Saturday, April 30, 2005

In the office on a Saturday

I really should be with the family, attending Little Miss' ballet recital dress rehersal, not in at work making pieces of machines and then putting them back together.

Yes, it's what they pay me to do, and I'll do it, but I can still whine on the inside... ;)

Update: It's 10:16PM EDT, and I'm just now getting done with my work. Nothing like a good 14 hour day.

That said, I decided to strike out the whining part. I thank the Lord I've got such a good job, and no whining is needed or desired. I'll talk about that as soon as I get some sleep.

Thursday, April 28, 2005

Mom's night out.

I've got a comp day today, since I'll be working Saturday. I got to see Little Miss practice for her Ballet recital Sunday, and then we went out for Chinese as a special "Dad's off work and #1 Son's done with achievement testing" treat. Milady and the other homeschool mothers are at the dollar theatre tonight, watching The Phantom of the Opera. The kids and I watched Star Wars: Revelations. Then we took some turns playing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2 (yes, it's a fighting game, but it's futuristic enough that we let Number 1 Son do it in small doses). Looks like I may even get to tuck the kids in tonight.

It's nice to get a day with the crew.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Busman's Vacation, Part 2

(In case anyone was wondering, a "Busman's Vacation" is where you relax by doing what you do normally. A true Busman's vacation is when a bus driver goes on vacation by riding somewhere in a bus.)

The new database server is up, and it's not smoking yet. If comments or entries disappear during the middle of the day, or if a "DATABASE_ERROR" pops up, then call the fire department and tell them to come my way. ;)

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

A movie review

I've just seen a very good new Sci-Fi movie. The special effects are top-shelf. The music is wonderful, and mastered well. The story is a bit light, and the actors are wooden, but what can you expect from a Star Wars movie? It's Star Wars: Revelations. A group of volunteers and a shoestring budget have made a better Star Wars movie than Lucas did.

Go check it out.

Out of it all day yesterday

(Nothing like having to get up with the dogs at 3AM to help one's blogging.)

Yesterday was my worst non-excusable lateness day for a long time. Sometimes, when I take sinus medicine I get thrown for a loop, but I didn't take any. Instead, I was just naturally behind all day. 11:30AM felt like 10, 4:15 felt like 2:30, and I didn't leave work until 6:07PM for not watching the clock.

An all around rough day. And now I'm up playing with databases instead of sleeping (and the first attempt to move this over to the new DB failed. I think the processor's too slow... :( ). Tomorrow (ok, today) may well be interesting too.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Snow

There will be no accumulation, and you have to look really close to find it, but it's April 24th and there's an occasional snow flake in the sky right now in Central Kentucky.

This is both twisted AND wrong.

Update: 11:30AM saw practically a snow shower, but still no accumulation. 2:30PM sees sun and still cold.

Gotta love Kentucky weather.

Why is a Pentium 3/450 so slow?

Both kids are in various stages of recovery from a minor gastrointestinal virus (mostly the "gotta go, gotta go NOW, gotta go a lot" stage), so we're going to have prayers & Bible reading at home this morning. The dogs woke up at 5AM. A wise man would have gone back to bed. I stayed up and played with the Dell GX1p that's to be the new database server.

Last night, I had to let the NetBSD pkgsrc code update, so this morning, I started compiling the database code. And it was slow. 486 slow. 386 slow even. I knew the hard drive I put into this machine was slow, but this was insane. 100% CPU utilization when running a make file. It reminded me of my college days when we started a compile at 2AM, and went to Perkins for a late dinner and cards to wait for it to finish.

I broke down and started pulling memory. Sometimes if you combine different memory sticks, the system will hate you. That didn't help. Finally, I went into the BIOS to see if something had been set strangely. Th e only thing I could find was that the CPU speed field was set to "Compatable". I set it back to the CPU speed. Amazingly enough, that fixed things.

