My Cat Beano, 1993-2008

I'm sad to announce today was Beano's last day on earth.

My sister got Beano (she named him!) when he was just a little kitten on or around 1993. Eva had rented from me for a long time, and when she bought her own place in 2001, she asked me to keep Beano. I'm not a big cat fan, but Beano was a tough, independent outdoor cat, and I agreed to adopt him. Beano enjoyed a little affection now and then, but never demanded attention. He was a warrior- he was always fighting some creature or another (usually other cats, I think). His ears bore the marks of a lifetime of battle.

This was only the 2nd time I've had a pet put down- it's a tough thing to do, as everyone knows. But, Beano was worn out. He wasn't eating, skinny as a rail, he was uncomfortable and just wasn't his old self. I cried a few tears as his life slipped away in the Vet's office, and afterward. Beano was a great old cat. This picture was taken about an hour before he went on to cat heaven. I now see how tired he was. Rest in Peace, Beano!

Of Massages and Gas Prices

I have this blog now, so I decided to post a little now and then about various topics. I want the posts to be pretty much about everyday life, with a few current events, politics and religion tossed in.

I've settled back into life in Seattle. I helped my buddy Tim build a rock garden at his house, done some yard work at my house, and have started working on a web page for/with my Uncle Butch. I love the time off, and am in no hurry to get back to work... but I realize I'll need a job within a couple months. Life is good! (for now : )

I got my first professional massage today- it was great, well worth the price (intro price of $49). I tweaked my shoulder a year ago (while training for the Seattle to Portland bike ride), and it hasn't been the same since, so I decided to see how massage therapy works for me. I think it's helped the shoulder, but the relaxation you get made it all worth-while. I bought a 6 month membership, so I'll get at least 6 more massages.

On the way home, I had to get gas and I paid $4.06. First time I've ever paid over FOUR DOLLARS! Uggg. But the good news is that the Governor of Montana thinks his state has 40,000,000,000 (thats 40 BILLION barrels of oil). I hope he's right!

Lots of oil in Montana??

Although I'm not totally sold on man-made global warming, I really believe the US needs to really diversify our power sources. It just makes sense to be more energy independent, and not alter the CO2 content of the atmosphere more that we already are. We need more solar, better ethanol (not from just corn), wind and yes, nuclear power!