This morning, in between feeding the household and making coffee, I have been defining brush strokes in Expressions. In other words, making my own strokes. Not that I don’t have hundreds, but naturally, none of them are exactly what I want. Later today I am going to fire up the old PC, so I can use Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro to make some more. I need proper alpha channels, and I have nothing on this computer that will do them (that I know of anyway). These will do for watercolor, but I want something more substantial and paint-like.

Click pic for larger view.

Just got back from getting the goodies for Lin’s birthday. Mmmm … a Turtle Cake and Peanut Butter DoubleStuf Oreos! I got him the cutest card ever too. It’s one of those booklet types. On the front is a cartoon skunk, and it’s titled All About Farts” which is very appropriate.

I wanted to get some steaks for dinner tonight, but the HEB still doesn’t have those wonderful fillet mignon we used to get, and the t-bones were far too expensive for how fatty they looked. I guess I’ll give him the choice of having his favorite pizza delivered, roast chicken or turkey, or going out to eat somewhere on my treat. I wouldn’t mind going to Buffet Palace, but since it’s his birthday, I suppose I should let him decide.

I got an early start on the day … already been to the vet’s office, chatted with them about Fuzza, and picked up two weeks worth of the Royal Canin Limited Ingredient food for him, and he’s had his duck and peas breakfast. He loves the duck, tolerates the venison, and won’t touch the rabbit. The improvement in his health and mental state after just a few days on this food has been remarkable … no, incredible! I wish I could say the same about my personal well-being, but I still feel pretty crappy today … better than yesterday, but yes, still crappy. Oh well, at least the cat is happy.

We don’t really have any plans for Lin’s birthday. He’s at work, and he’s probably going to have a hellish day since it’s a short week. I’m going to go get him some sort of gooey chocolate cake, a card, and something special for dinner (like some steaks). I guess I’ll make him some fudge cookies too, just to make sure he gets enough chocolate today.

I have to get back to my insane cleaning spree. You know how I love to go on insane cleaning sprees when I feel crappy. I’m hoping once I get the house in order and get the things I need from the store I can take a nap and wake up feeling a bit better. I don’t want to feel crappy and be in a bad mood for Lin’s birthday!

I’d tell you how old he is now, but he’d kill me. Let’s just say “older than me” and leave it at that.

What does the world need? Why a ropeless jump-rope, of course … found via this news story.

Of all the stupid things that get patented and which people then buy, this truly has to be one of the most stupid I have seen in a while. I’ll bet that if I want to jump over a non-existent jump-rope right now, I could stand up and do so … and not have to hold any fancy, weighted handles. My imagination, it’s pretty keen. Not to mention, if you are jumping over something that isn’t there, wouldn’t that be more like hopping?

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Though I am thrilled about getting my tablet today, I am feeling totally ill. This is where I remind myself that when one is allergic to certain spices, one must always read labels when buying new food products. I didn’t, and apparently the pre-marinated steaks I made last night had something in them I shouldn’t have consumed. That’ll teach me. Top it off with an early visit from Aunt Flo, and well … feeling totally ill.

The cat, on the other hand, is obviously feeling totally well. I am thankful for that, and I look forward to going and getting more of the prescription food to see if this keeps up and he gains weight. I do have to say though, I wish I had more of the food from the vet right now. He seems to love the new food so much, now he won’t even eat the stuff he was eating before. He’s going to have to. The vet’s office isn’t open until Tuesday morning, and there’s no other way to get it. I imagine he’ll get hungry enough to eat it at some point. All I know right now is it’s been wonderful having a feisty, frisky cat that isn’t puking and pooing all over the place. He’s so relaxed and happy again, I was even able to get a good portion of the matted fur cut out. Oh, he looks like hell to be sure, with all the bald spots, but once his fur grows back in, all will be well again.

Lin is still playing that damn game, and while I would love to sit at the computer and play, I’m not feeling up to sitting at the desk. I guess I’ll go lay on the couch and watch Lin play a while … until I fall asleep (which shouldn’t take too long).

Guess who got her Wacom Tablet today? Wheeee! Now my computer feels like MY computer, and I have graphics software enough to survive for a while.

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If I have to stamp my feet and hold my breath until we turn blue, we are going to CompUSA today. They have the Wacom Graphire4 4×5 tablets on sale with a $20 rebate which brings the price down to $80. It comes with Photoshop Elements 3 and Painter Essentials 2, and having the tablet and those two programs would set me up nicely to be able to hold off on buying other graphics software. Yes, I am going to demand, at the top of my lungs if necessary, that we get me a tablet for the Mac today.

