Unhappy Birthday

Today is Sophie's birthday. She would be 21 years old if she was still here. 

 

 

The past few years on her birthday, I would wonder if she would be around for the next one since she was getting up there in years. My previous cat, Wilma, made it to 18 years old, so that was the benchmark. Once Sophie got near that and surpassed it, I kind of felt like she was on borrowed time. But up until April I felt like she felt good, she was herself, and she had a good quality of life. Mid-April is when she really started to go downhill in a way that made it clear she'd reached the end of the road.

 

I realize I was lucky to have Sophie as long as I did. A 20 year old cat is equivalent to a person in their mid to late nineties. But I still miss her terribly. It still feels weird that she's not here. I wish I was writing yet another blog post marveling at her longevity. But today, 19 weeks to the day after she died, it's a sad birthday.

 

 

In addition to great food, In-N-Out has some really crazy and awesome products

I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the people at In-N-Out marketing start tossing around ideas for new products.

 

There's the burger mug I mentioned in a previous post:

 

This attention-grabbing beach towel:

 

Your dog can dress just like an In-N-Out associate (they don't call them employees):

 

 

Even if you're not the kind of person who dresses up your dog, your furry buddy can still sport some In-N-Out accoutrements:

Can't lie, I really like these bags:

 

 

 

All these and more can be yours at the In-N-Out Burger Company Store.

 

For once, a positive customer service story

This just popped up on my social media, although when I checked to see if it's a true story (it is!) it turned out to be from 2022. But it's such a heartwarmer that it warrants revisiting, especially after losing Sophie earlier this year.

 

Apparently this isn't unusual. Chewy does this stuff all the time. In fact, in the linked article, there's a shelter worker confirming that they get many donations from orders that originated from Chewy that normally would be returned.

 

I can confirm how much genuine compassion is helpful after the loss of a pet. As I mentioned in this post, Hearts and Halos and Dr. Sarah (Sophie's in-home euthanasia) were beyond compassionate and helped make an awful experience that much less traumatic.

 

Then there was the reaction from Sophie's long-time vet. One of the services Hearts and Halos offers is to notify the vet of the death, so that I didn't have to make that call. A few days later I got a card in the mail from the animal hospital, with a message scrawled by some random employee (not from her vet or the hospital as a whole) and that was it. Never heard from them again, in spite of the fact that Sophie had been in there less than a week before her death and had been a patient for over a decade. It wasn't that I was expecting something as much as I was shocked that this otherwise well-run animal hospital didn't do. Given her age and how recently she'd been in there, I was surprised the vet didn't call. Maybe they were concerned I'd give them grief about not realizing Sophie was nearing the end and recommending more meds and labs (expensive meds and labs) but honestly, Sophie had bounced back so many times I was willing to give it a shot, plus that shouldn't be a reason not to hear from them. To this day I'm shocked they went so silent.

 

So props to Chewy for taking the time and making the effort to acknowledge a customer they never actually met. Class move and something that I can vouch made the loss a little less painful.

 

August Words of Wisdom

 My life will be a continual voyage on an uncertain sea. (Nicolas de Stael)

 

At the beach - time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted. (T.S. Eliot)

 

For me the novel is character creation. Style is nice, plot is nice, structure is OK, social significance is OK, symbolism worms its way in, timeliness is OK too, but unless the characters convince and live, the book's got no chance. (Larry McMurtry)

 

A book is a gift you can open again and again. (Garrison Keillor) 

 

Find out who you are and do it on purpose. (Dolly Parton) 

 

 

Greening Philosophy

Yes, apparently "greening" philosophy (and apparently other topics) is a thing. It's a thing I'd never heard of before I opened the welcome email from the professor for the Philosophy 1 (Knowledge and Reality) class I was supposed to start next week. 

 

Here, from Santa Monica College's class catalog, is the description for the class I signed up for:

 

This course introduces students to the analysis of various metaphysical and epistemological questions and problems in philosophy, typically including the nature and limits of knowledge, the existence of God, the Mind-Body Problem, the Freedom vs. Determination debate, and the Absolution vs. Relativism debate. Related topics in ethics may also be included.

 

What I got was a syllabus with a banner announcing "Greening Philosophy: A Fresh Introduction to the Field". The "Knowledge and Reality" title was under that. I had no idea what "Greening Philosophy" meant as there was no mention of it in the class description. 

 

Well, I found out.

 

In the syllabus, mixed in with all the actual philosophy stuff, this was listed under Course Description:

 

*Ecological Literacy for Sustainability: Above section will provide foundations in ecological literacy and help prepare students to live more sustainably. 

 

You know when I needed to know that this was part of this section? When I was signing up for classes months ago. Not now, a week before the semester starts and when all the other Philosophy 1 sections are filled and closed. Also, if I wanted to take a course on ecological literacy I would have signed up for a class on ecological literacy, not philosophy.

