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Posted By: chesseroo OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 05:29 PM
We had a VERY crappy weekend.

The cat urinated on the carpet friday night which has happened previously. I was doing vacuuming saturday when i discovered it and of course the vacuum went right over it. We tried to steam clean the carpet with some Zep enyzme materials and vinegar, but this time it just smelled too bad. The bottom of the vacuum and all its parts needed to be taken apart and soaked in vinegar overnight.
After throwing the cat across the room, a friend and i pulled out some of our basement carpet sunday afternoon which we now have to replace. A carpet end at a local dealer set us back several hundred after monday. My wife and i also decided to get Cricketcat's front paws declawed so she won't destroy any more carpeting on the stairs. Although this is something i'm normally against, the destruction just has to end. Cricketcat went in monday morning undermy friend's tender care (he happens to be a veterinarian, what a huge plus). If we decide to sell this house in the near future (highly likely), then having a basement with torn carpet that smells like cat urine will not help the sale price any. It is bad enough my hockey helmet has a funky smell that i'm not all too sure wasn't due to the cat's intervention.
Then, just after heading downstairs to the front door, minutes from getting ready to head to my friend's place for dinner (around 5pm sunday now), he noticed some crap on our landing. Turns out our dog Chasca tracked it in from the back yard into the house all over her back feet. We had to Spic and Span all the main floor and steam clean all the stairs going up, as well as get the big muttonhead Chasca into the tub for washing. We also had to throw every dog bed on the main floor into the laundry. Well, during the annoying process of washing the dog, she slipped in the tub while i was trying to get her to stay still and her head punched through the tile wall of the bath surround. Now we have to replace our bath tile or surround. Of course as luck would continue to roll, the drywall behind the tile is all moist and soaked through (it was not the green sheet that SHOULD be behind any bath area), so not only do we have to replace the tile, we actually have to gut the whole tub area.
Is the day done?
Hell no.
After going through all that nonsense and me having been pushed beyond my limits, we went over to our friend's place for dinner (about 8pm sunday night now) and beers (thank heaven) only to discover that on the way back our Honda CRV has a wicked shimmy when it gets to 50kph or higher. Apparently it started last thursday shortly after my wife returned from yoga. Now the damn CRV has to go into Midas Monday morning as well to be looked at. As of Monday afternoon, the results of the CRV inspection revealed a screw in the front driver side tire causing a leak, lost balances on two of the wheels (hence the cause of the shimmy) and at least one of the tires is near the safety limits for tire tread with 2 others close behind. Hence we need to replace all 4 tires on the truck (plus balancing and alignment)!!

In the course of one weekend we are looking at anywhere from $1500-2500 in repair build materials, new carpet, new car parts, and vet bills possibly more depending on how much a tub surround and CRV repairs will cost. If my luck holds up....


The culprits:



Posted By: TurboDog1 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 05:38 PM
FYI...Oxy Clean tends to help w/ the urine smell (along w/ the enzympe stuff). Also, if you are concerned w/ the subfloor/concrete retaining the smell, you can try a paint called KILZ, which is good at sealing in odors.

Good luck. I definitely like cats. However, that level of adoration has taken a serious plunge since my cat destroyed the carpeting in a room and hall of my house. If it weren't for it's mother's love, I would have old yeller'd his a$$ long ago.
Posted By: AshBoomstick Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 06:13 PM
damn man. after all of that i'm pretty sure i'd be swinging by the nearest chinese take-out place with a delivery. maybe two.
Posted By: tomtuttle Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 06:13 PM
chess, you have my sympathy.

wrt the tub surround, greenboard is NOT a code-approved tile backer either in most cases. Even the best tile installation is not "waterproof". The tile substrate should have a vapor barrier behind it, then either floated mud (pure art!) or cementitious backer unit (CBU - brand names like hardibacker, etc.). Resist the temptation to just try to patch the hole. Likewise, I hate to tell you this, but redoing a tub surround could be more expensive and/or time consuming than you think.

Good luck.
Posted By: BrenR Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 06:26 PM
I have to second Tom on this one... opening up that bathroom wall if there was no CBU - wow, new word, I always refered to it as wonderboard or (incorrectly as) shaft liner... you may notice you've been growing a crop of golden moldies back there.

