Furth and Fortune blog by Will Murray

After a long, chronic illness (though mostly without pain or appearing very sick), I had to put my 16.5 year old cat to sleep today. :’-( She was diagnosed with CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) about two years ago and was only given 6 months to live. Fortunately, we had more time than that together. Read about her, as well as a song and poem that helps me cope with the loss of my four-footed family member.

Q: You’re packing your bag for a trip to a desert island–the kind with no electricity–what 5 books do you take with you?

A: It would kind of depend on how long I was expecting to be on this island. Since I have the luxury of planning ahead and packing for it in advance, I imagine it will be for a bit of an extended stay. In that case, something with lots of pages and a lot of information sounds like the best choice to me.

Many years ago, I worked as a night auditor at an Embassy Suites hotel. About a year later, I switched to a Best Western overlooking the Pacific Ocean. While most of the nights at both properties were pretty routine, there were a few wild times there: fire alarms and even a real fire, drunken and domestic fights, medical emergencies, rowdy beach parties, and even a near miss by an airplane. Read all about it after the jump.

A funny thing about accents… you never really hear your own. I took a little online quiz to see if I have one. Naturally, I do, though it’s a pretty neutral one. Find out which after the jump.

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship? Nope.
2) What was your dream growing up? It would have been nice to have just one dream to focus on.
3) What talent do you wish you had? To fly like Superman
4) If I bought you a drink what would it be? Iced or hot tea, depending on the weather
5) Favorite vegetable? Butternut squash, mushrooms, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, peas with pearl onions…
6) What was the last book you read? Sandstorm by James Rollins
7) What zodiac sign are you? Scorpio/Libra (born on the cusp)
8 ) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? None.
9) Worst Habit? Working to deadlines instead of starting right away.
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? If you’re a friend yes, but if you’re a stranger it would be most unlikely.
11) What is your favorite sport? The Olympics, because of the variety.
12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude? Plan for the worst, but count on the best.
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? Keep you calm (I’m pretty good in crises).
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you? Some things seemed really bad then, but over time they fade. Nothing devastating or disfiguring.
15) Tell me one weird fact about you. I know that raccoonnookkeeper has the greatest number of double letters in the English language (it’s a person who takes care of the “nook”, or sleeping location, of a raccoon) and that “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is (or at least was) the most difficult tongue twister in English according to Guinness.
16) Do you have any pets? Yes, 1 cat.
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly? It would depend on who you are, what you want, and if I have a restraining order against you for doing that sort of thing.
18) What was your first impression of me? We’d have to meed first to form a definite opinion, but I think that most people are generally good unless they prove themselves otherwise.
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary? Not scary at all. Not particularly cute, either. They are just rather clownish.
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? It’d be nice to be back at my college-level of fitness and weight, but if I really cared that much, I could just go to the gym and work at it and eventually get there.
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? If the crime wasn’t really a crime, but just a silly prank, I’d probably be a partner. Otherwise, I’m usually the conscience.
22) What color eyes do you have? Puppy dog brown.
23) Ever been arrested? Nope. In Cub Scouts we visited the police station, and they demonstrated what it was like to be locked up. I have never had a desire to see that happen to me for real, so I’ve kept my nose clean.
24) Bottle or can soda? Skip both and go with some tea or bottled water.
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? Pay off a credit card and invest the rest.
27) What’s your favorite place to hang at? Home in front of the computer or TV watching a movie.
28) Do you believe in ghosts? Yep. (Here’s why.)
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time? Something on the computer usually.
30) Do you swear a lot? Heck no. Unless I am around people who do, then I morph my language a bit to fit in and avoid making them uncomfortable. Swear words do not bother me, but they don’t fit my professional nature. Slurs and insults (to anyone), however, are offensive to me.
31) Biggest pet peeve? Spammers. Also people who hit me up to be a “friend” online when I don’t know them and they don’t explain why we would make good friends in real life.
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself? Multifaceted.
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance? I’m a hopeful romantic.
34) What’s your favorite movie or album? Movie: I couldn’t begin to pick just one, but I did just watch The Bourne Ultimatum for the third time, so I might as well use it as a proxy for all of my favorites. Album: Pick any Disney movie soundtrack, and it’s probably one of my favorites.
35) Do you believe in God? Yes. I’m very spiritual and a Christian, but not in a traditional sort of way. I’m also very accepting of others with different views and beliefs.

