08 October 2008
Warshington, you betcha! (wink)
Washington does NOT have an 'R' in it! Stop pronouncing it like it does.
28 September 2008
No Cosmos for me!
I finally saw the "Sex and the City" movie last night. Yes, I guess I am the last person on Earth to do so. Everyone I know absolutely loves this movie. I heard non stop commentary about the clothes, the love, and the laughter. I must say, it was a cute movie. I did laugh and I did shed a tear or two. But, this movie fell way short on expectations. It felt as though this movie was shot in the late 80's early 90's. The clothes were not that impressive. Most of it should not have been worn by women of their age. Yes, the wedding dresses were beautiful and those blue Manolo Blahniks were to die for, but the rest of it was just okay. Carrie's hair is in desperate need of a hot oil treatment and some frizz control. She looked terrible through out most of the movie. AND the fact that she married Big is just ridiculous! I NEVER would have thought she'd do so. Such a disappointment! Anyway, the movie was not bad. I'm sure I will watch it again on HBO. Maybe then I'll be able to understand what all of the hype was about.
13 September 2008
WOW!!!!! Well said!
EVE ENSLER writes:
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.??
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."??
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.??
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.??
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.??
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.??
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.??
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.??
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.??
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."??
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.??
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.??
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.??
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.??
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.??
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.??
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
08 September 2008
Hurricane's Suck!
Whew! I finally have electricity, cable, Internet, and phone service. I must admit that I thought I would be without the above for a lot longer. Electricity was restored on Friday, and the rest started working at 3:30 this morning. I was up at the time and shouted with glee when I realized I could watch TV. I am so behind on my shows! I really need to catch up.
So, let me fill everyone in on my week from hell. I ended up evacuating to Little Rock with J, my dad, my brother and his two cats and my two cats, Tabby & Sophie. J didn't want to leave, but my mom and sister called every 20 minutes begging us to evacuate so we gave in and traveled to Little Rock. Now, none of us were happy about making this trip. What would usually take 7 hours took 15! You think we were happy campers? And to top it off, my cats were stressed out and miserable. They fought with one another and refused to stay in their kennels the whole ride there and back. We stayed in Little Rock from Sunday until Friday. J and I had not planned on staying there that long, but we didn't drive our own car so we were stuck. His work was not happy about that, but that is a whole nother story for another time. Tabby and Sophie did not like being in the same room as my brothers cats. Tabby refused to eat or drink for 4 days, so I brought her to a local vet to get checked out. She was given IV fluids and an appetite stimulant. The vet also said we had to separate my brother's cats from my cats to help alleviate stress. As a result, Todd and his frisky felines moved into their own room. By Thursday night I noticed that Tabby calmed down a great deal and she started drinking on her own. I couldn't wait to get her home so that she could start eating. Which she did by the way. I must say there was one highlight to our trip. J and I got to tour the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was. I recommend everyone take a trip to Little Rock just to visit it. It is amazing how the state of our country can change in just 8 short years. So much of what President Clinton accomplished gets overlooked because of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. If it takes getting a blow job in the oval office to balance the budget and have a surplus, to decrease the unemployment rate significantly, to be admired and praised by the United Nations and the rest of the world, then I say W should take it like a man. Tell Condi to strap on some knee pads and get to work! Anyway I digress.
Hurricane Gustav did a pretty nasty job back home. I am just thankful that the storm weakened and didn't hit us at the force that was predicted. My brothers house was hit by a tornado, but it is not a complete loss. My father's bakery had some roof damage and J's truck got messed up by flying debris. Other then broken down trees, our place was fine. It is astonishing the amount of help South Louisiana is getting from other states. They are working around the clock to get us up and running again. My love and heartfelt thanks go out to them.
Well, I hope everyone made it though the storm unscathed. Let's just hope Ike stays the hell away. I can't go through this again!
