Stunning Senior Moment

A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to himwhy it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.

'You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one,'
the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear. 'The
young people of today are much more advanced than people your age. We
grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the
moon and the internet. We have cell phones, nuclear energy, electric
and hydrogen cars, computers, automated manufacturing, amazing
technologies, ...and,' pausing to take another drink of beer.

The senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and
said, 'You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were
young.....so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little shit, what are
YOU doing for the next generation?'

The applause was resounding...

I love senior citizens!!

The Doctor's Wife

This week I rapidly read "The Doctor's Wife" by Elizabeth Brundage. I started reading it on Monday during my lunch break. I finished it in 2 hours yesterday. I thought it would be a good idea to review it for all the other book lovers out there.

It's a sordid little story that succeeds only because you can never manage to put it down.

The book begins in a familiar suspense style. Dr. Michael Knowles, an OB/GYN, answers his pager in the wee hours of the morning. He is an over-worked man that is married to his career. His passion for his work is what recently lead him to volunteer at an abortion clinic, which is also run by a former lover.

"The Doctor's Wife" is notable for its larger plot. This novel is focused between two people that have made life changing choices. One by Dr. Knowles to perform abortions, while the other choice is by a religious fanatic to perpetrate violence against him. We go from an attempted assassination, to hiding the truth. Dr. Knowles' problems are not limited to those attempts on his life. His wife, Annie Knowles, is becoming disenchanted with her career as a professor at the local college and is becoming increasingly bored with being known for/as "the doctor's wife." She begins spending a lot of time at seedy motels with formerly renowned, eccentric painter Simon Haas. Haas's own wife, Lydia, is preoccupied with her own maniac fits. When the Knowles begin receiving anonymous threats it is clear that the two couples are more involved than it seemed.

Views from of the story are coming in from all angles, from of Michael, Annie, Simon, and Lydia, struggling with choices they made about how to live their lives. Suspenseful, it's a page-turner with a attention grabbing plot. The problem I saw, is that the story focuses on the least interesting character. As the title very clearly states, the story is less about Dr. Knowles' career choice than his wife's bedroom activites. That's also where the story goes in the wrong direction. Focusing too much on the adulterous and boring relationship between Annie and Simon, the story closely resembles romantic fiction than a moral thriller.

Riley, My Little Man

Riley
2004-2007

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
Love leaves a memory no one can steal

Today makes it one year since Riley passed away. Because this is his day, I will not get into the specifics. I will simply write about him & what he meant to us...

On August 1, 2004 around 11pm I was working at the Orange County Fair when a customer pointed out that there was a small orange cat under the Mr. Frosty truck. It was the last night of the fair & I couldn't bear the thought of this little kitten being left to roam the midway alone. Since there were virtually no customers at my stand, I went over the the Mr. Frosty truck to let the kid behind the counter know that I was going to try to catch the kitten. He was cool with it. After about 10 minutes of coaxing, I almost had this little kitty in my hands when he bolted over the hide beneath a moving truck. I pursued & he ran again into the middle of pricker bushes. Some fair patrons & the Mr. Frosty kid saw what was going on. They helped chase the kitten right into my waiting arms, which were 3/4 of the way into the bushes. I called Joe at about 1am to let him know I was bringing a kitten back to his house.

When I got back to the house Joe was up awaiting the new arrival. While I was out of the room Riley tried to nurse off of Joe, who was laying in bed without his shirt on. That was hilarious. That first night Riley cried & sneezed all night. The next morning brought the 3 of us to the veterinarian. $700 later, we were told that he would never loose his sniffles. Other than that, we had a healthy 6 month old kitten to proudly raise.

Time passed quickly; Riley became my baby. He liked to sit on my hip & be held like a baby. This was how I usually carried him around the house. He would also sit on his hind legs & stretch his arms out. This became known as "giving huggies" & was how we knew that he wanted to be snuggled. Like any child, he liked to sleep in bed with us...and like any child, he would lay himself right between Joe & I. He always slept in the crook of my arm with his head on my shoulder or on my pillow, still keeping his head on my shoulder. Anytime I would be sad, he would come lay with me to comfort me. He never liked to see me sad & would start to try to play with me.

Because he was always congested, he would always sneeze. He covered everything in boogers. We used to joke that it was his way of marking his territory...that & leaving the remnants of my half eaten my flip flops around the apartment. When we got a faux leather computer chair for the desk, he clawed it to shreds while happily sneezing all over it.

