i am an Earth Rooster

so my Chinese Horoscope says that i am an
EARTH ROOSTER
Jan 22, 1909 to Feb 9, 1910
Feb 17, 1969 to Feb 5, 1970

some of the descriptions seem accurate
some others not so much...

Rooster is often seen as the original strong silent type, not unlike the Humphrey Bogart and Greto Garbo prototypes. Most people consider them quite eccentric. Sad to say, relationships with other people are often strained. They are quite moody and can be too outspoken. They are often self-centered, but can be quite brave when the situation calls for it. On the other hand, Rooster People are quite talented and capable. They are always devoted to their work and have a reputation for being the hardest of workers. Rooster People are deep thinkers and are pioneers in spirit. They can experience the greatest of joy in complete solitude. Even though often alone, they rarely experience loneliness. Instead, they enjoy their own company and feel solitude helps them in their quest after knowledge.

Shark-tail Soup and fortune cookies are among the keys to good health.
(probably this is the most accurate part, i do like soup not sure shark-tails though & i love eating/reading fortune cookies, and sure!! i am a loner too, i love being around people, but i usually retrieve by myself at the end of the day, and i do need a fairly amount of time by myself or i start feeling too stressed and tired i must rest from people at least a couple of hours a day, whenever i have had a couple living with me [it lasted only few months] or a roommate, or while growing up with my mom, i can't wait for them to leave the house, so i can truly rest)

The Earth Rooster epitomizes the very essence of one of Robert Browning's most popular poems, "Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be." Despite early adversity and rough times, their philosophical bent has led them to expect and therefore to achieve the good life. They have a very analytical way of looking at problems and they can pierce the most daunting of tasks with utmost efficiency. With saint-like patience, they are consistent in everything they do and always answer to their own counsel, which hasn't failed them yet. As a result, their careers are forever anchored in smooth sailing, and as life passes, they will know peace, abundance, and complete fulfillment. The same goes for their love life. There are difficulties at the very beginning but as time goes by, they understand each other perfectly, and receive "the best" love has to offer.
Famous Rooster people: Suharto, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, D. H. Lawrence, John Glenn, Emperor Akihito, Yoko Ono, Eudora Welty, Bette Midler

moving...

i am moving!!
same neighborhood, right down the street literaly
still stressful/busy times ahead
more to come soon...

am gonna miss my little yard so much!!!
this new place: no yard, but 1 bedroom
here is a studio

it will feel more 'urban' to live in a 2nd floor
more of an apartment complex than a little cottage
but this place has NO insulation
every winter is coooold, sometime colder than the outside?
and well, that doesn't matter much in Sunny Diego
the problem is the summer...
and the alley full of cars, & the cats
roaming around outside, Gato got another abscess
hospital of Cats for 2 nights... gotta keep them indoors
even if they hate it, but can't keep them indoors
in such a small place, so moving to a 1 bedroom
where they won't have access to my room
still it's gonna be hell for them, and for me
to leave the outdoors and settle in an apartment
yet at least it's triple size of this place
bigger kitchen, 1 bedroom, and much bigger living room
than my whole studio now
still...

ahhh... hope i did the right thing...
wish me luck!!
and of course more bloggy-gossip
and hopefully some pix coming soon

of the yard what i'll miss the most
all the little plants i planted here
and the BIG palm outside my home
which grew from about 5' since 2005
to about 25' now, it's way taller than my house

and to think nobody is going to water them

and i am going to miss the many birds i feed
i won't miss their mess of seeds
but by now, at least 20 mourning doves
4 or 5 blue jays, and about 30 of the little
"common" city birds, those little brown ones
come every day!
plus 2 chubby skunks...
nobody is going to feed them anymore...

but heck, my health demands an extra room

ah sighs
hope i get used to my new place
can't wait to have the keys, so i can really explore
changing Sunday

an afternoon in my neighbourhood

walking Normal Heights

presidential crush

i am NOT in a very romantic phase of my life lately
i don't feel attracted to men as much as i did before
and the last thing i'd like to do is to fall in love again
for the 1s time in my life i feel complete being single
and i am not looking forward a relationship
it is a very freeing feeling that arrived alone
i guess it might be the older age,
and the fact that i feel a bit
overwhelmed but also complete with so many things
that have to get done these days
so no time for romance nor desire of it

but... when i see some photos of our president
mister Obama, i feel the little old tingling in my heart
as i am sure about another couple of millions of women do
he's such a handsome man!
and over all, intelligent & with a great personality!



