And now we have a kitten

It was a dark and stormy night.

And at 12:15 a.m. today, Kit Kat became a momma.

Things started happening yesterday evening after Kates and Leah arrived home from an afternoon at the spa. We had pizza for supper and played outside for a while.

When we returned inside and started getting the girls for ready for bed, we noticed Kit Kat fussing about something. She had enough food and water. She didn’t show much interest in playing. She was pacing around the living room. Something was bothering her.

I did some Internet research and found this article. Kit Kat was showing all the behaviors, and I told Kates I thought we were pretty close to something happening.

At about 9:30, Kit Kat was in the upstairs bedroom pacing outside Phoebe’s bedroom, so I went to bring her back to the living room. As I reached under her belly to pick her up, I felt a drop of blood on my finger.

It was go time.

I led her the rest of the way to her nest in the garage, and Kates and Leah followed to be with her.

Kates was awesome through it all. While I returned to the living room to watch a Crosby, Stills and Nash concert on TV, Kates was committed to staying in the garage and keeping Kit Kat company. Leah stayed with them until turning in for bed around 11:30.

At 11: 55, Kates texted me to come out and relieve her while she took a bathroom break. Kit Kat was burrowed in her nest behind the blanket-towel-sweatshirt bedding we laid out for her. She was breathing heavy and pushing, and it was obvious it wouldn’t be long.

After a few minutes, Kates returned to the garage, and I returned to the living room.

Several minutes later, a hair-raising yowl came from the garage and I bolted there to see what was happening. Kates was sitting next to Kit Kat, who appeared as calm as could be under the circumstances. Simply, she was working through the process.

Bemused by what was happening and the shattering of my No Pet Doctrine in a matter of weeks, I just laughed and said to Kates, “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Eventually, I headed back inside again. There were three or four more yowls over the next several minutes. Then, at 12:15 a.m., came this text from Kates …

When I got into the garage, Kit Kat was busy cleaning the newborn, which appeared to be in good health and softly meowing. Everything progressed the way God intended it, and it was pretty amazing.

Then, after a while I headed back inside while Kates stayed in the garage to keep an eye on the cats and wait for any others to be born. In the meantime, the thunderstorm we’d been anticipating all day had finally kicked up. Bright lightning flashed and the thunder crashed loudly outside.

I figured Faye and Phoebe would be up at any moment. Faye came down first, rubbing her eyes and clutching her stuffed pink bear. After a failed attempt to get her back to bed, she ended up falling asleep in my arms on the living room couch. Phoebe appeared a bit later and resisted going back to sleep, too. … So it provided an opportunity to show them the new kitten, but they were too worried about the storm and sleepy to show much interest. Finally, I convinced them to take care of each other and sleep in Kates’ and my bed together. That worked and they went back to sleep.

Back in the garage, Kates was still waiting for another kitten or two. Our research suggested we could expect two or three kittens, but by 2 a.m., Kit Kat wasn’t showing signs of giving birth to another any time soon. So Kates gave in, and we headed to bed.

This morning, we awoke around 7, and still had just one kitten. The kitten appears to be nursing well and Kit Kat is proving to be an excellent mother, protecting the kitten in her nest and keeping it warm.

It’s a little funny how, all of a sudden, my research and Pinterest scans have turned from cat tips to raising a newborn kitten. It turns out that one kitten, while not common, is not extremely rare for a cat of Kit Kat’s age and a first pregnancy.

After we got the girls to bed tonight, Kates and I finally were able to get a closer look at the kitten, which we now know is a male. He barely covers the palm of my hand and has beautiful orange and black striped hair. Seriously, he looks like a chipmunk.

We haven’t named him yet, and want to run some options by the girls. Some of the frontrunners include Butterfinger – because, Kit Kat – and Daniel Tiger, which would be a tribute to the resemblance with his stripes – not to mention Faye, who idolizes Daniel Tiger and watched a Daniel Tiger videos on my iPhone while I put her to bed tonight. Other options are Tiger or Tigger.

Stay tuned.

Kit Kat's back!

Well, Kit Kat returned to us after her little altercation. And she’s part of our family now, in a big way.

