I wonder if Gladden and Squeak think about Gladys. Does the cage still carry Gladys' scent? They don't seem sad. (I've seen depressed sugar gliders.) Sugar gliders are emotional creatures. They form strong bonds. But does an animal with so many natural predators think about death?
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Friday, June 25, 2004
You should read Pet's blog entry for today. It's a good one. It's a follow-up to an email conversation she and I had about books Disney Studios disgraced with its movie adaptation, especially Winnie the Pooh. (I can't remember right now what started the conversation.)
When I started this blog, over one year ago, I was reading the Winnie the Pooh books.
Now I'm thinking about my favorite Winnie the Pooh story. It's Chapter IX of The House at Pooh Corner, "In Which Eeyore Finds the Wolery and Owl Moves Into It." In the previous chapter, Owl's house blows over in a windstorm and Piglet saves Owl and Pooh, who are trapped inside. In "Eeyore Finds the Wolery," Eeyore overcomes his lack of self-confidence when he becomes the one who finds a new house for Owl.
"'There!' said Eeyore proudly, stopping them outside Piglet's house. 'And the name on it, and everything!'
'Oh!' cried Christopher Robin, wondering whether to laugh or what.
'Just the house for Owl. Don't you think so, little Piglet?'
And then Piglet did a Noble Thing, and he did it in a sort of dream, while he was thinking of all the wonderful words Pooh had hummed about him.
'Yes, it's just the house for Owl,' he said grandly. 'And I hope he'll be very happy in it.' And then he gulped twice, because he had been very happy in it himself."
(I admire the economy of language in A.A. Milne's writing.) Piglet is such a selflessly sweet creature that he'd rather be homeless than to ruin his friend Eeyore's moment of glory. Pooh is such a sweet creature that he invites Piglet to live with him without pointing out his friend Eeyore's mistake. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.
When I started this blog, over one year ago, I was reading the Winnie the Pooh books.
Now I'm thinking about my favorite Winnie the Pooh story. It's Chapter IX of The House at Pooh Corner, "In Which Eeyore Finds the Wolery and Owl Moves Into It." In the previous chapter, Owl's house blows over in a windstorm and Piglet saves Owl and Pooh, who are trapped inside. In "Eeyore Finds the Wolery," Eeyore overcomes his lack of self-confidence when he becomes the one who finds a new house for Owl.
"'There!' said Eeyore proudly, stopping them outside Piglet's house. 'And the name on it, and everything!'
'Oh!' cried Christopher Robin, wondering whether to laugh or what.
'Just the house for Owl. Don't you think so, little Piglet?'
And then Piglet did a Noble Thing, and he did it in a sort of dream, while he was thinking of all the wonderful words Pooh had hummed about him.
'Yes, it's just the house for Owl,' he said grandly. 'And I hope he'll be very happy in it.' And then he gulped twice, because he had been very happy in it himself."
(I admire the economy of language in A.A. Milne's writing.) Piglet is such a selflessly sweet creature that he'd rather be homeless than to ruin his friend Eeyore's moment of glory. Pooh is such a sweet creature that he invites Piglet to live with him without pointing out his friend Eeyore's mistake. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.
Lynn and I took the afternoon off today. I took her to Ikea, and, in return, she took me to lunch at Teahouse Kuan Yin. We both had iced teas. Lynn had Hibiscus Elder™ and curried chickpea. I had Ginger Cameronian and a dill havarti & roasted pepper sandwich. Yummy!
My 2004 Tea/Tisane Log
1. yerba maté, 1 January
2. genmaicha, 9 January
3. South African Rooibos (with honey crystals), 10 January
4. chamomile lemon herb, 15 January
5. Northwest blackberry, 17-19 January
6. lime herbal teasan, 6 February
7. aged Earl Grey, 17 February
8. black cherry tea (organic Ceylon tea with black cherry flavor), 5 March
9. black tea blend (organic), iced, 17 March
10. oolong, 19 March
11. iced green tea with apple, peach, ginger, and elderberry juices, 21 March
12. artificially flavored "raspberry tea", iced, packed with dyes, preservatives, and possibly tea, 24 March
13. True Blueberry™ herb tea, 19 April
14. raspberry yerba maté (iced), 6 May
15. white (with orange blosson and ginger), iced, 14 May
16. Morning Dew™ (organic Chinese green), 19 May
17. chai tea latte (iced), 20 May
18. black with apricot, 9 June
19. "The Fire" herbal blend, 12 June
20. Ginger Cameronian (iced), 25 June
This evening, I stopped into Broadway Video and rented Secret Window. They won't be leaving the Broadway Market when QFC moves in. I'm very glad.
