Christmas starts on Black Friday

Have I mentioned how I hate Christmas now? (OK not really...) I know you're supposed to have the spirit all year long, but when I know the "spirit" is marketing and sales driven I get annoyed. For us, Christmas season starts on December 1st. We bust out the decorations, tree and songs. But it seems for the rest of the USA, Christmas starts on "Black Friday". YAY - go consumerism! <- sarcasm

Anyways - here are a few pics from Union Square in the city - it was a bitch to drive and park, but we did it. I don't think we'll do it ever again. It's WAY to crowded in the bay area to "follow the crowd". You'll get crushed by the masses.


Thanksgiving went OK - we made a vegan dinner for family and it was pretty good. It's surprising how many things you can get that have no dairy - butter, milk, egg replacer - it wasn't really trouble to make everything... except the turkey. Tofurkey just doesn't cut it.

I am a consumer whore.
AND HOW!

SF Green Festival '07

We had fun at the Green Festival. This was the only car they had there. It's a nice looking car, but really just a glorified golf cart with a top speed of 25mph. Sure you can save the world from certain smoggy death, but you'll be stuck on city streets. Check out the website here: ZENN.

We really like the food they have at the Green Festival. The first thing we had was so awesomely WEIRD it was great. It was hemp ice cream. Yeah that's right - the plant the U.S. deems illegal you can make just about ANYTHING out of... even ice cream.

SF Green Festival - there might be one in your neck of the woods!

No more Student Loan!

Yesterday I had $20,000 remaining to pay on my student loan.

Today I have no student loan.

It's like giving myself a $500/month raise!

I don't know whether to thank ATVI for laying me off or Multiverse for contracting me... either way I would not have been able to pay my loan off this soon if recent events had not gone as they did. I'm glad I could use the pain and frustration of losing my job and searching for a new one to my advantage somehow.

I feel better knowing Uncle Sam isn't breathing down my neck any more.

More about cats...

These two sometimes are pretty funny.

You know a cat is comfortable living with you when they show you their belly. This is about as close as cats will get to synchronized swimming.
Maddi loves paper. She rips it off boxes and searches for paper to lay on. Michael Thomas is about to scare the bejeezus out of her...
YAY for cats - they're easier than kids. And even after $900 vet bill for Michael Thomas, I'd say they are cheaper too.

5.6 quake

We haven't felt a big quake since we moved out here to the CA Bay area - or NorCal as some call it... Well tonight while sitting at the computers we got a nice one. At first I thought it was a truck outside as we live on a pretty busy street. Then I realized I was moving side to side. We went to check on the cats - they were OK.

Chu lives almost on top of the epicenter so he was rockin' big time. Stuff fell off the shelves. He and family are OK, though they keep feeling dizzy from aftershocks that are occuring.

Anyways - thanks Chu for the pic!

Struvite Crystals

Michael Thomas likes to go outside - he knows what doors are and tries to open them. Too bad cats don't have opposable thumbs!

Michael Thomas was in the vet for a couple days this past week. We got him back on Friday. He's fine now - and hopefully will be for a long time. He had crystals in his bladder that clogged him up. He couldn't pee! AJ noticed on Wednesday morning and I called the vet as soon as they opened. They realized what the problem might be and said I could bring him in right away. I did and they put a catheter in him soon after. They thought it would be quick and easy and he could go home that night, but he had it bad and they wanted to keep him there with fluids running in via IV and fluids running out until it was all clear.

We were really worried - but it seems to be OK now - we just can't feed him the food we used to. Too high in magnesium or something. The crystals are called Struvite - so we wondered if Maria's husband Greg is related to the discoverer of the crystals in some way...

Anyways, on the same day Michael Thomas came home, a friend of mine went in to have a stent inserted for kidney stones. This week seems to have been plagued by urinary problems!

JASE TV

AJ thought I looked funny plugging in XBox 360 wires... can't say she was wrong. It gave me an idea for a character design! Hopefully something will come of it.