Monday, January 29, 2007

animals mourning

A few days ago SK wrote this on his blog:

yessaday we went to botanic gardens
(when i shamefully stumbled back outta bed at 2 in arvo)
i saw the very sad sight
of a baby water fowl had fallen into a pool of water
inhabited by a huge grey eel
and the parent birds couldnae get it out
standersby we trying to keep the eel away from babybird with sticks
but cruel brutal nature inevitably had its way
and mr eel had fresh baby waterfowl for his lunchy
the mummyfowl squeaked n cooed mournfully
n i said to nk
you know to that bird ...she loved that baby like we love the bumper
and we both felt sad

I didn't feel like blogging in his comments, but having loads of animals over the years I have several situations where I've come to the same conclusion. It always surprises me the number of people who scoff at the idea animals have any emotions. I guess thinking that human animals are the only ones with emotions makes some people feel superior and also gives them the freedom to mistreat or not consider animals. Hell, people have dehumanised other people to do these things so it shouldn't surprise me when it's done to animals. Of course you have to be pretty fucking blind or delusional to really think that other people are less human because of their race or any number of things people will use to divide one another. Doesn't stop people from doing it though.

Anyway, I wasn't meaning to comment on how people treat each other, so back to the subject at hand. I'll lead off with my bird story. One day there was a commotion in one of the front pastures and the wooded area near it -- lots of screeching which was not usual. It didn't last too long, but then it was replaced with some of the most mournful keening. When we looked more closely there was a hawk flying around and then landing in one spot several times, then eventually not flying around but staying in that spot and keening. It wouldn't let anyone close (it was a pretty damned large bird) all day, so we couldn't really see what was wrong, but it kept up the keening. By the next day it had gone so we went to the spot and found a little mangled Pre-fledgling hawk. There are birds and other animals which will raid nests and momma hawk wasn't quick enough to stop this one from getting taken. She was able to harass whatever took it into dropping it, but the damage was done. I know it's just nature, but that poor mother hawk was distraught. I felt so bad for it.

Years ago we bought Gussie, a weanling filly (who we found out after she pitched a major fit in the trailer on the way home ripping herself up, bruising my sister all over, and bashing one of my teeth in, hadn't been really weaned rather she had just been separated from her mother the day before. Argh. Those people deserved a good swift smack for that) who took to one of our other horses as her kind of surrogate mother. Well about seven years down the road the other horse had to be put down. She was old and failing and it was clear that it was time. So we arranged for the vet to come and put Summertime down. This is done with a massive intravenous injection of barbiturate into the horse's neck, very much as is done with a cat or a dog, but horses are very large and they can go down abruptly and hard. It can be shocking to see. Of course Summertime went down hard. Her legs locked and she fell to the side as if she was a tree. She even bounced. And at that moment Gussie let out this awful scream and tore around the field (not the same field where we were putting Summer down) in a frenzy. She was so upset and it took a good while just to get her to stop running and she was touchy and anxious for several days. I won't say she knew exactly what was going on, but she knew it wasn't something good. Summer was the first horse I ever had to have put down and it was the most traumatic and poor Gussie's reaction didn't help matters any.

Next story. Cricket and Rolf were best buddies. Cricket was this little mutt of a dog -- had to have some beagle in her but she was small (only about 20 lbs) and all black (her colour and being found in the grass prompted the guy who found her to name her Cricket). Rolf was a beautiful big grey Alaskan Malamute. They loved to roam the area around where we lived and would often be gone all day long. They would get somewhat separated during their little jaunts, but when Cricket would pick up what she considered a good scent or get into trouble she would bark and Rolf would come running to her aid. She was quite bold with him as backup.

But large dogs don't generally live as long as smaller dogs and sure enough Rolf died. Cricket was so sad. One morning a couple days after Rolf's death I saw her in the front field. She would walk a few steps then pause, bark, and wait for Rolf to come to her aid. She did that over and over again, looking more and more dejected each time as he didn't come. It was so sad -- thinking about it still makes me cry. A few days later the vet was out for an appointment for the horses for something and we had him look at Cricket because she really seemed sick during the night and that morning. She was sluggish, wouldn't eat (and Cricket always ate), and was really uncomfortable. He checked he over and said she was healthy, just mourning. Poor little dog, she really missed her buddy. We got a new puppy (a Great Pyrenees we named Bailey) and while she did enjoy him a lot she never had the relationship with him she did with Rolf. She ended up outliving Bailey too.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Do I need an excuse to post a pic of MWP?



Of course not! Anytime is a good time to look at MWP photos. :-) However, I do have a reason to post a photo of him, so there.

I just listened to Sparks Lane from Noctorum (the Marty Willson-Piper and Dare Mason project) for the first time. I've had this disc (two of them actually) for months -- many months -- but haven't even taken the plastic off until just now. I have heard My Museum and 106 seconds of Aujourd'hui, but I don't think anything else before tonight.

Wow. It's really good. I have to admit I've generally found Marty's solo work to be uneven, but at least on the first listen I like this one a lot. Aujourd'hui is my favourite so far. Actually that 106 second clip of it was what got me to find the cd and check out the rest now.

hmmm...I guess this means I should give the other Noctorum disc I bought at one of the gigs last August a spin sometime soon too.

