"- Przecież... - głos wiązł w zaciśniętym od płaczu gardle. - Przecież krzyczałabym i bez tego - szepnęła.
- Nie zrozumiałaś mnie, dziecko.
Mistrz podszedł bliżej, przyjął z rąk uczniów dwie miseczki, jedną z kolcami, drugą z trucizną i stanął pomiędzy jej rozkraczonymi nogami.."

"Achaja" była zawsze jedną z tych pozycji, które chciałem przeczytać. Dlatego, gdy tylko nadarzyła się okazja, poprosiłem znajomego o pożyczenie mi pierwszego tomu tej znanej powieści. Początkowo nie mogłem się do niej zabrać, ot brak czasu i mobilizacji. Jednak pewnego pochmurnego dnia włączyłem światło i zacząłem czytać. Pół miesiąca później, nie tracąc ani chwili, pobiegłem do księgarni po tom II, a już w kolejnym tygodniu spędzałem upalne dni lata nad kojącymi stronicami tomu III. Cóż jest w tej powieści, że potrafi przykuć czytelnika, iż świata poza nią nie widzi?

Zastanawialiście się kiedykolwiek jakie życie może prowadzić księżniczka? Po głębszym zastanowieniu, przed oczami pojawia się obraz wyelegantowanej do granic możliwości młodej dziewczyny w bufiastej sukni, z koroną na głowie. Dziewica (a jakże by inaczej), stoi w wielkiej bogato zdobionej komnacie przed lustrem, a wokół niej krzątają się służące. Obok widzimy ogromne łoże z baldachimem i jedwabnym prześcieradłem. W powietrzu unosi się woń kwiatów bzu, a delikatne promienie słońca przedzierają się do wnętrza przez ogromne okna przyozdobione wytwornymi firanami. Tak sobie wyobrażamy codzienność wyimaginowanej księżniczki, oczywiście prowadzącej życie pozbawione trosk i wszelkich stresów, no może poza unikaniem natrętnych amantów walczących heroicznie o jej serce. I tutaj pierwszy fakt, który czyni z powieści Andrzeja Ziemiańskiego niezły kąsek dla fanów fantasy - wszystkie wymienione wyżej elementy nijak nie pasują do Achai poza tym, że była księżniczką. No tak, w sumie całą swoją młodość spędziła w takich warunkach, ale to tylko ułamek jej życia, które trzeba to przyznać już na wstępie, nie było usłane różami.

Zarysowując pokrótce fabułę, Achaja ma młodszą od siebie macochę, która pragnie się jej pozbyć i w tym celu namawia pozbawionego jaj króla, aby wysłał księżniczkę do wojska. Asija tylko wtedy będzie miała pewność, że jej przyszły syn posiądzie tron i nie będzie o niego konkurował z Achają. Autorowi udało się doskonale pokazać przepaść pomiędzy tymi kobietami, nie tylko charakteru, ale także mentalną. Achaja jest o wiele bardziej inteligentna od swej macochy i o wiele lepiej zna się na rządzeniu Królestwem Troy. Niestety, pomimo tych walorów zostaje wcielona do Armii. Zanim rusza na plac boju dostaje niezłą lekcję pokory od swych nowych towarzyszy broni z obozu rekrutów. Na szczęście dziewczyna potrafi się przystosować do nowych warunków i szybko zjednuje sobie serca kolegów, stając się jedną z nich. Niestety, pierwsze starcie zbrojne okazuje się ciągiem dalszym planu Asiji i Achaja trafia do niewoli. W tym momencie akcja ostro wyrywa do przodu, czyniąc z powieści prawdziwy zabijacz czasu. Losy dziewczyny w obozie niewolników nie dosyć, że są niesamowicie ciekawe, to stanowią ważny element dla dalszych wydarzeń w życiu księżniczki. Ale to już musicie poczytać sami :)

Achaja jest twardą sztuką. Ziemiańskiemu udało się doskonale ukazać przemianę beztroskiej nastolatki w prawdziwą maszynkę do zabijania, która jednak nie jest pozbawiona uczuć. Bardzo dużą rolę w ukształtowaniu wewnątrz dziewczyny wrażliwości oraz zrozumienia dla innych odegrał wbrew pozorom ojciec Achai, który już od małego przydzielił jej najlepszych nauczycieli i sam ją bardzo kochał. Niestety był naiwny i to chyba jedyna jego wada. Nie mniej przyczynił się do zniszczenia życia dziewczynie, ale czy na pewno 'zniszczenia'?

Według mnie bohaterka Ziemiańskiego jest jedną z tych postaci w literaturze, które naprawdę przeżyły swoje krótkie życie. Tak wiele się dzieje w tej powieści, w tak wielu wydarzeniach Achaja bierze czynny udział, dodam iż w wielu fantastycznych, że nie sposób jej życiu odmówić uroku. Postać ta spełniła się pod każdym względem. Nie tylko jako księżniczka, ale przede wszystkim osoba potrzebna drugiemu człowiekowi. Nie będzie myślę nadużyciem określenie jej niemal postacią mityczną, którą sława wyprzedzała na mile.

Bardzo mi się podobało w powieści przywiązanie autora do szczegółów uzbrojenia poszczególnych jednostek oraz opisów scen batalistycznych. Nie będę się spierał, kto jest lepszy w tym aspekcie, czy Sapkowski w "Wiedźminie", czy Ziemiański w "Achai", ale obaj są mistrzami w swoim fachu. Zresztą nie tylko w starciach grupowych, ale także w pojedynkę dziewczyna pokazuje, że szermierka i łączenie różnych styli walki, nie jest jej obce.

