Tom & Jerry & Bertram

Mood: still recovering from the last two days

Bertram apparently likes Tom & Jerry. He sat on top of his scratching post for a while, watching intently.

John M. "Chet" Acosta

Mood: sad

I don't think I've really mentioned Bella's dad much in here, but below I am reprinting a tribute I left in the Guest Book for his obituary page at PE.com:

I met Chet in 2002. I came over as his daughter's friend. Christina wasn't home yet, so I sat in the kitchen with him. He started talking to me like he had known me for years. I could barely get a word in edgewise, and when I finally did I realized that I hadn't introduced myself. "I'm Greg, by the way," I managed. "Yeah," he replied. In his very next breath, he was back on yet another subject. It felt more like he was trying to catch up with an old friend than make small talk with the stranger that I was. I have never felt more welcome in anyone else's home. Chet did that.

Now, I am engaged to his daughter! When I asked him permission to marry Christina, he said, "She's the one that has to live with you." I thought that was the perfect tension-breaker, and we both chuckled. Then, kidding aside, he said yes. He offered advice from his own experience. And that was that. Yet again, he managed to put me at ease. It takes a sensitive, intuitive person to be able to do that.

I spent almost every Sunday morning before church sitting and chatting with Chet. He'd offer me coffee. "You'll have to warm it up," he'd explain. Man, he could brew a good cup of coffee. Even if it was a day or two old.

He is and always will be my role model for daily living. I admire him greatly. His life, though far too short for those he left behind, was a full and successful one.

I will miss him more than I can express.

Siriusly

Mood: greedy

Sirius Satellite Radio has become a sort of guilty pleasure. I bought a second receiver, so I can have one at home and one in the car. It has become one of my favorite forms of entertainment. I highly recommend it.

The new receiver is much better than my old one. The controls are better placed for use in the car, and the display will be easier to read at a glance. Also, it has six more presets, for a total of 36, so I don't have to be quite so selective. (It's funny, but I just discovered that my old receiver has 30 presets, not just 25. Now I get to add a few more presets for here at home, too!)

Of course, this guilty pleasure must come with a sacrifice so I won't feel too guilty. So I am going to cancel a website I was holding onto. (I had intended to do something with it, but at this point, I just don't have the time or energy to dedicate to it, anyway.)

Oh, this morning I had a scare with the remote for my old receiver. I had the remote in one hand and a cup of orange juice (I'm battling the flu) in the other. I was in midstep when Bertram attacked my raised foot. In trying to pull away from him as well as keep myself from falling while not stepping on Bertram, I managed to drop the remote and slosh the orange juice. Well, remotes and orange juice were never meant to be used in conjunction, so I thought I killed my remote when it went haywire for about an hour. After cleaning it up and letting it sit battery-less for a half-hour or so, I decided to check it one last time. I put the battery in and what do you know? It worked. I was very happy, since a replacement remote costs nearly as much as a complete system!

Well, off I go to add some presets to my radio. Fun times, even at this hour.