The overnight dj is playing some very warm, toasty jazz. Right now, it's one of my old theme songs, the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore show.
I laughed: you might just make it, after all. Too bad I don't have a busy street corner, where I can throw a hat into the air, huh?
Man, did I sleep! I was literally falling asleep while I was trying to make the links for the Alter Net news. That was during Democracy NOW! which starts at 4 pm here.
I made it through the local, evening news and PART of All Things Considered, but man, I was dead.
So, finally, around 6pm, I decided to nap until 8. I wanted to see The West Wing, and something on PBS. I can live without 60 Minutes, but would have liked to see that, too.
Well, I woke up at 2:30am! I brewed a fresh pot of joe and fed the catz. I'm back in bed, nekkid as a jay bird, keyboard on my lap and Miss Thing at my feet.
They all helped me make coffee. They miss their mommy; they're following me all over the house. They ACT like they don't give a damn that I'm here, but, everywhere I go, here come the cats! It's cute.
This has been good for Porkchop, too. He usually sticks to me like a tumor. But he's now sleeping on the sofa, not with me. Weather's warmer; he can use the space. And, when I come home from the station, it takes him a beat to realize I've even been gone all day! When he figures it out, he damn near wags his butt off for a bit, then goes right back to sleeping or whatever. So, he's learning some independence. He's learning it's ok for Mommy to disappear for hours, that I WILL come back, that he really has a permanent and safe home.
I know he misses hunting duck eggs with me, though. He trots beside the scooter on the sidewalk, with such a look of purpose on his face. I let him set the pace: if he wants to run, I accelerate; if he's tired, I coast. The only fixed rule is no sudden stops to sniff or pee on things. We have regular spots for that, where I just stop and wait for him to do The Dawg Thang. Every place else, we just go by. Otherwise, it'd take all day to get home! He thinks greater Albuquerque is all his "turf." He'd pee himself dry, if I let him.
He's very obedient; he knows lots of commands and obeys perfectly when we're on the "run." He knows his directions, stops, waits, jumps into the dog carrier when asked, etc. He's not obedient as in subservient, though. He does things voluntarily, now that he understands the "dog logic" of my requests. He's more like a team mate than a servant. I really like that about him.
ANd I pretty much understand his vibe, too. That's why we have doggy rest stops, where he sniffs and pees and scratches. Dogs need that, you know; they have to mark their territory. And the paths we take to the duck pond, the grocery, etc. are "his territory." He'd be disappointed if he didn't get to mark the weed patch at the corner of Las Lomas and University, or the barkless tree on Silver.
Other dogs pass those places, all the time. He must tell them he was there, too.
I have lots of clothing with cats on it. Tristan was surprised to see me wearing my cat skirt the other day. "I thought you were a dog person!" he exclaimed, real surprise on his face.
"I am, but I'm also a cat person."
He still looked surprised. So I explained that I have five cats, and he really looked surprised.
I said, "it's really hard to get five cats to run along beside a scooter. That's why you've only seen Porkchop."
At which point, he looked convinced.
But the cats hear me coming up the street.By the time I turn into the alley, there's usually 1 to five cats sitting out there, waiting for me. They run beside the scooter as I bring it home. Chaco even sleeps in the dog carrier, when the scooter's parked and the carrier door is open. They think it's their scooter.
Cats think everything is theirs, though...
The plumbers are fixing the water lines for the air conditioners. I really haven't needed mine yet, but it'll be nice to have everything operational on the first hot day. Last year, I really suffered, between delays in getting them up in the spring, and my motor burning out in August. Gawd, was I miserable!
But, I have a BRAND NEW air conditioner this year! And I've found 3 box fans in the trash. People throw them out when they collect soot and dog hair; they stop running well. I spray ammonia window cleaner on them, scrub, hose them off. I take the fan blades off and scrub the motor, too. The dirt gets in the spindle and gunks it up, causing motors to overheat. I leave them to dry for weeks, then put petroleum jelly all over the moving parts, reassemble the fans, and they're like new! Hence, 3 perfectly good and very large and powerful box fans!
I can cool this entire apartment in about five minutes, flat. And, since I have no kitchen vent, I use them to direct stuff outside, even in winter. They help to dry laundry indoors on rainy days, too.
I think I could mount the scooter motor over the FRONT tire of a bicycle! I have a bicycle baby seat I found in the trash, with all the bolts and fasteners.
That way, I could have 2 drive chains: one for motor, one for pedals. That way, I can help the motor from dead stops, by pedaling. I can also rest my feets on the pedals, which would be very nice.
I hate bicycle seats; my skirts go up my butt. So I'll look for an old chair I can adapt. I just need to rest my butt, not get a gynocological exam! Jees...
It's after 3am now. I'll take a shower in a bit and head for the station around five. That should put me at the duck pond by sunrise.
I bet I can get my remaining stories in the "can" before ten. May even start working on the homeless women story.
But I should probably learn to convert my sound files to mp3s, for MSNTV users, and transcribe the texts of my stuff...I'll see when I get there.
I can begin the research for my story from home. While I'm at the station, I need to be using equipment I don't have here.
Wonder if there's a cassette recorder, so I can make a copy of the sound I recorded of the city council mtg? hmmmm....Tristan probably has one; he's got equipment from the stone age..his own radio production museum. Did you know radio used stones? :) Sort of a Moses radio....the origins of rock music.
This is probably a very long post, as I'm rambling. Blame the overnight dj on KUNM. And the coffee.
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