Can We Live Through August?

I was talking with my friend TS Elmwood the other day. She called to make sure we were ok after last week’s storms.

“I was reading Tom Skilling’s weather blog. Looks like things were pretty bad in some places.”

We actually spent about twenty minutes down on the first floor of our office building that afternoon, because there was a tornado warning for the city.

“Everything ok?”

The building is fine. A street about half mile north is closed, and there are some trees down. I walked around by the river today, and there is some flooding on the bikepaths, and the small bridges are closed. And there is some more serious flooding on the Fox River, farther north.

“And your house is ok?”

Much to our relief, it is. We just had a bit of water in the basement. The tree out back lost a bunch of small branches. One of the houses across the street lost a huge old tree.

“When I was kid growing up out that way in the suburbs, the power would always go out during storms.”

It does go out more than I thought it would out here. Ours was out most of the day Friday – I figure ComEd may have shut things down while they were picking up power lines.

“Was there a lot of damage in your area?”

Not right around our house, but it turns out that a tornado touched down a couple miles north of us. Lots of trees down, power lines down – I drove home that way on Thursday, so I must have gone through there only about an hour after the tornado did.

“I’m glad you’re all ok. I saw some scary looking pictures in the news.”

We’re all ok. I was home most of Friday -- with the power out, I spent several hours sitting by the window, catching on my reading, and catching up on petting cats.

“Awww. Hey, how is Will’s cat doing?”

Unfortunately, she died a few weeks ago.

“Oh no, that’s too bad. How are he and Mary doing?”

OK, I think, but I know Will is pretty down. They had that cat for like fourteen years. And one of their other cats had cancer last year, and now they are afraid that his cancer is back.

“That’s so sad.”

I know. Driving home from work last Thursday, during the storms, I kept worrying about our cats, because I knew they would be scared of the thunder of lightning. And they would have been really scared if the tree in our backyard had ended up in our kitchen.

“You know, it is even worse with kids. Worries, I mean.”

I know.

“Take care of yourself, K. And take care of covivant, and take care of those cats.”

Thanks. You take care of your family as well.

Farewell, Old Girl

I talked to my friend Will Briarwood last night – he called to pass along the sad news that one of their cats had died.

“The old girl died a week and a half ago.”

I am sorry, Will.

“Thanks.”

How is everyone doing?

“Well, Mary and I miss her terribly. Everything we do at home feels different, and the house feels empty, and every time I hear mention of a cat somewhere, I think of her... anyway, I try to not be too down about it -- so I came up with ten things that I’m thankful for.”

Proceed.

“It’s been fifteen years since any of our pets died. We’re thankful for that.”

Considering all the health problems you and your cats have dealt with over the years, that is pretty amazing.

“As hard as it is for us to deal with her death, it would have been very hard for her if Mary and I had died first.”

That is true – covivant and I should really come up with some sort of plans for our animals in case something happens to us.

“And the old girl was very close to the queen –- for many years, it was just the two of them -- the queen has seemed a bit depressed the past couple weeks, but I think it would have been really hard on the old girl if the queen had died first.”

What else?

“The old girl was in pretty good health for most of her almost fifteen-year life, and I think we did the right thing, letting go of her at the right time.”

I am sure that you and Mary made the right decisions, and you made them out of compassion.

“And I called in sick to work for a couple days, so I was at home during the old girl’s last day. And she did die at home, without having to go to the vet one last time.”

I am sure that she appreciated you being with her, Will.

“And we were once again thankful for having a great veterinarian – everyone there was very kind to us.”

I think you are up to about seven in your lists of things to be thankful for.

“Well, of course, the last three things are the most important – Mary and I could not get through any of this without having three more cats at home, who need us.”

You mentioned that the queen might be a little depressed – how are the guys?

“I think they can tell that something is different, and they probably react to Mary and I being down. And, unfortunately, the big guy is having more health problems.”

Again, I am sorry, Will. Not more cancer, I hope.

“We don’t know yet. He has been coughing a bit, and the vet did a chest x-ray and found a shadow on his lung. It could be a tumor, it could be some sort of abscess or infection, or something benign – we’re giving him antibiotics and hoping it clears up.”

Can they do more tests to figure out what it is?

“Well, that’s what the one vet suggested, that we should take him in for a ct scan and a needle biopsy. But Mary talked to the other vet, and we decided that would be adding too much unnecessary stress to the big guy’s life – and it’s not like we could do anything for him if his cancer is back.”