Warto także zwrócić uwagę na poziom oraz ilość intryg zawartych w Achai. Gwiazdą, wokół której obraca się cały układ przekrętów, jest skryba świątynny Zaan, będący razem z Siriusem doskonałym przykładem dla powiedzenia "od zera do bohatera". Dodam, iż wątek tych dwóch osobników mnie niezmiernie zaciekawił i często zdarzało mi się sięgać po Achaję żeby się po prostu dowartościować i zdobyć moc do działania, którą tych dwoje wręcz promieniuje. Po poznaniu ich przygód człowiek ma ochotę przenosić góry i co najważniejsze - wierzy, że mu się uda :)

Obok wątków Achai, Zaana i Siriusa jest też obecna historia pewnego Czarodzieja, który dostaje bardzo odpowiedzialne zadanie do zrealizowania, nie od byle kogo na dodatek. Meredith, bo o nim mowa, pełni jakby funkcję retardacyjną, czyli zwalniającą akcję w powieści. Autor poświęcone Czarodziejowi rozdziały zawsze umieszcza w najbardziej emocjonujących momentach, co chwilami mnie na tyle denerwowało, iż wolałem ominąć ten wątek i dopiero po zaspokojeniu ciekawości związanej z przygodami Achai oraz Zaana, powrócić do niego i się skupić. Trzeba Wam wiedzieć, że są to bardzo filozoficzne rozważania, łączące tematykę egzystencjalną z mistycyzmem. Dodam, iż pewna grupa społeczna skupiona przy pewnym radiu mogłaby spalić "Achaję" na stosie za niektóre fragmenty, ale na szczęście fantastyka nie leży w jej preferencjach ;) Nie mniej, warto przeczytać i zrozumieć przygody Mereditha, gdyż są niezbędne w dalszych fragmentach powieści i pozwalają ogarnąć mniej więcej o co w tym całym świecie chodzi.

Co do poszczególnych tomów, to jak już wspominałem - szybko się je czyta. Wiele osób narzeka na pewne wydarzenie w mniej więcej połowie drugiego, które może odebrać chęć do dalszego czerpania przyjemności z powieści. Ja jednak osobiście nie odniosłem takiego wrażenia i szybko dostroiłem się do fal, na których nadaje autor i wciąż czerpałem ogromną przyjemność ze śledzenia kolejnych przygód bohaterów powieści.

Chętnie bym jeszcze poopowiadał Wam o Achai, gdyż jest dosyć interesującą postacią i powspominał wydarzenia dotyczące jej osoby, np. jak zdobyła swój tatuaż na twarzy, albo jak została... Nie tego Wam nie powiem, musicie sami przeczytać, a naprawdę warto. "Achaja" jest drugą po "Wiedźminie" powieścią, której nigdy nie zapomnę. Zawsze będę do niej wracał myślami i czerpał z niej wzorce jak należy postępować, aby być w zgodzie ze swoim sumieniem.

pozdrawiam
pit
______________________________
Czyj jest ten gasnący ognik? - zapytał Wiedźmin

Kiss runs into E-40 at Sirius. Kiss My Ass coming December 9th. But seriously... a Jadakiss x E-40 collab? I don't know but shouts to BoBo.

BONUS: Jadakiss Calls Jenny Boom Boom

Espero que a la mayoría le guste nuestra idea, y que visiten el blog que hemos abierto para publicar los podcasts resultantes. Se encuentra en la siguiente URL: Sangranteslasorejas.no-ip.org
Aunque todavía está en construcción, como podréis ver.

Un saludo. Amse.

Green Lantern puts Term on the spot to spit a few bars. Politics As Usual in stores now.

Sirius has a copper pour with a creamy white 1 inch head.  The first hit is from the hoppy nose with definite fruit undertones... very nice.  The bitterness of the hops hits hard at first but immiediately mellows out and leaves you with a creamy middle and end.  The finish isn't too abrupt or mellow, though, as this fine brew leaves my tastes buds with a fine memory of its hoppy, bitter goodness.  7.0 ABV.

Good review over at men.style.com.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

I just got Sirius satellite radio, and while there are a lot of pretty useless channels I have found one that I have been listening to pretty frequently. It is called Left of Center and they pretty much play everything that I listen to on a daily basis while introducing me to some cool new stuff as well. So far I have heard them play Pinback, The Shins, Islands, Sonic Youth, Vampire Weekend, Radiohead, Bon Iver, The Arcade Fire, Interpol and Ratatat. Not only do they play a lot of great music, but they have some amazing special performances and programs. All of next week, Kings of Leon will co-host the afternoon show, and on Friday, Beck will play his entire new album, Modern Guilt, while throwing in a couple of other songs here and there. Pretty awesome stuff.

Does anyone know of any other Sirius sations worth listening to?

The Best of Sirius package for XM includes Howard Stern, the NFL, NASCAR, additional college sports programming, and Playboy Radio. For Sirius customers, the Best of XM adds Oprah, the NBA, Opie and Anthony, the NHL, PGA, additional college sports programing, and XM's public radio channel.

For either service, the monthly rate would be bumped up to $16.99, essentially meaning the additional channels would cost a little more than $4 to receive. Those interested can either sign up for the new plans from each service's website, or call in to have a representative change it for them.

I'm looking at the offerings here, and I have to say that in my opinion, Sirius customers seemed to be getting the better deal here. Yes, XM customers are finally getting Howard -- and the NFL should have broad interest -- but that's about it. Notice something missing here? XM is apparently not ready to give up its MLB exclusivity. Then again, Sirius XM may have left it out for now just because the offering seems lopsided already.

On the hardware front, Sirius is introducing the Starmate 5, which would be the first radio to support a la carte selection of channels from the the service as well as the "Best of XM" option. Priced at $129.99, the radio includes the car kit.

It will be available through Best Buy, Crutchfield, RadioShack and regional retailers immediately, according to the company.