So, let me fill everyone in on my week from hell. I ended up evacuating to Little Rock with J, my dad, my brother and his two cats and my two cats, Tabby & Sophie. J didn't want to leave, but my mom and sister called every 20 minutes begging us to evacuate so we gave in and traveled to Little Rock. Now, none of us were happy about making this trip. What would usually take 7 hours took 15! You think we were happy campers? And to top it off, my cats were stressed out and miserable. They fought with one another and refused to stay in their kennels the whole ride there and back. We stayed in Little Rock from Sunday until Friday. J and I had not planned on staying there that long, but we didn't drive our own car so we were stuck. His work was not happy about that, but that is a whole nother story for another time. Tabby and Sophie did not like being in the same room as my brothers cats. Tabby refused to eat or drink for 4 days, so I brought her to a local vet to get checked out. She was given IV fluids and an appetite stimulant. The vet also said we had to separate my brother's cats from my cats to help alleviate stress. As a result, Todd and his frisky felines moved into their own room. By Thursday night I noticed that Tabby calmed down a great deal and she started drinking on her own. I couldn't wait to get her home so that she could start eating. Which she did by the way. I must say there was one highlight to our trip. J and I got to tour the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was. I recommend everyone take a trip to Little Rock just to visit it. It is amazing how the state of our country can change in just 8 short years. So much of what President Clinton accomplished gets overlooked because of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. If it takes getting a blow job in the oval office to balance the budget and have a surplus, to decrease the unemployment rate significantly, to be admired and praised by the United Nations and the rest of the world, then I say W should take it like a man. Tell Condi to strap on some knee pads and get to work! Anyway I digress.
Hurricane Gustav did a pretty nasty job back home. I am just thankful that the storm weakened and didn't hit us at the force that was predicted. My brothers house was hit by a tornado, but it is not a complete loss. My father's bakery had some roof damage and J's truck got messed up by flying debris. Other then broken down trees, our place was fine. It is astonishing the amount of help South Louisiana is getting from other states. They are working around the clock to get us up and running again. My love and heartfelt thanks go out to them.
Well, I hope everyone made it though the storm unscathed. Let's just hope Ike stays the hell away. I can't go through this again!
30 August 2008
Hurricane Gustav and Beauty Queen VPs
I am sitting here praying that Hurricane Gustav will turn in another direction. Most of my family has evacuated to Arkansas, but I am staying near by. It would have been so hard to drive 12 hours with my two cats in the car. J is staying to take care of his saltwater fish. It is almost guaranteed that we will be without electricity for several days. I hope the generator he has as a back up will keep all of those fish alive. I will be at my parents house with Tabby, Sophie, and my Dad. He also has a generator, but he will use his to power the AC and refrigerator. Hopefully the house will not be unbearably hot for the day or so we will be without power (the generator cannot be turned on until the the worst of the storm is over.) I hate being hot! I can't sleep or get comfortable when it's hot. I have been through this before with other hurricanes and I am not looking forward to it. I will try to update more before Gustav hits. If not, I will write about it when it's all over with. Wish me luck!
On a side note, what is up with McCain's V.P. pick? This has to be a joke, right? I'm waiting for Ashton to tell us we are all being punked! Just because millions of women were excited about Hillary Clinton does not mean they will be excited about Palin. She is nothing like Hillary. Governor Palin is simply window dressing. Lets say McCain wins the election, then dies while in office, would you want Palin as your President? This is not an unreasonable question to ask. John McCain is 72 and in questionable health. How many cancer scares can he have before it's too late? This is all too much for me. Palin doesn't even know what the Vice President does! She said so in an interview. Okay, enough of this. I have to make sure my Obama/Biden sign is secure so that it wont fly away during the storm.
On a side note, what is up with McCain's V.P. pick? This has to be a joke, right? I'm waiting for Ashton to tell us we are all being punked! Just because millions of women were excited about Hillary Clinton does not mean they will be excited about Palin. She is nothing like Hillary. Governor Palin is simply window dressing. Lets say McCain wins the election, then dies while in office, would you want Palin as your President? This is not an unreasonable question to ask. John McCain is 72 and in questionable health. How many cancer scares can he have before it's too late? This is all too much for me. Palin doesn't even know what the Vice President does! She said so in an interview. Okay, enough of this. I have to make sure my Obama/Biden sign is secure so that it wont fly away during the storm.
