Keiser cat (1990-2007)

Tail of Devotion to Keiser

2007-02-05T12:30:00.000+11:00

FINAL POST

2007-02-04T01:45:00.000+11:00

This is Keiser's human.

Sadly, around 11.30pm Keiser suffered a seizure which was related to tumours rupturing causing internal bleeding. She went into shock. She could hardly move and started panting.

At around 12.50am, after the vet had made the diagnosis using ultrasound she decided that Keiser was not going to recover and helped her to go to sleep and cross over.

I am going to miss Keiser so very much. You were a brave and loving cat.

Rest in Peace my angel

(There will be no more entries to her blog)

random footy pic

2007-02-03T21:00:00.000+11:00

Possum (Tim Notting) takes a high mark, using Bowden as a step ladder

...not even the CIA is above the law

2007-02-03T20:00:00.000+11:00

From The Boston Globe of 1 February 2007
German prosecutors yesterday said arrest warrants have been issued for 13 CIA operatives accused of the abduction of Khaled al-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese heritage who was kidnapped in the Balkans in early 2004, flown to a secret prison in Afghanistan, and grilled for months before his captors decided he had no terrorist ties and released him.

These CIA agents have broken the law in Germany and have to be extradited to face justice. There is no excuse for depriving another country's citizen of their liberty without reason.

If the US government does not cooperate in their extradition, then it is complicit in the illegal activities of its employees, and no better than a dictatorial regime that it criticises.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Today was a warm day, but I had my human for the whole day again. In fact, Margaret had left this morning to stay overnight elsewhere, so I have free run of my own house again (except for my other room of course).

And we have the opportunity to catch up on Smallville twice and Supernatural recorded from earlier in the week.

Clark Kent, faster than a speeding bullet, about to save another life

random thought #4

2007-02-02T21:15:00.000+11:00

Apparently all the different flavoured Pez candy all taste the same.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Not much to report today. I am so glad when my human comes home from work. He talks to me, feeds me, and picks me up to give me a cuddle.

why the Great Wall of China was built

2007-02-01T22:30:00.000+11:00

Many Australians may now believe that the Great Wall of China was built during the time of Emperor Nasi Goreng to keep the rabbits out.

(television commercial created by Sydney agency Belgiovane Williams Mackay, which is now part of the vernacular - duration: 31 seconds)

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

When my human spends all day with me, I like to lay on his lap and we usually have lots of cuddles including a nap together on the couch.

Well, not so with Margaret who ignored me again. My human thought I had run away when he came home from work as I was in my cane basket under the bed.

Thankfully my human announced his return and woke me up in time for my dinner. Mary was over and and they all had a pasta dish for dinner cooked by Margaret.

Is a bit of attention too much to ask for?

a philosophical dilemma

2007-01-31T21:45:00.000+11:00

If a person is hit (run over) by an ambulance, are they fortunate or unfortunate?

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

I spent most of the day out on my deck today, and then when I came inside, Margaret kindly left the fan on for me before she went out as it was hot inside . She still won't let me sit on her lap though.

Emily came over this evening and she cooked up a pasta with tomato and sausage for dinner. I just had my usual chicken.

Wednesdays are TV nights, and tonight they watched Food Safari which featured Thai cooking and then the pilot of Heroes. What a cool show.

I want a guinea pig...

2007-01-30T21:30:00.000+11:00

I can't believe that people abandon their guinea pigs. It's not as if they are high maintenance like human children.

Thankfully, abandoned guinea pigs are rescued by people like Karen Oehlerts from This Little Piggy and Me which is a guinea pig adoption/rehousing agency.

See - The Enquirer (Cincinnati)

Karen Oehlerts with Cadbury

I would love a guinea pig. I would name him Aloysius or her Andromeda and he or she could cuddle up to me in my basket.

My human used to have three guinea pigs when he was a teenager, Picky Picky who was brown, and Dilly Dilly who was white with brown patches. Then there was another white one with the swirlly fur, but he can't remember her name.

My human told me that guinea pigs even kind of purr.

Yeah, right!

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Oh no, my human has left me alone during the day with the scarey woman who won't let me sit on her lap!

I was so glad when he came home from work. I'd rather be alone than ignored!

Mary came over tonight and they all had beer and wine again, along with Hokkien noodles with teriyaki pork and green.

interesting people, part 5 (Germaine Greer)

2007-01-29T23:00:00.000+11:00

Happy Birthday Germaine Greer. She turned 68 today.

Ms Greer is one of Australia's foremost intellectuals, even though she lives in the United Kingdom now.

She is provocative and is sometimes full of it, but she makes people think.

She is also a renown feminist, having written the seminal feminist text, The Female Eunuch.

She was also an influential member of The Push, an intellectual movement in Australia.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Oh what an interesting evening. I thought today was going to be regular. After work, my human came home as usual. Okay.

Tonight, Mary and Margaret came over. They had beer, then wine with haggis and mash (must be the leftover haggis from Thursday). And now Margaret is sleeping over in my other room. And she wouldn't let me sit on her lap at all!

Instead of just lounging on the couch, they were mostly outside on the deck.

I want one... a Micama

2007-01-28T19:30:00.000+11:00

I want a Micama (designed by Francesca Donati).

Donations towards the 2969,20 € price are welcome.

two circles around a 'cushion' and the outer

circles opened out

recliner

in leather

looks so comfy

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Not much to report today. My human and I watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose which was really scarey.

random footy pic

2007-01-28T15:00:00.000+11:00

after winning the round 7 game, 2006
Jonathon Brown, Luke Power (number 6), Michael Voss (captain) and Simon Black - the core leadership group

cat's pajamas

2007-01-27T23:30:00.000+11:00

If something is called the "cat's pajamas", it means that something is truly outstanding.

Well, I don't wear pajamas as I have fur.

Actually "cat's" is really Katz, who was an English tailor who made the finest silk pajamas for royalty and the wealthy.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

I had a few visitors today. Devi came over but she wouldn't let me sit on her lap. They had haggis on toast. Ew! She and my human then watched The Amityville Horror (2005) in the afternoon as my human was too scared to watch it at night without another person around. What a scaredy cat!

Then tonight, Merlin's humans Kim, Jordan and Liam came over for bangers and mash, and then they watched She's the Man.

our idiot prime minister

2007-01-26T21:00:00.000+11:00

Today was Australia Day. I've previously written about our national day.

Anyway, the Australian of the Year is usually announced the day before. At a reception at the prime minister's official residence (The Lodge) held yesterday for the state and territory finalists, our idiot prime minister asked one of them "When did you come to Australia?" and then "What part of the world were you born?".

The person he asked the stupid questions to, was Professor Terence Tao, who was awarded the Fields Medal (the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics") last year.

Our idiot prime minister obviously did not read his briefing which would have informed him that Professor Tao was born in Adelaide, in South Australia.

What a gaffe. How embarrassing.

Professor Terence Tao

As Professor Tao is Asian, the idiot prime minister presumed that he was born outside of Australia.

If Professor Tao was white, the idiot prime minister would not have asked such a stupid question.

It isn't the first time. Not that long ago, the idiot prime minister asked a woman, who had Middle eastern complexion, and who wore a head scarf the same question. She told him that she was born in Sydney.

Obviously, our idiot prime minister still hasn't learnt and this just demonstrates his mentality and attitude. It borders on being racist.

No caption needed

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

After all the excitement of last night, today was very quiet. My human stayed home with me all day instead of going out for some of those Australia Day activities which are too crowded, especially on a hot day.

Burns' Night and a Burns' supper

2007-01-25T23:30:00.000+11:00

Today was Burns' Night in honour Robert Burns' birthday (25 January 1759, died 21 July 1796).

Robert Burns is regarded as the national poet of Scotland.

A Burns' supper is traditionally held in Scotland and elsewhere in the world by Scots and those who appreciate Burns' poetry.

A Burns' supper comprises haggis, tatties (mashed potato) and neeps (mashed turnip), lubricated with plenty of single malt Scotch whiskey.

