Catwalker

It's the real McCoy this time, back to work tomorrow for the year, last back to work was just a trial run. The countdown to the end of next June begins. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Gotta get studying. :-) またね。

So we had to banish the furry creature from next door, from returning to our deck. Sad but true, the little beggar is cute, but demanding, it would sit in front of the screen yowling for attention (and to get let in, which wasn't going to happen) it also had a tendency for dangerous actions such as sitting right on the edge of the balcony eyeing up the decorative cedar. (Keep in mind we are three floors up). It had already used up one of it's nine lives in a fall to the bushes below (no injuries except a tender paw, thankfully). So the space under the divider between the two decks is now sealed with plywood. Too bad. またね。

I don't normally comment on this sort of thing (non anonymously, anyways) But, today I will: So it looks like Mel Gibson did the DUI thing after all; And appologised for it afterwards, at least there was an apology. Which is more than one can say for a large number of the Hollywood/Washington/Ottawa prima donnas who do the drunken/drugged rampage thing, then try to blame someone else. Such as their parents, siblings, etc. Anyone but themselves. Now, let's hope he will seek treatment, maybe this is what will start the process. *** Update *** I'm glad he's now appologised for the grotesque comments he made while smashed, now will the press please move on? It took a lot of moxie to admit he was wrong, but the press will hang onto this like super glue on a pair of dentures. The MSM could learn a thing or two (or three) and admit when they are wrong AND appologise for it, as he did. He didn't blame anyone other than himself. He didn't blame mom, dad or the Parish priest. Time for others to get the example and follow suit. Each of us at one time or another has said some pretty damn dumb, or even pretty damn mean things, many of us will blame others, then carry on with life. We rarely admit to being wrong. The MSM barely even hiccups when another Hollywood star or talk show host, or MSM darling (like, say, oh Andy Rooney, maybe??) put down Christians in the same (or worse) manner. (I distinctly recall Rooney referring to Gibson as a "Pervert" - no one screamed about that totally ignorant comment.) Why the double standard? またね。

O.K. I have reached a milestone in my weight loss, 300 pounds - which means I have now lost 50 pounds. The next milestone is 280. Each week, the goal of being 210 again gets closer. またね

I don't know about you, but I spell it B-A-C-K T-O W-O-R-K. Zzzzzzzzz

So it's back to work tomorrow. But wait, isn't that early? Yes, it is I am going back to work for three days this week, then off next week instead. My co - worker wants to spend a couple of days off this week, thus the switch in schedule. Work is kind of quiet at this time of year, I can get lots done... And the walk to and from work is a nice bit of extra exercise. じゃ　また

Once this excess poundage is off.... It is most definitely staying off, I don't think I have run across anything in my life which is tougher.... Well, seeing a close friend die, but that's different. It didn't take an awful lot of effort to put it on, but I tell you; a diet, exercise, all for a few pounds of loss per month.... especially when I could put on a dozen pounds in that same span with little or no effort.... Blah. 大変ですね。 じゃまた。

The heat that is, according to my monitoring tool, the Nanaimo Airport (about 35 minutes drive north of us) is sitting at 31 Degrees (Celsius). Ick, 私はとても熱い天気が大嫌いです! It's a good thing there's a beach or two real close by! じゃまた。

Well, it's here at last, I know I don't earn any cash while laid off, but man, a month free to breathe and catch up on sleep, visiting and more Japanese studies. And also to watch this visitor from Next door:

あっ! 猫がいますね。

Technically there aren't supposed to be any of these creatures in the building, but hey, as long as it doesn't come INTO our apartment, we don't mind. (we have friends and reletives so alergic to animal dander, that they wouldn't be able to come and visit us if there were ANY cat hair in our place)

Back to the layoff, time to sit back and think. Lots I want to do, and lots I want to NOT do. Still plodding along with Japanese. まだ日本語 を勉強しますが、言葉の勉強するのが大変ですよ。 今私は日本語を話すのがとても上手です。 Still losing weight, I haven't lost much more, but 2.5 pounds is still a drop. I hope to be below 300 by the end of July. ではまた。

Jeff Foxworthy made this comment (among others) about Rednecks: Ya know what kinda things Rednecks like? Fishin Lures, beer cans, U.F.O.s Shiny stuff, which explains why most of the people who see U.F.O.s are using fishing lures and holding beer cans. :-D Computer Geeks are similar; you know what kind of things computer geeks like? Digital cameras, Coke Cans, mp3 players, U.F.O.s Shiny stuff, which explains why a lot of people who see U.F.O.s are using cheap digital cameras which make poor photos of said U.F.O.s and listening to expensive MP3 Players with blinking lights on them. ;-D I broke down a couple of days ago and bought the MP3 player, (not the most expensive model, I'm not that much of a gadget freak ;-)) I have the cheap digital camera, I sometimes have been seen with a coke can (that is rare these days, I have to be real thirsty before I drink pop now - too much sugar, and I need to lose weight badly) but have yet to see a U.F.O. ;-D Here is a snap: 

This thing is great, supports open formats (Ogg, Flac) and I can access it with my Linux box (I despise M$ Windows products) - But it can be fussy - once you have copied the files over that you want, make sure you unmount the drive, and wait for it to finish... If you don't wait for Linux to properly unmount the unit, you could wind up with corrupt or partially corrupt files, and they will skip, or hiccup. Worse is apparently the probability of causing file system corruption, in which case you have to re - format the X5's hard drive.