I guess they cannot do lung cancer surgery on a cat.

“No, I don’t think so. But anyway, I’m trying to think about those things I’m thankful for, and hoping I don’t have to go through all this again with the big guy any time soon.”

Good luck, Will.

“Thanks. I’ll keep you posted…”

Further On Up the Road

I was talking to my friend TS Elmwood earlier today. I was telling her about Will’s cat being very ill.

“That’s so sad. I feel so bad for him and Mary – you’ve told me how much they love their animals.”

He said that they are worried that their old girl is near the end.

“Our dog died last year. During her last weeks, I found myself trying to come up with ways to express what I was feeling. Metaphors, analogies, whatever, for the experience.”

For instance?

“I would think about walking with her, along a path near a cliff, and being scared to death that she was going to fall off the cliff. I realized that wasn’t quite right – she was old and sick, she wasn’t going to fall off a cliff. Then I would think about fog.”

Fog?

“I would think about walking through a thick fog with her, and she would be by my side, then she would walk a little farther away from me, and it would be harder to see her in the fog, and again, I was scared that she would walk away from me, and disappear into the fog, and she would be gone.”

Will was telling me that one night he saw their cat sitting in the doorway to their bedroom, and then the cat walked away and disappeared around the corner.

“Poor Will. That does come close to describing how I felt about our dog. So along with cliffs and fog, I also thought about different paths – that is, paths or roads, with forks or branches.”

Explain.

“When I realized that our dog did not have long to live, I realized that we were on the path to her death. Day by day, I would think about the path ahead, and my impressions of how long or short the path might be – when she had a good couple of days, I would think that the path had changed, and we still might have a ways to go. But then her symptoms would get worse, and I would feel that we had taken a different path, one that would be shorter.”

Will was saying that he hopes to get her to her next birthday in a month.

“And we had hoped to get our dog through the holidays. She made it, and then we had to let her go.”

This is probably a stupid question, but do you believe any of that rainbow bridge stuff?

“I don’t know. Have you heard the story about the man, his dog, and the path to heaven?”

Not that I recall.

“Let me try to adapt it to a man with cats. Ummm…“

So a man is out walking. He feels as if he is just waking from a dream, and he is just becoming aware of his surroundings. He looks around, and he sees that a number of cats are walking with him.

He remembers that these cats were his, through various times in his life, and that they all died before he did. And he realizes that he too, had died.

He and the cats walk for a ways, and they come to a big, fancy gate. There is a man sitting on a chair in front of the gate – he sees the man, and smiles, and the gate opens.

“Come in,” says the man at the gate. “We’ve been expecting you.”

The man with the cats looks through the gate, and sees a beautiful village, with many beautiful buildings and beautiful people. He asks the man at the gate, “What is this place?”

“This is Heaven,” is the answer. “Come in and join us.”

The man with the cats starts to walk through the gate. But the other man stops him, and says, “Wait,” and points to the cats, “they’re not allowed here.”

The man with the cats looks at the beautiful village behind the gate. He looks at his cats, and they look at him. He turns to the man at the gate, and says, “No thanks.”

So the man and the cats walk a ways further. They come to another gate – this is a simple wooden gate. Behind the gate he can see what looks like another village. An ordinary-looking village, with ordinary people. And the people are walking with dogs, and cats, and horses, and lots of other animals.

There is an old couple standing at the gate, next to an old pump. They smile at the man with the cats, and they put out several bowls of water, from which the cats drink eagerly.

“What is this place?” asks the man with the cats.

“This is Heaven,” says the old man.

“Come in, we’ve been expecting you,” says the old woman, and she motions to the cats – “all of you.” And the gate opens.

As the man and the cats all walk through the gate, the man turns to the old couple and says, “You know, there’s another place up the road, and they say that they’re Heaven.”

The old man nods. “They would say that, wouldn’t they.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?” asks the man with the cats.

“Nope,” says the old woman. “The people who really want to get to here – they always find their way here.”

The Old Girl's Story

I had not heard from my friend Will Briarwood for a while, so I sent him an e-mail and asked him how the cats were doing. He called me back.

“It looks like we’re getting near the end for the old girl.”

I am sorry to hear that, Will.