To recap the last couple weeks, we saw not a hint of Kit Kat – who, we now know, is between 10-12 months old – for about 24 hours after the epic fight with Blondie. Weirdly, a couple hours after the fight, Blondie returned to our yard and took a position in the middle or our yard – but a much larger, much fluffier version of Kit Kat, almost like a future version of her, showed up, too. This other cat came right up to the screen door to our deck and circled Kit Kat’s food bowl and bed. This other cat’s mannerisms were so similar to Kit Kat that initially we did mistake it for her.

Kates and I went to bed that night mystified about what happened to Kit Kat and where the third cat came from. We haven’t seen Blondie or the third cat since. So I like to think that maybe Kit Kat actually did win the fight and Blondie gave up on trying to take our yard.

Well, the night after that fight, Faye and I were playing outside when we thought we caught a glimpse of Kit Kat peeking into the yard from behind our shed. But it was hard for me to tell from across the yard if it really was Kit Kat or the fatter, fluffier lookalike we saw the night before. And Faye tried to chase her down and scared her away before I could try to get to her myself.

After we put the girls to bed, though, Kit Kat finally appeared back to her spot on our deck. I was washing dishes, while Kates was near the screen door and heard her meow. We were elated and immediately checked her for any injuries. She was fine, and now with a litter box and all of our necessary cat supplies on hand – and another storm brewing that night – we immediately made the decision to move her home into the protection of our garage.

And that brings us up to the news of the day: Kit Kat’s going to be a mother. We’re having kittens.

So my No Pets doctrine has been obliterated. In a matter of weeks, we’ve gone from no pets, to adopting a kitten, to a cat who’s having kittens.

We found a local vet on the recommendation of some of my colleagues and took her in on that Saturday morning after moving her into our garage, determined to get things – a spaying – settled once and for all.

Her check-up went as well as we had hoped … except for the vet’s hunch about the kittens. Doc left open the slight possibility that it was worms, gave us some medicine and told us to come back today to check her out again.

Yep. She’s having babies. Confirmed. Check. Didn’t get her to the vet fast enough to prevent our worst imaginings. Good ‘ol nature.

Doc says we have about three weeks.

It’s all good, though. Really. We are in a good place now as a family. Financially secure with a good home, and the girls are grown enough. Kit Kat’s disposition is sweet and she is about as perfect as a cat as I’ve ever imagined. The time is right and I’m totally comfortable with this turn of events.

So long, Kit Kat?

Our hearts our heavy tonight as – after two oh so fun weeks – we may have lost Kit Kat.

I’m taking it particularly hard, feeling guilty that I didn’t do more to help her.

The episode began this afternoon when a roofer showed up at our house to install a long-awaited pair of downspouts. This – like the sounds of a lawn mower nearby, or Phoebe and I playing one of our nightly games of basketball – startled Kit Kat from her spot on our deck. … After this happens, we’ve come to expect her to show up again around meal time. But tonight there was no sign of her.

We went to the free Tuesday night movie on the university campus – the movie was “The Good Dinosaur,” which I found slightly ironic, considering its themes in light of tonight’s events – and found still no sign of her when we returned home around 8:30.

With some daylight left, we opted to play outside for a while. Though I think all of us were really hoping Kit Kat would come out of hiding if she knew we were there.

With no sign of her, Faye and Kates eventually went inside. Phoebe and I began shooting hoops. Phoebe said, “I really wish Kit Kat would come back. She’s a really sweet kitty.”

That’s when the fat, menace-looking, calico cat that we’ve dubbed Blondie showed up. She made her first appearance a couple nights after we began our conscious effort to care for Kit Kat and has returned consistently around nightfall. On some of the first few nights, Blondie tried some intimidation with Kit Kat by scaling our deck and perching herself on the railings. Kit Kat would sit in her tub, eyes fixed on Blondie.

But on more recent nights, Kit Kat took command of our deck. She sat perched on our deck table, the deck railing or even at the top of the stairs. A couple nights I caught her standing her ground on the deck and howling at Blondie. I tried to shoo away Blondie on several occasions, but she kept coming back and all I could do was trust she wouldn’t try to hurt Kit Kat.

