Chop Sticks

My favorite Oriental buffet in Lubbock is the Hong Kong Buffet.  I know I am a regular, because they ask me if I want the usual "hot tea."  I recently bought a pair of chop sticks from them for a nominal price, so I can have my own when I eat there.  That is kind of a nice feeling, that I am enough of a regular that I am recognized for "the usual" and can have my own chop sticks. 

Bite Me!

Taki was resting peacefully tonight on her chair when I sneezed.  She seems to become distressed when I sneeze, and usually makes a weird little cry that I cannot describe, and then comes to check on me.  She did so tonight. 

She was rubbing up against my ankles and mewing, and I was rubbing her.  All of a sudden, I felt her mouthing my right under thigh. She was not biting hard, not even hard enough to hurt, much less break the skin. But she grabbed me, none the less.

That surprised me. Of course, I stopped that right away. I did not scold her, just pushed her away.  She did not seem to be chagrined or distressed by the redirection, she just accepted it.  

Don't bite me.

Food Mat

So, in case you haven't figures it out yet, I spoil my cats.  Haiku has taken to coming into the computer room, and crying, asking to be fed with food that is perfectly accessible in the kitchen.  It used to be she asked for food when her dish was empty, but now, she wants to be in the computer room with me, and have her food there.  Well, of course, Taki wants to eat in the computer room, too.  She sometimes stares and crowds Haiku to chase her off, but has gotten better about that, especially when I bring her food dishes into the computer room. 

Haiku sits on an office chair and eats, and is generally very neat. I tried putting Taki's dishes on her chair, but she just knocked them off, full, partially full, or empty. Taki is not a neat eater, and her dishes end upside down, or she does what Sake used to do:  take some moist food out of the dish, put it on the floor, and then eats some of it and leaves the rest.  At least, most of the time, Sake would eat off the plastic I keep under the food dishes in the kitchen.

Today, as I was out running errands, I was in Walmart and picked up a small mat on which to put pet dishes.  It is thicker that a place mat or towel, and has rubber or plastic rubbles on the bottom to give it some grip. It is machine washable.  I put it down, mid-afternoon, and Taki was interested in it, and moved it around, folded it over, and played with it. Okay, so it did not frighten her. This is good. At first. 

At suppertime, after Take ate in the kitchen and we adjourned to the computer room, I put Taki's dishes on the mat.  At first, she acted like she was afraid to get on the mat, so I moved her dishes to the edge of the mat. Later, she moved the mat so one dish was not even on it, the other was on the end opposite from her, and the mat covered her paws.  I repositioned everything, and she seems to have gotten the message. She has even eaten from the dishes on the mat.  I think we made some headway tonight.   We shall see. 

Sadly, Taki learns a lesson one day, and forgets it the next.  But that is okay, she is still a sweetheart. 

Dilemma

My dilemma? Blue Bloods was playing on WGN America.  Texas Tech was scheduled to play against Oklahoma State in Big Twelve Football,  on ESPN2 and the World Series  is on Fox Sports Network.. 

I had decided to watch the Texas Tech game, and flip back to the World Series during breaks.  Some entity, Suddenlink  or Big Twelve or ESPN, in their infinite wisdom decided to air the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game in the Lubbock area.  Well, that helped, actually.  I tried to load the football game on the laptop, but it kept saying "needs re-authentication" and I did not know what to do or how to proceed.  So, I loaded the football game on my IPhone and have the baseball game on the TV. I had to plug the phone in because the charge was so low, and I needed an extension cord to allow this. I had to change that configuration, because the first plug in was not charging the phone, but I got it to work with the second configuration I used.  

Am I able to pay good attention to either game, no.  But, I can go back and forth. And even if I do not keep up with the action, I can keep up with the scores.

Caught!

So, after I finished my errands and went home on October 26, 2017, I decided go out again. I took my usual route for this particular trip which took me north on Indiana to 50th Street, then west on 50th.  50th Street is three lanes, each direction, with either a center barrier, or a center turning lane. 

As I turned left onto 50th, I saw a Lubbock Police Department SUV behind me with the lights flashing in my side view mirror.  This did not compute, so I looked in my rear view mirror, and I just barely could see the roof top light bar on the SUV lit up, just for me.  I thought about stopping in the left most lane, but decided that was not safe on 50th Street, so I slowed and pulled over to the right most lane looking for a place to pull off 50th Street.  I found it.  The CVS parking lot.  So, that is where I went with my tail behind me.

