Elvis Costello in concert -- here!

Yeah, in Hawaii!

It was announced before I attended his wife's (Diana Krall) concert last May that he would be performing with our Honolulu Symphony in the spring.

My subconscious must've remembered, because, for some reason, for the past few weeks I've been downloading and listening to a lot of his music. Then today I found out that tickets for his March 31-April 1, 2006 (!) concerts go on sale on Monday!

Woohoo! I'm hoping his late 70s-early 80s stuff, but he'll be performing with the Symphony, so I'm not sure what we'll get. His music ranges from new wave to classics, from jazz to torch ballads.

I don't care. I'm always just so grateful when artists/bands bother to stop by and I'm able to enjoy them. Of course, the rockin'er the better, but I'll take what I can get.

No extra Butch concert in LA

such disappointing news

Just found out that Butch's "secret" show won't be a go for Los Angeles. There'll be no extra full-length concert held separately from his too-brief opening gigs for Avril/Gavin at the Greek Theatre.



I just hope I don't miss out on his Meet & Greets after his sets. But I'll probably stand there like an idiot and not be able to mumble out anything coherent.

"Female" android unveiled

in Japan, of course

Her appearance can momentarily fool people into thinking that she's human.

I know someone who might be tricked -- it's that Asian female thing that seems to cast a spell on some guys!

Read the BBC News story .

Stuff you come across when you clean up

Previous lives

Trips I hardly recall having gone on. People and places I barely remember. Some I'd rather forget.

Musty-dusty photo albums dug up while going through my old closet in my parents' house.

Threw out nearly all the photos, but did spend more than a few seconds on some for one last time. All were taken during college and after. All represented "significant" people, er, periods in my life.

It occurred to me as I started my Butch Walker obsession early this year, that one of those "significants" over 20 years ago had a remarkable resemblance to him, and one photo in particular nearly freaked me out.

It's in the trash now, along with the others.

I'll ease off on the cat blogging

just a bit =^.^=

Sorry about yesterday's entry; I realize not everyone is a cat person, and even those who are don't necessarily want to know all about Rocky's "movements". (And this was the second time I wrote about it!) It's just that it was, pathetically, the main event of our day. I'll have to put a filter at the end of my fingertips to keep myself from running off at the..well, fingertips.

He's a funny cat, though. Well, I think so, anyway; others might think he's weird. He wakes me up by licking me and tries to get as many licks in as he can throughout the day. He also likes to groom my hair, but all that cat spit grosses me out.

So unless he does something really blog-worthy, I'll try to limit posts about him. To tide us over, here's a pic of him licking (not smelling!!) my foot. Feet aren't necessarily his favorite body part (wrists and insides of elbows are), but that's all I offered him a few minutes ago.

Not feeling well today

Poor stinky kitty

[Warning: yet another poopy cat post]

On Saturday and Sunday I gave in to Rocky's cries and let him out briefly. He rolled, ate grass, did a lot of sniffing (and even some marking), and caught at least one lizard that I know of.

On Sunday night he puked up some food, but I attributed that to the fact that he doesn't chew (hardly any teeth in his head) since he does that periodically.

Monday (yesterday), he was fine.

This morning he was more talkative than usual, but even if I knew what it was he was trying to tell me, I couldn't have helped him. I went outside for a while, but when I opened the door to come in, without even seeing him I could tell what had happened. I could smell it. He was blocking my way, trying to get out as usual, and he smelled bad. I made my way past him to check out the damage in his bathroom...and ewww.

Poor sh*tty kitty had the wetsh*ts again. In the fifteen minutes I was away, he used his box, then sat on several things downstairs..with his long, matted, poopy-gross butt fur.

I've tried my best to clean him, but he's still stinky, so I'm trying to get him to stay downstairs in an old area where he often takes naps because the floor is cool. Best thing is it will be easy to clean, and is away from where I hang out.



But his "episodes" usually are repeated at least one more time in the day..so I'll probably be greeted by the same scenario when I return later this afternoon.

This is all so much more disgusting than I can write about here.

Yahoo has Widgets

Over a thousand of them -- all for free!

Apple might've made a big mistake not buying Konfabulator (maker of the original widgets) when they decided to make "Dashboard" and widgets part of their Mac OS X Tiger operating system. It was announced yesterday that Yahoo purchased Konfabulator, and, voila, has made their widgets available for free today! (Mac OS X 10.2+, Windows XP and Windows 2000)

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out Yahoo's new widgets. Widgets are attractive little applications that float on your desktop, giving quick access to all kinds of information. And since there are over 1000 available, you might find a few that you can't live without. I use several of Apple's Dashboard widgets regularly, but might try Yahoo's. Below are four that are included when you download the program.



Oh, while there are 1042 Mac widgets currently available, there seem to be only 646 for Windows so far. That's bound to increase. Hey, that's 646 more than what was available up 'til today!