After all, Kates and I made an observation last night that Kit Kat had become bolder in the last 24 hours. “She’s becoming a teenager,” Kates said. In addition to her more aggressively protecting her kitty territory and climbing on the deck, we arrived home Sunday afternoon to find her prancing across the yard with a robin in her mouth. When the robin got away briefly, Kit Kat chased it across the yard and swatted it down again, proceeding to bat it around for a few moments and stand over it. “Girls, this is nature,” Kates said as Phoebe and Faye stood in a sort of stunned confusion.

* * *

Tonight, nature showed its ugly side again. I’m afraid Kit Kat was on the losing end this time and I’m beating up myself for not doing more to keep Blondie away. When I spotted Blondie tonight, I never should have let her in our yard.

Phoebe and I finished playing basketball, and I took a seat on the deck, waiting to see if Kit Kat might still show. A few moments in, I noticed Blondie take a prowling stance and begin slowly across the middle of our yard. I thought maybe she was about to give chase to a bird or critter.

But then Kit Kat appeared walking along our fence from the bush beside our shed, where we spotted her for the first time. I had barely exclaimed “Kit Kat’s back!” to the girls inside when Blondie sped toward her. They came eye to eye at the gate to our yard. A flash later they were in a hissing and snarling cat fight. Kit Kat took refuge in a sea of ferns along the side of our house, but all I could see was Blondie looking to pounce further.

Kates suggested we go inside and let them work it out. But I was desperate to try anything to scare Blondie away and save Kit Kat. So I grabbed a small umbrella we mounted on the deck last night to protect Kit Kat from the rain and banged it against the fence. But it did more harm than good because it not only startled Blondie, but Kit Kat, too. And when Kit Kat ran, Blondie chased again. They ran into the neighbor’s yard and out of sight, but we could hear the fight continuing on the other side.
The sun set and we haven’t seen any sign of them since.

No doubt, we’ve come to adore Kit Kat these last couple weeks. Feeding her every morning and night. Having her keep us company and run around with us in the backyard. Admiring her as she curled up in her bed and slept. Laughing as she swatted and pounced on the beetles that buzzed around the deck at night. And loving the way she galloped across the back yard when we called for her and practically talked to us with her meows.

We were set to adopt her and officially make her a part of our family. On a nightly basis for the last several days, we allowed her inside for a few minutes to explore our kitchen and living room. On Sunday afternoon – when we came home to find her hunting robins – we had returned from buying a litter box, cat toys and other accessories. The only thing holding up the adoption process was arranging for a visit to the vet; Kates left a message for one of the local vets, but we hadn’t yet received a response.

My prayer tonight is that Kit Kat is ok and we wake up tomorrow morning to find her sitting at our back door, meowing for her breakfast – something I’ve come to look forward to every morning since she came to us. We want her to remain a part of our family.

So we have a cat

So we’ve adopted a kitten. Sort of.

More like she adopted us. As least we’re pretty sure it’s a she.

We’ve named her Kit Kat.

It began Saturday evening while Phoebe and I were outside and playing a game of Frisbee – one of her new favorite pastimes. 

I heard what sounded like crying coming from a bush alongside our shed. I turned toward the bush to try to figure out what was making the sound.

Then, after a couple minutes, a small gray kitten peered out from under the bush. She came out a few feet and then retreated to the bush. She was meowing non-stop, seemingly desperate for some attention and care. She had no collar and we have no idea where she came from.

This went on for several minutes as Phoebe and I stood at our fence watching her. She wouldn’t come too close to us, and after a while we headed inside and went on with our night.

Last night, we headed outside to play again and she appeared almost immediately, coming from the opposite side of our yard. Quickly, she was walking alongside us, brushing up against our legs and prancing from one side of the yard to the other while we threw the Frisbee.

She was extremely skinny and obviously hungry. So Kates and I broke down and gave her a couple slices of ham and cheese, which she wasted little time eating.

The girls had taken to her, and she seemed to be relishing our company.

Finally, though, it was time for us to go inside. But the bond had been formed, and the kitten sat perched on our deck while Kates and I prepared for the start of our work week.

Oh, and Kates made a run to the grocery store and returned with cat food. Stuff was getting real.

This morning, Kates opened a bathroom window and noticed she was still on our deck. We all got ready for school, left the house and went on with our days – though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about her throughout the day.

