a99kitten's Musings

These make me smile…because they are true. I’ve highlighted my favorites :)

1. Aspire to be Barbie – the bitch has everything.

2. If the shoe fits – buy them in every color.

3. Take life with a pinch of salt… A wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.

4. In need of a support group? – Cocktail hour with the girls!

5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I’m on it and so far I’ve lost 15 days).

6. When life gets you down – just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. A good friend will help you move. A true friend will help you move the body.

8. I know I’m in my own little world, but it’s ok. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

10. Don’t get your knickers in a knot; it solves nothing and makes you
walk funny.

11. When life gives you lemons – turn it into lemonade then
mix it with vodka.

12. Remember where ever there is a good looking; sweet, single or
married man there is some woman tired of his bullshit!

13. Keep your chin up, only the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

14. If it has Tyres or Testicles it’s gonna give you trouble.

15. By the time a women realizes her mother was right, she has a
daughter who thinks she’s wrong.

I am finally watching “True Blood”. I say finally because I normally watch all vampire related stuff. I did Tivo True Blood when it first ran last year but I lost some of the eps and didn’t want to start watching half-way through the season. Plus a friend of mine told me that I might not like it anyway.

But so many people I know in real life or follow on twitter watch and talk about it. And remember, I do love vampire stuff :) Plus a friend recently gave me the Sookie Stackhouse series to read once I finished the Twilight series (which I just did last week!) Although I am inserting a few non-vampires books in between! :)

So I set my Tivo AGAIN to record Season 2 when it started again. And then I bought the first season on DVD and figured vacation was a perfect time to catch up!

I just finished Ep 4. So far I do like it. I like that Sookie has her own “power” and doesn’t need to always be saved by Bill. And I love her friend Tara – she cracks me up! I like Bill so far. But I will have to say Angel and Edward Cullen are both way hotter :)

The Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara , CA caused these two to take shelter together. The fawn is 3 days old and the bobcat about 3 weeks. The fawn came from somewhere in the fire and the bobcat from Carpinteria. They immediately bonded and snuggled together under a desk in the Santa Barbara County Dispatch Office for several hours.

Fawn and bobcat

Animal Planet is reporting the bobcat kitten was rescued near Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ranch, where it was dehydrated and near death. They rescued the fawn during last weeks wildfire. Although wild animals, especially of separate species, are never placed together due to regulations, in this emergency situation, they had no choice. During the mayhem of the fire, they were forced to put animals anywhere they could, since they had run out of crates large enough for the fawn. The kitten ran to the fawn, and it was instant bonding.

Fawn and Bobcat 2

Just finished reading Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. I read the description of the book on Amazon awhile ago and had it in my cart (see why the Kindle could be dangerous?!) for a while before finally purchasing it. Then husband stole it from my pile. Then I started the Twilight series….

I definitely wanted to read it based on its description but then when I saw it was going to be a Scorcese movie starring Leo…well…then I wanted to read it even more :)

To sum it up = creepy!!! t takes place at a Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Now sure how that CAN’T be creepy! Will be interesting to see what they do with it. How Leo plays the main character Teddy.  I am very good at figuring out the twists of books and movies. I did figure this one out…kinda  sorta…I guess you will need to read it to understand what I mean and where I figured it out :)

I always want to read books before I see the movies. No matter how good the film maker, the actors, etc. the book simply contains more details.  More story. Plus  some movies follow the books very well (Atonement) but other will veer for time, simplicity in story-telling, etc,. So best to read the original story to know how it was intended.

This movie is intended for release in Feb 2010. So you have plenty of time to get the book and read it!!! If you like creepy, psycho, brain-twisters…read it. Also a good argument against psych drugs/radical psych treatments.

I am a Gator fan. Have been for years. I didn’t go to UF but grew up in Florida. You were either a Gator or a Seminole. Period. Florida takes its sports seriously. They didn’t have pro baseball or hockey teams while I was growing up/living there so football, both pro and college, were the biggest sports.

The Gators have been good for some years now but have really become an excellent team in the past few years. University of Florida is a sports school so attracts great talent but there are plenty of great sports schools. Their basketball team is also a shining star for the state. What I don’t understand or like is that when the Gators get ranked #1, I end up reading all sorts of negative stuff about them. Mostly from whiny fans of other teams but even from some sports commentators/reporters.

