Avalon: 1991-2005

Subject: Avalon: 1991-2005
From: Scott Zrubek
Newsgroups: sff.discuss.cats

We brought him into our house in the Summer of 91, shortly after we'd
moved into the house. We picked him up because we thought Pypn (who
died earlier this year) could use a playmate. We picked him up at the
ripe old age of six weeks and he was neutered before we were able to
take him home. This may have affected his personality somewhat.

Avalon was lucky. His card at the SPCA listed him as DMH (Domestic
Medium Hair). I had been told I could not bring home a long-haired cat.
When Kim saw the guy in whom I was interested, she pointed to his
longish fur. I pointed to the card on his cage. She sighed. I
cheered.

He was a darling little kitten, best known for climbing into the
telephone stand and hiding behind the telephone books. He'd reach out
and snag a shoestring if we dangled one nearby with "The Claw". He'd
curl his paw around that string and happily munch away.

We took him to be groomed once, with Pypn. We think this may have had a
severe effect on his psyche. Several days after we brought him home from
the groomer, we noticed a several inch long scar on his belly. I think
he was far more reserved from this point on.

He was not an adventurous cat. When visitors would come to the house,
he would head to our back bedroom. He might grace us with his presence
in 20 minutes or so, if he knew that not too many folks were in the
house. If he recognized the voices as familiar he would come out, as
well.

He loved the rattan chair that Kim's parents gave us a number of years
ago. It was his favorite spot, a great spot to watch our front yard.
He'd sleep in it and watch the world in the front of the house go by.
Unfortunately, he was unable to enjoy it for the past few months, as the
chair was behind toddler gates that we set up to block part of the house
off from the dogs. He was unwilling to jump over the gates to get to
his chair and we had no place to put it for him to get to.

As a fighter, he wasn't very skilled, but he got lots of practice. The
other cats would brush up on their skills with him. He perfected the
"Bear" posture and he and Hobeaux would battle in that posture for
minutes on end with no sounds being made. Very Zen-like.

He did not like the outdoors, and would scuttle away from an open door
if it presented itself until recently. After we fenced in the yard for
the dogs, he considered the back yard a safe environment and he would
wander around for short periods of time. As recently as Friday, he was
interested in going outside.

He ended up being our biggest cat at 20 lbs. He did not achieve such
stature until recently, but it did affect his ability to keep his medium
length fur in good shape. I was cutting mats out on a regular basis
over the past 2 years.

He was a trooper at the end. He was willing to make the effort to get
off of the vet's table and go somewhere else. He passed quietly after
the vet performed her functions.

I hope he, Pypn and Hobeaux are curled up together keeping each other
warm. We miss them all tremendously.

Goodbye, Avalon (aka Furball and Sir Cardinal Fang)

Same song, third verse

Two years ago, about this time, Hobeaux was diagnosed with kidney failure. We gave him subcutaneous fluids and various medications and nursed him along until it was obvious he was ready to go.

Early this year, Pypn was diagnosed with the same condition. Knowing how hard it was on Hobeaux and us, we just made him as comfortable as possible. No fluid, no meds. I think he lasted about the same amount of time before he told us he was ready to go.

Last week, Avalon was diagnosed with kidney failure. Earlier this year, he was at 20 pounds. At his yearly checkup last month he was at 15. We thought it might have been related to stress from evacuating for Rita, or at the loss of Pypn his buddy for all of his life. When we took him in last week, he was at 13 pounds.

This furry, shy guy is not long for this world. He's still moving around well, jumping up onto the bed, sofa and other favorite places. He still is wandering around outside, inside the fence, as well. But he has no appetite, so these joys will disappear soon.

4 Eyes

Went to a couple of Dr.'s appointments the other day. One of them was my eye Dr. I probably hadn't been to see him, specifically, in about 10 years. I had been to see a different doc about 3 or 4 years ago. But, my preferred guy wasn't on my old insurance and is my current insurance, so off I went.

No major, or even minor quibbles with my eyes, according to him. New glasses were in order, though.

