Cat Language
Cat’s Language
This web page has a lot of information. This is just a little bit.
Action
Meaning
Rubbing its whiskers against an object
Curiosity
Rubbing its whiskers and nuzzle against you
Liking, showing the rights to property
Trampling by paws
Affection and love
Dilated pupils of eyes
Fear
Half-closed eyes
Relaxation
Narrow pupils
Aggression
Widely open eyes
Get back!
Arched back
Intimidation, attacking pose
Ears folded forward
Curiosity
Ears raised and folded forward
She is on her guard
Ears folded back
Warning
Ears laid back
Ready to fight
Ears laid back and folded
Declaration of war
Tail stock straight up
Carelessness, greetings
Fluffy toil
Fear
Slow calm flaps of tail
Satisfaction
Quick swings of tail
Warning
Tail is firm and folded straight back
Aggression
Shows its belly
Satisfaction and relaxation
Grin
Sniff something interesting and templating
Quick click of the tongue against lips
Anxiety
Heavy breathing with half-open mouth
Pain, fear or state of overheating
Cat Purr
The Cat’s Purr and Other Sounds that Heal
…
Elizabeth stumbled upon these ideas by accident (which is true of most inventions and discoveries!). She had been working with tigers at a facility where there were also many other wild cats. It seemed odd to her, while passing by a chervil one day, that it was purring.
Later on, she read in National Geographic about this researcher who had put chickens on a vibrating plank for twenty minutes a day and their bones grew. She thought that was weird. So she called him and asked what the anabolic frequencies for bones were. He said that they were anywhere between 20 and 90 hertz, but that there is evidence suggesting that between 25 hertz and 50 hertz are the best frequencies.
The next day, she got up, went into the living room, grabbed her big tomcat, Spot, began petting him, and turned on the microphone. Then she ran the recording through the computer. And guess what? Oh, my God.
After that, she started doing a search in the literature, and found that 25 hertz is the fundamental frequency. In other words, it’s the first, or primal, frequency. After the first frequency, there is something called harmonics. Harmonics are always a multiple of the fundamental –meaning that if the fundamental is 25 hertz, the first harmonic is 50, then the second harmonic is 75, the third harmonic is 100, and so forth.
She started recording the wild cats. Then she grabbed every domestic cat from her friends and other people: “Excuse me. Can I record your cat?”
Then she took accelerometers— used to measure vibrations — to find out where on the body the sound is the strongest and weakest. The research revealed that the vibrational signal is at its weakest at the extremities. Interestingly, it’s rare for cats to get bone cancer, but when they do, it’s almost always in the distal end of the extremities — the paw — and that’s also where the vibrational signal is the weakest.
What are the odds that in six out of seven species of cat, their purrs are identical in frequency and amplitude? All of these cats come from a geological evolution that is different — South America, Africa, Asia. Yet the sounds they make match exactly –in both amplitude and frequency –to the frequencies that have been found to be healing. And not just for the healing of bones.
I’ve had healing experiences with my own cats. I had one cat that slept with me every night, and it always felt so good and peaceful to have her next to me. And of course, she purred loud and long until we both fell asleep. So, I wonder –is it helpful for people to hold their purring cat close to their bodies?
Elizabeth says that from a scientific standpoint she would have to say she doesn’t know since there is no evidence. She goes on to say that for something to be scientifically therapeutic, it has to be exactly the right strength, loudness, and amplitude. However, she did say that as a “healer,” she says “yes, it absolutely” can be helpful to sleep with you cat.
Those of you who have cats may have noticed that when you’re not feeling well, your cat will often come up to the part of your body that’s aching and start to knead you with their paws, purr, and get that meditative look in their eyes. They could be trying to help.
…
WW150 Results
So, I’m back at home now. The bike tour went very well. I know I pulled off my best time. Better than all of the training rides. The preparation really paid off.
After a very restless night, I was so excited to just get going, I woke up to the cell phone alarm at 4:00. Everything was already prepared and packed. I nuked the scrambled eggs made earlier and got dressed. It still took 45 minutes to get in the car. At 5 till 5:00 I found the Amarillo College East Campus parking lot and unpacked the bike. One last check. If it wasn’t on the bike, it wasn’t going. And I was off at 5:06, rather incredulously. Really, isn’t riding 100 miles at the height of summer crazy?
