http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/ drmaus's Blog en-us © 12:24:01 Greasy.com All rights reserved. Wed, Feb 12:24:01 8 GMT 30 http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/baby_2.html Today in the mail I got a letter from an insurance saleswoman wanting to celebrate with me, or something like that, when the new member of my family arrived. And she reminded me that this meant I'd need to revisit my insurance coverage. Hmm. I am over 50 and have no children. Three days ago, however, I searched Amazon for baby strollers and pillows for nursing mothers, since a longtime friend of mine is expecting and I'd like to get her something major. I didn't search any other sites, and ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/baby_2.html#comments Fri, 3 Feb 2012 07:13:30 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/election_stuff_beware.html Just heard some pieces from Newt's speeches calling Obama "The Food Stamp President." Sounds a little like Moses, doesn't it? Feeding the people.. or at least it conjures up the Bird Lady from Mary Poppins. It's a name I'd be proud of, in Obama's place. I was really shocked at seeing the very end of the JonStewart Show, because it made it clear that Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart, are doing Everything That Is Possible -- and likely, with their superPAC. They deliberately violated the reg ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/election_stuff_beware.html#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:05:49 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/elected_serve_if_only.html The Republicans are moving might and main to elect Obama again. It's ludicrous -- James Dobson, the head of that Family First or whatever his churchy group is called, called Newt Gingrich's wife a "mistress of eight years." Then he went on to praise Rick Santorum, whose wife Karen... Lived with an abortion-providing doctor as her lover for about 6 years. He was much older and is to this day very much pro-choice. She married Rick about a year after breaking up with the doctor. (see politico ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/elected_serve_if_only.html#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:02:47 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/rick_rick.html Certain stories keep being repeated, but not others, about Rick Santorum. For instance, the media have been repeating the thing about taking the dead baby home. So? That's not so weird. I wouldn't even expect his other kids to react badly; seeing a little tiny body is quite different from seeing (for instance) a full-size, aged body in a coffin of some grandparent a kid didn't know very well, and maybe didn't like. The dead-baby thing about Rick Santorum that does seem like a problem to me ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/rick_rick.html#comments Sat, 7 Jan 2012 01:47:22 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/damn_forgot_children_married.html I was having a case of holiday blues, but one major thing that was bugging me is solved. For at least the last 5 years, I'd been sort of a lone straggler invited to my sister's in-laws family house. Really had no where else to go. Each year, I'd been informed at the last minute what the gifts arrangement was going to be. After 20 years of their knowing me, I thought maybe I could be consulted about it too, but no; I get told (by my apologetic sister) that they're all going to draw names (a ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/damn_forgot_children_married.html#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:29:46 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/bad_banks.html I think one shouldn't read the news -- at least not to the extent I do -- because it increases my anger and lately makes me feel the whole world is blighted, blasted and cancered, and I can't trust things like... my oldest bank. I went in the other day to add a little cash to an old, old account I generally neglect. The teller handed me the deposit slip without comment. It was overdrawn by about $150. Since I hadn't been using that card, I was stunned and asked for the most recent transact ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/bad_banks.html#comments Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:52:04 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/pittsburgh_movies_video.html There's no end to the injury that Hollywood likes to inflict on Pittsburgh. Every movie made whose setting is supposed to be here perpetuates the image of a small-town city with idiot natives who have the most peculiar, yawpish accent, extremely limited interests (Steelers, football, beer, food), bad taste in furniture, little education, and all live in dimly-lit, yellowed-with-age homes. Pittsburghers are frequently guilty of giving the caricature more life, too: Here's an example, made b ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/pittsburgh_movies_video.html#comments Tue, 6 Dec 2011 17:34:08 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/bird_feeling_better.html Birdie has stopped all screeching, and has become social again, answering with a short chirpy squawk when I say something to him. He improved after I did some snipping of his wingfeathers again. I hadn't noticed how fast those feathers are growing -- usually that happens in spring, not now -- but they were enough to really, really bother him. Still, I'm trying hard to get him to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables instead of so many mealworms. Here he is watching me. And here's (one iterat ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/bird_feeling_better.html#comments Sun, 4 Dec 2011 17:17:23 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/old_bird.html My 11 or 12-year-old starling, whose wings are ragged even after clipping, whose talons are turned slightly wrong ways (due to staying on flat ground too much) has been complaining about old age a lot. He shrieks when he trips over his own feet, or if his toes hurt, I guess. Sometimes it's because "I've fallen and can't get up!" -- which he yells a little early, before actually trying to get up. He knows I come running when he shrieks, so I think it's for attention too. He goes quiet when ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/old_bird.html#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:18:42 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/snowy_niagara_falls_photos.html Falls, with a little snowman guy on guardrail rock that