I feel for you... I want to renovate an on-suite half-bath at home, but the S.O. has decided I don't have the skill set. Nothing like that vote of confidence.

Ray, can I get a "Sell the wife", please?

Bren R.
Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 06:49 PM
The materials we are using are code approved for bathrooms.
It is a product called "Aquaboard" designed for this purpose.
We are not re-tiling the bathroom or patching a hole. We are literally putting in a new plastic surround after replacing the wet drywall. Its cheaper and far quicker.

I"m not overly shy about destroying the bathroom walls. This is old hand work as far as i'm concerned. What i am worried about is potential mold, but given the generaly dry climate for our area, it is rare except in extreme cases of truly badly built homes.
I will know later this afternoon whether we need to vacate the premises or not. On the plus side, being of biological background, i find the idea of identifying mold rather fascinating.
Strange no?


Posted By: tomtuttle Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:06 PM
Good call on the surround, chess. I always gravitate towards tile, but if you can get a fiberglass surround into that space, good for you. I have been scarred by previous remodels in which that was NOT an option due to space limitations or non-standard sizes.

Bren, how are you going to ever develop the requisite skill set (or acquire the new tools) without trying? Will the project somehow become more expensive if you try and THEN hire somebody?

I'll bet you could do it.
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:17 PM
In your dog's defence, she really does look like she's sorry and has learned her lesson
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:19 PM
>>Bren, how are you going to ever develop the requisite skill set (or acquire the new tools) without trying? Will the project somehow become more expensive if you try and THEN hire somebody?

It's these damn home improvement shows. If you take more than 30 minutes to gut & rebuild a bathroom then it's obvious you don't have the skills and should be calling that guy in the coveralls on channel 53.
Posted By: lomb7 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:28 PM
>>"In your dog's defence, she really does look like she's sorry and has learned her lesson"<<

But the pic of the cat makes it apparent that she could give a sh*t about the great pissing episode of 2005.
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:32 PM
She does have that "can you please scrub the carpet AFTER you feed me ?" look
Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:36 PM
Oh ya.
She's sorry alright.
Already sleeping off the whole guilt thing i'm sure.



Waitaminute, don't i have a bathroom to gut?


Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 07:52 PM
In reply to:

She does have that "can you please scrub the carpet AFTER you feed me ?" look



No.
She does have a "are there any more plants in the house for me to chew on before i vomit up the mushed chlorphyll remnants 2 hours later right on the carpet and never on the easier to clean laminate surfaces?"

Note from this video where i caught the cat on a surveillance webcam eating a lucky bamboo plant off the top of my desk. Near the end she almost pulled it hard enough so the pot came to the edge (you need Divx to view it).
I own 2 dogs and a cat and they all act like cows and goats. Whatever happened to cats chasing mice and dogs chasing cats?
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 08:17 PM
Oh man, I don't know what to say. Good luck !!

If it helps, think about my friend Nick -- about 20 years ago he was into high end audio and his wife was into cats. They lived in a 125 year old house north of Toronto in a sleepy little village.

This was before CDs etc.., so the best audio source you could get was reel-to-reel tapes only a generation or two off the original masters, sold only in a shop in NYC. I forget the brand, but he had a real nice reel to reel deck on a shelf about 4 feet off the ground in the living room.

One day there was a cat fight... on the shelf... behind the tape deck. Nick heard the crash and came running out -- by the time he got there 6 or 7 cats were collected around the broken deck and one cat was still sitting up on the shelf.

Fade to black...

It wasn't that bad, actually. He grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck, walked out the front door and down the street to the general store (small town). Walked in the front door, held the cat up and yelled "who wants a cat ?".

30 seconds later the cat had a new home with a nice old lady. Everybody happy... except the tape deck.