At the edge of Amarillo along I-40 in the pitch black with a little bike light and two red tail lights. The tires are reflective and the wheels have the standard reflectors. All I had with me were two 24 oz insulated water bottles full of ice water, a brand new bike computer, a new 2 gig silver iPod Shuffle and a small bag under the seat. The bag had my wallet, cell phone, 3 allen wrenches, 4 vitamins, 2 safety pins, and a camera.
The route this year was a little wierd at the beginning due to the new starting location at the AC East campus. To get 100 miles out of it you have to ride along I-40 and cut across one of the county rodes to highway 60 and then come into Canadian. My guestimate was 5 miles out then turn up the county road 10 miles. I memorized the numbers, but that’s not always a help in the boondocks, because signs for county road carry the name of the road and maybe not the number so much. I turned at the wrong place. At the time I thought one exit late, but it was really one exit early.
Riding at night was great. Definately, one of my favorite rides. Though I was constantly afraid of running over something sharp and getting a flat. It would have been a major setback. No one else was awake and the ride did not start for 2 hrs. The air was still, cool, and a little moist. I passed many farmhouses completely darkened. I guess they’re abandoned or empty as active ones have a street light on near the house.
On the horizon was Pantex, very clear and I could see the cars on highway 60. Little matchbox cars and semis. All of the sudden I came upon the massive overpass that is under construction. The road ended, but just 100 yards or so was the detoured highway funneling 4 lanes into 2. Then I noticed the detour sign pointing right.
So, I set out in that direction and the road became dirt. Thank God I switched to commuter tires with some tread and thickness on them. The dirt road was a challenge, because it led slightly away from the high way and those cars, which were almost full size grew smaller again. After a little while, my faith waning, I pulled the light off the bike and scanned it around. I was on a “real” road. The tired old rough tree post fence post holding the 3 barbed wires on my right attested to this fact.
At the same time the sky was very slowly lightening in front of me. Not enough to see around me. I saw a few cars cross in front of me and surmised that there was a paved road not too far. Then a Stop sign appeared and my off rode adventure ended. At the time it seemed like 4 miles, but it was probably two. Besides the very small detour sign, nothing else indicated that was the way around the construction.
Once again on old sealcoated asphalt I was soon at the turn for highway 60 when something dropped and my back tire started rubbing hard. The underseat bag had fallen. I stopped on the road in front of this house and as I rode off again I performed my minor role as spectacle to the resident’s morning coffee.
The location was the grain elevator between Pantex and Panhandle. Later, Sara told me that road was the one everyone else took. Oops. 
The sun had not risen, but the light was enough to see. I kept all the lights on, because the cars many of which have sensor controlled lights still had their lights on. I flew across the pavement riding the white line and when a car was not visible behind me the well worn slick groove in the right lane.
Highway 60 between Amarillo and Pampa is a wide divided highway similar to Texas interstates without the overpasses. The stretch is a nearly level, slightly winding, expansive panhandle boulevard bordered by a double track railroad to the north and corn and cotton fields as far as the eye can see for 50 miles. As you speed through at 70 miles an hour you have to slow down twice. Once for Panhandle and then White Deer. Both are home to about 2,000 citizens and you drive through the bare edge of town.
Before long I was in Panhandle. That’s about 30 miles from Amarillo. It was 6:40 and my water had started to run thin. I pulled into the Dairy Queen, sat on a bench, and called Grandma and Sara. A voice mail told Sara where to catch up with me. Grandma answered and we talked for 15 minutes or so.
As I left town I passed a sign stating 16 miles to White Deer and 30 to Pampa. The riding was wonderful. Cool still air, enough light to see easily, and light traffic. Along the way I had seen what I guessed were rest stops. The only indication being the porta-potties. One, two, three, four, and then at five there were people. Yay! I really needed to refill. I was down to enough water to keep my mouth wet. No water! What did I expect of #5 at 7:15.
Sara caught up with me about 8:10 and I handed her all the extra weight of lights. She didn’t have any water either. I was way ahead of any other riders. Off she went to setup the first rest stop after Pampa.
White Deer came up quick and then I was riding towards Celanese. The large chemical plant indicates 7 or so miles from Pampa. A big BP presence loudly declaiming their lack of water wasn’t very helpful. I continued on Pampa. At this point I didn’t have any water and I decided to stop at the first convenience store I came to.