For those who've used computers a while, do you remember the old "Turbo" buttons? When you pressed it by accident, your computer slowed down. Someone had virtually pressed the Turbo button. I would fuss a lot, but it was a free computer, and I am probably the one who set it by accident in the first place...

It's a lot better now. It's still not as fast as I'd like, but that's a P3/450 for you. I'll rearrange my computer room a bit & free up a P3/700. That'll speed it up.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

The Busman's Vacation

I've been doing a busman's vacation: installing a "new" computer. I was able to dig up enough memory to make sure I have 512M of memory in the new database machine, so I'm installing it today. Little Miss is a bit sick from the stomach virus Number 1 Son had Thursday and Friday, so they watched Disney movies all day.

Of course, I've only been stopping by and paying attention to it a few minutes at a time, so no one's cared or missed me much.

Time to compile the code. Fortunately, NetBSD has a package system where you just say "make package", and it just goes and gets everything. Very nice.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Too much cold medicine

Jeff of Think Sink needs to lay off the NyQuil before bed, or switch to something less strong, like Maker's Mark a good Merlot.

Me, a member of a Karl Rove conspiracy? It is to laugh. Just goes to show how being a U of L Cardinals fan rots the brain.... :)

Just kidding Jeff. Put down the phone, Jeff. No, don't call Karl, Jeff. arghh..... <thump>

Going to be one of those days

(Told you blogging would be light. :) )

The wonderful part of the new IBM pSeries boxes is that one physical machine can be split up into LPARs, or Logical PARtitions. (Any mainframers around to recognize that term?) To move hardware from one LPAR to another, you Dynamically partition, or DLPAR, the cards around.

I went to add a disk pack to one of our production LPARs, and the command said it succeeded. Great, so why can't it see the disk? No problem, I'll take it back out. No, can't do that, the SCSI card isn't being used by that LPAR. OK, but I can't add it anywhere else either.

IBM Support gave me several good ideas, most of which involve rebooting production machines....

Nothing like starting the day on a good note.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Pope Benedict, and St. Malachy

TheAnchoress has covered this much better than I, and I admit to having a bit less interest than she does. That said, I have been fascinated by Saint Malachy O'Morgair's prophesies. TheAnchoress links to this article, which proports to predict the taking of the name Benedict.

Mr. Conte made this prediction, but he fully admits that some of his other predictions are wrong. I don't know if Malachy is right, or if "Peter the Roman" is the last pope. Nonetheless, I think Mr. Conte pushes his use of 2 Kings and Ezekiel to justify his position that there is 500 years left until Christ's return. Mr. Conte may even be right, but his arguments cannot be defended by his quotes of the Bible.

All end-times writers are human, and many have serious errors (even Hal Lindsay latched too tightly t o Nassar). We first trust God and the Scriptures, then if we can find wisdom in man's writing, so much the better.

Too many new toys

Blogging may be a bit light this week. At work, we are getting a new pSeries 570, and installing 2 more full CPU drawers into one already in use, and then moving a couple of drawers from the latter 570 to the new one and one other. It's a whole lot of work.

At home, the blog is doing well living nicely with my home server, but my spam filter program (dspam) won't play nicely with anyone else. It's a CPU and memory hog.

I'm going to take the machines I bought at auction (see "I almost got a hernia for this?" below) and turn one into a dedicated database server, and the second into a mail machine. Then, the current "www.kypackrat.com" will give up its database and just be a web server. This should stop dspam from hogging the blog's resources.

I don't want to even think about needing to study for the GRE so I can apply to gradua te school to start on my masters, or getting letters of recommendation for the same, or that I have an idea for story* bouncing around in my head. I suspect I'll start reaching that "what was I thinking" level again soon....



*I have had dreams about writing professionally for several years now. Of course, you actually have to be able to write something that someone wants to read. There's some nice person at msnbot.msn.com who likes to read me a lot, at least. ;)

Saturday, April 16, 2005

Gifts from the Father

The Lord's grace and mercy never ceases to amaze me.

