I have a Dell laptop attached to a docking station that I don’t use much.  I keep it around in case I want to use Word 2007.  The docking station has the power button on top.   I use a Toshiba laptop that I keep on top of the Dell.  I’ve had this setup for months.

Last week the Toshiba started powering off after 5 minutes.  I googled the problem on my iPad and the posts suggested heat problems.  I bought some canned air and cleaned out the airflow area.  I took out the battery.  These did not solve the problem.  I started looking at laptop fan pads.  Then I looked at the docking station.

The power light was on.  One the cats must have stepped on it during their wild romps.  The heat from the Dell was being sucked into the Toshiba.  I’ve since unplugged the docking station and given the Toshiba a tilt so more air can be sucked in.

Last night we went to Griffs to meet some friends for live trivia.  Players put in $3 each and gather in teams with vile and funny names such as, Balls Deep, I Wish This Microphone was a Penis, and Sploog City.  Our team was She’s So Good With Her Stiletto, referring to a murder trial here.

The winning team takes the whole pot.  The pot averages about $100.  I’ve been there when it was over $160.  The place was very crowded that night.  We’ve won twice and come in second or third three times.  Place and show gets a pitcher of anything or a round of shots.

Last night we won $112.  It almost didn’t happen because he didn’t grade our answers on the last round.

The Midway Field House had an event yesterday featuring the new tablets from Buzztime.  The company is trying to replace the blue keyboard with something that looks like a fat smartphone.  It was the first time we had heard of them south of Dallas.

Brooke made time  and the hotel reservations.  Since South by Southwest was going on she couldn’t get a decent and reasonably priced hotel room on Saturday any closer than Brenham ( 90 miles away).  It was an America’s Best Value Inn.

This place was only $47 for the night but I would have paid an extra $20 for mattress padding and pillows.  It was a hard bed.

We ate at a Mexican restaurant less than a mile down the street from our hotel, Mariachi’s.  We ordered the jumbo maragaritas when we sat down and another round with our meal.  As we were finishing we saw another table had ordered a jumbo margarita with an upturned Corona bottle in a special ring.  We were on vacation so we ordered one.  The waiter informed us we could only have one because there was a limit!  When we explained we just wanted to split one he brought us one but it had a Coronita ( a half bottle).

Something didn’t agree with me because interspersed with tossing and turning on the bed/board my stomach was on fire.  I was up trying to throw up with out sticking my finger down my throat.  When we left I pulled into the first convenience store and got some Pepto-Bismol tablets.  I tried to swallow the first one whole.  I didn’t know you were supposed to chew them.

Midway is in the south part of Austin so I took the Bastrop route.  I enjoyed this route because I got to see how close the wildfires got to the highway.  This avoids I-35.  This is the only freeway in Austin.  There are other main highways in town but I-35 is the main North/South thoroughfare.

The club’s address is E. Riverside.  You can’t see it from E. Riverside, you have to take Royal Point to get to the place.  It is done up like a gym including a half-basketball court.  Sunday is a good day to drink there; most of the beers of their large selection are $3.  In Austin that is a fantastic deal.  It was cold and rainy in town but they kept the doors open.  When it emptied out it was very cold in the bar.

The tablets work well.  They solve the problem of no TVs turned to buzztime.  The questions come up on the tablet.  The problem is there is no sound to let you know a new question is up.  So if you are watching some sports event or talking to someone you miss the big type question and lower your odds of getting 1000 points.

We left about 6 PM for our hotel on the north side of town.  The average speed was 40 mph on  a Sunday on the freeway.  We got to the hotel and the bed was soft. I crashed for 12 hours.  We left town out what must have been 20 miles of construction on 290.  The one good thing was that it was sunny and warm.  A friend of mine said that God was pissing on the hipsters.

We spent New Year’s Eve at Mike’s Place, a sports bar 4 miles from our house.  SRO, our usual bar on Saturdays closed at 5 since the Auburn alumni association told them they wouldn’t be watching the game there.

Mike’s is outside the city limits so smoking is allowed inside.  We go there when SRO is too crowded or charging for a fight.  We play trivia and sing a couple of karaoke songs.  We have known Donavan, the KJ, for over five years.

We got there a little before 7 and a waitress hit our table immediately.  This was unusual because before the waitresses start at 8.  When Donavan came on he said our waitress was also bartending.  I think we were at the only bar that stayed open NYE but didn’t think they were going to be busy.  The place didn’t fill up but there was enough people for another waitress/bartender.  We left at 11:30 so we could watch 2012 roll in.

Yesterday one of cats,Slushball, died suddenly.  He started howling and Brooke rushed him to the vet.  He said it was infectious feline anemia.  He called and said the cat needed a transfusion.  We had the mother so she gathered her up and headed for the office.  As she filling out the paperwork the vet tech said Slushball was gone.

Brooke went into the room to pet her one last time.  She lifted the towel and the cat breathed.  The doc said it was agonal breathing.  Still Brooke was/is upset.