All the people we used to know...

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood yesterday. I reminded him that he was going to tell me (again) why he likes their veterinarian.

“Because he went with his instincts, and saved our old girl a lot of stress, and saved me the cost of some fairly expensive tests.”

This is the cat who had some sort of lung problems?

“Yeah. We took her in for tests, but the doctor thought that the anesthesia would put too much stress on her kidneys, and he thought that maybe an anti-inflammatory would help her.”

So what is wrong with her?

“He called it a consolidation in the lung lobe. He described it as mucus or debris collecting there. He put her on an anti-inflammatory, and it was like throwing a switch – she stopped coughing, and started eating everything in sight.”

Does he still want to do those tests at some point?

“I think so – we’re taking her back in at the end of the month for evaluation.”

And the other cats are doing well?

“Far as we can tell. The other old girl is going in for a checkup a week from Saturday – she’s sixteen now, so the vet said it would be good to check her at least every six months. And we’re going to take the big guy in, to make sure he’s doing ok after that last cancer surgery.”

It is tough to watch our animals get old, isn’t it.

“Yeah. Which brings me around, sort of, to my theme for this weekend.”

Animals getting older?

“All of us getting older. I ran into someone I knew in high school, last time I was visiting my mom. She and her husband were in the grocery store, and we made small talk for a few minutes, and she asked what I did for a living, and I told her, and she said something to her husband like ‘back in high school, we all thought that Will would be a famous scientist or something, he was always the smartest kid around.’”

Your point is…

“I never did become a famous scientist or something. I just do insurance.”

And…

“Sometimes I think that I did not do all that I could have with my life.”

Will, you’re only fifty. It’s not like your life is over.

“I know. I was just thinking about some people, like – ready for my list? – Graham Parker and Jon Langford, and Loyd Auerbach, and the Cosmic Psychos.”

Umm – I know the first two you mentioned…

“I saw GP and Jonboy at the Old Town School Saturday night. Good show. Langford was the opening act, and let me think here, during his set he mentioned Barbara Manning, Kevin Coyne, Grant McLennan, and aboriginal country music.”

Go on.

“I’ve gotten the impression before that Jon is disappointed that some of his favorites have never had the success that he thinks they deserve. He introduced one song as something he wrote for Barbara Manning, and like one or two people applauded her name.”

And Kevin Coyne?

“Jon did one of his songs, and again, like one or two people applauded at the mention of his name. I had heard the story that the last time Coyne played in the US – he died a few years ago, I think – he played to a very small crowd at the Old Town School. Supposedly Langford was calling up everyone he knew, to get them to go to the show.”

Grant McLennan also died recently, didn’t he.

“Jon said he died right before a party, that was being thrown to celebrate his engagement.”

All kinds of happy stories there, Will.

“And Jon talked about playing some festival in Australia, and how most Australian country music is pretty bad, but aboriginal country music is pretty great. He played a song by an aboriginal singer – I wish I had written down the guy’s name, or the song title – it was really good.”

So to sum up so far, we’ve got you and your concerns about your life, and Barbara Manning, who never really sold many records, and Kevin Coyne –

“—who was fairly successful in parts of Europe, I think, but never sold anything over here in the U.S.”

And Grant McLennan, who I have heard of, with The Go-Betweens.

“On the other hand, you have Graham Parker, who has had a long career, but doesn’t sell nearly as many records as Elvis Costello, to whom he used to be compared.”

And Jon Langford, who has also had a long career, with The Mekons, and the Waco Brothers, and his solo stuff, and his artwork -- but has never sold a lot either.

“And I’m trying to get to the happier part of the stories here – both GP and Jonboy, they just keep on keepin’ on. They’re still making good music, and they’re not pretending that they’re still in their twenties – I hate to use the phrase ‘growing old gracefully,’ but they are growing old without compromising the qualities that made them worth listening to in the first place.”

Who else did you mention earlier – Lloyd somebody?

“I’ll get to him in a minute. I was listening to a live cd in the car this morning, something I downloaded online, by an Australian band called The Cosmic Psychos. I was reading the notes that I got with the music, and it said that the guitarist died recently.”

Another happy story.

“You know that I really like a lot of Australian bands – The Church, Celibate Rifles, Hoodoo Gurus…”

…The Hummingbirds, Midnight Oil, Kasey Chambers…

“...and aside from Midnight Oil, and maybe The Church, those bands never really had a lot of success.”

But they kept on keepin’ on, as you said. Is that our moral to our story today?

“Could be. Then there’s Loyd Auerbach.”

Who is…

“I knew him back in college. Weird dude, really into comics, and science fiction. I saw his name in the latest alumni newsletter. He is a parapsychologist.”

You’re kidding. A real Ghostbuster?

“He writes books, too. I was reading his Wikipedia profile – which I suspect he wrote – and it says he’s been on Oprah, and Letterman.”

How does he fit in to our stories here?

“I don’t know. I just wanted to make the point that, back in college, we all kind of laughed at his career plans – he was going to do graduate work at some school in California –“

In parapsychology?

“You know, I think it actually was in parapsychology. Anyway, the point is, that most of us got out of college with no idea of what we wanted to do. Loyd had a plan, and he stuck to it, and now it’s almost thirty years later, and he’s still doing what he wanted to do.”

You mentioned that he has written books.

“I also checked Amazon. I think three of his books are in print, and the rest – like four or five, maybe – are out of print. The book that’s selling the best is ranked number 432,745 at Amazon.”

So you’re acknowledging that you’re kind of happy for Loyd, that he’s doing what he wants to do…

“And I’m acknowledging that I’m kind of happy that he’s not selling a ton of books.”

Didn’t you tell me awhile back that someone else you knew in college was an author?

“Sharon Shinn – she writes fantasy novels. I have seen her books at Borders, so I think she probably sells a lot more than Loyd does.”

Can I add one more person to your stories here?

“Go for it.”

Brian Rosinski.

“Singer or author?”