“Yeah. We took her to the vet yesterday – she was already scheduled to get her blood work rechecked, but then she suddenly stopped eating a couple days ago, and she’s been really weak and lethargic. The vet took a chest x-ray, and said her lungs are in worse shape than we thought.”

Is she still coughing?

“No, actually, she was coughing a lot a week ago, then she stopped. And she was eating ok, so we thought she was doing pretty well. But now…”

We can talk about this some other time, if you prefer…

“Well, let me give you the situation, and let me tell you a quick story. We were at the vet for like ninety minutes yesterday, and I’m trying to process everything he’s telling us. And not only am I trying to understand the old girl’s health – Mary compared it to when her grandmother died, after having pneumonia several times, her lungs were just worn out – not only that, but Mary was also asking the vet about putting her to sleep, and I’m trying to take this all one step at a time…”

You and Mary will know what step to take when, Will.

“I know. Mary already talked to a vet who does house calls, so when the time comes, we can let the old girl go without having to stress her out with one final trip to the vet…”

Can we do anything for you?

“No, I think we’re ok. If only the old girl would get her appetite back, then maybe we would have a bit more time – I really wanted to get her to her birthday in a month.”

How old will she be?

“She would be – will be – could be… she was born on September 2, 1992, so her fifteenth birthday is coming up.”

If I remember correctly, that would make her about seventy-five in human years.

“Seventy-six on the chart we use. Let me tell you a quick story, then I gotta go.”

OK.

“True story, unless I was dreaming. I’ve mentioned that all of the cats sleep in our bed with us.”

You have.

“And they come and go during the night – sometimes I wake up, and they’re all there, sometimes it’s a couple of them, sometimes they’re all somewhere else.”

Go on.

“Week or two back, I woke up early one morning. Mary was asleep, and all four cats were in the bed with us. After a few minutes, the old girl gets up, climbs out of bed, and walks to the bedroom doorway. She sits there for a moment, and, half awake, I call her name. She looks over her shoulder for a few seconds, then she walks out into the hallway, turns the corner, and she’s gone. And I’m lying there, completely… what’s the word I want…”

Spooked?

“No, that would imply something scary, or evil. Unsettled, maybe? Lying there in bed, me and Mary, with only three cats. And the image of the old girl, sitting in the doorway, on her way to… somewhere…”

That would be unsettling.

“And you know how it is, when we’re stressed by things like this, sometimes we try to read too much into a normal occurrence.”

Like this was a premonition?

“Or a message from the old girl, that she wanted me to know that she would be leaving soon…”

Are you sure there is nothing that covivant and I can do for you?

“We’ll be ok. One way or another. I’ll let you know how things go.”

Stuart and Dave, Peter and Abby

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood earlier today.

“Do you know who Peter Walsh is?”

The name sounds familiar…

“He’s a professional organizer, he used to be on Clean Sweep.”

I remember – covivant and I watched that show for a while.

“We saw him on Oprah recently, talking about his new book, and getting all philosophical.”

They did not get into that Secret stuff, did they?

“No, not that kind of philosophy. Peter helps people get rid of the clutter in their lives, and he said that people generally have two kinds of clutter.”

Which are…

“Stuff that they associate with memories, and stuff that they think they might need one day. So half of their stuff is from the past, and half is for the future, so they’re not living for today. Or something like that.”

That makes sense. I know I have lots of stuff in each of those categories.

“Well, as usual, it got me thinking about other stuff, and people.”

Is this about stuff that you are saving, that has memories of family, or people you knew?

“Not physical stuff, no.”

Umm – what are we talking about here, Will?

“Let me tell you whom I was thinking about – Stuart Adamson, and the Hoodoo Gurus, and my friend Abby from college.”

OK.

“Stuart Adamson was the singer / guitarist / songwriter for Big Country. I bought their first couple records, and then kind of lost interest in them. I bought their last record after he died, and found myself feeling guilty that I had not followed his career.”

Guilty?

“Not the right word, maybe. But I felt like I should have stayed with them longer, that I had missed out on something.”

Same for the Hoodoo Gurus?

“Yeah. Except that Dave Faulkner – the singer / guitarist / songwriter – is still alive. I bought their first few records, and again, lost interest.”

Ummm – you do know that, as a fan, you are not really obligated to keep buying their music forever?