Mercifully CDs came out about that time so the incident eventually was forgotten and the cats were eventually allowed back into the house.
Posted By: Ray3 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 09:55 PM
Perhaps a copy of the great book - "100 Favorite Cat Recipes" would be in order?
Posted By: bigjohn Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 10:11 PM
i prefer them fried, garnished with parsley and cat-nip.

bigjohn
Posted By: BrenR Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 10:14 PM
In reply to:

Bren, how are you going to ever develop the requisite skill set (or acquire the new tools) without trying? Will the project somehow become more expensive if you try and THEN hire somebody?
-AND-
It's these damn home improvement shows. If you take more than 30 minutes to gut & rebuild a bathroom then it's obvious you don't have the skills and should be calling that guy in the coveralls on channel 53.


And that's the thing, I know my strengths (electrical, drywall, insulating, source plumbing, signal wiring and distribution) and my weaknesses (flooring, taping, waste plumbing, trim out) just one of those things where it's easier for her to say "ahh, pay someone" (and I'd be doing the paying) than to let me do it.

And yes, we do watch the "Holmes on Homes" type shows. I build to code, I bring in people that know what I don't. Had a good contractor in to estimate... $4000 to do the 5' x 5' "bump out" part of the 1/2 bath with just a sink/vanity, mirror and light fixture (the WC is in a separate room of course - refered to as "the Shatcave")

I need some Ray inspired guidance here!

Bren R.
Posted By: Engine_Joe Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 10:18 PM
If it makes you feel better (though I doubt it will!) my fiancee's cat has now left wonderful vertical claw marks on the screen of my rear projection DLP HDTV.

Viscious little ****. The thing's 7 years old, so I'm still on the fence about declawing. Strikes me as cruel at that age and older, especially when I believe we can keep her out of that room from now on. Still. An expensive freaking lesson!
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 10:42 PM
I think you're only supposed to declaw when the cats are pretty young. Maybe put some socks or boots over those claws ? You can get little nylon cat & dog boots. Not only are they pretty much indestructible, but they're very hard to remove without opposable thumbs. If nothing else it will give the cat something else to do.
Posted By: Ajax Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/22/05 11:33 PM
Chess, you and I have had our differences, but I wouldn't wish a weekend like that on ANYONE. You've seriously blunted my desire to have a pet, and almost made homelessness sound attractive.
Posted By: Ray3 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 12:17 AM
Bren - this could be the rare package deal:

Sell the wife AND the contractor!
Posted By: pmbuko Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 01:21 AM
Here's the solution:

Sequester the dog in a room for a bit.
Capture the cat.
Duct tape exercise weights to the cats legs.
Smear bacon grease along the cat's spine from head to tip of tail.
Release the cat.
Release the dog.
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 01:32 AM
I think there should be a "load the camera" in there somewhere...
Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 01:34 AM
In reply to:

Viscious little ****. The thing's 7 years old, so I'm still on the fence about declawing. Strikes me as cruel at that age and older, especially when I believe we can keep her out of that room from now on. Still. An expensive freaking lesson!



This was our issue.
Since my friend is a vet, it made the monetary decision to declaw the cat rather easy. However, she is 13 years old. She has worked on carpet before but has picked up steam lately. We are trying to keep the house in shape as we expect to sell it within the next year. We just put in new carpet which she started working over. The intermittent repairs were getting to be expensive.
Then the peeing issue.
Ultimately we decided that to "reduce" the amount of damage the cat can do, we would exercise control over the one thing would could control...her claws.
The peeing thing is still up in the air. We'll know more once the cat gets back from the vet.
In the meantime, i have one last wall to take down in the bath. So far so good. Dremels are great tools.
I think i know what happened with the rotted drywall. The vapour barrier to the outer wall was broken where it attached to the tub edge. I'm fixing that.

Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 01:34 AM
That's pretty DARN funny Peter.
Go ahead and have a laugh.
Posted By: pmbuko Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 02:59 AM
In defense of the cat (if that is even warranted), when they pee somewhere other than the litter box, it can be a sign of UTI (urinary tract infection) or other sickness. At 13 years old, she's getting up there in age. Have the vet give her a good check up.