So tonight, I came home from work and arrived in the house to find the inside quiet but the door to the deck open, and I knew. I found Kates and the girls in the yard with Kit Kat, who was dining on a bowl of the food Kates bought last night.

For the second night in a row, she walked alongside us, around and in between the legs of the girls like an old friend while they played in the yard. … And when we brought our supper to the deck for an outdoor dinner – despite our attempts to block entry points with baby gates – she found her way to our table and paced around the deck while we ate.

After we had the girls in bed, Kates and I met in the living room – and there was Kit Kat outside our deck door, meowing to beat the band. Begging for attention, or to come inside the house …

We’re holding strong on keeping her outside. But with a storm brewing tonight we retrieved a plastic tub from our basement and outfitted it with a blanket and an old sweatshirt for her. As the storm came in, she took to it and curled up inside.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. But it looks like she’s here to stay … for at least a little while.

Reasons we won't get a dog

So I came dangerously close to adopting a dog for our family last week.

A colleague brought this puppy in our office for the afternoon, and it was torture for me. I’ll just leave this here for the memory.

I’ve come to my senses since, and some friends of ours have stepped in to provide him the home he deserves. It’s meant to be for them, not us.

This happens every few months. Through conversations with family and friends, or visits to homes with pets, or something the girls see on TV.

But I'm standing firm. We will not get a dog. Period.

Once and for all, here’s why …

I’ve tried it. In college. Didn’t work.

I let a couple great friends convince me to visit the local Humane Society and was swept up by the adorable face of a German Shepherd puppy. My roommate and I agreed to adopt him, though the responsibility really fell on me. I named him McGwire, after then home run king Mark McGwire… I ended up spending hundreds of dollars, at least $1,000 – which was major money for me as a college student that could have been better put toward my savings account or other more meaningful purchases – on vet visits and supplies. … Within seven months of me adopting him, he was no longer that adorable puppy. My roommate and I were at odds over who was pulling the weight to care for him. I couldn’t give him the care he needed or desired. Ultimately, I dropped him off at a humane society with barely a goodbye rub.

You can argue I was too young to care for him. Didn’t have the right breed for my lifestyle. Sure.

I learned to love dogs in college after I started dating Kates and got comfortable with her family’s old Westie, Eli. And I probably enjoy being around a good dog more now than ever.

But we will not have one of our own.

I don’t want to have to spend the hundreds of dollars on vet bills, supplies and other needs.

I don’t want to have to alter vacation or travel plans because of a dog’s needs.

I don’t want to have to wake up in the middle of the night, go home in the middle of a busy work day, or cut an evening out, to let a dog outside.

I don’t want to have to clean up the yard after it does its business.

I don’t want to have to be pulled away from a project at home, or plan my day around a dog that needs a walk or playtime.

I don’t want its hair all over our carpets and furniture.

I don’t want to worry about it chewing on things it shouldn’t.

I don’t want to worry about it biting one of the girls, or anyone else.

In addition to my own experience, I’ve stood back and observed family members and friends deal with all of these things through the years. And I want no part of it. Probably to a fault, I’m very protective of my lifestyle, how I invest my time and my goals and dreams.

A dog does not fit into the equation.

Fun with animals

Two videos that gave me a hardy chuckle as I watched the national news tonight ...

First, check out these dogs enjoying a pool party at a doggy daycare ...




Then, there's this beluga whale making faces at a group of kids ...

German celeb bunny meets untimely demise

This poor bunny never heard the reporter coming. ...

Another week

This will be known as the week Amanda Knox was freed. Steve Jobs died. And postseason baseball kept getting in the way of other responsibilities that I didn’t find nearly as exciting.

There are dozens of tweets from this week I wish I could re-post. But time’s not on my side.

Like a lot of people, I sat breathless at my desk awaiting the Knox verdict, although I can't be sure why. The case was a compelling one for sure, but it never gripped me as much as it did today. I'm glad for her's and her family's sake their nightmare is over.