The dogs wanted out at 5AM this morning, as they are always prone to do when I have gotten in bed late. I read the other blogs, listened to some music on iTunes, and then headed back up to bed to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Number 1 daughter had managed to sneak into the bed while I was downstairs, so I rolled her over from taking most of the bed* and laid down.

As I started dozing, a sense of awesome magnitude sunk in. Jesus died on the cross for my sins, knowing all of my flaws. He knew that I would be able to read TheAnchoress and Captain's Quarters three times a day, yet have trouble reading my Bible more than once a week. He knew I would overeat for comfort, and have trouble controlling my weight. He knew how many times I would fail, how many times I would grieve the Holy Spirit in my lack of obedience, yet He went to the cross for me anyway.

Not only did He "just" die for my sins, but He blesses me so much, even in my inability to properly serve Him. I have a wonderful wife whom I don't deserve, and two beautiful children. The Lord preserved Number 1 Son through his lung problems, even though there were at least two times when he should have had a heart attack or stroke. I have the job I've dreamed of for over 15 years, and it pays enough to make us financially secure so long as the Lord wills I stay there. We have a good, warm house, pets galore, food to eat, and clothes enough to wear. Even in my stuttering, stumbling obedience to Him, He has fulfilled His word: "A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap."

I know from His Word that He is a loving God who desires to bless us and do us good. It is still overwhelming to look back on my life and realize how much more He has given me than I could have ever hoped or dreamed of.

Thank you Lord. May the name of the Lord God of Israel be praised and lifted high.


*When Little Miss decides to get in bed with us, she takes her half out of the middle. It's not uncommon for her to first roll Milady over to her edge of the bed, and then me over to mine. She will then lay with arms and legs spread out wide (like she's making a snow angel), making sure she can touch either of us but that we can't crowd her.

It's amazing how a 5 year old girl can manage to roll two good-sized adults almost out of bed with all three of us staying asleep.

Friday, April 15, 2005

No Shalam, No Shalom

We've done our yearly "join a music club and get a LOT of CDs at once" routine, and one of the CDs I picked up was Johnny Cash's American Recordings 4: The Man Comes Around. (Yes, it's not new. I'm aware of that. :) ) I've been listening to The Man Comes Around, and I was struck by the "until Armaggedon, no shalam, no shalom" line.

Right after Terri Schiavo died, Milady was down a bit about her situation and the situation in the Congo. She told me, "Sometimes I just wish that Jesus would come soon." I think that this is the correct response for Christians to have.

Thanks to Adam and Eve, there is neither completeness (shalam) nor peace (shalom). The entire universe groans under the curse, with natural disasters and disease on the rise. We are surrounded by a society that desires to do what is right in its own sight. Moreover, we are told that, at the end of the age, people will be given over to their own desires, and that the earth will suffer even more "bir thing pains". As one wise man once said, "Cheer up! The worst is yet to come."

Yet, are we to hope it comes? Yes! John ended Revelation praying Marana tha, Come Lord Jesus. I don't believe that we can either impede the Lord's plan (ala NBC's "Revelations") or significantly accelerate it (as the messianic Third Temple adherants), but we can work to fulfil's God's goals. Jesus said that the Lord desires that none would perish, that all may have eternal life. God only cuts this age short when events will cause all on Earth to perish. We can act to make sure that everyone who is alive has heard the Gospel, something we have been tasked to do. After that, we are to trust God and not think so much of ourselves that we think we can dictate God's plans.

I heard the voice of the fourth beast

I looked, and there was before me a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. [Revelation 6:8 NIV]
Derek of Weapon of Mass Distraction has been covering the otherwise silent news about the Marburg outbreak in Angola, and now he's talking about the flu viruses free in places like Vietnam, and on the "accidental" release of the H2n2 Asian flu to a bunch of laboritories.

Go read Weapon of Mass Distraction for the whole story.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

I almost got a hernia for this?

