Time Passing, New Things and Growth

Yes, it's been awhile. They say what you do on the first day of the year sets the tone for the whole year. Guess I blew that theory right out of the water.

Since that post I've become more involved in various aspects of my job, and have been learning a lot about how corporate finance works. Have you ever watched a horror film and wished you never let that cranial input occur? No recycle bin for the brain. That's pretty much how I feel about corporate finance. I think I was happier not knowing. Is this how cynicism begins?

On the tech front, I've watched Apple release the SDK for the iPhone, and the ensuing disappointments throughout the development community. I'm really not sure what they expected. It was obvious that no matter what, Apple was going to tightly control the release and distribution of any new content that will affect their product. This company has never been one to take unnecessary risks, and they will continue to take great care to protect their product (iPhone) and the bottom line. For all the stereotype of the free spirit liberal mindset Apple gathers from the Microsoft camp, they are quite conservative in their business dealings. Always thought-out, careful steps; almost never prone to knee-jerk reactions to public opinion. My iPhone is still just as Apple intended it, and I'm fine with that. Perhaps if I had another $600 to throw away, I'd buy another just to jailbreak it and have some fun, but how practical is that for the real public?

The family has grown by one grand baby, and Lord help us, another is on the way. I'm thinking of conducting a one student course on the cause of this phenomenon, but I'm afraid there will be daydreaming and many sick days....on my part. Ah well.

I'm getting involved in Twitter again (round two for me) after having been overloaded by all of what I call the Social Quick Networks (Twitter, Jaiku, Pounce, etc). I'm trying to not post too many irrelevant tweets, but frankly there are times when it's rather cleansing just to share boring things with total strangers... with whom I'm oddly becoming attached at some level. What a strange world in which we're all involved.

Chin up campers. I'll be back to bore you more soon. Gonna spend some time on the novel that never ends. Happy April.

Farewell Astoles

Tonight, I came home to find my oldest son's cat, Astoles (pronounced Astahleez) resting peacefully in my front yard, just beside the road. He had been clipped by a car sometime earlier in the day. A phone call to my son, and he was here before I had his friend buried.

My son got Astoles from someone as a tiny furball when he was living in an apartment that was not, shall we say, pet friendly. At one point he ended up in our care while his new master found another place to live. One day, presumably in our driveway, someone ran over his tail. A trip to the vet and close to a thousand bucks later, Astoles came home neutered with a bobbed tail, and he had been here ever since. He already had the markings of a Manx, and the stub just completed the picture.

I'll forever believe this cat convinced the puppy she was a cat as well. He and the puppycat wrestled and played all the time. Just yesterday afternoon, when my son and grandkids were here, the two of them were in puppycat's crate, nipping and playing. The word "cagematch" was uttered. She's gonna miss the wannabe manx, sooner or later. The other cats just don't play like he did..... they whip her ass.

The epitome of cool, he had grown solid and was definitely Alpha in the pecking order; even if he chose not to lord it over the rest all the time. When he had enough, he let it be known. He was, however, generally very loving and very tolerant of his humans, despite our flaws and inconsistencies, and I'll never forget that. There's a hole in the family now that won't fill anytime soon.

Rest well Astoles............ and farewell