Enchantments

This is one of those weird days�

Got up, dressed, etc., in time for a man to come to take blood and urine samples from us. Isn�t that a little creepy? They come to your home� It�s because we�re getting life insurance. My blood pressure was dead normal, and that was a relief.

We breakfasted, etc., and regrouped a bit, and I went out and bought stamps and mailed the GP. Then we headed out to run errands. But the car started shuddering, and that�s never good. We pulled over in a KFC parking lot and Ken poked under the hood and determined a few things that the problem wasn�t. Since we were hungry, we ate. We went to a few car places and finally found one that can hook a car up to a computer, which will magically announce what�s wrong. Cylinder 3 misfire, apparently. Ken�s off buying plugs and whatnot, and he�ll fix it. Phew. Thank goodness this happened before he left.

Actually, in between the KFC thing and the final car place, we came home, so that Ken could follow me on the bike in case we had to leave the car somewhere. He was checking some car info online when I walked through the living room and saw Eostre sitting outside the sliding glass door. Yes: OUTside. Just kinda looking at me. Um�

She�s fine, and very calm about her adventure, although she had cobwebby dirt all over her whiskers. She probably squeezed out when Ken went to the sewing room to the get the machines we were going to trade in. Good grief.

Speaking of Eostre, the vet called with her EKG results. Nothing earthshattering, just a better idea of what her heart murmur exactly is. We�re putting her on some light medication that will slow down the myriad things that will eventually crop up (congestive heart failure, kidney problems, and other festive ailments). The vet wants to do an EKG every 6 months, but that seems a little excessive to me, especially given the cost. I mean, we know she has a heart murmur. We know to keep an eye on her. We know she probably won�t live to a ripe old age. Sigh.

I have this pile of notepaper on my desk, with different notes about different cat ailments from each time the vet has called. Sheez.

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In other news, I named my new laptop. If you�d like to experience another fun foray into the workings of my brain, read on. If not, skip to the next section.

As I said yesterday, Gwyn was a possibility; it�s Welsh for white. At some point this morning, I looked up at my stained glass of Glastonbury Tor and thought of Avalon�once known as the Island of White Apples. (And, well, it IS a white Apple after all�) Avalon wasn�t quite right, though, so I popped onto the Isle of Avalon website. Hm. It was a place of great Druid learning. Many springs and streams flow through (water = creativity, etc.). Still, not sure.

I noted that Gwyn ap Nudd is the King of the Faeries and lives under the Tor. I immediately abandoned Gywn as a name, for, as much as I love the Fey, they�re not to be trusted, and naming one�s laptop after their capricious King is only asking for trouble.

The Tor was also called Ynis Witrin, or Isle of Glass. Again, not quite what I�m looking for.

So then I rolled my chair over to the bookcase and pulled out my Welsh/English dictionary, and looked up �white� and �apple�. �Apple� is �afal�, and �white� after it would be �wen�. Afal wen. Afalwen.

Now, keep in mind that �f� is pronounced as �v� and �w� is kind of �oo�. Avalooen� Avalon.

I came right around full circle, and it�s perfect. My laptop is Afalwen.

Wasn�t that fun?

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This day is not going as planned�

Ken has spent hours underneath the house, measuring for the various cords and things that need to be run (we�ve been tripping over a phone cord for 2 years now, plus Cat needs various cords in the library). He bought all the stuff needed, then began drilling the appropriate holes.

At which point he drilled through the cable cord. Poof! no Internet, no TV.

However, Cat is the Best Roommate We�ve Ever Had, as she�s just gone out to pick up Baja Fresh. (I would�ve gone, but remember, my car is broken� We still have that project to deal with.)

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Cat thanks us in the liner notes to her new CD! That is so cool!

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Cable�s fixed. Ken rocks. All cords to Cat�s room work. I no longer have a phone cord in the hall to trip over. Things are definitely looking up. Plus I successfully installed Office on Afalwen.

Dayamn! Ken not only fixed the car, he did most of the tune-up that was needed! I�ll need to ask Dennis to put in the new fuel filter, but everything else is done. (Well, there are the small bits I need to pick up and talk to Dennis about: overhead lightbulb, hook for the hatchback cover�both of which I can probably do myself�and rubber weatherstripping around the hatchback.) I�m stunned and thrilled! The only thing we didn�t get done today was the library shelves, but we can do those tomorrow night. Ken has a bunch of paperwork to do, too, and he needs to pack for Korea.

I helped him out by writing some checks and dealing with a few computer things for him.

Of course, it�s almost midnight, and I�m surprised I�m still functional. We have to be at the event on time tomorrow, because Ken�s Herald, and the Royals will be there.

Oh, and Eostre got out a second time. Little Miss Adventurous. Thank goodness she isn�t trying to get anywhere, and she hasn�t tried to get in the pool. (Turkish Vans are known as the swimming cats.) She seems rather smug about it all.

Right, I should post this and get ready for bed