Then, I was working in my office Tuesday night, hunkering down for another night of graduate paper writing when I saw the first tweet from a Chicago television station reporting Jobs' death. "Whoah," I said aloud. In another moment it became one of those stories that exploded on the Twitterverse, and tweets were flashing as fast as lightning. ... It was amazing to me how hard some were taking the death of a guy who built computers. And then it wasn't so hard to understand the outpouring when you think of the direct and indirect influence his gadgets have had on our lifestyles.

"Given Jobs’s storied record, the quasi-religious hosannas were predictable. As Walt Mossberg, the Wall Street Journal’s technology columnist, wrote, Jobs rivaled Henry Ford as an industrialist and Thomas Edison as an innovator. In just over a dozen years, he transformed a foundering computer company into a giant of commerce and culture, with a broad influence on movies, music, advertising and retailing." ~ Paul Farhi, The Washington Post

More good reads ...
a Steve Jobs: Thank Him For...
a Steven P. Jobs: His Life, His Companies, His Products ... Cool interactive feature. And it's pretty fascinating to read some of the original reviews of these Apple products, too.
a A Tough Balancing Act Remains Ahead for Apple
a Apple Innovations Include Start of Big-Budget Super Bowl Ads
a Up From Ugliness
a Steve Jobs’ millennial fan club is devoted to Apple, but why?
a Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?
a Political cartooons

* * *

Meanwhile, the baseball playoffs were screaming for my attention.

My friend Matt predicted all sweeps. But for as talented and streaky as all of this year’s playoff teams were coming in, I expected all the Division Series’ to be close. For as hot as they were coming out of the regular season, I had the Rays -- especially the way they clobbered the Rangers in game 1 of the ALDS -- and Cardinals pinned as the teams every other team should be weary of.

And for the record, I'm rooting for a Brewers-Tigers World Series. I don't deny my love for either team, buut there's added interest this year because my boss is a Detroit native and die-hard Tigers fan, and our respect is mutual for each other's teams.

Dare I say, I'm quite impressed and pleased with TBS's postseason coverage this year -- something I never thought I'd be saying after the way they stumbled out of the gate in 2007. I'm lovin' the banter before and after games of Dennis Eckersley, David Wells and Cal Ripken.

Then, there's the commercials. Joe Posnanski had a great read yesterday about the most-played ads. ... I for one can’t get David Bowie‘s “Changes” (Thanks to commercial of product I can't remember) or the New Pornograhers’ “Moves” (Thanks to T-Mobile) out of my head. I also enjoy the Chevy Cruze commercial featuring a pregnant couple who is looking for a new apartment, passes on the first one and eventually comes back to it after a frustrating run of lesser apartments.

My favorite commercial, though, has to be the postseason commercial for the Brewers run. Oh, to see those images of the '82 Brewers mixed with this year's characters ... so ... cool.



Then, there's the matter of that Rally Squirrel. ... Thanks to late nights in my office and my attention devoted to the Brewers-Diamondbacks series, almost everything I know about the state of the Phillies-Cardinals series has come via the internet, which almost makes this whole thing even more entertaining for me.

This squirrel made an appearance at Tuesday night's Cardinals game, and my friend Erica wrote about it yesterday afternoon, noting the bold squirrel had its very own Twitter account: @BuschSquirrel. Of course, I started following Mr. Squirrel that afternoon -- when he only had a few hundred followers.

Fast forward to last night when I was working late again and I saw a tweet from Erica referencing another squirrel appearance. Then, I clicked on Mr. Squirrel's account to see, simply "SURPRISE!!" I burst out laughing and could only imagine what I'd just missed.

There's the head-shaking photos. And this video made me laugh more. ... Today, the Post-Dispatch conducted a revealing interview with the squirrel. ... Could it be the Phillies' black cat?



Some good baseball reads ...
a Long-shot Cardinals earning respect
a Where there's smoke, there's the Tigers on fire
a Strong Second Half Lands Tigers at Yankees’ Door
a Bob Gibson endorses Verlander for MVP as well as Cy Young awards
a In Baseball’s Bronze Age, Statues Are Becoming Bigger Part of Landscape
a Milestones to Lose Signature Touch
a A Career Sustained by Unwavering Faith
a A Lou Gehrig Treasure Trove

Summer vacation: Day 7

Our vacation continues!