i have dated uglier and handsomer men in my lifetime
and thankfully i don't have a physical stereotype for
men beauty, some of them have been taller, some shorter,
some browner, some whiter, some serious, some jokers
some have been assholes some not so much, but still a bit (ha ha)
(i do think assholeness is intrinsic to masculinity,
just like maybe sensibility/bitchiness is intrinsic to femininity,
pardoning you my colloquial lexicon... )
anyways, but one thing they all surely had in common,
that is all the men i have loved,
were (or are, since hope any of them is dead yet...)
intelligent, & in one or other way
and they all have had a taste for art too, so, yes
i do fall in love with personalities, not looks...
& yeah!! i am sort of in love with Barack
so disrespectfully that i even call him by his 1st name
sorry misses Michelle!

but this is not news... once, back in 1994
i had another huge presidential crush,
i was living in Mexico back then, but my heart
was all over the place for mister Bill Clinton
wow!! i was even jealous of Monica Lewinsky
you weren't the only one, Hillary!



so it's just nice to see two of my presidential loves
getting together for lunch
if only i could have a conversation with both...
but surely i'd be muted by nervousness
and all would be teenager-like giggles



oh and by the way, the only problem i find
with these beautiful men is that they are both powerful
i am a bit opinionated and i deeply dislike men
who trip on power... and women too for that matter

i feel that humility is a must to come close to my heart
even more important than intelligence
and of course than good looks
and to find a humble man is so hard!

anyway, even if not in a very romantic mood lately
it's good to know that my heart has come to a halt
but not to a stop...
i might just fall in love again
probably when i am 64 or 75
a more mature age heh heh

Ps. i hate to think that i have something in common
with ex vice-president Cheney since i think,
like Conan O'Brien, that he's an "engendro del Diablo"
(Spanish for something like a little monster conceived by the devil)
anyway, Cheney also thinks Obama is attractive

and what do YOU think?
do you have any platonic loves?
or unreachable romances?
please share!

Gatos tees

i guess some things never change &
after having designed t-shirts for living
i seem to still have fun at it

i made these t-shirts a couple of months ago
around the time when i started photographing los Gatos
and found out about Zazzle.com



Zazzle.com is a very cool online service
where you can customize pretty much everything
t-shirts, mugs, cards, calendars, mouse-pads, and even shoes!
at somehow reasonable prices

so in a jiffy, i designed these, based on some
of the photos i took, was eager to try the service!
the quality of the shirts it's pretty decent &
they have plenty of models and colors to select from

so if you are feeling creative
or want to design your own Christmas presents
take a look
http://www.zazzle.com/create




herr Gato's & frau Kitty's original design
i made these with Photoshop and chose for herr Gato's design
a 100% cotton long-sleeved ladies fitted shirt
and for frau Kitty's, a custom ladies ringer t-shirt
with red collar & sleeves to match


then uploaded them to the Zazzle.com inter phase
with a rather helpful flash application that
allows you control of scale, position, and other specs
of your design on your selected product model



http://www.zazzle.com/cr/design/pt-shirt
and well, you saw the finished products above
scroll up, & click on, to enlarge
they are cool and comfortable garments
& i wear them all the time on weekends,
Friday's at the office, or for walks
where i get nods from cat-crazy people
and grunts from the more normal kind...

got it!

so i finally did it
got my 1st laptop ever!
typing from my bed



thanks to my friends who helped me
installing software
and to my great neighbor for
sharing with me his wireless router
and some fresh fish he caught yesterday



digital life at home is fun again!

it's 09-09-09 and it's Otis Redding birthday

unlike yesterday
i feel a bit better today
about life and health...
and i always amused
by our love of numerology
tons of couples getting married today
and people waiting for the good Oms coming
from this number-magic date

and i remember that today is also
Otis Redding birthday
i have before posted about him
and his rest-inspiring song
but here again, in case you weren't around
back in 2007 to read this blog

also, 9-related, can't wait to watch
the new animated film 9

so this song that i can post, post, and post
and listen to it, again & again
and then whistle a little, at the end...

broken-hearted (or lungs) blues

i am broken hearted
i went to the doctor today
'cause i have a swollen finger
probably a spider bite he said...
but then he got to listen to my lungs

and oh boy!
my oxygen levels are really really low
from a normal 300 points
i got 120...
i saw it coming
i've been wheezing a LOT and having to
use my fast inhaler almost twice a day

and i saw it coming too
i am allergic to the Gatos, i knew it
no matter how much benadryl i take
or how many times i wash all around my home
when you are asthmatic, you are asthmatic
and when you are allergic to cats, well, you are
and not much can't be done

so... i am so sad and confused
not to mention tired

dunno what to do about my beloved Gatos
who i finally seem to have taken care of
to a point where they feel OK, with a home
and not living in the alley
but now this...