Features include the capability to pause, rewind, and fast forward through up to 44 minutes of live radio, up to 30 presets, and the capability to be alerted when an artist, song, or sports team is on the service.

There hasn't been anything said as yet on a similar radio for the XM service, although we're in the October timeframe that Sirus XM has given for the debut of these radios.

I said, "No that's not true. You're a very, very good girl. But Sirius just wasn't as happy here as he was at the shelter. That's why he wanted to run away. He was trying to find the shelter. He went home to the shelter and he's not coming back."

She'd say, "But he was part of our family."

I'd say, "He didn't understand that. He thought his doggie friends were his family. He took his Squeaky Sheepie that you picked out for him so he could remember you because he liked you so much."

Zoe'd say, "Then why did he go away?"

I said, "He needs to be where he can be happiest. And he was happier at the shelter where there were a lot of people to take him on walks and other doggie friends to smell and talk to."

I didn't want to say that he would find another family or anything. She said she was sad and I said I was sad too. I said it was okay to be sad and she could be as sad as she wanted for as long as she needed to get all her sad out.

In a mark of true friendship, Beta came by yesterday afternoon with Nina and they not only hung out with Holden & me both before & after Hawk gathered Sirius up in the car but Nina watched Holden while I had The Talk with Zoe and then both of them went in to talk to her & check on her when I gave her some "alone time." So shout-out to Beta & Nina.

Hawk said the transition at the shelter went smoothly. They didn't charge us an intake fee, which was decent of them. Apparently they were impressed with the level of vet care we'd given him (of course we'd intended to keep him) and with the sheet of information I typed up (saying he needs a fenced yard, is good with kids over 5, that he's had all his shots and we were treating him for the worms & bordatella and that he'd already had heartworm meds & Frontline for October). So knowing those things and returning him as a healthier dog than he was when we got him should up his chances of getting him adopted by another family. I'm hopeful for him.

So anyway...

I had laid some groundwork earlier in the day, telling Zoe that Iron Man would be on DVD and we would go & get a copy. So after she was settling down about Sirius, Beta talked to her about Iron Man. Then Zoe was keen to go out & get the DVD. We went to Hoss's for dinner & got the DVD & some other stuff at Target. When we got home, it was after bedtime, much less bathtime. Since Zoe had had a sad afternoon, I told her that she could watch some TV in our bed after bathtime. Well she decided to skip the bath but she got her Halloween jammies on & gathered up her Knuffle Bunny and decided at 8:45 it was time for Iron Man. Well I thought she'd be out right away. She willed herself awake to watch Iron Man. I missed most of the beginning, giving Holden his bath, etc. but I stayed in bed with her b/c I didn't know the content. There were some parts where I had her cover her eyes but overall it was no more violent than other Marvel superhero movies (we don't watch the DC ones b/c they are too much; but I already told Hawk I want Dark Knight for my birthday and he's just going to have to suffer from the moment it comes out until my birthday to watch it at home).

So she was up way too late but she got up & went to school no problem.

Holden doesn't miss Sirius one iota. He did have his nightmares last night but Hawk said he wasn't as bad as he had been. We'll see if it's even better tonight. I even said yesterday, "Do you like the puppy?" Right away: "No." But he's seen Minerva many times in the last 20 hours and he's very "Kitty! Kitty!" So maybe we should have gotten a cat. But my thought is that the goddess brought Sirius to our home so we could help him with his sickness and get that information to the shelter that increased his adoptability for the perfect family for him.

Anyway, back to Holden...

He & I went to Wal-Mart today for a few things, mostly groceries. We walked through the Halloween area & picked up a few small things (glow sticks, some "spooky fabric" etc.) and they have a cool giant moving spider. He absolutely loved it. But I don't think Hawk will go for it. Spiders are to Hawk what snakes are to me (but to a lesser degree). When I told him that I told S that he should display his handmade Halloween ginormous spider upside down from the ceiling in the game room after Halloween, Hawk called me the b word (in jest). Which he never does (to my face). I call him the p word. It keeps our marriage healthy.

BTW: This is S's spider (and his adorable children). The little girl in the pic just turned 5 and the boy is 3. Just so's you know how big this spider is:

When S gets his place set up, I will get some good pics. My nighttime pics last year didn't turn out well enough to show off his work. Their place is locally famous for Halloween decor. No blow-up pumpkins for S. It's a realistic graveyard, arches, fog, etc. Full of awesome.

Even if we put up a fence, it wouldn't change the other main issue: Holden is afraid of the dog. More often, he's fine with the dog but there are occasions where Holden comes to me crying or screaming b/c of the dog. I don't want to lay out the behavior but part of it is growling and some snapping, like when Holden tries to instigate play. I don't want to take a chance that the dog is going to stop snapping and start nipping. I didn't see it but Hawk said that he did nip at Holden on Friday. So anyway, the dog doesn't want Holden to play with him but when he tries to play with Holden, Holden ends up in tears half the time.

We hoped that getting him neutered would curb the running away and the other behavior. Anotehr thing that happened today is that I had to leave him outside a few extra minutes to take care of the kids and while he waited for me to bring him in, he chewed up a wooden chair. Keep in mind, he has a Nylabone outside to chew on. And with the snapping, I feel like every day leading up to his being neutered is a gamble.

Here's the final piece of the equation: Holden has been having nightmares since last Wednesday. He's not prone to nightmares nor to waking up at random. Hawk has had to spend Friday, Saturday & last night all night in Holden's room. He wakes up screaming and crying and looking for "Mommy" or "Daddy." Hawk worked late today so he was on Holden duty last night. I assume tonight it'll be my turn. Anyway, I don't think it's coincidence that we brought the dog home and Holden, who isn't exactly afraid of dogs but doesn't really like them either, started having bad dreams.