I remember when the Gators were playing in the BCS Championship game against Ohio a couple years ago. SO much press was about how they shouldn’t have even been in the game, didn’t deserve the spot and will lose to the much superior Ohio. I took all of the $5 bets that people at work or friends made against Florida. And happily won them all. Florida dominated that game.

That was Tim Tebow’s freshman year and he shared QB duties with Chris Leak. They were an outstanding offense backed up by an outstanding defense. Ohio puked all over that field so I am not sure what teams the sports reporters were watching prior to that game to write their superior pieces on how Florida would lose and didn’t even belong on the field with Ohio. They proved they belonged.

Same thing happened last year. Blah, blah, blah how the Gators didn’t belong in the BCS Championship game. Even the President, Senators and Congressmen were talking about how the system needed to be changed. Guys – stay the hell out of it. Pretty sure you have bigger things to think and worry about. Your endless baseball/steroid investigation/hearings hasn’t really done anything too big other than make noise. So glad you have so much free time but we don’t need government interference in college sports now too…

Anyway, Tim Tebow is an outstanding leader for that team. Obviously the entire team is great and Urban Meyer deserves kudos heaped on him for coaching. But having a team member who the team reacts to as a leader (like a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady) does a LOT of good. And he is the kind of guy off the field who deserves the respect. Someone who I would like my kid looking up to. He cares about his role as a leader for the team but also cares about his academics, about his future, his family, charity work. A very well-rounded person. Not someone I expect to see holding out after the draft for a bigger contract because he feels he is worth $25 million dollars straight out of college (yes, talking to you Michael Crabtree.) With all of the guys in professional sports who act like entitled, whiny babies or worse – idiot criminals – it’s nice to see a guy like Tim Tebow have great character on and off the field.

I guess it’s human nature to want to tear down whoever is #1. But when the Sooners were ranked #1 I didn’t hear how they didn’t deserve it. Or whenever USC is ranked high, it’s like it’s a given. Like they should always be #1?

Or how about the Patriots. Nothing gave me more pleasure than watching Eli and his guys take that game from the Patriots. But that’s because I hated their entitled attitude to being there. Before the game, I would read how they would dominate the Giants, and the interviews with the players (pre-game) were all so haughty and “we deserve this”. One of the pre-game shows was all about the awesomeness of Tom Brady and the Patriots perfect season. Plus throw in the alleged coaching/cheating junk that year. Laughed out loud when they lost!!! BUT – I’ve always preferred the NFC :)

I haven’t seen any Gator interviews – with players or coaches – giving off that kind of attitude. I’m glad. They are trying to stay humble, at least in the public eye, which is a good thing. Because so many people are waiting for them to stumble. I read many tweets on twitter Saturday about how the Gators played a high school team. How it was ridiculous. How they needed to play a real team to “show them”. Ummm…last I checked, the Gators don’t actually make their schedule. And theirs wasn’t the only lop-sided game. Kansas/N. Colorado, Nebraska/Fla Alt, USC/SJ State, Notre Dame/Nevada (my poor Wolf Pack)…all of these games were very high-scoring – by one team. Yet the Gators get all the negative tongue-wagging. Why? And really…they didn’t beat the spread (73 pts!) so a good bet was on Charleston :)

Whatever…I’m hoping they win every game gloriously and shut everyone up. But if they don’t – I will still root for them, will still proudly wear my Gator gear and I still say they deserve the accolades they get. They are a great team. CHOMP CHOMP!

Woke up around 1:00am to a Stormy face staring at me “need to go out Mom!” Took him out and he went potty and back in we came and thankfully I feel back asleep pretty easily (not usual for me lately.)

