Roman Candles

The other day I was in a meeting at a non-profit in San Francisco interviewing graphic designers, when one of the interviewees referred to animals as “non-humans.” This is a new-agey, politically “correct” designation that, no doubt, originated in Marin County from where the person came. To that I retorted, “Well, you obviously have not met my cat Smarty because he’s definitely a human being.” By human, I mean he is sentient, sensitive and capable of communication both physically and verbally. No he does not speak English, but he has specific meows for telling me certain things and expressing basic emotions.

Smarty is more human than the “so-called humans,” who inhabit this planet Earth. Now I’m not talking about everyone; I’m only talking about the true “non-humans.” These are the murderers, the thieves, the exploiters, the abusers, the problem-makers, the vile, the deceitful, the incoherent, the inhuman, the negative, the evil ones among us. There is no heaven and there is no hell per se. We live in a plane of consciousness in which both exist simultaneously. When you recognize a true human being, acknowledge her or him through courtesy, conversation or a little nod and a smile. We know one another. Beware, be vigilant, be aware of those who masquerade as human being. You will know them, too, when you see them. You need not meet their gaze, but from the corners of your mind and your eyes watch them and be ready to defend against them. The truth will set you free; the truth will enslave them and remove them from our world.

It seems that bystanders who were witnessing the “stomping” to death of a two-year-old boy by his “father” in Turlock, Calif., did nothing.  The sensationalist headline in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday, read: “Inaction in boy’s killing called justified.”

The headline was justified by this comment from a supposed expert: “I would not condemn these people,” said John Darley, a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University who has studied how bystanders react in emergency situations. “Ordinary people aren’t going to tackle a psychotic.” Well, I guess I’m not ordinary. And maybe we need fewer godamned ordinary people in the world. I would have thrown myself over the child or attacked the murderer myself. Yeah, I know that’s easy to say and you never know how you would react in a horrific situation like that. But I know myself well enough. This was a two-year old boy. How could you just stand by?

Summer is when I feel most alive. The warmth, the brightness, the long days are in sync it seems with my body chemistry, particularly the molecules of my mind. I literally count the days after the winter solstice, tracking the minutes of increased daylight. This Saturday is the summer solstice in which I will revel. My revels have just begun.

On Thursday evening last (3/27/08), I came home and found vomit on the floor. PeeWee, my 1.5 year-old Devon Rex, looked out of sorts and was crying out at me. When I saw him leaving spots on pee on the floor, I brought him to the emergency room. Blood and urine tests were ok, but an x-ray showed some substance in his abdomen. PeeWee came home with me that night. The next morning, he was hiding and very lethargic. I took him back for an ultrasound and an aspiration to check the fluid in his abdomen. They found blood in the fluid. The blood and urine tests done again seemed to rule out FIP, which they had suspected. They believed there could be a foreign object in his stomach, so they did exploratory surgery this afternoon. His stomach was filled with gas, some dehydrated food and a small hairball. His intestines and stomach were very irritated, and his lymph nodes were swollen. Because it is very unlikely, the problem was caused by something in his stomach, they took biopsies of his intestines, stomach, liver and lymph nodes. He came through surgery ok, but has to stay at the hospital for thrre more days. The biopsy results will be in at the end of the week.

Needless to say, I’m distraught and exhausted. Smarty, my other Devon and PeeWee’s grandfather,  keeps looking for PeeWee, and seems a little confused.  He’s charmed everyone at the hospital and has his favorite bed and blanket so he’s comfortable I believe. I’ll keep you (whoewver you are) updated.

Steam dandelion greens lightly. Drain. Boil water. Cook pasta al dente (ziti recommended). Saute 2 cloves garlic, red pepper flakes in olive oil, add dandelion greens, toss lightly. Add pasta toss lightly. Spoon into deep bowl. Cover with parmesan or romano or both. Pour white wine into glass. Take a sip. Take a bite. Repeat until sated.

Yahoo/MSN/AOL etc. “News” is an insidious, insipid form of censorship. Viva El Nueva York Times.

Cats are the furry, sentient, intelligent version of angels.

Obama, Clinton, McCain — take your choice — they’re all more of the same. The U.S. needs a cultural and moral revolution to set things straight.

There are few things in life as distinctly delightful and satisfying as a bag or bowl of salty, crunchy, crispy, buttery popcorn.

So I say to myself why not write something on the blog today. I click on [write post] and put my fingers on the dirty white keyboard (white keyboard I could never understand. Upi can’t clean them easily after eating a PB&J while computering). The first thought and subsequent words that popped into my media-feebled mind are “What is the nature of attraction.” My fingers froze before I could type it. Fuck, I say to myself, I sound like Carrie Bradshaw on Sex & the City. Now my keyboard has little bits of blue taco chip crumbs, which were propelled Bronx-cheer style from my mouth, all over it. Now I’m just blathering, but isn’t that what most blogs are: blathering.To continue the saga and/or trauma of my syncope (fainting) episode … All my tests are done, blood, echocardiogram, chest x-ray, MRI of head, ultrasound (carotid arteries) and urine. The only things amiss, and just slightly, are plaque (atherosclerosis) in my right exterior carotid artery (facial artery) and a lower than normal level of thyroid hormone (hypothyroid). The exterior carotid does not deliver blood to the brain, so that wasn’t a likely cause. Thyroid disease can be related to syncope. Remember when George Bush, the First fainted in Japan? It was hyperthyroid disease (Graves), which I’ve have for many years. My endocrinologist said my thyroid would eventually burn out and that I would have to take thyroid replacement drugs. One of the treatments for hyperthyroidism is radioactive iodine, which I never had. However, I did have high dose radiation on my neck and mouth for tonsil cancer, which probably did the trick. But that was five years ago. Speaking of that, the five year anniversary of the end on my cancer treatment is April 3rd. Was going to have a huge party but decided not to because … because I’m depressed.