As the haggis is cut open, the following is said:
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
(which is a poem by Robert Burns)

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

We had a Burns' supper at my place tonight. Emily and Neil came over, then Bobby, and then the back neighbours Sofie's humans Martin and Lil.

I think I had a turn lying or sitting on everybody's lap.

Thankfully, my human had the sense not to serve up any haggis to me. Ew!

random thought #3

2007-01-24T20:45:00.000+11:00

In all those silly zombie movies (which my human sometimes watches), the zombies are flesh eating and attack people in order to eat them. Those living people who are not devoured and only just bitten in turn become zombies themselves.

Now, if zombies are supposed to be dead and decaying, but re-animated, why do they need to eat?

And if they do need to eat, why don't they just have a salad instead?

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Not much to report today.

happy birthday Milton Keynes

2007-01-23T21:30:00.000+11:00

Today is Milton Keynes' birthday.

Milton Keynes is not a person but a large town 75km (45 miles) north-west of London.

It was designated as a new town on 23 January 1967 and developed to ease population congestion in London.

Still, Milton Keynes was not named after a person, but from a village originally known as "Middleton", which later shortened to "Milton". After the Norman invasion, the Cahaines family held the manor from 1166 to the late 13th century as well as others in the country (Ashton Keynes, Somerford Keynes, and Horsted Keynes). During this time the village became known as Middleton de Keynes eventually shortening to Milton Keynes.

See
- Wikipedia entry on Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes Council

The Concrete Cows of Milton Keynes are famous

There was even a song called 'Come to Milton Keynes' by The Style Council.

My human told me that he's visited Milton Keynes a number of times. Not as exciting as London though.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Today was still warm. Emily came over tonight and it isn't even Wednesday. Woohoo! She came over with beer and for a beef vindaloo dinner. Of course I didn't eat any. It would upset my delicate stomach. I laid on her lap, but it was too hot to stay there for too long.

how much is someone's social life worth?

2007-01-22T22:00:00.000+11:00

Around this time last year, I wrote about the "four fun blokes" in Sydney who were auctioning their friendship for a weekend including a couple of beers, snags (sausages), and a good time.

This time of the year must be the silly season. A philosophy student (alas, another Australian) is now auctioning his social life on eBay including his name (but not legal identity), all his possessions, access to his friends and family, as well as training in his skills (surfing, climbing, fire stick twirling etc).

See
- eBay
- myspace
- Nicael's page

Some people want to be him and are willing to pay nearly $20,000.

Would I exhange my cat's life for that? No way. My meals are served on demand (twice a day), I sleep all day, lay on a lap as I wish, my fur is brushed nearly weekly, and people come and visit me.

Now, perhaps I could auction my lifestyle.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Not much to report today.

National Hugging Day

2007-01-21T21:30:00.000+11:00

Today was National Hugging Day which has been celebrated since 1986.

What a wonderful idea for a day. My human gives me hugs all the time, but they are actually more like cuddles.

As I am such a small kitty, I can't return the hug. Sometimes when I am lying on my person's lap and facing him, and I don't want him to get up, I do wrap my front paws around his belly. That's like a cat hug don't you think?

In Australia, we even have a Free Hugs Campaign by Juan Mann, and millions of people have seen him in action in Sydney on YouTube (below).

e-Hugs from me to you all

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Today was a cooler day, particularly in the afternoon when the sky clouded over. My human gave me a really nice long brush of my fur, all over, even my belly fur using the gloves. Then he proceeded to clean the house which hadn't been done for a few weeks on account of the heat.

Tonight we're watching a BBC Shakespeare Retold version of The Taming of the Shrew. It's quite funny. My human told me that it is one of his favourites of the Shakespeare plays, though the original was rather misogynistic.

Kate and Petruchio (modernised)

random footy pic

2007-01-21T10:00:00.000+11:00

Mitch Clark - round 2, 2006

a cat about town

2007-01-20T20:30:00.000+11:00

Yoda is an 8-year old Siamese cat who lives in Bloomington, Illinois. He also behaves like a dog and enjoys going in car rides and accompanies his human, Judy Norton when she visits the bank and local shops.