“I know, I know. Mary says I’m – what’s the word, transferring? I’m transferring my feelings about something, or someone else to the music I listen to.”

You mentioned your friend, Abby?

“Yeah. Let me say first, that I had a bunch of good friends back in college, and kept in touch with them for many years, but eventually I stopped seeing them, then we stopped calling, and now I think we just get one Christmas card from that group of people. So it’s not just Abby.”

Who was she?

“I met her through another friend in college – I think she was someone’s roommate. I’m not sure of the last time I saw her – maybe like fifteen years ago, a few years after she got married.”

And…

“…and she died a couple years ago.”

Oh.

“She was forty-nine, I think. I read her name in the alumni newsletter, in the ‘Deaths’ column. Then I went and found her obituary in the Tribune.”

People do go on different paths, and lose touch over the years.

“I know, I know. It was just a shock to see her obituary – I think she was the first friend of mine that died. And then it was kind of an unhappy realization that none of my other friends from back then had let me know that she died, or that she was sick – the obituary mentioned a ‘battle with cancer.’”

Maybe they had lost touch with her, too.

“Maybe. I guess. So anyway, I was thinking about what Peter Walsh said, and I started looking at the stuff I have in our basement, and started thinking about things that I’m keeping for the memories – cd’s from bands that I stopped listening to, or junk from college days.”

Umm… I think we are just touching lightly on a heavy subject, Will.

“I know. Peter Walsh also has lots to say about the reasons that people save clutter. And that it’s one thing to go through your old lp’s, or cd’s, or through your closet, or basement, and attic, and then the garage…”

But it is another thing…

“It’s two other things. One is to address the reasons that we need to hang onto so much stuff – physical clutter, I mean. And it’s another thing to deal with friends who are gone. Or who are still around, but just not in our lives.”

So which are you going to do first?

“I think I’m going to play an old Big Country record, and then an old Hoodoo Gurus record or two.”

Seriously.

“And then, what I’m going to do, is throw out some stuff that I really don’t need any more.”

What about the old friends? Going to give someone a call, or maybe an e-mail or a letter?

“Still working through that.”

Well, good luck with that.

“Thanks. Leave us with a Big Country lyric, won’t you?”





“I dreamed I heard that you were dead
I dreamed I searched an empty bed
For a sign of you”

Read About It

Stuff I read online recently…

Amy Rigby aka Little Fugitive In France tells about hearing “Every song you never wanted to hear again played as badly as possible without shame.”

Calculated Risk writes about “Those Wacky NAR Forecasts.”

Cocktail Party Physics writes about Al Gore III and his Prius, and many other things.

Jim DeRo talks to Yoko Ono.

And the BBC writes about organic food.

Good Life, With Cats

As I was saying, I talked to my friend Will Briarwood the other day. He was giving me the latest on his cats…

“We took the old girl to the vet a week-and-a-half ago, and we took the boys in the next day.”

And?

“Well, we have good news for now, and we have pretty good news, and we have some good and some not good.”

Proceed.

“The big guy, who has had two cancer surgeries, he got a clean bill of health. The vet said if he can stay healthy for another few months, then we can worry less about recurrence.”

That does sound good.

“For now. After his first surgery, he got two more tumors about five or six months later. So we will keep checking him. I feel bad sometimes, when I go to pet him, and I hesitate because I’m worried about finding another lump.”

I think I read somewhere that cats can, in some way, sense that you are worrying about them. So it is important to keep a positive attitude, to avoid stressing your cat. And yourself.

“I try, but it’s hard. Anyway, the big guy also lost about a pound in the last three months. I told the vet it was probably because the little guy eats special food, and we put it up on the kitchen counter where the big guy can’t get it. So the big guy is eating less than he used to.”

Was the vet concerned about the weight loss?

“Yeah, but I think that’s one of those things that always catches their attention. A weight loss, or a weight gain, those are numbers that are easy to notice. He said another pound might be a concern, if it’s too sudden.”

And how is the little guy?

“He got the pretty good news. He’s all healed after his surgery two months ago. The vet was a bit concerned about the concentration of his urine – we have to get him to eat more of his moist food. Or try adding water to his dry food.”

And how is the old girl?

“Let me take a deep breath here… the vet had us increase her prednisone, which brought her appetite back, which is good, but she’s still coughing, which is not good, and she’s also slightly anemic, which is not good, and we are giving her iron supplements, which we worry could make her constipated. But her kidney functions were good, and she acts normal, meaning that she’s not hiding, and she’s not lethargic, which is good.”