Phillip had an interesting point about the QFC/Fred Meyer move. According to the Seattle P-I story, Kroger had two choices: expand the food section of Fred Meyer and close QFC, or expand QFC and close Fred Meyer. By choosing the latter choice, the Broadway neighborhood will have a QFC, plus a Safeway one block north at Broadway and Mercer, plus another QFC eight blocks up on 15th, plus another QFC a half mile south at Broadway and Pike, and several smaller food markets. But it was no longer have a department store. I agree that it doesn't seem like the most beneficial choice.
My 2004 Tea/Tisane Log
1. yerba maté, 1 January
2. genmaicha, 9 January
3. South African Rooibos (with honey crystals), 10 January
4. chamomile lemon herb, 15 January
5. Northwest blackberry, 17-19 January
6. lime herbal teasan, 6 February
7. aged Earl Grey, 17 February
8. black cherry tea (organic Ceylon tea with black cherry flavor), 5 March
9. black tea blend (organic), iced, 17 March
10. oolong, 19 March
11. iced green tea with apple, peach, ginger, and elderberry juices, 21 March
12. artificially flavored "raspberry tea", iced, packed with dyes, preservatives, and possibly tea, 24 March
13. True Blueberry™ herb tea, 19 April
14. raspberry yerba maté (iced), 6 May
15. white (with orange blosson and ginger), iced, 14 May
16. Morning Dew™ (organic Chinese green), 19 May
17. chai tea latte (iced), 20 May
18. black with apricot, 9 June
19. "The Fire" herbal blend, 12 June
20. Ginger Cameronian (iced), 25 June
This evening, I stopped into Broadway Video and rented Secret Window. They won't be leaving the Broadway Market when QFC moves in. I'm very glad.
Phillip had an interesting point about the QFC/Fred Meyer move. According to the Seattle P-I story, Kroger had two choices: expand the food section of Fred Meyer and close QFC, or expand QFC and close Fred Meyer. By choosing the latter choice, the Broadway neighborhood will have a QFC, plus a Safeway one block north at Broadway and Mercer, plus another QFC eight blocks up on 15th, plus another QFC a half mile south at Broadway and Pike, and several smaller food markets. But it was no longer have a department store. I agree that it doesn't seem like the most beneficial choice.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
My favorite meditation spot remains the side of our apartment building's basement swimming pool. I haven't had any noteworthy "visions" in a while - mostly color shifts and a few out of awareness experiences.
Now that it's been so hot in Seattle (and even hotter in our apartment), poolside has also become a favorite spot of mine to sit and read. It's cool, quiet, and soothing down there.
I was reading Moonraker earlier this evening, down by the pool, when one of my neighbors stuck his head in the door and asked if I minded if he and his friend came in for a swim. No, I didn't mind.
That's a very common sense of etiquette in our apartment building: If someone's in the pool, you ask permission for you to come in, too. It's not posted anywhere, and there are no resident meetings to discuss it - everybody, without exception, just feels the need to ask if it's OK. Obviously, it's because the pool is so private - a locked door, and no windows. I don't imagine there are many outdoor community pools where a person would ask someone reading poolside for permission to swim. I think it's interesting.
I'm on page 060 of Moonraker, and there's not much action yet, but the book is fascinating. I'm seeing the Civil Servant life of James Bond. This is the James Bond who has only two or three assignments a year, and spends the rest of his time sitting in his office, doing paperwork, earning a salary of £1500, and looking forward to a full-time desk job in eight years. (Yes, Bond has an office! There's something else you don't see in the movies.) The movies ruined the character the novels created.
Now that it's been so hot in Seattle (and even hotter in our apartment), poolside has also become a favorite spot of mine to sit and read. It's cool, quiet, and soothing down there.
I was reading Moonraker earlier this evening, down by the pool, when one of my neighbors stuck his head in the door and asked if I minded if he and his friend came in for a swim. No, I didn't mind.