I'm wearing them today and, as usual, it takes a while to get used to new prescriptions. The new ones are stronger, but still only for computer work. I've saved the old pair for work at home, in case I decide to use them there.

Stayin' home and lovin' it

I was driving in to work this morning during rush hour. A white Dodge pickup was in front of me with the above saying stickered onto the back window.

Apparently someone is not staying home and loving it. Otherwise, why would they be on the road at that god-forsaken hour?

Smoke 'em if you've got 'em

The in-laws were in town over the weekend. One of my tasks, while they were here, was to cook out on the grill/smoker we've got on the back patio (it still isn't back to its pre-Rita location).

The objects of the searing heat: 2 whole chickens and several Rib-Eye steaks. The Rib-Eyes are the meat of choice for grilling. The chickens were the second item to be smoked on this grill.

Kim and her mom prepped the chickens with a rub about 24 hours in advance, and they marinated the Rib-Eyes at the same time.

I got the grill going with some hickory logs from my local dirt yard and cooking along at a nice 250 degrees. The chickens got plopped at the far end of the cooking surface from the fire and absorbed the smoke and heat for about 2.5 - 3 hours. I had to add additional wood about every 30 - 45 minutes to keep the heat up. At the end of the time, the skins of the chicken were very dark and the leg bones were able to be pulled out without much effort: a sign that they are done.

The rib-eyes went on, straight over the fire and came off about 25 minutes later.

The chicken were received with gushing reviews. They were very tasty and still extremely moist. I think the reviews were well-deserved. Kim's mom says she wants smoked chickens instead of turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner this year. I think it sounds like a good idea.

Wait 'til next year

The Astros have succumbed to the force that is the Chicago White Sox, but it was an honor just to be nominated. We had a great season, with a magnificent comeback from the dead at 15-30, making it to our first ever World Series.

The results of the series were not great, but the games, on an individual basis, were. You did not know who was going to win each game until the last out in each game. The games kept me up to odd hours and I was happy to be watching.

I hope the city throws a parade for the team. They deserve it.

I'm considering a mini-season ticket for next season, but the logistics don't work very well. I'll just have to mull it over some more.

Matt meet Art

I've been on a bit of a wave of finding the art work I've purchased at Art Shows over the past few years and getting them framed. Most of the stuff is sketches by various artists and their presentation of the pieces at the shows was fairly bare.

I've done a lot of matting over the past 2 weeks and I think I'm done with the Art Show stuff (some other stuff has been uncovered that needs to be worked on). One of the pieces took me a couple of tries to get it right because I combined two pieces onto one mat/frame. The first attempt I rushed and laid out improperly. The second attempt worked out: I caught myself just before making cuts that would have ruined an hour's worth of work.

I'm going through some online sites (www.americanframe.com and www.mettleco.com) and choosing frames. I've got 6 pieces to frame and, while it won't be cheap, it won't be too expensive to get them all finished. If I'd dropped them off at my local frame shop, I wouldn't be able to afford it.

So, gotta go commit frames and drop some dough.

Mighty Casey..

My boys with the flying star have their backs against the wall from here on out. One more loss and the World Series is out of their reach for the year. So far, it's been a closely matched, fairly well-played series. The results suck.

There've been a few calls blown that could have given us some more opportunities to score, but we've have had quite a number as it is. We've just failed to capitalize on most of them.

I've tried to find shirts and caps for the World Series, but the local stores don't seem to have them. It looks like I'm going to have to order them on-line. My mom and aunt both want t-shirts, so I'll have to add those to my order.

Holier Toledo

The Astros are in the World Series!

I've hoped for this day throughout the years. Mainly in '86, when I remember watching the playoffs in the common room of my dorm at A&M.

I'm not certain I really even knew the World Series existed during the days that I was a Coca-Cola Astros Buddy. I do remember going to a field day at the Astrodome, when the Astro who played each position was going to be out at his position giving a brief demo on the workings of his position. The Astro who played my position, Lee May (at first base), was not able to make it for the demo. I'm pretty sure I was very disappointed. I don't remember who took his place.

Just 4 games to go to win the Series. Go Astros!