At 8:40, I entered Alsup’s in my full biker regailia in skin tight clothes and off kilter shoes clicking loudly on the ancient vinyl floor tiles. I found two big ass Dasani water bottles, bigger than my water bottles, in the back.
With water, finally, I headed through Pampa towards Sara’s rest stop as fast as I could. Turns out that 14 mph or so is the perfect speed to hit all green lights.
On the other side of Pampa Highway 60 drops the spaciousness of double divided lanes and becomes the more common two lane with car wide shoulders. The railroad moves far back and the farmland becomes dotted with dairies and industrial pig farms. Highway 60 splits off and one goes to Wheeler while the other goes through Miami and Canadian. At this split is a seldom used weight station and a newly transplanted Californian dairy.
And Sara’s rest stop. As I pulled up the water/food truck pulled away. Finally. It was 9:00 and I still had to make lunch in Miami and then the hills around Canadian. I wolfed down three banana’s and handfuls of trail mix, peed, and topped off my water bottles. What I really missed was ice. The insulation works much better at keeping ice water cold, than cool water cold.
A few more miles of flat plains becomes hills and Highway 60 and the Canadian river get closer to crossing one another. After a couple of teaser hills, there is a huge, long drop. That was fantastic. The bike computer registered 41.6 max and I didn’t have to peddle over the speed bump of an incline afterwards. After some rolling hills and flats there is the climb up to Miami and the big drop on the edge of town to coast through.
At the bank a quick lunch. 15 minutes to swallow pizza, brownies, a sandwich, and Coke. That was when I heard them mentioning riders continueing by the rest stop/lunch stop.
I had been passed. It took 3 hr to kill my 2 hr head start. There are some really fast riders out there. The first one got in at 10:58. Damn.
Click. Click. To get in the peddles and I was off again. But with mixed feelings. Whereas, I had ridden the previous route 7 times before from age 13 to about 20 the remaining 24 miles are something I had avoided.
To overcome this fear and predict any problems I rode this section 2 wks earlier on my own. It was the toughest challenge of the whole process. Hills with wind facing me the whole time were the same hills with wind facing on the way back due to a cold front. That trek damaged the bike and forced me to get gloves, foam handle bars, wider wheels, and to recalibrate the derailleurs. In short, it fucked up my bike. 49 miles took 6 hr 12 min.
But I had been on the bike 5 hr at this point and covered 75 miles. Just 24 to go. The light tail wind dialed down to a whisper only felt when not in motion and the heat dialed up. Hill climbing had me in the lowest gear a lot of times inching along at 4-5 mph. Several horseflies bit my ass through the black lycra shorts and I discovered a red tick on my handlebars. Seriously. My foot started to hurt from a too tight velcro strap that I misadjusted in Miami. My thighs were complaining. The long muscles near the bone on both sides. Lots of problems appear when progress seems slow.
Finally, I approached the seven mile home stretch. Where Highway 60 divides, because it becomes so hilly there’s not enough width and the elevation drops off about 600-800 ft. It starts with a big, long hill.
The bike computer only registered 39mph and most of that was taken by the first hill. Not a “speed bump”. More gear shifting, more exhaustion, more heat and horseflies.. I stopped at the last rest stop, about 4 miles outside of town, because I needed to adjust my shoe. It was painful. And because I was just tired. 5 minutes and I was rolling downhill again. No more stops.
At 11:54, I rolled into the Canadian Courts Motel. Yay! 6 hr 48 min. That includes the 45+ minutes of stops. My goal had been 1:00-1:30 and I got in before noon. Kick ass. Call to Grandma. Call to Sara, she was almost there. I rode my bike up the hill to Grandma’s house and parked it under her porch. Done! The bike computer read 101 miles.
We slept most of the afternoon. Then I rode Sara around town. With Grandma preparing to move there is little reason to come back. So, I’ve been saying my goodbyes to that 18+ yr time frame. The schools look good. My old house, Stanley’s old house, the Pink House, etc.
Dinner was at the Jones Pavilion. Catered by a number of Masons. Thanks so much. Steaks, blackened chicken, shrimp, and pasta salad made up the meal. There were awards and prizes. Props go to the BP team and Western Builders. Each raised $30K+. A framed jersey for Tasha Enloe was displayed. It is to be given to her family.
This morning I decided not to ride. I could have put 2 hr or more on easily and I woke up in time, but there aren’t too many lazy breakfasts with Grandma left. That’s more important to me. There are always more 2nd bike tour days.
