Using IValueConverter to format values in RadControls for Silverlight

It’s often necessary to modify or format some of the raw data received by your data tier application or other data sources. In Silverlight, you can create your own value converter and introduce your own formatting rules. In this blog post I will create a simple value converter that formats double values, and then use it with a RadComboBox. First, let’s create a class that will represent our data source. The equivalent of this class in more realistic scenario would be a proxy class generated by your data tier application in case you use RIA services. public class Data : List { public Data() { this.Add(new Item() { Name = "Ferrari", Price = 120000 }); this.Add(new Item() { Name = "Mercedes", Price = 100000 }); this.Add(new Item() { Name = "BMW", Price = 90000 }); this.Add(new Item() { Name = "Ford", Price = 50000 }); } } The Item class can be any class that implements the INotifyPropertyChanged interface. In this case the Item class has only two properties Name and Price. To data bind the data source class we have just created, you should set the DataContext property of RadComboBox like this: Data context = new Data(); radCombo.DataContext = context; Since we want to bind our RadComboBox to the items that are contained in Data, not the Data class itself, we can either use the DisplayMemberPath, a property of RadComboBox, or create an ItemTemplate. Otherwise, if you just simply set the DataContext to the data source you will end up with a ToString() representation of your Data class. To have our two properties, Name and Price, appear in a single ComboBoxItem we should create a custom template. Here is a sample implementation of this: The result of running this code should be similar to this: Obviously, we cannot distinguish whether the numbers part of the combobox item are prices or telephone numbers. What we would like to achieve is simply format the UI representation of this values without modifying the data source itself. In Silverlight and WPF you can use the IValueConverter interface to introduce your own format logic. The interface has two virtual methods that you should implement: Convert and ConvertBack. Here is a simple implementation of a converter that formats the Price property of the data source class to its currency representation. public class NumericConverter : IValueConverter { public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture) { if (value is double) { var num = (double)value; return num.ToString("C", culture); } return value; } public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, CultureInfo culture) { double num; if (double.TryParse(value.ToString(), out num)) { return num; } return DependencyProperty.UnsetValue; } } The Convert method is the place to introduce you custom logic. The ConvertBack method should do the inverse of what Convert does, but Silverlight isn't making use of it, so you can leave it not implemented. Note that the data binding engine doesn’t catch exceptions by custom converters. In order to anticipate any problems with the conversion process of your data type, you should return DependencyProperty.UnsetValue. Now you can declare the value converter in the resources tag of your control like this: You should also associate your custom converter to the property you want to use it. Now if you run the application your RadComboBox should look similar to this: It’s important to note that you can use the value converters in any control in your Silverlight application. Value converters are also very useful when dealing with DateTime types.

Wakarusa 2009 Lineup, Schedule Posted

Ive got a set of festival announcements that I wanted to post and comment on a bit, as the festivals that have been announced this year are all looking pretty amazing from where Im sitting. Theres so much uniqueness in the way festivals are occurring these days, with Carries post called Festival Fever fully summarizing the sentiment Ive long tried to express through the content on the blog overall.
In deciding to see a festival these days, aside from the line-up, a big part of the draw is the festival setting. Castle, pirate ship, barn, or mountaintop equals yes. Expo Center, mini-mall, or dusty-field-with-faint-smell-of-manure is probably a no. The setting cannot be underestimated. After all, you are basically trapped in one location for 10 to 12 hours.
I think the boys putting on Wakarusa were especially aware of this consideration, especially given the police troubles in the past when the festival was still being held in Lawrence, KS. But this year, theyve moved locations and theyre setting up shop at Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas. The festival is set for June 4th-7th, and the lineup features The Black Crowes, Govt Mule, and STS9 as the top of the bill. Read on for the full lineup.
Wakarusa 2009 Lineup
The Black Crowes
Govt Mule
STS9 (2 huge sets!)
Yonder Mountain String Band (2 huge sets!)
Les Claypool
G Love  Special Sauce
Matisyahu
Gomez
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Galactic (2 sets including a special late night set)
Shpongle
Buckethead (special late night set)
Sly  Robbie
Railroad Earth (2 big sets)
Steve Kimock Crazy Engine featuring Melvin Seals
Perpetual Groove (2 big sets)
Porter Batiste  Stoltz (2 sets)
JJ Grey  MOFRO
Jimmy Herring Band
The Egg
20/20 Soundsystem
Lucero
Split Lip Rayfield (2 sets)
The New Mastersounds (2 sets)
Jason Isbell  the 400 Unit
EOTO
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
Secret Chiefs 3
Boombox (2 sets)
New Monsoon (2 sets)
Moonalice (2 sets)
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
Ott
Ganga Giri
Telepath
Cornmeal (2 sets)
Joe Purdy (2 sets)
Jessie Baylin (2 sets)
Langhorne Slim
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
Cedric Burnside and Lightnin Malcolm (2 sets)
Big Smith (2 sets)
Josh Phillips Folk Festival
Elmwood
Dirtfoot (2 sets)
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
Pretty Lights
Heavyweight Dub Champion
Underground Orchestra (2 sets)
Mishka
Jonathan Tyler  the Northern Lights
DJ Rekha
Chuck Love
Wax Fang
Madahoochi
Scythian
Old School Freight Train
My Dear Disco
Radiohiro
The Hood Internet
Blue Mountain
Hoots and Hellmouth
Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers
Burnin Smyrnans
Public Property
Elephant Revival
Euforquestra
Hana Pestle
Turbine
Mayola
Charliehorse
Tom Foolery
Jason Sterling
My-Tea Kind
Gem
Funkotron
Uncle Lucius
GreenSugar
Damn Bullets
LFDC Funk
David Hasselhoff on Acid
The Corduroy
Mountain Standard Time
Copesetic
The Moai Broadcast
Uniphonics
Reelfoot
Gum
Blue Martian Tribe
Runnin Wild Band
Spotting Waldo
LFDC Funk
JamBase has their customizable schedules up with the set times for the weekend posted.
In terms of success or not, Wakarusa has definitely been hanging in there over many of the other festivals that have already decided to shutter their windows and stop operating for a bit until the economy improves. But I hardly ever find the reason to get out and travel for this festival. It seems that its great for the regional heads that want to see some live music and camp in the middle of the field at the beginning of summer, a rite of passage so popular in the Midwest that even the chicks cruising up in their Cherokees partake in the festivities. And this is fantastic, but for me they never seem to stray past the obvious lineup choices for this festival. I think in some ways theyve done the opposite of what Bonnaroo has done for mixing up the notion of genres and headliners at music festivals to offer up more diversity in the crowd that may be attending year to year, and I hope it keeps working for them.

arguing over phone law - living with parents (LONG, you can skip to bottom LOL)?

