so, how many lives do we get?

This title made me realize I totally forgot to mention to Baker B that I think my brakes are going out. I discovered this after driving the Civic to Asheville this weekend, and having it make scary scrapy noises a couple of times. Oooops. He’d just asked me if my brakes are okay like two days ago, so I’m not sure if he’s being psychic or had noticed something when driving it himself and in true Baker B Fashion didn’t pursue it. As in, "hey, I think your brakes are going out so maybe you better not take your car down several mountains and up several more this weekend!" Oh, well, no harm done. I did try to avoid tailgating anyone.

It was the usual parent visit. I vacuumed, mopped, forgot to dust, washed some clothes. Suggested my mother might want to take a shower this morning while the bathroom was all warmed up (I stuck a space heater in and shut the door) so she wouldn’t have to do that tomorrow before her doctor’s appointment. I was a little astonished when she did just that. I went in and started the water for her ("I’ll get it set right – it’s a little tricky!") and she didn’t argue a bit. Daddy kept lurking around the kitchen saying, "You have to check on her! You better open the door! She’ll say she’s taking a shower and she won’t really do it!"

So I cracked open the door, asked if she needed a towel, and made sure she was actually getting inside the shower. She didn’t stay long but hey, better than nothing. According to Daddy, who has been going outside and peeking in the bathroom window to see if she’s actually taking a shower or just SAYING she’s taking one, she’s not showered in three weeks. Since she smells fine, I’m not so sure, but now the plan is for either me or my SIL to lure her in every week or so. She gets mad at Daddy for suggesting she hasn’t showered and needs to.  We were starting to think home health care may be the next step, but perhaps this will work for awhile.

She would be HORRIFIED to realize that she’s going weeks without showering.

We’re also starting to think Meals on Wheels may be a good idea. Daddy is always making comments on how my brother and his family live on fast food, yet in less than 24 hours we ate out THREE TIMES. Also someone to do a little light housekeeping as I only get down there every three weeks or so and that’s a bit long for a house full of cats.

Speaking of houses full of cats:

They now have THREE cats inside. And four or five outside because word on the cat street is that these humans keep perpetual food right outside the door, round the clock! This cat just showed up recently. All the other cats sleep down in the basement when it’s cold, but this one just stands at the door wanting in. And my father, who claims to not like cats, felt so sorry for her that he actually bought another litterbox, took her for shots, and is now going to get her fixed. Simon and Maddy hardly batted an eye, surprisingly, although Maddy is a little jealous because this cat (apparently her name is Calico- Daddy isn’t an inventive cat-namer) sits in Mama’s lap now. She’s a very sweet cat, like every other calico I’ve ever known, and was obviously someone’s pet, although nobody has posted any lost cat notices.

So, three cats. More cat hair. But they’re good company and give the parents something to watch.
 
The real point of my title is that I came home and found Baker B glued to the computer, where he has apparently been all weekend long, since he did nothing he was supposed to be doing while I was gone, other than hauling off the recycling which he’d let pile up for months. I noticed that he just left all the bins beside the car, too. He is COMPLETELY addicted to Second Life. Which I admit is pretty cool and nifty. We both opened accounts. I’ve played around on it some, although in true girly fashion my favorite thing was picking out my avatar’s hair and skin and dressing him all up. For some reason Baker B picked a woman so I picked a man. Amusingly his is named Baker Blinker (you can’t make up a last name, oddly – they have a long list to pick from) so I named my guy Edna Blinker. He’s all obsessed with the whole virtual world thing – you have to understand Baker B’s love of maps and pretend worlds, and the fact that as a kid he made up this whole universe which he was still writing about even in college. He’s not so interested in the other people who wander around – you can actually chat with other avatars if you’re inclined – and ended up making his avatar look a whole lot like Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle – she’s got this weird billowy skirt. And purple hair, unlike Sophie, but whatever.

So I decided I’d try to make my guy look like Howl. AKA as Mr. "How can I go on living if I’m not beautiful!!!" Howl. What I ended up with is a cross between David Bowie and Michael Jackson, but whatever! The really cool thing is you can actually take pictures. This is Edna in Aintree Gardens!

Unfortunately I can’t figure out how you actually take a picture of your face. Usually you are kind of looking at the back of your own head – your avatar’s head, I mean, of COURSE – as if you’re really walking or flying or whatever around this world. But if you sit down you can take a picture of yourself sitting down, but I don’t know how you make yourself look at the camera. So this is as good a shot as I could get of the kind of girly Edna Blinker.

It is fun, and potentially addictive. The most amusing thing so far was when Baker B was first sitting up his avatar and trying to put clothes on her, hit the wrong button, took all her clothes off, then panicked and took off flying. Naked. Over the city and all the other avatars. In the nude. Of course, they’re like dolls and not very anatomically correct when naked, but still. It was very funny.

It’s a little creepily realistic, actually – I’ve left Edna Blinker sitting on his bench while I’m writing this (there are birds and crickets chirping – it’s very pleasant) and when I switch over to look at him, he’s sitting there looking around, jiggling his foot. The worlds are bizarre – there’s tons of places to just wander around in, and also a lot of locked space where people actually BUY LAND. For, I assume, REAL MONEY. And they even had a real stock market crash just a few days ago, too. It’s very very strange.

And I am shocked to see that it’s a quarter of 12 and I HAVE to go to bed now.