He was a curious kitty & tried to make friends with everything. One day at Joe's parent house, Riley discovered a large snapping turtle & was fascinated with it as it made its way across the backyard. Another time he took a "vacation", disappearing for a week. I was frantically worrying about him. He turned up down the road & the family that found him said he was playing in the swap & eating frogs all week. I guess the frogs weren't as social, so he thought eating them would be better.

He had a little hanging mouse toy we got for him a few days after I brought him home. He proceeded to happily chew off it's arms, legs & part of its head. He would proudly walk around with the toy that we all referred to as "Mr. Headless-Legless Mousie". It was also the toy that we buried him with. I'm sure in heaven that toy has an infinite number of heads & legs for Riley to pop off.

Now a year after his passing, my heart still holds the pain of this loss. There are times that I still feel he is here with me. I still cry when I think about him & this morning he was the first thing that I thought about. I don't think that the pain will ever go away completly. I know that it may sound silly to some, but this was the closest that we have ever been to loosing a child. Riley was the first "baby" we ever had.

Fall TV Time...What To Watch?......

Anyone who has seen our TV list has probably figured out that most of them are mine and not Caseys. And if I wanted to add every show I even remotely watch, that list would be insanely long (surprisingly I'm not really a couch potato......I swear). During the summer it's not too bad, but now that fall is upon us, I'm gonna be in front of the boob tube almost every weeknight. So, I thought I'd just throw some stuff on here about the main shows I'll be watching.

Monday:
Prison Break- The show has been a few episodes into Season 4, and seems to be holding its own. What got me into the show when it started its first season was how they kept you guessing, and didn't make you constantly wait until the next episode to figure something out. Wentworth Miller is also a hell of an actor, while the rest of the cast is hit-or-miss. Still, the show has stepped up since last season, so I'll be keeping my eye on it.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles- I was an insane Terminator fan when I was a kid, so it didn't take much for me to get into this. Now in Season 2, the show has continued with Sarah protecting her son John from the many threats from the future. The thing I like most about this show is that it keeps with the story set by the movies, and the cast is insanely good.

Heroes- As a former comic-book-guy, I was big on superheroes. This show has a new version of that, and has managed to keep me interested. Although the number of cast members makes it hard to keep track of everything, and not all of them are interesting, the battle between good an evil more than makes up for it. I was unable to watch the premiere of Season 3, but it's on tape waiting for me.......

Tuesday:
Fringe- This show has managed to keep my attention, although I was uncertain at first. But thanks to a couple of great characters and the fact that they air it with very few commercials makes it worth my time. Also, I think this show is better than "The X-Files"........seriously, I mean that.

Wednesday:
The Ultimate Fighter- Finally, I get some kind of weekly dose of UFC. Season 8 just started last week, and it already looks like the fighters will be more promising than those of last season. I don't really care too much about the drama that they show between competitors unless it effects an upcoming fight, but they have at least one fight per episode, and that makes it worth it.

Thursday:
The Office- It's been a while since a good sitcom held my attention, but this show managed to do it. I got caught up after getting into it during the 2nd season, and now I'm just waiting for the premiere next week. A great cast and original jokes are all I need, and The Office delivers.

Sunday:
Family Guy- I can't help but enjoy this show. The laughs don't stop, as outrageous as they sometimes are, but at least they don't hold back. Lots of stand-up comedians let it all out, and now we have a cartoon that does it too. This one will have a hard time losing my attention.

Shows I Keep An Eye On:
Smallville- I'm a huge Superman fan, but this show seems to be on a decline. Hope it bounces back this season.
My Name Is Earl- The show is good, but I want to see some changes.
CSI- Watch it here and there, but now that the two characters I liked the least are gone, I may take it seriously.
The Simpsons- Found myself only interested in episodes about my favorite characters (Homer, Mr. Burns and Apu to name a few).
American Dad- Although similar to Family Guy, it holds its own.

Shows I'm Waiting For:
24- Been waiting fffffoooooooooorrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr for my favorite show of all time to come back on. Thankfully a two-hour TV movie in November will get me hyped up.
Lost- This show just keeps me hooked, and I'm just anxious to see where the new season is gonna start.....so hurry up ABC!
Burn Notice- The show ended its 2nd season, and has continued to entertain. I'm glad they're starting again this winter rather than wait for next summer.
Nip/Tuck- This show is making it hard for me to keep watching, but I'll give it another go this season since a few characters have made it worth it.
Rescue Me- See Nip/Tuck for similar description.