I suppose I should have listened to my gut (and to Holden) when he was saying "Kitties, kitties" and trying to leave the dog. thing is, he really is a good dog for someone with kids over 5 and a fenced yard. But our situation... it's just not working very well.

I feel bad for giving up. I'm absolutely sure it comes from Flora consistently returning animals to shelters or just having them put to sleep when they became inconvenient. But I would rather feel like a heel for taking the dog back (and hopefully finding him a home that has everything he needs) than have Holden be afraid that the dog's going to do something to him (or me be afraid). I would rather explain to Zoe that Sirius had to find another home than have her see him run into the path of a coal truck.

If I could exchange him for a kitten or a cat to soften the blow, I'd consider it. Hawk says to let Minerva recover from the "trauma" of having the dog around. We've discussed & discussed it & I think we've reached the only sensible conclusion. Our hearts want to hold out but our heads know that that's not the best solution for us or for the dog.

So we have a sad.

First of all, I found out that my BFF Beta is a Republican. Nina outted her b/c she took a quiz that showed she has Democrat views. So I said, "You should be an Independent like me." But she wanted to vote in primaries.

My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun.

In more interesting news, Beta went bra shopping with Nina and Nina's friend. There's a new lingerie place at the LVM and Beta took them down. The friend was embarrassed to get measured (it's just boobs but when you're, like, 13 it's all embarrassing) but Nina & Beta got measured. Beta wouldn't buy a bra in her size b/c... well... her cups are bigger than mine.

So I felt her up.

When I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies. When I grow up, I wanna see the world, drive nice cars, I wanna have boobies.

Well I didn't give her a proper feel b/c she was wearing a minimizer. She said with everything in the bra where it belonged, her shirt was even shorter on the hem in front. Well yeah! When they hold the shirt out, it hides the belly! So I told Beta she needs to get the bra so I can feel her up properly & we'll go out & have fun & embarrass ourselves. She said it's a deal.

Then Nina brought up the concept of the "muffin top" in relation to bras. Never though of it that way but year, an ill-fitting cup can give you muffin top boobs. So my theory that most muffin tops are caused by ill-fitting pants might be valid.

Oh and Beta knew I would blog this. I'm sure she'll have a comment or two.

Suckin' on my titties like you wanted me, callin' me, all the time like blondie

Then after I got to second base with Beta, I took Zoe to a birthday party for a boy in her class. It was at the BK in West Bumblefuck. I had a lovely set of conversations with three other moms, one of whom knew me from my teen years from... wait for it... church. Her brother was in my class. We had a conversation and bizarre and somewhat inappropriate things the librarian says (like "I'm going to spank the monkey" -- supposedly in reference to a monkey that fell of her computer). I told the woman that I'd take it all with a grain of salt but if more stories come home, maybe bring it up to the kids' teacher and say if she knows if the stories are accurate.

My whole existence is flawed; you get me closer to God.

The mom hosting the party sat down with the other mom in attendance and me as we ate and we were talking about birthday cakes. She mentioned how once she made a Barbie dress cake -- like a big mound of cake and you stick the Barbie down in it like it's her dress. She said her daughter's party was in the summer and the dress/cake started to wilt and then outright melt. And then I -- the same person who said at a kid's party that Gerber's raspberry fruit snacks for toddlers look like nipples -- said, "Oh so it was Stripper Barbie?"

And my brain went "Ack!"

But then the other moms laughed. And laughed some more. And I went "Whew! I has found some peeps!" And the host mom said, "Yes. Exactly like Stripper Barbie!"

And then later when the librarian conversation happened, we were discussing other words she could have used besides "spanked." I said, "Paddled." T's mom said, "Swatted?" And my church friend said, "A licking?" And I said, "Well 'licking the monkey' isn't much better."

And there was more laughter.

So yes, I brought all my inappropriateness to a 6 year old's party while I met new people and it was fine.

Zephyr in the sky at night I wonder: do my tears of mourning sink beneath the sun?

Minerva just jumped up on the back of the chair. She's come out of complete hiding and is fully embracing the high windowsills. However, as the reincarnation of Jake, she's on her Constant Vigilance Campaign. She was up in our bed last night and Sirius has decided that he'd like to sleep in Zoe's room. Once his cough is gone, he won't even wake her up. You could light firecrackers in Zoe's nose once she's out. Holden sleeps very lightly and also likes it dark (Zoe likes her "flower" lit).

I wanna shine on in the hearts of men. I wanna mean it from the back of my broken hand.

Sirius is doing well. When the kids run carts & such around in the kitchen (see video), he tries to bite the wheels. Holden hates that. He's kind of like, "But this is my thing! I'm an international star!" Sirius? He cares not.

If everything you do has got a hold on me, then everything I do has got a hole in it.

I listened to the debate of course. I was folding laundry, putting stuff away & cleaning the master bath. Yeah, my Friday nights are everything I've built them up to be. I didn't have a "drink of the night" though nor did I make cupcakes today. Hawk says, "Why do you make cupcakes when [Nina's] here?" I said, "Because I can."

This club will hopefully be closed in three weeks. That would be cool with me. Well I’m still imagining a dark lit place or your place or my place.

Back to the debate.

I don't want to imagine who I'd like to go to a ballgame with. I don't care under what circumstances John McCain met his wife. I don't care if Barack Obama experimented with drugs as a kid. I want to know about their stances on poverty, the economy, taxation, education, equal pay, foreign policy, energy etc. This debate clarified some things but didn't sway me from my chosen candidate. There was a fair amount of straight talk, considering the rhetoric and pet phrases bandied about as well. That's how you get my vote. Not by saying what soldier's mother gave you a bracelet or telling my your VP's life story like my vote is about empathy or personality but by telling me what you & your running mate intend to do for the betterment of my country and my life.

