Ruffian broke our hearts a week ago. A sweet Douglas squirrel made the mistake of coming too far down a tree while she was in the backyard. Ruffian caught him as he froze on the side of the tree, gave two quick shakes, and it was all over.

I was just a few feet away. I yelled No, hoping for the dog to pause and the squirrel to run. The squirrel, already facing up, began to run; the dog, despite her brief distraction, leapt up and picked him off the tree about five feet up.

Lesson learned: next time, no yells, just walk up and take the dog's collar.

Once she'd shaken the squirrel a couple of times, Ruffian listened to my "Drop it!" She must've known my tone was upset because she then went off about fifteen feet and sat, letting me check to see if the squirrel was indeed dead, and pick it up to lay it to rest. It was warm, but cooling fast, with no heartbeat—and almost no sign of violence. But gone nonetheless.

The squirrel, a day or two earlier. We feel some guilt because we threw seed for birds, squirrels, and raccoons, never imagining Ruffian could be quick enough to catch one. We are now more cautious.




The fern bank where I laid the squirrel. I did not bury him; there are many hungry beasties, and it seemed wrong to remove him from that circle altogether, simply because his part was cut short.


After I returned from taking the squirrel away, Ruffian came over to me quietly. Since she was just being a dog, I petted her reassuringly but not happily. She remained in a somber mood the rest of the day. We were concerned she might transfer squirrel interest to the cats, but such was not the case—she still treats them as pack mates. She is now completely over the experience.




alex's photostream

A sampling of the latest photos (click on an image to see larger sizes on my Flickr photostream).

Ruffian about to catch her ball

Thora batting at a ball. Note the fabric "leaf" pushing in where her cancer surgery removed half a shoulder blade. Three years, and she's still having fun!	Black slug
Bald eagle in the yard	Osprey eating a fish at work

alex's photostream

Lately the most personal creative energy I have is taking photos while riding the bus, or occasionally from the house. Here are a few recent ones (click on an image to see larger sizes).

Seattle architecture: a seagull flying past walrus grotesques

International district The best dragon I've managed thus far, thanks to a stop light.	Landscaping near the King Street Station
Snow on the road home, 9 March 2009	Junco on a rain-washed deck

alex's photostream

Clovis having a low-quality thought about a sleeping dog's tail. Peace did not last long.


( More photos behind cut. )

More tomorrow!

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• She comes near to the earth, to make men mad. news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7779294.stm
• The extroverted Browzmi developers have socialized Firefox surfing: tinyurl.com/5cg8qc
• Twitter takeaway #11 Judgment at Nuremberg. Doing the legal or politically correct thing can be a far cry from doing the right thing.

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Can there be such a thing as a lolgov? tinyurl.com/5cp6s3 (Possible brief ad required)
• Visualizing scientific paradigms: tinyurl.com/25n9vo
• Will no one rid me of this turbulent song in my head? *Do* *Not* *Want*!

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Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• One electron caught on film (slowed for humans): tinyurl.com/5c7b75 About: discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/070
• I am attempting to develop a site UX quotient out of stone knives and bear skins ;-)

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I twittered about enjoying being a redhead again, and some asked for pics.

Every photographer has to break down and do the "photo of self in mirror taking photo of self" at least once. Here's mine:



This was a project requiring three steps over two weekends, because I had to remove permanent black hair dye to make it happen, then tone it to the shade I desired. Long-term it will require less attention than the black hair did.

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• How many Nobel prize winners would post lolz? tinyurl.com/6fj5y9
• Interesting interface design - click on links to see presentation variations. thoughtpile.org/
• Thoughtpile link found through ixda.org

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• So nice to be a redhead again. Such a trivial surface change, but it makes everything feel better.

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Hubble telescope Advent calendar. Enjoy! tinyurl.com/6qynxf
• Now I can't get Outkast outta my head.
  
  Could be worse. Could be Shatner's first album (qualitatively an extreme opposite to his latest).

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Courtesy of cherokee1:

Minor note: with the advent of my Twitter posts, the numbering seems pointless. So I'm no longer numbering my posts. Not that it mattered to anyone but me ;-)

This Thanksgiving I cooked my first goose. Despite my inexperience, it turned out well: crispy skin, tender meat, cooked through and through and flavorful. I've wanted to do this ever since I was eight and read The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, one of my favorite Sherlock stories, so I'm ridiculously happy.

We bought a frozen one from the grocery store, just under 10 lbs, and let it thaw completely over three days. (It was probably thawed after two, but I hate working with icy birds.) Geese are all dark meat with more intense flavor than turkey or even duck. Because of the fatty nature of the bird, the skin can sometimes come out rubbery and soft instead of flavorful and crispy. Also, the seasoning for duck and geese has to be a little more intense, to properly stand up to the bird.

Because I didn't want to be cooking a bird for almost five hours, I did the stuffing separately, a first for me. ( Recipe behind cut )

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• The pies are done, the goose is in the oven, and Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland are flirting. Life is good.
• Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Twitter takeaway #7: The Edukators. Rebellion and anarchy are great, so long as you're not required to have the courage of your convictions.
• Good UX is built from the ground up; if you wait until the UI design stage, you're too late.
• Twitter takeaway #6: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Girl power fights evil by appropriating patriarchal symbols: fights, leadership, stakes, etc.
• Twitter takeaway #5: Spiderman. Even spider bites and super powers are insufficient to cure chronic insecurity. For that you need courage.
• For those who procrastinate because they fear to disappoint: do you truly think perfection is possible? Risk imperfection.

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Figuring out where to look for data is always fun :-)
• Tweet synopsis #1: Foucault's Pendulum. Pretending you have reason to be paranoid soon provides its own reason.
• Tweet synopsis #2: The Lord of the Rings. Small people can do big things. Also, don't put all your eggs (evil power) into one basket (ring).
• Tweet synopsis #3: The Wrath of Khan. No matter how you try to avoid them, actions have consequences, and sometimes others pay your price.
• Tweet synopsis #4: The Manchurian Candidate. Mothers make the best mind controllers. Also, Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest...

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Analysing apps on Facebook? Try this tool, courtesy of the allfacebook blog: tinyurl.com/55b2em
• Saddened to discover that friends were laid off at my old workplace. Most frustrating, since I know just how good these people are.
• "A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled." - Sir Barnett Cocks, Clerk of the House of Commons

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Took 10 hours to do what should've been done in 2 - but finally happy with the results. I think the cold medicine bollyfoxed the first try.

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• I love it when metrics support a hypothesis :-)
• Pauline Kael on Angelina Jolie, re: Last Tango in Paris: “My God, this girl could play both the Brando and Maria Schneider roles!”

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter

Alex's twitters: still not as versatile as a mockingbird's or as clever as a crow's, but hers nonetheless:

• Nowadays, I would guess that justifying your existence in the workplace has become as ubiquitous a skill as Word or PowerPoint.

Better than a morning paper! Well, no, not really. But no trees were injured in the conveyance of this message, brought to you by LoudTwitter