I stopped the car and shut it off, lowered the window, then remembered to leave my hands on the steering wheel where they could be seen.  The officer approached and said "I bet you don't know why I pulled you over."  I said "You are correct."  He proceeded to tell me I had a brake light out.  I think he said it was on the left side, but I was too rattled to remember. He asked if I had my insurance and license and I said I did. I produced the insurance first, folded into a tiny little square. He looked at it and returned it to me, noting he folded it the way it was.  I then gave him my license, which he took to his unit.

Shortly thereafter, he returned and gave me the license back. I apologized to him if I did not stop soon enough. He said that I was fine, that if I hadn't stopped in a timely way, he would have "given a bump of the siren." He then thanked me for responding by slowing down, pulling to the right and finding a place where we were both safe. He then asked me to get the brake light fixed at my earliest convenience.  He came to the car without his summons book open, so I figure that was his plan all along. 

As we were talking, I saw his partner get out of his vehicle. I suspect the partner thought I was giving the officer some grief.  

The officer at my car said they would back out of my way, so I could go. I told him I was going to go out the other direction and get the brake light repaired right then.  He thanked me and I thanked him.

I went to Bolton's Oil Change just down the street, where I get the oil changed in the Vue and have inspections done. Since my oil life was down to 36% at the beginning of October, I decided to get the oil change done the same time I had the brake light repaired. I told them I had been stopped because of the brake light, and they got a kick out of that. They were surprised when I said I did not get a ticket!

Then I went to a very late lunch.  As I paid out, the cashier asked my how my day was, and I told him that it was good, that I had been stopped by a police officer who told me I had a brake light out, and asked me to get it fixed but did not get a ticket.  I said I thought the Lubbock Police Department is a good police department, and the cashier agreed, and then I said Lubbock was a good place to live, and he agreed.  He seemed sincere, but what do I know.

So, later I got on the Lubbock Police Department website, and learned you could send complaints or commendations to the Internal Affairs Department. I sent a thank you acknowledging I did not think to get the officer's name or badge number, but he was very polite and professional.   

Thinking About Auto Inspections

So, Thursday, October 26,2017, I was running an errand, and parked next to what looked like an older truck that was definitely covered in a film of mud with blobs and splotches randomly spread on the body.  What I most noticed about the truck was that it had an inspection sticker that did not expire until 2019.  That gave me pause to wonder if it was a new model truck that was provided with a two year inspection sticker when it was purchased, which was the case when I purchased my Saturn view in 2008. But it did not look like a new model truck. Then I wondered if even a used car could get a two year inspection sticker when it is sold.  Then I wondered if the State of Texas changed to doing inspections every two years.  Then I thought that my registration renews in December, and I think the current Texas law requires an inspection within 90 days of renewing the registration, so I should probably get my vehicle inspected in November. 

Well, I completed my errand, and went home, and did not think anything more about getting my vehicle inspected.  

When We Think About Our Country.

When we think about our country and what is happening in it right now, think about this quote: "The happiness of every country depends upon the character of its people, rather than the form of its government." Thomas Chandler Haliburton

I do a daily cryptogram, and most of them have a message. This was today's and I think someone has been paying attention to our political climate.  

Storm

Today, the morning was grey but the clouds burned off between 9 and 10 AM. The sky was sunny until late afternoon, and the clouds began building again.  I went out about 5:30 for a while, and it was calm, but dark all around, and I could see the rain coming down to the west and to the east.

About a half hour later, the winds picked up and there were some large raindrops coming down.  In addition to some possible rain, there is a cold front coming in from the north, and should reach about mid-evening. 

Not a big storm, but possibility of hail, and strong winds in spots in West Texas.  

Baseball Mystery Series

One of the many mystery series that I have been reading is the baseball mystery series by Troy Soos. These are a series of books about Mickey Rawlings, baseball utility player in the early 20th century. Soos is a baseball historian, and I have learned a lot of baseball history. 

These are adult books, and someday, when my baseball loving oldest nephew is old enough, I will send the books to him, because I think he will enjoy this look at baseball. I have not read the entire series, but need to purchase, a couple of more books in the series.  