As a Packrat, I love to go to surplus auctions where computers are sold. UK had their surplus auction yesterday, so I was there. A friend of mine and I split the bid on a lot with a couple of Sun Ultras on it, which also had a Dell that I was quite happy to get my hands on. Then I scavanged.

At the UK auction, the surplus people deliberately mix different lots of stuff. A Lexmark Optra R printer (a very nice laser printer of which I have several) can be right beside an IBM PC AT (yes, a REAL AT) or a Macintosh IIsi, or a Pentium 3 desktop. It provides a nice mix of items, and a good mix of bidders. Often, these bidders have only bought a given lot for one or two of the items on it, and they don't care about the rest. One gentleman gave me the SparcStation 20 with memory and a 100Mb Ethernet card that was on his lot. Another gave me 2 Dell GX110s that will be used to make a new database machine. Finally, a fellow gave me a Micron NetFRAME MV6200.

This thing is a monster. I t weighs almost 100 pounds and almost 4 feet deep. I had to carry it out from the auction room to my car, and I could feel my stomach muscles screaming over packing it. I'm surprised something didn't rupture. There was no way it was going into the house, but there are some treasures in it anyway. The memory in it is the same as my new Sun Ultra 5 uses, and the hot-swap SCSI drive bay (full of disks of currently unknown size) will get cut out and put in an old PC case ("frankenDell" anyone ;) ). I even have an order from a co-worker for a "boneyards" Dell. I'll see if anyone locally wants the CPUs (450MHz P2 Xeons) or fans, and the network card is mine. The rest of the sellable parts hit Ebay, and then the rest is either trash or recycled.

Not a bad haul for a half-day's work.

Monday, April 11, 2005

Wish I had a digital camera, and how that relates to univeral truths

We spent a very busy, eventful weekend. Saturday, we spent all afternoon cleaning out the garage. Ug (our new Boston Terrier) and Dylan played and laid outside nearly all day with us. We didn't consider how much sun was out, and although everyone kept cool, we all managed to get too much sun. Ug has a red nose where his face hairs are too short and he sunburned. I need a pair of sunglasses too, since my eyes are still hurting.

The good part is my truck is now in the garage and ready to work on. What truck, you might ask? When I was 15, and my Dad and I started thinking about a truck to drive, we saw a black 1950 Ford F-1 pickup parked on a Somerset KY car lot, and I had to have it. A lot of negotiation later, I had it. After much discussion about converting it (which went like this:

Dad:You should put the body on a short-frame F100. It'd be a lot easier to keep up, and you'd get air conditioning for free.

Me:No, I like it original.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

we kept the flathead 6 cylinder in it. A year later, that 6 cylinder got bored out when a rod valve broke loose.

I drove that truck for 3 more years, until I started working as a co-op, and needed a better set of wheels. Dad kept it running while he could, but after a couple of years, the truck found itself in a spot where it didn't have to get started regularly, so it parked.

Last year, my mom and dad sold their house to my sister and her husband, and they got my truck's parking spot, and wanted to use it for other things. Therefore, my truck finally had to move, and I found out an amazing truth about the universe: there are a whole bunch of "Snooky"s in the world, and they're each one of the best mechanics for old trucks in the world.

My dad and I hooked a logging chain to the F-1, and I towed it behind his truck from the old homeplace to Snooky's place. We left it there for Snooky to work on as his schedule allowed. Snooky was (I think) a long-distance truck driver by trade, but he loved to work on older trucks, and was really good at it.

At work the next Monday (at the Previous Employer), my boss asked if that was the same Snooky that lived near his hometown, who was also a really good mechanic for older cars. It wasn't. A couple of days later, the next door neighbor started drooling over the truck, since he'd raced them back when he was a young fellow. He asked if Snooky was the Snooky he had known back in his racing days, who was (of course) a maestro of mechanics. It wasn't.

