Big Stick Physics

Time to paint.

April 10, 2026 / / 0 Comments

After Mom had her cataract surgery, she looked around her house and complained about how filthy it was.  Nobody said, “No shit, that’s why we sneak in to clean the place whenever you are gone for the day.”  We were hopeful that her better vision might usher in a new era of modern cleanliness.

We forgot that people have a remarkable ability to adapt and overlook, if that’s what it takes to not have to change or do anything.

Mom would have liked Rusty and his rustic bathroom habits.1  After Rusty moved out, the empty-the-room deep clean allowed me to notice the nicks and scratches that had accumulated on the door thresholds and trim.  My new project is patching and painting.

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Sparky is in open rebellion.

April 8, 2026 / / 0 Comments

For the third night in a row, Sparky has slept on the couch. 

Last night, I scattered throw pillows to make the couch seem impossibly high to a furry piglet with too much junk in the trunk.  The house rule is that Sparky can come up onto the couch when invited and there is a bedsheet or blanket.  I removed the bedsheet and wadded it up on the back of the couch.  

He is clearly insubordinate.

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In Earthly news, Sparky is taking advantage.

April 7, 2026 / / 0 Comments

As Sparky adjusts to life without Rusty, he is attempting to establish a new normal.  Pre-Rusty, Sparky slept in my bedroom, his crate, under the dining room table, and other places that weren’t on the couch. 

Two mornings in a row, I have found him on the couch.  Sparky doesn’t know if this is going to fly, but he intends to play it out.

Finally, somebody is doing something.

April 6, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Tarsus Kicks Off Phase 2 Trial of Oral TP‑05 for Lyme Disease Prevention

Calliope will evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of oral TP‑05 in adults at risk for Lyme, with a design informed by the earlier Carpo Phase 2a proof‑of‑concept study.

TP-05 is lotilaner, which goes by the brand name, Credelio, and is what Sparky takes every month to kill ticks.

This is all I wanted.  There are a half-dozen methods to protect dogs from ticks, but nothing for humans except fraught news reports about Lyme disease and tick-borne maladies.  There is also a bunch of stupid stuff about cutting your grass and tucking your pants into your socks.

I have a patch of land and a super-cute brush piglet.  Sparky likes to crawl through brush looking for rabbits and he likes to hop up on my lap.  Ticks are going to get through.

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