Facebook Me

Yesterday I made a facebook page. I'm not really sure what to make of it at the moment. I'm trying to decide if I want to keep the thing going.
If I have anything important to tell everyone, I just put it on here. Although, with me facing the fact that I will be returning to school in January (or so).... that thingie will probably be helpful. Yes, yes I know that I need to get my Masters. I got discouraged after Mercy changed their program from being mostly online to being entirely classroom. That lead me to loaf for the past year. But enough time has been spent on my ass & now I need to get back up & get the ball rolling. So tonight I'm reviewing information from Boston University. They're program looks pretty cool, but we'll see. I requested MBA information from about 30 different schools.

UFC Fight Night Thoughts

It had been a little while since Spike TV had done a live UFC event, so of course I was looking forward to it. Some well-known fighters were on the card, and a few of the fights were too close to call. How did it go?

The first fight was between Houston Alexander and Eric Schafer. Style-wise, Schafer was likely to win, but I had some hope that Alexander had learned from his past fights since he had lost two in a row. Instead, he got submitted in the first round. Already I was disappointed. Next was a fight between Ed Herman and Alan Blecher. Belcher was my pick, but watching the fight I really thought Herman had won it. Instead, Belcher got the split-decision......so I got lucky there. Next was probably the toughest fight to call: Clay Guida vs. Mac Danzig. I liked both fighters, and I ultimately went with Danzig. As I watched the fight, I really thought Danzig had won the fight until the commentators said they thought Guida won. Guida did win, and I got a little frustrated with that considering the fight was similar to the Belcher/Herman fight. Basically, Danzig and Belcher were winning the fight while standing, but Guida and Herman were scoring takedowns. The only difference was that Guida did less once he had gotten the takedown, while Herman stayed active. Kinda wierd.

Then the main event came: Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer. Diaz was the clear favorite, and he certainly dominated the fight; the first and third rounds were his, so it should've been a clear-cut decision. And Diaz won by......split decision? One judge actually had Neer picked as the winner. When that was announced, Neer got a strange look on his face. Luckily, the other judges picked Diaz rightfully.

I won't get into this too much, but even though the fights were actually enjoyable, the show itself was pretty bad. Other than the judges, the editing and commentating were awful (I'm really not a fan of Joe Rogan to begin with, but last night he was a complete dumbass). In the end, the fights were good, and that's all that mattered to me.

After the event, the had the season premiere of "The Ultimate Fighter," and the fights on that were actually a little more exciting. Some good prospects showed their skills, and it actually looks like they'll have some good fighters this season. We'll have to wait and see.

Note For My Patients

Please note that Concord Grape Jelly is NOT an effective substitute for contraceptive jelly. But that fact that you think it might be, suggests that you should consider a more permanent method of birth control.

Autumn Love

I've been finding myself in a state of deep thoughts lately. The changing of the season has lead to it, of this I'm sure. As the gray storm clods float overhead, I'm getting hit with the realization that another year is quickly about pass by. I guess it's time to leave the arms of summers warmth for the autumns chilly embrace.
I mentioned the other day that to battle the solemn mood that can accompany autumn, think about all the pleasant things that autumn has to offer. Below is my mini-list, but feel free to leave comments about what you love about the season.

Things to love about autumn:

1. The crisp smell
2. Pumpkins, carved or otherwise
3. Apple picking
4. Brightly colored leaves
5. That crunchy sound leaves make beneath your feet as you walk
   
6. Halloween, candy, costumes...
   
7. Candy corn~greatest form of sugar other than marshmellow peeps!
8. Thanksgiving
9. Football season
10. Football parties
    
11. Baseball post season
12. Warm days, followed by cool nights
13. That first morning "nip" in the air
14. Sweaters
15. Fall fashion season
    
16. Fireplaces~watching & smelling it
17. Hot cider
18. Bugs disappear
19. That certain sense of relaxed sense of emotions that come with the earlier evenings & the cooler days: a perfect mood for spending a relaxing weekend afternoon or evening with a few friends or a loved one drinking good red wine and listening to some good music.
    

Southern Security System

1. Go to a second hand store & buy a used pair of men's size 14-16 work boots.

2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.

4. Leave a note on your front door that reads:

Hey Bubba,

Me, Big Jim, Duke and Slim went for more ammunition. Back in an hour.
Don't mess with the pit bulls-they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it but it was hard to tell from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house.
Better wait outside.

