31 days into 2011 it's definitely a mixed bag. Some good, including a very fun (if far too short) cruise on the Disney Wonder; some not so good, mostly work stuff. Disney Wonder As a general rule I don't do new year's resolutions, but after a couple of months of eating too much I decided [...]

31 days into 2011 it's definitely a mixed bag. Some good, including a very fun (if far too short) cruise on the Disney Wonder; some not so good, mostly work stuff.

Disney Wonder

As a general rule I don't do new year's resolutions, but after a couple of months of eating too much I decided I wanted to hit a specific weight goal before the cruise. I started at 216 on January 3 and made my goal, 205, on the 20th, the day we flew to Los Angeles for the cruise. My new weight goal is less aggressive; I want to get to 190 by the time we leave for our next cruise, at the end of April.



The two-night Cruise to Nowhere itself was a whole lot of fun and way too short. It was really a preview for us of our upcoming 13-night back-to-back cruise, also on the Wonder, in late April and early May. We did enjoy ourselves in the limited time allotted.



Work has been less than fun. I am still at Nokia, though actively exploring other options. Giant company syndrome is in full effect here and it's really dragging me down. One major thing lately is that while I was not personally hit by some recent layoffs, I have been pulled onto a project (temporarily, they say) formerly shepherded by someone was laid off. The person who is no longer here was the only one who really knew the details of this work and now I'm floundering trying to keep up with the needs of this project, while having very little idea of what's actually going on. They're supposed to bring in someone to take over, which does raise the question of why the original person doing the job was laid off in the first place.



Home life is fine. Cats are healthy and happy.

Of course there are plenty of things I do every day, but here is a representative sample: Check ze Tweets (und alzo emails) With (almost) everyone I know using Twitter, and (really almost) everyone I know using email, checking Twitter and email is one of the first things I do when I wake up. I [...]

Of course there are plenty of things I do every day, but here is a representative sample:

Check ze Tweets (und alzo emails)
With (almost) everyone I know using Twitter, and (really almost) everyone I know using email, checking Twitter and email is one of the first things I do when I wake up. I use the fantastic webOS Twitter client Tweed on my Palm Pre, and the equally fantastic Echofon desktop client on my Mac.

Feed the cats
There’s never a chance of forgetting to feed the cats. Watson, in particular, will remind me every couple of minutes when I’m working at home (even though official dinner time isn’t ’til late afternoon).

Watch The Rachel Maddow Show
Technically this is a five-day-a-week thing, not an every-day thing, but I do it without fail every one of those five days. I admire her no-BS style and her refusal to drop a story until it’s fully told.

It's been a cold winter here in the Bay Area. Yes, it's been colder on the east coast (even in Florida!) and for some people, low-40s isn't cold at all, but it's been cold FOR ME. The Fireplace My preferred method of staying warm during the winter is lighting a fire in the fireplace and [...]

It's been a cold winter here in the Bay Area. Yes, it's been colder on the east coast (even in Florida!) and for some people, low-40s isn't cold at all, but it's been cold FOR ME.

The Fireplace

My preferred method of staying warm during the winter is lighting a fire in the fireplace and curling up under a blanket with one or more cats. I'll turn on the central heat if necessary but prefer not to.

cat food With three cats, always hungry all the time, we need to keep a lot of cat food (both canned and dry) on hand. We stock up at Pet Club whenever there’s a sale on cans, almost always the 3 oz. Nutro Max Cat in various flavors. Aussie cookies / Aussie bites Aussie bites [...]

cat food

With three cats, always hungry all the time, we need to keep a lot of cat food (both canned and dry) on hand. We stock up at Pet Club whenever there’s a sale on cans, almost always the 3 oz. Nutro Max Cat in various flavors.

Aussie cookies / Aussie bites

Aussie bites or Aussie cookies are tasty, energy-rich little morsels which are just right for a quick breakfast with some coffee or a protein shake.

Santa Rosa cat, missing 13 years, is back home: More than 13 years after he went missing from his Santa Rosa home, George the cat is back. ‘I was blown away,’ Frank Walburg said of the unexpected return of his missing feline. ‘Such a big chunk of time has passed.’ George was reunited with Walburg [...]

Santa Rosa cat, missing 13 years, is back home:

More than 13 years after he went missing from his Santa Rosa home, George the cat is back. ‘I was blown away,’ Frank Walburg said of the unexpected return of his missing feline. ‘Such a big chunk of time has passed.’

George was reunited with Walburg and his wife, Melinda Merman, both dedicated cat companions, last Wednesday after Sonoma County Animal Care and Control officers rescued him from a mobile home park – just 3 miles from their home – at the request of the manager. Authorities scanned the kitty and found an implanted microchip that was encoded with identifying information that they were able to trace back to the couple.

Walburg and Merman arrived at the shelter within 20 minutes after they got the call and saw a cat that was about half the weight of George 13 years ago. But the gray and chestnut coat and the black nose were the same, and so was the distinctive jowl.

All of our cats are chipped and this is why, though hopefully we wouldn’t have to wait thirteen years to get them back.