someone placed there. He even has hair. Rainbows were everywhere you looked that day, at your feet, over your head, and here's a double one. Here the rainbow seemed to come right out of the water. This is the very edge of the water going over the rock edge of Horseshoe Falls. http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/snowy_niagara_falls_photos.html#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 07:56:08 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/photo_upload_test_niagara_falls.html Snow Pileup. Another view. Horseshoe Falls. Fortunately, I'm not having the problem with loading photos some people are now. These are from back in March. The snow and ice accumulating at the base of the Bridal falls was amazing. This is of course from the Canadian side. http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/photo_upload_test_niagara_falls.html#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 07:34:57 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/trying_stay_piece.html The pain of osteoarthritis in my hands has increased so suddenly I am sure it is related to hormonal changes. It hasn't been a big thing until now. Arthritis does not run in my family and my hands aren't swollen at all; but they hurt, giving sudden flashes of pain at the thumb joints, and somewhat around the wrist and up the forearm. While doing laundry my hand bumped against the washer, just at the wrong spot, and it was awful. I yowled. I realized I'm already avoiding writing longhand, I ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/trying_stay_piece.html#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:11:09 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/joe_paterno_bishop_football.html While the rest of the country has been subjected to the scandal of Herman Cain's harrassment beeswax, here in Pittsburgh it's all been football-at-Penn-State scandals. It has been sucking up the news all day here, the arrest of former Penn State assistant coach Sandusky, for raping children. Because Joe Paterno knew about it for 9 years -- actually was told by an eyewitness, a member of the athletic staff -- it makes this at least as bad as the stuff the Catholic Church has been sued again ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/joe_paterno_bishop_football.html#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:54:17 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/river_phoenix_greasy.html Since when did the late River Phoenix join Greasy and adopt a Chinese name? When you click on the avatar it says "file not found." http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/river_phoenix_greasy.html#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:09:59 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/youtube_spoofs_cheer.html Well, I'll see if this works on Safari. First, two Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry clips, satire on the wonderful American character which has led us to where we are today:       Well, seems to work but not the way it says it will. Okay. Here's several more, on other subjects. My favorites. http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/youtube_spoofs_cheer.html#comments Wed, 3 Aug 2011 01:12:01 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/autism_aspergers_syndrome.html When your attention is drawn to a thing once, the thing will appear at least 2 or 3 more times in the next few days or so. Part of this coincidence is that your radar is now tuned and looking for it, so you find it more easily, but.. Anyway, in my writing group there is one member with Asperger's. He wrote a short piece about living with it and we read it. Then a day or two later in the NYTimes there were a couple of articles about it that surprised me. (Of course I knew that vaccines have ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/autism_aspergers_syndrome.html#comments Sat, 2 Jul 2011 20:04:26 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/yuck_--_writing_exercise_no.html If I may quote Eminem -- but more cleanly -- God sent me today to gross the world out. Therefore, as part of my exercises to get writing again, I bring you: Yucky Things! 1. Hugh Hefner. Lizard man he may be these days, but over the years he always invoked nausea in me. I believe the young plastic woman he was going to marry had a moment of self-revelation after acting in a spoof about her own upcoming marriage. His planned wedding, probably an effort to revive his brand, gave him spectacu ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/yuck_--_writing_exercise_no.html#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:33:30 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/mixed_post.html I've had writers' block for months, hence almost no posts. Perhaps some bits of things will loosen up my brain: * Finally went to an oral surgeon to see about getting my wisdom teeth extracted. They're all sideways, but 3 are erupted through the gumline so are in danger of decay; so they should come out. I decided I don't like this surgeon. He did not bother explaining the process of extraction until I asked him to, then kept blocking my expressed worries, saying they'd "treat me like a pr ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/mixed_post.html#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:41:10 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/letter_questionnaire.html For my username, beginning with the letter D: 1. A (wild) animal: dingo

 2. A (domestic) animal: dog 

3. A Fruit: date 

4. A color: dusty rose

 5. A car model: Dodge Caravan 

6. A Country: Denmark

 7. A vegetable: daikon radish 

8. A song: Don't Sleep on the Subway 

9. A river: Danube 

10. A recipe: deep-fried chicken

 11. A movie: Donnie Darko

 12. A book: Der 35 Mai

 13. A Composer: Debussy

 14. A Sport: diving 
15. A nam ... http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/letter_questionnaire.html#comments Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:07:43 GMT http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/anguish_languish_stories.html Anguish Languish Stories: Ladle Rat Rotten Hut, etc Many years ago, I remember my little brother reading me some of these excruciating tales. I think from a mensa mailing. All the stories are familiar ones made up from good English words, just never the correct ones. Phrases from them entered my family's lingo, such as "fur oblivious raisins." Read at your own risk. http://my.greasy.com/drmaus/anguish_languish_stories.html#comments Thu, 6 Jan 2011 02:36:00 GMT