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Technology disconnect

I’ve been thinking lately about how saturated my life is with technology and have started planning a dedicated time to unplug.  I had to start by recognizing that I can’t do my job without a computer (I’m a software engineer) so I’d either have to give in to that caveat or find a way to work around it.  I know I’m the type that struggles with temptation, so having use of my computer while trying to enforce a set of limitations would be very difficult.  And if I had 8 hours a day with full access to everything, how would that really be affecting a change or limitation?

So I decided to take the week of Thanksgiving off.  (In reality, its 3 days + 2 holidays.)  I’m still new enough at my job that I won’t be on call or tapped to help fix something.  My manager actually told me as much.  With that, I can take my laptop off the table as I have no obligation to it. Continue reading →

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Clovers daytime adventures

Clover distracting me from workWith the New Year, I’ve made some changes in my life. Not surprising to hear, given most people have some New Year Resolution or another. I wouldn’t say mine were at all motivated by the New Year, however. More that, because I took some vacation around Christmas, I was able to notice some things that, because I was working constantly, I had been ignorant of.

Clover had slowly become more and more bratty since I started my new job in November. It was slow & gradual, at first hardly even noticeable, but over Christmas, I realized I had a problem. It was beyond toddler “all about me” or teenage “rebellion”. She wasn’t listening when I told her to do things. (Sit, Stay, Come, No.) She was beginning to play very rough (actually ripped open my Dad’s hand, and my nose on two separate occasions.) Both of these developments meant that I didn’t trust her in public, and meant I no longer wanted to play with her, cause it hurt. Continue reading →

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New Years Marathon, and a Review

Planet of the Apes Film Posters

I have this somewhat odd, and some might say questionable, New Years tradition.  It started a few years ago, my first Dec 31/Jan 1 living alone, with no friends nearby (college).  AMC was marathoning The Planet of the Apes series, the one from the late 60’s-early 70’s.  I don’t think I’d ever seen them, and yet, I fell in love with them.  I watched them through the countdown and into the wee hours of the morning.  I’d never really had a tradition for New Years before, and I enjoyed that night, so, it stuck.  Fast forward a few years to now, and I’m still doing it, in one fashion or another.  This year, I ended up watching it New Years Day cause I fell asleep early on New Years Eve.

If you’ve never seen the originals, or if you’ve only seen the 2001 remake, or the 2010’s reboot, I encourage you to see what started it all.  Of course, any film from the 1970’s will seem a bit rough around the edges when compared to a new movie, but there’s something really great about them. Continue reading →

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Faster! Better… Stronger?

I’m less than a month at a new job and am struck by how hurried and demanding our world has become. Obviously cities are more rushed than small towns, and some jobs and industries are more relaxed than others. It should be no surprise then, that living in Sam Francisco and working in the tech industry, that I have found myself at the nexus of “now, now, now”. Or, perhaps even, “done yesterday!” Continue reading →

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Two Engineers go to Disneyland

us at disneylandMy friend, C, and I went to Disneyland this past weekend.  We both work in Computer Science.  Me as a Software Engineer, focusing on Web, and her as DevOps, more network-y.  We had a great time riding all the various rides, and taking pictures with lots of characters.  (We were particularly excited to see the Avengers in Tomorrowland.)  At certain points though, we started analyzing and dissecting some of the aspects of Disneyland.  Continue reading →

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Patchy – hope diminishing

Patchy sharing a bed with her Mom, she's ~9 months old here

Patchy sharing a bed with her Mom, she’s ~9 months old here

This is going to be a more depressing post.  I apologize.

The renewed interest in food was brief.  She is still eating better but not enough.  She’s getting maybe a can a day.  She tends to eat a little at least.  But not as much as that first day.  Some of it is pickiness (she seems to prefer the not soupy variety), but some of it is depression/lack of interest/lack of appetite.

She is pretty depressed most days.  Even going to work no longer cheers her up like it used to.  And Clover still provides stimulus, but greatly diminished.  Today was especially hard for me.  She was having trouble walking, slipping and sliding her legs out from under her.  Staying standing is proving tricky, and walking is very sway/tetter-tottery.

Her water intake, which had been phenomenal, is also becoming noticeably less.  Accidents no longer worry me, everything else is deteriorating before my eyes.

I’ll preface this my saying I’ve been averaging 4-6 hrs of sleep most nights (some due to Patchy, some due to other things [Clover, and a false smoke alarm]), which means I’m at a point of emotional vulnerability.  Maybe I’m overreacting or reading too much into this, but I’m thinking it might be time to finish off the bucket list and say goodbyes.

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Patchy – Hopeful change

~2009, her favorite 'ball'

~2009, her favorite ‘ball’

One of my biggest worries has been about Patchy’s diminished appetite.  She often eats less than a can of wet food a day.  Usually nothing, or half a can.  Once in a while she’ll have ‘binge’ day and eat a can and a half, maybe 2.  But those usually come after a few days of little to nothing eaten.

Out of growing concern, I started cooking pork chops and other ‘human’ foods, to entice her to eat her wet food.  Drop some pork chop in, and see if she would eat the food around it too.  Sometimes it worked.  Sometimes it didn’t.  She was obviously hungry and interested in food, just not wanting what was being served.  (She would eat treats, and leftover human food when she could get it). Continue reading →