Baseball player. When I was working and living in Evanston years ago, I knew people who went to high school with him. Supposedly, he was the best high school baseball player in the area in many years, and people thought he would be a big star.

“I’ve never heard of him, so I’m guessing that he was not a big star.”

He was drafted by the Cubs in the first round, like the fourth player overall, but he never made the majors.

“Couldn’t hit the curve ball?”

I think he got hurt in the minors.

“Your point?”

Ummm… sometimes we don’t have the career that we expect, or that we think we deserve, sometimes we get hurt or sick, or our cats get sick.

“There was a nice moment during Jonboy’s set, when he talked about listening to Graham Parker’s first record, and being blown away by it, and how great it is that Graham is still around, making good music.”

Can I say “keep on keepin’ on” again?

"Go ahead."


“The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew…

All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives.
Don't know how it all got started,
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.”

Vets and Blogs

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood briefly the other day – he said his cats were all doing pretty well, and that he would give me more details when he had more time. He also said he would testify again as to why he really likes their veterinarian.

Speaking of veterinarians, we got a card in the mail from The Cat Practice in Oak Park, announcing that Dr. Malin is retiring. Dr. Malin took care of our cats for many years, so best wishes to her, and to Dr. Coughlin, who is taking over the practice.

I was browsing through the blogs I read regularly during lunch hour today. Here are a few of the stories I read recently:

Jennifer Ouellette writes about apocalypses, with references to American Idol and Buffy.

Starbucks Gossip writes about a woman and her dog at a local Starbucks.

Aaron Barnhart at TV Barn writes about the recently nonrenewed Jericho.

Greg Kot writes about Anna Fermin.

Get Well, Old Girl

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood yesterday. He was telling me about his cats’ ongoing health problems.

“I talked to you last week, right?”

You did. You mentioned that your little guy had his surgery, and one of your old girls had an upper respiratory infection.

“Well, the little guy got his stitches out, and seems to be doing fine. He is switching over to a different food – the good news is, he’s been snarfing it. The bad news is that the ingredient list looks like crap.”

Crap?

“The first ingredient is water, followed by ‘meat by-products, chicken by-products, and animal fat (preserved with BHA/BHT).’”

I keep meaning to ask the vet about special veterinary diets that seem to have less than special ingredients.

“I’ll ask him if I have a chance when I see him tomorrow – the old girl is going in for more tests.”

Tests? For an infection?

“They were hoping it was just an infection. The old girl took antibiotics for two weeks, and she’s still coughing, and the x-rays they took yesterday showed the shaded spot on her lung was still there.”

That doesn’t sound good.

“Well, the doctor said it could be several things. It could be a persistent infection that needs more or different antibiotics. It could be – I forget exactly what she said – some sort of twist in the lung lobe that shows up on the x-ray. She said it did not look like lung cancer, and it was probably not mold or fungus related.”

So what kind of tests?

“Well, two weeks ago she had an x-ray and an ekg. Yesterday she saw the veterinary cardiologist – I don’t think I knew that there were veterinary cardiologists prior to two weeks ago. And tomorrow there going to put her under anesthesia, and squirt liquid into her lungs and then suck it back out, and then test that for abnormal cells. And they’re going to aspirate the area and take a sample.”

Poor old girl. How’s she holding up?

“Okay, usually. I think the coughing is making her sore – she went and hid under the bed when I left home this morning, which she almost never does.”

I hate to ask about your bills.

“I think the last eight months or so have been the most expensive we’ve ever had. I was telling Mary last night, maybe I’m just tired and worried, but I’m starting to get the uneasy feeling that we’re paying too much.”

You don’t mean that your cats aren’t worth that much – you mean that you think you’re being overcharged, or strung along?

“Something like that. It’s frustrating when you get test after test, bill after bill. But I suppose that’s the way it has to be, and that’s the most thorough way to check the cats’ health.”

Have you had time to watch all the season finales?

“Actually, I have watched them all: Veronica Mars, Lost, Heroes. I think I’m done for the season.”

I was surprised at how good the Lost finale was.

“Yeah, that was pretty great. And as I think we discussed last time, I worry about the cats more than I worry about cancelled tv shows – but it doesn’t mean that I’m not really bummed about Veronica Mars.”

Walking out into the rain, out of our lives forever…

“Unless they do a movie one day, as is already rumored.”

I don’t see that happening. I don’t think the fans are as crazy, or as vocal, as the Firefly fans were.

“We’ll see. And we’ll see if we get a Jericho wrapup at some point.”

We will see.

“I’ll keep you posted on the cats. I’m spending my day off tomorrow going to the vet, to the car dealer, and then taking my mom shopping for her birthday.”

As Mary tells me, you’re a good son, and you’re a good kitty daddy.

“Thanks.”

Cats Are OK, Veronica Is Gone

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood earlier today. I asked him how all his cats were.

“OK, considering. The little guy had his surgery, and he’s been running around like a nut since we brought him home. He has stitches, so he’s supposed to be wearing a collar to keep him from touching the incision – but he keeps trying to pull the collar off. Since he hasn’t been trying to pull his stitches, we just gave up and left the collar off.”

And the other cats?

“One of the old girls is taking antibiotics – after an exam, and a chest x-ray, and an EKG, the vet said she hopes it’s just an upper respiratory infection. I’ve only heard her cough once in the past few days, and that was followed by her barfing her dinner mixed with globs of hair.”

Yum.

“The vet was concerned that it could be a heart problem – older cats that have thyroid problems can have heart problems too. She’s going in for a follow up next week – hopefully we won’t have to see the veterinary cardiologist next.”

I hate to ask about your vet bills.

“I think I’ve already put the vets’ kids through college, now I’m working on grad school.”

How was Norah Jones?

“She was really good, I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. Ted Cox had a good review in the Herald. I got to meet the person to whom I had sold my extra ticket – a nice young woman from Virginia.”

I’ll get you a copy of the show – I downloaded it from dimeadozen.

“Thanks. So, are you as pissed off at the tv networks as I am?”

