And so it begins again....

A new year, a new president (well, in 2 weeks...), a new starting point for people who like starting points. I don't usually make new year's resolutions because I think they're crap. I think people should start doing good/healthy/positive things any day of the week and keep doing them because they are good/healthy/positive, not because it's a certain day on the calendar.

That said, here are a few good/healthy/positive things I've been doing but plan to continue to do or do more of in 2009:

1. Composting. It's easy and it's good for your garden. What? You're not growing your own food? Relax, I'm not either. Well, I tried to grow veggies, but I failed. I will try again this year with the help of the organic compost pile I started last summer. Now that I've learned many lessons from the many mistakes I made as a novice gardener, I think '09's crop will be bigger and better (and hopefully tasty...?)! Check out Martha's site for tips on composting. I also wanna give a big shout-out to my housemates for saving egg shells, veggie scraps, and coffee grounds for me this year. I hope to repay them with yummy homegrown veggies in the coming year.
2. Recycling. Duh. Been doing it, will keep doing it. Am quite pleased about the addition of plastics 3-7 to the list of acceptable plastics. Not so pleased about it all being carted off 100 miles away for processing, but hopefully the city will get its act together for a local recycling plant soon.
3. Activism. It's no secret this robot is a gay robot in love with a gay guanaco. Some say our love is wrong. Some think we're adorable. I've decided this year I'm actually going to get down and dirty and participate in various public protests to gain some civil rights for gays and lesbians. I'm also going to try to help out some puppies and kitties while I'm at it.
4. Spirituality. It's been over a decade since I've felt even remotely spiritual, much less religious. That's slowly changing. The ziegeist has felt particularly hypocritical in the sphere of the Divine in the past 8+ years. But I think 2009 is going to be a year of rebirth (forgive the cliche) for me. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
5. Shakin' my booty. Yep, I'm talking about exercise. The thing everyone talks about in January. It's almost as if the national psyche aligns into one giant hive mind causing the throngs of overweight Americans to buy sweatpants and head to the nearest gym en masse. You wanna talk about New Year's cliches? Well, this is it! But seriously, I've actually been exercising lately. Baby G and I went to SF and walked EVERYWHERE for 10 straight days, I've been biking, walking, hiking... I can even climb the 3 flights of stairs at work now and not want to fall down and die at the top. Now that is some change I can get behind! (Pun totally intended.)

So, there you have it. Tiny Robot's five things she's been doing but plans to continue doing and/or plans to do more of for 2009. You got 5 things? Post em in the comments section or on your own blog.

Copernicus for Pres!

Actual remains of Copernicus, the guy who dared to say the Earth revolved around the Sun and not the other way around, have been found.

In other news, Dubya plans to ROLL BACK protections on endangered species before he leaves office next month. One more "fuck you" to the world, I guess. Seems Dubya subscribes to a "The Sun revolves around ME" kind of worldview.

Another odd turtle

I like turtles. Not as pets, but as curiosities. They have a hard shell which they can retreat into when the going gets tough. They're also cute. Sometimes they're born with two heads. Sometimes they're born attached to another turtle. What I want to know is, when they poop, where does it come out*? *Oh please! Like you didn't ask yourself that question!

Giant Eye-roll of the Day

Michael Vick, dog fighter and dog murderer, has, in his own words, found Jesus. Well, that just makes everything all better, doesn't it?

Contaminated pet food

By now you've all heard about the contaminated pet food problem. Unfortunately people who lost pets to the poisoned food or whose animals became ill probably won't get much in the way of legal reparations since the harmed party is an animal, a mere piece of property in the eyes of the law, if you will.

Part of me understands that to open up the field of emotional damages lawsuits to include one's pets would be to open a door to frivolous lawsuit that could never be closed again. Just think: all those people who are the type to spend $5,000+ on Fluffy's kidney transplant would start demanding huge sums for harm inflicted on their pet.