Reading

I love to read. I have written that my library card is my most important card. Sometimes, I read a book a week, or more. And I usually do not buy books, because, I was afraid that once I started to buy books, I would become over run with books.  Then, I joined a book club, and many of the selections are not available at the library.  Sometimes, I used inter-library loan, when it was free.  It now has a nominal fee, but often equivalent to what I would pay online at Abebooks or Albie's.  So I buy the book, and then recycle it.  

So, I am overrun with books.  I have books on my computer desk, on the dining table, in the book shelves, and on the floor.  Most of the books on the floor are awaiting a trip to the Resale Center .

Some are library books, some are used books I have read and will probably not keep, and some are books that I purchased with the intent to keep.  The most recent of these, although I have not had time to read it, is PAPI.  

Well, it gives me something to look forward to.

A Busy Week

It was a busy week at work this week. To make it more interesting this week, I had a busy week in the evenings.  It started Monday night with a board meeting at Catholic Charities, then going home to watch the rest of the Yankee - Astro game MLB.  

Tuesday and Wednesday night, once again there Yankee - Astro games. The Yankees won all three games, making the American League Championship Series 3 to 2, Yankees leading.  The problem is that kind of exciting TV wakes me up and I take all that much longer to wind down to go to sleep.

I am again watching the Yankee - Astro game, but at least Saturday I can sleep in. And I have had trouble getting up this week, due to the trouble I have had falling asleep.

My Cats Lounging

Most evenings, my cats like to lounge with me in what I call the computer room.  We have a folding chair that I usually use, two different types of office chairs, and a folding lounge chair in the computer room.

For some reason, tonight, both cats decided to lounge on the bed 

I love that shot of my girls just lounging in bed.  They had been there for some time, but of course, after I shot the picture, they were roused.  Haiku came looking for some soft food to eat, and Taki disappeared.  I hate that I might have disturbed their tranquility.  My girls.  

Watching Baseball

Watching the American League Division Series tonight  MLB.  The New  York Yankees are playing the Houston Astros.  The Yankees have opened it up, but baseball is a game of surprises, so we have to wait for the final inning to be over with. The game started with the Yankees down 2 games to none, both games were played in Houston.  The game ended with the Yankees winning.  Go, Yankees!

New Sleeping Arrangement

Haiku has taken to sleeping on "my side" of the bed.  I could sleep in the middle, but sleeping on "my side" puts me closer to the alarm clock, and the night table where I put my glasses overnight.

So, I am now sleeping on the other side of the bed. I am not sure why Haiku has taken to sleeping on "my side" of the bed.  Oh, well.  

Post Season Baseball

I am watching post-season baseball MLB.  The Yankees won their wild card game against the Twins. The Red Sox will be playing the Astros, and the Yankees will play the Indians in the in the American League Division Series.  

As I write, the Diamondbacks are playing the Rockies in their wild card game.  The other teams in the National League Division Series will by the Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers.

I am a Yankee and Red Sox fan, and would not mind seeing an American League Championship series between the two, but any thing can happen.  I have family in Phoenix, so am cheering for the Diamondbacks in the National League.  

If the neither the Yankees or Red Sox make to the World Series, I will just have to see if I am interested or not.  If the Diamondbacks make it and the Yankees and Red Sox do not, I will cheer for the Diamondbacks.  But, if the Yankees or Red Sox are playing against the Diamondbacks, I will cheer for the American League team!

Rain Again

Rain again.  We had some rain overnight and on and off all day today.  I spent a large part of the day in a windowless room in a workshop, so could not track that rain.  When we started out the building after the workshop, it looked sunny.  By the time we got outside, it started raining hard.  When I got to my house, it was not raining, but there was evidence it had rained at the house during part of the day. 

Noise in the Neighborhood

So late this afternoon, I was in the living room, reading, when I heard a roar go down the street, and what sounded like a train tooting.  It surprised me and disoriented me a little bit.  I grew up next to a train track, and got used to the noise, so much so, that I ignored it.  And, when I have lived near a train track in Texas, I did not notice the noise much, either.  

This is an interesting phenomenon.  When my best friend from college came to visit my family home, the train noise bothered her.  I got.  And, when I went to visit her, I learned that her family lived under the flight pattern of their city's airport, and I heard every plane that went by. She did not.

Today, after I heard the noise, I went outside to look.  And there was a semi-cab with smokestacks on either side, heading west. This made sense. It re-oriented me. And, a neighbor from another block often has a semi-cab parked out front of his house.