Anne, the lead singer's voice has an unusual, lilty effect that reminds me of someone else...but I just can't think who.

Very cool that you liked it. I'm sure their college funds would appreciate the purchase!

eta: It was so cute when the dad of the girls I know fretted to his wife that they really needed an additional mic on the ukelule for a new song they were debuting today, the mom rolled her eyes, "I can NOT buy one more thing!" she wailed. How nice to see parents being so supportive.

I wish the new song was on the cd. It included the uk and one of those old-fashioned play pianos.

Brad Roberts, late of the Crash Test Dummies, has done an album using toy instruments. Crashchord is clearly following in those bold footsteps and I was amazed at how good they sounded.

"Can you confine your dog and block the tv for the convenience of our baby?"

"I'm sorry, were you under the impression this was *your* house? This is my dog. This is my tv. This is my house. You're all welcome, but the dog lives here and the tv is on when the people who live here want it on."

Oy vey on the inconsiderate guests. Ridiculous.

I have a date with a girl! I've forgotten how to dress for dates with girls. Will ponder in shower.

I know where there's a dogless, TV-less environment. Your house!

"Why, didn't you know? I live to corrupt your child with mindless broadcast twaddle and infect it with numerous doggy germs that will never ever wash off and render them incapable of ever attracting a mate."

Ok, having neither dogs nor children, I am a firm believer in careful supervision of any interaction between pets and babies. And I get that some parents prefer to keep little ones tv-free (a valid choice, and one that I might make if I ever had a kid). But that, of course, brings us back to getting either a babysitter or a playpen. If I were playing a game, I imagine it would be somewhat difficult to provide the level of supervision (at least as much to protect the animal as to protect the kid) that I see as optimal. Put the kid in a playpen, and that should at least slow things down between pet and kid enough that I could pay some attention to the game at hand. What's that? The only place there is room to set up the playpen is in full view of the tv? Horrors, what shall we do? Say, host, would you happen to have a blanket or sheet I can drape over the side of the playpen facing the tv? Next time I'll have to remember to bring one myself. Oh, thanks ever so.

Seriously, these people are pushing it.

Andi makes an even better point about the potential for split attention and inadequate supervision.

It gripes my gizzard when folks at the park get more wrapped up in the social interaction than they supervise their dogs.

So yeah. How focused can you be playing a strategy game when you also have a baby to look after. This is not to say that parents can't do everything they want to, but I don't think I could pay attention to both.

But, in truth, I'm rubbish at splitting my attention.

Thank you for the thoughts for Chloe. She's the second FOHA shelter cat to pass away since we started volunteering.

First, Coco got through his vet appointment fine. He cooperated fairly well, for him. Which means he let the tech weigh him and the vet look in his eye with a lot of hissing and very little use of claws and teeth. We haz Terramycin again.

Theresa, the lead volunteer for feline medical matters, arrived at 7:30. Chloe was put in the new "comfort room" that the vet added during a recent expansion. She fought against the sedative for a good 20-30 minutes while Theresa, Hubs, and I petted her. She even bathed herself a little and bathed Hubs once or twice. She finally calmed down, and the vet gave her the final injection.

Chloe was at our shelter exactly one year. We rescued her from a local public shelter where she'd been abandoned (after her humans had had her for 9 years) because of "allergies." She was high on the PTS (put to sleep) list (because she was an older black cat and considered nearly unadoptable) when we got her. She will be remembered for her Lane Bryant-model looks (so described in her write-up) and sassy diva-like ways.

I'm glad you were there for Chloe throughout, and at the end.

Bless you both for making the end of her life filled with love and comfort. Godspeed Chloe.