On the other hand, the compassionate side of me says why not? Pets are part of our families: beloved and loving. If something happened to Daxie, I don't know what I'd do. If he had been a victim of the tainted pet food, I'd be furious. He's not a "purebred" so he's technically not worth money as property, but he's priceless to me. I've taken care of him and loved him for many years. If some company made a shitty product that harmed him, why shouldn't they be held liable?

I'm interested to see how this all plays out over the next few months. I hope some sort of reasonable balance is found. But knowing those crazy American pet owners, it's probably gonna be over the top.

Everyday is Like Sunday, Everyday is Silent and Grey*

It's a miserable day outside today. Wet, dark, and chilly. It's quite humid indoors as well; my book labels keep curling up.

Spring is here, officially anyway. It's been spring-like for the past 4 weeks, so the pollen, blooms, and green is old news to me. Songbirds have started coming to the bird feeder I put on the front porch, well, when the cats aren't sunning in the front yard that is. I've seen Morning Doves, male and female Cardinals (my favorites!), and a few little brown Sparrows so far. I spotted a Blue Jay in the tree across the creek last week, but so far, he hasn't yet ventured into the yard. That's okay; Blue Jays are the assholes of the bird world.

I'm back on the ref desk this afternoon after being off it last week because of Spring Break. I wonder how many students I'll help find articles whose papers are due at 5pm today? Ah, the life of the student --- procrastinate, procrastinate, sleep, procrastinate...

*An homage to Morrissey, today's Artist of the Day.

He Ain't Heavy. . . He's My Brother

One more tribute to Mr. Emerson J. Cat.

I heart Emerson.

Emerson

We picked up Emerson early this morning and brought him home. We then went to buy a shovel. After digging for about an hour, Baby G gently placed his body in the earth and we had a funeral for him. He's buried next to his "escape" post, the fence post he used to climb to get out of the yard and run around in the great outdoors. Now he can "escape" when ever he wants. Rest in peace, little fella.

When it rains, it pours

I've been home all day with flu. I left work early yesterday because I felt like crap. To make a bad situation worse, Emerson collapsed suddenly yesterday when I was unlocking the front door to go in. The vet tried to save him, but he didn't make it. I'm still in shock.

Baby G had Emerson as a pet since he was a tiny kitten. He was the only one in his litter to crawl into her lap and take a nap, so it was love at first sight, ya know?

Give a hoot

Ever thought about having an owl for a pet? I have. Until I read this. There goes my fantasy...

A Festivus Miracle!

I don't know about y'all, but I'll be worshipping the Christmas Komodo Dragon Lords this holiday season. How do I know these are the ones? Because they're coming forth into this world via virgin birth. Fo' rizzle.

A little of this, a little of that

Silly String for soliders. Unconventional, yes, but a quite useful idea. Now if only we could find a few more of such useful ideas, perhaps we can get the hell outta Iraq?

ANTM 7 ended last night. My pick, Caridee (the crazy but fun one), won. Melrose (the just plain crazy one) got first loser second place. I know this very important news is very important to you, Gentle Readers, therefore, I am reporting this very importantly. Um, hello? These are like, top models and shit.

I am still enjoying my new car, but have yet to sell my old car. I have to find the title. Oh, and clean up the car. I'm kinda messy it turns out.

And for no other reason than a dose of cuteness, here's my brother's girlfriend's dog, Cowgirl. Ain't she sweet?

Washed clean by Mother Nature

I spent a wonderful weekend in mud and rain with my pals hiking a small mountain, eating sausages and drinking beer, and sleeping in a slightly drippy tent. (Turns out that waterproofing claim is only good for the first 10 minutes of any rain and/or water application of any kind.) The only annoyance was the humidity. Mostly I soaked in the beauty of the place, the verdant hills, the two graceful deer that strode through camp, and the comraderie around the fire. I'll post pictures later.

Today is fall break so campus is pretty dead. It's also still raining so things are quite gray and dark, perfect for napping. Alas, work calls. Someone brought banana nut bread, so the morning hasn't been that bad. Oh, and I'm working with new books today of the shiny non-stinky variety. Woot!