And let’s not forget the queen.

“She’s sixteen years old – we figure she’s about eighty-one in human years – and she also got a clean bill of health last month.”

And how are you and Mary doing with all this?

“It’s a strain. Emotionally and financially. I would be lost – and so would the cats – without Mary.”

You know, you have complained to me that you are the one who is always paying the vet bills, and the pet store bills, and cleaning the catboxes, and…

“Yeah, I know. But she loves those cats so much, and they love her so much – that connection is so important for their health.”

You have given those cats good lives, Will.

“And they have given us a good life.”

Thanks

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood yesterday. He called to let me know how his cats were doing.

“First, though, you said you wanted to thank some people.”

I did say that. So thank you, Amy Rigby, for all those great cd’s of yours, and for your kind words in your comment on this blog the other day.

“I hope she’s happy with Eric in France, and I hope that domestic bliss doesn’t make her next record boring.”

Thanks, Will. I think.

“Who else?”

Two people, neither of whom I ever met in person, both of whom I knew online.

“As well as one can know someone online, you mean.”

Right. So, thank you, Chet Kresiak, for your encouragement about fifteen years ago, when I first got online via the old Prodigy , and we met on the Springsteen boards. And thank you, Dave Purcell, as you were the first person to encourage me to post more on Postcard2, like ten years ago.

“I’d like to thank my wife, Mary, for taking care of our cats.”

Hold that thought for the next post…

Summertime and the Blogging Is Easy

I got an e-mail from my friend TS Elmwood earlier today. TS is into The Weather.

She wanted to make sure I was reading the Tom Skilling weather blog. I do read it, and I had seen the story she mentioned in her e-mail, about how hot and dry it was out west. I called her to discuss.

“Weren’t those great numbers? A hundred and ten degrees, with a dew point below zero, and like one percent humidity.”

It was fairly dry here the other day, but for us that means a dew point down in the forties.

“I hope you got out and enjoyed it.”

I mowed the lawn, front and back.

“That’s not what I mean. Are you still walking?”

Not as much as I should. I got a pedometer recently, but I do not think I have gotten past about five thousand steps in a day.

“I told you that moving out to the suburbs would do that to you.”

I know. When I lived in the city, and did not own a car, I would walk everywhere.

“Now you sit inside and blog.”

Are you saying that I should get a long cable, and take my computer outside?

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying, you dope. How is the blog going?”

OK. I did get my first comment the other day, and it was from one of my favorite people.

“And that would be…”

Amy Rigby. She’s a singer / songwriter, and I have all of her cd’s. I left a comment on her blog, and she returned the favor with a nice, encouraging comment on mine.

“It is nice to get encouragement, isn’t it.”

It is.

TS had to go out with her kids, so we said goodbye.

But before I forget, let me repeat, it is nice to get encouragement. So in my next post, I want to thank some people…

9-1-1 On 7/4

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood yesterday. I asked him how his Fourth was.

“Not too bad. But I did call 9-1-1 last night.”

Neighbors with late night fireworks again?

“No, those morons were a lot quieter this year. And besides, I don’t think the police ever showed up when we called them a couple years ago to complain. This year I called them about Monica.”

Monica?

“About seven o’clock, the doorbell rang. I answered it, and it was a young woman, maybe college-age. She said she was a foreign exchange student – she did have a slight accent – and she was selling children’s books.”

Umm – that sounds pretty dangerous. Did you call Homeland Security, too?

“Ha. Let me continue the story. So she said to me that my children were probably older and moved out. She kept talking, and I cut her off and said I was sorry, but we would not be interested.”

Again, sounds pretty dangerous.

“Then she started asking about which of our neighbors had young children – and she pulls out this map she had drawn of our street, checking off different houses. She said she had knocked on one door twice by mistake, and that she wanted to keep track of which houses she had been to.”

OK, that does sound a bit weird.

“So I told her I did not feel comfortable giving out that sort of information, and she apologized, and went over to the house next door. Mary and I talked about her for a few minutes – we figured it was probably a ninety-five percent chance that she was just some kid selling books.”

And that other five percent?

“Well, there have been a few burglaries around our side of town, over the past few weeks, daytime burglaries. And the stories in the local papers, they always quote the police as saying that citizens should report any suspicious activity.”

