Let The Good Times Roll

I know I should be talking about what a lovely Christmas I had and how it was great to see family and the fun and everything - and it was great and fun and lovely.
But USC just beat their opponent in the Emerald Bowl, making it thirty-two post season bowl wins for my university - the most of any school - and that makes me happy.
The happy that will only be topped if Alabama can grind Texas into the ground on January 7th. It's not my usual call but for this one it'll do...Roll Tide!!

This is me and the Bowl games are in full swing.

Merry Christmas 2009

We're heading out to The Desert to see my family for the next few days. Their Internet is spotty at best so who knows if I will get a chance to post. It's the 'off' year where all my siblings are with their in-laws so it'll be just me, Tarzan and the three kids who still live at home with my parents. We might be back to ring in the New Year; I do like to watch the ball drop in freezing Big Apple downtown while I sip sparkling apple juice in 75 degrees. Plus there's all the football. We'll see:

This is me and in the meantime; Merry Christmas everybody!

It's All True - Part 2

I bet you never thought I'd be back with pictures. *I* sure didn't. In fact, having seen the raccoon once - and having had him run/waddle away from me - I would have laid bets I'd never catch him on the back porch again.

I would have lost that bet.

Lost that bet really, really badly.

After the last encounter I tried to stop feeding the cats at night. I put their food down in the mid afternoon and let them wait until the next morning for more. Apparently this was working because last night, I opened the door to let one of the cats out and they were all milling around meowing and their bowls were empty. I figured - genius that I am - that if I fed them they would eat it all before the raccoon could.

HA!

No sooner had I poured a scoop of food out then I heard this rather large rustling and a sizable something jumped on the fence and then to the garbage cans. There were two large shiny eyes staring at me and not in fear or agression. He was hungry and wasn't stopping for nobody. So he hopped down to the step and lumbered on up. The cats were not afraid exactly, but they did back away and let him eat. I ran to get the camera hoping he wouldn't leave before I got proof for you all and he sure did not:

He did not like the flash on the camera however:

But he was so completely unafraid - or hungry - that I was able to switch to video:

The constant shushing sounds are are the busy street that runs by the front of our house.

But wait, it gets better:

It gets really dark at the end, when I closed the door to let him go by, and then you can't see anything, but I think he would have come in the house had I let him.

So you see, I was totally not kidding. And now I have to figure out how to catch him and give him to my father for Christmas.

This is me and you think I'm joking.

Still Quality Viewing

I know, it's been a while. No excuses, it's just that time of year and cliche as that is, it still is. But I heard this line tonight and I laughed harder than I have in a long time. And because I love you, I thought I would share.
"Christmas is a weird time of year. When else do you sit in front of a dead tree eating candy and snacks out of your socks?"

This is me and that was awesome.

Only His Wife Would Understand

So I suppose it's a testament to how long we've been married that Tarzan can walk into the kitchen sniff the air, declare dinner smells like turpentine, announce he's thrilled to see what it tastes like and I don't even blink an eye.

This is me and I guess we understand each other even if no one else does.

It's All True

We speak with our neighbors on a purely random basis - our lives being what they are and theirs being what theirs are - and the subject matter can vary widely. The mailman, the garbage collection, our cars, the cats, sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll...
A few months ago our neighbor of the leaky pipe and car battery variety stopped me to chat and as nice a guy as he is, I have to wonder if he's all there considering some of the things he brings up. This particular time he said he had seen a raccoon on our back porch eating the cat food one night. I was sure he had mistaken one of the larger feral cats in the neighborhood - who all eat on our back porch - for a raccoon. No one else had mentioned seeing anything remotely like that - and Tarzan seems to see EVERY thing that goes on in our area. Where would the thing live? There aren't many trees and no dirt except under people's houses and nearly everyone has dogs. So I dismissed the thought and promptly forgot about it.
Let me publicly apologize to my neighbor right now.
It is all true.
Last night I opened the door to let one of the cats out and sitting right there, all plump and furry, black mask and striped tail attesting to his species, chowing down on the cat food, was a raccoon.
A huge raccoon.
Like four times the size of my alpha male cat.
And something clicked in my head, all the clues I hadn't seen, how my six cats managed to eat an entire month's worth of food in five days, some of Ocelot's freak outs and wounds from fighting, why there are always puddles near their water bowl...the raccoon is washing his (their) food in the water.
Of course this all went through my head in 3 seconds and by the time I thought to get a camera the raccoon was gone and out of the yard. Past my cats who looked as surprised as I felt.
What I haven't figured out is where he's staying.

This is me, and you are totally getting a picture the next time.

Nicely Done

It might be considered a lack of post rather than a post to have a viral video two days in a row and if that's so then I apologize. This:
Is a pretty good trick though. Who knew physics would allow stuff like that happen?

This is me and what about the soaring music makes me tear up?

Doubly Good

I know, I'm waaaay behind in the hype with this one but you have to admit it's adorable AND amusing:

This is me and I am a self admitted cat lover.

It's My Eye Doctor

It's been a little over a week since I rubbed my eye so much it bled. It hasn't hurt at all in that time, not even while flying in the dry, over used air that exists on airplanes. Tarzan has been good about helping me dose it with drops every day so the itching has abated mostly and I think there might be some improvement finally:

At least, the red is getting lower in the eyeball such that little children don't run screaming when they get close to me.

This is me and that's better.

The Pressure's Off - Or Is it?

Boo-ya, a day in which I don't HAVE to post.
You'd think something fun would happen today, a witty anecdote I could relate, but no.
Just the usual panic I experience every year as December starts when I realize that there is barely over three weeks until Christmas. Less than three weeks until the Christmas program at church - and we haven't had any rehearsals yet. Only three DAYS until I have to have the tree set up and decorated for the Christmas party which is in four days. Presents that have to be shipped far distances, cards that have to be thoughtfully filled out in a hurry, food to be made, lists of people and parties to attend or not.
You know, the usual.

This is me, all stressed out which has become the norm around here.