Top-5 Mac Musings – August 13, 2025

PET SMART? MAYBE…
Today I went to the vet as moral support for an at times cantankerous, often truly amazing senior dog named Midnight.

Everything went great. Midnight is thriving, has lost some weight and is in better overall shape than her last checkup a year ago. Come to think of it, if I got the same report I would be completely stoked.

My role: emotional support and designated treat dude. As in sports as in life, know your role.

This Vet Experience From the McCrary Archives
One of the most famous family stories involves a vet visit, featuring my then 82-year old Grandma Dyer, my overmatched dad and a just relentlessly obstinate cat named GeeGee. You see it was named for my grandma Gladys and my grandpa George, so Gee Gee. 

On a particularly pleasant afternoon this unlikely pairing drove to the vet for the cat’s annual checkup. It did not go well. Corralling the cat was an issue. All cats hide when they see the cat carrier, but this one burrowed into the bowels of the basement and would not come out even when tempted by a can of tuna. 

Once the cat was secured with minimal scratches Dad and Grandma made their way to the vet. For some inexplicable reason, my Grandma decided to take the cat out of the carrier to carry it into the vet office as cars whizzed by on a busy street. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out just about everything. For reference, my Grandma Dyer (Kurtz) is one of the toughest women I’ve ever met. Although maybe 5-1 and maybe 85 pounds soaking wet in one of her favorite Pendleton suits, she was strong and very, very German.

Gee Gee was 12 pounds of squirmy, barely contained rage and fury desperate not to see the vet. Grandma got battered a bit, but not nearly as much as my dad did.

Within a year, Grandma was in a retirement home and guess who took Gee Gee? To my knowledge, she never visited the vet again.

Top-5 Favorite Childhood Pets

1. Shadrach “Shad” – AKA the best dog ever. A Gordon Setter with miles of personality.
2. Divey – A jet black cat who attempted to wake me up daily. It lost all the hair on his belly when we moved to a new house.
3. Violet – Sweet disposition and very fitness conscious. Never met a box that was a stranger for long.
4. Patches – A calico that loved to climb up on the roof, but could not figure out how to get down. My dad rescued her multiple times and still carries the scars.
5. Wobbly – Divey’s sister… Today she’d be in concussion protocol. She disappeared for weeks and months at a time and returned as though nothing ever happened.

I’ve already shared my tribute to Hazel, a cat unlike any other. 

And now… it’s time for it. Dim the lights and cue the music… time to lean to the left for…

Mac Musings for Wednesday, August 13.

1. Before going too much further, I want to wish all the southpaws out there Happy Left-Handers Day. You’re not going to believe this, but here comes a list of my favorite basketball lefties! No particular order…
   • Arvydas Sabonis, belated Portland Trail Blazer, Hall-of-Famer
   • Bill Russell, former USF All-American and Boston Celtics Icon
   • Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors and St. John’s alum
   • David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs legend, Midshipman and the world’s tallest submariner
   • Rex Walters, former USF head coach and NBA veteran
2. Not that there aren’t a lot to choose from… I mean, Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, anyone?… but the senior Sabonis is one of the Blazers biggest “what ifs”. Drafted in the 1986 draft, Sabonis had an argument for the best center in the world not named Kareem. Unfortunately since the Soviet Union would not allow him to leave and he was later contracted to play in his native Lithuania, Portland finally landed the first ballot hall-of-famer when his knees were approximately 800 years old. Sabonis still turned in a remarkable career and was selected to the 1996 NBA All-Rookie Team at, wait for it… 32 years old.
3. I got to meet Arvydas during a Gonzaga game where he was watching his son, current NBA All-Star Domantas, play. He could not have been nicer. Thanks, Sabas.
4. Maybe it’s a Spurs thing, but much like Tim Duncan, I don’t think David Robinson gets enough credit for being a dominant force in the league. You try winning college National Player of the Year honors at Annapolis, then take two years off to serve in the U.S. Navy and see how hard it is to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
5. I will admit that Chris Mullin is on the list above because he may be one of the few people on earth that need a higher SPF sunscreen than I do. So there’s that.

BONUS My Top-5 Lefty Actors

1. Keanu Reeves
2. Will Ferrell
3. Tom Cruise
4. Nicole Kidman
5. Julia Roberts

Honorable Mention: Jason Bateman and Angelina Jolie

QUOTABLE
“I’m at the stage in my life where I keep myself out of arguments. Even if you tell me 1+1=5. You’re absolutely correct, enjoy.”
– Keanu Reeves, actor