Saturday night we took in another movie -- “Eye for an Eye,” it was more grisly than I remembered it being. Sunday we attended the small country church down the road. We hiked up to the top of the bluff overlooking The Farm. We capped our stay at The Farm by grilling hot dogs and s’mores over the charcoal grill for supper.

* * *

We headed for my parents’ home Sunday night. Monday we woke up there to a gorgeous Fourth of July. And Phoebe took joy in running, jumping and singing from one end of my parents’ long living room to the other.

We spent the majority of Monday at the town’s Fourth of July festival. Phoebe played on the playground, slid down the inflatable slide multiple times and she got to ride a pony.

Dad and I broke away for a little while to share one of our favorite past times, looking at classic cars. …

Back at the house, Phoebe played some wiffle ball with Grandpa and I. But later she refused to take an afternoon nap and thus turned into a monster that night. … Once we finally got her settled in bed, Kates and I joined my parents to watch the Brewers game on TV. They lost. … Kates and I stayed up to watch The Late Show and turned in for the night.

* * *

Tuesday was a full day of fun in Madison. First, we ventured to the Henry Vilas Zoo, a place where Kates and I have many cherished childhood memories.

When we arrived, we gave Phoebe a choice of whether she wanted to play on the playground first or tour the zoo first. Of course, she picked the playground, with the same nursery rhyme shoe slide that Kates and I probably slid down when were kids playing in the same playground.

By the time we passed through the gates of the zoo, it was after 12:30. We stopped for some snacks -- Phoebe and I shared a corn dog, her new favorite food -- and then we started our round to see the animals. Phoebe took the most interest in the giraffes -- especially when one came right up to us at the fence -- and the turtles and snakes.

She wanted to and succeeded in doing it all. The train tour of the zoo grounds. The carousel. She fed goats. And climbed up and down the jungle-themed playground.

By mid-afternoon we were off to another iconic family spot in Madison: Ella’s Deli. Kates suggested it thinking Phoebe would be fascinated by all of the toys and robots that clutter and create the restaurant’s charm. … We dined on appetizers and then some ice cream concoctions to finish us off. We could have put Phoebe on the carousel there, too, but decided Phoebe had taken enough carousel rides for one day.

Back at my parents’ place, Grandma had Candy Land -- the 1979 version that was given to me as a Christmas gift around age 4 or 5 -- out and ready for a rousing game. The whole day had a vintage theme to it, so why not. It was my first board game and remains a simple, good one all these years later. Watching Phoebe play it -- and play it well -- with Kates and my mother was something special.

After some Pizza Hut pizza for dinner, we got Phoebe to sleep far easier than the night before -- she was tired -- and took in another Brewers loss on the TV.

* * *

And that brings us to today. Our return to Miller Park for a Milwaukee Brewers game, baby!

We dressed in our blue and gold -- Phoebe in her Ryan Braun No. 8 T-shirt -- and headed for Milwaukee, where we’re spending the rest of our stay in the grand ol’ Cheese State.

We made grand time to the city, even making time for a pit stop to take care of some things at Kates’ parents place in the suburbs, and we hit up a Chipotle for lunch. So good.

We arrived at the stadium around 12:30 and took our time traveling to our seats -- because we knew exactly where we were heading. Section 217, our favorite spot in the ballpark. I’ve sat high and low in that park and was convinced long ago, there’s not a bad seat in the place. But if you simply want to enjoy the game -- and not the alcohol or rowdy fans -- the view and family-friendly environment in 217 offer the best bang for your buck.

We got seated just in time for the first pitch, only to see Yovanni Gallardo give up a home run to Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Kelly Johnson to start the game. It looked like we were in for a repeat of the games we watched Monday and Tuesday.

But that was all the D-Backs would get. The game turned into a pitcher’s duel with some great defensive plays, too. Rickie Weeks made a diving catch on a line drive up the middle by Johnson in the third.

Finally in the bottom of the seventh, after two pitching changes by the Diamondbacks and with two Brewers on base courtesy of a pair of singles, Casey McGehee came in to pinch-hit for Gallardo. McGehee drove a pitch to deep center that just cleared the fence for a home run giving the Brewers a 3-1 lead.

The crowd went nuts. Fireworks erupted from the top of the stadium. And Bernie Brewer took his trip down the slide from his hut above left field.

