Day Off! And A Rant.

Quotation of the day -- Douglas Adams: You have destroyed most of a small galaxy. Please pick your words with greater care.

 There, to my left, is a brand-new pic of my dear Cate. 

Today, i went to my friendly local CD shop, optimistically expecting that they'd have two albums waiting for me -- the new Kate Bush, and the new Rory Gallagher.  I've had them on order for a few weeks, and they were supposed to arrive today.

Wrong again.  The release of  Kate Bush's "Director's Cut" in Canada has been postponed for the third time, and the Rory Gallagher (a previously-unknown "lost" album) has likewise been delayed.

Now, consider this.  The record companies are constantly bewailing the fact that they're losing millions to free file-sharing sites and such.  I honestly believe that they are 100% responsible for the troubles they have.

Kate's album almost made #1 in the U.K. charts a couple of weeks ago.  She has a huge fan base in North America and this is bound to be a big seller.  Record company exec says, "let's not release it yet."  Brilliant move, Mr Executive. Meanwhile i already have it as a download (S.K.F., you know who you are!) but ... i want the damn CD!

On to Rory Gallagher.  He has a massive fan base in North America -- all of his albums have just been released in newly-remastered versions but ... the release of the "lost" album?  Record company exec says, it won't sell as much as Lady GaGa so let's leave it for a bit.  Meanwhile, i have already found it as a free download from one of my favourite music blogs (http://zinhof.blog.hr/2011/05/index.html#1629252614) and i could have downloaded it.  I didn't, though -- i want the damn CD!

Record company exec. says, "file-sharing is killing the industry!"  To which i reply, eff off, you are killing the industry by not releasing what the people want.

Okay, rant over. (And, to ease my pain, i bought the new album by The Strokes, "Angles."  Which is pretty good but it's not Kate or Rory...).

Herman J. Theijsmeijer, R.I.P.

I am very sad tonight.

I took my little Cate-cat in to the Avon Pet Hospital yesterday for her annual shots and check-up (she's A-1 -- although i can't believe it's a year since i adopted her) and learned that Dr Theijsmeijer -- my vet for over twenty years and through six cats -- had passed away in June, of pancreatic cancer. That is he, to the left, there.  It was ... a helluva shock.  He was such a good man and there aren't so many of those around these days that we can afford to lose one (which could explain the tears welling up in my eyes as i type this).  I only just saw him, in April maybe, at the beer store.  (Yes, me at the beer store, that's stretching credulity innit.)  But he seemed perfectly fine.

He was a little eccentric, maybe -- but that made me like him even more.

The new vet, Dr Maal (sp?) seems really nice, but she's not Herman

The Catieboo Seal Of Approval

Ah, right, Cate-cat approves.  There she is atop the new PC -- so i guess i'll keep it.

And i've been keeping busy with it an' all -- configuring, downloading apps, and configuring some more, hampered no end by the fact that my Internet connection has been really wonky lately.  It always seems down on Sundays -- my only day off! -- i can't imagine why this would be but am willing to accept the possibility that i've screwed something up.

And i haven't had much time for watching films recently, but i've managed these:

I know....

Cate

Here's a new picture. Now really, though: what kind of an idiot would buy a cat a chair with a "101 Dalmatians" motif? Besides me, that is....

Cate's First Photo

What a beauty!

Alas, i can't take the credit for the picture -- the O.S.P.C.A. (Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) e-mailed it to me with some helpful hints -- it must be their file photograph.

When i start photographing her, i will open a new file on Flickr. And i'll let you know.

More Cate

About two weeks ago, i bought and watched the DVD of "Pushing Tin," starring the extraordinary Cate Blanchett, the finest film actress of her generation (IMFFHO).

Presumably this is what influenced my decision to name my wonderful new cat -- whom i had not at that time met --after Ms B.

I have yet to take any photographs of my Cate, so here's the other one, la la.

Anyway, Cate (my one) seems to be settling well. She slept with me last night, and today she used her litter box, which, considering the problem she had with incontinence prior to her spaying, was very much a relief!

And so i am very much enjoying my Friday off.

Cate's Home!

The animal shelter called me today -- Cate had been spayed and jabbed, and was ready.

She was sitting on my lap for a while, purring and licking my hand but now she's gone off to explore some more -- or to eat some more! She's already knocked off half a tin of cat food and she's only been here for an hour.

She's actually a year old, i thought she was younger because she's so small. She's also less grey & white than i thought -- in fact just grey with white on her snout, sternum & paws: no pictures yet, though -- i'd prefer her to get comfortable before i blind her with the camera's flash.

More later, i'm sure!

Cate

A lot has happened since my last post, folks.

I had a perfectly miserable day at the shoppe on Friday. It was a mess from the moment i arrived, thanks to last night's shift doing almost nothing that they were supposed to i was behind schedule immediately. And then, when i went to hose down a greasy floor, i discovered that they had broken the nozzle on the hose.

I deduced the fact that the nozzle had been broken by the fact that i was drenched, literally head to toe, by the 170 degree water that shot back at me when i tried to use it.

So there i am, at 8 a.m., soaking wet and behind schedule and guess what? There's a waitresses' meeting and i'm (i'm told) expected to bake some cinnamon buns for them. Grrrr! Can't they bake their own $#%@ cinnamon buns? I have a kitchen to open!!!! Well, evidently not -- it's far too difficult to pop a baking tray into a convection oven for ten minutes.... And they didn't even offer me one.

At 10.45 Daughtry's song "Home" came on the Muzak system, a song that resonates for me; i found an isolated corner and i sat down and i wept. Really. Real tears. (Fortunately no one saw me.) How did my life get to be this horrible?

And after work, i went to the animal shelter ... and found someone to bond with.

Most of the cats ignored me; a couple actually hissed at me. But one put her paw out of her cage and touched my finger: a very young grey and white beauty, such a recent addition to the shelter that she hadn't even been examined or given her shots yet. So they gave me the application forms and i submitted them on Saturday.

I can only describe this as being absolutely necessary. The wound in my heart was festering and i was becoming more and more withdrawn. I think that, since Watson died, i've been to bed sober maybe three times. Bad, bad, bad me.

Sarah from the Animal Shelter phoned me today. She's the first person i've spoken to who actually knew something about Cate -- presumably because she (Cate) was such a new arrival no one i spoke with earlier had seen her file. And Cate's name is "Missy." Ha! Well, not anymore it isn't, how unimaginative! Anyway, my application was approved, but there's a problem that she (Sarah) wanted me to be aware of. Nothing ever seems unproblematic for me. Must be bad Karma or something, i dunno.

The reason that Cate had been put into the shelter was, she came from a multi-cat household, she would pee everywhere, and her owners couldn't cope. Now that she's at the shelter, whenever she's out of her cage, she will pee everywhere. Sarah says that, most likely, Cate is nervous around other cats and that spaying her and moving into an environment where she's the sole attraction, will end the problem. She (Sarah) spoke to the manager of the Shelter and he agreed, but they wanted to let me know and ask if i still wanted to go ahead with the adoption. And, they tell me, she (Cate) is a perfectly wonderful cat otherwise.

Well, of course i said yes!

I also found out that it won't be until sometime next week until i can bring her home :o(

And that on top of the $125 adoption fee there's a $30 licence fee which i hadn't budgeted for. It's not a problem, it's just a surprise and means i'll have to skip my next couple of visits to Kelsey's Pub. They'll wonder where i am!