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Up Up Up to the Heavyside Layer...
1984-2001 |
Cathy left us on Friday, August 31, 2001 after a long, happy life. She touched the heart of just about everyone she met. There was something about her that was so sweet, she made everyone want to just pick her up and cuddle her. Any new kitten who came in who was attacked and scoffed by the other cats was welcomed by Cathy. The only bad things that she really didn't start doing until the end was letting me know in a bad way when the litter box wasn't to her standards. Cathy will be missed by our family and those who knew her. I'm building a tribute site to her at www.mycathycat.com
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Eddie the Chameleon
 Eddie is the chameleon who I have kept from the clutch which we recently had hatch. Eddie's mom, Emerald, died from the huge clutch of eggs (62) which she carried. I had taken her to the vet in her eggbound condition in late November. She didn't have enough calcium in her body to maintain muscle tone and could not lay the eggs. The calcium was being distributed to the eggs and the lives starting inside of those eggs. The vet and his technician worked for an hour and massaged 62 eggs from her. A normal clutch is between 20-35 eggs. We hoped she would recover, but she did not; we lost her the next day. I put the eggs in the incubator and 7 months later, they began to hatch--but only 34 eggs hatched. Of the 34, 21 survived. Given the trouble Emerald had, that was a good number. Eddie was the largest from the clutch and has a ferocious appetite and, so far, a good attitude.
July, 2001
Meet Kimba!
Named after the Japanese cartoon in the 70's, Kimba the White Lion, Kimba has been getting acquainted with life at the Briones Zoo. She's not white like her namesake, but she roars like a little lion and that name just kept coming back to me as the name to call her. Lots of growing and hissing going on around here right now, but that too, shall pass! She was born on April 9 and is full of energy and vinegar...
She is getting along better these days with the other cats, but isn't a full-fledged member of the group yet. I figure it'll just take time! She has mastered jumping up on things (oh boy) and hasn't learned good manners yet. It'll all take time...
Click any of the images above to enlarge it.
May, 2001
Road Trip!
May, 2001 This year we hit the road and drove to Indianapolis for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. The photo album isn't done quite yet, and I still have another version of the video to put on for 56k users, but take a look!
Road Trip
January, 2001
 Goodbye Contact Lenses & Glasses!
After years of wishing and waiting, I finally did it. Not may people realized that I wore contacts and glasses for years, but yes, I have since about 1983. I didn't have terrible, awful vision; but when I was a kid I had something like 20-10 and going from having better than normal vision to not being able to see across the room clearly was not good. I couldn't drive without glasses, couldn't see at night to drive at all because of astigmatism in my left eye, etc.
I went to Lasik Plus and they took care of me. George took many photos which might be unpleasant to see, but if you are curious and strong stomached, take a look.
December, 2000
Meet Sosa
Sosa
Sosa is our recent Christmas addition to our zoo. He is very friendly, sociable, and smart as a whip! He is learning to speak; this particular variety of parakeets do speak, and there is one who has a vocabulary of approximately 2000 words.
Photos
October, 2000
 The Boat
We have a new boat. Well, it is new to us anyway. It's a 1968 Livingstong Arrow Traveller. When we take it out, people admire it - it is like driving around in a classic Corvette or something! It has a Mercury 80 HP motor and it flies! We've been out to Lake Del Valle in Livermore, and on the Delta, exploring. I have to admit, I get a little apprehensive when we are out on 'big water' (the Delta), especially since we don't have a radio yet in case we run into trouble. I'll get used to it, I'm sure. We can't wait to take it to our favorite Mountain Lake next summer!
Photo Gallery
September, 2000
 Back to Excite!
I feel like a boomerang...just weeks after leaving, I am now back at Excite@Home, working in the International Division as their webmaster! I'm back on my bike doing the Dumbo Ride (Dumbarton Bridge), rain or shine. But most of the time, I get to telecommute, which is great! I am having a blast and am happy to be working with such a great group of people.
August, 2000
Cisco Kid
I finished up my contract at Excite@home on July 28th, and began my contract with Cisco Systems on August 17th. Long ago, in 1994, I tried to get into Cisco with no results, but this time, the recruiters found me. It is a 9 month contract.
