I haven't posted about him in a while and you have got to see this. Okay, so Caspar was getting a little scraggly and smelly and I really did,'t relish the idea of him trying to cuddle. So I take him to the Vet and ask about a trim or something and they say sure, they do that.

Well, they did it all right. Shaved his ass and called it a LION CUT.




HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Don't worry! He's back to his fuzzy splendour. Those shots were taken back inn June, and these are from November.



And just so they don't feel left out, here's a shot of GG and Suvi. I didn't take any of the kittens, who I guess aren't kittens anymore. Maybe later.

Well my boss wasn't kidding when he said I'd be traveling more. It's all been York (Pennsylvania) so far, but next year there'll be San Diego and probably Minneapolis (high Laura and Mickey). I've been to York twice in the last two months, and I'm going again next week. The first week in January I've got a Business Development offsite in San Diego and since I had to cancel on last year's off-site in Orlando I'm bound and determined to go this year. I'm figuring on Minneapolis in late January and on through February for a long term proposal, which I'm not sure what my role will be. At the least, I'll be supporting graphics and text in the layout, working with their in-house staff and showing them how we do proposals, but supporting their proposal manager. It's an SM&A proposal, which I have the most experience with, so I'll be helping to smooth things over. At the most? I can't talk about it just yet.

Haven't heard anything about Sterling Heights just yet, but I expect something this year, because that is the center of wheeled vehicles activities and there is only one BD person on the ground there. She may be hiring, but I suspect Bryan wants experienced people to help her out.

I've re-iterated my willingness to travel, just not relocate. Bryan understands that and he's testing my willingness.

Do you have a memory from childhood, or whenever, that you think about and say to yourself, I'm being punished for this? A memory of some incident you are not proud of, that you would gladly go back and change, but it's there with you year after year.

His name was Chris, and he had a crush on me. We were in the third grade. He was one of those kids - skinny, secondhand clothes, mothing special. His mother was alone and ran the appartment complex next to our townhouses. I don't remember him before that year, or after. I think they had recently moved into the area and must have moved again shortly after. No, it wasn't because of anything I did - merely a coincidence, but a hellovaone, huh? He helped his mom around the place, and once he showed me what he did. And like a shallow, bubble-headed bleached blond, I told everyone at school the next day.

He cleaned toilets.

It seems silly now. Lots of moms would kill for a kid like that. But 35-years ago it was a mark of shame for that kid, to add to his being a skinny nothing with a silly little crush on some girl who thought nothing of humiliating him.

I don't remmber him much after that, and my life went on. I guess I didn't think about it until college, and then I was ashamed. And have been ever since. Sometimes I'll remember him once or twice a year, sometimes it's more like a few years. And then there's now, when I've just read Under The Dome by Stephen King, and he wrote so clearly about personal shame and the things we've done in our lives. Nevermind about the impenetrable dome cutting a town off from the world - that's just science fiction. King's genius has always been in his character studies and little words he writes that evoke such emotion.

I'm sorry.

Thanks to the Watcher for making this possible, and thanks to the dragon tor for posting it so I would see it.



I love the muppets and I love Queen. Nuff said.

I don't know what's happening. I've started back at the gym and I'm on my diet and this morning the scale read 248.8. TWO FORTY-EIGHT POINT EIGHT. What the fuck is happening? And no, that "fuck" wasn't just so I'd score higher in the cussometer.

What else can I gripe about? Oh yeah, my shoulder, which has been a low-grade irritant for years, is now a major pain. FUCK.

In other news I'm reading the latest Terry Pratchett, which features a goblin named Nutt. 'Nuff said.

I gained back all the weight I just lost and I'm not really sure how. I wasn't particularly good but I wasn't that bad either. Urgh.

Things are slow at the office, but I've got a project (short) due next week. I may also be traveling back to York (Pennsylvania) at the end of the year.

I made it through the second round of layoffs, where we lost about 150 people. There's another little one (only 50) in November.

I'm Hovering at 239.2. Been going back and forth the last few days, 239.8, 239.2, 239.8, 239.2. JUST DROP ALREADY.

Other than that, I'm doing fine. Got the terminal drool fest going for VM. My god in the latest photos he looks 35-40. I'm not kidding. Yes, I know Caro, you think he looks 45-47. I've never been a great jusge of ages. Either I think their too old or too young. It's just that right now he looks so young. I could just tell him to sit up straight and spit out that gum.

I've started screen-capping again, finally. I'm about 2/3 done with Gospel According to Harry. I know I did it before, but this is with a legal, clean copy released last year. After that comes Gimlet, which again I've done before but not with the legal clean copy released in 2007. With screencapping comes revised review, so I'll be telling folks when I'm done. Actually, I've been revising a lot of reviews lately, adding stuff. Probably need to freshen up around here.

I decided it was time to update this map, sine I last did it in 2007.


visited 20 states (40%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Down to 243 - that's half the weight I gained. And it's only Friday. Two days shy of a week. Weight loss is usually drastic after a splurge like York, so 4 lb in 5 days is not that unusal.

I had my eye appointment earlier this week, and I've got a foot appointment on Tuesday. Both are rescheduled from my York period so it'll be a relief to get that done with. My eye doctor says the pressure he saw before is reversing itself, whicj probably means it was a temporary thing brought on by Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. He wants to check again in six moths and if all is well, I'm back onto regular yearly maintenance.

Hopefully the foot is similarly good news. They check our feet for sores and numbness and stuff. I've already got some numbness in my toes, but I can still feel out of them. It's like everything is a distant echoe. Hopefully nothing has advanced.