I been dope, suspenseful with a pencil ever since Prince turned himself into a symbol.

Well I think that's it for my ginormous Friday night entry.

Word to your mother.

This weekend are the PLAYOFFS of Breeders' Cup!  *11 GRADE ONE RACES* on both coasts, on all surfaces will feature many championship hopefuls.  Most of them will be on TVG-the Belmont ones.  HRTV takes up the Santa Anita races.  Most people do not have TVG or HRTV (*I* don't even have HRTV...sigh).  Our fearless leaders in racing have quickly thrown together some TV time for the Jockey Club Gold Cup on ESPN because Curlin is entered.  The brief pre-race coverage will be completely irrelevant.  There are few serious handicappers on ESPN (at least few who are allowed to be serious on the air.  Mayne always appeared to know his stuff but his irreverence got in the way; Moss is solid but has to dumb it down too much).  There will probably be no post parade, no discussion of the other horses in the field ("they're all running for second") or interviews with connections not named Asumussen or Jackson. 

Most people I know only know about the race as a singular event - the preps for the Derby go unnoticed, the idea of peaking or rounding into form or the fact that there is even any tactical theory involved in a race is news to the casual observer.  We have to promote the "thinking" side of the game more.  It's not just a mad dash to the wire (not talking Quarters here).  Get people interested in Beyer numbers or ThoroGraph sheets; pit the 2 sides against each other.  The trip handicappers against the pedigree people.   SPotlight and involve this specialized side of the sport on national TV, and there will be more people interested in the game as a Game.  Not everyone loves horses like I do, but when I talk about the splits and figs and stuff, people (guys) take more interest. 

The Internet is a godsend for this infoporn: I can get boatloads of info for free or really, really cheap.  Discussion forums are everywhere.  And the race replays are online, too!  It is a perfect sport for the snack culture-the entire thing is only 2 minutes.  And if you know enough, make smart bets and play responsibly, you will win a lot more often than simply dropping a coin into a slot machine.

 The only show that does everything I have mentioned above is At The Races with Steve Byk on Sirius.  The man is a godsend - smart commentary, great guests who Byk is not afraid to question, a lot of good history buffs and pedigree experts, interviews with a wide range of handicappers, jockeys, trainers, even VETS!  Live calls of feature races that he, his guests and average-Joe call-ins handicap.  It is the Racing Equivalent of Sportscenter.  I only wish more people could listen to it.

Okay, here's how the last 36 hours or so have gone. Tuesday night, Sirius starts coughing. Short version: he has bordatella.

Then yesterday morning he & Holden & I were out back playing and he hears the neighbor yell to his dog. Absolutely unnecessary since his dog is crated in the garage, preparing to go to the vet. So Sirius is like, "People!" and he runs over to see. Then he follows the smells to the garage. Now let me say that the neighbor's house is (1) uphill and (2) about 1/10 of a mile away. Plus Holden is outside but I have to get the dog back. The old man is talking as I'm trudging up the hill. I tell him we got him the previous afternoon from the shelter (to which he did a kind of "oh" as though that's not good enough; he buys purebreeds and had a black lab die as a year old puppy since we've been here).

So Sirius keeps circling the crate, wanting the dog to come out & play and the old man says to me, "Don't you have a leash for him?"

By this point, I'm pretty pissed off. If he hadn't been at our property line calling out for his crated dog, Sirius wouldn't have been in his garage. I said, "He was in our yard. I don't need a leash for him." Then I got his collar and dragged him back to our yard.

And Holden was gone. So I yell for him and notice that the door is half open. Thank god he's gone inside. So I brought the dog in and Holden had to cry b/c he wanted to be outside.

Then yesterday afternoon after we picked Zoe up, the kids were out riding bikes and the dog took off again, bounding up the hill to the neighbor's yard where his dog is now out running loose with a tattered old leash hanging from his collar. Oh I see -- I should let him drag a leash around the yard. That's what makes a difference.

What does the old man do? Instead of letting the dogs smell each other and play (and they were both in play stance with friendly body language), he chases them BOTH into the road. I say, "Don't chase them into the road. Let me get my dog."

He chases them across the road to Hawk's office. Meanwhile my kids are both out riding their bikes.

I say, "Stop chasing them!"

He chases them into the parking lot. The next place he can chase them is onto Route 53 plus my kids are outside unattended, possibly wondering where I am or where the doggie is. So I say, "Watch them. I'm going to get my husband."

I run into Hawk's office and one of the front office staff (with whom I graduated), goes back to get him when I relay the message.

When I come out, the old man has my dog by the collar. I take him, say "Thanks" and head back to my house. His dog is jumping around behind us and following. Why he does this, I don't know but the old man says, "Stand still so I can get my dog."

I say, "I can't. My babies are outside."

His dog is following, i.e.: getting safely back to his own yard. Again he says, "If you'd just stop, I could get my dog."

By this point, I've had it. He has two teenaged grandsons shooting hoops in his driveway, neither of whom have made the slightest effort to come & help. I've had to leave my kids  alone to come & get my dog out of my husband's office's parking lot and he's telling me to stop so he can grab the dog he chased into this situation. I snap.

I say, "My children are more important than your dog."

At this point, someone grabs my dog's collar. It's Hawk. I say over my shoulder as I pick up my pace, "Hold the dog so he can get his. The kids are outside."

Hawk was a ways behind me but I was down over the hill pretty quickly. Luckily the kids were still riding around in the driveway happy as little larks. Hawk took the dog in and went back to work. Zoe was sad b/c she wanted Sirius to play outside. I explained to her that Sirius can't play outside if he can't stay in the yard. I said we'd come up with a solution soon. So we all went in.