Around 5am, still pitch dark out, Stormy face staring at me again. Ok, buddy….he seems to be having some tummy issues (will spare any details) but he got that out and back to bed. Of course, now falling back asleep is not that easy. If it had been a little light out, I would have gotten up and taken the buds out for a walk. Very cold last night/early morning so they would have liked that. However, walking in the foresty area in the dark is not such a good plan in coyote and bear country :) ALTHOUGH, maybe I would have seen the bear I’ve been trying to see all year!! But I heard the coyotes earlier and didn’t want to deal with that. I know they will generally stay away from people and big dogs but walking myself into a pack of them is a Darwin Award for sure…

So I tossed and turned and tried to get back to sleep. And my mind was racing with thoughts of what chores I wanted to get done today, what fun stuff I wanted to do, where should I hike, why is Stormy having tummy issues, he didn’t eat anything weird – or did he? When will his medicine arrive? What if he still has tummy issues – I should wait to start his medicine as that’s a sign to take him off if it. Ooooh – don’t forget to sign up for the Survivor Football pool, and check my Fantasy teams, oh yeah, excited to finish my book today, what should I read next? Can’t wait to get my Kindle! Race…race…race. This is what happens when I wake up anytime after 4am-ish.

I did manage to fall asleep though. And around 6:30am, again woken up by a Stormy face staring at me. And this time it was urgent. Ok, out we go. It’s also amazing to me that my husband magically sleeps through all of this but if I move the covers wrong or turn on a light, his sleep has been ruined. ?????

But now, because I did manage to fall back asleep, I was actually very tired when I woke up this time. So after taking Storm out, I got back into bed and wanted to go back to sleep. No dice. Angelus came in and thought hey – it’s light out, you just took Storm out and not me, GET UP! RRRUUUUUF! He only ever does one. Huskies aren’t barkers. Angelus uses his 1 bark as communication. It is used at different times but basically has the same meaning: get up, move it, take me out, give me a treat, play with me. His one “ruff” will mean any of these things and you will have no doubt which one it is when it happens. Very good communicators these huskies are!

By now it was about 7am. Ok, Mom just get up. Fed the buds and then got dressed. It was 45 degrees out so I knew they would be happy. Gave them their vitamins and then asked husband, who had said he wanted to go on our walk this morning (umm…yeah..), if he was coming. He was still lying in bed with the covers pulled up. I already knew the answer but gave him the chance. “No” he says. “I would have if I got enough sleep but the dogs kept waking me up” (really? you seemed to be in a coma to me?)

I closed the bedroom door and off we went. Very quiet and peaceful out. I am worried why Storm is having these tummy issues. I’ll get him ground turkey and white rice today and make that for his dinner. It’s the easiest thing on their digestion. Hopefully this fixes it in a day or 2. Or I’ll be up 3 or 4 times again during the night and calling the vet.

I brought Storm back after a short walk and took Angelus on a longer one. Then did the dishes, made some coffee, checked my email, got annoyed by my email, and wrote down my To Do list for today. Stormy is sound asleep at my feet and Angelus is relaxing on the desk. Husband is still sleeping. He was feeling sick yesterday so he better sleep that off and not give me his germs!

So happy Labor Day to the Moms of fluffy and human kids everywhere. You labor way more than some organized union worker collecting his/her “entitled” wages, pension and benefits until the day they retire and finally die….

Storm had 2 more tests last week. 1 for his thyroid and then a 2nd, more focused, ultrasound for his liver. Both came back negative/OK. Kind of would have been easier/better if his thyroid was the issue. Quick medicinal fix. But I guess I kind of already knew this wasn’t the case. And very happy no liver issues. Before the vet diagnoses Cushing’s (which doesn’t have a positive/negative test), they want to check any other potential issues. Since both his thyroid and liver enzymes came back abnormal in other tests, we ran these tests.

Storm is now completely over going to the vet. He used to like it. Go in, see other dogs in the waiting room, show everyone how awesome he was, howl a little, get a shot, get a treat, out the door. But now…he looks at me with sad eyes. Which kills me. But he is a tough, stoic little guy who has been tested, shaved, poked and prodded. But he still sings when he walks in there and everyone there loves him. He is greeted with a “Hi Storm” just like at our office. He is a character.

After the thyroid and liver tests came back OK, I had Storm’s file sent to his regular doctor (who has been out of the country for a month.) She has been Storm and Angelus’ doctor since they were puppies and she is a senior partner at the vet hospital. Plus, well, frankly, she is really nice and cool. Angelus likes her a lot which speaks volumes. Angelus is very picky about his friends. He’s like his Momma :)

She also treats the majority of Cushing’s patients there. And she agreed with us. She approved of the diligent nature of the additional tests to rule out any other issues. Especially since treatment for Cushing’s is no easy matter. But she said his symptoms do point to it.