'Cooter'

Autumn Days

What I have noticed most recently is the leaves. That beautiful, vibrant green of summer has begun to turn to those faint reds, golds, & oranges of fall. In a few weeks time that pale palate will change to produce an intense color that will provide a striking contrast against the bluest of skies. I believe that this year has provided us with an early autumn season. I think it really came about in August. A few things that can be found unusual occurred last month like,those "Hot August Nights" but instead, coolness tingled our skin at night...sometimes, it was considerably chilly like...like fall weather....

I know that I've previously mentioned that when I'm outside I've heard that familiar sound of a flock of Canadian Geese flying overhead. Normally we won't hear or see them until the mid-later days of autumn.

Many people that I've talked to agree that it's sure to be an early fall. According to some research that I found, we're having unseasonably strong systems moving out from Canada bringing us bouts of cold & unsettled weather, only to be followed by Canadian high pressure. I've got no idea what that really means, but I started to think back over the past several years & noticed this trend...that we get real cold right around this time, then somewhere out of left field September & October become a little on the warm side, while November & December are usually up and down, before we go into the deep hell of winter. That's been starting in January without release from it's icy grasp until early May. Then the weather we actually get in May is typical of late March or early April.

I don't know...autumn has always brought images of beauty, while bringing thoughts of sadness. Everything looks bright & alive, when in reality it's all dying. I think one way to make it through the depression is to try catching the feelings of fall. I think that this best achieved by allowing yourself to get into a relaxed & reflective mood. This will then allow for the thinking of all the pleasant things you associate with the season.

Best Friend Test

This is a fool proof best friend test-

Put your wife & your dog in the trunk of a car for an hour.
When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you....

Joe As A Kid

You all know Joe did this at least once as a kid....

Work...Work...Work...

Things at the new office are going fine. Friday I was unintentionally thrown to the wolves with 4 doctors, downed computers, & no one was able to figure out how to turn on the Atmos machines. Despite that, everyone felt that I did very well under the pressure. At this office the doctors are actually pleasant. The office staff seems nice (thus far). I've befriended the 22 year old medical assistant. 1 of the older ladies in the office seems like she's got the potential to be a real crabby witch, but I think every office has that person in it.To tell you a bit more about my offices, there are 4 of them & they're all owned by a single female doctor. I'm currently in the Middletown office, on the 3rd floor of the new addition to the Horton Pavillion. I get a view of the NYSP & BCBS, which is actually very nice.

The down side to this job is the 1 hour 15 minute commute each way. It's supposed to be temporary until a new office is built in Port Jervis by November. That will bring my commute back to about a half hour. Right now I'm spending about $80/week in gas, which is a shock because that's what I used to spend in a month! I just have to remind myself it's not permanent.

That's about what's going on with work for me. Joe just got a $2/hour raise (yippee). He should be running jobs here in the near future. I know he's happy about it, especially because people have been getting laid off. I guess that's how they're paying for his raise.

Right now the bathroom drains are getting re-plumbed after a massive clog (not my hair, despite what they all say) backed up all the drains, including the kitchen sink. Joe's friend, Asa, is doing it. Joe just wired up his boiler, so it's an even trade on the work. Thank goodness because we wouldn't have been able to afford a plumber out of the yellow pages coming out on a weekend!

Overcome

"Overcome"
By: Live

even now the world is bleedin' but feelin' just fine
all numb in our castle where we're always free to choose
never free enough to find
i wish somethin' would break cuz we're runnin' out of time

and i am overcome
i am overcome
holy water in my lungs
i am overcome

these women in the street pullin' out their hair
my master's in the yard givin' light to the unaware
this plastic little place
is just a step amongst the stairs

and i am overcome
i am overcome
baby holy water in my lungs
i am overcome

so drive me out out to that open field
turn the ignition off and spin around
your help is here, but i'm parked in this open space
blockin' the gates of love

i am overcome
i am overcome
holy water in my lungs
i am overcome

beautiful drowning
this beautiful drowning
this holy water
this holy water is in my lungs

and i am overcome
i am overcome
i am overcome
i am overcome

R.I.P. Evan Tanner

Those who know about the UFC know who this man is. But what's interesting is what he's known for. MMA fans know that he is a former middleweight champion. People know he was the first to beat Phil Baroni, twice no less. But what he's known for is his way of life. He considered himself a poet, a writer, a philosopher....not a fighter. He worked many jobs before becoming a fighter, and had a successful career. But he never got lost in the spotlight, and enjoyed spending time out in nature. It was his way of looking for an adventure. Everything he did he considered an adventure.

