Sure Footed Cats

Above our kitchen sink we have a pass-through into the family room. The ledge of the pass-through is decorated with small vases and bowls filled with sea shells. I was just watching one of our cats work it's way across the ledge.

Between the glass containers there is exactly enough room for a cat's paw - as long as that paw is descending and rising in an absolutely vertical motion.

So now picture a cat with all four paws placed precisely between the vases and bowls.

One leg and paw at a time, the cat lifted and dropped each paw precisely between the next pair of glass containers.

How in the heck did the cat, Ginger, even know where to put her hind feet? Ginger wasn't looking over her shoulder after each move. How could she possibly know the safe locations for her feet?

Guaranteed if I tried to pass something through the opening the cuff of my shirt sleeve would catch at least one container and start a domino effect. Yet here's this feline picking her way through the maze like she's strolling through the back yard.

When she saw me watching, Ginger stopped and fixed me with a daring stare. Go ahead, yell at me to get down, frighten me with a loud command, make me jump, we'll see how far I can scatter all of these nick knacks.

I decided to leave the room.

24 is Back

The television show 24 is one of a very few that I watch religiously. After an extended hiatus, the show is returning to the airwaves this Sunday.

It was College Dude who got me hooked on 24. During the show's first season, College Dude suggested I watch an episode with him. I was hooked instantly even though I was coming in in the middle of the season and was mentally treading water trying to catch up with the plot line.

Cause the thing about this show is that SO much happens in any one episode that if you miss a week you feel like you're a half step behind all through the following episode. And if you miss two weeks - well you might as well wait for the reruns.

I can think of no other program that requires an adult beverage after the show is done in order to unwind.

I was reading where 24 has been doing some of this season's filming right in Washington D.C.

That must have had the city's actual security forces on edge. Jack Bauer running around Washington threatening, shouting, waving firearms, while the real life President of the U.S. sits just blocks away.

Hey, as long as he's in town, maybe Jack should make a side trip to the financial district and have a little "heart to heart" with the muckety-mucks. I'm thinking the big-wigs might get the economy might turned around a lot faster if they were faced with Jack's unique approach to problem solving.

Candy Canes

And here I thought Candy Canes were just tasty decorations.

It turns out they're actually good for you. Studies have found that peppermint oil kills germs and settles stomachs. Peppermint does such a good job of killing germs that someone is even playing with the idea of circulating diluted peppermint oil over salad bars to prevent bacteria from growing on the food.

So as kids, all those times we plucked a candy cane from the tree we were actually practicing good health. Which makes me wonder if settling stomachs is how the whole candy cane thing started. Goodness knows the Christmas season presents endless opportunities for overfilling our stomachs - and that time of year seems to bring an overabundance of germs.

There's a huge untapped market here. There could be a health boosting treat for every occasion where people tend to be hard on their stomachs. Peppermint turkeys, peppermint Easter bunnies, peppermint American flags (for Memorial Day and Labor Day barbecues), peppermint shot glasses (for Cinco de Mayo), the list is endless.

But until that larger assortment makes its way to the shelves, hang on to those candy canes.

Move over apples. Now its a candy cane a day to keep the doctor away.

Go Fish

Motivated Mom and I went out to our favorite local restaurant last night. The name of the establishment is Go Fish.

It's our favorite because Media Girl isn't crazy about it so Motivated Mom and I get to go alone.

No, not really.

Well, yes.

That is, yes Media Girl isn't wild about it, but no that's not why Go Fish is our favorite.

We love Go Fish because of the great food and atmosphere. The restaurant is owned by some British folks and walking into Go Fish is just like walking into a British pub.

Fish and chips, shepherd's pie, mushy peas, cheddar mash potatoes, pickled onions, Guinness Stout, you can get it all in this unpretentious restaurant.

According to a newspaper review on the restaurant (Go Fish has had many excellent write ups) the owners even imported a chips (french fry) machine from England. Apparently we Americans just don't have the technology to make a really good British chip.

For desert, the sticky toffee pudding is enough to make me hug myself in ecstasy and float up in the air like that dog in the Saturday morning cartoons used to do.

If you're ever in the town of Rehoboth, DE do yourself a favor and check this place out. It's just a block away from the boardwalk on Rehoboth Ave.

The New Mail

So now there's zzz-mailing.

Doctors were surprised to be able to confirm that a woman, while asleep, turned on her computer, accessed her e-mail server, entered her password, and sent e-mails to friends. The woman has done this multiple times. The messages are sometimes nonsensical and sometimes just plain gibberish. Apparently the woman's behavior has been linked to the medicine Ambien which helps people sleep. The doctors have termed the behavior zzz-mailing.

I don't know why the doctors are surprised. It's the next logical step in communication evolution isn't it?

We've gone from the pony express, to air mail, to voice mail, to e-mail.

We've gone from rotary phones hanging on a wall, to push button phones on a desk, to cell phones clipped to our clothing and plugged into our ears.

The only remaining uncharted territory is communicating while asleep.

Actually, zzz-mailing opens up a whole world of benefits to the sender of the messages. The sender can disavow any responsibility.

I was asleep when I sent that, the sender can say when his or her boss demands an explanation for an e-mail calling the boss a subhuman S.O.B.

I was asleep when I sent that, can become the excuse for an endless number of errors and misbehavior. I mean a person can doze off anytime right?

Hmmm, maybe I'll just keep a bottle of Ambien in my desk drawer. No telling when it might come in handy.

Surviving the Common Cold

I've had a monster of a head cold for the past few days. The unwelcome germ made itself known Sunday evening and by Monday afternoon I was wishing I could exchange my head for a lighter one.

As soon as the Monday workday was finished I rushed home and immediately went to work on making a BIG pot of chicken vegetable soup. Homemade chicken soup is a must have when the evil head cold rolls into town.

I have to say that this latest batch of health restoring elixir was by far my best work in years. The steam rising from the pot and carrying the mixed aromas of simmering chicken stock, celery, onion, pepper, potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots soon had my nose opened enough that life sustaining oxygen was again able to fill my lungs.

A belly full of warm liquid soon had my eyelids drooping and I headed for bed to snuggle under the goose down comforter.

Alas, a nose that had closed back up and a throat that felt alarmingly like sandpaper kept sleep at bay. Midnight rolled around and I feared I would get no sleep at all.

Thankfully I remembered there is one doctor who still makes house calls twenty-four hours a day. With hope in sight, I padded out into the dining room to consult with Dr. Cuervo. I was soon on a first name basis with the good doctor. Jose encouraged me to stop back any time.

With that reassurance, I returned to my nest of a bed and finally drifted off to sleep.

Five nights of soup, hot showers, and Dr. Cuervo's golden syrup finally has me feeling that the end of coughing, blowing, and sneezing just might be in sight.

College Dude and the Job

College Dude starts his first engineering job next week. He will be co-oping (work for a semester, go to classes for a semester, work for a semester, etc.)

College Dude is hitting the ground running with a middle management position. He will be a team leader for a firm that does engineering design work for the railroads.

I'm a little envious. College Dude's work day doesn't start until 9:00 and he'll be bringing home a paycheck that I only dreamed of at his age. In fact, I'm still dreaming of it.

There's the whole jacket and tie thing though. Somehow I never pictured College Dude heading off to work in "formal" professional attire. An open neck sport shirt maybe, but never a jacket and tie.

I wonder why? Maybe because I just always visualized him in jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts with a guitar constantly within easy reach.

This whole professional businessman thing is a big step - kind of like getting on the bus for the beginning of first grade.

I won't be there to see him off, but my proud thoughts of encouragement will still go with him.