Somehow, I am 3 degrees of seperation away from three different Snookys. My life is almost complete, except for the lack of a digital camera, since I had hoped to put up pictures of the truck, and of Ug the Red-Nosed Boston Terrier.

For the moment, here's three links to various people's F-1s. Unlike these three, mine is black, 100% original spec parts (I've used a few Denni s Carpenter parts when needed), and is in serious need of cosmetic rust removal and a rewiring (the rubber insulators on the wires just weren't meant for a 60 year lifetime, which is why it's so amazing they have lasted so well).

This guy's the most original I've found, excluding the non-standard door mirrors. Here's another red F-1 that's closer to "original" (note the white in the grill and the correct mirrors). This guy has the second wiper (don't laugh, it was an option) and has the cowl vent open (redneck air conditioning: drive really fast. :) ) (sorry lost link #3, can't find it again).

Saturday, April 9, 2005

TheAnchoress has moved

Almost everyone else of note has mentioned that The Anchoress
has made a quick shift to a new web site. Go take a look.

Blame Joe Missionary

Joe posted a link to a survey about the denominational tradition you most closely match in this post, so of course I went to try it out. My first result had me at a 45% match with "Church of Christ/Campbellite", so I retook it a few minutes ago, trying to get the "right" answer. This time:

1: Pentecostal/Charismatic/Assemblies of God (100%)

2: Anabaptist (Mennonite/Quaker etc.) (89%)

3: Baptist (non-Calvinistic)/Plymouth Brethren/Fundamentalist (76%)

4: Seventh-Day Adventist  (72%)

5: Baptist (Reformed/Particular/Calvinistic)  (70%)

6: Congregational/United Church of Christ  (64%)

7: Presbyterian/Reformed  (61%)

8: Methodist/Wesleyan/Nazarene  (59%)

9: Eastern Orthodox  (50%)

10: Anglican/Episcopa l/Church of England  (49%)

11: Lutheran  (41%)

12: Roman Catholic  (36%)

13: Church of Christ/Campbellite  (30%)

This list is SO wrong. I can see scoring me higher in the Penecostal, I have some agreements with them over theological points, but Seventh-Day Adventist? I said that the New Testament doesn't specify a specific day of worship and/or Sabbath! And my "Campbellite" score is only 30%, but my "liturgical" denomination scores are higher when I specifically rejected liturgical and non-congregational organizations?

This test is all wrong.

Thursday, April 7, 2005

"Sharp learning curve"

When Milady and I first bought our house, we were happy that we were getting an 8.375% loan. We both remembered double-digit interest rates, so we thought that was wonderful. We weren't sure how we could eat and pay for the house too, but no one else seemed that worried about that problem.

Then we had to put in a heat pump and paint the house, and interest rates dropped to the unheard-of 7% range. We paid most of our debts, and then consolidated the heat pump and the credit card into a new home loan. Our payment only went up a bit, and we were all happy.

We pushed the roof and siding until they couldn't go any further, so we decided to refinance one last time, and do both fixes and new windows all at the same time. We had a really good mortgage agent who convinced us how we really could save some money with two mortgages (yes, I know there is risk involved in a second mortgage, but I went into it with eyes wide open). We locked in at very good interest rates for less time than was remaining on the previous mortgage, and only spent around $100 per month more. Considering it was that or sell the house, I consider myself lucky.

I do count as one of my few strengths in life an understanding that adjustable rate mortgages are almost always bad, and are never desirable. This is a lesson that others are intent to learn the hard way, according to this AP story. To quote Anthony Hsieh, president of LendingTree.com,

"The younger generation has only known the low interest rates â€" in the single digits â€" since the mid-1990s. ... There could be a sharp learning curve here."
This is like saying that the Titanic's captain had a sharp learning curve about dodging iceburgs....