It does suck that Veronica Mars is gone, after next week finale.

“And Jericho – I can’t believe they screwed me over, just like with Invasion – you watch a show for a year, they leave you with a cliffhanger, then they cancel it.”

Like reading the first part of a novel, and someone takes it away from you.

“And Gilmore Girls is over, but at least that was planned, and they did give us a nice ending.”

I was reading that NBC is going to give us more sci-fi shows, after the success of Heroes.

“And I’m not going to watch any of them. I don’t think I’m going to watch any new shows next year.”

We have said that before…

“… and we always end up watching some new shows. I know. Maybe I’ll just wait, and see what looks like a hit, and get caught up online like I did with Heroes, or just watch reruns, like I did with Ugly Betty.”

Did you ever get around to buying the dvd’s for the cancelled shows over the past few years?

“Well, I did buy the Firefly dvd’s, of course. But no, I haven’t bought Invasion, or Kitchen Confidential, or Threshold, or Commander In Chief, or Point Pleasant…”

It’s hard enough staying current with the current shows.

“I know. My wife keeps telling me about the free time I’ll have, now that most of my shows will be in reruns, and then I’ll have free time in the fall because I’ll be watching fewer shows. And, to tell the truth, having a house full of sick cats kind of puts my tv shows into perspective.”

I suppose you worry a lot more about the cats than about Veronica Mars.

“At least I can do something to keep them from ending before their time."

Sick Cats, Lost Cat, and Norah

My friend Will Briarwood sent me an e-mail this morning.

“Wanted to update you on a few things. First, all the cats are doing ok, thanks for asking. Little guy is having surgery Thursday. Big guy doesn’t seem to be having any new problems, and his fur is growing back from his surgery last month. And one of the girls is going in to vet tomorrow, because she has an occasional cough, which I’m hoping is just a hairball problem.”

He also mentioned some stories on the pet food recall.

“The New York Times had a story about the Chinese arresting someone for the contaminated wheat gluten. And the Los Angeles Times says the FDA has reports of over four thousand – 4000! – animals dying.”

And regarding Lost:

“You probably saw the stories about Lost, how ABC wants to do only sixteen episodes for each of the remaining seasons, and run them all in a row, with no repeats. And you probably noticed that, even though Eyepatch Guy returned, there have been no sightings of his cat, which was abandoned in the jungle.”

And regarding Norah Jones:

“I did sell my ticket – I got less than I paid for it, but at least I made another fan happy. Will let you know how the show is.”

Get Well, Little Guy

I talked to my friend Mary Briarwood the other day. She’s married to my friend Will Briarwood.

“He’s out mowing the lawn. And then he’s going to check his bird feeders, and pull some weeds – assuming he survives all that, I’ll tell him you called.”

Thanks. How’s the cat?

“Jeez, which one?”

Ummm… is there more than one cat with health issues?

“There is always more than one cat with health issues. The latest is the little guy – we just found out that he needs to have surgery, because he has another stone in his bladder.”

He had surgery before, right?

“About four years ago. I’m so tired of seeing my cats with their fur shaved, and with stitches, and…”

I’m sure he’ll be ok. As I always remind Will, the two of you are the best cat owners around.

“I just wish there was more we could do to keep them healthy.”

If there is more, I’m sure you’ll do it. How was Las Vegas?

“It was fun. The Beatles show was great, my daughter and I did some fun things, she tried on wedding dresses, and I got my picture taken with the sexiest man in the world.”

Wait, don’t tell me, Will told me about you and… Johnny Depp?

“Jack Sparrow, actually.”

I didn’t know he was doing a Vegas show.

“The wax museum version of Jack Sparrow.”

Got it. I hope the house was still standing when you got home – Will said he had some wild times planned while you were gone.

“I know, wild times. He locked me out of the house, so I had to ring the doorbell and get him out of bed when I got home the other night. He said the cats missed me.”

He did say that he was not looking forward to trying to pill a cat without your help. Did he leave the electric blanket on for them?

“He said he did, and it was on when I went to bed last night.”

I’m sure they appreciated it. I’ll let you go – good luck to the little guy on his surgery.

“Thanks. Tell covivant to call me sometime.”

Patty, Julie, Norah and Will

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood today. I asked him if he had listed his Norah Jones ticket on ebay yet.

“Yeah, just did, this morning.”

Any bids yet?

“Not yet. I checked all the listing for tickets for her Chicago show – mine is the cheapest at $19.99. And there’s only one other auction that is offering a single ticket.”

Good luck. Hey, do I hear Patty Griffin?

“Yeah – the person who sits in the next cube is out for a few days, so I can play music at my desk without bothering anyone.”

Her new album?

“Yeah. Hey, I forgot to mention, during our conversations about cats – I have a Patty Griffin song stuck in my head when I think about my cat.”

The cat who had surgery.

“It’s a few lines from her song ‘Be Careful.’”

Give them to me, and I’ll put them at the end of my post.

“OK. And as long as we’re talking about female singers…”

Which we do a lot, it seems.

“Don’t get me started. I don’t know what’s wrong with guys who only listen to men. Is it some buried homosexual impulse? Is it some misogynist thing?”

I won’t get you started. But I will say that I was listening to a Bruce Springsteen live recording the other day, and Bruce was talking between songs, and you could hear some guy in the crowd yelling “Broooooce.”

“I bet he’s sick of that.”

Actually, it was pretty damn funny – he said something like, “It’s really great when other men express their love for me.”

“That is pretty funny. So, speaking of female singers, weren’t we discussing Julie Miller recently?”

We were.

“I heard that she’ll be releasing a collection from her old out-of-print Christian records.”

Like a box set?

“No, I think it’s just a single cd. And it will be available only at their website.”

Cool. I’ll let covivant know. So how’s the bachelor life?

“She just left this morning. In fact, I’m not sure if their plane has even landed yet.”

They went to Vegas, your wife and her daughter?

“Yeah. They’re going to see that Beatles show tomorrow night.”

