Gargh etc.

Well, I made it through another day, and while that wouldn't be blog-worthy for most people, for me anymore it is! Each day survived at work is a feat in and of itself, especially in a time like this when the economy sucks and I seem to have crapped out my immune system. I rarely get sick anymore to the point it just knocks me on my arse, and to have that happen to me twice (albeit brief both times) in less than a month, is quite concerning. I know it's just this wacky weather though, as my immune system is surely tired from fighting ickie after ickie SUCCESSFULLY and so once in a while one gets through, if just for a brief time. The mold spores being through the roof outside doesn't help considering my very high sensitivity to mold. That tends to fk with everything in one fail swoop. So no wonder...
Once again, my PDA's case saves the thing again from my stupidity and klutziness. I went out to check the mail and as I was pulling stuff out, the bstrd slipped right out of my hand! It landed on the bottom left side, just shy of the corner. It dented my case a wee (it's aluminum, so no biggie), but if my PDA itself had taken that fall, it surely would've cracked it badly if not killed it. And Mic wondered why I spent $30 not long after I bought the PDA for this case. It wasn't so much about the belt clip (most cases anymore have one), it was the fact that it was solid sturdy aluminum. Of course after I bought the case I had to buy a new battery as the PDA came with the extended battery, which doubles the size of the PDA and there's NO case designed for it. So I had to drop more $ for the small battery. Away goes tax refunds...
Speaking of refunds, I can't wait for next year. I want to get my money back from the fkn government. There's no way in hell they get to keep all my money. They were saying on the news that the richest Americans' tax percentage went down, and then they quickly mentioned that they pay more taxes than the rest of us combined pretty much. THEY SHOULD! When you're a multi-billionaire you should have to pay more. If I have to cough up a third of my paycheck and only get maybe 1% of it back, so should they! Don't let them get off with all sorts of loopholes and credits the rest of us can't even fathom! Fair's fair, right?
On to the news... The salmonella source has been found at least partially. They found another (DMN MEXICAN) jalapeno farm with the same strain of salmonella as our outbreak, and it turns out there was salmonella IN THE WATER. WTF? Were they cleaning chickens in this water and then "washing" jalapenos in it? Well, Mexico's one step closer to my sht list, currently only populated by China and Iran.
Oh on China... Remember that cat food gluten disaster? (Not that any of us could forget, right?) Well last Saturday, I went to the grocery store to get the cats another bag of cat food, but they were out of the large bags, and all they did have were the tiny ones (which wouldn't even last a week with these guys, even on controlled feedings). So, of course considering I had a ride and didn't know when I would next, I went to get another brand. EVERY other brand (even other Purina brands) had some sort of gluten in them, sometimes right near the top of the ingredient list! I was furious - and still am! After so many beloved animals died, we're STILL putting glutens in our food? It's obvious you can make dry food without glutens - my Purina Indoor Formula is gluten free, and it's just basic cat chow. FFS, come on people! And if you have cats - OR DOGS - check your pet's foods. It may still have glutens, and who wants to risk their pets' lives on something that had such a terrible and painful effect?
I am off for now before I blow a gasket at the stupidity that has permeated so much of our population! LOL hope everyone is having a good week so far, and if you're not, just remember somewhere, someone in this world is having a worse day! Or if that doesn't work, imagine the one person that made your life so bad getting their karma thrown back at 'em. If that don't work... I'll think of something for ya, just give me time!

An Open Letter to Glenn Beck

Glenn, this isn't about ANWR, or drilling at all anywhere we already have permission to. This is not about the wildlife anymore. This is about doing things smart. This is about doing things in a nationally secure way. This is about cutting our dependence on oil altogether - especially foreign oil. No matter how much oil we pump out of our own lands, we're still going to need more. And oil is a finite natural resource, when it's out, it's out!
You say you want American ingenuity? Then throw your support, influence, and money behind solutions that will NEVER run out. We have those options and abilities out there. The wind will never stop blowing, the sun will never stop glowing (well, not for a few MILLION more years), and we'll never run out of hydrogen. Here's something better. Help scientists turn carbon dioxide into electricity, since it seems we have too much in our atmosphere! You are a man of decent means, surely you can start a campaign for everyone to donate some cash into some smart AND eco-friendly ways to power our nation. I prefer the hydrogen option. We are an ingenious society. We can figure out how to stabilize hydrogen for transport without affecting its power-production capabilities.
You say you believe in American capitalism. Well, we are where we are today because the richest and smartest put their wallets and brains were the needs were the greatest. Bill Gates and friends would've never introduced us to a computer if they didn't throw their brains into it. Our interstate highway system wouldn't have even been started had it not been for wealthy and talented Americans not starting the effort on their own, with their own money and their own companies. Come on, Mr. Beck. Start putting your brain and money where your mouth is. Stop sounding like those "liberals" you whine about all the time. Show them - and us - you're better.

