Thursday, March 27, 2008

So 5 minutes ago

Speaking of macs and being late to the party...

In the metro station on my way home from work tonight they played this video on one of the ubiquitous projection TV screens. Normally I'm trying to ignore the screens, since they are usually (a) promoting some local newscast in Portuguese, (b) telling me the rankings of the neighborhood football clubs (Benfica has moved up this week) or (c) advertising an American movie which opened stateside sometime in early 2007. But this video was the perfect antidote to a day spent walking back and forth to the local Centro de Saúde* (look at me, I can write in Portuguese). The song is familiar to anyone who has had the TV on in the past three months, where the Macbook Air commercial has taken Ms. Naim to #7 on the Billboard charts. Thus ... late to the party. Hey Molly&Sam, do you know who directed/wrote the video? It reminds me of the surrealist French guy who did Eternal Sunshine. I came home an listened to this nice NPR interview with the singer which aired last week.

*Note to those who are able to translate the word Saúde: I am perfectly well. I just need a physical for bureaucratic purposes. Although I have only read the first 75 or so pages of Catch-22, I'm pretty sure this situation qualifies: I have spent eight hours this week trying to convince Portugal's medical system to give me a clean bill of health to include with my Social Security application, while "it" has spent an equal amount of time trying to convince me that I need a Social Security number to see a doctor. Today I won the battle. I saw an actual doctor and it only cost me 2.15€ (cheaper than CHP!). I've got to go back tomorrow with my immunization history. Wish me luck.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

How Low Will They Go?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insurance.battle/index.html

Pretty nauseating.


Saturday, March 15, 2008

Louie hates macs







Mad Hot Irish Step Dancing

You guys, check out this awesome video from the Times -

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=142a60d51448b5b02336dba03b32b3cef8ca3aad

It's of an irish woman who teaches Bronx middle school kids how to irish step dance. It's even better than mad hot ballroom!! I wish there was a documentary about these kids....

Friday, March 14, 2008

Guess who got a new computer?



Yes.  I realize that widget-playing is SO five minutes ago.  But I could care less.  Look how fun this is!  

Hope all is well across the globe...

Love, Sam

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

Six word memoirs

Did any of you hear this npr story? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430&sc=nl&cc=es-20080224

It reminded me of Sam's Wigilia challenge. My response was what Dad says he will have printed on my tombstone: I'm really trying to get organized!
I have forgotten all of yours. Send them here when you get a chance. You, too, Elisabeth!

love, mom (bhkeuka)

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Flying Edwinda

I was working in my office this morning - first at the computer, then practicing my fiddle. Ed and Frank wandered in and out, trying to get my attention, batting the fiddle bow around, perching atop the computer and gazing down at the screen upside down, vulture-style. Their usual early morning high energy wild time of the previous two hours had past, and they were just being normally curious and cute. Ed was walking on my keyboard, so I picked him up and put him out in the hallway. Frank, I noticed, was downstairs at the time.

About a minute later I was watching a French TV news team opining about the significance of Tuesday's Hillary/Obama primary results when I heard a tremendous CRASH, followed by a scurry of kitty galloping. I rose to look over the rail to the first floor. Ed was rocketing from the woodstove area to under the couch where he froze. Frank was on the stair landing, his tail the puffy equivalent of a chimney sweep brush and a crazed look in his eye, as he viewed his brother with saucer-eyed alarm. He too froze.

It was a level and quality of sound we don't hear much at all: Ed had clearly fallen from floor two to floor one, landed somewhere near the stove or woodbox, been terrified and scurried under the couch to hide from further disaster. Frank had apparently witnessed it, viewed his brother's actions with terror and remained statue-like on the landing.

Ed wouldn't come out. I tried coaxing him with the kitty treats (and shaking the plastic container, a sound that - in normal times - gets them racing from anywhere to retrieve these candy treats). But Ed stayed put. Which was a worry, and I began to think he might have broken a leg...

Finally after about two minutes he slowly crept out from under the couch, limping noticably and clearly favoring a pained right leg/paw. I checked him over carefully over the next 1/2 hour or so. He began walking with somewhat more confidence, putting more and more weight on the leg. Another hour passed and it became clear that he was not seriously wounded.

Physically at least.

Now he reacts to every sound, action and shadow with startled alarm, reminding me of poor Jack many years ago being hit by Karen Kelly out in front of our house on Jenkins. Hopefully, this experience will keep Eddie off the railing in the way it kept Jack fearful of cars in the road.

Frank, meanwhile, having so far avoided this life-altering experience, is currently sitting on the railing washing his rear end.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Hiking in the hudson valley

Hi fambly!

This weekend I took the metro north train up to Cold Spring, NY, which is a cutesy little antiquing and city-getaway town, about an hour away from manhattan. It's also a great starting point for some nice hiking. I did about a 3 hour hike, and took some photos. enjoy!

love,
M



It was icy on the trail. I saw lots of falling ice off of cliffs - great noises! - and the trail was steep and icy.. slippin and slidin' all over the place.















a cool house right at the head of the trail.











self portrait.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Another reason to get a hamster

Note "hamster powered computer." This woulda saved me $139 for the new dell battery. (I am pretty sure my computer is just waiting for me to install it before the fatal crash...or the wheels fall off, Sam. )

love, bhkeuka

one for dad

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Saturday, March 1, 2008

I returned home late last night after working out of town for several days. Mom, as she said in a previous post, also went out of town during the same period - meaning that the kitties were left alone for a couple of days. Knowing the woodstove would go out, Mom put the elec heat up to 55, left them plenty of cat chow and water and wished them well.

I arrived home to discover that all of the water taps were on, the refrigerator door was standing open revealing empty shelves and the thermostat was jacked up to 85. I looked at the boys and they each pointed a dripping wet paw at the other.

I'm thinking maybe mom and i should have gotten a hamster.