 

And under Learning Outcomes, in addition to the philosophy stuff, students are expected to:

 

Assume responsibility for their own impact on the earth by living a sustainable and ethical lifestyle. 

 

So how did this happen? Why is ecological literacy and sustainable living included in a class about philosophy? The answer was provided in the description for the textbook, which is where the banner title came from: 

 

Greening Philosophy...is part of an emergent project in higher education...the goal of which is to incorporate environmental awareness, or ecological literacy, into existing courses without changing the primary objectives of those courses.

This reader (book) offers the reader an opportunity to learn philosophy and at the same time to cultivate an environmental consciousness for global citizenship.

 

In other words, they're co-opting a topic I'm actually interested in to shoehorn in their propaganda. Got it. But hey, they're still offering readers the opportunity to learn philosophy. Thanks bunches, textbook, for giving me the opportunity to study the subject that I signed up for and paid for.

 

What I didn't sign up for or pay for was being subjected to propaganda. Using buzz words like "an emergent project...", "to incorporate...awareness...or literacy, into existing courses..." and "global citizenship" doesn't change what it is. There's no reason to incorporate an unrelated subject into another topic. You know what you could do? Just offer courses on environmental awareness, ecological literacy, and sustainable living. But if you did that, your influence is limited only to students who enroll in those classes. So, no, "greening" a subject and pushing "global citizenship" does in fact change the primary objectives of the courses it infiltrates, regardless of the book's claim. It changes it by bringing in a separate topic to deliver propaganda. I wonder if the class's philosophical approach includes any criticism of the greening movement. I'd bet good money it wouldn't tolerate that at all. As I mentioned above, the desired outcome is clearly stated in the syllabus.

 

What's the point of all this? The point is they have a captive audience of mostly young, malleable minds who are more receptive to being brainwashed than someone older (me) who long ago learned the importance of learning how to think, not what to think. Who learned a long time ago not to blindly follow without thinking for myself. Who learned to be objective, educate myself, and develop intelligently considered opinions rather than parroting what others tell me I should think.

 

And if this "emergent project" is so vital to making us all better people, why not include it in the course description? I've double-checked the class schedule and catalog and there's no mention of the ecological literacy aspect of the course in any description of it. Why hide it?  I also can't help but wonder what aspects of philosophy I'm missing out on during the portion of the class that now has to be devoted to ecological literacy. What philosophy material did the instructor have cut out to accommodate the greening aspect?

 

Another thing I found telling was that in her email, the professor requested that students review the syllabus to see if the class is a good fit for us individually. It seems like an odd thing to say until you realize that there's a component of the class that hadn't previously been shared. The problem again is that this is the kind of information I needed when I was signing up for the class, not the week before the semester starts and other classes I could have taken are full. I could have chosen another class at the time of registration. Now I'm out a class because, no, this is not a good fit for me. Philosophy is a good fit for me. This class, not so much.

 

One of my big concerns when I started taking classes online with SMC was due to numerous stories I've heard in recent years of how college professors pushed their personal and political agendas on students, up to and including threatening poor grades for students who held opposing views. I have to say that my experience at SMC has been relatively free of this kind of stuff. A few times something would come through. For example, I didn't need to know nor did I care that my Shakespeare professor was Hispanic and gay. Contrary to what he seemed to believe, I didn't think it was odd that someone like him was into Shakespeare. He's entitled to be interested in Shakespeare as much as the next person. Nor did my Poli Sci professor (an older Black man) seem to have any sort of agenda. What all my teachers at SMC have had is an amazing amount of knowledge and enthusiasm for the subjects they teach, without any other agenda being inserted. And that's all I want. 

 

And that's pretty much what I got until a week before my Philosophy class was to begin. Apparently that's not what I'm going to get from Philosophy 1. And that's not going to work for me.

 

I haven't heard from my other instructor yet. I can only hope they haven't gotten around to greening Art History.

 

Updated 8/31/26: Good news - no greening of Art History 1! Hooray!

 

  

RIP Tim Curry

Rough week - first Dolly Parton, then we find out Tim Curry also died Tuesday, and like Parton, also at the age of 80. 

 

Probably most famous as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Curry made his mark not only in film but also on stage and television, and in music, voice over work, and books on tape. He received three Tony nominations and two Olivier and Drama Desk nominations, as well as single nominations for the Grammy and Primetime Emmys. He was nominated for two Daytime Emmys, winning in 1991 for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for his voice work as Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Pirates. 

 

Curry was an amazingly versatile actor. Take a look at his credits - not only the sheer volume of them, but the variety. He did comedy (including a classic appearance on Psych as Nigel St. Nigel, at parody of Simon Cowell type talent show hosts), drama (including an episode of Poirot), horror (Pennywise in IT), and numerous children's shows. And this list doesn't even include his vast body of theater work. Just mind-boggling how talented he was.

