feren

... who lost his own beloved black cat today, I share this to the journal to memorialize her passing and try to find some solace of my own.

"A Cat's Prayer"

A Pets Prayer
If it should be, that I grow frail and weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then, you must do what must be done
For this, the last battle, can't be won.
Don't let your grief stay your hand,
For this day more than the rest,
Your love and friendship stand the test.
We've had so many years,
What is to come can hold no fear.
You'd not want me to suffer, so
When the time comes, please let me go.
Take me where my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me to the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you'll see it is a kindness you do for me
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I've been saved.
Don't grieve it should be you who this thing decides to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years,
Don't let your heart hold tears.
SMILE, FOR WE WALKED TOGETHER FOR AWHILE.

-- Author: Unknown

He didn't make this choice; he had no warning. My friend had nothing that could have prepared him for his sweet girl's passage from our world to the next. Bast called her home, and it was very hard. The circumstances are such difficult ones that, if I could, I would take them from him. I want to take his pain, his grief, his anger and his regret away... but I cannot. All I can do is stand beside him and offer to help carry the burden that I've already known.

Best wishes to friend and coworker markvd as he celebrates another year of riding this planet around the sun. Sorry I didn't get to go out to lunch with you today, man. I'll make it up soon.

I need to post a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one tarinfirepelt. I've known Koz for ... something like ten years now, and can't think of life without his ability to deliver devastating puns and embarrassing sketches of Feren's ass. Happy birthday, m'friend.

Friday night was dinner with ottr, roho, genet, wyldekyttin, lady_curmudgeon, datahawk, foxish, Devin and Vlad. We went to BD's and had beer and vast amounts of Mongolian stirfry. Afterward, Data, 'mudgeon, Devin, Ottr and myself went to Safari Land for bowling. It's an indoor kid's amusement/theme park (I dare you to guess what the theme is) but when you get there at 10PM there's not a lot of kids, and we adults enjoyed the bowling alley. We chose that alley because of the theme park, and because it has the lanes rigged with radar guns that tell you how fast the ball is rolling (in miles-per-hour) when it strikes the pins. I average somewhere around 17 m.p.h., which is a damn shame compared to the peak speed of 22 m.p.h. that Ottr was able to achieve. We had a lot of fun. The only real disappointment that evening was the alley closed earlier than the rest of the place! We closed down Safari Land, chatted outside in the rain for a bit and then went to our respective homes for well-deserved rest.

Saturday we all slept in, finally getting up around late morning. Data and Ottr joined 'mudge and I for a meal at a local family restaurant. The plan was for Ottr and I to head down to Mega Sports to get some time on their gun range. It wasn't until we were about to leave for Plainfield that it was discovered that we could also bring 'mudgeon and Data along with us! Everyone piled into my truck, I tossed the Bag o' Fun in the back and we hit the road. The afternoon was full of uncertainties! Data had never handled a firearm before, nor had Curmudgeon. I had never been to this particular range before, so I didn't know what to expect either. All of us were pleasantly surprised by what we found. While almost double the cost of the Outdoorsman Sports Shop that roho and I have gone to in the past, the experience was well worth the money. Datahawk and Curmudgeon were instructed/"mentored" by Ottr and myself as we were responsible for their time on the range. As mentioned, neither had shot before but both were willing to give it a try, which I think made Ottr and I both quite happy. Curmudgeon spent most of her time with my S&W Sigma SW9VE 9mm, and decided she liked that one best. Data liked both my Taurus PT-1911 and the S&W 9mm, which Ottr and I both own and are generally disillusioned with. Ottr fell in love with both the Taurus and what Roho has dubbed the "Hand Cannon," my Ruger Blackhawk .357 magnum. All told I think we were there for almost two hours. Everyone had fun, and we topped the evening off by travelling back to Ohana for a really nice steak and potato dinner.

Today was another day for sleeping in late. I mowed the front lawn, trimmed the boulevard tree and cut down some saplings that were growing in the flower bed. I'm planning to take the rest of the day on a minute by minute basis, relaxing as much as I can. Tomorrow I'm back at the office and I already have a day full of work waiting for me.

Feren at sushi A number of us went out for all-you-can-eat sushi this afternoon to celebrate rissani's birthday. After observing how I managed to jam an over sized piece of spider roll into my mouth, genet felt compelled to sketch this up on one of the place mats. All the others at the table were impressed at how my head unhinged as well. Raoul, well, he just managed to get added for comedic value. Sushi leads to these sort of things.

Today's birthday wishes go out to captain18.

Happy birthday, genet!

It's before midnight Eastern time so I can wish spoothbrush a happy birthday and not be late!

Many of you know that over that last decade I have endured several touch-and-go periods with Ra, where Ra became very sick and I wasn't sure he would still be with me the next day. Two years ago lady_curmudgeon and I had to put down one of her cats, Smudge, after Smudge suffered renal and liver failure. Because of this I'm always sensitive to when a friend's beloved pet is having health worries. Tonight, I send my thoughts and my best wishes to urocyon, as his elder pooch had emergency surgery today for a twisted stomach. I'm hoping for her to pull through tonight and make a recovery....

I got a phone call around noon from chebutykin saying she was on her way home from Ohio and that she'd be passing right through our area. Did lady_curmudgeon and I, along with some of the local crew, want to do dinner?

Hell yes we want to do dinner.

Alas, genet and roho won't be able to attend. More tasty stir-fry for us!

T-minus about 45 minutes until she arrives.

I got this from my coworker, "Marlok," because I made him type it up and mail it over after he told me the story over our traditional cup of morning coffee. Marlok has one child with his wife and, until somebody gets sterilized, doesn't want to risk another kid. He works long hours like I do and several health conditions generally leave him exhausted by the time he gets home. This puts him in a state not unlike that of one Al Bundy, such that intimacy of a sexual nature with his wife is about the last thing he wants to be woken up for after he goes to bed.

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SUBJECT: Words to make it end

Words to end all forward pursuit and wreck the mood.

Wife: Sooo, you want to, you know, mess around?

Husband: Sure... why not [Voice dwindling in volume followed by an under-the-breath sigh]

Wife: [Slowly invading Husband's personal space]

Husband: Who Runs Barter Town... Say it!!

Husband: [Slower now with more inflection] Say it!!

Wife: OK, I am done... A vision of an old midget perched atop a retarded Goliath, standing knee high in a pig shit factory is not exactly doing it for me. [Wife visually disturbed and backing away slowly out of Husbands personal space]

Husband: [Falls back asleep with a grin, dreaming. God Bless Mad Maxx]

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This is a true story.