16 August 2008
What some people will do for a buck!
A lot has happened since the last time I blogged. First off, I missed almost a whole week of work because of an intestinal infection. That was soooo not fun! I was so nauseated that I couldn't move. Thank all that is holy that I am now better. I don't think I could have survived one more day.
Secondly, Tabby has been having a problem with fleas. Because she is in such poor health, she could only be treated with chemical free products. I tried everything I heard about: organic white vinegar, olive oil, original Dawn liquid soap. Nothing worked. In the mean time, Tabby was scratching so much that she had bald patches and open sores. Her behavior was changing and she was eating much less. I called her vet and he recommended a chemical product for Tabby and for the house to be fogged. I was stunned! Everything that I learned about cats with Renal failure claimed that chemicals of that nature would most likely kill them. I told this to the vet and he said that's a chance you take. Wow! What an uncaring asshole! Now, I should point out that after everything we went through with Tabby, I said I would NEVER go back there again. It was a very bad experience and the vet was never available to help or answer questions. Why I called him that day, I don't know. I guess I was desperate! So, as a result, I decided to contact another veterinarian. This vet came highly recommended by everyone I talked to. I was very nervous to bring Tabby in. The thought that this vet might suggest to euthanize her, caused me to fall into fits of tears. However, I sucked it up and made an appointment for that very same day. My husband came with me to insure I didn't fall apart or make any rash decisions. He was my much needed support.
I must say, the minute I walked into the clinic I knew I would love that place. It was calm and quiet, the people were warm and friendly, and everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. Also, a huge, 3-legged cat roamed the halls. How could you not love it? The place was perfect!
We met the vet and the first thing he said was, "This cat doesn't look like a cat in renal failure."
Huh? What? I'm sorry. What did you say? He looked over Tabby's chart from the last vet and asked if he could do a complete blood panel and health check. He said he knew we spent an insane amount of money on her care already, but from what he read and what he saw, he wanted to run his own tests. He told us how much it would cost (half the price of the last vet) so that we wouldn't be surprised by the bill. We didn't ask him to do this, he just did!<3<3 It would take about an hour to get the results. Of course we agreed to do the tests! It took 2 weeks for those results to come in at the last vet! I had a Strong feeling things were gonna be different.
Well, I was right! Tabby is not in renal failure! She is not dying! She does have kidney problems, but not life threatening. Almost all of her levels are in the normal range and those that are not are only slightly raised. The last vet said her levels were "astronomically high" and would not come down. When the new vet heard that, he was puzzled. He was also shocked to hear that we were told that only a kidney transplant would save Tabby. Oh, and she doesn't need that $400 oral surgery. Her teeth are perfect. She is now eating a special dry food for cats with kidney problems. The last vet said she couldn't eat dry food because of her "bad teeth."
To make a very long story short, the last vet lied to us and scammed us out of a lot of money. As for the flea problem, Tabby is allergic to flea poop. That's why she was so miserable. She has been treated and is almost 100% better.
Do I want to kill the old vet? Hell yes! The amount of emotional stress he put me through, is unforgivable. Not to mention the amount of money we spent. They say karma is a bitch. Well, that asshole better watch out!
Secondly, Tabby has been having a problem with fleas. Because she is in such poor health, she could only be treated with chemical free products. I tried everything I heard about: organic white vinegar, olive oil, original Dawn liquid soap. Nothing worked. In the mean time, Tabby was scratching so much that she had bald patches and open sores. Her behavior was changing and she was eating much less. I called her vet and he recommended a chemical product for Tabby and for the house to be fogged. I was stunned! Everything that I learned about cats with Renal failure claimed that chemicals of that nature would most likely kill them. I told this to the vet and he said that's a chance you take. Wow! What an uncaring asshole! Now, I should point out that after everything we went through with Tabby, I said I would NEVER go back there again. It was a very bad experience and the vet was never available to help or answer questions. Why I called him that day, I don't know. I guess I was desperate! So, as a result, I decided to contact another veterinarian. This vet came highly recommended by everyone I talked to. I was very nervous to bring Tabby in. The thought that this vet might suggest to euthanize her, caused me to fall into fits of tears. However, I sucked it up and made an appointment for that very same day. My husband came with me to insure I didn't fall apart or make any rash decisions. He was my much needed support.