That's a very common sense of etiquette in our apartment building: If someone's in the pool, you ask permission for you to come in, too. It's not posted anywhere, and there are no resident meetings to discuss it - everybody, without exception, just feels the need to ask if it's OK. Obviously, it's because the pool is so private - a locked door, and no windows. I don't imagine there are many outdoor community pools where a person would ask someone reading poolside for permission to swim. I think it's interesting.
I'm on page 060 of Moonraker, and there's not much action yet, but the book is fascinating. I'm seeing the Civil Servant life of James Bond. This is the James Bond who has only two or three assignments a year, and spends the rest of his time sitting in his office, doing paperwork, earning a salary of £1500, and looking forward to a full-time desk job in eight years. (Yes, Bond has an office! There's something else you don't see in the movies.) The movies ruined the character the novels created.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
I still hate computers. Kurt told me about two free adware/spyware removers. They work great. Together, they detected and removed lots and lots of spyware and adware files on our system. There are two files, however that seem to regenerate themselves. They get caught, get deleted, and then show up again immediately. They seem to be the ones messing up Phillip's browser, too. I still have lots of work ahead of me. I hate computers.
Here's a bit of Broadway history. (I can't remember the exact dates or the order in which things happened, but this is the gist of it.) When I moved to the Broadway neighborhood in 1982, the renovation of Broadway was under way. The street was repaved. The standard traffic lights were replaced with decorative ones. (I read that there was some concern that the sideways traffic lights would confuse the color-blind.) The sidewalks were lined with decorative tiles, and the "Dance Steps" were installed.
At that time, the Fred Meyer department store took up the whole block between Broadway and Harvard, and between Republican and Harrison. The parking lot for Fred Meyer was along the back of the building, on Harvard Avenue. Across Republican, to the north, Starbuck's Coffee and Quality Food Center took up half of that block.
Some years later, Starbuck's relocated to the southeast corner of Broadway and Republican, and QFC expanded into the area vacated by the coffeeshop. (The Dance Steps with the coffee beans in the heel remain to mark the spot.)
There were rumors that Fred Meyer was going to be expanded to include a shopping mall, underground parking, residential apartments, and a multi-screen movie theater. I was among those who didn't believe that rumor. There was no way all that could fit in the space where Fred Meyer stood - especially a multiplex.
The rumor turned out to be true. Fred Meyer became just one shop in The Broadway Market. It was an odd arrangement. Fred Meyer was divided in half, on two different floors. There was no way to get from one floor of Fred Meyer to the other, except by leaving the store, going out into the mall, and reentering the store. (If you had unpaid purchases, you could ask a store employee to escort you.) There was a multi-screen movie theater in the Broadway Market, just as promised.
Our favorite movie rental store, Broadway Video, is in the Broadway Market, and so is Uzuri, the African arts store where I bought my djembe.
Broadway has fallen onto hard times, and so has the Broadway Market. The movie theater is gone, replaced by a Gold's Gym. The Gap is gone, and so is Storables. Urban Outfitters is still there, but mostly Broadway Market is a number of short-lived shops.
Then Kroger bought both Fred Meyer and QFC. There was some overlap in what the two stores sold, but Fred Meyer's tiny food section was devoted mainly to "natural foods" that QFC didn't carry.
About a month ago, I stopped into Broadway Video, and heard a rumor: Fred Meyer was leaving The Broadway Market, and QFC would be relocating to the space vacated by Fred Meyer. I didn't believe it. For one thing, even though there might be enough room for a grocery store, the split level would be impractical. (There wouldn't be enough room on one floor for the entire grocery store.)
Today, I learned that that rumor is mostly true. I went into Fred Meyer this afternoon, and saw that most of the store is already cleared out. A store employee told me the store was indeed closing. I came home and confirmed the rumor in last week's Seattle P-I. QFC will not be moving into the old Fred Meyer spots, but will instead take over most of the Broadway Market. Some shops, like B&O Espresso and Urban Outfitters, will relocate to other places in the mall, and other shops will leave altogether.
I feel like a piece of history is going away. I wonder where I'm going to buy computer supplies (either Downtown or the U-District, I suppose). And, most of all, I wonder about the future of Broadway Video (I need to stop in and ask).
At that time, the Fred Meyer department store took up the whole block between Broadway and Harvard, and between Republican and Harrison. The parking lot for Fred Meyer was along the back of the building, on Harvard Avenue. Across Republican, to the north, Starbuck's Coffee and Quality Food Center took up half of that block.