Interest rates are the lowest they've been in 40 years, and people are getting adjustable rate mortgages? This is a level of i nsanity that is only beat by the debt bubbles of the 1920s. We would have sold our house and started renting if Lexington didn't have such an inverted housing market that it's cheaper to buy than rent even without considering the mortgage deduction. Our current house payment is low enough that we can't afford to rent, but we kept enough equity in the house that we can afford a 10-20% drop in the housing market without going underwater on our home loan. I'm just not sure if my neighbors are as lucky.

The doomsayer in me has an incredible urge to bury gold coins in the backyard.

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Christian Carnival is up.

Proverbs Daily is the host for this week's Christian Carnival. Go read the articles.

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

My one brush with a good game....

You may blame Dave over at Revenge of Mr Dumpling for this. Dave likes cricket, and I mentioned in passing that we shared that. I knew that wouldn't be enough, so I promised this post.

I participated in the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program in the early 1990s, and one of our teachers was an English professor from Bellarmine. (I'll have to find my pictures, since I don't recall his name right now.) He was an avid cricket fan and player, and had brought a set of cricket equipment (and an appropriate white set of clothing :) ) with him to GSP. On one of the "free activity" afternoons, those of us who were interested got together on the field closest resembling a cricket pitch and set up the equipment.

Our teacher led us through a quick summary of the game, and then put us out on the field. The batsmen and the bowler had to switch sides when changing bowlers, since one wicket was too close to the street. Almost everyone wanted to drop the bat, a clear indication too much baseball or softball had been played. The concept that you don't take risks when the ball is coming straight at your wicket (versus baseball's strike zone) was discerning. Even so, it was a lot of fun. We played an hour or so each side, and I remember getting several runs at my turn. We finally had to call our game because of a lack of time, and there wasn't another opportunity to play while at GSP.

After GSP, I never had an opportunity to play the game again. The University of Kentucky Cricket Club started after I left UK. I have heard that the same group has become the Lexington Cricket Club, but I am not sure how to get up with them, or that I would even have time (or the physical conditioning) to play. They also seem to be rather serious at it (road games all over the midwest, etc.), from what little I can find. OTOH, I would jump at the chance to join a "casual" team that played a few games a year in this general area. Too bad Central Kentucky just isn't big enough to have that kind of opportunity.

Monday, April 4, 2005

Pain despair and agony on me

(Yes, I grew up watching Hee Haw. What of it? :) )

We took both dogs and went hiking at the Red River Gorge, primarily on the Swift Creek Trail. Considering that until Thursday, Ug hadn't been out of his cage for more than an hour at a time, he did remarkably well to have hiked 2 miles.

The rest of us are a different story. I have had at least two leg cramps today, and my son woke up with a serious cramp in his calf (that said, for having lost half a lung he did very well on the hike). My back hurts, and it feels like I've been on a marathon. I guess this means I'm in desperate need for exercise...

I'm already getting the maps to consider walking Wildcat Trail next weekend.

The kind of tolerance Christ provides

As expected, commentators are explaining how the next Pope will need to get "up to date with abortion, female ordination, divorce and gay rights..." The Catholic Church and conservative/evangelical denominations will continue to face pressure to be more tolerant and accepting of "fringe" groups. These groups have it exactly backwards.

The groups crying for tolerance fail to understand the tolerance that the cross does offer. Jesus doesn't care what nationality we are. He doesn't care if we're Samaritan or Jew, Greek or Roman, African or Asian. He doesn't care if we're a centurian or tax collector, murderer or adultress, leper or father. All were capable of receiving His blessing, and only three requirements were made:

  • People coming to Jesus had to have faith. "Your faith has made you clean." "I have seen no faith like this in all of Israel."

  • Sin was to be abandoned in repentance. "Go and sin no more."

  • Love God, and in loving God, obey His will.

    No other requirements were made. No physical alterations were required, and no special dietary laws instituted. Faith in Jesus is a simple calling. It was a calling impossible for human wills, which is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us, and why we gather as a church to strengthen each other. Jesus calls these three demands a "yoke", which means that they are work, but then says "My yoke is light". Since humans need guidelines, the Scriptures provide guidance in implementing God's will, but these are nothing more than an expression of the three points above.