On a day when we were sad we couldn't see Braun in action -- he was resting a strained calf muscle --McGehee's home run was the indelible moment of the game. Phoebe had started to get antsy and was nearing a breaking point. We’d explained to her before the game the history of Bernie and his slide, which led to her asking during seemingly every other at-bat, “Is Bernie going to slide down the slide yet?” … McGehee’s home run created the perfect diversion. Kates lifted Phoebe to her shoulders so Phoebe could see above the standing, cheering crowd -- and a huge smile broke over Phoebe’s face.

The Brewers won the game, 3-1, capped by closer John Axford striking out the side in the top of the ninth.

As we drove away from the stadium, I asked Phoebe if she had a fun day.

She replied, “Yeah, it was a fun day because the Brewers were good winners today!”

Useful dog tricks

For years I've resisted getting a dog ...

This video just might do the trick of changing my mind ...

Dog with a prayer

Our friend Gina sent this one to me today ...

Viral videos

So I'm a bit behind the curve on this one. When my friend Tom and I ventured to the Royals game a couple weeks ago he kept repeating lines from the "double rainbow" video. Eventually, he explained the phenomenon to me ... and I, of course, viewed the video the next day. 

Here's a take on how the 'double rainbow' video blew up.

Better than that is this musical version concocted by these guys.



Also worth checking out is this video featuring extreme sheep LED art.

Random

Clearing my desktop and consciousness of stuff from the last few weeks that isn’t related to houses, work and our transition …

* * *

It’s been a gloomy, rainy, dark weekend in The ‘Ville …

Yesterday, we nearly had a tornado swoop in. The inspector and I were standing in the kitchen when, all of a sudden, the tornado sirens began to sound. It was an odd thing, we thought, because the temperature hadn’t been that warm and the sky didn’t look very menacing. Then again, 12:43 p.m. was an odd time to be testing the sirens.

It turned out a funnel cloud was spotted near campus, but it quickly dissipated. Check out this photo of the cloud that was posted on Facebook …

* * *

I stumbled on this video a couple weeks ago. Apparently it’s made its way around the Internet a few times, but this was the first I’ve seen of it. It might make you cry …


Watch CBS News Videos Online

* * *

A couple weeks ago, I clicked the “My Top Rated” playlist on my iPod, and haven’t moved from it since.

I have more than 5,000 tracks on that playlist and haven’t heard a song more than once in weeks. Talk about a no-repeat work day … I’ve kept it going at work, in my car, at home.

It’s been fun hearing songs I don’t hear as often as the songs I have on multiple playlists. I've heard lots of deep cuts and songs I forgot I had on my iPod.

We’ll see how long I can stay on the playlist until my desire to listen to The Shins, Guster, Death Cab for Cutie or one my other favorite bands becomes too overpowering.

* * *

We learned this week that “Mad Men” will return on July 25 … Can’t wait!

In the meantime, here’s a good bit from “Funny or Die” with John Hamm …

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Jon Hamm from Between Two Ferns

* * *

I discovered recently that I sent 224 text messages last month. Yikes. … A year ago, it was an incredible feat if I sent more than four text messages in a month.

With my new job -- in addition to taking advantage of the easy way to communicate with Kates when needed -- I’ve finally realized the benefits of texting. And I like it!

* * *

When the NCAA announced the other day it was expanding its basketball tournament to just 68 teams I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

As the plan was debated, I said several times that I’d be done watching the tournament if it expanded to 96 teams.

At least we’ll have a competitive tournament for a couple more years -- until the supposedly inevitable 96-team expansion.

Random happenings

... Kates had an obligation at school tonight, which meant I got to pick Phoebe up from the daycare and spend the night with her ...

I had to pick up my daughter from daycare today. My daughter ... It still sounds crazy to say that.

* * *

... Here's a clever one from The Onion today ...

I almost overlooked it at first, as I typically do with most Onion stories not having to do with baseball or politics ... But I did a double-take at the headline and after thinking about the irony of it decided to click on the story ...

By the end -- with tha image of it "resting comfortably on a large rock" -- I was laughing out loud ... poor mountain lion.

Brave Mountain Lion Fends Off Group Of Hikers

* * *

This news alert came from one of my cohorts this week ...

