Getting older...

I had a great birthday this past weekend. I got to have breakfast with my dad, spend some time with Laetitia, open some great gifts, and even squeezed in a dance exhibition. Thanks to Laetitia, I can now use my iPod in the Matrix, with an interface that lets me control the iPod through the factory head unit.
On an unexpected note, we found a kitty when we got home tonight. I just couldn't leave it outside. It was meowing and people were just laughing, so I hauled the plump guy upstairs and posted an ad on Craigslist.com. Tomorrow, I'll have to take the very vocal and sweet guy to a shelter and I'll post a sign at our mailboxes. Makes me miss having a kitty of my own...

"Buddy" is back home

Our neighbor responded to the lost cat poster we put by the dumpster, so I drove home and re-united them at 10 -25am today. I guess what happened was the door was open 2 seconds too long and Buddy "or 'Fluffy Meowington' as we liked to call him" made a run for it. Our place is about 3 or 4 buildings away, which still doesn't seem like it's out of his meow's reach, but I guess they couldn't hear him last night. I feel a lot better about him being at his home, rather than me having to drop him off at a shelter, like I planned to do at lunch. I really need to catch up on the lost sleep, since I slept with Buddy in the guest room to make sure he didn't cause any trouble. Instead of trouble, he meowed and purred 90/% of the night... at least it's a happy ending.

So We Watched Who Could Dance

Laetitia and I went to a taping of So You Think You Can Dance this Monday. It was very impressive to see all these talented dancers LIVE! I can't tell you who got dropped, etc., since the show airs this next Wednesday, but I can at least share pictures of the party backstage. Thanks to Mary Murphy for inviting us, and Kudos to Michael Mead and Toni Redpath for making an awesome smooth ballroom routine.

Sr. Bolero LIVES!

I can't believe it, but I actually got Sr. Bolero to run again. I felt guilty having not even tried anything to get him running, and before I sent him off to the wrecking yard, I thought I'd open the hood. I went downstairs with baking soda diluted in water and an old toothbrush, and got to work on the battery posts. There was foam and fizz everywhere. I then checked the fluids and decided to give the key one final turnover, and to my surprise, the starter kicked in after a momentary BUZZ. I let it run for a few minutes, and even took it for a spin around the parking lot - what a difference it was, driving an '86 Ford vs. an '05 Toyota. I parked him in a different spot, and after getting some trash together from the inside, I gave the key another turn and he started without delay. What do I do with Sr. Bolero now? Anyway, at least I don't have to worry about any neighbors complaining that the car never moves

Laetitia's B-Day Pictures

I posted the pictures from Laetitia's birthday. We had a mellow and restful Sunday - did a little shopping, dining, and resting. I baked her the cupcakes of her choice, which was yellow cake and chocolate frosting. Dinner with her parents was fun, where she got to show off her iPod Nano and then I showed off my car. I guess we continue to celebrate her birthday until mine - this is the rule.

Happy Birthday Laetitia

Today is Laetitia's birthday. I didn't wake her up yet because I know she likes to sleep in, so that's b-day present #1. Can I count going to the upcoming Tori Amos concert as gift #2 "probably not"? I'll give her the other presents once she's awake. We're probably going to dinner with her family tonight, and it looks like we're going to have a nice sunny day to enjoy, since I'm sure she's going to want me to drive her around to a mall or two.

Sick, but back home

This bug finally caught up with me, so I've been pretty sick the last few days. We were dog-sitting out in Escondido so I didn't get much sleep either, since we have to account for the 1-hour" commute each way each day. The dogs were good boys, and I've posted their latest pictures at NewtonAndKepler.com.
We're going to try to go out dancing tonight, to at least get the blood pumping again. Laetitia is feeling a little sick to, but hopefully we shake it off at the same time. We didn't have any lessons this last week, because Michael was at USDSC, so I guess we couldn't have been out of commission at a better time. We plan to compete again in November, so with all this stuff out of our system soon, we should have plenty of time to be back in shape "and then some".
Mario and Vanessa made it down to Santa Barbara this weekend, but I don't think we can make it up being that I'll be too wiped out for the 3.5 hour drive each way. It's too bad since we haven't seen them in a couple years, or even met their twin boys. We'll have to stay up to date with the occasional photos and updates in the meantime.

Katrina Victims

I just wanted to post that we've been constantly thinking about the victims and affected families. I hope that people can be reunited, aid can make it to the places it's needed quickly, and lessons can be learned from any mistakes that were made. Fortunately, even though we had already made a Red Cross donation, Laetitia's work will still match the donation we made, so it's nice to know that individuals and corporations are being compassionate in this tough time.

3-Day Weekend Coming Up

I turns out we won't be dogsitting until Monday, which is also part of the 3-day weekend. It will be nice to have a little break. On Saturday, I'm taking my car back to the dealer so they can install the alarm. Another nice thing is they will return it all clean, so it gets it's first post-purchase bath. We really don't have anything fancy planned. There's a big dance competition in LA, which we were thinking of at least spectating, but it's all sold out, I'm sure. We're getting enough dance on TV and at the dance studio so we don't feel bad staying in town for a change.
It must be so tough for the storm victims right now. Laetitia and I made a Red Cross donation, so I hope it can do something for them. Part of me wonders why there's a town between a river and a lake, but I'm sure the same can be said for California cities built right on an earthquake fault - I guess we all pick our own poison. Either way, I hope they can all find homes and new lives soon.