A new enemy (or friend?) for Emerson?

We've been letting our fat, orange, anti-social to 98% of all humans cat go outside again lately. He began life as an indoor/outdoor cat, and so had already gained a taste for "freedom," long before I got all those lectures about indoor cats living longer lives, etc. Well, he's 9 years old now, and I'd rather his twilight years be potentially shorter and happy, than longer and cranky. We don't live on a busy street, he's got all his claws and teeth, he needs the exercise, and his shots are pretty much to-date, so we think he'll be okay.

It seems that Emerson has gotten a good layout of the immediate surroundings of our house now, and so he's been exploring the neighbors' houses and meeting the other neighborhood cats. He's made friends, it seems, with other cats before in other places we've lived, and he's also been in a few scuffles.

Today, I saw him heading home from across the street, and a kitler was following him! Dude, really, I wish I had a camera--that's one of the best kitlers I've ever seen. Emerson seemed eager to come home, and though he noticed the fellow, he did not interact with him.

D-U-M, dumb.

Abstinence: crusteacean-style. Retarded.

Tidbits

The new Ikea opens in 8 weeks.

Baby G has a job interview tomorrow! (Yay!)

Daxie turned six this month.

I am a very very tired robot.

My favorite winged creatures (yet another list)

Lots of birds were pecking around today and I thought about how fascinated I am with these creatures.

Some of my favorite winged things:

• Bats
• Pegasi
• Falcons
• Batman
• Wim Winders film characters
• Cardinals (male cardinals, especially -- they're quite pretty.)
• Hummingbirds
• Dorks
• Falcor
• Winged monkeys from Oz

I suppose I should add these to the list. They do keep my lady parts from embarrassing me.

It's Tuesday Not Wednesday

Don't you hate that? Waking up, thinking it's a day later than it actually is? This whole holiday-at-the-beginning-of-the-week business was nice, but it has thrown me off. A little too far off, it seems. I am a creature of habit.

This coming weekend I will be going to the boonies to see friends. I really enjoy the country, the silence, the animals, and the picturesque landscape. There's something otherworldly about the places where cell phones don't get signals and email is some inorganic daydream. This wasn't as true all that long ago. But now with everyday life inundated with modern technology and the stress that accompanies it, I often fantasize about rural living. I imagine the peace, the excellent visibility of stars at night, the well-worn porch swing, the secret garden in the backyard, the airy kitchen with a view of the gaggle of geese on the pond. The privacy...

Then I remember that it would take an hour to get to work, the grocery store, the movies, the robot repair shop, and the fantasy melts away. Or as Baby G likes to say, "it'd take you 15 minutes just to get from one end of the driveway to the other!"

That's the thing about fantasies, isn't it? Their ephemeral flimsiness in the harsh light of day sets off the alarm bells of practicality, leaving one to curse the gift of imagination. Don't worry, I don't curse it for long -- sometimes my imagination is the only place I have to go where existential angst and spiritual confusion don't exist. Oh, and it's also the only place where The Land of Chocolate exists.

Midnight in the garden state

What's a robot to do when the guanaco is out of town?

Let's see...

• I made pizza for dinner. Green olive and bacon pizza. Yum!
• Watched Date Movie. (Kinda funny, but not really.)
• Drank half a bottle of wine.
• Downloaded a bunch of Goldfrapp and French underground electronica from iTunes.
• Shook my booty.
• Had staring contests with Emerson J. Cat.
• Won said staring contests.
• Didn't wear pants.
• Turned Goldfrapp up wayyy loud.
• Felt like a sleazy 15 yr-old.
• Felt foolish.
• Drank more wine.
• Contemplated doing something productive.
• Laughed.
• Shook my booty some more.
• Felt bad for poor Pluto gettin' kicked out of the Planets Club.
• Wrote this here post on this here blog.

So, not bad for a Friday alone. I haven't had one of these in a long time. Viva la weekend, folks!