The Cirque du Soleil show, LOVE.

“Yep. They were considering trying to get tickets for one of Prince’s shows too, but decided it was too expensive, and too much hassle.”

I did hear that Prince is playing Vegas.

“Supposedly the shows are great, but I think tickets are like $125, and even though the wife loves Prince, she didn’t feel like standing for several hours in a crowded nightclub.”

I saw that someone had like six cd’s of his Vegas shows over on dime – if I can find some time to download and burn it, then I’ll give you a copy.

“Thanks, the wife would probably like that.”

So, what’s on the bachelor agenda this evening?

“Exciting stuff. Stopping at the Wild Birds store, then at Whole Foods, then home. Feed cats. Try to give the one cat her two pills, which I’ve never done by myself. Eat some of the leftovers that the wife left for me. And hopefully stay awake long enough to watch Jericho and Lost.”

That does sound exciting.

“But mostly, I’ll try to hang with the cats. The guy who had surgery is really a momma’s boy, and he really misses her when she’s not around.”


Patty Griffin lyrics for Will’s cat:

“Be careful how you bend me
Be careful where you send me
Careful how you end me
Be careful with me”

Norah Jones Ticket Available

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood again today. He said he had to do some backtracking.

“Remember our conversation a while back, about Norah Jones tickets?”

I do. You were angry at ticket scalpers and ebay.

“And I said that reselling tickets should be prohibited or at least restricted.”

And now…

“I’m trying to sell one of my tickets. But I’m not trying to scalp it – I just want to sell it for what I paid for it.”

No one around to go with you?

“No, the wife isn’t a fan, and my brother and sister aren’t either. So I’m going to try and sell it on ebay – but I don’t know how much interest there will be in a single ticket. For a show on a Tuesday evening.”

Couldn’t a ticket scalper buy your ticket and then sell it for a higher price?

“Technically, yes. I’m going to try to put some kind of warning in my auction that the theatre does not allow reselling the ticket for more than the face value. Maybe that will keep the scalpers away.”

Hopefully it won’t keep potential buyers away.

“Hopefully not.”

How’s the cat doing?

“The guy who had surgery is doing ok. One of the other cats got into my wife’s herb garden, and was throwing up this morning.”

Nothing poisonous, I hope.

“Chives – I checked around online, and one list said chives were harmful to cats, and another list said chives were not harmful. He doesn’t act sick, so we’re just going to keep an eye on him for a few days. Then one of the other cats had a bit of a cough, so we have to keep an eye on her.”

I wish I could add our cats to my health insurance.

“No kidding. I have great insurance for myself, and nothing for the cats. Just a long series of charges to my Visa.”

And you? Feeling better?

“Yeah, sort of. I went to the doctor last week, and she said my lungs were clear, so I don’t have pneumonia or bronchitis, just a frakking annoying cough. She told me to take Claritin.”

You and Kelly Willis.

“That’s right. But I doubt that Claritin will do much for my singing voice.”

Well, take it easy.

“I plan to. The wife and her daughter will be out of town for a few days, so I’ll have the place to myself – well, me and four cats.”

You can turn the heat down.

“I plan to. But I’ll have to leave her electric blanket on at night, because the cats like to sleep on it.”

As I said, you guys are the best cat owners.

“Thanks. If I can sell my Norah Jones ticket, then I’ll put the proceeds into the pay-the-next-vet-bill fund.”

Ten Questions On Music

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood again this morning. He started our conversation by apologizing.

“Sorry I’ve been such a drag lately.”

Don’t worry about it. How’s your cat doing?

“Well, we got his stitches out, and we waited a day and then took his collar off, and within an hour he had chewed a big raw spot on his back. I wish I could have stayed home with him today.”

Nothing serious, is it?

“Well, he had to get his collar back on again, and he was not too happy about that. I talked to the vet today, and she said to keep an eye on things. If the spot he chewed doesn’t heal promptly, then we should call them back. Hey, enough about that. Let’s switch to a happier topic. I found this list of questions on my boss’s blog.”

Your boss has a blog?

“Yeah, I found it by accident when I did a google search
for our company name.”

Is it about your company? Or is it personal stuff?

“Personal, mostly about music.”

Have you posted any comments on his blog?

“No way. So, here are the questions…”

1. What was the first record or cd that you owned?

W: “I think it was a Three Dog Night single. Maybe ‘Eli’s Coming.’ ”

K: My brothers and I bought some 45’s at the local Osco – I think the first was “In the Year 2525” by Zager & Evans.

2. What was the worst concert you ever saw?

W: “I saw John Fahey several years ago, it must have been right before he died. Maybe his music was too complex for me, but I thought he was just doodling for over an hour…”

K: Can’t think of any really bad ones. I saw Siouxsie and the Banshees put on an uninspired show back in the 80’s. Covivant and I saw Johnette Napolitano twice, with different bands, and both times she played really short shows.

3. What cd or album in your collection are you embarrassed to say is there?

W: “I think I sold all of my REO Speedwagon and Kansas albums before we moved last time.”

K: I owned at least six Styx albums, which I think I sold too.

4. What was the last song that gave you goose bumps?

W: “Patty Griffin, ‘Mary.’ “

K: Kim Richey, “Every River.”

5. If you could sit in with one musician or band, who would that be?

W: “I think this question is for the musicians out there. When I was a kid, I wanted to be in Black Sabbath.”

K: If I were a musician, I think it would be pretty cool to play with the E Street Band.

6. What's the best place you've ever seen a concert?

W: “Fitzgerald’s.”

K: I’ll go with that. Followed by the Old Town School.

7. The worst?

W: “I hope I don’t have to ever go back to the World/Tweeter/Midwest whatever the frak it’s called now.”

K: I don’t think I ever want to go to another big festival, like at Soldier Field.

8. Did your Dad have a love for music? How about your Mom?

W: “Ummm… not really. I mean, my dad liked Frank Sinatra, and I took my mom to see Tony Bennett earlier this year, but they didn’t buy music by the ton the way I do.”

