Is there a thumbnail image next to this post?

It seems that Tribe is now adding little "Tribe" thumbnail images (and what looks like an advertisement thumbnail for some other product) to blog entries that don't have photos in them. I am making this post to see if that is what's going on, and attaching no image. If you see this on your "Blog entries from my friends" page, could you let me know if there's a thumbnail photo next to it? Not when you click on the blog post itself, but right there on your main page, in the queue with your other friends' blog entries...

Tribe is driving me NUTS!

Just trying to post this damned photo, and it acts like it's going to upload it and then BLAM. Nothing.

Maybe if I do it as a blog post, it will work.

Fine. I'm in.

Best I could do with the tools on hand.

House house house

Quick update:

The new house has been tented and fumigated, and we demolished the room addition in the garage.

We've moved everything but one motorcycle and some cleaning supplies.

The old house was scoured clean. It took 9 hours with both of us working together.

The cats have emerged from under the bed, and are enjoying the stairs and carpet. Smudge expressed his unhappiness at being moved from the house he loved in the only way he can: through waste products. He peed on the carpet right in front of us, and left a little brown surprise at the top of the stairs. We anticipated this, and don't blame him. He's feeling better now, so the carpet should be safe.

Kitten has discovered that there is an Outside here, and wants it. We won't let her have it until we've bought a cat fence system and installed it onto the wooden fence in the backyard.

I've unpacked the living room and kitchen stuff. My office still needs to be unpacked. When I can find the stuff I need, I will upload some photos.

We're riding to Bridgeport for a well-deserved overnight vacation on Saturday.

Grad school starts on the 25th. Argh.

Watch this. Especially you, Rydell.

Go here and watch this. Trust me.

au.youtube.com/watch
I highly recommend you do these things after going to this link:

Click "Watch in high quality"
Click pause
Click on the rectangle next to the volume control to make it full-screen.
Once it has fully loaded, press play.

Endure the brief intro. Don't worry about watching the judges' reactions afterwards if you don't really want to. Just watch the routine.
I love love love everything about this piece: the song, the choreography, the strangeness, the dancers, the costumes, the expressions on their faces... all of which are best served if you can watch it in high quality and full-screen.

Apparently, I has a flavor...

and a good one, at that.


This is Hiss, the "untameable feral." <--my words. He now demands to be held like a baby, and he enjoys licking my hand (or foot, or arm) for minutes at a time.

Sorry the picture is so crappy. It was taken with a cell phone, one-handed, while being licked.

House house house!

... My gods, this house-buying thing is stressful. Anyway, housing update:

We are set to close escrow by August 1st, and barring any last-minute catastrophes, it looks very good that the deal will go through.

Between then and the 7th, we're trying to get the electrical panel (inadequate) upgraded. On the 6th, I will have to trim back plants, rake up ground cover, and water heavily so that on the 7th, the pest people can tent and fumigate the house because of the one beam that shows light signs of termites. There is no structural damage, but pests is pests, and it would be far easier to deal with it now, before we move in, than possibly to have to relocate two people and four animals for three days later on.

They will tent for two days, and claim we will be able to move in after 3 pm on the 9th. We don't trust this. So we're going to give it a bit more time to ventilate, and plan to move on Monday, August 11th. We're paid up here through August 31st, because the landlord was breathing down our necks trying to get us to commit to being out on August 1st, which we couldn't do because of the vagaries of escrow. We should be able to be out by the 15th, but won't give him the keys until he gives us a check for rent back if he gets someone to move in before Sept. 1st. Grad school classes will start for me on or about August 25th. Whee! Busy time.

I will be inviting you guys to our housewarming party (not yet sure when), and it would mean so much to me if you would come! This is a massively big deal for both of us.



Yes, that is a photo of part of our new backyard.

New lolcat image (with apologies to Rydell)

I've been taking lots of cat photos, for lack of anything better to do. This one of Hiss and Gordon amused me, so I capped it and sent it to the place of Cheeze.

If you like, you can vote for it here. mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx