Poor kitty spent the weekend at the vet’s. He perked up a little when I came to pick him up. He had been huddling in the back of his “apartment” at the vet’s. He had a towel to sleep on and plenty of space. He was shaking. The vet helped me give him the evening insulin injection (2 units). He did very well.

When we pulled into the driveway, he was keen to get out of his carrier and roam around. He immediately went upstaurs and laid down in his comfort zone spot. He pretty much stayed there all evening. When I went to bed, I had to pick him up and place him on the bed (he normally sleeps next to me). He gradually started purring and seemed content. He was still next to me in the morning.

I gave him his first injection this morning. He did not want to come downstars, even when I opened the wet food can and tapped on it. Stella came down, but not Ambush. I had to go upstairs, show him the yummy wet food, and carry him down. He ate pretty well — and was a perfect gentleman when I gave him the shot.

I’m a little concerned that he didn’t come down. I’ll check on him again tonight instead of going out to the barn after work.

For the past few weeks, my white kitty, Ambush, has been having some difficulties. He has been sleeping more often, drinking two to three times the regular amount of water, and has been using the litter box frequently. He also started throwing up several times per week. Not hairball hacking like normal, but food. He also lost weight during that time.

I took him to the vet’s on Saturday. He was so scared when he crawled into the kitty carrier. He knew where we were going. When Ambush is scared, he sheds. He was leaving a trail of fur on everything. The vet was coated with white hair from carrying Ambush in to the clinic to take a little blood for a minor panel.

The vet said he was an angel. The big guy had lost 3 pounds (down to 14.5 pounds from 17.6). His blood work showed normal kidney and liver function. However, his glucose level was 580. The vet set Ambush’s file down and said, “Do I even have to say it?”

I had known even before that morning… everything Ambush had been going through reminded me so much of Basette and her fight with diabetes.

Ever notice that the word “blasphemous” really could be an onomotopeiaic word for a sneeze?

Yesterday, I tried Microsoft’s product, Money 2006. It uploaded part of my financial records (potentially including over a year’s worth of transactions, account numbers, and account passwords) to the MSN servers. I told the software to remove the information from the servers and then uninstalled the application.

Having account information on a server not within your control would make you a little twitchy, right? And if that server resides in the clutches of the Evil Empire? (Don’t even get me started on the DRM in Windows Vista.)

To start Microsoft Money 2006, you must log on with a Passport account, even if you plan to work offline. According to a review of Microsoft Money Premium on Amazon, the privacy policy states “…if you choose to use some of the Internet-based services, you may submit sign-in credentials and/or financial data, consisting of some or all of the content of your Money file.” Feeling paranoid yet?

I did. I decided to remove all accounts that had been associated with the Microsoft Money file. I deleted my Passport account (after fist changing the password). I changed the passwords on my bank account. After work, I went to the bank and transferred most of the funds out of the old account and set up a new one.

Granted, the last measure probably wasn’t necessary. If Microsoft really did delete my data from the servers as the software claimed, there should be nothing to worry about… unless the “delete” process is similar to deleting email from a Gmail account.

I downloaded a trial of Microsoft Money to see if it would work with my bank. Sure enough, my bank is listed in the supported institutions (Quicken, the other financial software I have, is not). Of course, when MS Money tried to connect to my bank, it couldn’t. ORFCU recently changed its name and domain name too which probably explains why the software couldn’t connect.

To log on to Money, you have to log in to a Passport account. That set of warning notes. Sure enough, after doing some testing with the file import (and being delighted that my bank records imported perfectly), I exited the program to head off to bed. The program said “Synchronizing account information so the info can be available on any computer…” In other words, MS Money was uploading my financial information to Microsoft’s Web sites. Oh no way was I going to let that stand. I promptly disabled that feature and clamped down on the firewall. So I know the import feature works, but there is no way I’m going to use that program. Too bad really. I had it figured out in a few minutes (where as with Quicken it took hours).

Once again, MS has ruined what could have been a nice app and has made it into something potentially sinister by storing financial records on *their* server. It’s not obvious when you read through the product descriptions, either.

“Prognostication impossible in matters concerning the Doctor.” –K9, in “The Invasion of Time”

“You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views, which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.” –The Doctor, in “The Face of Evil”

“Would you like a jelly baby?”
“It is true, then; the Evil One eats babies!”

The Doctor and Leela, in “The Face of Evil”

One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, Susan.

The Doctor, in “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”

If you don’t know who Doctor Who is, you’re in for a sordid history of one of the longest-running TV shows. The first running, the BBC series ran for over 25 years with seven men (plus one spinoff movie with the 8th doctor) sharing the role the Doctor during that time. Check out www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho for more info.

About 1.5 years ago, the BBC picked up the series again and filmed a new searson of Doctor Who with updated characters, plots, and special effects. The TV series was a smash hit in the UK, with some of the highest ratings of the year.

Fans on this side of the pond have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to see the new Doctor Who. Tonight, the Sci Fi cable channel will be airing the new Doctor Who series at 8:00.

I am *so* there. I’ve been a fan of the series since I was in elementary school.