Who...? I'm sorry, I can't understand this.
During Obama's foreign trip, he visited the Wailing "Western" Wall in Jerusalem. He wrote a note to God, like the Jews do, and put it in one of the cracks in the wall. Those notes are considered sacred by the Jews, regardless of who puts them there. Pope John Paul II did so as well (though he requested his be read). They are taken out periodically and buried in a cemetary. So why would someone there take a note out to sneak it to the local media? And why would any western media, knowing the history and the religious significance of a note placed in that wall, publish it anyway? Enough is enough already! Enough trampling of religion!
This brings me to the @sshole who shot up the church in TN for no resason other than his hatred. Sad as it is that it happened, I'm so proud of those church members for seeing an opportunity and taking it, tackling the bstrd to the ground and not giving him the death by police that he apparently wanted. Never mind how many lives they saved.
Anyways, off to take care of laundry!

A Smile

see more crazy cat pics

Peekaboo!

Well it looks like I finally got some good news, but damn was it a rough week, er, day.
It started last night. I got to bed way too late because I was fighting a new proggie on the PC for making PDA themes (desktop images of a sort - PDA style). Well, by the time I got it all figured out and adjusted right, it was well after 9pm. Oops. Then I couldn't get to sleep. So I used my PDA as an ipod for a while. But the program is being buggy so the "random" feature isn't as random as one would expect (a certain song kept repeating every couple times it seemed).
Then this morning I just couldn't crawl out of bed - for obvious reasons! Then as I turned on the PDA to check the weather (less light so it's easier on the eyes than the TV first thing in the am) the CF card was dead! Now mind you almost EVERYTHING is on that card. Luckily I just backed it up onto the PC a couple days ago - whew! Well, the desktop wanted to reformat it but take a gb of memory out of it - no way. So I tried to find answers on the net while getting ready for work - only to get behind and lose things along the way. But I managed to not make my ride wait but a minute - and only because I forgot my hat!
Ok, so that being said, work went like hell too. I had a lady bitch at me for "arguing" with her when I was just trying to explain something to her and she just wouldn't shut up and understand what I was saying. I never even raised my voice at her - surprisingly. I went on lunch but had to settle for some expensive stuff as I didn't bring anything with me. Then the big wigs came in - meeting at my work to head over to another store for a grand opening party (they actually opened a couple weeks ago). One of them somehow dropped a GLASS jar of chip dip... But I got kudo's for doing such a good job "on the clutch" (Mr. Cat's never heard that phrase, so I'm betting many of you haven't either, it's the same thing as on the fly). There was other crap going on along the way but obviously nothing too exciting.
So I got home and started tinkering with the CF card again. (I was in so much of a hurry to figure out what was wrong, I walked home instead of waiting on the bus!) I let the PDA reformat it (what did I have to lose - the worst thing that could happen was it do the same thing to me the desktop was intent on doing) - and surprisingly it did it right! So I spent probably a half hour moving things back and then cherry-picking my mp3 list again out of my desktop playlist. Luckily through most of it, because I just had to let the PC do it's thing, I was able to catch up on my Google Reader. So now I'm fixed except to go through the mp3's and toss - er delete - the ones I don't really want on the PDA.
Oh and other news. A few mornings ago I was given a head's up on a couple potential jobs that I could apply for that pay a LOT more than I'm currently making. (Let's just say I'd have to be with this company for YEARS to get to the wages I'm talking about.) Well, that was Tuesday. I went to try to scope them out, but I couldn't find them, but did find out where they actually were by the end of my ability to walk. It was too hot and humid. But I did something I was planning to wait on doing until the end of summer but just couldn't anymore - I had my hair chopped off - well 8 inches of it! It now sits barely touching my shoulders, short enough to be a LOT cooler (and even more importantly, lighter) but long enough to still be put back in a ponytail for work. Perfection indeed. When I can get to that point I will get a picture taken (maybe a front shot, who knows) and maybe post it (if I can get over my shyness long enough lol).
So Wednesday I went out and filled out the two applications on the spot after work. I had a little difficulty finding the second place because it is very well hidden. But I got them both filed and thankfully too as the deadline on the first had passed and I didn't know it but the lady was still nice enough to let me file one as long as I did it there - and there was no problem there. Afterwards, I walked home, closely followed by the second in what would be a series of strong thunderstorms, the first of which woke me up just as my alarm was about to go off at 345am.
I got into work today and the regular who gave me the leads came in at his normal time just before 530 and told me the second place had called him and asked him about me (as they knew where I worked and knew how he's there every weekday at the same time) even though he's not a coworker of theirs or mine, but he's apparently close to one of them on a professional level at least. He told me that it sounded like to him that I had the job lined up already and I just had to wait a month until they knew exactly how much work THEY would have. WOOHOO! One problem - no insurance. But I think I can find cheap basic medical and dental insurance, as I'm sure my current job's insurance will probably be too expensive to carry on my own. But I'll cross that bridge later. Right now I need to focus on not getting too hopeful as it's not a done deal yet - and not get to the point I start slacking at my current job out of laziness.
So anyways, that's what I've been up to the last couple days, other than enjoying the peace and quiet - albeit brief and I know it and therefore am enjoying it that much more. I hope to write more soon, when I have more thoroughly relaxed.