Yoda sits up on the counter at the bank while Judy does business with the teller. At the shops, Yoda rides in a basket atop a trolley cart.

See - Pantagraph of 18 January 2007

Do I envy Yoda? Not really, I like being in my house.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Today was another hot day. I'm going to lie on the wooden floor again.

The Black Cat (Edgar Allan Poe)

2007-01-19T22:30:00.000+11:00

Today was the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe (born 1809, died 17 October 1849). Poe was a renown American writer known for his macabre tales.

One of his stories was The Black Cat (written in 1845) about a cat called Pluto whose human treats him poorly one night when drunk. Suffice to say, in typical Poe fashion, the human suffers the consequences.

You can read The Black Cat in full - here (WARNING: not suitable for young children, that is, if they have the patience reading the very formal language of that time period).

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Again, not much to report today. Just another hot day.

the clock is ticking... 5 minutes to midnight

2007-01-18T21:00:00.000+11:00

The Doomsday Clock maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (University of Chicago) uses the analogy of the human race being at a time that is "minutes to midnight" where midnight represents destruction by nuclear war.

Since yesterday, the clock advanced a further two minutes and is now at 5 minutes to midnight.

The world stands at the brink of a second nuclear age. The United States and Russia remain ready to stage a nuclear attack within minutes, North Korea conducts a nuclear test, and many in the international community worry that Iran plans to acquire the Bomb. Climate change also presents a dire challenge to humanity. Damage to ecosystems is already taking place; flooding, destructive storms, increased drought, and polar ice melt are causing loss of life and property.

During the arms race between the USA and USSR, the clock was at 2 minutes to midnight (1953). After the end of the Cold War, the clock was reset to 17 minutes to midnight and has been ticking forwards ever since.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Not much to report today. It is raining tonight and the doors and windows are open in an attempt to lower the internal temperature of the house.

eat more curry... it's good for you

2007-01-17T22:00:00.000+11:00

From Scientific American,
Turmeric, an orange-yellow powder from an Asian plant, Curcuma longa, ... No longer is it just an ingredient in vindaloos and tandooris that, since ancient times, has flavored food and prevented spoilage...

...the biologically active components of turmeric--curcumin and related compounds called curcuminoids--as having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties, with potential activity against cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic maladies.

Known as HALDI in HINDI, jiang huang in Chinese, manjal in Tamil (and just plain "yuk" as the yellow stain on a white T-shirt from the splatting of ballpark mustard), turmeric has a medicinal history that dates back 5,000 years. At that time it was a key medicament for wound healing, blood cleansing and stomach ailments in India's Ayurvedic system of medicine.

See - article

I think my human will eat more Indian curry as tumeric is a major ingredient. Woohoo, vindaloo!

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Last night was so hot. It was stuffy and there was no breeze so the house didn't cool down at all. This morning was still hot, so I didn't eat.

Tonight is a little better, but not much.

a cat stationmaster named Tama

2007-01-16T21:30:00.000+11:00

I've previously written about some cats who have an occupation, like the office cat, fashion cats etc.

A 7-year-old cat called Tama has been named a special stationmaster at the Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa in Japan.

Two other cats were employed as deputy stationmasters at the same station. Stationmaster Tama wearing a railway cap, along with the two deputies, welcome passengers at the station.

See - Mainichi Daily News (Japan), 14 January 2007

Unfortunately, the cats are not paid, but given food as reward for their work. I think they should take industrial action for better pay and conditions.

*Don't forget to check out Shamus for The Ongoing Barks of a Well Read Dog (who is continuing Cammie's legacy)

.........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo..........

Another hot day today. My human was surprised I ate so much for breakfast this morning. Duh! That's because he wasn't giving me the right food.

Tonight I'm just going to lie on the floor by my human's feet. Just like a d-o-g.

My fortune cookie told me...

2007-01-16T19:00:00.000+11:00

My Fortune Cookie told me:
Beware Hector Doomglass, and all his penguins too.
Get a cookie from Miss Fortune