I hate American Airlines and I may never fly them again. I weighed 239 when I started this trip. That's massively down - almost 50 lb since I started, and I think 30 since I last flew. I'll have to check that. So when I got on the flight I was surprised (only a little) and glad to find that I had 5 inches to spare on my seatbelt. I figured It would fit with no problem but I didn't know by how much.

So in Dallas I get on the second flight, the exact same model of plane, and I can't get the belt to meet. I had to ask for an extender. I thought I would be spared that this time, at 239 lb. And after I had gotten the extender and put it on, I started crying and couldn't stop. I realize it's not the worst thing that could happen to a person, but I just thought that losing close to 50 pound would mean I didn't have to do that. I was below the 250 lb mark and I thought that was a magic number.

I was ready for it on the flight back. For one thing, I knew I'd gained. I didn't even bat an eyelash.

So what weight is acceptable to American Airlines? 230? 225? 200?

It was iffy for a bit there. I work in the defense industry. We're downsizing, as is normal during a democratic admistration. I voted for Obama knowing this.

Things have been kinda scary around here. Last month there was "Black wednesday" when we came into the office and saw people being escorted to meetings and coming out without their badges. We knew it was coming at least, but it was still a shock. We lost nearly 400 people that day, out of around 1600. That was just this site. Minneapolis got it before we did. York will come next. The only site growing at this point is the new one in Sterling Heights Michigan. For those of you who don't know, that is near Detroit and has lots of government incentives.

We expect to lose another 150 this friday. But I have just received a phone call from Minneapolis HR with a job offer, basically my current job at current pay. Why Minneapolis? I dunno. I'm not moving there and they're in the same position we are out here in Santa Clara.

I've been told there will be more travel in my future. I just got back from a 3-week trip (see last post).
Considering my performance lately, I've got to breathe a sigh of relief. On a recent project I violated our Export Compliance policy and on this project the boss saw some editing errors after the proposal was out the door.

Butit looks like I'm OK at least until job appraisal next spring.

I had to travel for three weeks to York Pennsylvania. Travel may be happening more in my future. Have to make note for future travel plans: MUST HAVE MINI FRIDGE AND MICROWAVE. I need my 1% milk and nonfat cottage cheese in the morning. I must have a salad for lunch. Dinner is iffy but if I can stock up on frozen dinners I should be all right. But I feel I could at least hold my own and not gain 8 pounds. That's right, I'm 247. Erg.

I don't think so. Yes, he has been quoted in recent interviews as grumbling and making retiree noises. So what? He's done that before, and under similar circumstances. Let's see, it was while he was promoting Hidalgo, after Return of the King. He was tired. Worn out, losing things.

This time it all started with some idle words he passed after the Road. When it was a project he'd taken on after shooting two movies straight - Appaloosa and Good. It was unexpected and he felt he couldn't turn it down.

So he's tired and grumpy and having to delay several other projects near and dear to his heart - publishing, writing, the play with Ariadne Gil (which may be turnabout-is-fair-play for her acting turn in Appaloosa). Add to that the Road was delayed a full year and now it's impacting his schedule in all kinds of ways.

Wouldn't you be a bit weary?

I don't think a guy like Viggo could "retire" from acting. It would be like retiring from breathing. It's one of the things he does, like writing and painting and god help us, even making "music." When he's seventy he'll get a call from David Cronenberg and be the crazy old Uncle Sven toddling around in his underwear in I Dismember Mama, a serious discussion on euthanasia staring Elijah Wood.

Retire? Seriously. Get a grip people.

I'm still doing fine and now weigh 239. When I get to 235, that will officially be the lowest I've been. I guess since college. I sort of think of college as my svelt days of 220. Oy vey.

I'd heard this rumor before but here's something more definite. Karl has been cast in the new TRON Legacy movie, but not in the Jeff Bridges role or that of his son. Which begs the question, will he be a good guy or a bad guy?

bawaal.com/blog/1157-watch-tron-legacy-trailer

So when did I last post on this? I dunno, but this morning I weighed in at 250. Still going strong. I have to sort through my clothes and pack away everything too big.

We're going on vacation to Glacier Park. We'll drive there and back, spending 3-4 days in the park. We're meeting up with family there for fishing and hiking.

I'll take lots of pics.

it's been a looooong time
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Strokes can be great for weight loss. I've lost 20 lb. More actually. The weighed me in at 286 something, and this morning I weighed 264.4. I'll keep you posted.

I am doing fine, but I thought I should let people know that I had a stroke. Its been a little more than three weeks. I'm not sure what else to say about it.

Why do I always wear a sweater when the weather turns nice and the air conditioning at the office hasn't caught up?

Oh, and there's a huge box of 3 ft by 4 ft foam-core sitting outside my office waiting for me to make room for it. It's left over from the war wall on the last big proposal. Since they took my proposal center away I have noplace to put it, but it would be such a waste to toss it out when it can easily be re-used. Urgh.

Oh ... okay. The proposal center. I've been promised one of these several times over the years. This time it actually seemed to be happening. My boss hit up the site leadership team and they said okay and said they would try to come up with something in the new building. Well, then they finished getting the new building ready and decided they wanted to move in new engineers instead of having a proposal center. So now I'm stuck with 6 desktop computers, 1 laptop computer and all this foam-core, and noplace to put them. In addition, I have a complete system (computer, printer, scanner) for our restricted area which is still in the new building, down the road and across the highway from us.

This is really frustrating.

On the other hand, will be going on vacation in less than two weeks.

The sploding yard as viewed through the broken camera.

( pics beneath the cut )