Also, as an alternative to declawing, you can use Soft Paws. Granted, you'd have to re-apply the nail tips regularly, but it's decidedly more humane.
Posted By: bray Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 03:01 AM
"The peeing thing is still up in the air. We'll know more once the cat gets back from the vet."


chess
I FEEL FOR YA!
I had two cats for 18 years (died last year) one named "Cricket" one named "Abby."
Your cat sounds EXACTLY like Abby. I cant tell you how many bamboo plants she ate and any other grassy type plant.
Anyway.......... she had the same peeing problems starting when she was about 13. After about 6 months of hell and 3 vet visits, my vet found a cist on her uterus. It took a simple operation and worked, the peeeing stopped and she actually slowed down on my plants.
Hope that it all works out for you too.
Oh, try one of these for the smell http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-1566
or http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-1567&ps_session=2cd9e61795aacfd0e63828ad985fc105
I use to work for the Co. that makes these and they work very well.
I took the pics on the bottle about 15 years ago.
Good Luck
Posted By: bray Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 03:04 AM
In the dogs defence.
Cute dogs are SUPPOSED to do dumb things.
Posted By: Ken.C Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 05:10 AM
Nice to see SOMEONE standing up for cats... harrumph...

My cat had the peeing thing, too. Fortunately (or not) she liked peeing on backpacks and similar items, not the rugs. We tracked it down to her not liking the new litter. Grr... So, we switched back, and as long as I keep it clean, she's fine. Fair enough, I suppose. If someone left your toilet full of crap and pee, wouldn't you want to pee on their stuff?

Good luck with all that, Chess. Sorry it happened, dude...

Addendum: the cat I am speaking about it not the little sweetheart on my shoulders in my avatar. She's a good cat.
Posted By: BigWill Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 06:11 AM
Sorry to hear of your calamities, friend.

If it makes you feel any better hear mine:
-2 flat tires (the 2nd on the way home from the tire shop)
-emergency air compressor suddenly burns out when I actually need it (damn Chinese)
-cat has a broken leg (or something) and is getting punked by the neighborhood felines
-foul ball at the varsity softball field shattered my truck window (I'm a coach - people thought it was funny! )
-bought a new BBQ and it's been raining ever since.

OTOH, I do have a great, happy, healthy little boy... so who cares, right?

BTW, have you looked at free-standing tubs? I really like the retro looks of those tubs. It would also keep the water off your walls.
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:10 AM
Chess,
Oh man, I feel for you. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of the cat puking. Those who own cats know what sound I'm talking about. "Shrek 2" pretty much nailed the hairball experience.
Cat urine is a bad smell. No fun. Sometimes I wish I had gone the goldfish route.
Posted By: BrenR Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:35 AM
I've probably told this story before.

My ex had two cats... an old burmese/siamese cross and a younger calico. I'm not much of a cat guy, or even a house dog guy anymore.

The siamese was pretty much a vomit machine, a quick "HAAAARRRRCHHHHTTTTT" noise and she'd back up producing what I can only describe as something like what used to come out of those Play-Doh(tm) pumpers... always in a traffic area (hallway, etc)... after about the 3rd day in a week of stepping in it just as I was running late for my bus into work (in sock feet), she was introduced to the toilet bowl.

The calico cat, however... about 3am one early morning, I hear the sound of plastic dishes hitting the floor in the kitchen, I get up, no glasses on and see the cat intentionally knocking dishes out of the dishrack. Without corrective lenses and with all the finesse of a pregnant wombat, I take a kick at her and miss... then I notice a foul smell. My ex had left a candle burning on top of her desktop AT computer case and it was melting the monitor... given maybe another 15 minutes, the apartment would have been on fire... I tracked the cat down, petted her and went off to go kick the ex. Weird thing is, she was selective and ONLY knocked out the plastic dishes, leaving anything breakable untouched.

Bren R.
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:47 AM
Funny story, Bren. At night with the lights off, it's like walking through a minefield. Nothing like stumbling into the bathroom at 3 in the morning to clean the "kitty surprise" from between your toes.

I hear stories similar to yours and makes me wonder just how smart these stupid cats are? After all, they've trained us to feed them on time, let them out when they want to, and they only want attention on their time. Where did we loose control?
Posted By: TurboDog1 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 12:12 PM
My $.02 -
Declaw if a cat is damaging, regardless of age. Cats instinctively 'sharpen' and 'kneed', so you're not going to stop them. My cat made my decision for me when he leisurely walked up and began sharpening his claws on the grills of my old speakers. He had already shredded up the back of our old couch, but this just wasn't going to fly. The funny thing is watching him sharpen and kneed now....we call it knubbing.