    Jesus WANTS homosexuals and lesbians in His church, just like He wants pornography addicts, drunkards, gluttons, prostitutes, adulters, theives, murders, wife beaters, and all other sinners in His church. God desires that all live, and that none die in the second death. He just makes the 3 demands: have faith, abandon sin, and love Him. He tolerates all people, but has no tolerance of sin.

    So long as special groups want Christ to accept their failure to do one (or more) of these three demands, it isn't God's intolerance or the Church's intolerance that seperates them from Christ, it's their intolerance of Christ.

Sunday, April 3, 2005

I really hate time change

It should be 6:30, and I'd have a half-hour to type out a post or two. Instead, it's now 7:39AM EDT, and I need to run to get ready for church. Argh.

Saturday, April 2, 2005

Goodbye for now John Paul II

Thank you. Rest well until Christ returns.

Friday, April 1, 2005

I miss Usenet.

I was an Internet user back in 1992, which isn't old enough for the all-time classic kremvax joke (read the original note here). Google and Slashdot jokes just aren't the same, even "Google Gulp". I think the Internet has grown up too much...

Prayers for John Paul II

Our prayers go out for John Paul II. With Reagan dead and Lady Thacher sick, the old lions of the Cold War are finally passing on. If it's God's will, may he recover from this health setback. If it is God's will that he move on, may John Paul do so with peace and dignaty.

The Zoo is Closed

That's what I told my kids two days ago. "Don't even think about getting any more animals."

Just call my wife and I Tootsie Roll and Blow Pop, because we're SUCKERS. My next door neighbor's mom and stepdad bred pugs and Boston terriers as a small business over the last several years. He is now dying of liver disease, and she isn't in the best of health. Moreover, the number of animals they had were up, because she didn't have the time or inclination to sell any animals. His kids got mad at her, and called the Humane Society on her. They told her that she was violating the puppy mill laws for the state, and she needed to either send some dogs to new homes, or that they would do it for her. Wednesday, the Humane Society called her back and said "It's time, you can keep 3 dogs and the pups one has. We'll be there at 4PM." Our neighbor scrambled to place the rest, since her mother had been insisting on selling the dogs, not giving them away.

At 1PM, my wife informs me that we are now the "foster parents" for a 6 month old Boston terrier pup that would have otherwise ended up at the pound. I reminded everyone that we'd agreed that the zoo was closed. I reminded everyone that we had more animals than we knew what to do with already. They all nodded and agreed that I'd said that, but he was going to go to the pound. And then Ug showed up.

He is an underfed little cage-bound pug-nosed pup that proves the "he's so ugly he's cute" adage. He doesn't know how to play yet, because he spend almost all of his life in a cage, and when he got out he was with other "cage-bound" dogs that didn't know how to behave out of a cage. He is still learning housebreaking, but I think he's going to catch on pretty quickly (our older dog seems to be training him). He lasted 1 night in his kennel, and now he already has to be under our covers to sleep. I'm having insomnia right now for getting up and taking both animals for a potty trip at 3:30AM. O'Malley (the new cat) absolutely detests the newcomer (hissing, spitting, back-arched affairs), but Suey (the old cat) refuses to care in that "I'm an aloof cat, nothing can care as little as I do" fashion that she's so good at.

Ug has two things going for him. Like Dylan before him, Ug is smart. You can look in his eyes and see it. He loves to just be with people, and will follow everyone around the house. Second, Ug is a love sponge. He loves to love. You can tell he's been starved for attention and love, and when he gets it he just lights up. He will snuggle up, and loves it when you cuddle him in your arms.

I'd better get back to sleep, since we leave for the homeschool co-op in a few hours. Ug and Dylan are both down here with me, so I'll have to gather the whole zoo to take upstairs with me. It's closed, you see. :)