 

Curry suffered a stroke in 2012 and was confined to a wheelchair thereafter. However he was able to continue with voice work and even made an appearance in a 2016 TV remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show as the Narrator/Criminologist.

 

Tough loss, especially for those of us who headed to Hollywood in the 80's for midnight showings of Rocky Horror. We would dash down in front of the screen to do The Time Warp, and knew exactly what to yell at the screen during the film. For that alone Curry was a huge part of life in that most wonderful decade. 

 

RIP Tim and congratulations on an amazing life well lived.

 

The numbers game

Today is four months since Sophie died. Apparently, when it comes to those who have left this life, I'll never stop counting. 

 

This is day 122 without her. Not that I'm obsessive or anything. I just can't stop counting. It feels like I'd be abandoning her. To make matters worse, her birthday is coming up next week. She would have been 22.

 

I've had to put in a couple of maintenance requests in the past four months, and one of the things they ask is if there's a pet in the unit. It's depressing to have to choose "no" after all these years. 

 

I moved back into my renovated apartment a few weeks ago and it's so weird for Sophie not to be here. It was the first move without her, since I brought her home from the Burbank Animal Shelter to the old Hollywood apartment. Crazy to think how long ago that was. 

 

Her pictures were the first thing I hung up in my office. 

 

The view from my desk.

Miss you, kiddo.
 

RIP Dolly Parton

Just saw the news that singer/songwriter/actress Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80. She'd been vocal about her health issues very recently, but made it sound like a temporary setback. And now this news.

 

One of the best things I've found on YouTube was this slowed down version of "Jolene". They took a 45 rpm recording and slowed it down to 33 rpm, deepening Dolly's voice and giving the song an even more haunting quality than it already had. I actually prefer this version.

  

I've literally never heard a negative word about Dolly. She seemed to be a genuinely wonderful person and from what I've seen online, people are just gutted by the news. 

 

RIP Dolly, and congratulations on a life well-lived.

 

Updated (12:03pm): President Trump has announced that flags in America will be lowered for the next week in Dolly's honor. Very fitting. Not just a great artist, but representative of the best of America.

 

Elementary, my dear taxman...

Snicked from here.

What Hollywood is and isn't looking for

 

Explains a lot. 

 

Snicked from The Critical Drinker on FB.

 

RIP Jackie

Jackie, the bald eagle who became famous thanks to the Friends of Big Bear Valley Eagle Nest Cam, died this morning at the Ojai Raptor Center. 

 

Along with her mate Shadow, Jackie raised several batches of eaglets on camera over a period of several years. Her two most recent eaglets, Sandy and Luna, fledged about the same time Jackie was rescued after being attacked by two other eagles. She may have also been ill before the attack - her official cause of death was anemia. Video of the attack and its aftermath, where Jackie appeared to have been unable to get off the ground, can be seen in this article. My guess is that they'll autopsy her and find out more about what happened to her.

 

As much as I (along with many others) hoped for a full recovery that would see Jackie return to Shadow and their nest, given the updates I had come to expect the worst. This seemed like it  just wasn't one of those times we were going to get a happy ending. But the rescue meant she at least got a chance and didn't have to suffer through deterioration in the wild. 

 

Jackie will be sorely missed. Reaction to her death is dominating my Facebook feed right now. So many people were just crushed by this news.

 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for the best for Shadow. Not sure how he interprets Jackie's absence. It will be interesting to see what next breeding season brings to the massive nest in Big Bear. 

 

Rest in peace, Jackie, and a big thank you to the Ojai Raptor Center, where everyone worked so hard to save her. "Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her."

 

Happy 45th Birthday to MTV

This popped up on my Facebook feed today, the 45th anniversary of the launch of MTV. As someone who witnessed the birth of MTV, the coolest thing in its time, I got a kick out of analyzing this. 

 

A few observations:

• Rod Stewart was the first artist to be shown twice (#3 "She Won't Dance with Me" and #15 "Sailing"). He was seen twice more in the first 50 (#26 "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and #37 "Passion").
• Other artists featured more than once in the first 50 videos: Pat Benatar, The Who, Cliff Richard, Pretenders, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Split Enz, Iron Maiden, and Lee Ritenour. Stevie Nicks appeared twice, once with Fleetwood Mac and once with Tom Petty.
• The fact that so many artists appear more than once probably says a lot about how few were doing music videos at the time. Soon, it became pretty much standard to do a video for songs being released as singles.
• One artist notably missing is Michael Jackson. In fact, in its early days MTV received a lot of criticism for how few black artists were featured. Ironically, Jackson would add to his legendary musical status with some of the most popular music videos of the era, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and of course, "Thriller".

Happy birthday, MTV! You were such a big part of what made life so wonderful in the glorious 1980's.  

H/T to Charlie's 80s Attic Radio Station on FB.