FYI...he was not a kitten at the time and he survived. It takes them a couple days to fully recover, but they're resilient and the alternatives are worse (ie giving away or putting down).

As far as the peeing goes, another thing to consider is looking at a litter out there called CatAttract. It's not going to cure any medical issues, but it will assist if the issue turns out to be behavioral. Cats sometimes start peeing elsewhere when they are stressed out by changes in their lives, etc....new baby in my case. Either way, this litter has something in it that draws them to it. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth it compared to the alternative (putting down).....behavioral problems are hard to break which makes giving them away not always a viable option. So, you have to do what you can to help fix the problem. In my case, it was a blend of the new litter, better focus on cleaning the litter box, and letting him outside to get the anxiety out of his system. Ironically, he goes outside at the same time as the two dogs.....the procession is kind of funny to watch.
Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 03:08 PM
Well the decision to declaw was not an easy one for my wife. Age was a concern but with our friend being a vet as i said, it made the decision a bit easier. We knew he was going to give her a good checkup before proceeding and if any blood chemistry was abnormal, we would abort.
The laser method of removal is much better than the old pull technique. Recovery is much faster with alot less pain. The cats go home next day rather than being held for multple days of observation. As long as the cat was healthy, and she is, we decided to have it done.

As for the peeing, the location was limited to 2 areas off to the side of our HT area (as luck has it). We are going to move her cat tower and food over into that corner which is a good behaviour modification technique for cats. Place the food near the defecation area and they won't urinate there anymore. Now there is a chance that she may begin urinating in another location, but if there was something specific about that corner she liked (old carpet smell, carpet tape or glue underneath, etc.) then the odds of her adding scent to another location in the house as compensation is small.
Secondly, we are adding catnip to some other areas in the basement that we think she 'may' move on to if she wants another pee spot. She loves to chew on catnip (the cat's equivalent to tobacco) which once again places 'food' in an area that she may have conisdered to be fair game for urinary relief.
If all that fails, we will try some behavioural modification drugs which have had some success in the past on my vet friend's calico. As i understand it, he says calicos are nasty as temperament goes.

On the other fronts, the bathroom tub area has been gutted. We are getting ready to put the new green sheets in place followed by the new Barker tile later today. Should be cured and caulked by tomorrow night. The wife is shopping for new bath fixtures this aft.



The CRV already has its new tires onboard (Michelin Hydroedge) and is good to go.

The new carpet has been purchased and is ready for installation later this week.

Total Approximate Cost:
$700 Bath materials
$330 new carpet
$900 tires, balancing, winter package checkup, etc.
$200 vet
All in all, not as bad as it could be since we're doing most of the labour ourselves, but i have spent the past 3 days working on the house instead of actual paid work. Good thing i work out of a home office on my own time.

Posted By: jorge016 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 04:53 PM
Chess-I can certainly feel your pain. We've got 2 aging cats, a constantly shedding dog and our 5 year old daughters aquarium to contend with. They've all had to adapt to the addition of our (now 10 month old) twin boys and it hasn't been all that pleasant. I've been constantly reminded of my wise old Grandma's quote when she heard that we were going to have a poodle in the house, she said with more than a little conviction "God invented barns for animals to live in-houses are for people". I didn't listen, needless to say.

We're now faced with a new, and even more troublesome addition to our home. My father-in-law, (due in no small part to his own doing), finds himself penniless and in poor health at the ripe old age of 68. We agreed to let him move in with us temporarily. Last Friday I got home from work and find him angrily staring at a blank TV screen and a loud hissing HT system. All he could say was "All these damn speakers give me a head-ache". He tried to shut the system down and apparently punched every button on the every component. Didn't do any harm until he told me that "the sound on the TV was a helluva lot better than what was coming out of the speakers". Ouch. Then to add insult to injury he came into our kitchen and dropped his pants around his knees so he could show me his scar from hip surgery. That's an image I didn't need imbedded in my brain. Anyway, sometimes pets although difficult are still easier to deal with than people. At least I can kick the cat if my wife doesn't catch me.