Turns out that the old man has chased many a dog (usually his own) into the office lot and many times someone's had to come out & help him dogwrangle. Brilliant. So we've broken out the old chain we rarely had to use for Jake and when Sirius goes out now, he has to be on the chain. It's unfortunate b/c I wanted him to run & play with the kids (and he had fun running around in the driveway with them on their bikes).

So this morning he has his vet appointment. Not only does he have kennel cough, he also has parasites. *sigh* Plus I forgot his stool sample this morning so I had to run that back down and now after I pick Zoe up, I have to swing down a third time to get the new medicine. Luckily he doesn't have heartworms.

His appointment for neutering is Oct 14, after the bordatella has worked itself out but within the 1-month limit for getting $50 back on our adoption fee. I missed getting the extra $20 back on Minerva b/c of the crazy cat lady. But no matter -- I never had to see her again.

Oh and at the shelter, they went over vets in our county who do free exams for shelter-adopted animals. I said, "When I got our cat, I tried to take her to (that vet) and the receptionist, well, she was extremely rude." The two shelter employees looked at each other, kind of laughed and did a "Oh that crazy bitch" kind of hum & nod to each other. I said, "So you know." And the one who was going over my forms said, "Oh we know."

So that's the chaos lately. Sirius is otherwise settling in beautifully. He loves playing with the kids and being wherever there are people. He weighs 60 lbs and the vet estimates he's actually 3-4 years old, almost all lab. When I brought Jake home, he was only 10 months and already weighed 65 lbs (his max was around 120). So as I've told Sirius, I can handle him physically with no problems. I'm also glad that if he's this sick, he has some vet care now and can feel better. I wonder if he'd been that sick since he was brought in to the shelter. In any case, we'll get him fixed up.

Minerva came out briefly yesterday but is hiding all the time (but almost always near us; lilke under our bed last night). She saysn "FDS."

The window sticker on a 2008 Navigator shows a mighty low 12 mpg in the city, and only 18 on the highway, so Ford went back to the drawing board to improve on that number next year. The Blue Oval's blinged-up luxury sled boasts a fuel friendlier average of 14/20 for 2009, a marginal improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. Ford says those numbers are good enough to put the Blue Oval at the head of the luxury SUV space that includes the Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX570, and the Nissan QX56. Ford was able to increase fuel economy by almost 15% on the big SUV by implementing some of the same engineering tricks employed on the 2009 F-150, which itself gets up to 15/21 in SFE trim. Changes were made to the idle speed and the transmission, as well as some fancy software engineering that regulates gas consumption by using aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off.

Ford also made standard several items that were previously only available as options, including a Power lift gate, heated and cooled front seats, PowerFold third-row seats, cap-less fuel filler, Rear View Camera, flexible fuel-capable V-8 engine, SYNC and the stunning 14-speaker THX II-Certified audio system. The 2009 Navigator will also be available with Ford's new and improved navigation system with Travel Link. Ford hasn't announced any improvements for the Expedition, but we'd expect Ford's blue collar version of the Navigator will receive similar fuel economy enhancements.

NAVIGATOR DELIVERS CLASS-LEADING FUEL ECONOMY

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 24, 2008 – The 2009 Lincoln Navigator offers more than impressive levels of luxury and functionality – it also boasts a significant improvement in fuel economy that puts it ahead of the other full-size luxury sport utility vehicles in the segment.

The Navigator, thanks to a combination of architectural changes and systems engineering enhancements, has increased its fuel efficiency to an EPA-estimated 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway on 4X2 models.

Combined with overall setup changes that offer lower idling speeds and transmission enhancements, the additional fuel economy makes the Navigator an even more appealing choice in the full-size luxury-utility segment.

"You'll notice the difference," said John Rich, powertrain integration and program manager for Ford Trucks. "We've improved the attributes and performance significantly."

The Navigator is powered by a 5.4 liter, three-valve Triton V-8, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, which generates 300 horsepower and 365 foot-pounds of torque. A wide-ratio, six-speed transmission has smaller steps between gears than a typical four-speed automatic, offering improved shift quality and faster acceleration.

Unique software has been engineered to regulate gas consumption by using aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off delivering considerable fuel savings with no extra effort from the driver. This complex fuel strategy is being added to many Ford products to help improve fuel economy across the board – including the new 2009 Ford F-150, which offers unsur! passed fuel economy and capability in the light duty truck segment.

"Deceleration is when you take your foot off the accelerator and you're coasting and the system very aggressively shuts fuel off," says Rich. "It sounds simple, but it's not at all simple. To make this work, we had to carefully manage the complex and constantly changing air-fuel mixture caused by aggressively shutting off fuel flow."

"It's so sophisticated, it's imperceptible to the customer," Rich added. "There's no bump, no hesitation. The catalyst systems come back to life without taking an emissions hit."

New for 2009
For 2009, Lincoln continues to simplify the packaging of Navigator and Navigator L, making standard many previously-optional features.

Standard items now include: Power lift gate; heated and cooled front seats; heated second-row seats; PowerFold™ third-row seats; front park assist sensors; EasyFuel™ capless fuel filler; rain-sensing wipers; perimeter anti-theft alarm; integrated four-button key fob; Rear View Camera; flexible fuel-capable V-8 engine; Lincoln SYNC™ and a 14-speaker THX® II-Certified audio system with SIRIUS® Satellite Radio.

The standard Rear View Camera System in the rear lift gate handle activates when the vehicle is shifted into reverse, giving the driver a clear view behind the vehicle or for ease of hooking up trailers. The video image is displayed in the self-dimming rearview mirror o n the standard Navigator or through the instrument panel next generation navigation system on the Elite package.