Sports

A&M beats Oklahoma State 62 -23? What in the world is going on. OSU must be horrible because the A&M team I saw play Baylor was a disaster.

Astros: Sunday: What a game ending double-play!

Astros: Monday: Come on Lidge. Don't give Eckstein a pitch to hit with 2 strikes.

Astros: Wednesday: We'd better win. I want to go buy World Series paraphernalia.

Ciabatta

According to the cookbooks I've been using, ciabatta bread is supposed to be a rustic bread with large holes in it. Why is it that my renditions are very finely holed, soft loaves.

Kim loves the flavor, but I'm frustrated that it doesn't turn out how I think it's supposed to.

Holy Toledo!

Astros Win!

Kim managed to score some tickets for the Astros vs. Braves game on Sunday for an anniversary gift. 20 rows from the top, directly behind the catcher.

We drive to the game, since Metro no longer provides the ballgame shuttles. It would have cost us more to ride the shuttle ($10) than it did to park the truck ($7), but it would have been more pleasant, as we wouldn't have had flashbacks while driving through the traffic.

Arriving at Minute Maid Park, we wander around a bit, hit the Shed to see if they've got any good caps to commemorate the series, grab some food and get to the seats.

Everything's going fine until the Braves get the grand slam. Disappointment and disillusionment are the emotions of the moment in our area. We see fans throughout the stadium leaving. Not huge numbers, but noticeable from our view from the top. We stick it out. The game was a noon start and we've got nothing pressing on the schedule for the rest of the day. We might go to the Bayou City Arts Festival if we get out of the game at a decent time.

Bottom of the 8th. Astros down 6-1. Bases loaded. Lance Berkman at bat. Suddenly, we're only down 6-5. Joy abounds.

Bottom of the 9th. Two outs. Bases empty. Brad Ausmus at bat. Suddenly, we're tied and going into extra innings. I didn't realize he'd hit a home run until he rounded third and no one tried to throw him out.

10th. 11th. 12th. 13th. 14th. 15th. 16th. 17th. 18th. Pitchers come, pitchers go. First basemen come, first basemen go. Shortstops come, shortstops go. Center fields come, center fielders go. Catchers come, catchers go, catchers return.

Chris Burke at bat. The game's over! Pandemonium erupts and confetti falls from the vents, 5 hours and 50 minutes after the game began.

We started the day at the stadium with lunch and it was just about dinner time when we were through.

What a game.

Flextennis

It's my third season in this flexible (i.e., no set day to play - you schedule your own matches) tennis league. My match last night was against a guy whose playing in his first season. His first competitive tennis in a while. I beat him handily, but he'll be much better by the end of the season. He was just rusty.

www.flextennis.com

A&M vs Baylor

Friends of the family had some extra tickets for the A&M - Baylor game and I had a Saturday free unavoidable obligations. Kim was supposed to have an appointment in west Houston on that day, so I got my neighbor (Steve, also an Aggie) to join me for the game.

It turned out Kim's appointment was cancelled, but not until after arrangements with Steve had been set up.

Steve and I left early to meet up with a bunch of folks tailgating before the game. WE managed to get there in time to get a parking spot near the tailgaters. The next couple of hours were spent eating, drinking and low-key rabble-rousing.

Next, the game. Geez, what sort of team is A&M putting on the field this season? We can't move the ball on offense and we can't stop Baylor (or Texas State, for that matter) defensively.

I'm still annoyed at the rich old Ags who drummed R. C. Slocum out of the head coaching spot. I've yet to see anything worthwhile out of Coach Fran.

I don't expect us to win any more games this season.

Flashbacks

Driving into work, traffic was at its normal pace. Unfortunately, this was similar enough to the traffic during the evacuation that it caused me to freak out a bit. Nothing major, but it did inspire and fight-or-flight rise in blood pressure.

The evacuation will probably have lingering effects in my psyche for some time to come.

The (non) Evacuation from Hell

I live in Houston, or thereabouts. We have hurricanes. Occasionally, we should evacuate because of a hurricane. Rita was one such hurricane.

