Yellow Dog/Bleeding Heart

It's not that I don't have opinions - believe me I have a TON of them. I have just had to back-burner the political me in order to focus on school stuffs. I think we have an amazing candidate selection and am not even going to venture a guess as to how it will all turn out. My dream? That would be an Edwards/Obama ticket. I love me some Obama, but I don't think he is quite ready. Give him 8 years in the VP slot and then let him drive. An Obama/Booker ticket in 2016 is my ultimate dream. "But what about Hillary," you say? Well, I loved her until she ran for president. I do not like how she is running her campaign, though I do see how she is making it work. Sorry Hil', but I am never ever going to vote for over a quarter century of Bushes and Clintons running my country. I think it's cool that you're powerful woman and all, but you're not the gal for the job. And if your own pandering wasn't enough to turn me off, that of your supporters is. Ugh...

Amazing because Muller knitted it! Even more amazing because it fit furry! Furry says it looks even better with a bucket on your head! Thank you Muller! These pictures are for you! Oh - and please don't forget to send me the most awesome socks when you finish them! I'll take pictures of those too!

First we cleaned out the attic! Then we chopped down all the trees in the world! Okay, so really we had a major freeze disaster that ruined most of the trees in the city and left us without power for a week! But the power came back on and we had The Most Patient cat in the World help us to get in the spirit. Then, just to make it even more festive it snowed!!! After that we were far too caught up in the excitement to take any pictures, so I will leave you with one final picture of Bojo, Little Dog and Furry dreaming of sugarplums....

Yes, Christmas time is here again and the spirit of giving is in the air. The spirit of whining and asking for stuff is in the air too – and I am not talking about the children who don’t know any better. I am talking about adults who seem to feel that they are deserving of charity. It is to those people I address this letter. Dear America in December, If you are reading this you are not poor. You clearly have, not only the ability to read, but also a computer (or computer access.) Are you living from paycheck to paycheck? Congratulations! You are certainly not alone. Lots of people are out there busting their butts just to get by. Rather than making you needy, it means you have a work ethic. It also means you are blessed to have a job. You are not poor. Do your kids want video games for Christmas? Congratulations! You have a home with electricity and a television. You are not poor. Are you sad because there are no presents under your tree? Congratulations! You are wealthy enough to hav...

Someone recently tried to accuse me of hating Halloween; an assumption based solely on the fact that I don't participate in the trick-or-treat aspect. 1. I don't hate anything. 2. Would someone who hates Halloween do this to the Most Patient Cat in the World?

These past few weeks I have been living more like an ordinary person than a Buddha and it has begun to trouble me. I seriously think I have broken all five precepts, which for you Christians out there is like breaking the commandments. Do Not Destroy Life: Aside from the giant bug incident of which my hands, if not my Karma remained clean, I have been shamelessly killing ants in my kitchen. Not even just spraying bug spray to keep them away, but literally smashing them with my finger. There are just sooooo many of them. And they are getting into my food. I don't know what else to do. Sigh. Do Not Steal: For a Buddhist stealing is not just tangibles, but also things like time and ideas. Aside from the fact that I have a new intellectual history hero who all but wrote the final version of some papers for me last semester, I also have been guilty of stealing everyone's time. I've kept Little Dog waiting after school; spent too much time visiting rather than working during t...

Last weekend there was a horrible gi - normous bug in my entryway. Ordinarily I can deal with the average bug, but this one was BIG. And creepy . Little Dog is worthless when it comes to bugs, as he squeals like a baby mouse and flees at the sight of one. So, Saturday afternoon we were standing on the stairs, a good length away from this interloper, both of us wondering what to do. I had the phone in hand and was wondering just who was closest for me to call to come shoo the monster out when my neighbor, Ron, pulled in. I darted out the back door and explained the situation. He is not a big fan of the bug himself, but his chivalry is unrivaled. He grabbed a broom and a bucket from the garage and headed to my house. I felt justified when he saw the creature and was visibly astonished at its size. "What do you want me to do with it?" "Get it out!" And with that, he dropped the heavy bucket smack on top of the bug. Little Dog Shrieked and I must have exclaimed somethi...

Okay, so I have one week left until this semester is over, after which I am taking a three month break. Trust me, I have had a lot to say - just no time to say it. That will all change next week when I begin to post my many catch-up posts. Until then, please read this article about a friend of mine and his family. I admire the hell out of these people and his wife has become my hero .

What the hell do motorcycles mean in dream language?! For the past three nights I have had dreams which involved me being the owner of a motorcycle - specifically, a red Harley. Dream #1: I had taken my red Harley to the shop to have it painted black. When I went to pick it up they had painted it all hippie like with blue and yellow sunflowers. What the hell?! I was extremely pissed! Dream #2: One of my best friends was telling me about how his wife had left him. My only concern was whether or not he would now let me take him for a ride on my Harley. (He has always been anti-motorcycle.) He agreed, but I then had to admit I did not know how to drive with a passenger. Dream #3: I was happy to be riding my Harley to school, but when I got there I realized I had not been wearing my helmet and I was appalled at my forgetfulness. The school was also my grammar school and I was late. What the hell do these freaky dreams mean?! In real life I could not care less about motorcycles. I have n...

How on earth is there anyone out there in this day and age who doesn't know that typing in all caps is wrong?! It is wrong. It is a flagrant violation of long-standing netiquette. It is annoying. It is painful to read. And did I mention it is WRONG ?! See what I did there? I used all caps on the word "wrong" to emphasise it ; to make it appear as if I am yelling the word . That's what the caps key is for: Emphasis (well, that and proper nouns.) It makes me absolutely crazy to receive an e-mail typed in all caps. All lower case bugs too, but I can overlook that. All caps, however, turns me into a sort of Cujo type monster and I want to seek that person out to tell them what a fucking idiot they are. Sadly, the offender is usually not an extremely educated person. So, can I still get mad at them? Hell yes I can, because you don't even have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to know that all caps is wrong. It goes beyond just the fact that you are yelling at me. I m...

