Welcome Home, Zoe!

We have a new member of our family:

The Need, the Prayer, and the Answer

Yesterday Jennie called me at work. A family in our church was moving, and they were not able to take their cat Zoe with them. The family was moving today (Saturday), and they urgently needed to find a good home for their cat.

I said okay. I've never been a cat person, but I think that God has been changing my heart lately. Besides, Keisha has been praying for a cat for some time, and what a great opportunity this was to see her prayers being answered.

We got directions to their place - just across the Ohio River in Kentucky. When we called later that evening to see if we could pick her up last night, the owners said that they couldn't find her. It was obvious that Zoe knew something was going on. We agreed to call back later to see if they found her. They did, and we drove last night to get Zoe. The owners gave us her litter box, toys, food supplies, and carrying crate.

Jake, Meet Zoe
As soon as we arrived home, Jake knew something was going on. He was just curious about what was in the carrying crate, but Zoe, who is normally shy, was terrified - as evidenced by her repeated hissing.

We sent Jake to his bed, and Keisha and I brought Zoe into her (Keisha's) bedroom. We let her out, and she looked around. Then, when we opened Keisha's bedroom door, Zoe raced out and hid under our bed.

Gone Into Hiding - For Now

That's where she's been for most of her short time at our place. Except for at 3 AM this morning. I was asleep, but all of a sudden I heard some meowing, and I looked over to see that Zoe had crawled out from under our bed to look around. I tapped my chest to see if she would hop on the bed, which she did. I petted her for a little while, and then she hopped back down and crawled back under the bed.

We Still Love Our Jake

In one sense we are glad that Jake is bigger than he was when he was a puppy. He used to be able to crawl under the bed, too. Now, he can only fit his head under the bed, which he's done here and there, to check on the new animal that is in our home. This also has meant that he's a bit more eager for our affection. The slightest hint that we want him to come over yields a flurry of exuberance.

Happy Belated Birthday to the Official Iowan

Mark C. Morris, the Official Iowan of 'Journey Inside My Mind', recently celebrated his birthday:

Thanks for doing all that you do, Mark!

Exclamation Mark: No Place Like Home

Cincinnati To You

Mom sent me the link to Cincinnati To You via e-mail. I added it to my del.icio.us page and am including it here:

It's a great one-stop shopping website to get the favorite things you miss from Cincinnati, or to send Cincinnati favorites as gift to someone.

You also find on the website a page that says, "You know you live (or lived) in Cincinnati if..."

Take Your Child To Work Day

Yesterday was "Take Your Child To Work" Day. I had forgotten about it until, when I arrived at work, I saw all the kids. Those parents who had brought their kids put them to work: putting together employee handbooks, copying, and so forth.

Maybe next year I'll bring Keisha.

What's Up, Doc?

The folks at the U.S. Census Bureau have reminded us that on this date, in 1938, Bugs Bunny was unleashed on an unsuspecting America:

The name "bugs" came from the nickname of Ben Hardaway who directed that first cartoon. Over several years, Bugs Bunny was refined into the maddening character we all know, by the team of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery; and the flippant "What's Up, Doc?" was voiced by Mel Blanc. The rabbit's noisy carrot munching was based on a scene in the movie It Happened One Night, with Clark Gable leaning on a fence and chewing a carrot. When Bugs Bunny first appeared, the average American spent $5 a year going to the movies. Now, that figure is $41.

via U.S. Newswire : Releases : "U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 29: 'What's Up, Doc?'"

Tooth Fairy Questions

Mood: upbeat
Listening to: The Best of Second City (on cassette)
Reading: Visual Basic 6 Object-Oriented Programming
Eating: cereal, milk, and a 23.6 oz can of Monster energy drink
Watching: too much late night television

If a child happens to lose a tooth and subsequently swallows it, does the tooth fairy leave the money in the toilet?

Or, do you need to get the collander out?

Cardiologist's Funeral - JOKE ALERT!

A cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral:

A HUGE heart, covered in flowers, stood behind the casket during the service.

Following the eulogy, the Heart opened, and the casket rolled inside.

The Heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful Heart 'forever'. At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter.

When all eyes stared at him, he said, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral.........I'm a gynecologist."

The proctologist fainted.

via e-mail from Mom

The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster

This is just too funny! Darth Vader's blog: The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster

The Richter Scale

Those folks at the US Census Bureau have been busy compiling the useful information for our enjoyment, and today is no exception:

Whenever there's an earthquake or its resulting tsunami the Richter Scale is always mentioned to gauge its severity. The index is the work of Charles Francis Richter, born on this day in 1900 near Hamilton, Ohio. The scale increases exponentially by the power of 10 so, a 6.5 reading is 10 times as powerful as a 5.5 reading. The devastating tsunami that hit nations ringing the Indian Ocean was caused by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra registering 8.9 on the Richter Scale the largest since 1964, and the fifth largest since 1900. To better understand such natural phenomena, the U.S. funds more than 9-billion dollars a year in physical and environmental scientific research.

When they say that Charles Richter was born "near" Hamilton, Ohio, they are being approximate, as if to say that he was born in Hamilton, Ohio, but because the landscape has shifted, it is now "near" Hamilton. No? Just a thought.

via U.S. Newswire : Releases : "U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 26: The Richter Scale"

Bathroom Advice for Men

Gentlemen: when sitting down at the toilet to "make a major transaction", please remember to point your "member" downward so as to not make a mess on your pants while relaxing your bladder.