I was just on the phone arguing with a company. I use a website to order goods. It asked for my phone number when I signed up, I don't have one (I had a mobile but it broke and I just don't use anything anymore). As you know, the box has a star and doesn't let you leave it blank, so I ended up putting some random number in the end, like 12344321. I live with my parents (im young lol not a bum:) ). My parents have a house phone. This is not my phone. I do not answer it, I do not use it at all except for emergencies or very important things. That is besides the point. Very important things does not include any old website that wants to datamine our information. My question is, websites ask for your phone number, I do not give out MY PARENTS phone number, which would be the only number to contact me on. (in fact I do not speak to ANYONE by phone. I only use email, letter or go in person... anyway...) So I am arguing with customer services. I got an email saying my order was canceled for security reasons so I had to phone them to 'resolve' it. They said they cancelled my order because I did not put my correct phone number in. I told them I do not have a registered phone number, so what are you talking about? How can my phone number possibly be wrong when I don't have one? (they also said, a few people have ordered with the same number, I said, maybe it was me in the past? or are you saying someone else used my phone number, what does that have to do with me or my order? then I looked at my account and realised my # was a fake non number, so I also doubt anyone used the same one LOL) I also ordered from this website before and the order went through fine. This time however, there was a huge sale on, I planned to spend around £400 and got around £100 off, and by some freak coincidence they decided to cancel this order and said that my account looked dodgy. Even though I went through the checks okay and got sent a recipt saying they were preparing my order (yes I know that's not a guarantee, but my point was that my bank cleared it, but they cancelled it right after that - before they shipped/charged my account. Since they charge the cards when I ship I know that 1- my card was not declined, they declined my order, and 2- technically I have no order as the contract isn't made until they charge my card - stupid loophole the sites all have) I am trying to argue it with them just to get them to make some sense because I know they are lying to me and just don't want to give me the discount. Because the cancelled a couple of hours after the sale ended, meaning that I can't simply re-order without paying £100 more. They asked me where I was phoning them from. I said, I am using my Dad's phone. They said they will phone me back. I said, but I do not have a phone number, email me. They said they can't email such info. I said, well I don't give out my parents phone number. I finally decided that I would give it out for this one time so they we can resolve the issue, but told them, this is not MY phone number, but you can contact me on it today to resolve the issue. They are phoning back later. Now, my card went through fraud checks and passed fine, but their internal system claims that something is not matching up. The only thing I can think of is that I might have given the Bank my parents phone number to contact me on, as the bank is VERY important and won't talk to you by email (I agree it's unsafe) so I might have given the bank my (parents) home number. But obviously this is not me saying that this is my legal phone number or what not. It is me saying that the bank can contact me on that phone number. That's the only way I can see it not matching up What do you think? It's really confusing, but I know they are trying to rip me off and they said all I can do is re-order and pay full price (surprise!) if I want the items. I asked why I was able to order 5 months ago with the exact same details and method, no problem. They said they are not sure, I said find out. That is why they are phoning me back. I expect more bull though. I want to know what the law says (UK but any other law would be of interest) about phone numbers. The phone number is not registered to me. It's a weird situation.. He said to me, you have a mobile, you could have given a mobile number, and I said to him do not to tell me what I do and do not have. I do not have a mobile number to give out, (and as far as I know, there is no law requiring people to own a phone, and there is no law saying that you cannot order online without a phone number, as the whole point of the internet is to order via the internet.) (FYI I don't give out my parents phone number because twice I bought something online and they phoned and started discussing my order with my parents which I now know is actually illegal due to privacy laws, but anyway, nothing you can do about it really, so I don't give out that number anymore to ANY ANYONE, only the bank.) Anyone able to answer instead of just judging me? Basically my only question is about the law regarding 'my' phone number, if I am over 18, and have no registered phone. Isn't it true that I have no phone number? Does the law say that I MUST have a phone number and must give it out to all who ask ? Not as far as I know. [PS- Does anyone know if Verified By Visa ask for a phone number when you sign up? I can't remember as I signed up like a year ago. And yeah in future I will probably buy a mobile & give that number out..] ..gosh sorry I just noticed a lot of little mistakes like typos and missing words LOL..hope you can ignore them I should have re-re-read .... thankyou C9 I am so glad someone actually took the time to read and see my side + didn't just insult me, god knows how you managed to follow it LOL. If your emails are on I will send you an email to tell you the result. I reckon they will give in. Yes it was a UK site. But a big company so i'm not sure if they would really do that purposely? But it seems far too fishy to me. I told the guy on the phone that when he phones me back the result I want is that I get my order, get my discount, and if I don't I will absolutely be taking it further as I am certain something funny is going on. I would still like to find out what exactly is going on, even if they do give in and put my order though. It sounds like one weird excuse to me, I have a good mind to report them to consumer groups regardless. But I wanted to ask about phones to be sure. thanks x .. :) Not sure about my credit, but I ordered with a debit card not a credit card, and like I say I got through a specific fraud check on my visa debit card, that my bank set up, and it was the actual company who decided to cancel my order even though it got the all clear from the bank fraud checker. Good to know anyway. then what did they match my number up to? I do not own or am not registered to a phone number? also what was the thing about having orders with the same phone number. You didn't answer my question, I don't need you to state the obvious, it's quite clear I gave a fake number, that is nothing to do with the question. So either answer it or get lost. also I ordered before in the same way and it worked. like the other guy said, I do not have a phone number and there is no law saying I need to have one. To use the site I needed to enter a number, there is no law that requires you to give people your real phone number. but they didn't try to phone the number, the just emailed, and the last companies breached privacy laws so I do not care what their t&c claims they'll do with my data. I am asking why coincidentally did they object when I ordered the exact same way as last time, only this time I was getting £100 off, and I PASSED the checks. There is/was no reason for them to bother about my phone number. A phone number also does not have anything to do with fraud when the address, name, passwords, email and fraud check were all okay, and phone numbers can and do change often. In which case they should honor the sale as I made the order during the sale

One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor Or Cocktails With Giada

