The Shaffer Journal
Volume 4 Issue 4 April 1998

Last time dat Abby cat got to intro dee journal furr last month, me meows. I Ebony nose I kin do berrrrry much better job dan Abby. I fink dat I like fighting wif Abby. She a bit smaller dan me and weigh a few pounds less dan me. I kin grab her wif my front paws and pretend to shreds her wif me back paws. Abby trying like heck to chew on me front paws, but Ice busy knawing at her pink ears. Den we break loose and make a run furr it. Only we both running same way back and forth fur almost halp an hour. It make bean sit up and take notice, but we no care much. Eggcept whiskas time. Whiskas in dee can. We only get quarter can per day and all dee dried cat food we wants. Why we not get more is beyond me. We cats do run dee place. We in charge ub dat human bean furr sure. We just can't open cans ub whiskas yet. We still trying doe. AnyMeow, diss month journal is a wing dinger. Hmmmm, me like hab sumfing wif wings ifing I could catch it. Boidees nebber stand still long enuff to get ate!

July 1997 was a sad time for I Ebony, me Abby, and our human bean. Kitty became very sick the early part of July. She suddenly died of a stroke on July 9, 1997. These journals are now dedicated to her spirit. We all loved you, Kitty! Click the cat graphic below to visit Kitty's Memorial page.

Kitty Talk
Kitty born June 6, 1982. Died July 9, 1997.

Diss is Abby and I have sum fings to meow about this month. First fing is my curiosity of cabinets and drawers. I gots to nose what's in dem! Yes, I do! Dee cabinets in kitchen area all smell sew good, but human bean run me outta dare. I meow at him I not make mess or nuthin. I like to explore cabinet above computer. It got some nice fings to play wif. You know human bean not like me in dare eedder. Back in bedroom is a big drawer wif clothes in it. I paw it open all da time. I grab me sum clothing and bring it out fur human bean. I lubs to play fetch, but I NOT a dawgie. Bean alway take da clothing away from me and put it back in drawer and shut it tight. But I got into it again one night and bean shut drawer on me! He NOT nose I in dare! I meow but he not hares me! Finally, about half hour after he looking eberyware and hollering me name, he finds me fast asleep on his clothes in dee drawer. I ready do it again berry berry soon!

I Ebony studying some fings. I study dee water in toilet. It makes horrible noise and clapper valve shut wif a loud bang. I still like to watch and study it. I plan on writing the definitive cat paper on the curiosity of water being flushed. I not know where it go, but I have theories. Abby like water in sinks. When water stopped up in a sink and bean let the drain plug out, Abby wake up from a deep catnap and coming running! She jump up beside sink and inspect draining water in sink. She doing research for me on ware water go when it let lose in sinks. Me and Abby will have wise cat answers to this and udder questions berry berry soon. And one final meow: I nose where Abby was all dee time. Eberytime bean holler Abby name I meowed she in dee bedroom drawer. Poor pity human bean not nose cat talk as much as he thunk!

Finally, me Ebony trying to finger out how many flavors dees gecko lizards come in. Day all tastes furrrrrrrrry good!

Jury Duty
I got a summons from the Monroe County Court, and I couldn't figure out why until I read it more closely. I had jury duty coming up. I breathed a sigh of relief that I was not being tried for being boring or something like that.

Having served in the US Navy much of my life, I did not have to deal with such things. I was always gone overseas somewhere. But now I have no excuses. I actually became a bit excited, except for the slight possibility that I would have to help decide a life or death question.

I showed up early Monday morning at the courthouse with the rest of the jury pool. Quite a crowd I can tell you. After wasting a lot of time, the judge finally laid out the plan. Several civil cases and a few criminal cases needed juries. After picking all the juries for that, the rest of us could go home. So I missed getting picked for the next five juries, but it was interesting.

I finally was selected as part of a pool of prospective jurors for a DWI case. They asked all sorts of questions trying to find out if we were fair and impartial jurors. Then they picked the ones they want plus an alternate. I and many others did not get picked and gladly went home having done our civic duty. I guess it was fun, but I don't really know for sure. I did not get to sit on a real jury. I just was part of the jury pool, just so much chaff floating in the wind. Well, it is over.

Internet Stuff
I have found a web place just of a six-year-old. She is Ashley, and the name of her web site is Ashley's Page. She is trying to get a million hits on her counter before her seventh birthday. It is a fun and cute web page done with the help of mom.

NetPublishers [NP] is a new internet company being put together by Digital3 owned by Shay and Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company owned by yours truly. NetPublishers will publish everything the hardcover and paperback publishers can and more. NP will offer for sale electronically on the internet novels, novellas, and collections of poetry, art, photography, software, graphics, and basically anything that can be viewed offline by your browser. NetPublishers can sale these items for more than 50% off regular publisher prices. Additionally, the artist gets 50% of profits after expenses per sale per unit. You will be able to download all items for sale directly from our web site to your computer, after you pay first, of course! Stay tuned for more information as NP gets close to its grand opening.