So you reported.

“I called the non-emergency number. The woman there said I should call 9-1-1, and they could send a car. I called 9-1-1 – I told the dispatcher about her, and he said they would check her out.”

And?

“Well, I made one mistake, I think – when the guy at 9-1-1 asked if I wanted the officer to come talk to us after he talked to the woman, I said no, that was not necessary. So I don’t know what happened.”

You never saw the police?

“Well, when I was talking to 9-1-1, I could see Monica – did I mention that she said her name was Monica? I could see her at one of the houses at the other end of the block. Then I saw her walk to the corner, turn north, and that’s the last I saw of her.”

Maybe the police saw her on the next block and talked to her.

“Maybe. I mean, I felt bad for this woman, because she probably was just someone selling books. But she was out on a holiday, and she was asking weird questions.”

You do not think that any of your neighbors would call the police?

“I don’t think many of them were home last night. But before Monica left, when I saw her talking to the neighbor at the end of the block, I could see the neighbor pointing to several of the houses down there, like she was telling Monica which houses to go to.”

If Monica was working with burglars, I guess knowing which houses had young children would mean it would be more likely that those houses would have someone home during the day, right?

“Yeah, I wish I had thought of something to tell her, like that Mary worked at home, or that she was out walking our big vicious dog and would be right back.”

Another story with no ending, Will…

“Write one for me. Like, ‘Police Crack Burglary Ring Thanks To Vigilant Citizen.’”

Or ‘Exchange Student Goes Back Home After Police Harassment.’

“Ha. Remind me to give you an update on the cats, next time I talk to you.”

Will do.



“What ever happened I apologize
so dry your tears and baby
walk outside, it's the Fourth of July”

All I Ever Wanted

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood this afternoon. He mentioned he would be taking a few days off work.

“Yeah, it’s vacation time. I’ll be out Friday through Wednesday.”

Big plans?

“Yes and no. Yes, I have lots to do around the house, but no, I don’t think we’re leaving town.”

I suppose you would not want to leave the cats for too long.

“Exactly. You know, I don’t think Mary and I have been out of town together for more than one night since… 2001, maybe? So, the old girl – not Mary, the cat -- is going back in to the vet tomorrow. She was due for a pedicure…”

Pedicure?

“She’s getting her nails trimmed, because we’re tired of trying to cut them at home. Mary calls it her pedicure. And while she’s there, we want the doctor to check her weight and her hydration – we’re worried that her appetite is down again. And we’re worried that all the meds she takes are just wearing her down.”

As we have discussed, it is hard watching the pets get old.

“And then on Saturday, both the boys go in. Big guy for a checkup – it’s been three months since his second cancer surgery. And little guy needs to get his urine re-checked, after his surgery two months ago.”

Aside from going to the vet, got anything fun planned?

“I’d like to go to the FitzGerald’s American Music Festival, but I never seem to have the time or energy to back there since we moved out west.”

Who is playing this year?

“Marcia Ball, Jon Dee Graham, the Wacos, Tony Joe White – if I do go this year, it will be to see him. Who else… Robbie Fulks, Beausoleil, Bill Kirchen, Anna Fermin. Maybe Mary and I will go to a movie. Most likely, I’ll just screw around at home for six days.”

You usually take a longer vacation this time of year, don’t you?

“I used up most of my vacation days with taking care of the cats. These two days were all I had left.”

Two days -- I thought you said you were off till Thursday…

“Tomorrow is summer hours – our office gives us alternate Fridays off during the summer. And Wednesday is a holiday.”

Got it. So what’s on the To Do List at home?

“Jeez, let me think – I want to clean out the office in the basement. And the usual stuff like mowing the lawn, and cleaning catboxes, fun stuff like that.”

Looks like you might get some nice weather for the next few days.

“Yeah, it sure was nice to turn the AC off and open the house up this morning.”

What movie are you thinking of seeing?

“Well, Mary wants to see Pirates again. I was thinking of Sicko. And I heard good things about Waitress.”

Have a good vacation, whatever you do. And good luck with the cats.

“Thanks. I feel like singing that Go-Go’s song.”

Go for it.



“Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Meant to be spent alone”

Talking To the Old Town School

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood earlier today. He was not in a good mood.