Some years later, Starbuck's relocated to the southeast corner of Broadway and Republican, and QFC expanded into the area vacated by the coffeeshop. (The Dance Steps with the coffee beans in the heel remain to mark the spot.)
There were rumors that Fred Meyer was going to be expanded to include a shopping mall, underground parking, residential apartments, and a multi-screen movie theater. I was among those who didn't believe that rumor. There was no way all that could fit in the space where Fred Meyer stood - especially a multiplex.
The rumor turned out to be true. Fred Meyer became just one shop in The Broadway Market. It was an odd arrangement. Fred Meyer was divided in half, on two different floors. There was no way to get from one floor of Fred Meyer to the other, except by leaving the store, going out into the mall, and reentering the store. (If you had unpaid purchases, you could ask a store employee to escort you.) There was a multi-screen movie theater in the Broadway Market, just as promised.
Our favorite movie rental store, Broadway Video, is in the Broadway Market, and so is Uzuri, the African arts store where I bought my djembe.
Broadway has fallen onto hard times, and so has the Broadway Market. The movie theater is gone, replaced by a Gold's Gym. The Gap is gone, and so is Storables. Urban Outfitters is still there, but mostly Broadway Market is a number of short-lived shops.
Then Kroger bought both Fred Meyer and QFC. There was some overlap in what the two stores sold, but Fred Meyer's tiny food section was devoted mainly to "natural foods" that QFC didn't carry.
About a month ago, I stopped into Broadway Video, and heard a rumor: Fred Meyer was leaving The Broadway Market, and QFC would be relocating to the space vacated by Fred Meyer. I didn't believe it. For one thing, even though there might be enough room for a grocery store, the split level would be impractical. (There wouldn't be enough room on one floor for the entire grocery store.)
Today, I learned that that rumor is mostly true. I went into Fred Meyer this afternoon, and saw that most of the store is already cleared out. A store employee told me the store was indeed closing. I came home and confirmed the rumor in last week's Seattle P-I. QFC will not be moving into the old Fred Meyer spots, but will instead take over most of the Broadway Market. Some shops, like B&O Espresso and Urban Outfitters, will relocate to other places in the mall, and other shops will leave altogether.
I feel like a piece of history is going away. I wonder where I'm going to buy computer supplies (either Downtown or the U-District, I suppose). And, most of all, I wonder about the future of Broadway Video (I need to stop in and ask).
I still hate computers. It seems that those "free" adware removers out there will only find the problem for free. If you want the problem fixed, you need to buy the software. (Which almost makes me wonder if it's the adware removers who are spreading the adware.)
The instructions that Norton gave me for manually removing the adware don't work. At least, the first step doesn't work, and I'm not venturing farther than that.
It looks like there's another software purchase coming.
The instructions that Norton gave me for manually removing the adware don't work. At least, the first step doesn't work, and I'm not venturing farther than that.
It looks like there's another software purchase coming.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Norton offered steps to remove the adware. They involve editing the registry. That scares me. I've decided to try an adware removal program (free trial version) - I downloaded one, but don't feel up to trying it tonight.
I almost forgot: There was also a nice card in yesterday's mail. That one was from the Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle. It offered sympathy for the loss of Gladys Night, and was signed by all of the clinic staff.
I almost forgot: There was also a nice card in yesterday's mail. That one was from the Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle. It offered sympathy for the loss of Gladys Night, and was signed by all of the clinic staff.
I hate computers. After spending yesterday evening tweaking Norton AntiVirus, and then installing ZoneAlarm (the firewall Kurt recommended) and tweaking it, I face another evening of wrestling with our computer. Phillip's browser is infected by adware. (Oddly enough, it got infected just as I installed Norton.) Now I have to figure out how to get rid of adware without destroying the computer. I'm not looking forward to this.
Meanwhile, in the real world, I was surprised by a lovely card from Bernice in today's mail.
I ran into Emily today. She's recently back from England. She reminded me, indirectly, that I haven't been a very good vegetarian lately.
Meanwhile, in the real world, I was surprised by a lovely card from Bernice in today's mail.
I ran into Emily today. She's recently back from England. She reminded me, indirectly, that I haven't been a very good vegetarian lately.
Monday, June 21, 2004
When I was a kid, my family lived in a suburb east of New Orleans. We had a great swimming pool, but no library. There was, however, a bookmobile that would show up at regular times. (I don't remember how often the bookmobile would arrive.) During the summers, I would usually earn a certificate from the library for reading 20 books, or so. (Maybe it wasn't that many. I don't remember. I do remember it involving a lot of reading.)