AHAHAHAHA

Jagger... retirement?!? No, but IF he did, this is all he could collect? Oh dear... Read here.

From FactCheck via Email...

The Truth on Troop Support?

July 22, 2008

A McCain TV ad says Obama "voted against funding our troops." He did, once. Every other time he voted in favor.

Summary

The McCain campaign is running a TV ad attacking Obama with statements that are literally true but paint an incomplete picture.

It says he "voted against funding our troops." He did – exactly once. Obama cast at least 10 votes for war-funding bills before voting against one last year after Bush vetoed a version that contained a date for withdrawal from Iraq.

It says he "hasn't been to Iraq for years." He was headed there at the time the ad was released, however, and had been there in 2006.

It says he "never held a single hearing on Afghanistan." It was the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee, not Obama's subcommittee, that had the hearings on this global hot spot, and Obama attended one of those. Over the same time period, McCain himself attended none of the Afghanistan hearings held by the Armed Services Committee on which he serves.

So what have I been doing today? A lot of resting. I just crawled out of bed a couple hours ago – at lunchtime rofl. I just didn’t feel the need to get up, and for a little while, the queasiness was coming back, so I wasn’t about to try to get moving then. So I put off my laundry, and everything else, and kicked back a bit longer. I’ve slept way more this weekend than I normally do, but I’ve needed it with as sick as I got mid-week. I’ve tried to keep hydrated, as I know a lot of times stomach “bugs” are actually your stomach’s way of telling you that you’re starting to get dehydrated. But that wasn’t the case this time. But this morning it could very well have been, with as much as I sweat when I sleep (and I can’t sleep cold, even cool – it will keep me awake until my body presses the power OFF button rofl). But it all passed very quickly and by 1pm I had laundry going and I was starting to feel productive. But then I sat down in front of the computer and there goes that feeling right away LMAO. However, where we sit right now is load 2 is in the washer, done. But load 1 is still in the dryer, probably about half done. I will get up in a minute to gather load 3 and get that downstairs so at least it’s ready. Maybe that’ll help me feel more productive. Or maybe I should just learn to relax a little more and enjoy it? Wait, that would be so out of character for me LOL.

I de-matted the cats today and later they will get their powder baths and claw trimmings – IF I can muster up the energy. Curzon RARELY gets a mat, and I don’t think it’s because of his meticulous grooming habits – his sister is just as meticulous, and Nimbus probably even more so than either one of the twins. I think Curzon’s fur just doesn’t bunch up like the others’ do and so it doesn’t turn into a mat festival in his fur. Jadzia had a bunch of little ones, and while I do have the comb, it doesn’t really work well on little mats and it just turns a big mat into several little ones anyway. Scissors are just quicker and safer in the long haul (as I’m not as likely to get mauled). And considering how long I’ve been de-matting these cats, I know how to do it and not hurt them. Most people tend to forget or don’t know that you don’t have to cut the entire mat out. Just cut right above where the mat starts (skin-side) and you’ll get out the mat, and what you leave behind can easily be combed out – and you don’t have to worry nearly as much about cutting the cat – even in tighter areas. Nimbus had a few, but his were big ones, one was even a two-part mat with fur going from one to the other, trying to hide his little “tool” – poor feller! I snipped both sides off and he laid on me on his back ever-so patiently. He took the indignity quite well, which is rare for him. His others were down in that area as well, though behind his thighs, except for the one he gets on his right side on the outside by his hip. He always gets one right there, no matter what I do, same spot every time. It doesn’t matter if I comb it out, rake it out, or cut it out, it’s like he grows a mat there! But he’s pretty good about staying still when I have scissors in my hand (as is his mother), like he likes the attention (and he’s not much for affection at all lol). So later on I guess I’ll get the drive and energy up to powder bathe these fellers and hope that works, because I really don’t want to have to bathe the monster – errr, Jadzia.

I took this picture of Nimbus yesterday. He's up on top of our (non-functioning) entertainment center with his head hanging down while I'm sitting on the floor.
So that's what I'm doing today, hope you all are having a good day!