“You know, I love the Old Town School of Folk Music.”

You have mentioned that.

“Mary and I have been members for a number of years, and we’ve increased our annual donation the past couple years.”

But…

“They piss me off sometimes.”

You have said that the Old Town School is a great place to see a show, and they have well-behaved audiences, and the people there are great…

“Yes, all true. But I have four complaints.”

Four?

“First, their phone system. When they put tickets on sale to members, I usually go there, to the Lincoln Avenue location, and buy them in person.”

You have mentioned that you have gotten some great seats.

“We usually get seats in the first row. But the other day, tickets went on sale for The Swell Season, and there wasn’t a pre-sale for members, and I didn’t feel like taking the morning off work and driving into the city just to buy tickets for one show, and I ended up with tickets in the balcony.”

I have been to the Old Town School, and balcony tickets are still pretty close to the stage.

“I know, I know. It will still be a great show, and yes, we’ve gotten spoiled after sitting in the front row for most shows. But I had to call like ten times, and wait on hold – so I wish they would either upgrade their phone system, or bring in more people to answer their damn phones.”

You said you had four complaints…

“Well, let me think, I guess the second and third complaints lead to the fourth complaint. The second complaint is Al, and third complaint is Robbie.”

Who are…

“Al is the guy who introduces the shows, and reads all the announcements, and explains the rules…”

Rules?

“Rules for smoking outside, but not taking your drinks outside, and turning off cell phones, and not trying to sneak in a recording device, and not using the noisy doors during the show, et cetera, et cetera. And he thanks the show’s sponsors, and the school’s volunteers, and he thanks the members, and he thanks the media…”

That must take a while.

“And that’s my complaint. If it’s a seven pm show, and Al starts his intro at a few minutes after seven, then the show starts at seven fifteen, if we’re lucky.”

That doesn’t sound too bad.

“Hang on. My third complaint is Robbie. Robbie Fulks, that is.”

I thought you were a fan of his.

“I am, of his music. He is the host of a series of country music shows at the Old Town School. At each of these shows, Robbie interviews the performers.”

Again, doesn’t sound too bad.

“Sometimes he interviews them for like almost an hour.”

Oh. So with Al and Robbie…

“The shows start later than they should, and they run late. And that is my final complaint – and before you say that isn’t so bad, sometimes they have two shows scheduled for one evening. If the early show starts late, then sometimes the performer has to cut their set a bit short.”

Got it. I think.

“I should point out that on nights when Robbie hosts a show, they don’t have a late show. So his long interviews do make the evening a bit longer, but they don’t cut into the sets.”

So…

“I know, I’m running on here. Let me give you two examples. Sometimes, with popular artistes, the school will schedule a 7pm show and 10pm show. If Al doesn’t get off stage till seven fifteen, and the opening acts ends at eight or so, and the main act comes on at like eight fifteen, then they play a shorter set so they don’t delay the late show.”

Got it.

“Second example – we saw Tift Merritt and Anna Fermin at the Old Town School last weekend. Al got off stage at about seven fifteen, Robbie interviewed them till about eight, Anna played about forty-five minutes, and Tift didn’t finish till like ten thirty. I know, that’s not so bad, but it was a Sunday night, and we’ve been to shows that ran past eleven, which would have ended earlier if Robbie had yakked less.”

Will and I both had work to do, and we finished that conversation. He called me back a bit later that same day.

“OK, so now I’m less pissed off.”

At the Old Town School, you mean.

“Yeah. I sent a couple of e-mails to their website, and I already got two nice e-mails back from Gary – he’s the membership director – thanking me for my past support, explaining that with some shows they don’t have time for a members pre-sale before tickets go on sale to the general public, and saying that the Swell Season show was a lot more popular than they expected. And he asked me to clarify my phone problems, so I gave him all the details.”

I’m not sure I know Swell Season, by the way…

“It’s the actor-musicians from the new movie, Once. Great movie, great songs.”

You did not complain to Gary about Al or Robbie?

“Mary says she’s thinking of doing that. I should probably e-mail Gary to warn him.”

Who Wants the World?

I was talking to my friend Will Briarwood a little while ago – he gave me a quick call to make sure I had seen a news story about our least favorite music venue.

“Did you see that story in the Tribune, that the World is for sale?”

You must mean the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, formerly the Tweeter Center, formerly the World Music Something-or-other -- I saw the story in Greg Kot’s blog.