Good luck with your remodel project.
Posted By: bray Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 04:58 PM
Just when I thought things were going horrible for ME.

jorge
Thanks for that post.
You made me realize things could be worse.
Posted By: jorge016 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 05:11 PM
Your welcome Bray. Life just go better. I found out I've got a ticket to see Steve Earle at First Avenue this weekend. I haven't seen a live show for a while and had given up on seeing this show. Now I can't wait.
Posted By: dmn23 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 06:07 PM
In reply to:

I've got a ticket to see Steve Earle at First Avenue this weekend. I haven't seen a live show for a while and had given up on seeing this show. Now I can't wait.



If you haven't seen him in a while, you might be in for a (potentially unpleasant) surprise. Let's just say you won't need to take a soapbox. He'll have one of his own.
Posted By: bigjohn Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 06:29 PM
In reply to:

soapbox



so whats his issues?

politics, the war, east coast-vs-west coast, the state of the music industry in general, or does he just have a nicely bloated image of himself?

bigjohn
Posted By: bray Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 06:31 PM
That was the last concert I saw, except with a few extras.
The line up was Keb Mo, Jackson Brown and Steve Earle.
They opened with an acoustic set of all three playing an insrument.
Steve Earle on guitar, Jackson Brown on a mandolin, and Keb Mo on a banjo. They played "Cocaine Blues" (one of my favorites that Jackson Brown has covered) together and changed up the words a little which made you realize that each one had a battle with it (cocaine) at some point.
It was a GREAT concert.
I hope you enjoy the one your going to.
Sounds like you need it.
Posted By: dmn23 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 06:43 PM
In reply to:

so whats his issues?



Mostly political. Tips on how to survive the next four years, for example. Personally, I like the guy's music, and I'm really not all that conservative. But there's a difference to me between making a point or expressing your view cleverly (say, oh, I don't know...in a song, perhaps?), and beating me over the head with a baseball bat when I paid good money to be entertained.

Frankly, I couldn't possibly care less what his political views are. I resent being made to feel that I'm somehow less of a person or not entitled to like his music because I don't agree with him on some points. He makes artists like Billy Bragg or Michelle Shocked look positively genial. And I really hate that, because he's tremendously talented. I just don't care to hear it.
Posted By: jorge016 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:04 PM
John, I can't speak for the man, but in his own words "the last election was all about the war". His last work "The Revolution Starts Now" was an interesting piece of work, he absolutely recorded it "from a soapbox". He's been outspoken on his anti-death penalty stance at the last couple of shows I've seen, but I'm sure this one will see him bashing George W. I haven't been to a club to see a show for almost a year (twins will do that to you), so I don't care if he sings the songs from Mary Poppins - if he and the band perform with his usual intensity, I'm going to have a good time.

Speaking of Billy Bragg-has anyone heard what he's up to lately. He usually passes through the Twin Cities once or twice a year, but we haven't seen him for a while. He's one of my favorite live acts, partly because Ian McLagan plays keyboards for him. I've had a chance to meet Mac a couple of times and he's one of rock and rolls most unique individuals (and also lives in Texas).
Posted By: bigjohn Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:06 PM
In reply to:

I just don't care to hear it




fair enough. i have never seen steve, but i would have to say i agree with what you are saying.

i reckon those people that paid $150 bucks a ticket to see U2 this summer are gonna get plenty bored hearing Bono go off every night. they will get a 3 hour show, but too bad 1 hour of it will be Bono ranting about ending the war, or saving the whales, or curing aids. dont get me wrong, i am all about doing whats right, but i dont need his political essays inbetween 'sunday bloody sunday' and 'vertigo'.

bigjohn
Posted By: dmn23 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:18 PM
Don't get me started on U2. Friggin' unbelievable band and astonishing guitar player, except for that whole Bono variable.

Q: How many members of U2 does it take to change a light bulb?

A: One. Bono holds the bulb and the world revolves around him.

