I took the time a few days ago to determine exactly how much combined food all three cats need to have every day, and between 6pm and 7pm, that is what they get. No more of this non-stop food frenzy. We are three days into the new cat feeding routine. Two of the cats are not pleased. The bowls are often sitting there empty –EMPTY– and as we all know, or at least cats know, an empty bowl means starvation is imminent, even if the reason the bowl is empty is they just finished stuffing their faces.

I just had to break down and give them a small amount of food as a snack. I didn’t want to do it, but it’s impossible to do anything at all with two large, slightly obese cats in my face … or on my lap … or chewing on my shoe. The kitten, it should be noted, is continuing to gain weight as intended and isn’t complaining at all about the occasional empty bowl. The only upset cats in this house are the ones who have found themselves unexpectedly on a diet, which they need to be on. Ronin topped twenty pounds the first week the kitten was here, and Myu is catching up quickly. No obese cats in this household! I want them to live long and healthy lives.

And how much of the 1/3 cup of food I put out did any of the starving cats actually eat? Two bites each. I knew they weren’t actually hungry. No … it’s those damn empty bowls threatening them with starvation that gets on their nerves. I’ll probably start picking up the bowls when they become empty. Maybe not seeing an empty bowl –or any bowl at all– will produce a change in attitude. I doubt it. Well, the monsters will just have to adapt. Until I have chubby cats and not fat cats, the current regime will continue, and I will continue to have cats pestering me non-stop whenever they think they need just one more bite of food.

Good thing I saved the full text of Cynthia Dunbar’s insane rant about Obama which I posted last night. That pile of tripe has been removed from the Christian Worldview Network web site today. Well, I haven’t forgotten it, and no one else should either.

In other Texas education news, I discovered that in 2007 a bill was brought forth before our legislature that would have mandated that all Board of Education members run as Independent candidates, so straight party voting or party voting at all wouldn’t influence the outcome. It was referred to committee, and I will be writing some emails to find out whether or not they plan to move forward with this and inform them they should.

I will also be emailing the Texas Democratic Party to find out why they didn’t run anyone against her. In a choice between a Libertarian and a Republican, most people who aren’t informed voters (and many who are) will choose the Republican over the Libertarian every time, what with the Lib’s being somewhat out on the fringe these days.

My head hurts from all the research I have been doing today. I still haven’t found the one thing I was looking for: information on how to file to run for positions on the SBOE.

I never knew my grandmother Ethel Ruth. She died of cancer shortly after I was born. All the same, I have always felt a strong connection to her. Very few photos of her exist, a combination of a family too poor for too much photo taking and the fact she was usually the one behind the camera. Recently I asked Mom to scour the photo albums and send me what she could find. These three photos are the ones I remembered best and which come to mind first when I think about Ethel Ruth.

John Ray and Ethel Ruth during the Great Depression:

John Ray and Ethel Ruth during better times in the 50’s:

John Ray and Ethel Ruth shortly before she died at age 45 in 1965:

Can we truly even imagine an America under an Obama Administration? I sincerely believe that an Obama Administration would ultimately mean one thing…the end of America as we know her.

First, I cannot understand how we can potentially elect a man who most likely has violated the Constitution in his very attempt to serve as Commander and Chief. “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President;” U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section I

Rather, I perceive it [terrorist attack on U.S. soil in first six months of Obama Presidency] will be a planned effort by those with whom Obama truly sympathizes to take down the America that is threat to tyranny. What nobody seems to be discussing is the fact that if such an attack takes place, what about Martial Law? What happens to expand executive power when a state of civil disorder is declared?

I fear for our great nation and her potential demise should we as Americans elect Sen. Obama. I shall take no joy in saying “I told you so” if Obama gets elected. But just for the record, remember, “I told you so.”

Is this the ranting of a fringe blogger? A foaming-at-the-mouth late-night talk radio host? A drunken conspiracy nut arguing politics in a bar? No, it’s the ranting of someone named Cynthia Dunbar, who holds a position on the Texas State Board of Education, serving on the Committee on Instruction and a proponent of teaching creation science/intelligent design in Texas classrooms. Yes, she’s a real winner, and we have two more years before we can work to vote her out … something I wholeheartedly intend to do.

I could rant for hours on this subject, but it’s late, and I really do have to be up early in the morning. So I will keep it brief. Really brief. I’m falling asleep. So all I have to say is this:

Cynthia Dunbar has no business whatsoever serving on the Texas State Board of Education, and I will be doing everything in my power to see to it that she and her cronies are voted off that board as soon as possible.

Additionally, I would like to suggest that everyone do a little research on the members of their own State Board of Education and learn about the people they probably don’t put any thought into except for the two seconds on election day when they vote for them, even though all they may hear about them are a few TV commercials (if that). Do not be an ignorant voter, and whether or not you have kids in the public schools, make an effort to be aware and care about who is making decisions about what they learn. We all want the young person wiping our noses and butts in the nursing home to be somewhat intelligent, don’t we?

I don’t want her little tirade to be lost into the memory hole, because it might be useful at a later date Because it was removed from the internet today, behind the cut is the entirety of her screed.
Read the rest of Be Afraid of Cynthia Dunbar

These two are becoming best friends forever. It’s so sweet!

