life with the furry and feathered crew

Be careful what you wish for

Now that Geikie readily steps up onto Terry's arm, Terry has learned (much to my amusement) that it is easier to pick Geikie up than it is to put him down.

Computers -- why do I bother sometimes?!?!

I'm drawn to puzzles and challenges - there is no other way of explaining why I WASTE so much time trying to fix computer problems.  I don't even cause most of them.  The latest one for example. 

A laptop computer has a slot called PCMCIA (what a mouthful).  Until a few months ago, I had no trouble using an adapter with the memory card from my camera to read the photo files.  Then - without warning and terribly unfairly - not possible!  I let it sit a few months until last night in a fit of enthusiasm tried to trouleshoot the problem.  Tried is the operative word.  After an hour (well, maybe a bit more), I decided it was easier to walk downstairs to the other card reader - that ALWAYS works - to download my files.  As for a fix that will work on the road, I think I will take the portable card reader with me.  I don't want to have to be a computer technician!  Why, oh why do I try?

"Walk the Line"

Johnny Cash "walked the line" as the Man in Black, a pill-popping, boozing, hard-living C&W singer.  The love of his life, June Carter Cash, came from a well-known musical family and had a distinctive sweet voice.  While Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon replicate the real-life chemistry between the singing stars, they couldn't quite replicate the singing styles.  Though at times I was fooled into thinking it was Johnny Cash.  I think it must be hard to make a movie about well-known singing stars.  The best ones, in my opinion, with regard to voice and acting, were "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Ray" (except that the movie was excruciatingly long and overly-detailed).  Well, Johnny Cash and June Carter are gone, so this is the next best thing. 

"Syriana"

Syriana - oh my, what a disturbing movie.  The politics of oil contracts and money are all too believable.  It is difficult to follow the nuances of the plot, but I suspect that the characters themselves didn't fully understand either what was going on.  Excellent movie.

View by lake today

Jarah and I walked by the lake today.  While she was racing around, I took this photo.

HELP!!!

Does anyone know of a 12-step program for So Doku addicts?

Isn't that cute ????

Jarah gets soooo excited when I come home.  She just HAS to have something in her mouth.  Usually she picks up one of Terry's shoes in the hallway.  Jarah carries the shoe around and sometimes drops it outside in the median strip.  I am threatening to leave it there one day!

Mail delivery

Everyone I talk to has likely heard my mail delivery problems. Well my mailman has no idea how well off he is.  Chris sent me this little gem from the Gundaroo Gazette that I may just show him....

REMINDER
Your friendly mail delivery people ask that you remove high grass around your mail box.  Snakes are a danger to mail contractors and a contractor in hospital can’t deliver your mail!!

2 Movies

When in Australia, I always try to see an Aussie movie because very few of them are ever shown in the States.  This trip I saw "The Proposition" starring Guy Pearce.  Three bushranger brothers are the focus.  One is wreaking havoc in the bush, and two (Guy Pearce) of them have "escaped" their brother's influence.  Guy took his younger and somewhat mentally retarded brother away, but they are caught by the authorities.  While the younger brother is kept in gaol, Guy is sent out to kill his older brother.  Once this train is set in motion, there is no way out for any of the characters in this compelling story.  Many reviews of this movie focus on the violence, which is plentiful and graphic.  A movie about bushranging though would be hard to make without the violence.  Moreover, it was a factor contributing to the ultimate actions of the character.  If you can look past the violence, the movie is worth going to see.

Luckily, independent film makers in the U.S. still exist and make excellent, thoughtful movies.  "Good luck and good night" is just such a movie.  The story and influence of Edward R Murrow during the Communist witch hunt by Congress has special relevance in today's world of the Patriot Act (U.S.) and sedition legislation (Australia).

"Founding Brothers" - book review

The Founding Brothers are the revolutionaries of the U.S.  The title accurately describes the historical viewpoint of the book.  The events and relationships among Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin, and Burr from their letters to each other and what others at the time wrote about them. 

For me, this book was very enlightening.  I had no idea about the controversies of the time or that there was so much politicking or the amount of disagreement about the vision of the US's future.  Knowing this, I am astounded that the Supreme Court looks to what the "founding fathers" intended.  It's not clear to me that their intent was cohesive or agreed upon.  Actually it's clear to me that divided political beliefs have been a part of our history and what goes on today is no worse than what went on then.