Assault via PD

I am a tireless supporter of law enforcement’s possession and use of tasers – in the proper situations and responsibly. But after the recent tasings of teenagers that were in no way a match for hefty adult, fit male police officers and the tasing of a BLIND woman by Dayton (OH) police has started to make me ponder if even law enforcement is mature and responsible enough to carry them. You don’t hear of private citizens tasing individuals unless they felt (rightfully) in danger. Yet it is starting to seem to me at least that police are beginning to get carried away to say the least. Now it’s supposed to be a non-lethal method of getting a combative suspect under arrest. But what good is a “non-lethal” method if it ends up being lethal – or even worse, used on someone that, even without a medical diagnosis, anyone with any common sense would know any use of force really isn’t necessary. You can’t tell me a couple cops can’t apprehend a blind person or a teenager. However, if you take away the tasers, that leaves cops with fists/batons and guns for the most part, which can be just as dangerous if not more so (as in the pistol’s case) than the taser.

So how do we weed out the taser-abusers BEFORE they hurt or kill someone? I’m not sure we can, and in a free society such as ours, there will soon be a counter-measure taken by the criminal underground to turn the high-tech taser into an antique piece of technology. This has been true since the beginning of the modern law-enforcement era, even in other cultures and countries. But with the police not getting the help they need in the cases that REQUIRE community support and help, this is NOT the way to get that community respect. Any officer caught abusing the usage of a taser should have his taser – and all his other weapons – taken from him and placed on desk duty, if not fired. We need to better screen our law enforcement for psychological and mental disorders, so that we don’t unwittingly give ANY weapon to someone not fit for them.

Any other suggestions?

Back...!

I finally finished sorting out all I wanted and needed to sort out on my pda's MortButtons program. I've been putting it off for a while as it seemed so daunting (though why, I don't know, because the games section was quite a bit larger than the programs one). Call me old school, but computers can't help me with everything. I divided 5 note cards into 16 equal pieces, just enough space to write the program's name (or part of it) on and then used those pieces to organize my list so I could just go one piece at a time to organize the list on the pda. This made things a lot easier and is how I got through sorting out all my games. I still have one little problem on a sub-set of my programs but I can fix that quick, I'm just not concerned about it. I fixed my file explorer issue and I THINK I got my Microsoft Reader pda issue resolved. I'm not sure as I haven't tested it again lately to make sure I DID fix it. I seem to be randomly losing files on my pda, but that might be me deleting them half-asleep and not remembering. Luckily, it's not been anything important - yet. I need to sit down in front of my desktop for a while and sort out that mess of pda backups etc and back up the cf card on there just in case. I have been so worn out lately though that getting me to not go straight from outside to bed is a miracle lately.
I am feeling better but I still don't know WHAT got me sick in the first place. I had a suspicion that it was something I ate, but considering how many other people around here have the exact same thing I do, it's hard to believe that we all would've eaten at the exact same place and we don't often eat each other's food unless we're grilling out, and some that are sick don't even grill out with us so that's out. Maybe it's the mere THOUGHT that the FDA still has no clue at all what caused the salmonella outbreak. Let's get real here, and I apologize if this sounds discriminatory, but it's probably sloppy, lazy, ignorant mexican farmers that are trying to cut costs and don't care about who they hurt, just like the Chinese did with our cat food. And raise your hands if, like me, you're STILL reading your pets' food labels and STILL refusing to buy anything with ANY gluten in it! I want clean, safe, healthy food. I shouldn't have to worry about what me and my babies are eating. And yes I know, they're cats, but they're my kiddos.
I've not been following the news much lately as I've been less-than-interested to say the least. I just don't care at this point. The economy as a whole sucks and I know this first-hand. I did get a lead on a potential job that would be in the sector I want and be a LOT more cash in my pocket. I was even told by this one guy that comes into work every morning to drop his name when I call. I'm not one for trying to sneak ahead of the line, but right now it's dog eat dog I guess and I think it's time for a career move!
So, now that ya'll know I'm ok and feeling better (I'm still not 100%), please quit worrying about me LOL. I want to thank all of you for your warm thoughts, well wishes, and even laughs over the last few days. I haven't gotten that far behind on my blog reading, I'm just brain dead at this point. So I'll write more later and I hope everyone is doing well.

Off...

... Sick, and hurtin too. May call off tomorrow. They know I’m sick. Will post when I’m better.

A Thought - via Enola

Enola posted this on her blog today and, while my situation wasn't identical, I still identify with her completely. I sometimes wonder what I'd be like if I hadn't have gone through everything I have (I described this in an earlier blog). I guess a part of me anguishes a little over not knowing, but I'm also glad that I've been able to overcome. Perhaps we all need to step back and realize that though our childhoods have been rough, that we've survived them for a reason and, with work, we can be even stronger.