K: I can remember my dad liking only a few rock songs: “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies, and “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger. And “American Pie.” My mom really liked watching Bruce Springsteen when she would see him on tv.

9. DRM stands for __________________ .

W: “Ummm… I have no idea. Are those Dave Matthews’ initials?”

K: I remember a band called DRI. And DOA. No idea.

10. What singer's pipes blow you away?

W: “Patty Griffin, Neko Case, Sinead O’Connor, Karan Casey.”

K: Roger Daltrey when he was younger. Bruce Springsteen.

Get Well, Big Guy

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood this morning.

“Sorry I didn’t get back to you the other day. It’s been another hectic month.”

No problem. What’s going on?

“Our cat had another cancer surgery.”

I’m sorry to hear that. How is he doing?

“OK, considering. He had two little lumps, so we took him to the vet, and it turned out that both lumps were cancerous – the vet called them soft tissue sarcomas. So he had to have them both removed, and he’s got two more long scars, to go with the one he got last year. He just got his sutures removed yesterday.”

You and your wife are the best cat owners, Will. I’m sure you’re taking good care of him.

“I hope so. My wife is starting to worry that we’re going to be keeping him alive for selfish reasons, rather than doing what’s best for him.”

How old is he?

“He’ll be nine this year. So, in human years, he’s about the same age we are.”

How is he handling everything?

“As far as we can tell, he’s ok. I mean, he’s clearly uncomfortable, and he’s not happy with the collar he’s been wearing for two weeks. But never for a second did I believe that he wanted us to put him out of his suffering. And the other day he jumped from the one set of steps, up on to our bed, which is about three feet – it was a damned good jump for an overweight, three-legged cat recovering from cancer surgery.”

As I said, I know that you are taking care of him.

“We discussed everything with our vet. He had talked with a couple of veterinary oncologists -- I guess that sometimes they can do radiation treatments for cats, but he didn’t think that our cat was a good candidate.”

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

“And then I find out that the one flavor of cat food that we feed one of the other cats, just got added to the big recall. So I had to return that food to PetSmart today, and now I have to find something else that the one cat will eat.”

I keep meaning to write some letters to the cat food companies about all this.

“I read through the FAQ from the one company, Nutro / MaxCat. It answered some questions, but there are still plenty more to be answered.”

All that’s happening in the world, and we worry most about our cats.

“Because they’re closer to us – physically and emotionally – than the rest of the world.”

Ten Questions for a Monday

Why won’t they name the company that supplied the wheat gluten that went into the pet food that poisoned hundreds or thousands of pets? Why hasn’t the FDA issued an updated count of pets that have gotten sick?

Who is going to buy the Cubs?

Would this story be believable with any other recent Vice President? What about this story and any other President?

What is happening to the bees?

Will Veronica Mars be back next season? What about Jericho?

Does Harry Potter die in the seventh and last book?

Does anyone really drink eight glasses of water every day?

Bob Frakking Dylan

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood for a few minutes today – he was busy at work, and didn’t have a lot of time.

WARNING – SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON THREE FINALE OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

“We have not discussed the season finale of Battlestar Galactica yet. Pretty strange, huh?”

Strange that we have not discussed it, or a strange episode?

“Ha. Both, I guess. Let’s see, Season One ended with Adama being shot.”

That was right about when I started watching.

“Season Two ended with them on New Caprica and the Cylons finding them.”

That was a shocker.

“And now Season Three ends with new Cylons, Bob Dylan, and the return – maybe – of Starbuck.”

Seeing Starbuck again wasn’t a shock. And I kind of suspected that something was up with the chief, when found that temple. The other three Cylons were a bit of a surprise.

“And them hearing Bob Dylan? How do they explain that?”

I read some of the reviews, and interviews. I think someone said that maybe there was a songwriter somewhere out there, who somehow thought of the same lyrics as Dylan…

“That’s a bit of a stretch.”

Stay tuned. I’m sure they’ll explain some things next season.

“Which isn’t for like nine months. 2008.”

I heard they’re planning to do an episode this fall, kind of bridging the gap between season three and season four.

“We’ll talk more later. Gotta run.”

And so Will ran. Before we could discuss whether Starbuck is just in Lee’s head, the way that Six and Baltar are in each other’s heads, and I didn’t get to ask him if he had seen Tricia Helfer in Playboy, and how Tigh could be a Cylon when Adama has known him for many years, and what it means that there is at least one other Cylon/human hybrid baby, and…

And Even I'm Getting Tired...

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood today. I thought he would tell me about last night’s Patty Griffin show, but…

“We didn’t go.”

Bummer. What happened?

“What happened? What happened is that I forgot that going to shows in the city on weeknights is pretty tough on a tired old guy, who is still adjusting to new medication, and is sick of fighting traffic. I just wasn’t up for it.”

Sorry to hear that, Will. I know you’re a big fan of Patty’s.

“Yeah. I was bummed about missing her shows at Schubas earlier this year, so I was hoping to catch last night’s show, but it didn’t happen. If I had planned things better, I could have at least sold the tickets on ebay or something…”

You ok? You sound tired again.

“I probably shouldn’t have had a beer with lunch, when I’m on medication.”

Did you watch Lost last night, as long as you were home?

“Yeah. So not only did I miss my concert, but I wasted an hour watching another weak episode of Lost.”

It was not one of their better shows. I’m not sure what the point was in telling the backstory of a couple of minor characters.

“I wanted to watch Jericho last night, but didn’t have time.”

Me neither. I burned more of covivant’s cooking shows to dvd, watched Lost, and went to bed just past ten.

“I was talking to someone about that big Clapton concert, the big festival that’s in Chicago this year.”

The Crossroads concert.

“Yeah, that one. When I expressed my opinion that big all day festivals were fine for young people, that I wouldn’t go unless I had a skybox ticket, in the shade, with a private bathroom – well, the person I was talking with called me a ‘weenie.’”

