Tag: tina

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Learning songs about the one that got away

Yesterday, part of my IM conversation with Tina went like this:

Tina: so guess what?

Me: what?

Tina: there is a surprise for you in the boys bathroom. it has paws.

Me: mouse?

Tina: and it scared the shit out of me

Tina: yep

Tina: wrapped up in a towel

Tina: waiting for you to come home and throw it away

Me: we should set traps again

Tina: thinks that’s a good idea

Tina: at first i thought it was a toy

Tina: then i saw blood

Tina: then i screamed

Tina: and threw a towel over it

Me: haha

Tina: mice are scary

I was able to guess the answer easily because this is the second we have found this year. The first we took from one of the kittens more than a week ago after they had eaten the guts out of it.

After I got home last night, I went into the bathroom and grabbed the towel in question. I took it out into the garage and put it into the garbage can, which is conveniently full to the top. I unwrapped the folds and found a positively live mouse looking at me inquisitively. There was no sign of blood and the little fellow look quite healthy. I quickly refolded the towel and went back into the house. “That mouse is still alive,” I whispered to Tina. The range of emotions that passed over her face was pretty amusing.

I found a plastic container in the recycling and dumped a little baking soda in it and returned to the garage with the intent of gassing the critter. I put the container on the floor and began to unfold the towel to dump the mouse into the container. Unfortunately, he landed right next to the container and took off under the car. Baby, who just happened to be in the garage with me at that moment, immediately pursued the new toy under the car. I assumed that he would emerge with mouse in mouth, but I was wrong. Soon he was digging around behind some shelves where his brother joined him, but they never caught the bugger.

When Graham got wind of the situation, he refused to go to bed. We eventually talked him into it, but I think that the presence of his nightly companion reassured him that he would be safe from any rogue rodents that might trespass into his bedroom.

Rory spent most of the evening camped in front of the stove intently looking underneath it. Since that was a prime spot for catching mice last year, I’ll put a couple of traps under there tonight as well as one by the cat food and one under the dishwasher.

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Holiday Road: Day 8

Friday, December 28
Tina attended Arizona State University as a freshman so we joined her in revisiting her original alma mater one afternoon. We shopped at the campus book store and then searched for her old dormitory, which is now in the middle of new construction. We failed to find her favorite Hawaiian shaved ice place and but enjoyed some sushi at an off-campus restaurant.

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We can laugh our lives away and be free once more

Recent events in the Portland Ring household:

  • As mentioned earlier, our cat Nietzsche had to be put down on Saturday. Possibly more on that later.
  • Tina saw her doctor on Monday and was disappointed to find that her foot fractures have not healed. I’m renewing my efforts to keep her off her feet. She will continue to wear “the boot” until she is healed.
  • Tina’s dad, Leroy, arrived yesterday. He’ll be with us for a week. Tina’s cousin Natians (Buddy’s step-daughter) will be in town for 10 days starting on Saturday.
  • Last night we took Leroy to his first zoo concert. The Charlie Hunter Trio played an incredible show. Hunter is a unique guitarists who simultaneously plays lead and bass guitar parts on his 7-string guitar. Unfortunately, after they returned from their mid-show break, the set became more solo jazz oriented so we left early.
  • Because Natians and Leroy are in town we’ve got a busy week ahead of us: a long weekend at the coast, another zoo concert (featuring the beautiful voice of Richie Furay), Body Worlds 2 at OMSI and the annual CPS golf tournament and company picnic.
  • I’m finishing up a big project at work and will soon be transitioning to a new project. When my product ships, I’ll have a link to the announcement here.
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Flowers for Mom

Last night I got home a little early and decided to take advantage of the sunlight. While I mowed the front yard and trimmed the weeds, Graham came out and asked if he could pick some flowers for Tina. I said sure and he set about cutting off roses, rhododendron blooms and whatever else he could find in the yard. Thomas came out after a little while and suggested that arranging them nicely for a picture would make good wallpaper for Tina’s computer. Soon they were both enthusiastically arranging flowers for pictures. The results were pretty good. The light was low but some of the details are nice. I also added a few photos to my Spring Flowers album on Flickr.

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 884
Weight lost: 55 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 9
Hours billed last week: 40
Current reading: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Recent listening: Coverville, DrugMusic, Corinne Bailey Rae by Corinne Bailey Rae, Collision Course by Jay Z with Linkin Park, Chicago IX by Chicago, Randy Holden
Recent viewing: Suns at Spurs, The Office, War Wrecks of the Corral Seas, Sportscenter, Masters Sunday, Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards, Without a Trace, CSI: Miami, South Park, Countdown
Recent playing: Spikey’s Bounce Around, Clue (Simpsons edition), Chicken and Egg
Recently accomplished: Paid bills, cleaned cat box, caulked SE downspout, turned and harvested compost, weeded and planted new grass, groceries
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, backup Thomas, backup Graham, backup Tina, mow back lawn, bank deposit, renew BTA membership, pickup tire at Bike Gallery

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: n/a
Weight lost: 54 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: hardly any (coughing all night)
Hours billed last week: 40
Current reading: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Recent listening: Gotham by Bauhaus, Randy Holden
Recent viewing: Rockets at Lakers, Charlie Rose, The Dead Zone, Stunt Junkies, March Madness: Final Four, Heat at Pistons, Mavericks at Suns
Recent playing: Spikey’s Bounce Around, Pipi the Jumping Bubble
Recently accomplished: Cleaned cat boxes, recycling, garbage, swept garage, rechargeable battery plan, fixed bathroom sink, cleaned gutters and roof, mowed and trimmed the front lawn, cleaned and lubed bike
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, backup Thomas, backup Graham, backup Tina, mow back lawn

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Go ahead, let your hair down

Tina’s mom, Jan, is in town this week to help Uncle Buddy with some landscaping at his (relatively) new house. Last night the six of us went to Delta Cafe for an early dinner and then I took Tina and the boys to the Rhododendron Garden. The rhodies are blooming yet, but there were around 10 different varieties of wood fowl in evidence. Both boys really enjoyed trying to get close to the ducks. We walked around for over an hour before the sun started to set and we went home.

A loyal reader recently reported that she had problems leaving a comment. I think I fixed the problem so if you’ve had problems in the past, please don’t hesitate to comment again. I crave feedback!

Last night I finally got around to putting some flag football pictures up at the Rynosoft Gallery. Check ’em out.

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 813 miles
Weight lost: 54 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 6
Hours billed last week: 29
Current reading: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Recent listening: Collision Course by Jay Z with Linkin Park, Broken Boy Soldiers by The Raconteurs, Science Friday, The Rising Tied by Fort Minor, Fresh Air
Recent viewing: Sportscenter, Pardon the Interuption, Countdown, The Dead Zone
Recent playing: Spikey’s Bounce Around, Pipi the Jumping Bubble
Recently accomplished: backed up my hard drive
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, fix bathroom sink, backup Thomas, backup Graham, backup Tina, implement rechargeable battery plan, mow lawn