I must say, the minute I walked into the clinic I knew I would love that place. It was calm and quiet, the people were warm and friendly, and everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. Also, a huge, 3-legged cat roamed the halls. How could you not love it? The place was perfect!
We met the vet and the first thing he said was, "This cat doesn't look like a cat in renal failure."
Huh? What? I'm sorry. What did you say? He looked over Tabby's chart from the last vet and asked if he could do a complete blood panel and health check. He said he knew we spent an insane amount of money on her care already, but from what he read and what he saw, he wanted to run his own tests. He told us how much it would cost (half the price of the last vet) so that we wouldn't be surprised by the bill. We didn't ask him to do this, he just did!<3<3 It would take about an hour to get the results. Of course we agreed to do the tests! It took 2 weeks for those results to come in at the last vet! I had a Strong feeling things were gonna be different.
Well, I was right! Tabby is not in renal failure! She is not dying! She does have kidney problems, but not life threatening. Almost all of her levels are in the normal range and those that are not are only slightly raised. The last vet said her levels were "astronomically high" and would not come down. When the new vet heard that, he was puzzled. He was also shocked to hear that we were told that only a kidney transplant would save Tabby. Oh, and she doesn't need that $400 oral surgery. Her teeth are perfect. She is now eating a special dry food for cats with kidney problems. The last vet said she couldn't eat dry food because of her "bad teeth."
To make a very long story short, the last vet lied to us and scammed us out of a lot of money. As for the flea problem, Tabby is allergic to flea poop. That's why she was so miserable. She has been treated and is almost 100% better.
Do I want to kill the old vet? Hell yes! The amount of emotional stress he put me through, is unforgivable. Not to mention the amount of money we spent. They say karma is a bitch. Well, that asshole better watch out!
04 August 2008
I'm Here!
It has been about a month since my last post so I thought it was about time that I gave an update on what's been going on.
The news that we got about Tabby was not good. The vet said there is nothing more that could be done except for maybe a kidney transplant. She was so thin and weak that I thought she would not have long to live. Thank God that was not the case! Tabby is doing sooooo much better! She is eating like crazy and is alert and active. I know there will come a time in the near future where things will not be so great, but as for now, things are really wonderful!
Well, it looks like J got a new job! He was offered a position today and now he is in negotiations for all of the specifics. If things work out, and I think they will, we will be moving to a town about an hour or so away from where we live now. Hopefully I can transfer to location close to where we will be living. If not, it will be my turn to look for a new job. Cross your fingers that I will not have to do that! Looking for a new job is no fun at all!
Not much else has been going on. Been keeping up with Big Brother. It is not such a good cast this season. I fell in love with Mad Men! If you have not seen it, you are missing out. It is so good! I started watching season one of the West Wing again. Aaron Sorkin is a genius! He needs to write another television drama.
Lets see.......what else is going on................? Well, I guess that's it! I will update soon. Promise!
The news that we got about Tabby was not good. The vet said there is nothing more that could be done except for maybe a kidney transplant. She was so thin and weak that I thought she would not have long to live. Thank God that was not the case! Tabby is doing sooooo much better! She is eating like crazy and is alert and active. I know there will come a time in the near future where things will not be so great, but as for now, things are really wonderful!
Well, it looks like J got a new job! He was offered a position today and now he is in negotiations for all of the specifics. If things work out, and I think they will, we will be moving to a town about an hour or so away from where we live now. Hopefully I can transfer to location close to where we will be living. If not, it will be my turn to look for a new job. Cross your fingers that I will not have to do that! Looking for a new job is no fun at all!
Not much else has been going on. Been keeping up with Big Brother. It is not such a good cast this season. I fell in love with Mad Men! If you have not seen it, you are missing out. It is so good! I started watching season one of the West Wing again. Aaron Sorkin is a genius! He needs to write another television drama.
Lets see.......what else is going on................? Well, I guess that's it! I will update soon. Promise!
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