Never lease a car.) We wanted to come in and do the paperwork on a weekend, and the sales manager told me that they only had a few salespeople on the weekend who did the paperwork involved in buying a car at the end of the lease contract, and that she, and I quote, “Would like to reserve them for our real customers.”

I reminded her that I paid my very expensive payments on time for five years, and if that didn’t qualify me as a “real” customer, she could park that car…. well, on their lot. I turned it in that day.

Never to do business with Ventura Toyota again, we went to Thousand Oaks, and found the car of our dreams there. And I am happy we did.

Deacon Blues

A post at On The Fritz compelled me to look up the lyrics of one of my favorite songs. Like most young people, music had a profound impact on my life when I was in my late teens and early twenties. This song by Steely Dan hit me in a way that to this day I cannot express in words.

Below are the lyrics. I will be listening to this song later to day for sure. If you have never heard a song by Steely Dan, this would be a great one to start with. But be warned, it is more of a somber ballad than a rockin' pick-me-up. If you are looking to pep up a bit, you may want to hold off on this one for a while...

DEACON BLUES

This is the day
Of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand
It seems like only yesterday
I gazed through the glass
At ramblers
Wild gamblers
That's all in the past

You call me a fool
You say it's a crazy scheme
This one's for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I'll make it this time
I'm ready to cross that fine line

CHORUS:
I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues

My back to the wall
A victim of laughing chance
This is for me
The essence of true romance
Sharing the things we know and love
With those of my kind
Libations
Sensations
That stagger the mind

I crawl like a viper
Through these suburban streets
Make love to these women
Languid and bittersweet
I'll rise when the sun goes down
Cover every game in town
A world of my own
I'll make it my home sweet home

CHORUS

This is the night
Of the expanding the man
I take one last drag
As I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be

Action Shots

Jacqueline and Angel often engage in a few bouts of play-fighting whenever they are allowed up on our bed. We have hardwood floors throughout the house, and of course that sort of surface isn't very conducive to horseplay.

Below are a few pictures I took during one of these doggie wrestling matches. I hope you find them entertaining.

Be sure to check out the Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings, and the Friday Ark at The Modulator for more interesting animals.

Bad Cat Pictures

I decided to try something different this week, and post of the worst of this week's pictures of Thalia. Below are three pictures I took of her as she rested on my lap. I just held the camera at arms length, pointed it in her general direction, and pressed the shutter.

More cats can be found at the Friday Ark at The Modulator, and the Carnival of the Cats this Sunday.

Two Years and Counting

I forgot to mention that today marks Thalia's second anniversary as my baby. It was two years ago today that I drove out to the breeder's house and picked Thalia up at the tender age of three months. She was such a tiny thing back then, but was full of energy and mischief.

Now she is a beautiful young lady.

Happy anniversary, Thalia!

I Vant To Be Alone

Salem graciously posed for the camera earlier this week, and I was able to capture some great shots that really show off her poise and personality. But much like her favorite movie star, Greta Garbo, Salem most often wishes to be alone.

Here was the final shot of the session. She has had enough, and is letting the cameraman know so.

More cats can be found at the Friday Ark at The Modulator, and the Carnival of the Cats this Sunday.

Adventures While Walking

Angel and Jacqueline go for a walk...

Angel and Jacqueline check who else has been on a walk...

Angel looks for hidden treasures during his walk...

And Jacqueline dines on dandelions...

Check out the Friday Ark at The Modulator for more fine examples of the pet world.

Would You Buy A Used Car From This Man?

The wife and I have decided the time has come to lose my 300ZX, and buy something a bit more practical. I have no problem with this since the 300ZX is a two-seater, and I practically have to use a shoehorn to get inside of the damn thing. It is also twelve years old, and has 130000 miles on it. Things are going to start going bad in a hurry.

The replacement will most likely be a late 90's Volvo. Preferably something in the 850, or S70 family. Last weekend we started looking, and even test-drove two cars. One was a wagon, and the other a sedan. They drove well, and they pretty much solidified the Volvo as our choice for our next car. Unfortunately neither of the two we drove was acceptable in either color, (the sedan,) or style, (the wagon,) so we decided to continue the search another day.

On our way home we swung by the local Volvo dealership to see what they might have in the way of used cars on their lot. As luck would have it, right up front was a 1998 S70. It's black, and has black leather seats. I wasn't feeling well, and we were on our way home anyway, so the wife hopped out and took a quick look before we continued on home. When she got back in the car she told me she really like it, and wanted to come back soon to take it for a spin.

Yesterday after work I had the opportunity to do just that. I went straight to the dealership after I got off work, and wandered around the lot waiting for a salesperson to approach me. Fifteen minutes later I decided that if I was going to test-drive this car, I was going to have to go inside the dealership and find me a salesperson. I guess it was too cold out yesterday for one to venture out on their own.