Yawn. Whatever.

“I mean, I saw some festivals when I was younger, but when I make a list of the best shows I’ve seen, I don’t think my list includes anything that was at Soldier Field, or Navy Pier, or that Guinness Fleadh clusterfuck.”

The person you were talking to about the Clapton thing – is this one of those guys who thinks that the more money he pays for a show, the better the show is?

“I don’t think so. I think he’s genuinely enthusiastic about music, even though he’s older than we are. He’s mostly a classic rock fan, and those are the shows that you find at big stadiums in the summer.”

I don’t plan on finding any of those shows.

“I thought about going to that festival last year in Chicago, the one that Roky Erickson played at. But I just have no interest in spending many hours sitting – or standing, more likely – in the summer weather, with twenty thousand drunk morons around me.”

I hate to say it, Will, but I think we are both having trouble adjusting here.

“Adjusting to what? Getting older?”

More specifically, I meant giving up a lot of the concert-going experience.

“Yeah. It’s something that I’ve really enjoyed for many years – giving it up, or just cutting back, it feels like some kind of admission that I’ve gotten old.”

Got any meaningful song lyrics I could quote at the end of my post?

“How about that old Jethro Tull song, about being too old to rock and roll, too young to die?”

Yawn.

“I was kidding. ’Hope I die before I get old’?’”

Cliché.

“Maybe a Patty Griffin lyric. How about this one…”

Ouch. You sure you’re ok?

“Yeah, I’m fine, really. Just hanging on to that capacity for sadness.”



“Everyday I take a bitter pill
It gets me on my way
For the little aches and pains
The ones I have from day to day
To help me think a little less about the things I miss
To help me not to wonder how I ended up like this”

To Know Which Way the Wind Blows

I was talking to my friend TS Elmwood again yesterday afternoon. We were both out enjoying the record warm weather.

“Do you believe this? Weren’t we buried in snow a few weeks ago?”

I guess we lived through February.

“And it will be opening day for baseball season in a week.”

I found the neighbor kids’ baseball in our backyard the other day. It was like a sign of spring, that and all the robins.

“It was great, being able to open up all the windows at home this morning. Unfortunately, our neighbor was out on his patio with his cigar, and with the wind out of the southwest, I could smell it in my kitchen.”

Bummer.

“They’re good people, but the next time they complain about my bird feeders, they’ll hear from me about cigar smoke.”

They don’t like birds?

“No, they might poop on their perfect lawn. And I don’t think they like all the squirrels that invade my feeders, one of them might drop a peanut shell in their perfect garden.”

Life in the suburbs.

“Big plans for the nice weather today?”

I hope not. You?

“Do a little cleanup in the yard. I think I’ll save raking leaves and dead stuff for a couple weeks later. All of your cats healthy? Nothing bad in their food, I hope?”

Healthy as we could hope for a bunch of old cats. They sure enjoy being out on the porch when it’s warm like this.

“I didn’t think that you let your cats outside.”

No, we don’t – we have a screened-in porch, that’s too cold in winter and too hot much of the summer, but it’s really nice in spring and fall. I was out there, reading a book, with a cat curled up next to me.

“I was outside earlier, and I just sat still for a few minutes, and felt the warmth of the sun on my skin. And I went throught the drive-thru at Starbucks, and sat there while they made my drink, with the car windows down, feeling the breeze. I just love these warm spring days, I feel my lifeforce coming back after all these months.”

Covivant says she hopes my S.A.D. is finally lifting.

“We saw a couple of Irish bands Saturday evening – it’s hard to stay sad, or S.A.D., with that kind of music.”

Whom did you see?

“Lunasa and Dervish, at the Old Town School. I’ve been a Lunasa fan for several years, they’re always great. I liked Dervish, too – first time I’ve heard a Cher song done Celtic-style.”

Cher?

“The singer introduced it as a song she had heard on the radio, and she thought the band could play it their way. She said it was about the ‘marginalized of society,’ then she started singing ‘I was born in the wagon of a traveling show…’“

That would be “Gypsies Tramps and Thieves,” I believe?

“You got it. They also played Dylan’s ‘Boots of Spanish Leather.’ ”

***Warning – spoiler coming for the season three finale of Battlestar Galactica***

You don’t watch Battlestar Galactica, do you?

“No, but I’ve heard it’s good.”

I’ll have to talk to Will about it, then. They used some lines from ”All Along the Watchtower” in last night’s season finale.

“Sounds intereresting. You’ll have to stick those lines at the end of your blog.”



“ ’There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
’There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.’ “

More Sick Cats and Dogs

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood again today. He was still angry about the pet food recall.

“Rat poison. How does rat poison get into pet food?”

I don’t know, Will. I saw the story, didn’t get the chance to read it yet.

“And the first lawsuits have been filed against Menu Foods.”

I saw that. And I saw that PETA is demanding criminal charges in several states.

“And I hadn’t even noticed the dates in that New York Times story – Menu knew about possible problems last month, and it took them three weeks to announce the recall?”

I did see where someone pointed out that this could be a wake-up call to millions of pet owners, that they need to take a look at what they are feeding their pets.

“And it could mean an increase in business for the natural food makers.”

I talked to our veterinarian yesterday – he said they had one cat that was hospitalized last week, and they think it was due to the food.

“I hate to think of how many pets have been affected by this. I could be hundreds, thousands.”

I keep thinking about the picture from the New York Times story, the one I used on my previous post.

“That was a great picture, a sad picture. I feel bad for that woman and her poor little dog. Sometimes I look into the eyes of our cats, and I think of how much they trust us, that we’re taking care of them, feeding them the right food.”

You’ve given your cats good lives. Always remember that.

“I know, I know. I just worry that someone could take those lives away from me.”

On the Menu: Sick Pets

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood this morning, and he was not happy.

"You've heard about the big pet food recall, I'm sure."

Of course. I was in PetSmart Sunday, saw the sign, and went home to make sure our cats' food was okay.