So we worked out his meds and the pharmacy is sending them this week. He will start on a low dose and we will monitor his progress. I am very stressed about this. I am not a big believer in drugs. I understand they are created to fix something but I believe the chemicals introduced can generally do more harm than good. But she assures me the low dosage and monitoring will be OK. And I recognize he will not live 100 more years, but I want his life to be happy and for him to feel good. It’s obvious to me that he doesn’t feel good right now. In the end – the most important thing is he is happy and loving every day like he used to.

So fingers are crossed. And I will be a giant stress ball once he is on the medication looking for any signs that he is having a bad reaction to it. And he will have to go for tests every 4-6 weeks to make sure his body is handling it. So I will stress then too. But if he walks around ah-rooing like he used to, waking me up in the mornings and chewing on Angelus again – it will be worth it.

Storm smile

I received this joke via email. I have no idea if any of them are true but it actually wouldn’t surprise me as I have heard the kind of questions people ask and have less than zero faith that any of our politicians possess a working brain…

Plus they made me giggle :)

“A DC airport ticket agent offers some examples of ‘why’ our country is in trouble!

1.I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman (Carol Shea-Porter) ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)

2.I got a call from a Kansas Congressman’s (Moore) staffer (Howard Bauleke), who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, and then he interrupted me with, ”I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts .”

Without trying to make him look stupid, I calmly explained, ”Cape Cod is in Massachusetts , Capetown is in Africa ”

his response — click.

3. A senior Vermont Congressman (Bernie Sanders) called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that’s not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.

He replied, ‘don’t lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!” (OMG)

4. I got a call from a lawmaker’s wife (Landra Reid) who asked, ”Is it possible to see England from Canada ?”

I said, ”No.”

She said, ”But they look so close on the map.” (OMG, again!)

5.An aide for a cabinet member (Janet Napolitano) once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas . I pulled up the reservation and noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas . When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, ”I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time.” (Aghhhh)

6.An Illinois Congresswoman (Jan Schakowsky) called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a.m., and got to Chicago at 8:33 a.m.

I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois , but she couldn’t understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went fast, and she bought that.

7. A New York lawmaker, (Jerrold Nadler) called and asked, ”Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?” I said, ‘No, why do you ask?’

he replied, ”Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I’m overweight. I think that’s very rude!”

After putting him on hold for a minute, while I looked into it. (I was dying laughing). I came back and explained the city code for Fresno , Ca. is (FAT – Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on his luggage.

8. A Senator John Kerry aide (Lindsay Ross) called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii . After going over all the cost info, she asked, ”Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii ?”

9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman, Bobby Bright (D) from Ala who asked, ”How do I know which plane to get on?”

I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, ”I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them.”

10. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) called and said, ”I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola , Florida . Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?”

I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola , FL on a commuter plane.

She said, ”Yeah, whatever, smarty!”

11. Mary Landrieu (D) La. Senator called and had a question about the documents she needed in order to fly to China . After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded her that she needed a visa. ‘Oh, no I don’t. I’ve been to China many times and never had to have one of those.”

I double checked and sure enough, her stay required a visa. When I told her this she said, ”Look, I’ve been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!”

12. A New Jersey Congressman (John Adler) called to make reservations, ”I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York .”

I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, ”Are you sure that’s the name of the town?”

‘Yes, what flights do you have?” replied the man.

After some searching, I came back with, ”I’m sorry, sir, I’ve looked up every airport code in the country and can’t find a rhino anywhere.”

”The man retorted, ”Oh, don’t be silly! Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!”

So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, ”You don’t mean Buffalo , do you?”

The reply? ”Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.”

Now you know why the Government is in the shape that it’s in! Could anyone be this DUMB? YES, THEY WALK AMONG US, ARE IN POLITICS, AND THEY CONTINUE TO BREED.

I don’t write it, I just offer it for your consideration. Like manure, you just gotta spread it around. “

I don’t ask you to agree with me.

I don’t ask you like what I like.

I don’t ask you to do what I want to do.

I don’t ask for you to care about everything I care about.

But I do ask that you care about me. About what I have to say. Even if you disagree, you should care to listen to me and what I have to say even when ranting about something you deem silly or annoying. Because it’s me.

If you don’t, then I’m not sure why I should care.