Two more weeks

Can barely stand it

I'm so ready to get outta here. Used to go on trips up to three times a year (before I had Rocky Raccoon), so this is tough.

And hot. And boring. And recently annoying.

Daily pics from both Butch and his legions of fans at concerts and outings are making me antsy. But I won't be satisfied with the two short sets he'll put on with Avril and Gavin in LA. He said he won't be able to stand such short performances, either, so is announcing club gigs after the concerts. His LA ones are TBA and I'm on edge waiting to hear where/when since I'm dependent on a non-BW fan to at least dump me there.

He did look like he had interesting moments in Nashville and St, Louis, partying on his way to LA! (pics taken by BW). Yeah, one of 'em is a a sweaty, half-nekkid pic. Enjoy.

I did.

   

Apple iPhone around the corner?

We might find out on Monday

Last year Apple and Motorola announced that they'd work together on a phone that would be iTunes-enabled. This Monday Motorola will announce its new products. It's expected that an iTunes phone will be one of them.

I'd probably be one of the silly "Apple loyalists" who'd buy an iPhone. At least I would actually use it, unlike my U2 Special Edition iPod.

=======================

On another computer-related note, Microsoft announced today that it has changed the name of its (long-delayed) upcoming operating system from "Longhorn" to "Vista". I always thought that "Longhorn" was awkward and invited jokes/plays on its name, but what do I know; Apple's use of feline species' names is kind of silly, too.

      Jaguar --> Panther --> Tiger

But I love cats, and I love Apple, so it's a great combination for me. =^.^=

Grommet and Tag puzzle

I resorted to cheating :(

I admit it, after not being able to solve the puzzle for 14 years, I had to cheat. Thank goodness for the internet.

Got this puzzle at some education workshop years ago. None of my colleagues were able to solve it, either. Every few years I'd try again (yes, I knew where I'd kept it and periodically took it out, only to be frustrated). After a while, no one remembered what puzzle I was talking about, so I was on my own, and had to introduce it to new people. To no avail.

Don't know quite why I decided to finally search online for the answer after trying to solve it in vain the past few weeks.

OBJECTIVE: Get the darn string out without tearing the tag.



Wanna make your own so you can actually try for yourself?

Rocky even lent a hand. Uh, teeth.



After you try for at least 14 years and still haven't solved it without resorting to looking up the solution, here it is: check it out yourself <-- you cheater!!

PS: If you solve it within the day (without resorting to CHEATING), I officially hate you.

PPS: I think I've gotten dumber. Ohyes. But much better at cheating.

Window users toss their corrupted PCs

and, evidently, are wising up to Macs

This Sunday the New York Times had a story about how PC users are tossing their infected machines and, evidently, buying computers that wouldn't be susceptible to spyware, adware, and viruses. In other words, Macs :)

Times like this..

..bring it back

Let me set the scene; candles, wine, Elvis Costello/Butch Walker (or whatever's my favorite music is at the time), and myself. Despite what others might think, I do really like my solitude at home.

(Uhoh, there goes my cat thrashing through the living room. So much for peace and quiet.)

Met up with an old friend last night, probably my oldest, since I met her when we moved back to Hawaii when I was in the third grade. Every five years or so our paths converge.

She feels sorry for me, I think. Finds it hard to believe that I really find satisfaction in my old age with just a cat for a companion. She's known me, well, as much as she can every five years or so, through the various milestones/relationships in the past too-many years to count.

Not that her relationships have been ideal, but I knew when to quit. Or, rather, when the one quit it for me, I was no longer willing to entertain the thought of persuing another romantic relationship. Believe me, it's not because I'm pining for him; each time he periodically contacts me makes me even more certain that I have no feelings for him anymore. It's the principle of the damn thing. Something about a fri*cken vow. Which means more to some, apparently, than to others.

Several girlfriends were concerned for me, but, after nine years, most have pretty much given up. thank goodness. Hard to believe at times that it was so long ago. Untiil someone asks about it..like every five years or so.

And then it feels like it was yesterday.

They have a winner

Half a billion songs sold on the iTunes Music Store

Someone won 10 iPods, a 10,000-song gift card, and four Coldplay tickets + backstage passes.

At least it kind of rhymes

fayesspace.com

So did fayesdays.com and fayesphase.com, but I didn't really care for them much. Then there were the names that had "three" in them (my favorite number): threebeesknees.com, threegreenpeas.com, threebvds.com, but those were just silly. All are available, if anyone's interested; but of course, the domain names I *really* wanted weren't.

So my latest domain name is fayesspace.com . I think I'll use it for my "Somewhere I Belong" site. Should take effect in a day or so. And I guess I'll stop purchasing domain names for a while. One a day is plenty enough ;)

talkintomyself.com

Much shorter than http://homepage.mac.com/fayeh/iblog/index.html - whew

Thanks to my friend's comment on my other blog, I now own the domain name talkintomyself.com . It never occurred to me to even check to see if it was available because I've always wanted shorter, spiffier domain names, but this one I can actually use! I'm using it to point to my regular blog website, but at least the unwieldy URL http://homepage.mac.com/fayeh/iblog/index.html doesn't have to be used anymore.