(Sorry, I just love that George Carlin quote...Giada didn’t even serve tequila.)Giada At Home with Giada De Laurentiis Cocktails With CouplesSpiced Cocktail NutsCheese-Stuffed Dates with ProsciuttoCrispy Zucchini and Potato PancakesBlueberry-Limoncello CoolerGosh, Giada looks good in purple. Is that a bit of lilac on her eye lids? No, maybe not.Giada is having a get-together for the engagement of friends John and Corinne. She’s making a few snacks and one special drink before they all go out to dinner. I think cocktail entertaining is particularly well-suited to Giada. She’s such a gracious hostess.She starts with spiced cocktail nuts, which will be cooked in a low oven for 45 minutes. Giada whips 2 egg whites until frothy. Interesting. I wonder if the egg whites are a substitute for fat. That’s a good idea as long as they don’t come out gummy or gluey.Giada mixes together 2 cups of roasted, salted almonds, 2 cups of roasted, salted cashews and 2 cups of regular walnuts. If she’s cooking them for so long, why is she starting with roasted nuts and why not do her own salting? Giada likes the “crunch” that the egg whites give to the nuts. Heh? I don’t quite get that. She says it’s more like a brittle that you have to break up.To the nuts, G adds 2 tablespoons curry powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cayenne pepper - as much as you like - garlic salt (ick) and ¾ cup granulated sugar. OH, adding the sugar makes the egg whites more understandable. She stirs that all together and spreads the nuts onto a Pam-ed baking pan with Pam in one layer. She puts them in a 250°F oven for 45 minutes. For her jazzed up potato pancakes, she substitutes some zucchini for the potatoes. She peels 2 lbs. of potatoes, halves them and grates them in a flash in the food processor. She grates the zucchini right on top of the potato. She transfers that into a kitchen towel.Wait, where’s the onion? The potato has already turned a bit brown and every good potato pancake maker knows that the acid from the onion help to prevent that. You can also soak the grated potato in water to prevent the discoloration, but then there's a lot more liquid to squeeze out.Giada squeezes the towel really tightly around the vegetables to get all the liquid out. She adds the vegetables to a clean bowl. Still no onion? She adds 2 egg whites to keep it light because they’re going out to dinner. I would just throw in an entire egg.BTW, a standard egg is 2 oz. - the white is one ounce and the yolk is one ounce. That’s why it’s okay to substitute a whole egg for 2 whites. That’s helpful to know if you ever freeze the whites. One egg white is 2 tablespoons. 4 egg whites will measure half a cup.Giada adds store-bought seasoned bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Onion? Giada! She DOES add 3 cloves of garlic and chopped rosemary. She reminds us that fresh garlic has tightly closed cloves and is sticky. She likes to chop it fine, so that no one gets a big hunk of garlic. This is where I would absolutely use a garlic press. (And I would do my recently arrived at, but probably OLD wife’s tale, thing of getting rid of that center stalk in the garlic clove. I’m convinced that causes its bad rebound effects.) She stirs in the garlic. Nope, she is definitely not adding onion.She heats a skillet on high and adds a bit of oil. Giada adds PRE-GRATED (where is Aunt Raffi when we need her?) Parmigiano-Reggiano to the mixture. Of course, she bought very high quality cheese, but that’s a pretty big container and I’m not sure she’s going to use it all up anytime soon.Until I learned that Parmesan cheese didn’t come out of the brightly colored, big-holed container in the door of the fridge, I used to HATE it. Cheese is expensive, so I want to get my money’s worth. If that means having to grate it fresh, so be it. I often use pecorino when I can’t stomach the price of Parm, but NEVER pre-grated.She stirs in the cheese and, THIS is different, she pours out the entire (onionless) mixture into the heated sauté pan and then she pats it down into one giant pancake (still onionless). WELL! I have to say I didn’t see that coming. Giada covers it with cheese and drizzles over a bit of olive oil and cooks it on the burner for 8 minutes and then bakes it at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes.Interestingly, Giada used this same recipe in a holiday special. Although in THAT recipe, she DID use onion instead of garlic. I have no problem with her recycling a recipe. When I come across a great recipe, I use it for years…for decades actually. The Giada at Home kitchen is quite gorgeous.Giada checks the bottom of the pancake and sees that it’s browned and then she turns it out upside down onto a Pam-ed baking sheet. Oh! That’s new too. She’s not just throwing the sauté pan in the oven.She takes out the nuts, they look good.Giada starts her dates. She mixes a ¼ cup goat cheese with a ¼ cup mascarpone. Both should be at room temperature. She chops basil really finely and adds that to the cheese with salt and pepper. She unwraps thinly sliced prosciutto.She grabs a date. They’ve been pitted already and they have a slit in them. Did she buy them like that? I have some FANTASTIC dates from the Shields Date Gardens in Palm Springs, which I keep in the freezer, but they have pits.Giada spoons some of the cheese mixture into the big Medjool dates. She wraps a half slice (cut lengthwise) of prosciutto around each one and stabs it with a toothpick or “cocktail pin”. I guess they have fancy names for things in LA. Hers ARE reusable, though.She breaks up the nuts and puts them in a bowl. The dates are plated. After the potato pancake has cooled, she cuts it into little squares with a serrated knife. G dollops a bit of mascarpone cheese on top and finishes it with a few spikes of rosemary. Pretty. This is a nice recipe and you could add different things to the pancake mixture. Maybe prosciutto (if you weren’t serving the dates and the potato pancakes weren’t a religious tradition), bits of smoked salmon to garnish, or even a fine dice of red pepper would look good IN the pancake or on top.Everything is in clear glass bowls or on clear glass plates. That’s her theme, she says.Oh darn, sorry to all you college guys, the cameras don’t follow her upstairs to change. She comes back to the kitchen in that gorgeous purple dress (she is stunning beyond words…) and gets started on the cocktail, which is a thing of beauty on its own. I think that IS lilac eye shadow.She puts fresh blueberries in a (clear glass) pitcher. She adds lots of torn mint on top and then pours an entire bottle of Limoncello into the pitcher. She pours in a cup of sparkling water. (I’m guessing Fresca isn’t the way to go here.) She stirs it gently. THAT is lovely. She takes a large (clear glass) “bucket” filled with crushed ice and jams her glasses into it to get and stay cold. (Can you even buy crushed ice?). Her friends have arrived.She pours the Limoncello cocktail into the glasses. Everyone is impressed. She toasts to the engaged couple. They chow down. No one falls in the pool after all that limoncello. The sun sets.