It’s not just the lack of software that is getting me down either. I just can’t continue to use the mouse. The real reason I got a tablet for my PC so many ages ago was that mice make my hands hurt, and I was incapable of adapting to a trackball (didn’t help the hands much anyway). I do love the Apple Mighty Mouse, and as far as mice go, it is very ergonomic and easy to use. I don’t plan to disconnect it and not have a mouse at all like I did on my PC, but I can’t use it every day and all the time. It’s only been a few weeks, and I can already feel the first slight needle-like pains shooting from wrist to elbow. I want to put a stop to it now.

And it would be nice to have some graphics software too. The open source stuff I am trying to use is not working for me. It’s fine software, but it would be better if I had something I was more familiar with … like Photoshop and Painter. Sure they are older versions, but it’s not like working with older versions of software is something new for me. Everything on my PC is a few years old (or even older).

Yup … I am going to insist we get a tablet today. Budget be damned, I’ll eat ramen for a month if necessary. I’m getting bored with my fancy new computer, because all I can do with it is surf the internet and play silly games.

I better go start making a big, luscious breakfast for Lin to butter him up a little. I might even use my “womanly wiles”.

Middle school girl gives classmate a piece of Jolt gum … with evil caffeine in it … and proceeds to get a three day suspension. Why?

Palermo described the gum as “a stimulant that has no other redeeming quality.” For that reason, the gum — and caffeine, in general — is considered a rogue substance at the middle school.

Oh yes, it’s a “rogue substance” and totally verboten … unless your mom packs it in your lunch or you happen to be on the school staff.

When asked if there would be consequences for a student who brings a soft drink to school in a packed lunch, Palermo said school officials can’t control what parents put in their children’s lunches.

Teachers, faculty and staff are permitted to consume caffeine during the school day. Palermo said employees aren’t subject to the same disciplinary guidelines as students.

So I’m wondering, if I was a student there, and my mom packed a thermos of rum and coke with my lunch, would that be OK too? How about a big fat joint?

Talk about massive double standards. No caffeine, unless it arrives in school in a lunch box or you’re an “adult”.

I beat the final monster, and I have to die ten times riding a jet ski trying to get out. It’s not right, man. It’s not right.
–Lin

Thank heavens, I think he finally finished the damn game.

Yeah, OK … another quick one. Click the pic to see it larger if you can’t read it at this size.

And my Livejournal readers, I posted a 5 page silly comic a few minutes ago, but it won’t cross-post … so if you want to be bored by it, visit my web site.

I warned you earlier I was feeling creative. Not having any proper computer tools to be creative in the way I wanted to be, I played around with some of the bundled software that came with my iMac. Don’t expect to be entertained at all, but here’s the results of my efforts … a “comic book” with no plot and very little humor. Click the pic to launch, if you dare.

I hope this works.

The cat is not at all interested in eating rabbit. No amount of attempting to fool him has worked. I even tried pouring the juice off one of the cans of food he has been eating the last few weeks on it in hopes making it smell like something else would work. Nope. The cat isn’t stupid. He knows it’s still rabbit and he wants none of it.

I’m going to leave it out and hope that hunger makes him take a bite or two later. Unlike a kid, you can’t reason with or bribe a cat into trying a new food. They seem to make split second decisions on whether or not they are interested in it. I guess later I’ll try the venison, but he’s turned his nose up at venison before too. I’d really wanted him to have three days on the new food, but if he won’t eat it, he won’t eat it. He hasn’t been doing too badly on the Natural Balance, so it won’t kill him to eat it for the rest of the weekend, if necessary. I guess on Tuesday, I’ll be going to get some more duck. If they didn’t close at noon today, I’d get dressed, get Lin dressed and get us over there to get some today, but Lin is in total lazy mode this morning. I doubt I’ll be able to get him moving on anything until late afternoon. I really need to learn how to drive the truck.

Lin says the cat is eating better than we are. I have to agree. Hope Fuzza knows how good he’s got it! We’ve never even had duck!

Oh, and his mood is vastly improved today too. He’s been bouncing around, getting into things, and in general being the total pest we have always known and loved. Maybe later he’ll be in a good enough mood he’ll let me get at some more of that matted fur. I’d really like to give him a good brushing and a bath with his fancy shampoo (it makes him all fluffy and shiny).

Wanna see something funny?

How about a “buggy” Apple Cinema Display? One truly is the loneliest number.

Or maybe aliens and ducks are more your style? The invasion has begun, and they started with the ducks.