Monday Monday...

Today is laundry day - as Mondays are supposed to be. I just get lazy sometimes, and today would be one of those days if I didn't have a pile of dirty laundry at the foot of the bed on the floor. I stuffed my "laundry basket" (which is just a 13 gallon trash can that some idiot threw away months ago that was brand new - still had the tag on it in mint condition - that I washed and use as a basket because it's easier for me to carry) twice, to the point of having to sit on it to stuff the laundry down. I got the roommate to help me the first trip down as it was packed full of tshirts and I didn't feel like hauling it. The second load (which each "basket" the way I have them stuffed is 2 washer loads) is full of mainly jeans and the towels I missed earlier in the week when I did the emergency load. I had wanted to do the bed linens and stuff - and I still might - but I am out of Bounce dryer sheets after the 4 loads - and that's jipping the jeans a sheet. I'm not going out on a walk merely for another box of dryer sheets when the laundry can wait and the worst of it will be done. It rained so much yesterday that the bugs are out in full force today and I have already been bit once just in the brief span of going down to the basement to load up the washer. So I'm not doing any walking today. I might jump over to the grocery store tomorrow after work (if I can get out right on time), and if I do, I'll grab some while I'm over there.
I'm really upset with the thrift store right now. Remember when I got that bag for $3? Well my dumb @ss didn't check the one pair of jeans that I snatched up. The zipper is RUINED. It should have NEVER been on the shelves without a note about the zipper. But it's half my fault for not checking and getting excited over a pair of jeans in MY style in MY size. But if my leg muscles get much bigger I won't be able to wear them anyways lol. I'm going to take them to an alteration place and see how much they charge for putting in a new zipper. It'll be worth it to have another pair of jeans - maybe I can see if I can get them to permanently dye them black too. I need black jeans for work and I'd love to have another pair to add to my work wardrobe.
By the way folks, I want to introduce a friend of mine to the rest of ya'll. Ya may have noticed Lee commenting on a recent blog post, we go back a long way. He's probably one of the sweetest people I ever met online, and the coolest part - he truly appreciates cats. He works with the ones that comes around his place, trying to tame down the kittens so that they can get more used to humans and get the care they need, and he volunteers at his local SPCA to help with their cats. I could go on and on about all he does for our feline counterparts, but I think ya'll get the point. As my Mom would probably say, he's good peeps. Now all we need to do is get him to get his own blog up and running so he can help get some of his feline friends adopted out of the shelter.
(As a comic break because as I write this I need to stop to take care of the laundry - remember any time someone's giving you grief - karma is a b*tch and maybe sometime when they're on the way home or out running errands theirs will come back to haunt them when someone lets off a toxic silent fart next to them! LOL)
Ok 15 minutes later I'm back (yes it took me that long, I had to empty out the laundry basket, sort the two loads up, put the clean, dry load in there and then move the wash load into the dryer and then pick up the jeans off of the floor and put them in the washer), and I'm starting to think that maybe I'm a little crazy to do 4 loads of laundry on a day I feel so lazy. But I'm going to keep going, as there's no sense on stopping now with load 3 in the washer. Maybe after I'm done I'll clean my side of the bedroom. I am the one that made it a mess, so I should clean it up. And it would be nice to be able to walk over there! LOL. That's something I usually do though when there's company over and I don't feel like being sociable. Sometimes I'll do it at other times, but I usually feel like I'm in someone's way. Why I don't feel like that when company's over and I keep coming out with trash, I don't know lol.
Jadzia has become our litterbox freak. It used to be Nimbus, but I think they realized Jadzia's protests are more noticeable and get more prompt reactions LOL. So now they got me doing what I should've been doing all along - scooping the box every other day. I really should do it every day but I can't do that all the time since I tend to fall asleep sometimes right after work. So I don't want the cats thinking they'll get it every day. What I need is an air-tight trash can that I can just dump into and throw out when I fill it up, but it'd have to be small too as clumped cat litter is HEAVY. I don't know how many of you use it, but what comes out of the box fresh at 14lb will go into the trash at 30lb at least. There's no exaggerating there. And considering I usually use at least 14lb in the litterbox, naw... it's got to be kept up on. I can LIFT 30lb, but I'm not lifting it up over my head to put it in the trash. The one time I let it go that bad and I just dumped the whole litterbox in the trash, I just put the box in a trash bag, emptied the box, tied up the bag and put it up where the cats couldn't get to it so easily (as Curzon likes chewing on plastic and trash bags are easy chewin'), and when I got to work (it was an emergency - and at 345am YIKES) and called Mr. Cat to let him know I made it like I always do when walking to work, I told him as soon as he got up and about that there was a trash bag in the kitchen that HAD to go out. LMAO he wasn't expecting it to be THAT heavy either (though it was easy lifting for Mr. Muscles but still... LOL), but like I told him, the girl didn't leave me a choice and I didn't have TIME to scoop.
But how many of us have been there, maybe not that precise situation, but have been in a hurry to get out the door and something came up we HAD to take care of even though we didn't really have the time to deal with it? Do you calmly but promptly take care of it and get back to what you were doing or do you go "oh well" and deal with it later when the situation goes from bad to worse?
I have such a good working relationship with those at work that depend on me to get to work on time that they understand that, because I walk a lot to work, I might be a wee late once in a while. And they also know my work ethic - if I THINK I might even be A MINUTE late, I will call them as they are used to me being 15 minutes early usually. It's not that either of us are worried about me being late - who isn't once in a blue moon (which I've only been late ONCE and it wasn't my fault - and it wasn't just me late lol) - it's the fact I don't want anyone worried about me considering the distance and time of morning I'm walking. And besides, I'm done with rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off every morning. I don't get done any faster, leave any sooner, or arrive much earlier to work. So why rush? I'll save the rushing for when I HAVE to. Maybe I'll just call out "sick" sometime. NOT... lol That would be something I've NEVER done in my life. Heck I rarely call out when I AM sick! Stubbornness, persistence, or stupidity, I don't know.
Anyways, my point is... in everything we do, big or little, we need to think about how what we do on a daily basis affects us and those around us. We can't just go through life like we're top dog and f*** everyone else. Like I said, Karma's a b**** and she WILL come back to haunt you. It may not come immediately, but it always makes a return trip. I know, some of you don't believe in "karma" - and I don't per se, but I also have seen "karma" come back to haunt those who fkd with me and I had NOTHING to do with it. Maybe it's just a wee coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidence at all. EVERYTHING happens for a reason.
Let's even ASSUME it was coincidence. Why then would've two near-death kittens come into my life just a month after my (and most Americans') life changed forever in 2001? September was crazy hell for me, not just because of that day. So in October, for these two little kiddos to find their way to me when we needed each other most - that's not coincidence. Call it divine intervention, karma, whatever. It was NOT coincidence. And I'll be doggone to have anyone tell me it was, cause coincidence would've been at a random time, probably not when I needed them. I didn't WANT another cat. Putting Snow down was hard enough. But I NEEDED one. I just ended up with two lmao.
So there ya go. Another blog that ended up way longer than I'd intended it to be. Enjoy if you dare LOL.