Q: What does Bono use for birth control?

A: His personality.

...Thank you, thank you, you're too kind. I'll be here all week...
Posted By: Rock_Head Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 07:31 PM
Mike,
That's exactly why I have passed on seeing them on their upcoming tour. A little bit of Bono goes a long way!!!
You get kind of tired of his (Bono) rants during songs. No doubt about it, they are one hell of a band live. Seen them enough to pass on this tour. On a side note, U2 have been hanging out in Vancouver rehearsing for the upcoming tour.
Posted By: BrenR Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 08:19 PM
I guess it all depends on whether or not the artist follows your brand of politics or not.

If I'm watching someone that's really immersed in world politics, I don't mind hearing their point-of-view. On the other hand, those without a real grasp just throwing out whatever they believe (ie: the Toby Keith "Let's hang us anyone that ain't white, yip-raaaht" or the emo-kid "I hate the president... ya ya ya ya" stuff)... keep it to yourselves - it's like watching an Amish man discussing his views on Linux.

Bren R.
Posted By: AdamP88 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 08:35 PM
That's a pretty poor stereotype of U2 and Bono. Bono's pretty good about holding in rants nowadays. I saw them 3 times on the last tour, and never got anything approaching a rant. He'd say a couple sentences here and there, but it wasn't anything close to soapbox stuff. Actually, now that he's so politically involved with Africa relief and all that, he can't afford to go off on rants like he did before - he'll lose the support he's gained from conservative politicians.
Posted By: bigjohn Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 08:41 PM
In reply to:

poor stereotype of U2 and Bono



not U2 as a whole, just Bono. its not like the edge is ever gonna talk anyway...

but, i agree with your point. after years and years of ranting, he has found a good nitch of people that want to listen. not to mention, he does have his hand in many different buckets right now. so, it would not be smart of him to deliberatly try and piss any of them off.

but i wouldnt go so far as to say that was a "poor stereotype". i think it is right on!

bigjohn


Posted By: Rock_Head Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/23/05 08:57 PM
One of Bono's classic rant's about religion "the God I believe in isn't short of cash, Mister"! I can't remember which concert video/song it is from however it is priceless! He does come up with some funny yet, hit you in the gut remarks at times. Still an enjoyable character...
Posted By: pmbuko Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 12:38 AM
In reply to:

he does have his hand in many different buckets


Sounds like your kind of guy, bigjohn!
Posted By: KC_Mike Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 03:44 AM
They do make soft, plastic caps that fit over cats claws to prevent them from scratching things. They are glued on and can be removed.

www.softpaws.com

Posted By: Engine_Joe Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 03:48 AM
They do make soft, plastic caps that fit over cats claws to prevent them from scratching things. They are glued on and can be removed.


Well, until their claws fall out, then you have to replace them. And our cat goes through claws like there's no tomorrow...
Posted By: bridgman Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 03:49 AM
Hmph. Naomi Campbell could have used some of those...
Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 07:44 AM
Our cat is now home.
She is fine.
No signs of pain and just happy to be back i think.
I'm sure the drugs are helping our 'happy' cat.

Now if i can just get the bathroom finished...
Posted By: AdamP88 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 09:44 AM
In reply to:

not U2 as a whole, just Bono. its not like the edge is ever gonna talk anyway...




There's an even poorer stereotype.
Posted By: bigjohn Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 03/24/05 02:31 PM
yea, i know..... i am gettin better..

bigjohn
Posted By: chesseroo Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 04/07/05 04:54 PM
The final product from start to finish.









My wife is downstairs at the present moment steam cleaning the new carpet. Damn cat vomited.
There is no medical fix for hairballs.

Posted By: MarkSJohnson Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 04/07/05 04:56 PM
Chess:
Nice work. Do you freelance?
Posted By: bigwill2 Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 04/07/05 06:20 PM
"There is no medical fix for hairballs."

Shaved... oh, nevermind. I get in enough trouble around here when I'm not trying to offend.
Posted By: bigjohn Re: OT: One crappy weekend - 04/07/05 06:36 PM
its ok bigwill2.. this is your alter ego.. i was wondering where the 'regular' bigwill went?

bigjohn
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