Note: Larry is a Community Leader and Corridor Suburb Manager at GeoCities, a free home page service. The great GeoCities [GC] Forum debate is raging still. The forum is a tool for Community Leaders [CLs] in GC to discuss issues, team build, and relax. The old forum was okay, but not for GeoCities. Instead of having a productive beta period for the new forum while the old forum continued on, GC opted to close the old forum and force all CLs to use the new forum which was not ready for prime time. GC had its beta period but at the cost of straining relationships even more between GC staff and the Community Leaders. Do you see a lesson here in human dynamics and the use of plain, old common sense?

Here is some last minute exciting net news you can use! A new Internet company called http://come.to specializes in nice, short URL addresses that can be redirected from much longer and more complicated URL addresses. Our main web site can now be reached by using http://fly.to/AlphaOmega Ebony's web site can be reached using http://fly.to/Ebony and Abby's web place uses http://fly.to/Abraxas These URLs are shorted, simpler, and are NOT case sensitive. You might want to investigate this service for your web site[s]. We like the service!

Hockey News
At least some of the teams that I can cheer for made it to the playoffs. I like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, and the San Jose Sharks. The rest are just lukewarm for me. The Detroit Red Wings I don't like. Florida Panther, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning were all disappointing. One bright spot is that Wayne Gretzky came out the number two scorer in the NHL. Not bad for being touted as over the hill yet again!

Here is my playoff and Stanley Cup preview just for you. In the East the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Ottawa Senators as my dark horse. I think the East will be won by the New Jersey Devils just barely. Now as for the West you have the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and San Jose Sharks as the dark horse. I think the Dallas Stars win the West in six games. For the Stanley Cup Finals I predict the Dallas Stars in seven games over the New Jersey Devils with the best series played in a very long time.

McDonald's Monopoly
I love this time of year. I like the food even though my arteries hate it. I like playing the Monopoly game. It is easy, and you know if you are a winner. With Publisher's Clearing House now you never know if you are a winner until after submitting ten pounds of paperwork. And even then you probably lost the contest and got seventeen magazines you never ever wanted, you were just thrilled to be one of the millions totally confused and bamboozled!

Poetry Corner
I started my third poetry collection called Moments of Life. Here is a sample from the new collection. Please enjoy the poem:

"Always Blue"
January 29, 1998

Something to hold us in sway
Something new and old
Always blue, ripe with fear
And so alone, so lonely

We came by this way
Only once to look behind
At what was and is
Something we surely missed

Tearing our gaze away
For fear of the years
All running away
And we look ahead

This journey just begun
Now so near the end
Only a tear and a smile
O, we can't stop . . .

Something to behold
That time cannot erase
So blissfully ignorant
Of what lies ahead

We only smile for a while
The moment gone now
And finally we do give up
All was so utterly preordained

So now we may
Break out in song
As another journey begins
This journey to the very edge

In The Park
The change of weather here in the Keys has been subtle. It is dry, sunny most days, clouds but not many, and nice, warm days. It is kind of calm with very little storm activity. I like it.

The swimming pool is in heavy use during these warm days of spring. Many are soaking up the rays of the sun and enjoying life.

Yet hurricane season is coming soon, but everyone here has assured me that the Florida Keys are just as safe as any area. I wonder about that, but will find out soon enough. I went to the county tax office to get my sticker for my truck. In case a hurricane does strike, I would head up north to wait it out. To get back in you need this hurricane sticker to prove you are a resident of Monroe County.

The park is starting to empty. Many are returning north. These are the snowbirds. Yet there are some of us full-timers who remain to enjoy paradise!

"The Mountains of Ao"
Tears from Ao continue serialized each month in the Internet webzine (an electronic magazine) called The Outer Rim at the URL of www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/1225/ Tears from Ao is also available electronically on the Internet at the web site called The Temporal Doorway StoreFront at the URL address of www.infohaus.com/access/by-seller/The_Temporal_Doorway_Storefront/ I am working hard on The Mountains of Ao, specifically chapter 10 of 22 chapters. Existing proofreaders please contact me via email/snail mail to arrange for quick delivery of the latest The Mountains of Ao version.

For email proofreaders, just use our email form found below. Snail-mail proofreaders are reminded to send their opinions to me at:

PO Box 501833
Marathon, FL 33050-1833

If you want to become a snail-mail proofreader, write to Larry Shaffer at the above address. I will send you a 3½ inch diskette (specify content format needed). All others wanting to be proofreaders please apply via the email form below.

The Dull Stuff
Inputs and letters to this journal are subject to approval by Ebony. All inputs may be edited for content and become the property of Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company.

The address follows:
Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company
PO Box 501833
Marathon, FL 33050-1833
(305) 743-9648 voice/fax [fax: voice call first]
(phone charges billed to callers)

Internet URLs: http://RunesofAo.com
http://RunesofAo.com/aobp/
http://RunesofAo.com/ebony/
http://RunesofAo.com/abby/

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