"Well, even if it's ok, it's probably not ok."

Meaning what?

"Meaning that if you buy foods made by this Menu Foods, then you're supporting cruelty to animals."

Explain.

"I was reading a bunch of the news stories, and I saw a story in the Tribune that was just disgusting. Here, let me quote it to you: 'Menu Foods told the FDA it received the first complaints of kidney failure and death among cats and dogs from pet owners on Feb. 20. It began new tests on Feb. 27. During those tests, the company fed its product to 40 to 50 dogs and cats. Seven animals--the mix of species was not immediately known--died...’ There was also a story in the New York Times.”

So they learned that their petfood might be killing animals, and they decided to be sure?

"By killing more animals."

I read the list of pet foods made by Menu -- it's a long list. And it includes the Nutro / MaxCat that we buy.

"I think it might be time to reconsider the brand you buy."

I will reconsider. It's just that our oldest cat is really picky -- she's going to be sixteen years old next month, and I don't know if she will be interested in trying new foods.

"I know, it could be a tough decision, but I've heard you talk about how you try to buy cruelty-free products. I started looking around online. I found a list of brands from companies that do not test on animals at PETA's website.”

You know that I’m not a big fan of PETA.

“I know, I know, neither am I. But sometimes they have information that other organizations don’t.”

If PETA would stop trying so hard to offend people, they might have a few more supporters.

“I think PETA believes that offending people is their purpose. Anyway, do some checking on your catfoods.”

After I talked to Will, I did some checking.

We buy cat treats made by Halo -- they are on the list of companies that do not do testing on animals.

We buy several kinds of dry food, including Innova and Science Diet. They are not on PETA’s list.

And we buy Nutro moist food. Nutro is not on PETA’s list.

I’ll be contacting these companies, to ask them their position on laboratory testing of animals. Stay tuned.

The Times, They Are A-Springin'-Forward

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood, and I told him he looked like he could use a long nap.

“There are several reasons that I’m tired today. One is stupid Congress.”

You and Congress were out partying this weekend?

“No, it’s the time change. Springing forward always throws off my schedule – it feels like I woke up in the middle of the night this morning.”

It was kind of dark when my alarm went off today. Congress could probably find some more important problems to work on, rather than screwing up our clocks, both internal and external.

“Then there’s my urologist.”

I did not know that you have a urologist.

“As of last week. New medication, makes me a bit dopey.”

Let’s save that discussion for another post.

“OK. The main reason I’m tired is the three shows I saw in the past three nights.”

You and your concerts, again. You’re old enough to have a urologist, but you still think you can go out three nights in a row.

“I know, I know.”

So whom did you see?

“Friday was Alejandro Escovedo and Chuck Prophet at the Old Town School of Folk Music.”

If you drove into the city on a Friday, then I bet traffic sucked.

“Took me over two hours to get there. I spent more a lot more time in the car that evening than I did watching music.”

Long drives, or short show?

“Both. It was one of those nights where the Old Town School decided they had to squeeze in two shows. So they had to clear the room for the late show. Alejandro was done by like 9:30 – he only played for a little over an hour.”

You’re kidding – I saw him play for almost three hours once.

“Well, in his defense, he is a bit older now, and he does have his own health issues.”

He still puts on a good show, doesn’t he?

“Well, yes. But he played several songs from his most recent record, and one brand new song, and I hate to say it, but his songwriting is in a slump. It makes me nervous that he’s using his wife poetry for song lyrics. And the brand new song – which he wrote with Chuck Prophet – didn’t do much for me.”

How was Chuck Prophet’s set?

“He was good. I wish I had bought a cd or two.”

He was in Green On Red, right?

“Right. One of those bands I missed back in the 80’s.”

Whom did you see Saturday?

“Back to the Old Town School for Karan Casey and Crooked Still. It was a really good show.”

I’ve heard of Karan Casey, but I don’t think I know Crooked Still.

“Kind of bluegrassy / old-timey music. But with a cello as the lead instrument, rather than a fiddle.”

Different.

“I was telling someone that the singer looked a bit like Lisa Loeb, the banjo player looked a lot like a very young Bruce Springsteen, and the cellist looked like Kurt Cobain.”

Different.

“And it turns out that the banjo player actually toured with Bruce last year. I wish I had bought their cd too.”

You’ve seen Karan Casey before, haven’t you?

“Saw her open for Lunasa, last year. One of my favorite Celtic singers. She does a version of a song called, I think, ‘Love Is Teasing’ -- aye, ‘twould melt your heart. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s on any of her cd’s.”

And Sunday’s show?

“Natalie MacMaster, out at the Hemmens in Elgin. Another really good show. My wife and I bought three of her cd’s last night. A very energetic show, considering she’s six months pregnant.”

She’s the one who fiddles and stepdances, right?

“Right, but there was a bit less dancing last night. Coincidentally, I saw both her and Karan Casey last year – and both were pregnant last year.”

And today you’re probably more tired than a pregnant stepdancer.

“As soon as I pick my wife up from the train, I’m going to bed.”

Isn’t Heroes on tonight?

“It’s a rerun. But, dammit, that reminds me that I do have to watch last night’s Battlestar Galactica. And my wife has been busy, so we have a couple of Gilmore Girls we haven’t watched yet.”

March is rerun month, Will. You’ll have time to caught up on your shows.

“I know. Right after I get caught up on my sleep.”

Lost Cats

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood, and he was not happy.

“I think I’m going to stop watching Lost.”

We discussed Lost recently – I didn’t think you were ready to give up on it.

“What did you think of last night’s episode?”

SPOILER ALERT – we are going to discuss episode number 59, “Enter 77,” which was on US tv yesterday, March 7, 2007.

It was pretty good, I guess. A bit violent.

“What about the cat being abandoned in the jungle at the end?”

That did bother me.

“It bothered me a lot. They wouldn’t have done that to a dog.”

By ‘they,’ you are referring to the writers and/or producers of Lost.