Birthday cake

Yoga for Cancer

Cancer patients often find themselves in distracted states of mind—bombarded as they are by frightening, sometimes contradictory, information, subjected to invasive, painful procedures, and not-always-compassionate medical care. When our minds are so grievously disturbed, we may find it impossible to make crucial decisions or relate satisfactorily to our family and friends. Practicing Pranayam, meditation and relaxation help in reliving tension. When the tension is released, energy can flow more easily in the body and allow patients to experience a sense of well-being and strength—a balance of body, mind, and spirit.The most compelling reason why cancer patients are turning to yoga is that:It shows us how a person stricken with a serious illness, instead of "running away" from their threatened body, Patients can connect more strongly to their body andBegin to experience self-empowerment and well-being.Improved sleep pattern.As we engage our physical selves in the precise body gestures of yoga, our minds come along, growing accustomed to focusing on the affairs of this moment and leaving worries and future-thinking behind. As we breathe and meditate, our minds grow more clear and steady.The physical benefits of yoga seem obvious to a cancer patient. Range of motion, flexibility, strength, relaxation, and a sense of bodily well-being are enhanced by practicing the postures. But there is an additional, more mystical, benefit of yoga. Depending on what parts of your body are affected, what type of cancer you have (or had), and your physical abilities, your practice will be specific to you. You may not be able to safely or comfortably do the posture the way the teacher or someone else is doing it. That's okay. Modify or change the position so it feels good for you. You will find out what works for you, what you are able to do, and what helps you to move in a positive direction.When you are practicing a posture, do what you can without creating more pain. You may feel discomfort, but going to the point of sharp pain is not going to benefit you. Sometimes the postures are easier if you don't try as hard - if you actually do less. Ask yourself if you can let go of something: it could be tension or holding in the body, or it could be an expectation or judgment you have about yourself.Dissolving tension with Pranayam The term pranayama combines prana, breath, with yama, meaning extension or control, and describes a crucial practice in yoga. This "science of the breath" involves attention to inhalation, exhalation, and retention or holding.When we are frightened, we hold our breath or breathe shallowly or raggedly. To open up the chest again, one can practice breathing techniques based on pranayama, such as abdominal breathing, deep breathing, bellows breathing (with forceful abdominal exhalations), and alternate-nostril breathing. (As breath practices can have powerful effects on the body, they should be learned from a qualified yoga instructor, for safety's sake.) Done properly, they can dissolve stress and emotional excitation, freeing the mind from anxiety

We now resume our original posting schedule ...

ETA: I just looked at my counter stats -- what in the hell precipitated nearly 1000 hits last Wednesday (July 9th)? Was I mentioned somewhere?At last, a few quiet moments.It's week #2 here in beautiful Albuquerque, and I feel like I should write a whole bunch of posts about the trip out and all the myriad adventures we've had. Actually, I feel like I should have been writing said posts all along, but you know how it is. Now that we have our own internet -- instead of having to go to Flying Star to use theirs -- I can start posting on a more regular basis.But for tonight, a collection of random stuff:- My cats did very well on the drive. Minx was a bit mouthy at times, but for the most part, just meowed for a bit before settling down and sleeping the whole way, like the other cats- United Airlines sucks. They canceled Dancing in Socks Guy's connecting flight out of Chicago -- which had already been seriously delayed -- at the last possible minute. The plan was that he would fly to Manchester, NH where I would pick him up. I'd then drive most of the night while he slept, then he would take over and we'd switch off until we got to our stop in Fenton, Missouri. As it happens, our best option turned out to be for me to drive seventeen frigging hours to Chicago, pick him up, and then let him drive to Fenton.- Speaking of Fenton, if you ever need to stop there for any length of time, and if you have pets, stay here. They let us keep all four cats in the room! Yeah, there was a cleaning fee, but it beats trying to sneak them in. It was well kept, clean, and judging by the number of "pet in room" signs on the doors, very pet friendly.- The new job is going well so far, though not much is going on since it's such a new company. That will change this week. Everyone has been very nice and friendly, and I'm really looking forward to the work.- Living with Dancing in Socks Guy has been fine. I always assumed that issues would crop up, since we've both lived alone for so long, and this is the first time either of us has lived with a romantic partner. But, I also had faith we'd be able to adjust. So far we have. No huge issues have cropped up, just the minor shit you'd expect. Like all my copper kitchen decorations. Despite what he says it does not look like TGI Friday's in here. As I tell him, he's living with a woman now. It's shelf paper and guest towels from here on out, baby!- The corollary to that is that I live with a man now, and it's all DIY with no respect to aesthetics now, baby! Oh, I worried a bit at first when we went to Lowe's and he'd eye the big foam panels and start yapping about making inserts for the big living room windows for the winter. But, I've learned to just tune him out when he says stuff like, "You know, I'd just need to get a reciprocating saw and ..."- That said, we probably will do the panels. Fuck aesthetics, they're single pane glass and this is an older complex and while we have natural gas, heating costs will be through the roof. But otherwise, our new place is nice and roomy, a necessity when you have six cats.- Speaking of cats, his two and my four are getting along a whole lot better than we dared hope. Thundercat and Morsel were smart enough to be submissive to Slinky and Ed, since we were in "their" space. My girls were not so smart. But, aside from a bit of hissing and all the first day or so, things have settled down, especially since we moved into the new place which was a no-man's land, in terms of feline territory. The four boys are all to the point where they will sleep on the same bed/sofa, and all six eat in the same space.- If you have six cats you'd better be damn sure to clean the litter boxes and vacuum every single day.Elle

My Mind on My Money and My Money on My Mind

Several weeks ago I caught Ben throwing away a half full box of Frosted Mini Wheats. When I protested he wondered what the big deal was. As I pointed out, there's a depression on and there might soon come a day that he would give anything to have those stale mini wheats back. And I was only kind if joking.The state of the economy has definitely changed the way I value pretty much everything. I am careful to not waste food and to keep our clothes in good shape. (Though I did throw out a pair of W's jeans that did a poor job of containing some explosive diarrhea last week). I'm careful to visit the discount meat section at the grocery store and have identified what items should be purchased at Costco, showing great discipline to avoid the numerous money traps there. I shop around for bargains and really think about what I want (materially and in life) before I make purchases. Even small ones.Neither Ben nor I feel insecure about our jobs. We're paying the bills, we're staying afloat and we're extremely grateful for that. So much so that we realized that we needed to work harder at managing our money and coming up with creative ways to save more. We feel we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of the blessings we've been given. I'm not sure we really understood that until things got so bad for the country (and world) as a whole. So in a way, the recession has been good for us.We are now budgeting very carefully and tracking every dollar we spend. I found a great Excel based budget planner online that I downloaded for $9.95. It allows us to set a budget, accounting for all kinds of different expenses, track actual spending and compare. It's a great value for the cost, far cheaper than Quicken and other home accounting software. Daily tracking takes discipline but the accountability that it creates is super helpful. Whenever Ben or I spend anything, we send the other a text. Both to have a record of it so we remember to enter it in, but also to make our spending transparent.Money was always something that scared me and in my life I've had the tendency to hide from it. But that's a mistake and one that I'm hell bent on fixing. If you are disengaged from your finances, I urge you to take control of it ASAP. There aren't many things we can control in life but your money is one of them. It's very empowering to face it and make your money work for you, instead of the other way around. And I truly think that working hard at this with Ben has been great for our marriage. It solidifies our partnership and reinforces our shared values.I'm sure I'll be talking about bargain hunting and thrifty living a lot around here. I'm actually beginning to see it as a game that I intend to win. And if you've got any great money saving ideas, please share.