Tags: memes, quizes

It’s 2 min until the 5am sales start. The madness is about to begin. Is it worth it? Will I get what I’m hoping for? Am I being a good citizen for spending? Or am I just being a greedy American? Maybe I can be both by buying a toy to donate to Kops to Kids today. TTYL

Update: A little clarification on that earlier post.

The average U.S. retailer expects to make a lot, if not the majority, of their annual revenue during the holiday shopping season (Thanksgiving until Christmas). Our economy is teetering on the edge of a recession, and poor sales during this season would be bad for our economy. By getting out there and spending hard earned greenbacks, my money added to everyone else’s helps stabilize the economy. That’s a good thing. (I’m not discussing the “Wal-Mart” effect of spending my money at the worlds largest retailer.)

On the flip side, there are many countries around the world, and even places within our own country that could really benefit from a contribution right now. That benefit would be much more meaningful than helping to ensure that some corporate balance sheet shows profit this quarter.

While standing in line waiting for the magic hour of 5:00 to chime, I was remembering the faces of the people in Bangladesh who have gone for days without food since a huge cyclone struck their country. I remembered the faces of people here in the U.S.A. still suffering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina over a year ago. I thought about kids in the Sacramento Children’s Home who do not have parents to read to them at night or comfort them when they are scared. I thought about other children spending their Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Shriners hospital going through chemotherapy or other treatments. Then there are the shut-ins and homeless who have so little.

Just as I was thinking about all of that (and starting to get really depressed), a volunteer from the Sheriff’s department came by passing out a flier informing the people in line about the Kops for Kids program, where they collect toys or monetary donations to give children in need a special Christmas. This made my conscience feel a bit better. I could do good for others and still be a consumer of a shiny electronic item unnecessary for my survival that was built overseas by workers earning less than a living wage.

Dolt that I am sometimes, by the time I left, I’d forgotten all about Kops for Kids, and it wasn’t until I was driving away that I realized that my greed had been all-consuming and I hadn’t donated a thing. *sigh*

I guess that’s a good thing, because it means that I can be a little choosier and plan where and how I want to donate. I still feel bad about getting so caught up in the moment (or was it just because I was so tired?) that I forgot to think of others.

So, do you have any suggestions for good international aid and also local Sacramento regional charities? Tell me why they deserve a donation from me, and I will consider it. Thanks.

Tags: Black Friday, charities, Christmas, donations, Sacramento, shopping, Thanksgiving, toy, volunteering, Wal-Mart

SCATTERGORIES…it’s harder than it looks! . *Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following… *they have to be real places, names, things…nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. (WHICH BY THE WAY IS HARD IF YOU ALREADY READ THEIR ANSWERS) You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl.

1. What is your name?…… Will
2. 4 letter word…..Wing
3. Vehicle…. Wagon (station or a little red one)
4. City….. Wilton
5. Boy Name…… Winnie (the Pooh or the one I went to school with)
6. Girl Name….. Wilma
7. Alcoholic drink…. Whisky
8. Occupation…. Webmaster
9. Something you wear:….. Wingtips (as in dress shoes)
10. Celebrity…. Wil Wheaton (double points?)
11. Food…. Waffle
12. Something found in a bathroom………. Washcloth
13. Reason for Being Late…. Wreck
14. Cartoon Character….. Wimpy (I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today)
15. Something you shout……. Whoa!
16. Animal: ……. Walrus
17. Body part… Withers (it didn’t say it had to be a human body)
18. Word to describe you……. Wise (at least, I hope I am)

=]]]
Good Luck to the next person!

Tags: blogs, games, just for fun, silly, word association

Since it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d share a little ghost story with you.

I’m no “ghost whisperer” (thank goodness), though that is the name of one of my favorite TV shows. However, I’ve always been open-minded on the topic. After all, Einstein and other scientists proved that energy can’t be destroyed. When we die, our energy (our essence, spirit, life force, or whatever you want to call it) isn’t destroyed. It is released, and it seems plausible to me that it could remain structured in a way that is still us even without a physical container to carry it.

One night, I became forever convinced of the existence of ghosts. This is the story of that night and my brief encounter with something unexplainable.

The Murray Clan Badge as realized by Will Murray (a.k.a. "Willscrlt"). This version features shadowing, and the image is 250×300 pixels set against a transparent white matte background.

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Combined hot water/garbage/sewer bill, which seems unreasonably high.