Monday, January 22, 2007

snow!

We got our first real snow of the season -- hell, of the year -- yesterday. I hadn't really been paying attention to the weather forecasts, so when I got up and looked out the bathroom window I was pretty damned surprised. The last I had heard, we were only supposed to be getting flurries! Zeke absolutely loved the snow though. When I let him out in it the first time he blasted around all over the yard and then came tearing back into the house. Once he got in though he realised he hadn't done his business and had to go back out! Funny dog. He loved "helping" me shovel snow too. Great fun for him. Pain in the ass for me.

It isn't a huge amount of snow, only about 3 - 4 inches, but that is enough to be a pain in the ass. If it was just me getting in and out of the house it wouldn't be a big deal, but my aunt is another matter. She sprained an ankle several weeks ago and although she is now fairly able to get around in the house (she's still sleeping in the living room as the steps to the second floor are still too much), she can't get around too well outside. So when I take her out anywhere I use a wheelchair. Obviously, the snow presents a problem with a wheelchair, so I worked a bit on cleaning off the deck and walk out to the car. I got a nice bit shoveled and swept off and then noticed we were then getting freezing drizzle. Lovely. Everything I had just cleaned off got a very slick coat of ice. Yeah, that's going to provide great traction for my aunt.

One thing I haven't mentioned before is that several years ago she slipped on some snow (just going down one lousy step!) and broke her leg. It wasn't a simple break either. She broke both bones in several places and required surgery with plates and screws and the whole works. She was in the hospital for nearly a week (over Christmas - Yay!) and it took several months for her leg to completely heal. She also broke her other leg badly a few years later (getting off the bus at the sheltered workshop she went to) and again had surgery and rods put in this time. The second one took almost six months to completely heal.

So I'm always very aware and very cautious of the footing when she has to go out of the house. What would be just a little slip for most people can be a major injury for her. And that sucks big time for both her and me. Luckily she doesn't need to leave the house until Wednesday, so I should be able to get the snow and ice off the path by then.

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I've been pondering SK's blog lately. I started reading it on the second or third entry and have been reading ever since. It got me into reading other people's blogs too, although I must admit I haven't really kept up with anyone else's as I have with his. Every so often someone will comment "You should write an autobiography, Steve" and I can't help thinking that's his blog is essentially an autobiography. It's certainly less structured and linear than most, but that's a big part of what I love about it. We are getting a much more unvarnished look at him than we would if he sat down and wrote a book. With his blog he sits down and writes whatever is on his mind at the time. Sometimes cranky, or sad, or goofy, or reflective, or profound. And then the next day he might be in a completely different mood. I love that spontinaeity and I think quite a bit of that would be missing in a book. Anyway, I'm very happy he's still writing it. And I'm also happy he's put up the PayPal button too. I hope it's providing a nice stream of revenue for him.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Squeee!!!


El Momento Siguiente is now for sale at the Church Merch and four songs from it at up on The church's Myspace page. I ordered a few copies (can't get just one...) already and will now be eagerly awaiting their arrival.

The tracklisting looks great too. I was never a great fan of "Two Places At Once," but I really liked how they did it on this past tour so I'm looking forward to that. I also really enjoyed the jazzy version of "Reptile" they did at some of the shows -- it was just so much fun. And "Grind," "After Everything," "It's No Reason"... I love those songs.

1. Wide Open Road
2. It's No Reason
3. Reptile
4. Tantalized
5. Electric Lash
6. After Everything
7. Song In The Afternoon (new)
8. Two Places At Once
9. Appalatia
10. Bordello (new)
11. Pure Chance
12. Grind
13. NSEW
14. Comeuppance (new)

Church Merch link here

and MySpace link here

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Alex Update

Alex the cat is doing well -- pretty much seems to be back to normal, although I do have to take him back to the vet in a couple of weeks for some more tests. Yay! Lovely way to spend even more money. But if we can make sure through diet etc. that he won't get blocked again the money spent on the tests (to make sure the food is working) and on the special food will be less expensive than another emergency trip to the vet.

Apparently since the last time I had a cat get a urinary tract blockage there are two different foods to help prevent a recurrence. In the past the cats have always loved the food, but Alex isn't at all fond of this new stuff. When I give it to him he looks at it, then at me, then at the food again, then back at me -- all with this "oh, what are you giving me this crap for? Where's the good stuff?" look on his face. Sometimes he'll then grudgingly eat it, other times he just stalks off. He's not starving though -- Alex is a big cat.

I think the vet said he'd most likely only be on this variety of food for a couple of months and then would move to a different one for maintenance. I think the maintenance one is the type the cats all seem to love so it will be easier to get him to eat it. Only problem with that is vats tend to get pudgy on that food, and many of my cats -- including Alex -- are a bit on the pudgy side already. I'll have to really watch what they eat when they start getting that food.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Getting those Cocksucker Blues

Several readers of Steve Kilbey's blog have asked where to find the bootleg doc Cocksucker Blues, so being a civic minded soul I dug up a couple of places selling it. Unfortunately, I think these versions are only formatted for play in the US and Canada, but they are all I could find. There is one more copy on eBay (also formatted for N. America), but it was over $40 USD and I figured that was just too high.

Cocksucker Blues

Cocksucker Blues

Happy shopping and viewing!