I am a Content Engineer - relating to downloadable contact in their software center (or a content engineer, as in happy engineer, as one of my witty co-workers pointed out). Never had "Engineer" in my job title before, but I've been assured by my co-workers that "I'll get over it."
Yes, I am communting into the Silicon Valley from Fremont, but I am taking the Ace Rail which gets me here in 19 minutes, and then I catch a shuttle. I get of the shuttle 2 miles early so I can get in a good walk.
I really enjoy the train. It goes from Great America (the golf course) up through Alviso, and passes through a ghost town called Drawbridge on the way through. I find this rather haunting (no pun intended). Weatherbeaten houses and buildings are sticking out of the marshes. The link above is a history of Drawbridge which I find fascinating. The train then passes through the salt flats, and in on through Newark, and deposits me back at the station in Central Fremont.
I have brought my digital camera with me in hopes of procuring a window seat so I can take some photos of Drawbridge and post them here.
Chameleon Explosion!
 Well, not really, but practically. My veiled chameleon, Emerald, who was not quite 6 months old, began producing eggs in July. By my birthday, she was visibly swollen and very uncomfortable. She began to look like she had swallowed a golf ball, whole. That golf ball grew to the size of a plum by the time she finally let them go!
 I was advised to breed her so the eggs would form shells and she would pass them. She bred on July 26 and 27 with Pontiff, and continued to get larger and more uncomfortable. I transferred her to a laying container (a garbage barrel with soil and a plant in it) and she became unable to eat (she was 'full' of eggs, there was no room). So, we hand-fed her, and then one day, I came home to find eggs scattered everywhere. 51 in all! She is recovering, but is quite weak from the ordeal!
UPDATE! Another Egg!
 I came home from work on Tuesday, August 22 and found that Emerald had dropped yet another egg! The egg was very well formed and had some weight to it. I put it in the incubator with the other 51...and I am hoping that she recovers soon from the experience. She is getting a little bit stronger and feistier each day, so I'll just keep spoon feeding her and get her back to normal!
We have her clutch in the incubator now, along with Maureen's clutch, sired by Balder. Maureen laid her eggs the week before - just 22 of them.
Balder
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Maureen
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We are expecting Zena to lay a clutch by the end of August. She is the same kind of panther chameleon as Balder; Nosy Be (blue morph). We hope Maureen will be ready to mate with Spectrum by then, who, like Maureen, is a red morph, Maoransetra Panther Chameleon. Prism is also a Maoransetra, but he refuses to mate.
July, 2000
Employment
With my contract at Excite@home coming to an end, I am once again pounding the pavement. Well, not literally; I do what I call "The Resume Blitz" where I get on several different job boards and send out tons of resumes in one fell swoop.
It's too bad because I really like Excite@home. I tried to get something internal there, but nothing has panned out yet. But, it isn't over until July 28!
April, 2000
Fitness
Fitness is high on my agenda this year. I started jogging and completed my first 5(k) race in March, and have others coming up. My new commute is via bicycle and that has me going over the Dumbarton Bridge on a regular basis; 10 miles each way. Did someone say new commute? Yes, new commute.
I was consulting at CMP for about 5 months and was on the verge of being converted to a regular employee. I was then courted by a recruiting agency who placed me at excite@home in Redwood City. It is not only much closer to my home, but the greatest place I've ever worked! Everyone is so happy here--there is a feeling of harmony in the air.
Shooting Star Website Development continues to thrive. It is often tough for me to keep everything going--I am so busy all the time, but I somehow manage. It isn't easy, though. I'd go out on my own again, but the lure of that steady paycheck is too much to resist.
The Zoo
The zoo has thinned out a little bit. Sadly, we lost Natalie and Edward (tortoises) early in the year. Then, Bob started trashing my office and did quite a lot of damage (including a 17" monitor) and I had reached my saturation point with him. I called my vet to board him for a weekend when I would be gone, and they were so happy that Bob was coming back to them, I was talking to the lady and it worked out that she adopted him. She also adopted my box turtles who weren't the fun pets I thought they would be. (She has quite a zoo herself)! I am concerned about Elmer because he has been depressed lately and not eating. Not sure about him, but he will need to visit my vet.