The new next generation navigation system is available for the first time ever with SIRIUS Travel Link™, which gives drivers and passengers access to up-to-the-minute information and entertainment through the vehicle's navigation system. Working through the standard feature SIRIUS satellite radio network, Travel Link offers uninterrupted, coast-to-coast coverage of real-time traffic data; weather reports (current and five day forecasts with storm information and even ski resort conditions); fuel options sorted by price or distance from more than 120,000 gas stations; major league pro and college sports as well as movie listings from more than 4,500 theaters. A six-month introductory subscription to SIRIUS is included at no cost.

The Monochrome Limited Edition Package for 2009 features unique badging, along with body-color exterior accents including lower grille, lower bodyside cladding, and power folding heated memory mirrors with puddle lamps. This package is offered in four monochromatic exterior treatments: White Platinum Tri-coat, Black Clearcoat, Vapor Silver Clearcoat Metallic and Stone Green Clearcoat Metallic. Inside, the package includes unique black carpet and floor mats, Ebony wood trim, and unique Stone or Camel seats with black leather inserts and black piping. A stitched Lincoln logo is also placed on each headrest.

The Elite Package includes the moonroof; next generation navigation system; power running boards; rear seat entertainment system and the Rear View Camera display in the navigation system.

Three new exterior colors are available for 2009: Monterey Grey Clearcoat Metallic; Sangria Clearcoat Metallic and White Platinum Tri-Coat.

Tonight I am going home to light a candle on my porch.... and relax. I was a bit frustrated last night regarding my 16 year old and her current junior year in high school. Last night was back to school night. I was excited to go thinking she has been doing well... was I wrong. I have been asking her if she needs help... she says she has been doing well. I go through this once per year with her. She has college softball coaches looking at her to play college ball. It's her junior year which is very crucial. Sorry, I just had to vent a little...

My favorite Gold Canyon Candle... Mulled Cider or maybe Pumpkin Pie... perfect for this time of year, isn't it? I am going to sit and crochet... and relax... and relax.  This week is my last big push for my online candle bonanza! I have a goal to meet this week so I hope my orders start flowing in. Deadlines are crazy arent' they? If anyone is interested in a candle or two, please visit my online Gold Canyon Candle website and take a look. The candles will be sent directly to you from the Gold Canyon's wherehouse. Shipping is only $5.95 for any order under $75! And, If anyone orders, I will send them a FREE 2 oz. seasonal candle!

It was the least fuzzy photo I got. I'm certain we'll get more soon. He's currently sound asleep under the kitchen table.

Hawk & I had been discussing a dog for some time. The kids have both been interested in dogs but Holden isn't as sure about dogs as Zoe is. So I found a dog online that I thought would be perfect. When Holden & I went to the humane society today, we found out he was adopted. Good for him but made me kind of do an "aww." So we decided to look at the other dogs. Thankfully they actually had very few dogs available, maybe 15 or so. A few pits (one with blue eyes -- lovely and unusual) and pit mixes, one rot mix. A shepherd with one blue eye. Two or three black lab mixes, including one called "Cletus." One of the lab mixes jumped up on its cage door. I don't remember the other one doing much but Cletus walked up to the front of his cage, happy-faced and wagging his tail. But no jumping. And he had a real puppy look despite the card reading that he was two years old.

So I asked if I could see him. Before I could see him, I had to fill out a form. They took my ID and looked me up on the computer. They don't fuck around in Johnstown. Once I was cleared, the attendant brought him in to see Holden & me. Holden wasn't afraid per se but he didn't want to play with the puppy or anything. I thought he was terrific, his disposition, the way he was with Holden despite Holden not interacting much, etc. So I thought maybe Holden wasn't as ready for a dog as we'd hoped. He & I checked out cats and found several that were lovely -- mostly very young kittens.

Holden was upset by the mewling newborns (Kitties. Kitties sad.) and when we went back later, he wanted to see kitties. The reason we left & came back is that I simply wasn't sure about Holden and the dog. Hawk's opinion was "he'll adjust" but I wanted him to see Holden with the dog first. This meant Zoe would come.

Zoe knows that dogs come from "the shelter" and when we told her "we are at the shelter" in the parking lot, she got very excited. Holden was much happier to see the dog the second time and Zoe was overjoyed with him. The dog also warmed to Hawk right away, which is more than Jake did (I brought Jake home & when Hawk came home from work, Jake barked at him).

So I said, "We'll take him." We filled out forms, we renamed him "Sirius" since we're going with the "black animals named after animagi in the Harry potter series" theme, I paid and we hit the road.

We stopped at the Wal-mart in West Bumblefuck for food, a new bowl and some cat litter. Between West Bumblefuck and home, Sirius pooped in the car. But he had whined at me when Hawk was in Wal-mart but I couldn't leave the kids to walk him so I tried to chalk it up to "I want to go run around." But it was on the mat in the back and it's been shampooed & hosed now and it was a lovely day to drive with the windows down.

We let the kids & Sirius play outside for a while. Mierva had been lounging in the front window. When Sirius went running past, Hawk said she got a "WTF?!" look and stood up immediately. She glowered and growled at him through the screen door before we let him in. They investigated each other a bit, followed each other around & such but there has been no brouhaha yet.

He hasn't eaten but a little dog food. Holden waved bread practially under his nose and he didn't take it (when Holden dropped it, t was fair game). He loves running around with them outside. We gave him a bath outside (he was filthy, and still isn't the world's cleanest dog) and he did well. He did run across the street so that will have to be curbed.

Minerva has come out of hiding and has expressed her displeasure at the lack of consultation. But, she says, at least it wasn't a cat.

So that's what's happening at Chez Piggyhawk. B/c we didn't have enough chaos and animal hair.

It's almost but not quite two years since Jake became one with The Force. Here we are with a lab mix with a white chest and some white toes again.

I woke up Saturday morning to bats.  They were actually pretty cool.  Then I rushed to do sushi with the girls.  Went to my friends Jenn's baby shower.  It was guys & girls with tons of champagne & beer.  Tons of my friends were there so it was super fun.

Then I was off to an art gallery party for Samantha who showed some of her art.  The whole place was very inspiring.  The booze was pretty great too.  I killed a pitcher of mojitos alone and then Sam starting pouring myhrrmaid shots down my throat.  I think Samantha is one of the most beautiful girls around.  Like Charlize Theron beautiful.  Chris & the Matt's are outside talking so we went out to join them.  I'm not quite sure what her story was about but it somehow ended with my boob size.  So of course we had to feel them out.  There's an episode of Will & Grace where Will, Grace & Jack are all feeling each other up.  That is exactly what it was like... except it was almost 1am and we decided to bounce to a nearby bar before it got awkward.  

At the bar, I ran into my friend MP who has some serious back-drama with one of the Matt's.  It was kind of like high school for a second until I pulled MP to the bar.  The bartender just handed us shots.  She's kind of a regular I guess.  Things were good after that.  I hunted down the guys and let them know she was safely tipsy and not Tucker Max Drunk.  She showed up right next to me & ordered me to take another shot with her & her crew.  At this point, I'm almost Tucker Max Drunk so I only took half [shut up] and I handed the rest off to someone else who needed more... 

And then one of my old sorority sisters walked by.  And I was 21 again.  We had a really good time for the 20 minutes we had left in the bar. And then we all went off to after party at PG's casa.  By 5am, I needed a nap before I drove the 10 minutes to my house.  So I crashed for about an hour & then went home to play with Sirius.

And in that 10 minute drive, I realized I have been passionate about avoiding this huge whole in my heart (a technique I call procrastination by debauchery).  If my No Kissing Diet and play time with friends won't cure me... Will I ever be okay again?

[Music: Unbeautiful by Lesley Roy I'm in a very bad place...clearly.]

Question of the day: What are you looking forward to this week?  Heroes tonight.  Pizza Making Party on Tuesday.  Dinner with Jill on Wednesday.  Kickball on Thursday.  And I leave Friday for ACL in Austin.   

XM and Sirius have merged, and now they're trying to meet the FCC requirements for the deal. Those requirements include an "a-la carte" package for current XM subscribers like me who are interested in listening to things exclusive to Sirius, and vice-versa.

Plans for that will be revealed on Oct. 6.

Meanwhile, the "Best-of" packages have been announced. These give consumers the chance to grab a few items on the other shelves. Here's the breakdown:

SIRIUS on XM                          

Howard 100, Howard 101, Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius NFL Radio, Sirius NASCAR Radio and Playboy Radio                      

XM on SIRIUS

Oprah & Friends, NBA, NHL Home Ice, The Virus, Public Radio with Bob Edwards, College Sports and PGA Tour

This is a bit flawed. For starters, the Sirius folks aren't getting the MLB coverage in this deal. Yes, I'm aware the season's almost over. But there's no guarantee that they'll magically add it next April.

In addition, this will bump the monthly bill to $16.99.

It seems to me that this option is designed to get people to say, "Gee, I'll just wait for the a-la carte. Then, I'll just buy a new radio."

That, of course, is exactly what Sirius XM wants, as they try to boost revenue in the wake of their recent merger.

I'll probably do it, just because I want the sports channels from both sides. But I am a bit worried about what a new radio - and the shows for it - will cost.

German archaeologists have claimed to have found one of the fabled resting places of the Ark of the Covenant, the chest holding the Ten Commandments which gave the ancient Israelites their power.

Source: Telegraph Media Group  - 13 May 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/ethiopia/1951679/Lost-ark-found-in-Ethiopia,-archaeologists-claim.html

The University of Hamburg say its researchers have found the remains of the 10th century BC palace of the Queen of Sheba in Axum, Ethiopia, and an altar which at one time reputedly held the precious treasure.

Archaeologist Helmut Ziegert, who is leading the dig said: “From the dating, its position and the details that we have found, I am sure that this is the palace.”

Ethiopian legends holds that the Ark was taken to the palace of the Queen of Sheba by King Solomon, the king of the Jews, after they fell in love.

After the Queen’s death her son, Menelek, rebuilt the palace and dedicated it to the cult of Sirius, but kept the Ark in its resting place there.

The team said evidence at the site included Sirius symbols, the debris of sacrifices and the alignment of sacred buildings to the rising-point of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.

“The results we have suggest that a Cult of Sothis developed in Ethiopia with the arrival of Judaism and the Ark of the Covenant and continued until 600 AD,” the university said. Sothis is the ancient Greek name for Sirius.

The German research, which began in 1999, is aimed at documenting the origins of the Ethiopian state and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The hunt for the Ark, which featured in the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, has become almost as legendary as the artefact itself.

The 1981 film has the artefact recovered by the Nazis from a resting place in the “Well of Souls” in Tanis, Egypt – not to be confused with the Well of Souls on Temple Mount, Jerusalem.

The Nazi treasure hunters are later killed when the Ark is opened.

The Old Testament recounts that Moses, on leading the Israelites from Egypt, received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai.

These Commandments, written on stone tablets, were later placed in a chest made from acacia wood, plated with gold and topped with two golden angels. This was the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark was then kept in the Temple of Solomon Jerusalem for centuries, according to the Old Testament.

After Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC, the Bible and it entered the realm of legend.

Ethiopian tradition claims that the Ark was moved to Axum from Jerusalem in 10th century BC.

A sect in Ethiopia maintains that the Ark is kept at the church of St Mary of Zion, but the site is defended by monks and only one guardian is allowed to see it, making the claim impossible to verify.