Well....HELLO!

Well, HI there. How are....THINGS? I have been MIA for a while, yes yes I have. I have good reason to be. I moved in with Dave and we don't have internet! So obn my days off I come to my moms. Today is the first day I remembered to blog! So, whats new other than I live with the man of my dreams? Not to much. I turned 25 last Tuesday. That was a joy. Dave cooked me dinner, and made me stress about what we were doing for my birthday. lol. On Wednsday Leana took me to Swanky Bubbles *MY FAV* and then went to see Mama Mia. Why oh WHY! Don't bother, bad movie. I worked Friday and Saturday. Well, when I walked into work on Saturday there was an envelope that said Erin. Do Not Open till 4:30. So, all day it killed me. Inside was a card (a FRIENDS card) and a note saying to go home and look in the cabinet by the dishwasher. When I got home I rushed to the kitchen and found a box with another envelope. This one told me to get ready and be on my way to my sisters by 7:01pm. I was to wear the dress in the box (I wound up wearing another one, but that is besides the point). So, I got dressed and ready and waited a half an hour at Meghans. At 745pm I was going to get my next clue. She brought down a gift bacg and ANOTHER envelope. This one said to put on my gift (a claddaugh ring that is PERFECT) and open the front door at 8pm. So I did as instructed. There stood Dave all dressed with a single red rose. When we walked outside, there was an SUV Limo waiting for me. Inside was Leana, Meghan, Johanna, Frank and Garlan. All holding a single rose for me. We drove around for 2 hours and then wound up at the Stone Grille for a 3 hour open bar. It was amazing. I will never forget this birthday as long as I live. Other news..I am sick. As A FREAKING DOG! The baby got my mom sick, and she got me sick. My dad even has it. I cant swallow and I have a fever that comes and goes. It blows. Oh well, I better head on home. Guitar Hero II awaits!

2002 Toyota Solara SLE (Philadelphia) $2820

2002 Toyota Solara SLE V6 Coupe Price: $2800.00 VIN #: 2T1CF28P32C598439Body Style: CoupeMileage: 92,945Engine: 6 CylinderFuel Type : Gasoline If you want more details and pictures please contact me at : clkwendy@gmail.com If you want more details and pictures please contact me at : clkwendy@gmail.com (PPE) Loose clothing should not be worn all jewelry should be removed and long hair should be tied back Wood shavings generated during turning will also need to be periodically removedpictures often resembled the psi shape Ting assigned the name J to it which is one letter removed from

Black and white

Undercapitalized

I think that the banks have been investing wisely. Wall Street paid enormous amounts to put The Precious into the White House. They are getting their dividends now. Yves Smith of naked capitalism has been going hammer and tongs at the proposals coming out of the White House. Read the whole article, but here are some key points from his her recent post, The Bad Bank Assets Proposal: Even Worse Than You Imagined (my emphasis throughout):Dear God, let's just kiss the US economy goodbye. It may take a few years before the loyalists and permabulls throw in the towel, but the handwriting is on the wall.The Obama Administration, if the Washington Post's latest report is accurate, is about to embark on a hugely expensive "save the banking industry at all costs" experiment that:1. Has nothing substantive in common with any of the "deemed as successful" financial crisis programs2. Has key elements that studies of financial crises have recommended against3. Consumes considerable resources, thus competing with other, in many cases better, uses of fiscal firepower.The Obama Administration is as obviously and fully hostage to the interests of the financial services industry as the Bush crowd was. We have no new thinking, no willingness to take measures that are completely defensible (in fact not doing them takes some creative positioning) like wiping out shareholders at obviously dud banks (Citi is top of the list), forcing bondholder haircuts and/or equity swaps, replacing management, writing off and/or restructuring bad loans, and deciding whether and how to reorganize and restructure the company. Instead, the banks are now getting the AIG treatment: every demand is being met, no tough questions asked, no probing of the accounts (or more important, the accounting).***What we have from Team Obama is a bigger abortion of a :"throw money at bad bank assets" plan that I feared in my worst nightmare. And (when we get to the Post preview), they have the temerity to invoke triage to make what they are doing sound surgical and limited.Those who remember the origin know that triage means focusing on the middle third of the wounded on the battlefield : leaving the goners to die, leaving those wounded but stable to fend for themselves for the moment (they were in good enough shape to wait to be transported or hold on to be treated later). The middle third, those in immediate danger but who might nevertheless be salvaged, got top priority.The concept of "triage" recognizes that resources are limited, tough decision need to be made, and some are beyond any hope. But in Team Obama Newspeak, triage means everyone can be saved because resources are presumed to be unlimited:***So we the taxpayers are going to eat a ton of bank losses that should instead be borne first by stockholders and bondholders This program should be labeled the Pimco bailout plan, since the giant bond fund holds a lot of bank debt. That show what a fiction Obama's populism is. It's mere posturing and empty phrases. Look at where the dough goes, and it is going first and foremost to the big money end of town.Now I do no labor under the delusion that there are cheap or easy ways out of our financial sinkhole. People are suffering, and we are only partway through the process of contraction and writeoffs. I heard of a suicide today, a jewelry dealer who was $400,000 in debt (also owed a lot of money but unable to collect) who threw himself off 10 West 47th Street (from someone else in the building, this is no urban legend). A tragedy, and a visible one, and there is plenty of less acute but no less real trauma afoot.But Team Obama is taking the cowardly approach of distributing the costs among the most disenfranchised group in the process, namely the taxpayer, when there far more obvious and logical groups to take the hits. Shareholders and bondholders bought securities KNOWING there was the possibility of loss. A lot of big financial institutions have been on the ropes for over a year. A security holding is not a marriage. When conditions change, prudent investors reassess and adjust course accordingly. If anyone is long a lot of dodgy bank paper now, they have only themselves to blame. Any why are rank and file bankers still exempt from pay cuts when the workers in another failing US industry, autos, expected to take big hits?***The most amazing bit is the government acts as if it has no leverage. Look how Paulson sent teams in to inspect the accounts of Fannie and Freddie and put them into conservatorship. The reason it is obvious that this program is a crock is that it has ben cooked up in the complete and utter absence of any serious due diligence on the toxic holdings of the big banks.As we discuss in a separate post, the one punitive element, executive comp restrictions, are mere window-dressing. Welcome to change you can believe in. Ah, yes, the triumph of Whole Foods Nation, where we will all be progressive, exercise regularly and floss after every meal, where the Blogger Boyz will call the shots and rule the world with their mad posting skillz. Eh, not so much.An inability to escape conventional wisdom, along with weak-kneed capitulation to the myth of "bipartisanship" combined with a lack of political vision is what Krugman warned us about as regards The Precious about this time last year and damn if the Shrill One wasn't right. Paul needs to change his name to Cassandra.We are already 10% of the way through the first 100 days of the Obama administration (and I'm only counting business days, mind you) and we are watching him squander the political capital of the election.AnglachelPS - And the Shrill One welcome Yves Smith into the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill:Shock and oyMartin Wolf has it right:First, focus all attention on reversing the collapse in demand now, rather than on the global architecture.Second, employ overwhelming force. The time for “shock and awe” in economic policymaking is now. …Unfortunately, what is coming out of the US is desperately discouraging. Instead of an overwhelming fiscal stimulus, what is emerging is too small, too wasteful and too ill-focused. Instead of decisive action to recapitalise banks, which must mean temporary public control of insolvent banks, the US may be returning to the immoral and ineffective policy of bailing out those who now hold the “toxic assets”. You know, it was widely expected that Obama would have a stimulus plan ready to pass Congress even before his inauguration. That didn’t happen. We were told that this was because the economic team was working flat out on the financial rescue.In fact, when it comes to bank rescue it’s hard to see much evidence that anything was accomplished during all that time; the team is still — still! — running ideas up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes. And the ideas look remarkably bad. (Welcome to the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill, Yves.) Meanwhile, when it came to stimulus legislation, when Obama finally introduced his economic plan he immediately began negotiating with himself, preemptively offering concessions to the GOP, which voted against the plan anyway. (And Obama appears, in the name of bipartisanship, to have thrown away a Senate vote he may well need.) As a wise man recently said, failure to act effectively risks turning this slump into a catastrophe. Yet there’s a sense, watching the process so far, of low energy. What’s going on?