A Love Letter

Call me corny if you want, but this open letter to my Nimbus was the best and only way I could find to describe just how much he - and his feline family - mean to me. If you find this too corny or "gay" - well, I'm sorry. Cat people will understand this, as I think most animal people in general will. For you dog folks out there - just imagine the cat is a dog :P LOL.

If you could only talk, what would you say? If you could only understand me, would you understand why I do what I do?
I looked into your eyes today as I held you, and for a moment I forgot how big you were. For a moment, a brief moment, you were that kitten I watched come into this world, only a month old, brand new eyes just starting to focus. For a moment, you were my little baby again.
You grew up so big, and always were a big cat even when you were just a kitten. You couldn't wait to be a cat, but your inner kitten was too much for you sometimes. You followed your Mom everywhere, as if you knew what to do, just not sure HOW to do it.
You showed me what it was like to watch life start from the very beginning. You showed me I still had a little room left for another soul. You taught me patience when I had none. You made me laugh like I'd never laughed before. And at the same time, you made me pity you... oh how your Mom just couldn't let you be curious!
Your Mom loves you still as much today as she did that day you surprised me with your arrival. When most mama cats would've long forgotten about their previous kittens, your Mom still dotes on you, rushing to your side every time you have a hairball. I know she's mean to you sometimes, but know she loves you. The time you went and stayed at the hospital, your Mom worried like no words could describe. You are the most loved kitten in the world that grew up to still have his Mom.
Don't worry about not getting that first "big kill" yet. We humans do our best to give you a dry, safe, clean home free of vermin. We have no doubts in your abilities, and when the time comes you will surely do just as fine as your Mom and Uncle - if not even better. Learn from them. Learn your Mom's stealth hunting (which you're already excellent at stealth approaching) and persistence. But learn from your Uncle's ruthlessness. The "present" should not be able to run away from the recipient, though recipient(s) would much prefer as little mess as possible. You're more than welcome to eat your catches as well, unless your humans take it away for your safety. Please know this doesn't take away from your success, it's just not safe for you to eat (or someone - me - worries too much LOL).
Thank you for being such a special cat, so different and unique, yet so much like your family. Always know that so long as we humans live, your family will always remain intact until age catches up with you. We love you - all of us, feline and human alike - and want only the best for you.
Thank you, Nimbus, for just being YOU.