I grabbed the first salesperson I could find, a rather large, jolly fellow who goes by the name "Indy". I asked Indy if they were trying to sell the 1998 S70 out front in their drive, and he said yes, in fact they were. I said, "Fine, perhaps we could take a look at it, and maybe even take it for a little spin." This made Indy a very happy salesguy.

Indy snatched up a placard of keys, and we headed on out the door. By now I had had more than enough time to thoroughly inspect the outside of the car, and I wasn't all that pleased with it. The rear bumper had a lot of scuffmarks on it; there were a few spots of missing paint, some dings, sun-damaged rubber, and the brake rotors looked like it was time for them to be replaced. Regardless, I decided I at least should see if the car ran well, and if it did I knew I would be able to use the minor cosmetic imperfections to my advantage, and get the price down to something way more realistic than the high bluebook they were asking.

I pretended to look the car over as if it were the first time I had seen it close up. Indy went on and on about how well it had been kept up, and what grand condition it was in. Indy then started the car for me, and that was the first inclination I had that the car really was a lemon after all. The car ran rough for the first few seconds after he started it, and for a car of it's age, with an acceptable 62,000 miles on it, it shouldn't run rough at all. I decided to take it out anyway because even though I was 99% sure I wasn't going to buy it, I would need to explain my decision later to my wife. Therefore the more deficiencies I could find the easier it would be to convince her it was a bad deal.

Indy photocopied my license, and let me take the car out on my own. I carefully pulled out onto the street, and headed straight for the freeway. As I did, I fiddled with every knob and button I could find. I discovered the air worked, the radio worked, the turn indicators worked, seemingly everything worked, until I hit the freeway and tried out the cruise control. It didn't work.

With the failure of the cruise control the car now had two strikes, but I wanted a full three before I presented my case to my wife, so I pulled over and popped the hood. The engine compartment looked clean enough, but of course I knew it had been steam cleaned. There was a new battery, but there also looked as if there were a few new wires here and there. Far from reassuring me, the new wires actually worried me. It told me that the dealership most likely spit-shined the motor to make it look good, but in reality it probably had a host of problems. I decided to find out.

I hopped back in the car and accelerated to 50 miles per hour. Then I floored it. The tiny four cylinder strained as it slowly pushed the car up to around 85 miles per hour, and then I let off the gas. At first I noticed the car was now running even rougher. Then I noticed the check engine light was blinking as if the car was experiencing a medical crisis.

I gently drove the car back to the dealership, parked it where I found it, and got out to meet up with Indy. He asked me what I thought, and I told him I wasn't interested. He said in typical car salesperson smartassese, "It took you that long to figure it out?" I retorted that I was on the fence for a while, but when the check engine light started blinking feverishly, I decided against it.

He became quite apologetic after that.

He asked if I would be interested in a similar model that had cloth seats instead of leather. I asked if his mechanics had checked it out as well as the one I just drove. He turned candy apple red and apologized again for the poor quality of the car they wished to sell at high bluebook.

I gave him my number and told him to call me if they got anything decent in, but I won't be answering his calls. To put a heap like that on their lot and try to sell it at top dollar tells me all I need to know about how that dealership treats their customers.

Acupuncture and Me

I enlisted the services of an acupuncturist this past Saturday as part of my on going quest to quell my chronic pain issues. It was really quite interesting.

I brought along my wife as an observer who could later fill me in from a different perspective on what was happening at each stage of the process. My wife is also interested in trying out a little acupuncture herself, and so my stab at it made for a perfect opportunity for her to see what happens first hand without actually getting stuck herself. As fate would have it, she ended up being stuck before I did. The acupuncturist gave my wife a “free sample” as it were, and placed one needle in her arm. My wife claimed to have felt some energy emanating from the needle, but she insisted it did not feel like pain. In that I was about to receive multiple needles, I felt a tad more reassured about the whole idea.

After reviewing my case with the acupuncturist, she led us to a small room with a small, motorized bed-like table with which she can elevate your head, legs, or entire body as needed for your comfort and her access. The room is painted a light baby-blue color, and was comfortably warm. Other than her equipment, a few bookshelves, some sort of air purifier/ionizer, and a couple of chairs, there was little else. She told me to strip down to my underwear, and lie on my back on the table. She also provided me with a white sheet with which to cover myself.

I climbed onto the table and thought for sure it was going to be the most uncomfortable thing I had ever been on. My legs hung off the edge by a good eighteen inches, and all I had for a pillow was what looked like a small, square piece of foam covered by a cloth. The table itself was hardly padded at all, yet on the whole it turned out to be surprisingly relaxing.

I closed my eyes and listened to the music playing in the background while the acupuncturist placed small amounts of oil on specific areas of my body, such as my ears, wrists, and abdomen. Before long she began inserting the needles.

