The beginning of wisdom, as the Chinese say, is calling things by their right names. (E. O. Wilson, as cited by Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson)

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Dead Mouse Gone

January 22, 2010.  Friday.
Situation:   I wake up early today and learn from Moi that Mway threw up last night in her bedroom.  While Moi and I are both down in the kitchen, Mway throws up again.  Moi yells at me because I am slow at grabbing paper towels.   Right now I hear Mway outside on her morning walk with Moi.  She is barking up a storm.  It’s a busy day today before I go to work around 4 – phone interview with the Sun-Gazette, report into CALL-TRACK, my automated probation officer.  Moi talks to Barb Dennehy on the phone, tells her the Boy is on his way to Colorado for a gig with ESPN’s coverage of extreme sports; they plan to get together at 11:30 pm to watch the last tonight show hosted by Conan O’Brien.  I pay a bill, work in the music room for about 15 minutes while Moi goes into town.  I go up to rest and read before Moi does.  But about 2:30 I go into the kitchen before Moi and Mway wake up, reheat some coffee.  Out the kitchen windows, see a whole bunch of cardinals, a bluejay, some other birds I can’t identify, a squirrel up on the roof of the summer house.  I go upstairs to put on my walking clothes, then back downstairs to put on boots and snowsuit.  Mway sneeks downstairs into the kitchen.
State of the Path:  Outside she starts sniffing at the edge of the lawn, then under the abandoned rabbit hutch attached to the old outbuilding.   Moi’s garden pond, which has been filled with ice, is now full of green scum, presided over by a cupid statue.   I don’t see the dead field mouse on the path.  Mway takes a dump.  We take the usual circuit, down to the creek and back.  I don’t see any birds.
State of the Creek:  The brown scum of cow piss foam has dispersed across the width of the creek, forming bands along the far bank and ripples across the water toward a partially submerged ice shelf hanging onto the nearby bank.
The Fetch:  Mway catches the stick on a bounce on the second throw.  But that’s it, she tells me with a glance of her eyes as she runs past me.   Two fetches, that’s all we do nowadays.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

A little surprised to read some of the things you say in your entry today. Automated probation officer? M.

sisyphus gregor said...

Yes, sometimes information outside the program slips in, facts outside what I’ve disciplined myself to focus upon. Like eating an ice cream cone in the middle of doing sit-ups, I suppose, or finding yourself having a sexual fantasy or thinking about grocery shopping while meditating, or being pestered by a drunk while you’re taking a solo. Or maybe hearing a sound that causes you to stop while you’re running after a stick.

Anonymous said...

Are you from Australia? M.

sisyphus gregor said...

Very funny. No.

Anonymous said...

But you’re a criminal? M.

sisyphus gregor said...

At the time I had been arrested for DUI, a misdemeanor, and I was eligible for ARD.

Anonymous said...

Acronyms. People use them to hide information. M.

sisyphus gregor said...

I should think you would like them. Joyce is fond of them. I.N.R.I. K.M.R.I.A. HCE.

Anonymous said...

He uses them for their jocular effect. M.

Anonymous said...

So you haven’t yelled and hollered at me. What did you think of my demonstrations? M.

sisyphus gregor said...

Why it is important to find a DUI Attorney
DUI (Driving Under the Influence) is a serious offense and if you have been charged with a DUI or driving drunk you should seek legal help at once from a DUI attorney.

Each year, states enact stronger DUI laws and more severe drunk driving penalties. You could lose your driver's license, be placed in jail and fined substantial fees. Your car insurance rates may rise and you could end up with a criminal conviction on your record that could impact your future and your employment opportunities.

Using a DUI attorney or DUI Lawyer who focuses on drunk driving defense could make a difference in the outcome of your case. This is why it is important to use DUI.com to locate a qualified DUI Lawyer in your area.

sisyphus gregor said...

Following is an abstract of a recurring event of most of 2010, which I mentioned in my journal entry today but did not have or take the time to mention much in the rest of my journal. I include the abstract here, as a framing device, because the event has some sort of relation to the journal’s central action.

Court of Common Pleas
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Sisyphus A. Gregor

Conditions of Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program

Condition #8 “The defendant will report regularly to his Probation Officer, as directed. Your reporting date is the [22nd of the month].

Each month you will phone the CALL-TRACK number. When you call the automated system, you will be asked to enter your social security number, then state your name. The questions are answered by pressing the appropriate key to respond “yes” or “no.” If your answer requires clarification, you will be prompted to respond.

1. “Has your home address changed in the last 30 days? If your answer to this question is “no,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 2!” [Defendant presses 1.]
2. “Has your phone number changed in the last 30 days? If your answer to this question is “no,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 2!” [Defendant presses 1.]
3. “Has your employment status changed in the last 30 days? If your answer to this question is “no,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 2!” [Defendant presses 1.]
4. “Have you had any contact or been arrested by any law enforcement agency since your last call? If your answer to this question is “no,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 2!” [Defendant presses 1.]
5. “Have you made your required payment toward fines, costs of restitution since your last call? If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “no,” press 2!” [Defendant presses 1.]
6. “Are you in compliance with your recommended counseling? If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “no,” press 2!” [Defendant presses 1, but realizes immediately afterwards that his answer might be false.]
7. Please be advised that any information provided by you which is found to be false will be considered a violation of your Conditions of Supervision and may result in your return to this Court for this violation. Do you understand this requirement? If your answer to this question is “yes,” press 1! If your answer to this question is “no,” press 2! [Defendant presses 1.]