Jets decide against keeping Brett Favre; Green Bay takes him back and trades him to Chicago. In return, Chicago is giving us back Door County , Eagle River , Minocqua, Crivitz, Rhinelander, Wisconsin Dells, and the left lane of Interstates 90, 43 and 94.

Monkey skating

Caught this on MySpace today ... I couldn't possible say more.

Monkeys On Ice

Dramatic TV

... So Syesha went on Idol last night after all.

Sigh.

It was fun to hope for the unthinkable for a little while at least ... Before the David-David final was announced I mused to Kates, "How great would it be if Ryan said 'Syesha ... You're Safe,' And then left it between the two Davids for the final spot."

But it didn't happen.

* * *

After we finished watching Idol last night, I stayed up to watch a documentary I've been wanting to catch on National Geographic.

I'd seen the "Battle at Kruger" video on YouTube last summer (uh, yeah. Amazing!), so when I read about the documentary I was just as fascinated and intrigued ...

It's worthy watch that dissects the 8-minute attack, from the thoughts and positioning of each animal to their characteristics in the wild, in addition to interviews from the people who were there to capture it and watch it unfold. It's pretty fascinating. Catch it if you can ...

In the meantime, here's the infamous video ... To get the full impact, you must watch the whole thing. I promise the outcome is worth it ...

More submitted links

My cohort Brian sent me this video produced by a couple guys at a local college.

Freaking amazing. I just sat totally mesmerized watching this video for the full five minutes ...




... My good friend Matt just send this awesome link of a rock-paper-scissors game starring Barack Obama and George Bush ... totally addicting!

Then there's this public service announcement: Please adopt Pinky. (Sort of reminiscent of the angriest cat ever...Actually, during the course of watching this video I got on a little kick of cat videos -- there's also a good one of a cat totally fascinated with flushing the toilet and another potty-trained cat. Good stuff.)




And saving the best for last -- One of my favorite commercials on TV right now. This is "Baby Ethan" from one of the AIG commercials.

Sunday reading

Got to spend the afternoon with Joel and Stephanie, and Millie. The Packers won. The Colts didn't. Took a really nice nap. And got the yard ready for the winter...

Here's some of the good reads that caught my eyes during the last week ...

Politics ...
a Are we Colbert's punch line?
a Bush the Embracer: Interpreting the Presidential Hug
a From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .

More about the California wildfires ...
a On Shaky Ground in California
a In the Line of Fire
a New developments mask wild land's deadly threat

TV, music, entertainment & art ...
a Hulu.com, NBC and Fox video site, looks promising in beta
a Schulz: The Good and The Grief
a The year’s best music
a Spears Calls World 'Cruel' in Interview
a A museum's secrets
a 'Bean' to get a companion: The 'Popsicle'
a Adults Revisit Their Teenage Traumas and Dramas to Create Compelling Performance Art

Sports ...
a Handicapping the contenders for A-Rod's services
a What's Wrong With Sports Illustrated

Life & stuff ...
a Driver in crash that killed horses could face additional charges ... A tragic and dramatic ordeal that happened down the road from us last weekend. Some of the surviving horses are now being put up for adoption. There's also a slideshow of photos here.
a Chimp who knew sign language dies

P.S. ... Kates is talking on the phone with a friend and we were just reminiscing about the wonderful National Anthem performances of John Williams and James Taylor during the World Series ...

In case you missed them ...

Welcome to the Manor

... So I started watching this Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet ...

EW gave it someprops in an e-mailed newsletter over the weekend and its getting some good buzz. It struck me and I tuned it ...

Turns out, it's pretty good stuff. From the LA Times:

The result is strangely hypnotic, family-friendly viewing. It is fascinating to
watch the behavior of such a socially complicated group of animals up close and
personal in the wild, to be reminded of not just the brutality but the
selflessness that can be found in nature -- when Sophy is left to guard the pups
in an early episode, she is as brave and stalwart as a movie heroine.

... It's kind of like the meerkat version of March of the Penguins. I've always enjoyed watching the little meerkats at zoos ... but who knew they had such dramatic lives ...

A coyote walked into a ...

One of the most amusing stories of the week ...

NBC5 also has some good coverage here and here ...