“I think he called it ‘under-performing amphitheater.’”

I think he also said that the concert industry in general has had some performance anxieties lately.

“Heh heh – he said ‘performance anxieties.’”

I think the worst sound I ever experienced at an arena show was one of the Lilith Fair shows that covivant and I saw there. It was muddy, and it was boomy – just terrible.

“And I assume that Sarah and company didn’t have the sound cranked up that high.”

Not really.

“We’ve discussed this before – if you were in the middle of the seats, rather than the left or the right side, then the sound was not quite as bad.”

I don’t think I’ve been there for years, thankfully.

“I saw the Springsteen show there last year.”

Kot mentioned that show in his article, didn’t he. Let me find what he said, here it is:

“The nadir came last year when Bruce Springsteen, who normally packs stadiums, attracted only a few thousand fans to the amphitheater for a concert devoted to his folk-oriented 2006 album ‘We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.’

Springsteen fans, among the most devoted in rock, stayed away because, many of them said, they didn’t want to fight midweek rush-hour expressway traffic and shell out $92 for a ticket at a charmless venue.”

“I was down near the front that night – it was a great show, by the way -- and I think there were more than just a few thousand fans there. But yes, it was a pain-in-the-butt to get there on a weeknight.”

I think my worst ever traffic experience also involved the World – I think it might have been my first time there, it took us three hours to get there from Oak Park.

“The article also said that it’s Live Nation who is trying to sell the place – didn’t Jam used to own it?”

I think so.

“I seem to recall an interview Kot did years ago, with those two mopes at Jam, and they acted like they were offended when he brought up the awful sound of the place.”

Maybe it will sound better when it’s a subdivision in a few years.

“Imagine living in a house, on property where Bruce Springsteen, or Neil Young, or U2 once stood.”

Maybe they’ll call it the Midwest Tweeter World subdivision.

“How about the Springsteen Young Bono Estates. Start printing those sales brochures now.”

Dick

I talked to my friend Mary Briarwood last night. She’s married to my friend Will Briarwood.

“He’s out running errands – I think he was going to the birds store, to the pet store, the hardware store…”

Sounds like fun.

“As he long as he doesn’t get into any fights tonight.”

Will? Fighting?

“Just verbally. He went to get his hair cut last night, where we always go –“

Some guys get into bar fights – Will got into a fight at the salon?

“Let me tell the story, please. So, he’s talking with the woman who cuts our hair -- in previous conversations, she has referred to herself as a moderate Republican.”

Doesn’t sound like the kind of person that Will would get into a fight with.

“He didn’t, not with her. He said they were having a fairly polite discussion, speculating about next year’s elections, when the guy who was her next appointment somehow got into their conversation.”

And…

“What was the term Will used – I think he referred to the guy as a ‘typical Republican dick.’”

I suppose there are still plenty of them around. I trust no one was injured.

“No, no injuries. Will said that this guy was just obnoxious. You know how some people just can’t discuss anything without making you mad?”

You mean, like typical Republican dicks.

“And you know that he and I don’t generally get into fights with people who vote Republican – I mean, I love his mother, and she has been voting that way for fifty-five years.”

And in all fairness, I’ve encountered plenty of people who vote against the Republicans, and who are pretty obnoxious when discussing politics.

“That’s true. I work with a woman who is a hundred-and-ten percent pro-choice, and she gets semi-hysterical with anyone who raises the slightest disagreement with her.”

So what did Mr. Dick say to get Will in a fightin’ mood?

“I think Will said that it started when the guy heard Will mention Hillary, and the guy said he was moving to Canada if she wins blah blah blah, and then the guy trotted out the old dogma about all of President Clinton’s accomplishments being just the finishing touches on everything Reagan and Bush did.”

I don’t mind talking with people who disagree with me, but come on, show me that you’re thinking before talking. Not just repeating talking points, or dogma.

“And the guy said he would never vote for – what’s his name, the actor – Fred Thompson?”

Yeah, just what the country needs, another Republican actor running for President.

“The guy said he could never vote for him because he voted against impeaching Clinton.”

An ideologue, sounds like.

“Lots of those out there. It’s going to be a long seventeen months.”

Well, tell Will to stay out of trouble, and ask him to call me when he has some time.

“OK. Say hi to covivant for me.”

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.”