This summer, The Seattle Public Library has a program called "Summer Reading for Adults." All I have to do is read three books between June and August (which doesn't seem like a lot of reading) and I get a free Literary Latte from Starbucks, plus I'll have a chance to win a "Booklover's Basket." Every three books earns me another chance to win the basket, but I get only one free latte.
Here's what I'm reading right now:
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (Yes, I'm still reading it. Phillip pointed out that the contest doesn't say it has to be books from the library, but still, I won't include this among my three.)
Living Buddha, Living Christ, by Thich Nhat Hanh (This is a great book! I'm becoming a fan of Nhat Hanh. The contest asks that we recommend one book on each list of three. This will probably be the one.)
The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas (Which doesn't include my favorite: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," but it's still a good collection.)
This is what I have on hold at the library:
Moonraker, by Ian Fleming (I'm on a kick. It may not be high literature, but these James Bond novels are exciting reading.)
Two Wheels North, by Evelyn McDaniel Gibb (It was on the list of Seattle Public Library "Staff Favorites." It looks interesting.)
Pet: My hand it a rubber stamp. What does it say? It contains some words for better living, like "Be kind to animals," but it's written in biodegradable ink so as to lessen my environmental impact.
This summer, The Seattle Public Library has a program called "Summer Reading for Adults." All I have to do is read three books between June and August (which doesn't seem like a lot of reading) and I get a free Literary Latte from Starbucks, plus I'll have a chance to win a "Booklover's Basket." Every three books earns me another chance to win the basket, but I get only one free latte.
Here's what I'm reading right now:
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (Yes, I'm still reading it. Phillip pointed out that the contest doesn't say it has to be books from the library, but still, I won't include this among my three.)
Living Buddha, Living Christ, by Thich Nhat Hanh (This is a great book! I'm becoming a fan of Nhat Hanh. The contest asks that we recommend one book on each list of three. This will probably be the one.)
The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas (Which doesn't include my favorite: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," but it's still a good collection.)
This is what I have on hold at the library:
Moonraker, by Ian Fleming (I'm on a kick. It may not be high literature, but these James Bond novels are exciting reading.)
Two Wheels North, by Evelyn McDaniel Gibb (It was on the list of Seattle Public Library "Staff Favorites." It looks interesting.)
Pet: My hand it a rubber stamp. What does it say? It contains some words for better living, like "Be kind to animals," but it's written in biodegradable ink so as to lessen my environmental impact.
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Phillip felt he needed to sleep late this morning, but I felt that I needed to go to church. Bernice shared a pew with me, and we had a nice long talk after the service. That helped a lot. Bernice is a very good friend.
Phillip and I went to Kurt and Lori's house this afternoon for a barbecue and Hearts. Before we left, Phillip suggested that we take surface streets up to their house, instead of the freeway. That was funny, because I was about to suggest the same thing. I was in the mood for a drive, and to me, freeways are merely a way to get to your destination. I don't like freeways. Freeways are just something to get through in-between the start and the end of a trip. Driving surface streets is, to me, really driving. It's the opportunity to see things along the way. Stoplights in the city offer great people-watching chances.
(We'd somehow acquired the habit of taking the freeway up to Kurt and Lori's and then taking the surface streets home.)
On our way home this evening, Phillip remarked that driving north on the freeway, to Lori and Kurt's, always seems somehow longer than the drive back on Lake City Way and Roosevelt. I agreed with him. I really don't like freeways.
Phillip and I went to Kurt and Lori's house this afternoon for a barbecue and Hearts. Before we left, Phillip suggested that we take surface streets up to their house, instead of the freeway. That was funny, because I was about to suggest the same thing. I was in the mood for a drive, and to me, freeways are merely a way to get to your destination. I don't like freeways. Freeways are just something to get through in-between the start and the end of a trip. Driving surface streets is, to me, really driving. It's the opportunity to see things along the way. Stoplights in the city offer great people-watching chances.
(We'd somehow acquired the habit of taking the freeway up to Kurt and Lori's and then taking the surface streets home.)
On our way home this evening, Phillip remarked that driving north on the freeway, to Lori and Kurt's, always seems somehow longer than the drive back on Lake City Way and Roosevelt. I agreed with him. I really don't like freeways.