Another One...

Another one succumbs to age way before age should claim 'em. This time it's Tony Snow. His colon cancer - which he was bravely and optimistically fighting - spread and took his life at the ever-so-young age of 54. This follows the recent death of Tim Russert, the beloved and highly respected journalist and pundit who hosted undoubtedly the toughest and yet fairest of the Sunday-morning talk shows.
For those of you who don't know and/or remember who Tony Snow was, he was one of the journalists over at Fox Noise before it went from bad to worse when President Bush called on him to replace Scott McClellan as Press Secretary. He held that position for well over a year, before resigning to take on a job that paid more - undoubtedly so he could fight his recurring cancer better. Instead of returning to Fox, he signed a contract with CNN, who paid him handsomely (at least by us 'normal' folks' standards). He was a conservative voice amongst the liberal media, though his style could break the ice anywhere.
So now we've lost TWO unique, distinct voices of reason - agree with them or not - in the mess that is the media and all it's bias. I have no doubt BOTH of these guys would've called out McCain - and Obama - on every lie they got caught in. Russert had a reputation of it, and I don't think Snow was afraid to go against the grain either. Now more than ever it's time we as Americans cut our reliance on the media for information to base our vote on come November. We have the WWW now. The world is (literally) at our fingertips. CLAIM IT.

Wow...

...a smart oil tycoon. See, they aren't ALL stupid. I actually like this guy's ideas. It's not hydrogen, but it's a step in that direction. Natural gas is better than oil. It isn't a perfect plan, but it's a good start.

News out of Afghanistan

On the day we Americans were celebrating our nation's birthday and all the freedoms that it means, one of our soldiers in Afghanistan was killed, not by some roadside bomb, or Taliban attacks, but from "non-combat" related injuries. Click here for more information, though there isn't much more than what I just stated. Please pray for this soldier's family, that it doesn't ruin the celebration for them in future years.

FDA Calls For Urgent Warning On Antibiotics

FDA Calls For Urgent Warning On Antibiotics

Now what?!? My goodness... not even our antibiotics are safe? geez...

Uh huh!

I'm not going to claim that I was ahead of the curve. I was just ahead of the curve I saw. LOL. But what I WILL tell you is that I TOLD YOU SO. Do a google search of cnn.com and biofuel and you'll see that the world community - scientists included - are now saying how environmentally futile biofuels are and how much they're driving up food prices. Well, doh, I coulda told you that. Anytime you take massive quantities of food away from the masses that depend on them for sustenance you're going to have massive hikes in food prices and huge declines in supplies - that's basic economics. A third grader could understand that! Now let's not even go into how much corn (or whatever grain) you need to produce a gallon of ethanol. Just imagine how much land would be needed just to grow the corn that we Americans would need to go "green". And who says it's not actually MORE polluting? Huh? I'm telling you folks, hydrogen's the answer. But what do I know, right?

Dang PDA

Lost over half of my mobipocket ebooks! Just magically vanished off of the CF Card. Don't know how, but they did. Luckily I have full backup of almost everything on the card on the pc, especially pics and ebooks!! Easy fix - this time. *grumble* So now I'm off to check the pics... gargh
So how has your day been? I can't complain - it's almost noon and I just stumbled out of bed, though I've been awake since 6 :( It's ok though, it keeps me scheduled :)
Hehe... just finished the cats - I actually hadn't moved all the new pics to the pc yet... whoops. Now they're on the pc too, whew. Well, ok to be fair, they were ON the desktop, but not in the cf backup folder. Some things I keep multiple backups of.
I'll write more when I feel more gabby lol.

Tomatos

Just the POSSIBILITY of this irks me to no end. First china, now mexico? We shall see.

Ho hum...

I wish I could say I've been happy today, especially being a history buff, but I can't - but I can't say I've been sad either. I'm just, well, here. I feel no particular emotion except dreading 330am and the walk to work tomorrow. I'm tired of work already, and tired of the walking and the boss not giving a rat's @ss. But that's a moot point, right? I just want to relax. But I got two days off coming, and I need them. I need to do laundry BADLY. And next weekend I won't have the chance cause I got another fkd up weekend coming up. At least this time I was asked before it was done to me.
So I am off to bed, to try to sleep in the midst of all the fireworks set to go off soon, reminding me of days gone by. Sleep well my friends when you get there.

Another LOL

WOWSERS

I just noticed my last post was my 400th post! Wow, can you believe that? Who'd think I'd have so much to ramble on about! LOL (or as some would say, 'whod'a thunk'... or however it's spelled) I'd never have guessed.