The last we saw of him, he had unfortunately lost his last two fights. But as expected, he never quit either fight. That was his way. You either had to knock him out, or survive. Regardless, he had tremendous heart in the Octagon, and it showed in every fight. The fight he won to become middleweight champion was evidence of that. His opponent David Terrell locked in a very tight guillotine choke early in the first round, and held it tight. Tanner didn't tap, and didn't go out. He fought out of the hold, stayed on top of Terell, and pounded on him to force the referee to stop the fight with only a handful of seconds left in the round. In the fight community, that scene sticks out the most when remembering his career.

He was a good fighter that will be missed. He was a champion that will be remembered. He was an adventurer that will be honored. He was Evan Tanner.

First Anniversary

Today we celebrate our first wedding anniversary!

We had our romantic dinner last night at Fratelli's Italian Restraunt in Branchville, NJ. Paul & Karen gave us a gift certificate to it. What a wonderful place. The food was super yummie & I managed to eat all the huge ravioli that were piled on the plate. Joe finally got a seafood bonanza that he's been craving for ages. Watching him eat the lobster was funny. Our romantic dinner tonight was Dominos pizza with breadsticks that I picked up on the way home from work.

When I Said I Do
By Clint Black

These times are troubled and these times are good
And they're always gonna be, they rise and they fall
We take 'em all the way that we should
Together you and me forsaking them all
Deep in the night and by the light of day
It always looks the same, true love always does
And here by your side, or a million miles away
Nothin's ever gonna change the way that I feel,
The way it is, is the way that it was

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Well this old world keeps changin', and the world stays the same
For all who came before, and it goes hand and hand
Only you and I can undo all that we became
That makes us so much more, than a woman and a man
And after everything that comes and goes around
Has only passed us by, here alone in our dreams
I know there's a lonely heart in every lost and found
But forever you and I will be the ones
Who found out what forever means

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Truer than true, you know that I'll always be there for you
That's what I had in mind, that's what I had in mind,
When I said I do

UFC 88 Comments

It felt like it's been forever since Casey and I saw a UFC pay-per-view. Maybe that's only because the last event we went to my cousins, and the event before we missed because our PPV service wasn't working. Anyways, this event was exciting, despite the fact that there were no title fights. The show was called "Breakthrough" because the main event fights consisted of young up-and-coming fighters taking on established veterans. Who would prevail in the end?

The first fight was between Matt Brown and Dong Hyun Kim. The fight went the distance, with Kim getting the split decision win. It was interesting to note that the commentators felt Brown had won the fight, but I knew Kim won the first and third rounds. Still had Brown picked to win, but oh well. The next was a highly anticipated fight between Nate Marquardt and Martin Kampmann. Although Kampmann was the underdog, a fair amount of people felt he could win. What was supposed to be the most exciting fight of the night instead ended with a quick first round knockout on Kampmann that Marquardt seemed to get with ease. There was another fight that didn't go my way. They showed an undercard fight between Tim Boetsch and newcomer Mike Patt, and as expected Boetsch got any easy KO in the first round. Finally, I had one fight go my way.

The first of the "breakthrough" fights was between Dan Henderson (the veteran) and Rousimar Palhares. As I predicted, the fight wasn't the best one of the night, and Henderson got the decision win. Palhares had the worst strategy, and because of Henderson's style, it made for a boring fight. But at least Henderson got a win finally. Next was a fight I was really looking forward to: Rich Franklin (veteran) vs. Matt Hamill. Though Franklin was a favorite, I was expecting Hamill to put up a fight. He did, but ultimately got TKO'd by Franklin in the third round that started with a kick to his ribs that dropped him to the mat. Good show by both, and probably the best fight of the event.

Finally was the main event between Chuck Liddell (veteran) vs. Rashad Evans. Evans was a heavy underdog, and not well liked by me because of his ego. I was really rooting for Chuck to get the KO. The first round didn't have much, even though Chuck had landed more shots to win the first round. Rashad danced around and avoided most of the strikes, but didn't get aggressive until the second round. One short melee occured, and once both pulled back, both went for a punch, Chuck with a right-hand uppercut, Rashad with an overhand right. Rashad connected first, and to the shock of the entire world, Chuck was knocked out cold before he hit the ground. My jaw dropped. Of course Rashad showed off, getting me a little more angry, but I'm not totally upset. It's just what happens sometimes.

After the event, they showed an undercard fight between Jason MacDonald and Jason Lambert. MacDonald got the submission victory in the second round, definitely improving since his fight at the last event. Also this morning, the UFC website had another undercard fight between Kurt Pellegrino and Thiago Tavares. Pellegrino got the decision win, and showed that he's definitely worth keeping around. And that was what was seen of the event.