We have a lot of chameleons now. Nine to be exact. I have been in the process of converting the guest room into the chameleon room. I can regulate temps there very easily. So all of the warmer weather chameleons are in there. That group will (once I finish the shelving) include panther chams Prism, Maureen, Balder, Athena, and Clair, and veileds Little Grubber and Emerald. Two will reside in the (cooler) bedroom, Dexter, and his mate who I have not named yet. Those are my Jacksons. Dexter has very nice horns. The female is quite plump and I haven't decided on a name for her yet.
So we lost 6 but gained that many chameleons. But chameleons are much smaller and easier than iguanas, I think!
February, 2000
My Septoplasty
 After enduring one ear infection after the other for nearly 4 years, I found myself in an ear nose and throat specialist's office in January. He looked at my ears, then asked me, "sinus trouble?" I said yes. He then covered each nostril, had me breathe and asked me, "are you congested?" I said, "Not at all. I'm nice and clear." To me, it was. To anyone else, it would have felt congested. Turns out I had between a 40-70% airway loss! When Dr. Sah covered each nostril and had me inhale, my nostrils collapsed in effort to suck air into my nose with every breath! I was diagnosed with a deviated septum (isn't that a punk band or something?) and this was causing inadequate ventillation to my ears.
So, about a month later on February 9, I went under the knife and as I am writing this, I am still recovering. The surgery itself went well; the photo above was taken right when I got home. There are more lovely, becoming pictures at my Photopoint album. George followed me around with his camera through my worst times that day and night. I was miserable. The next day, the stuffing came out and I could breathe like never before. But, then the healing process began, and with that, swelling. Now, ten days later, I feel like I have a cold where I can't get anything to open it up. In desparation, I shot hot water into my nose earlier this evening. That actually did do some good, but the hacking and gagging of water going down my throat wasn't worth it! So, I'll just be patient, and one day soon, objects near me will tremble when I take a breath...Meanwhile, it did narrow the bridge of my nose, so I got a nose job out of the deal!!!
January, 2000
Happy New Year
Everyone is saying "the new millenium. The new century." What do I say? WRONG. One of the last things my dad taught me, when I was making reservations for what I called the Last Indy 500 of the Century--was that unless you don't adhere to our regular, western counting convention of starting at 1, the century and millenium end in 2001. It is a real gripe of mine and I won't budge on it. Oh well...
Resolutions
I have some basic ones, all health/weight related.
- Eat more fruit and veggies (and lay off the Cheezits)
- Drink more water. Water is our friend.
- Keep the office clean
- Keep the house clean
- Floss regularly; not just before a dentist appointment to keep from being yelled at!
I think those are good for starters anyway.
November, 1999
Re-employment
Well, my home based business sort of dried up. I am glad I tried it, but it didn't keep food on the table or the roof over my head, so I had to go back to work. I am continuing to maintain my business and I don't turn any work down. I now work as a consultant in San Francisco at a large web/publishing firm.
I do get to do a bit of telecommuting, and so that will be my goal since I really enjoy working at home. I get a lot more done at home too for some reason. Maybe it's a comfort level thing.
Humor Section Continues to Grow
Years of receiving e-mail has left me with quite a collection of funny stuff. I am in the process of putting the best of it up into a humor section. I'm adding more all the time (when I have time) and it was kicked off one morning when I had my usual 3 AM insomnia which usually hits me once or twice a week. Enjoy it! If you have anything you'd like to contribute, please do. E-mail me at mbriones@spacerock.com.
September, 1999
School Daze
I am back in school, learning Unix and Perl (nothing to do with knitting). I am really enjoying Unix and have the same instructor for perl. I love the time of day for my Unix class: 7 AM. Perfect for me, the morning person.
Weight Loss
Enjoying life a bit has left me 'locked out' of most of my wardrobe. I know I should be happy with who I am, but I don't like my present state of weight. So, I'm going to Jenny Craig (along with Monica Lewinsky!).
June, 1999
Our Trip - Indianapolis 500
Raceday, 1999 dawns over Gasoline Alley
The sun rose over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and I was there to catch it. Unlike last year, we did not have to wonder if it would begin raining any moment during the race, or wait while high-powered dryers were taken around the track to dry it for the event. (Instead, it rained about 10 minutes after the race was over).