The autopsy on Huber's KC career

Roughly five hours after my last post about the Royals' questions left unanswered with spring training waning, several have been checked off the list. Jorge de la Rosa? Designated for assignment today and thus out of the picture (hooray! from my standpoint). Kyle Davies? Optioned to Omaha, thus clearing the fifth rotation spot for Brett Tomko (mixed feelings, as neither had any business, probably, being in the Royals' rotation; I'm betting Tomko's $3 million price tag had as much to do with this as anything.). Justin Huber? Flipped to the Padres for the ever-unknown player to be named later. While I guess a PTBNL is better than losing Huber on waivers, this brings to an end an odd, likely frustrating career for Huber as a Royal. Let's retrace our steps here. In July 2004 Huber, then a nice catching prospect who hit for a .900 OPS at the Mets AA site in 70 games, comes to KC in a deal for IF Jose Bautista, who has gone on to mediocrity with the Pirates after being dealt the same day from NY to Pittsburgh for Kris Benson and another now-former Royal, Jeff Keppinger. Sounded at the time like a steal for Allard Baird. However, Huber had injured his knee shortly before the trade and wouldn't play for a KC affiliate in 2004, which would be the first of several injuries to plague his Royals' career. He debuted instead at AA Wichita in 2005 and hit .343 with a 1.002 OPS while committing 12 errors with a .981 fielding percentage in 66 games at first. He infamously got a "chance" at KC later that season with ever-injured Mike Sweeney again on the DL and got a whopping 12 ABs from manager Buddy Bell before being sent back to Wichita. Shortly thereafter he earned 2005 Futures Game MVP honors over the all-star break before being moved up to Omaha. He hit for over a .900 OPS at Omaha in 32 games to earn a September call-up when the rosters expanded but didn't hit in 78 ABs in KC. An Achilles tendon injury cost him some development time in the Arizona Fall League that year and he started the '06 season once more in Omaha. Another Sweeney injury earned Huber a call to KC in May '06 but he was Bell's third choice in the mix of Matt Stairs, Doug Mientkiewicz and Huber (bringing on the "Dougie doesn't deserve that" comment from Bell regarding Mientkiewicz losing time to Huber at 1B), so Huber got 10 ABs in 16 days and went back to Omaha with a position switch to left field. A hamstring injury derailed the remainder of Huber's season and he didn't make it back to the field for Kansas City. Another nagging hammy injury hurt the first half of the 2007 season for Justin (he also had some finger injuries in there somewhere in '05-07) but he managed to hit for an .853 OPS in 77 games at Omaha and got another September call, only to get 10 ABs in 8 games from Bell. This year he was out of options so it was a case of either there's a spot for him or not. Apparently the Royals couldn't justify giving Huber a shot -- defensive liabilities were the biggest detraction in reports -- so today he gets shipped to San Diego. Rotoworld is already reporting he should see time in the Petco outfield with Jim Edmonds being injured. Hopefully he makes the best of it and one-time Royal pitcher, now Pads manager Bud Black gives him an actual shot in San Diego. In another move today that partially explains de la Rosa's DFA'ing, the Royals picked up RP Ramon Ramirez from the Rockies for a player to be named. I guess I'm more enthused about this pickup than the Brad Salmon one, but it's still nothing spectacular. We'll see how Ramirez does out of the pen for KC. Being out of Coors Field should help him return to some decent minor league form. He also had a nice '06 season with the Rocks. Also, pitchers Chin-Hui Tsao and Roman Colon as well as C Ken Huckaby were also sent to the minors today to further trim down the roster. Ken covers the Royals on his blog The Pipeline.

Are you facing any middle-age crisis?