Start WW150
See ya’ll later. I’m goin’ home.
WW150 Starts
Sara just left with my clothes, computer, and spare bike parts. I’ll see her tomorrow morning when she takes away my lights and stuff. And then again when she is manning a rest stop on the other side of Pampa.
My plan in the morning is to get up at 4:00; dress, prepare, and head out. Park the car around 5:00 for Jessica to pick up and head out on the bike. This is two hours ahead of the start time, but I feel I need it if I’m going to make 100 miles by the stop time. It also gives me two hours of coolness.
The weather has been oddly great. Very warm, but not over a hundred. Most important there’s not much wind. Pray for tailwinds tomorrow.
If all goes well I hope to arrive around 1:30. 100 mi/ 12 mph = 8 1/2 hr. Good enough for a late lunch. Wish me luck!
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
This looks like an intriguing book. I love the title.
The “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is the first of Robert M. Pirsig’s texts in which he explores the Metaphysics of quality. The 1974 book describes, in first person, a 17-day motorcycle journey across the United States by the author (though he is not identified in the book) and his son Chris, joined for nine days by John and Sylvia Sutherland, a befriended couple. The trip is punctuated by numerous philosophical discussions (many of them on epistemology and the philosophy of science) which the author refers to as chautauquas.
The book sold millions of copies in twenty-seven languages and was described by the press as “the most widely read philosophy book, ever.”[1] despite being rejected by 121 publishers, more than any other bestselling book, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
The title is an incongruous play on the title of the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. In its introduction, Pirsig explains that, despite its title, “it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It’s not very factual on motorcycles, either.”
from Wikipedia
Canadian-Miami Pics
The weekend before last I rode my bike between Canadian, TX and Miami and I brought the camera. We are having a 2 month delay spring. Everything is green. The pictures look great.
Upcoming Bike Events in the TX Panhandle
There are not a lot of rides around here and for a bit of good reason. Except for certain spots around the Panhandle it’s a boring, flat, hot, depressing ride.
MS Wild West 150 - Amarillo-Canadian 100mi, 50mi - 7/26-7/27
Old Tascosa Classic - Canyon 20/50/80mi - 8/16
Cattle Country Stampede in Dimmitt - 9/13
Pain on the Plains in Palo Duro Canyon - Mountain Bike Race - 9/27-9/28
Tour d’ Cotton in Childress - 10/16
Update: Bike Tour Training
I rode to Happy, Tx from the Hollywood Theater today and then a little beyond to get more mileage. Google Maps says that adds up to 72.4. It took 5 1/2 hr, less than it took to do the 49 between Canadian and Miami. There was a great southerly (like always) tailwind pushing me back. It could have taken much longer without it. The bike was loaded to the gills with water bottles. 1.4 gallons in various sock warped water bottles.
I can’t wait to ripe all the extra gear off the bike and not have to carry water. 1.4 gallons is 12 lbs on the tail. Plus the rack, bag, CO2 Pump, Tubes, etc. There’s probably 15 lbs I can do without. It’s funny to feel the bike at the beginning and end. Not all of the water was drunk this time. Maybe, 1 1/2 water bottles or 36 oz we left over. Still I drink over a gallon of water in 5 hr. That’s 8 lb that went in my body and evaporated out. Wow. Well, I did pee a little.
The bike tour is this Sat. and Sun. Then I’m off work recovering for two days. It’s not really needed. My legs feel stringy and my body is desperate for sleep that won’t come. Not really too bad. It’ll bounce back in a day or so.
70 miles @12.9 mph is good. If I can get that next week I’ll be exceedingly grateful. That puts the whole time to 7hr 45min for 100mi. My bike speed is higher than 12.9. I pulled over and stopped a few times and sat in Happy for ~20min. So, that time includes stops.
The bike is excellent. A little rough on the gravelly parts and exceedingly smooth on asphalt. No problems from it at all.
The wide tires probably help the most. The Canadian-Miami trip was so rough it messed up the bike derailleurs and it was down a few days while I learned how to adjust it. This time I had a different seat and tires. Also, Jessica brought back some antivibe plugs to put in the handlebar ends. I wish the factory foam handlebar tape was thicker, but I’ll try replacing it this week and maybe some different gloves. The seat is borderline, but not painful. The handlebar riser really helped; letting me stretch by sitting straight up and barely stearing. Though it did may by upper body and triceps much more tired. My core does not have to be as strong. An even trade off.