I registered it late last night through GoDaddy.com . Everything went smoothly until the last page, when the final form couldn't be submitted, claiming a required field hadn't been filled out. All required fields had been filled out, and multiple failed attempts at re-doing the form, even re-starting the entire process was getting me pretty frustrated. I called their 24/7 tech support and the person who assisted me (restarted the process, which I wasn't able to do from my end) was great.

Everything good has been taken

domain name-wise

Try to think of an original domain name. Betcha someone already beat you to the punch!

catrick.com -- already taken

sushicat.com -- already taken

freakazoid.com -- already taken

hissyfitz.com -- oh wait, that one's mine :)

We've known for years that all the decent domain names have been snatched up, but it's still irritating when you think of one and *really* want it, only to find it's not available.

And that "freakazoid.com" is not even being used, just being cybersquatted by enterprising sh*theads.

I need a hobby

for a few weeks, at least

School's been out for a month, and I'm bored. Helped to clear out the computer lab, took a couple of classes, mended/altered clothes, purged a lot of clutter from this old house, and now, other than driving myself and others to appointments several times a week, I have no real schedule to speak of.

I usually go on trips, take more classes, or work at school, but not this summer.

I'll try to resume a sorta-kinda workout regimen starting tomorrow, but can't guarantee that I'll stick to it. I have quite a bit of work to do from home, but that's not fun. There are about 3.5 slow weeks 'til things get interesting again (Butch Walker concerts), then school resumes.

Any suggestions?

PS: I'm very lazy.

Maybe we can help

Is your kitty balding?

If so, Rocky has more than enough fur and can share. This was collected after just a few minutes of brushing. It's about as big as his head, and he's got a big head. Is there a "Locks of Love"-like organization for cats?

Frankie Kitty

awww!

sidster's kitty is doing well and his eyes haven't "changed" yet! I've never known a black cat to have blue eyes. Such a pretty kitty!


view slideshow

Bad Macromedia

Wonder if things will be more Mac-friendly now that Adobe bought them?

Needed to view some images from the other day's free Butch Walker concert in Chicago that someone put up as a Shockwave PhotoJam. The page said that Shockwave Player 8 was required, so I downloaded the latest Shockwave Player 10.x.x.

Tried it using Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. PhotoJam didn't work.

Oh, did I mention I use a Mac??

Damn Macromedia (maker of Shockwave). They've been getting less and less Mac-friendly in recent years. Hope Adobe's buyout improves things.

Oh, in case you were wondering, I was able to view this and other PhotoJams using a laptop running Windows XP Pro that I just happen to have lying around here. Having multiple computers sometimes does come in handy. Wouldn't want to have to use that laptop too often, tho, and become spyware-infested like just about every Windows user.

======== Butch Chicago pics below =========

Hmm, Butch might be gettin' too purty. Maybe his new dangling earring was borrowed from his wife.

And the day before was such a good day for England

London bombing kills at least 37, wounds 700

Wednesday:

• London was awarded the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, beating out Paris
  
• G-8 conference of world leaders commenced
  

Thursday:

• Three trains and a double-decker bus were targets of a coordinated bomb attack
  

Coincidence?

Much sympathy to those who witnessed the carnage and mourn the loss of loved ones; admiration to those embodying the "Great" in Great Britain and are displaying their strength, resilience, and spirit.

Tree giveaway

or How to Landscape Your Yard at No Cost

Yesterday I went through one of my spare/storage rooms (omg I have so much cr*p!) and now have several piles of stuff that are in good condition and might be useful to someone else. I'll probably end up donating most of it, including TVs, but thought I'd check out those online free exchange sites.

Wonder if these items from FreeCycle Honolulu have stories behind them?

• cigarette coupons
  
• 2 pairs 36/30 slacks "with pillings on the butt area"
  
• baby book, "beaten up & well-worn"
  
• large rocks
  
• men's magazines
  
• beloved teacup chihuahua (aww)
  

Craigslist Honolulu had more interesting freebies:

• diapers
  
• rice cooker, "not good for stoners"
  
• inflatable 6' beer bottle
  
• "crappy old twin size bed with frame"
  
• and trees - how would one take the "very large" tree home?
  

Just an earthbound misfit

Pink Floyd reunites after more than 20 years

Live 8 is being broadcast all day, but it was just after noon in Hawaii when pigs flew once again. They sounded amazing. David Gilmour said earlier, "Any squabbles Roger (Waters) and the band have had in the past are so petty in this context, and if re-forming for this concert will help focus attention, then it's got to be worthwhile." Could this be the start of a reunion tour?

I think they performed just four songs, but my favorites were "Wish You Were Here" and "Comfortably Numb". Absolutely incredible.