“Any tv show’s writers and producers. It’s always ok to have a cat being abused, but they would never show a character leaving a dog to die in the jungle.”

Slow down, let’s think about this. Perhaps The Others will come to investigate the explosion, and they’ll find the cat and take care of it.

“I’ll bet you anything that the show never refers to that cat again. Or the horse we saw, or the cow.”

But you must have appreciated the scene where the Iraqi woman talks about rescuing the alleycat.

“Yes, it was good that she rescued the cat. But the writers would not have written the scene with a dog being tortured.”

They did not show any animal abuse on screen. The Iraqi woman’s cat seemed to be cared for – it showed that she still had compassion in her, despite being tortured herself.

“Yes, yes, that was a nice touch. It’s just that I hate to see animal abuse, especially involving cats, being used as a plot device.”

I found myself thinking about all the cats on Maui.

“That’s right, they film Lost in Hawaii. I did read that there is a serious cat overpopulation problem there.”

Seeing that cat abandoned in the jungle, I was thinking of all the starving cats in Hawaii. And the ones that are not starving are eating the endangered bird species.

“I was thinking about Carlita.”

Umm…

“Rose’s cat on Invasion. When the show ended, there were several cliffhangers left unresolved, including whether Carlita survived everything.”

Do you think that Lost will answer some of our questions in the remaining episodes this season?

“Actually, I think that Eyepatch Guy may have answered some questions last night, when he talked about the conflict between the Dharma scientists and The Others.”

One more thing bothered me about last night’s show – when did Locke become so dumb?

“Yeah, ignoring a dangerous captive so he could go play chess. Pretty dumb.”

You are going to keep watching, aren’t you?

“Yeah, I will. Just so I can say ‘I told you so’ when they never refer to the lost cat again.”

Julie Miller, We Need You

My friend Will Briarwood was telling me about Julie Miller, Bruce Springsteen and 9/11…

“Remember the story about Bruce Springsteen, and the fan who said we needed him after 9/11?”

Refresh my memory.

“The story – at least the story that we saw on the morning news shows – was that Bruce was in his car somewhere in New Jersey, a few months after 9/11. A fan recognized him and yelled something like “we need you, Bruce.”

I do remember the story. And Bruce was inspired to write songs about 9/11, which became his album The Rising.

“Yeah. Bruce did make a great album, with some great songs.”

You said you were also thinking about Julie Miller.

“One of the first shows I saw after 9/11 was Buddy and Julie Miller at FitzGerald’s. Near the end of the show, Julie was talking about what was happening in the country -- I wish I had written down her exact words.”

What did she say?

“She talked about God, but only about love, not about hate. I remember her message as everyone should try to love each other a bit more and hate each other a bit less. That we should all reach out to anyone we knew who was a Muslim, or an Arab-American. Because that was what Jesus would do.”

That’s quite different from what a lot of so-called-Christians were saying at that time.

“I know – I seem to recall Jerry Falwell on tv, saying that we needed to kill the evildoers, in Jesus’ name.”

So your point about Bruce and Julie is…

“I wish that someone would see Julie driving around Nashville, and would say to her, ‘we need you, Julie.’”

Which would inspire her to make an album about…

“About what she said at FitzGerald’s.”

I don’t think I’ve heard anything new from her for a while – where has she been?

“Not sure. I checked around online, and I think the story is that she’s had some health problems, and a death in the family, and just hasn’t been able to make a record for several years. I have a Google alert for ‘julie miller,’ but most of the info I get is on many other people named ‘julie miller.’ “

Covivant is a big fan of hers. It would be good to hear Julie’s perspective on things.

“I mean, people have made records about 9/11. I think the best is the Sleater-Kinney song, ‘Faraway.’“

There were those Neil Young records, good and bad.

“And Butch Hancock’s most recent one.”

I’ve heard a song by Mudhoney called “Hard On For War. ” And I heard Richard Thompson play his new song last week, called “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me.”

“ ‘Dad’? “

Short for Baghdad. Like ‘Nam’ was short for Vietnam.

“Got it. So, are you going to put some Julie Miller lyrics at the end of the post?”

Yes, I am.


“You can have my heart
If you don't mind broken things
You can have my life if you don't mind these tears
Well I heard that you make old things new
So I give these pieces all to you
If you want it you can have my heart”

Dream Dreams the Dreamer

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood earlier today. He was telling me about the dream he had last night.

“I had just arrived at a concert hall, and I was trying to find some place to leave my bike.”

Your bicycle, or your motorcycle?

“Don’t know. I don’t remember that I was pedalling, and I don’t remember that an engine was running. It was one of those dream things, where you just move via an unknown force. I was riding around alleys and parking lots, and there were no parking spaces or bike racks.”

Did anything look familiar? Did you know where you were?

“I thought I might be in Oak Park. I was getting worried, because the show had already started. I could hear the opening act from outside.”

Who was it?

“It was Big Country. They were opening for U2.”

Interesting. What song were they playing?

“Don’t know. I just heard music and knew that it was Big Country.”

Stuart Adamson is dead – were you hearing a different singer? Or were you back in the past?

“Did I mention that it was a dream? It was another one of those dream things, where you just know what is happening, without knowing all the details.”

Okay. Did you get your bike parked?

“Nope. Dream ended with me still outside, riding around.”

Sorry to hear that. You know, I think they say that dreams like that indicate a fear of having no control over your life.

“Yeah. The fear pops up in your unconscious, and plays itself out as a dream – rather than the dream making you wake up feeling afraid.”

I know you’ve mentioned that you hate being late for concerts.

“I do hate being late -- my wife complains that we always leave way too early, and end up sitting around waiting for the show to start.”

It wasn’t her fault that you were late, in the dream?

“No, I don’t think my unconscious was blaming her for anything. I don’t think I was with anyone. Just me on a bike.”

You do think about concerts a lot, for a man your age.

“Right back at ya. Hey, did I tell you I was thinking about Julie Miller, Bruce Springsteen and 9/11?”

Tell me about it in the next post…