I am so glad it’s Pizza Night. I am so glad it’s Friday. It’s been a weird week.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Austin had SWAT teams everywhere yesterday! First there was the shooting and criminals on the run. There was also a SWAT team sent out to a hotel in south Austin where a man had barricaded himself in a room. Another SWAT team was sent out to another hotel up on my end of town because someone called and said two people with felony warrants had barricaded themselves in a room — though the details on this are murky. They hadn’t actually barricaded themselves in a room, they surrendered peacefully and immediately, and they don’t seem to have any felony warrants either.

With so many SWAT teams on the go here in town, I am left wondering just how large Austin’s standing army is.

Strange day yesterday. Hopefully some more details in any or all of these incidents will be forthcoming at some point today.

I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh. I try to avoid him, but occasionally he pops up on my news radar. I am then forced to remind myself what a blustering wind-bag he is. Aside from already blaming the sinking economy on the new, not-yet-inaugurated president, he had this to sputter:

All of a sudden now on Charlie Rose, they’re starting to talk about his ties to Saul Alinsky. I’m not joking at all.

I’d heard the name before, somewhere in my lifetime. I couldn’t remember where or why or anything about the person, other than that I didn’t have any negativity attached to the name. I looked up Saul Alinksy on Wikipedia to refresh my ailing memory. Now unless the wiki is sadly lacking in major details, I can’t for the life of me understand why this guy would be considered an evil person. He almost sound kind of hero-like. In 1969 he won the Pacem in Terris Award, which puts him in the company of people like John F. Kennedy and Mother Teresa. Yeah, sounds like a real evil guy. I guess he’s just got to be evil because he was from the south side of Chicago. It seems anyone from there is automatically someone people shouldn’t have anything to do with. I better inform my husband I’ll be needing a divorce so I won’t be guilty of associating with one of those evil south Chicago people.

Also, how could someone in my generation have any “ties” to the guy? He died in 1972! Am I to be considered to have ties with everyone whose books I have read or studied? Wow, I have a lot of ties to people across the whole of history! Hmmm … maybe I’m the anti-Christ!

There’s more Rush on the evil Saul Alinksy here, if you can stomach it.

I realize people like Rush are terrified out of their minds right now, but really … of all the things I am pretty damn sure about, I am pretty damn sure that the dark-skinned man who is about to become our president isn’t going to bring about an evil empire or change America into something horrible, though he may bring about change that results in some equality for the downtrodden of all colors and kinds of people. Now isn’t that a scary thought?

The first time I saw real snow — not the occasional wet stuff we get in Texas, but real snow — was in Chicago. It was my 21st birthday, and I had a light schedule of meetings and workshops that day. I decided to walk around in downtown Chicago until I found a place that served drinks, and I would order my very first legal alcoholic beverage. I pushed my way through the brass and glass revolving doors in the hotel lobby, stepped out onto the sidewalk, and was instantly snow-blind.

When my eyes adjusted, I stepped into a shadow and looked around at all the large piles of fluffy, clean snow everywhere. I wanted to go play in it, but I was trying to appear adult and cosmopolitan, and running over to the first pile of snow to build a snowman while giggling wildly seemed a little Backwoods Texas comes to the Big City, so I resisted the urge, bundled my coat tighter, and went off to find that purveyor of alcoholic beverages I had set out to find.

Two days later I spent 48 hours stuck in O’Hare, thanks to snow. Let’s just say my glee about seeing “real” snow was dampened somewhat.

The second time I saw real snow was in Lake Tahoe on a skiing trip. Hey, skiing was not my idea, but I was excited about seeing snow –and gambling. We arrived at night, and it was snowing hard. The trip from airport to resort was even somewhat horrifying at some points. The only snow I could see was what was hitting the windows. The next morning, I put on my sunglasses, pushed open the front doors of the resort, stepped out on the sidewalk and took in the view. Stunning to see snow-covered mountains first thing in the morning.

I allowed myself to run out and play in the snow for a while. Then I ran up to our room, put on my cute white ski-suit went to take the beginner’s skiing class. They passed me, which to this day seems like a criminally insane thing for them to do. One of my friends, who had also just been told she could ski, headed to the lift to go down her first real slope. I headed to the outdoor patio on the lodge and ordered a hot toddy. Settling into a comfy chair, I watched the slope for signs of my friends coming down, so I could try to convince someone they wanted to have a hot toddy and play in the snow with me rather than doing that skiing thing.

I sat and watched for about 30 minutes, and I began to think it odd that my friend and fellow classmate hadn’t come down a very simple and extremely short little slope yet. I’d seen some people pass by a few times already. The thought had no more crossed my mind when I saw several rescue snowmobiles take off up the slope. They returned shortly, my friend in tow. She hadn’t injured herself, but she had taken a tumble and then refused to put her skis on ever again. She’d been walking down the slope crying her eyes out. I ordered two hot toddies. Finally, a drinking and snow-playing buddy.

Though after a while of goofing around in the snow, we both realized that even nice snow is wet and cold and in the end isn’t really all that much fun. So we changed into comfortable clothes and hit the casino. Snow can’t top central heat, free watered-down cocktails, and nickel slots.

I’ve learned to love Texas snow. It’s pretty when it’s falling from the sky, it dusts the world with glittering white, and then … it goes away. I think if I had to live with real snow on a regular basis, I would go stark raving mad. Yes, I will admit right here and right now for the first time in my life: I hate snow.

This post inspired by Jen.