We had more fun this year than last because our media credentials allowed us to be part of the event instead of purely a spectator. We shot many pictures and they are not all up yet in my photo album online, but you can see some of them by clicking
Training for the next Race
No, I haven't followed in my sister's running-shoe steps and taken up jogging or triathalons. I'm working on getting myself in better physical condition for the next IRL race we're covering.
In Indianapolis, the complex known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is HUGE. The parking lot was just north of the start/finish line which sits in the middle of the 2.5 mile oval. That meant my walk from the car to the media building was about 1/2 mile. On race day, I walked from the parking lot to the media center, to my seat, to Turn 1, to my seat, and back to the media center. I figure I must have done about 3 miles that day.
In Las Vegas, my feet died after the first day, so I had new shoes this time. My plans for conditioning for this year's Vegas race include a lot of walking and strength training. Going to the gym and getting on the stairclimber won't hurt either; it's for a good cause. Maybe I'll drop some pounds while I'm working on it, which would help too.
One thing is sure: You have to be in shape to get good pictures at the races and be there when it's happening!
July, 1999
Marianbuilt Computer
My husband makes fun of me and says that I have gone to "The Dark Side" because I use more PC power than Mac Power these days.
Back in the early 90's, PCs didn't do anything spectacular at all. It wa a pain to get them to do nice, graphic fonts, or anything graphically oriented at all. That changed around 1994 or so and has improved greatly since. I don't want to put down Apple's products at all; they are innovative and if it weren't for the Mac, we wouldn't be able to do what we are doing. The Mac people truly did what their slogan says "Think Different," and I was a cast in the wool Mac user for many years.
The basic reasons why I have almost all but switched to PC platform are as follows:
- More software is available for PCs
- Upgrades are simple and inexpensive (modular)
- I can build one
 I know that from his corner in Heaven, my dad watched while I went to the comptuer store, picked out components, a case, memory, etc., went home and put it together. I had a little trouble because I didn't know that those 'copper things' were supposed to screw into the case to ground the motherboard, but thanks to my assistant at work, that's all that was wrong. It fired up, and I am coding this very page on it. I can't just go out and buy parts and make a Mac!
I haven't gone to 'the dark side;' I am just being practical!
Photo Album
I found a site called Photopoint, that allows its users to e-mail their photos and they have a nifty script that arranges them into thumbnails on web pages so you have your own albums. And it is free. I don't know how big of an album I can have; this one is getting rather large. It takes the work out of developing the album pages for me, so now most of my photo shows are going to be directly on Photopoint. You can view my entire album by clicking here or on the link to the left that says "Photos." Lots easier this way!
New developments in my career have sent me spinning websites on my own. The situation has changed dramatically in my life so I no longer have to work for someone! I am continuing to soak up all of the knowledge I can.
I have successfully built my network at homee and have created a firewall. I am working on all aspects of Website Development including Server Side issues.
I've learned more since December of '98 than I've learned over periods of years -- it's like my dad's spirit has gotten me into that!
That's about it for now.
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The United States Masters Swimming Association continues to keep me busy. I've learned a lot. Being a self-taught programmer definitely has its pros and cons, and I ran into a lot of the cons, but my suprevisor, Jim, has 'tamed my feral code' and taught me a ton of short cuts that he found along the way in his php journey. I began swimming in October and am out there 3 times a week, rain or shine. It's building my stamina way up and I'm up to 1100 yards on my 'marathon day' which is every Friday. I see how far I can swim and add 50 yards each week. My goal is a mile; I'm more than halfway there.
New Years' Resolutions? I really don't have any. Continue with my weight loss and exercise regime which brought me into One-Der-Land (I was over 200 lbs - WAY too much for a 5'5" small boned person like myself). My blood pressure was bordering 'high' and I'm happy to say that is down to a nice, normal range again. I guess I can make some goals for myself regarding my martial arts and business. The photo there was taken in October right after we opened the 
Thor woke up one afternoon to find that Mjollnir (Joey) had made himself comfy. Thor is not very tolerant of the younger cats; he prefers to hang out with Noelle most of the time. He and Noelle are the king and queen of the cat family; Thor going on 9 years old and Noelle just turned 5.
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