We were packed and ready to go, except for the pets, Tuesday night. We both had to go into work the next day. Kim was expecting to be let go around lunchtime. I was hoping to be home earlier than that. It didn't happen.

I had to stick around and make hurricane-related updates to the website. The final update wasn't ready until 1:30 p.m.

I then zipped down to my mom's place and secured the windows with the plywood that my dad prepared 25-plus years ago. I had her house boarded up in about an hour and then zipped back to my house. We still had some last minute stuff to do so we didn't get out of the house and on the road until 5:15 p.m.

We were not scheduled to leave by the powers-that-be for another 8-12 hours depending on who you listened to.

I'd seen traffic on the way home from work and it was obviously backed up.

We attempted to game the roadways by heading south and then west and north. Driving south, we passed the obvious access to Hwy 6 (backed up) and caught a little farm-to-market south of Alvin and headed west. We drove along fairly easily for a while, zigging and zagging along the roads.

It's now a little after 6 p.m. and we attempt to cross under Hwy 288. Too late. At 6 p.m. they started shutting down various roads and funnelling folks on to the primary evacuation routes. Our attempt to take 1462 all the way to Hwy 36 failed. We had to get on Hwy 288.

We hop on 288 and stop moving. We make it to Beltway 8 a while later, maybe 2 or 3 hours. I think we also perform our first driver change during this stretch. Without pulling over to the side of the road. I mean, what would it buy us? Nobody's passing anyone. We can walk faster than we're able to drive. We're not in danger of getting run over by anyone or anything. Except maybe a cockroach. They're leaving town , too.

I try to grab some shut-eye and fail. Too much stress.

We switch drivers again, probably about 3 hours after our last change. I think Kim just slides over in the seat for this change while I run around the truck. I think we're on Hwy 290 by now.

Kim grabs some shut-eye. Manages to do very well, I think. The dogs are unusually quiet.

1st gear. Standard transmission. 3 hours. Left leg hurts.

About 1 am we switch again. Kim's knitting while driving and making a lot of progress with the hat she's making. Occasionally, she moves the truck up 10 feet or so. I attempt to sleep. Fail miserably. Stress rising about being stuck on the highway when Rita comes roaring through.

1st gear. Standard transmission. 3 hours. Lots of cars in our squadron with only 1 person in the car. What were they thinking? Come on people, carpool! If every car on the road had at least two people in it we'd actually be moving somewhere at maybe 4mph! Instead of this 1mph we're currently experiencing.

We switch again. I think for the last time. I drive. Well, sort of. If you can call it driving.

Around 7am I start really worrying about being able to get anywhere on the gas remaining in the tank. 1/4 tank. No gas stations with gas in sight. Kim's asleep, so I can't get her opinion on my plan. Can execute the plan without her buy-in. Pass an exit.

About the only thing we passed except time.

Kim wakes up and agrees with the plan.

The plan is to take the next exit (1.5 miles and an hour away), wander around the area looking for gas and, if we don't find any, head back in to Houston.

But first, we take a break by the side of the road and let the dogs out. Everyone else seems to have the same idea as dogs start piling out of vehicles on leashes.

We wander. We look. We find, but with long, confused lines. We head back into town.

We head back to my workplace, a nice solid cement structure. I'm the first of a number of refugees from the evacuation.

We take over my office area, get the animals settled, get ourselves settled and collapse.

The rest of the weekend is spent reading, walking the dogs, listening and watching reports on the evacuation and updating the website.

A trip to Austin

Click here to view video.

This was a trip to Austin in support of Armadillocon, a science fiction convention held in austin each year. I've run the Art Show at the convention for the past couple of years. I needed to attend at least *one* meeting of the convention staff and the held one on a Saturday, so A.T. Campbell and I drove up together for the meeting.

I ran out of tape in the camera around halfway up to Austin, so you don't see us arriving for the meeting, but I promise you we made it. You get to see the drive a lot faster than we made it.

Up and running

A first blog at blogger for me. I had a blog on my own server, but failed to keep it up. The same result will probably occur here.

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