The whole process took about forty-five minutes. For most of that time my eyes were closed, and I saw what looked like billowing clouds of soft light. It was almost like a dream, and really rather fascinating. At one point I felt the acupuncturist holding the toes of my right foot, but then realized she couldn’t be because she was kneading my left leg with both hands. I felt similar sensations where I believed she was holding my fingers or toes, but at the same time felt her massaging me elsewhere.

I would also feel what I can now only explain as jolts of energy between the areas of my body where needles were inserted. It wasn’t like electricity at all, but rather like a warm, brief flow of energy between two needles.

It was what we used to call “trippy”.

After it was all over I felt very relaxed. Muscles in my neck and shoulder that are generally so tight they feel like stone were now the consistency of pudding. The acupuncturist said that the treatment would continue to “blossom” for the next couple of days, and that I could come back whenever I felt like it.

Later I felt like the treatment had little effect on my neck, shoulder, and arm pain. However, I do think it helped relieve some pain that I always have in the toes of my left foot. For quite some time now I have had a loss of sensation in the ball of my left foot just where it meets up with the three middle toes. It’s always sort of numb, and feels like your arm or leg might after being “asleep”. But since the visit with the acupuncturist, who knew of the problem, it has felt much better.

I am by nature a pretty skeptical person. In fact it took my wife and medical doctor over a year to convince me to give acupuncture a try. While I am not quite convinced that there is a “life force” flowing through me that can be manipulated by sticking pins in the body, I have to admit I did feel something as I laid on that table. I also think it warrants further investigation, and so as soon as I can save up another seventy-five bucks, I will be back for another go around as the human pin cushion

Doggie Blogging

This is a cute picture of Jacqueline peeeking out of the corner of here eyes. She looks as if she is thinking, "What is with you and that camera?"

On the other side of the room, Angel forgets how to use a pillow.

Check out the Friday Ark at The Modulator for more fine examples of the pet world.

Thalia's Beautiful Eyes

Thalia has beautiful blue eyes the likes of which are beyond the capabilities of my camera.

Last night she was resting on the blue comforter, and it really brought out those eyes. Even though the camera doesn't do them justice, I think you might be able to get an idea of what those eyes are like in the next three pictures.

More cats can be found at the Friday Ark at The Modulator, and the Carnival of the Cats this Sunday.

Fibber McGee and Molly Part II

I have written before of my love for the old time radio show, Fibber McGee and Molly. I love this show so much if I had an iPod, it would have nothing but episodes of Fibber McGee on it!

For some reason autumn makes listening to these shows all that much more enjoyable for me, and I decided I would share my joy with you, my loyal reader. You will find two links below where you will be able to download two different shows for your listening pleasure.

I won't go in to the details of how I came to be such a fan of Fibber McGee and Molly because I already wrote about that once before. However, I would like to say that had it not been for Marion Jordan's poor health, (Marion played Molly to her husband Jim's Fibber McGee,) I honestly believe she and Jim would have remained as famous as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and George Burns. I say remained because during the twenty-five plus years that Fibber McGee and Molly were on the air they were every bit as, (or perhaps even more,) famous as any of the other great entertainers from the golden age of radio.

In the early 1950's as radio started to give way to television, Fibber McGee and Molly was reduced from a thirty minute show in front of a live audience to a fifteen minute studio show. Later it became a series of five-minute sketches sprinkled throughout the day. Still, many radio shows of the day successfully made the transition to television. Ozzie and Harriet, Burns and Allen, The Jack Benny Show, and I Love Lucy are a few of the more famous shows that had their start in radio, but Marion's poor health prevented her from working much in her later years, and as a result Fibber McGee and Molly was history by the end of the 1950's. It was briefly on television with different actors playing the lead roles, but no one could capture the chemistry of Jim and Marion. It would be like replacing Burns and Allen with other, less known actors trying to pull off the same routines as George and Gracie.

Marion died in 1965, and Jim pretty much retired. He did a few commercials for Johnson Wax; the sponsor for Fibber McGee and Molly for most of its run, and also did a little voice over work such as playing Orville in the 1977 Disney animated film, The Rescuers. But without Marion, Jim favored semi-retirement as opposed to working as an entertainer.

In my opinion Jim Jordan is a great comedic actor. He is a genius on the same level as Hope or Benny, and his impromptu skills cannot be touched. You really need to listen for yourself, but I am sure you will come to the same conclusion.

Like I said, I have made available two shows for you to download and enjoy. I hope you will give them a try because the Fibber McGee and Molly show really is a wonderful slice of American entertainment from the 1930's and 1940's, and I am sure you will think so too.

Right click and save as from this link or this link.

If you do listen to these shows, and would like to hear more, Al Girard has a site devoted to Fibber and Molly, and he has three shows each week available for download. I personally have collected over 700 shows, and many of them came from Al's collection. He has taken the time to clean up the static and other annoying background noises common to old recordings, so most of the shows sound pretty good. You can access Al's site here.