Chapman Kids Blog

"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." –John 16:33

Tag: Kiwi

A hard programming weekend, but I had help

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On Monday, December 14, 2015

In Education, Software

Programming all weekend longThere are opportunities to learn everywhere. I look back at my somewhat misspent youth and realize that all of that time when I was an angry and miserable ingrate, I could have spent learning new stuff. The funny deal is that I enjoyed learning new stuff, even back then. I just did not understand that the confusion and frustration of learning hard stuff eventually translated in joy-filled understanding. And, just as important, it built on the stuff learned previously.

It is never a good thing to look backward and I am truly grateful my mind works well enough to learn some pretty hard stuff. I have lots of good help, too. Since the weather got bad, I have not been walking as much (Shame on me!) so I am getting that shelf just in the right place for Kiwi to sit comfortably while I program. That is not so bad either.

Betty Blonde #444 – 03/30/2010
Betty Blonde #444
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New furniture!

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On Monday, December 14, 2015

In House and home

Lorena's new chairs
I am currently consulting with a new startup company out of Wichita, Kansas (an amazingly cool place). So far, I have not taken compensation because the company is just getting started, but they very kindly provided a gift certificate for there appreciation of the work I am doing for them after a recent trip back there a few months ago. I gave the gift certificate to Lorena when I got back to Oregon. She finally pulled the trigger and bought something–two red leather chairs. They are shown in the picture above, but they are covered with throws because Kiwi, the remaining twin cat sister and attack animal might scratch them into worthlessness. Still we REALLY like them. We actually had no decent place to sit in our studio apartment until now. So, since we have these great chairs, the only thing we are missing is a table to go between them and an ottoman or two. New purchases just lead to new purchases. On the other hand, Lorena says she really wants to continue in the apartment now that we have the ottoman. Who am I to argue.

Betty Blonde #443 – 03/29/2010
Betty Blonde #443
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Rubix is gone, but it makes for a more thoughtful birthday

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On Thursday, September 24, 2015

In General

Rubix studies with ChristianWe had to put Rubix down last night. Christian picked Rubix’s name and she was his cat. She was truly an amazing cat, totally devoted to Christian. In that way, she seemed almost like a dog. I wrote a post about how she used to lay across Christian’s arms while he typed on his computer at the bar in the kitchen in Raleigh. Here is a post about the cat tower Christian and I built for Rubix and Kiwi (the other of the twin cat sisters) as a homeschool project with a picture of Rubix on the top shelf. This is probably my favorite post on the subject a year or two after we had moved to Raleigh. We are not one of those families that anthropomorphizes animals–well, not too much anyway, but we have had a great discussion about life, death and and the greatness of the gift of God’s creation.Rubix and Christian at the computerSometimes we get so rapped up in our own issues we forget the bigger picture.

Rubix sleeps with Christian

I turned sixty today. Rubix’s passing has been a gift in that it has put the whole aging thing in a good context. I love being this age. I am really not one of those people who laments getting a year older. It is a choice and a gift to love the age you are and realize your place in the whole scheme of things. Lorena and I looked at some old pictures of me when I was a boy and a you man that she dug out of a box she brought along with us in the car on our drive to Portland from Raleigh. I made the comment that those pictures, even if they are well preserved, are not going to be too meaningful to anyone in not too many years. If/when Kelly and Christian have kids, they might get a kick out of looking at them a time or two during their life, but the pictures will be pretty meaningless to the generations after that. It just made me cognizant of the importance of embracing the opportunities we have to do the right thing in the here and now.

P.S. Rubix loved Kelly, too.
Kelly and Rubix

Betty Blonde #406 – 02/04/2010
Betty Blonde #406
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All moved in

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On Thursday, February 5, 2015

In House and home

Cats above cupboards in new apartment
We are all moved in to our new apartment in Wilsonville. The cats have found a new perch because there are no really good places to hide with no furniture yet. I hope this means I will be able to return to regular blogging on regular topics within a week or so and even maybe one or two this weekend.

Betty Blonde #256 – 07/13/2009
Betty Blonde #256
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Christian has the most loyal cat I have ever seen

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On Tuesday, July 24, 2012

In Education, Family, Pets

Rubix, Christian's loyal cat

Christian’s cat, Rubix hates everyone in the family except Christian.  Lorena especially annoys here by trying to give her tight hugs all the time.  She is amazingly dedicated to Christian–almost like a dog.  She comes and sits on his lap, computer, book, or anything Christian is using so she can just be with him.  She has been the dominant cat in the Rubix-Kiwi nexus, but that has been changing lately.  Somehow, when we switched from dry cat food to canned cat food Rubix got dramatically more passive and Kiwi got dramatically more interested in getting fed.

At first we thought it was because she was not getting enough to eat, but she is definitely not losing any weight, so now we think it is because she really, REALLY likes the canned cat food.  We made the switch because the vet said we should.  We hope it is helping Rubix lose weight, but for her, it is too early to tell.  We read up on the behavior and found that dominance can change in these kinds of cases,  The funny deal is that even though Rubix is less dominant, Kiwi does not seem to have gotten more dominant–just annoying when she comes to meow for cat food at 5:30 every morning.  It has gotten bad enough that Lorena has put a spray bottle filled with water beside our bed.  Cats and Mexican wives make for lots of drama in the household.

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