2. What’s the best place to eat a romantic dinner?
There are many around here. Scott’s seafood is a nice, upscale restaurant with a friendly air that is good for a relaxed, intimate dining experience.

3. Last time you puked?
Fortunately it was longer ago than 10 years (stomach flu)

4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
That’s never been my style.

5. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Watching a good movie.

Tags: surveys

Thanks to everyone who posted comments on my social networking profiles wishing me a happy birthday. I love seeing the cute and/or rude things people have posted there. Thanks also to those who sent me private messages. Especially thanks to those who did both. It’s always nice to know that there are people out there who care.

Sorry I haven’t been around online much lately. Partly it’s been work, and partly its been my computer giving me fits. I was tired of how slow it was running, so I uninstalled a bunch of software I never use, and after that, the computer seemed to go into shock or something, and it became so slow and horrible to work on, I reformatted and reinstalled everything from scratch. That’s always a brutal process when you tweak your computer as much as I do, but it’s running very well now, and I’m being much more selective in what I reinstall. Housecleaning, whether it be your actual home or your virtual one, is a good thing. Anyway, now that I have a usable computer again, I should be around more often.

One weird side effect of the change is that GAIM (the new instant messenger I installed) crashes every time I try to add my MSN account to it. So, if you want to IM me, use my yahoo IM address.

Tags: birthdays, comments, contact, thanks

A friend like you is rare.
You’re the person I always hoped to meet,
But shyly, I stand and stare.
As you walk past unaware, I pray:
“I wish you were my friend.”

A friend like you is true.
How we became friends I’ll never know,
But, now we two are part of one.
You look at me and I at you; we say:
“I’m glad you are my friend.”

A friend like you cares.
Time has passed, our lives so busy,
The greatest gift is the time we share.
A little time apart but no despair; you call today:
“I didn’t want you to feel alone.”

A friend like you is everlasting.
Opportunities arise, and change disrupts the merry duo.
One last hurrah, then the dismal parting.
My heart now is hurting, but come what may:
“I’ll always be your friend!”

—
Original work by Will Murray.
September 25, 2006, Sacramento, CA.
A rewrite of “Friends Like You”
Copyright (c) Will Murray. All Rights Reserved.
Redistribution permission granted to authorized RSS/Atom feeds.

Tags: Friends, original works, poetry, Will Murray

Check off the things you have done.
DO NOT include explanations!
[Bite me. I'll include explanations wherever I feel like it!]

Level 1
() Smoked A Cigarette
() Smoked A Cigar
() Done Weed
(X) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex [father, grandfather, visitors from France, etc.]
(X) Drank Alcohol
SO FAR: 2

Tags: alcohol, art, California, cats, clothing, driving, EPA, Friends, ghosts, lungs, movies, porn, sex, space, spirits, thanks, time, travel, work, zoo

Purple and white globes of color
Deck the foliage green.
Fair are the flowers of the alyssum,
One of the fairest to be seen.

A mass of alyssum makes a beautiful blanket,
And the mass is made of many globes.
Each globe is made of tiny flowers;
Each flower is beautiful and whole.

When frost comes sweeping by,
Each flower must wither and die.
Seeds are left sleeping in the ground
To waken and burst into blossom next spring.

This world is made of many countries.
The countries have many cities.
Each city has many people;
Each person is different and whole.

All of the people put together,
Join to make a colorful blanket around the earth.
Each person must fade, but may leave a seed behind
To form another beautiful person.

—
Original work by Will Murray.
Ms. Owen’s English class, AGHS, 1986 or 1987.
Copyright (c) Will Murray. All Rights Reserved.
Redistribution permission granted to authorized RSS/Atom feeds.

Tags: flowers, original works, poetry, Will Murray

1) Two people you can tell pretty much anything to?
- Mom and Dad

2) Vegetarian?
- My compassion for animals says yes. My stomach says “MEAT!” My stomach nearly always wins.

3) Heaven?
- I don’t think the common “streets paved with gold, angels sitting on puffy clouds with harps, and St. Peter standing at pearly gates” has anything to do with the afterlife. But, yes, I do strongly believe in continued existence in some manner after our mortal body stops functioning. In short, yes.

4) Last person to be in bed with?
- Not a person, but my cat Nala was curled up against me several times last night.

5) What jewelry do you wear?
- None. I have a watch I rarely wear. I would wear my H.S. class ring, but I got it in 9th grade and it’s too small for my grown-up sized finger.

Tags: quizes