I just turned 42 and I still don't know if I am in a middle-age crisis which others have spoken about. There are moments of depression when I feel I should have done better in my life and that things could no longer be reversed as they are. But over-all, life has been good to me. But at the end of the day, it was my choice to be where I am today and I stand by my decisions, good or bad.

So am I facing a middle-age crisis? I think not. I guess it is all in one's state of mind to accept having a crisis or not. We become better individuals not by the situation we face in life but by how we respond to each situation as it presents itself to us in various forms.

How about you my friend? Your inputs are most appreciated.

Space saving

Small spaces can be a challenge to live in and to decorate. And they definitely put your ingenuity to the test when it comes to storage. But there are sneaky ways to make your space look and feel bigger. Here’s how.Leave it hangingIt’s a good thing that hanging kitchen implements in full view is still in style, because they make for great storage tricks. You’ll always know where your pots, pans and utensils are and your counter spaces will be free. Create hanging spots, too, for keys, dog leashes and all that other clutter that makes your home feel smaller. Today’s floating shelves are also great things to hang: they provide a landing space for your books and favorite objects without taking up a lot of visual (and real) space like a bookcase might. The mirror trickYou probably know that putting a mirror on the wall can expand the visual space of a room, making it look large and perhaps even brighter (especially if it reflects a window or a nice view). Mirrors are great for decoration because they do not take up any space. Double upIt’s a couch, it’s a spare bed, it’s a double-duty piece of furniture! There are plenty of “super” versatile furnishings on the market today that are just right for small spaces. Consider couches that easily convert to beds, ottomans that flip open to store extra linens, nesting cocktail tables that go from one to three in no time, and dining room tables that double as desk Tuck it awayWhen it comes to smart storage, where there is a will there is a way. Slide some thin boxes under your bed for your sweaters. Tuck tax records into a stack of baskets or decorative vintage suitcases. Store bathroom towels in an over-the-toilet shelving unit. Build shelves or narrow cupboards wherever you can between studs in your walls. Be creative and mindful of space.

The Dead Weather, Marco Benevento

The third major music project featuring Jack White is called The Dead Weather, and they just announced their first U.S. tour starting on July 13th in D.C. at the 9:30 Club. Ive got money down that NPR will be webcasting that show, so Ill be hoping on that to get a sample of what the band sounds like. I still think its crazy that White is being the drumkit in this band. Also in the band are as follows: fellow Raconteur Jack Lawrence, Dean Fertita from Queens Of The Stone Age, and Alison Mosshart of The Kills. The Dead Weather 2009 Tour Dates 6/11 Louisville, KY City Block 7/13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 7/14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 7/16 New York, NY Terminal 5 7/18 Boston, MA House Of Blues 7/19 Ottawa, Canada Ottawa Blues Festival (Rogers Stage) 7/21 Montreal, Canada Olympia De Montreal 7/22 Toronto, Canada Kool Haus 7/24 Detroit, MI The Fillmore 7/25 Columbus, OH The LC Pavillion 7/27 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 7/28 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre 7/29 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre 7/30 Nashville, TN War Memorial Auditorium 8/17 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre 8/18 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot 8/20 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre 8/21 Vancouver, Canada Commodore Ballroom 8/22 Vancouver, Canada Commodore Ballroom 8/23 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 8/25 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre 8/27 Pomona, CA Glasshouse 8/29 San Diego, CA San Diego Street Scene 8/30 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands Music  Arts Festival 10/4 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival - Zilker Park Speaking of Marco Benevento, hes still got a bunch of dates booked all the way up through High Sierra Music Festival here in California on Fourth of July weekend. Cant wait. Marco Benevento 2009 Tour Dates 05.12.09 Hartford, CT Real Art Ways with Reed Mathis and Andrew Barr 05.13.09 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brendas with Reed Mathis and Andrew Barr 05.14.09 Merkin Concert Hall New York, NY with Reed Mathis and Andrew Barr 05.15.09 Boston, MA The Pardise opening for TLG 05.29.09 Woodstock, NY MOUNTAIN JAM - 07.3.09 Quincy, CA HIGH SIERRA MUSIC FESTIVAL 07.18.09 Sante Fe, NM New Mexico Jazz Festival

PHP 5.3 RC2 Highly Optimized for Windows

Howdy, I've been working for many months with Pierre Joye - well, really many people in the PHP community - on getting PHP to run faster on Windows. Pierre has been working rapidly on upgrading libraries (Pierre pioneered the work to get PHP and its hoard of dependent libraries updated and properly compiling on Windows), replacing old POSIX-emulation code with native calls, patching bugs, and about a million other things, all of which had a huge impact on performance and stability of PHP on Windows. For my part, I've been spending my time behind the scenes by feeding information to Pierre that he needs, testing, analyzing, and finally by constructing a new build process that enables us to take advantage of some pretty sweet optimization technology in Visual Studio. Starting today, you can find snapshot builds of PHP 5.3 that are built using my optimized build process on the windows.php.net site. A few notes: Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'll be explaining how this build process works, and making available the tools that make it all possible. Only the non-thread-safe version is available, so you need to use FastCGI with IIS in order to use it. Since this is a radically different build than the ones that had been traditionally used to create the Windows PHP binaries, you should download the binaries and test with them, but you probably should avoid using them in production just yet. If you have any feedback about the builds, leave me a comment, or email me.

Tweenbots Restore Man’s Sense of Teamwork

I was forwarded a link recently to www.tweenbots.com, an art/science/social experiment that sends a little “robot” on a mission which requires the help from strangers. “Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers. Every time the robot got caught under a park bench, ground futilely against a curb, or became trapped in a pothole, some passerby would always rescue it and send it toward its goal. Never once was a Tweenbot lost or damaged. Often, people would ignore the instructions to aim the Tweenbot in the “right” direction, if that direction meant sending the robot into a perilous situation. One man turned the robot back in the direction from which it had just come, saying out loud to the Tweenbot, "You can’t go that way, it’s toward the road.” I couldn’t help but smile and think of how wonderful it is to see complete strangers collaborate toward a shared goal ... and a goal they really had no idea about before requiring their action. I also thought about how teams collaborate toward a shared goal. Whether building websites, developing software, or hosting events, it’s the shared effort toward a common goal that breeds success. In the case of Tweenbots, all that was required was a moment to stop and simply decide to help: a little push or a quick hand to guide the Tweenbot in the right direction. So often it’s the little actions that mean the most. I like to think that the “little things” are sometimes what helps move projects in the right direction, as well: a thoughtful hallway conversation, a few minutes at the whiteboard working out an idea with members of the team, taking time to understand the perspectives and needs of the teammates and what they require to help reach the goal. Imagine if the people in the park during the experiment had not only helped the Tweenbot on its way to reach its goal, but had communicated with one another about what that goal was, and agreed to help the little guy get there. How much more quickly could he have arrived at his destination? How much less effort would it have been for him and everyone else involved if he had had attention the duration of his trip? In the context of sites and software, I realize we have a *shared* goal and requires everyone’s help, attention, and communication. The robot can’t get across the park on its own. What do you find is helpful in working toward a shared goal? What restores your "sense of teamwork"? Write a comment and tell us what you think. Stay in touch with us through Twitter.

bebe' amore'.