So, early Sat. morning I’ll park my car and ride my bike, home, to Canadian. Pray I get there just after lunch. Namaste.
Touring Bike List
Adventure Cycling Association offers the best information in America for bicycle touring. They have a long list of bikes from a long list of companies. If you are interested in touring or a commuter bike this is an excellent list.
Touring bikes are designed to hold one or many bags. For commuting a back rack is a must. Backpacks throw off your center of gravity. They also have the screw holes in the frame for fenders to keep the rain off you and the bike. Most have steel frames and longer wheelbases, which do a better job at absorbing the road vibration than lightweight aluminum. Touring bikes will hold wider tires than a racer/road bike. Some hold mountain bike tires. To add shock absorption and stability.
I was happy to see my Bianchi Volpe near the top of the list.
Why Do We Need TextBooks?
Instead of carrying several tons of textbooks around. Books that only paraphrase a topic written by a supposed expert or maybe just an underpaid grad student. Why not use the seminal books in the topic? Perhaps the whole book is too long, but certain chapters are likely to be much better than any hack job an textbook author could generate. Within my field there are very significant books and authors whom everyone reads. I’m just assuming this fact on other industries.
What better way to teach than introduce the source of an aspect? Reading a textbook is like getting a written transcript of radio announcer vs seeing the actual ball game. Which would you rather experience?
Perhaps the students who are interested will read more than the minimum. Whereas the textbook only contains the minimum and may not even reference the important works in the field.
We already do this for one subject. English. We require students to read supposedly seminal works in English literature. This practice, refined a bit, could be brought to other fields. Why is there a difference anyway?
How awful would it be to experience Flowers for Algernon as a Cliff Notes vs the actual book? Yet this is what we do in teaching the sciences, computers, etc.
People want to debate Darwin in school, which would be incredibly time consuming and foolish. But what if we did. Kids read actual Darwin and actual ID. Not the commentary. The evidence. This is what settled the Dover trial a few years ago.
There is passion, love, humor in the technical books I read. In textbooks, nothing. What a horrible message to send prospective engineers and scientists.
My Bike
A few nights ago, more parts came in and went on the bike. And last night I took a 19 mi ride on it. I’m impressed. It feels excellent; very smooth, taller, and more comfortable. Don’t underestimate a quality bike with good parts.
We are 8 days away from the 100 mi day for the MS Bike Tour.
Marriage is a Civil Ceremony not a Religious Ceremony
Marriage is a Civil Ceremony not a Religious Ceremony. Confusion between these differences is the basis for passing laws that ban marriage between individuals based on their color and gender. It’s entertaining to me that we do not allowing hiring to be affected by color, gender, disability, or national origin, but marriage.. Ehhh, that’s ok.
Voters get confused sometimes and think that the question before them is whether they would participate in a particular behavior vs whether it is ok for a stranger to participate in such and such behavior. Sometimes it’s a smoking ban and sometimes a marriage ban.
Civil Ceremony from Wikipedia
A civil ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the UK, this person is normally called a registrar. In American jurisdictions, civil ceremonies may be performed by town, city and county clerks, judges and justices of the peace, or others possessing legal authority to officiate a marriage.
Religous Ceremony frp, WordWebOnline
A ceremony having religious meaning
Ceremony from TheFreeDictionary
the proper or conventional behavior on some solemn occasion; “an inaugural ceremony”
Religious from TheFreeDictionary
Having or showing belief in and reverence for God or a deity.
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
I began reading this today from Audible recommended by Roz Rows. It is the story of the Pilgrims and the 50+ years after they landed. It looks interesting.
Recycleable Water Bottles
In 30 days or so you’ll be able to buy BioGreen water bottles at bike shops that carry products from California Bike Gear. According to the company, BioGreen bottles are the first “made with a biodegrading additive that is activated when the bottle has outlived its useful life and is disposed of in a landfill, dump or backyard compost pile. . . . BioGreen Bottles will totally biodegrade into biogas and a biomass that actually becomes a soil nutrient.” The bottles will not break down in normal heat or light, the company says, and “you can’t see, feel or taste the difference” compared to regular bottles. The retail price is expected to be $5-6.
Road Bike Rider
Biogreen Bottles