I was left wondering a lot about what will happen in the UFC after this event. Could Liddell's career be over? Will Marquardt get another shot at Anderson Silva for the middleweight title? What the hell is going on with the light heavyweight division now that Franklin, Henderson, and Evans have moved up to the rest of the elite fighters in that weight class? Apparently Evans will get the next title shot against champ Forrest Griffin, and I'll be hoping that Forrest will keep the title away from Evans. We'll have to wait and find out.

S'more Night

As you may have realized, we have been on a bit of a s'more kick this summer. Last night we had Chris & Jen over for a little grilling session. Joe made grilled chicken & steak, while I made corn in a garlic butter. It wasn't bad for an impromptu dinner. Chris & Jen brought the beer & s'more supplies. After dinner we just hung out around the fire pit. They haven't been up to the house in months, so they were surprised by all the changes we made & all the new furniture that we got. Chris really liked the way the basement got painted, while Jen liked the look of the guest bedroom.

It was nice to catch up with them. Joe has know Chris since they were kids & he met Jen while attending college. Not long after we began dating, Joe set the 2 of them up. Now they're engaged to be married next September. Funny enough, we were the last people to find out about it! Jen told me via text message.

This morning Joe was over at Kerry & Asa's house to wire their new boiler. I stayed home & painted trim that will be put up in the guest bedroom tomorrow. Because the weather is so dreary today, I think we'll be spending the day loafing around. Rob & Lauren might come up tonight to watch the UFC PPV. I know Joe will blog about that tomorrow.

Names

Right now Orion is in the house meeting Sensei & Eclipse. All I hear is cats moaning. Lily is still safe on the porch with her babies. We've tentively named them. The black & white on is (Han) Solo....guess who named that one! The all orange one, who looks like Orion, will be named Crimson. While the other orange & white one will be named Clover because of the white clover pattern on its forehead.

Umm.... the cats are being too quiet, so perhaps I should go check on the progress we're making....

New Family

It's cute to see Lily with her new kittens. She lets me help her with them when she is feeding. If she doesn't want my help, she gently takes her paw & simply pushes my hand away while looking at me as if to say, "I can do it." Yesterday when she was eating her food, the kittens would wake up & cry. Orion would then climb by the window & cry to me until I would come out to sit by the babies. This morning Joe & I checked on the whole new family before we left for work.

Sensei & Eclipse know that something is up because we keep going onto the porch. They know about the "outside kitties", but have yet to meet. This week that will all have to change as we do gradual introductions. This ought to be fun....

Schinellar Clan Unites + A Literal Labor Day

As is customary for Labor Day, Casey and I got to go to a BBQ Sunday at my Opa's house. It was actually a nice get-together, and we were only missing two relatives out of that entire side of my family. My cousin Stephen got injured chasing a soccer ball, and ended up going to the ER to get his shoulder looked at (wouldn't be a Schinellar shindig without an injury or catastrophe of some kind). Opa was in a really good mood, and carried on like his usual self: dirty jokes, talking about Germany, and even told some stories of me when I was a kid. He also talked about the medical and retirement systems in Germany right now; now I want to move there. I have to tell one his jokes on here that I thought was good:

An priest in Ireland had married a nice young couple about a year ago. Then during his church service, he sees the couple sitting in the front row of the church. After the service, the priest goes up to them and says, "I'm so glad to see you here at church. But I noticed that you have not had any children yet."
"Well, we've been making attempts to have children, but for some reason we can't," the wife responds.
The priest says, "Alright then, I have a trip planned to go to the Vatican in Rome tomorrow. While I'm there, I will light a candle for you, and prey every night while I'm there."
The couple thank the priest, and the next day the priest goes to the Vatican. He keeps his promise by lighting a candle, and praying constantly.
Ten years later, the priest is conducting service, and he sees just the wife and seven children; two sets of twins, and a set of triplets. After service, the priest goes up to the wife and says, "I'm so glad that you were finally able to have children, and that the prayers have been answered. But where is your husband?"
The wife replies, "Oh, he left for the Vatican a couple of days ago to go blow out the candle."

Anyways, today is actually Labor Day, and the pregnant stray cat we call Lily decided to give the holiday a whole new meaning. She gave birth to three kittens this morning, two orange colored, and one black and white. I'll let Casey do the updates on them as they grow up. Lily is doing fine, and they're all getting comfortable. We'll keep you posted.