Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

So once again I find myself posting to this blog with sadness in my heart. Musubi, the little cat that adopted us by finding my sister shortly after my mother passed, herself just passed away this morning. I’m quite bummed, she was into the vet a couple times these past weeks as she was having poop problems, as in not pooping. Aside from having to endure a few enemas, when I brought her home Friday, she finally seemed to be better and was eating on Saturday. But then her eating tapered off, she didn’t have another poop until sometime Monday. No interest in food when I got home Monday and I found evidence that she had vomited, clear fluid. Damn, I figured I’d see how she was in the morning and take her to the vet again. When I woke Tuesday her condition was dramtically worse, she was not happy, labored breathing, weak vocalizations, dilated pupils. As I was getting ready to take her in, I heard her make a weak plaintive meow that just didn’t sound good. I sat down with her, she wasn’t looking good at all. As I stroked her to try and give her what comfort I could, I saw her take her last little breath as the life left her little furry self. WTF, lil lady!

Anyway, it sucks. She was a cool little cat, quite affectionate to the people she knew. She’d a fair amount of drama in her life, she did use up quite a number of her “lives”. First off, like I mentioned she found my sister, we have no idea where she came from. Best as we can tell she was a few months old when found. We weren’t really set up to keep her in the house, so she was outside most of the time. As such, she got into some fights and once ended up injured enough to need a visit to the vet and some surgery. The pic above is from shortly after, they shaved her butt so that why her kinked tail has that super pom pom.  Continue reading ‘Sadness’

Yes, an IPA. It’s the one selection in the variety pack that I will have to suffer through. Pours clear yellow, medium head that goes down fast. The moment seal is cracked, can smell the hops. Strong pine aroma, citrus and floral undercurrents. Bitter comes on but is pretty controlled, does linger. Thankfully no skunk (aluminum can FTW?) Did OK with the spicy shoyu poke bowl I had with it. Medium mouthfeel. 7% ABV is sneaky.

Dare I say it, it’s not horrible. It’s not giving me an instant headache. The artwork is cool. I give it 2.5 out 4 voodoo monkeys.

The end of an arduous two weeks for my dad. He passed early this morning after struggling mightily against the pneumonia that struck him in the hospital. We initially came in for abdominal problems, I knew something serious was up and had a quick check at urgent care then went to ER. Turns out gallstones giving him problems and his gallbladder was removed. It should have been a quick procedure and quick healing time. There was some complications, but it went ok. Unfortunately there was more stones and blockage downstream, another procedure took care of that. There were more complication when it should have been getting better. After a total of five trips to OR, all those issues were resolved and things were on the mend. But that much stress was just too much for an almost 90 year old body to deal with, he contracted pneumonia and could not recover from that.

I just wish we could have made it easier on him. At one moment he talked about he wished he could go quick and easy, like my mom. But at the start of this this wasn’t really on my mind. We thought he might have to stay in rehab for a few weeks, then maybe come home with some assistance. That really was the picture and everyone felt that way. But as things dragged on and the pneumonia set in things got darker. Goals started changing, but we couldn’t fulfill his one overwhelming desire to go home. I wished we could have at least done that for a moment. We don’t have the resources for that. We couldn’t put him into a robot and bring him home to rest in his own house and look out over his own yard. Dammit man! Continue reading ‘End of Another Journey’

Grabbed dinner after a wet, soggy shoe ride up Tantalus from Olive Garden. Went next door and grabbed this Greek beer. Pours dark dark brown with medium head. Roast malt aroma, but not strong. The honey and citrus adjuncts are hard to detect, there is an elusive aromatic that is hard to place. Quite mild on the bitter. I also dont detect much of the weissen/wheat. Medium mouthfeel. While not spectacular, its easy drinking and got enough going to keep it intersting.

3 out 4 bailing out the Greece national debt (it says so on the label!) monkeys.

Got the FX together in time, got to Kualoa ranch. Looks like there had been some rain earlier, but course was dry. Weather was clear all day, blazing hot in the sun, but pleasant in the shade.

Did decently well in the morning runs, the FX was still having random bogs of no power. Every once in a while itll die when coming to a stop and clutching in. Trying to figure if its ECU, which Ive had to do the infamous capacitor replacements. Also noticed the valvetrain still clatters like a diesel, even after the rebuild. Ive read that VVT on the 20v at this age starts to go and sounds like that, maybe its that?

And then on my last run of the day, it completly shut down. Starter would turn engine, but it wouldnt run. Roll starting didnt work. Towed back to pit. Put in the hig battery and it started, but i noticed a pretty loud humming. Seems the fuel pump is going. It runs and im almost home, picking up dinner at Saigons, so its not dead, but better change it. Not really surprised, in the past it sat with old fuel. The 20v injectors were clogged badly when i sent those in for service. This will be fun, have to drop the tank to change that.