Ok, I just saw this on my google reader and had to go get the code to share it with all of you (like a proper person should).

'Ello, 'ello

I forgot to tell ya'll what I did yesterday, and if I already did, sorry, but I don't remember sht. I had to run an errand on the way home from work, so instead of just walking the last 3 blocks home, I had to walk about a mile home, but from the other side of town. No worries, I wanted to stop at the thrift store on the way. On the way I'd seen they had their bag sale sign up, and so I got a few bucks out of the bank while I was out so I could stop there on the way home in case they had anything worth taking. Well I walked out with 3/4 of a paper bag full of clothes, mostly tank tops and other summer shirts, mostly black lol as always. But I got 2 really nice shirts that will make for good interview shirts (IF anyone ever calls me in for one, I need to make some calls after the holiday weekend for sure), if not 3. But the happiest part is I have myself a new purse. Now I am a borderline purse collector, but I have managed to keep it logical. I have a small one for just like when I don't have any pockets and need something to put my wallet in (which is just really a coin purse that houses all my stuff in one spot), a medium one for everyday use, and my big one which I use for going to work etc. Well, it's that big one that really started showing signs of aging as one of the hand straps was starting to look like it was going to come off and I have no way of fixing it. And then night before last, the inside pouch zipper just came off. It didn't break off, it just never stopped when I went to zip it shut, so off it came! Well they had this really nice (black of course) purse there that looks brand new and is about the same size if not slightly larger than the other one, so it was the top of my bag lol. I had a couple other things in there, but that was what I was so happy about. Now I have a purse that TRULY matches my clothes in all sizes lmao. I think I'm done with my purse collecting - until one of them starts showing age, but considering my middle one is working on a decade old, I don't think I have anything to worry about there lol. But hey, all that clothing (and since I'm small I can fit a lot into a bag) and a purse for $3 - that's what I call being a SMART shopper on a budget lol.
So anyways, I'm off as I just realized that I'd scooped the cat box this morning but didn't dump it... I really should TRY to lift it, though I'm not sure I can. Yes, they pee THAT much. Plus it doesn't help I'm a bad mama, I didn't scoop it this weekend like I was supposed to.

Short Post

So I'm sitting outside, with a nice gentle breeze blowing over my bare feet. The sun is going down, so the sun isn't anywhere close to me. Scratch that... I'm going inside, too many bugs LOL.
Inside is cooler, but calmer. I've been eaten alive all summer it seems - and all spring too - even when I have the bug spray on. I think more of it is me FEELING like I'm getting eaten alive than me actually getting bitten, but I've had my share of bites. The worst were the ones on my feet - yes, ON my feet. I had several on the bottom of my feet, around my ankle bone, and a couple on toes. What the f***?!? It doesn't matter even if I wear long shirts, they'll find their way up my sleeve, just like that tick a couple months ago that found its way up my shoe and into my pants, settling on my chin bone before I felt him and pryed him off of me before he had the chance to go from hanging on to biting. It was the first tick I EVER had on me and I was upset. It turned out a day or two later another one had found its way inside the apartment, but it too was caught and killed. (And if you don't know how to kill a tick, I'm not telling you, because it's cruel, but they're hard bstrds to kill.) I was worried for a while that a cat might have one, but they never showed any signs of a tick, and a base inspection didn't turn up anything either. I'm more worried about fleas.
Work was ok, but it is work, and that being said, I am happy to be home! If only... Oh dear, let's not go there, I already dream of hitting the lottery every day I am at work, let's not extend that even further!
So, I know it's a short post, but I'm not very talkative either. I'll write more another day.

Lying and Stealing in Hollywood

There are few things that upset me more than stealing. One of those is lying.
I remember when Carlos Mencia first came onto the scene a few years back. His was a sense of humor I just had to laugh at. But the more I watched his show, the more I felt something wasn't right.
What wasn't - and isn't - right is his well-documented joke theft. He might not steal the entire joke, but he steals the punch line, which IS the joke.
What's worse is that he continues to deny it, though the proof is right in front of him - on tape.
We all know that comedians from time to time have "borrowed" previous generations' jokes. But they won't deny it when questioned. It'd be like a musician today denying that the song he just put out was his when some famous musician just a generation ago did the EXACT same song.
So my problem isn't so much that he's used others' work. It's that he has lied about it, denying it - which turns it from borrowing into stealing.
Let's grow up, Carlos. We need some REAL humor. Not a bunch of lies. And by the way, Hondurans aren't beaners. So you're only HALF a beaner, IF that. And if you want to get technical, you're not even that. You were BORN Honduran, even if your mama's Mexican. You're just a latino hood rat. Your crimes just aren't as easily prosecuted.

"...The truth will set you free."
So where's the truth?