i am on Corticosteroids (QVar) inhaler for 2 weeks
and having to use my allbuterol inhaler for a while

and i must find a solution to deal with the cats
i could move to a place with 1 bedroom to
leave them outside my room
(i live in a studio now)
but also, they love this place so much
they are able to go out (most of the time they
are outside my house...)
and they got attached to this place more than to me
although by now they roll over & purr
when they see me...

as my mom & my best friend said
some illumination might fall to my head
(and lungs) and i will have to make a decision
to move or how to deal with the cats sooner
than later

or in the meantime, and thanks to my new
friend blogger's inspiration Diatton
of listening to some incredible blues
i could well write the "asmathic & the cats"
blues...

to all my friends who i owe replies
comments, etc. please bare with me
i am stupidly busy at work these days
taking a class, and fighting with myself
to get some air in my lungs...



here some info on asthma, that i should
read
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec04/ch044/ch044a.html

cleanDesktop

nothing like a clean desktop
to start working on...
i hate having tons of files' icons
dragged into my desktop
yet it gets clutter easily
tonight, i cleaned it and created
icons for my 23hq's fotos
for my blogger files, and even one
for my friend perro's CD design
[click on the photo for a closer view
of my little folder icons]



if you'd like to customize your folders
by changing their icons
here's this helpful/quick page
that transforms .png files
into .ico files, so you can recreate
folder's views or upload as favicons
on your website
http://www.convertico.com/

the Literary Gato

i've been enjoying very much reading
The Awakening, yet, i had to stop 1/2 way
even if it's a short book 'cause
i've enrolled a CSS class at Mesa College
so my reading time is taken my technical reading...

but it's good to know that Herr Gato likes my books
this is about the 4th time that i leave a book on my bed
and he goes and lays right next to it
i think he likes the warmth and smell of good literature
oh! i've found another authentic Literary Cat!

California dreaming becomes California nightmare

first we became broke
& now
we are on fire
again!

is this the end of the Golden State?
glad i've enjoyed for almost 10 years now
living here
'cause the dream is coming close to an end
it's more like a nightmare everyday

and then again
when i see how wasteful American people have become
claiming expensive technology to survive
that we cannot afford, use cell phones and flat screen TVs
but not for productivity but for "fun"
& then eating all the crap we can and see around
and driving over-sized cars in the freeways
living in houses full of empty luxury but lacking
education and morals... men caring about having money
but not on how it is obtained...
women with fake nails, and over-colored hair
and stupid men falling for them, and their boobs that
are huge, but fake...
as all seems to be in the US these days
even if one is not so religious
one feels compelled to think
is this some sort of ala Sodoma-Gomorrah punishment?
since most of the people are now lacking some
goddamn common sense!!!
maybe we are getting what we deserve...
or as Ignatius J. Reilly would say in one of my favorite
American novels of all times, people seem to be
lacking "theology" and "geometry"

read the excerpt:
Several of the outfits, Ignatius noticed, were new enough and expensive enough to be properly considered offenses against taste and decency. Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person's lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one's soul.'
~A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

not sure, but hey! hope you've enjoy the fun
and wasting while it lasted you, 'cause now
we are as screwed (or worse) than any 3rd world country

and it's useless to blame the government, or the institutions
or the weather, or anybody else...
at the end, the only ones responsible for all this are
ourselves!!! (this stupid thumb-opposable human race)
which seems never to learn from its mistakes
A Confederacy of Dunces we indeed have been
when i read about assholes such as the idiot of
Kim Jong Il (should be Ill)
and other members of this race, i look at my cats
and apologize to them for being another human
oh if i had feathers or fur, probably i would be
more natural and healthy/helpful to this Earth...
and i wonder
why Dinosaurs became extinct? with their big bodies
and small brains they seemed to handle much better
this wonderful planet Earth than we do now-a-days
i say, let the roaches or the ants, or the bees
we are killing, rule this world!
they do know organization and hard work much better
than most people walking on the streets these days
and are much more considerate too!

anyhow, the scenes from Los Angeles on fire
are devastatingly sad, hoping that we Californians
can rescue the little that is left...


downtown Los Angeles and its cloud of smoke from the surrounding fires