Okay, I am pretty certain my blog title is incorrect French, but you get the message...er...pictures, as I am sharing in this post.And...No, this is not yet another post about my grandbabies. (I said I wasn't going to turn this blog into a Gramma Cupcake brag book, and I intend to keep my word.)It's a post about a photographer that specializes in baby photography. (Um, yes, that is my grandson in the photo!) France Photography is the name of Kellie France's photography business. She's located in Carson City, Nevada and works all around the norther Nevada area. (she gave me permission to share these pictures!) She does some charming vintage style things (check out her blog!)as well as traditional and more artsy looks. The photo shoot was such fun, and we were so excited to see all of the proofs. Now, we just all have to figure out which ones we will choose!

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird can't dig up any respect

The next time you hear a player complain he gets no esteem The next time you hear a star grouse about lack of respect Tell them to shut up. Tell them you've seen the ultimate in being dissed, and they're not in the same ballpark.We speak, of course, about Mine That Bird.You remember, the 50-1 shot who came down the stretch of the Kentucky Derby like someone had attached a V8 engine to his tail. He'll try to win the Preakness Saturday and continue what would be a remarkable Triple Crown Cinderella run. But notice the news? The jockey who rode Mine That Bird in the Derby has dumped him for a girl horse.That would be Calvin Borel, a splendid rider whose head can obviously be turned by a pretty face. It's this filly, Rachel Alexandra. She's the home wrecker. Borel was her jockey in the Kentucky Oaks which is something like a Title IX race for female horses the day before the Derby and they were so far ahead at the finish line, the rest of the field would have needed sonar to find them.The next day, Borel and Mine That Bird won a shocking Derby. But he was so smitten with the filly, he decided to be with her if she runs in the Preakness. "Best horse in my life," he said in Louisville, and already, this eternal triangle was starting to sound like the cover of People magazine.Where has that left Mine That Bird? Think of the humiliation back at the stable with the other Thoroughbreds. You win the Derby and your jockey leaves you for a horse named Rachel. You could barely show your face at the morning workout. Some loudmouth colt will surely trash talk, "Hey buddy, where you going get your jockey Saturday eBay?"Wait. It gets even worse. Turns out, Rachel Alexandra, the jezebel, has been in danger of not even getting into the Preakness. She wasn't pre-nominated, meaning she has to clear a wait list, as if she were trying to fly out of Chicago on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.And if she wouldn't make the field, that'd put Borel back aboard Mine That Bird. So the champion of the Kentucky Derby would have to be content with being ridden on the rebound.For a while, it looked like the owner of Mine That Bird was going to enter a second horse just to take the last Preakness spot and keep Rachel Alexandra out of the race, so Borel would be available. I forget what horse it was maybe one of the Budweiser Clydesdales, since he'd be there just to take up a spot. But the owner changed his mind.Oh, if only horses could talk.First of all, there were those Kentucky Derby odds. NFL teams get annoyed if they're four-point underdogs. How would 50-1 go over?If someone had put a microphone in front of Mine That Bird after the Derby, we can pretty well guess what he would have said: "Nobody gave me a chance. The only people who thought I could win were the people in my barn."Racing always seems a little unfair, anyway. The owner gets the prize money. They trainer and jockey get the acclaim. The bettors with winning tickets get the payouts.What's the horse get a second helping of oats?And now comes this national red face for Mine That Bird. I don't know what happens when he and Rachel Alexandra bump into each other Saturday at Pimlico, and the filly is carrying his jockey. It'll be like Brad and Jen and Angelina at the Academy Awards.About the only thing left for Mine That Bird to do is kick a little hind quarter Saturday. Imagine what could happen if he loses first his jockey, and then the Preakness to the filly. Anyone here have the number for a good horse therapist?

My new cat

Introducing the newest member of my four legged furry family: Capri.Pretty kitty close-upShe's a tortoiseshell, about 1 1/2 years old. The kennel Aussie goes to found her when she was around 5 months old. They spayed her, got her all the necessary shots and tests, and put her up for adoption in a cage in their main office. I saw her for the first time last May, when she was about a year old. She had been living in their office for over 6 months at that point. When she still hadn't been adopted in August, I crumbled. In mid-September I drove out to the kennel and brought Capri home. It's been 3 1/2 years since my cat Snip passed away, and when I couldn't get Capri out of my head, I knew it was time to get another cat.It's been an adjustment. It's been over 15 years since I had a kitten in the house, for one. Fortunately, Capri likes dogs, and since Aussie was raised with my first cat, Snip (also a tortoiseshell), she accepted Capri's presence quickly. But since Capri had only lived either as a stray or in a cage in an office, she had no idea what life in a home was like. It took a good week before she'd come out of hiding in the bookshelves (that space behind the books on the bottom shelf is ideal for hiding). It took another week after that before she'd let me touch her. I've had to adjust to having my toes attacked at 2am (silly me for moving in my sleep) and training myself to watch for cat toys (I've already crushed one ball by stepping on it and almost falling in the process).Now, two months in, Capri has made herself at home. I've learned she LOVES treats. Specifically the kind that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Catnip has no effect on her (WTF?). And she loves toys that make noise (little mice, balls that jingle, etc.). Capri is a talker, proving to be quite the mouthy cat. She's learning to like being brushed, but clipping her nails is a battle that involves wrapping her in a towel in a futile attempt at protecting myself from getting scratched.Lounging comfortably on the back of the couchToday we made our first trip to the vet. It took me a good 15 minutes to catch her and stuff her in the carrier. I almost had her once, but the dog decided to "help" and Capri escaped. Eventually I caught her again and we made it to the vet with minimal damage to my person (a few scratches, but nothing severe). She got all her boosters, and has been given a clean bill of health. She's also been microchipped, which I highly recommend. We'll see how long it takes her to forgive me for the injustices she suffered today.

Leave me alone.or...

Number pile clock