I had a very nice day today. Good things kept happening to me. They were small things, but I think sometimes it is the little things that make the bigger picture so much nicer. Everyone remembers to be thankful for healthy babies and near misses, but few remember to be grateful for full bellies and coupons. But back to my day, which was sunny and beautiful for the first time all winter. I headed first to the car wash and after I paid for my De- Luxe wash the machine spit out 2 bucks in quarters for me. I paid with a credit card, so it's not like this was change for a ten or anything. I briefly considered the Karma on this one. It was not my money after all, but then, whose was it? There was no attendant on duty to return it to, so I went ahead and tossed it in my console. Then I headed to the grocery store, where upon my arrival a lady was pulling out of the very first spot by the door! Not only that, but as she closed her trunk she asked me if I wanted her to leave the ca...

He may wear the shirt, but he’s no Superman! Furry threw himself down the steps at his house and managed to obtain a gash in his forehead deep enough to require stitches. I figure this was part of his ongoing effort to assess our city’s emergency response services. He arrived at the ER with his panicked parents and was quickly triaged and given a temporary bandage. While they waited for the suture room, Furry blew kisses to an adoring crowd of fellow ER visitors. Once it was finally his turn, he bravely let them put three stitches in his tiny forehead without complaining. The only thing he did was ask repeatedly (about every 20 seconds) during the procedure, “All done now?” Once he was “all done” he was released with a follow up appointment to have the stitches removed the following week. He came to see me the next day, and when I asked if he had hurt his head he shrugged, as if to say “no biggie” and promptly proceeded to try and jump down the stairs. This kid may be small, but he kn...

Maybe it's the ice storms we've been having. Maybe it's the new year. Maybe it's the break between semesters at school. All I know is that I have been doing more this month than I have in a long time. I've been cooking like crazy, catching up on my reading, cleaning out the house and generally thinking a lot. What I've cooked this week: Chocolate chip cookies, homemade broccoli cheddar soup, Italian chicken with wild rice, a creme cheese coffee cake, my incredible Reuben sandwiches, spinach quiche, pumpkin cookies and a huge Mexican feast including fajitas. Books I've read so far this year (with opinions ) : Good Body , by Eve Ensler ( not as good a Vagina Monologues), Horse Play , by someone whose name I can't remember (An amusing quick mindless fiction read.) How it All Vegan and The Garden of Vegan , both by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer (Cool gals who are really really into the vegan way of life. I didn't read every single recipe, b...

Furry Furry, with the big blue eyes - Oh how I adore that child! He turned two this month and decided to put the T in Terrible, by locking his dad out of the house and seizing the opportunity to wreak havoc. We have been having terrible ice storms here, and as such, WS (Furry's dad) has been having more trouble than most with the walking-on-the-ice skill. Maybe it's because, having grown up in England, he doesn't have a lot of experience with the kind of ice we deal with every winter here in the Midwest U.S. Anyway, he was being particularly careful the other night when he took Furry home to wait for Bojo. He carefully carried him into the house and set him by inside the door before returning to he car for the bags. He had not made it down a single step when he heard, "Bye Bye daddy" and the distinct click of the lock. Now, I have been the first to condemn WS for some of his past actions, but for this one, he has my complete sympathy. I know I would certainly not ...

Hillary did it! She formally and officially announced! I should be elated. I have long been a huge fan of the Clintons. I think Hillary is brilliant. As feminist, the idea of a woman as President rocks! However, I am surprisingly unmoved by her announcement. I think timing is everything and I just do not think we, as a country, are ready for Hil'. I have always believed Hillary to be an ambitious woman, so in that respect it does not surprise me. I also know she is a powerful woman, with the friends and the finances to make this happen. But I have also always believed her to put the well being of the party first and foremost and frankly, I just do not think this is good for our party. I have already stated my reasons in other posts, but to sum up: I don't think she can win. I may eat my words. Hell, I may even completely change my opinion and pledge my sole support to her campaign. Right now though, I just am not sure.

Below is my response to a young friend's excited e-mail about Obama's seemingly impending announcement as Presidential Candidate: He would make an excellent running-mate for Edwards. But I think he, like Hillary, would be quite a long-shot for President. He needs to start lower and work his way up. His press is good, but he truly does not have the experience to run the country. He also has no military background, which in this election, is going to be almost crucial. Do not get me wrong. I like Obama , the man. I just do not feel he (yet) has the qualifications to run our country. The Democrats are pretty much poised to take the presidency in 2008. The public is disgusted by the Iraq situation and ready for change. Even many Republicans are ready to swing their votes over to the blue side. Even though all looks good for our party peeps, do not be lulled into a false sense of security. The position is still very fragile. Throw in a Clinton (any Clinton - Bill or Hillary) and th...

It has been a couple of months since I last posted, so I feel an explanation is in order. Since October I have been incredibly busy not doing school work. It has consumed almost my every waking thought. I haven not read a book, gone out to dinner, entertained guests or even taken a really long bath because... I have papers to write. But have I written them? Sadly, no. I thought, when I decided to return to school, that the bad habits of my youth would be gone now. Rather than procrastinate about my papers I figured I would now manage my time so wisely that I would be turning papers in early. Ha! The only thing I can say in my own defense is that when I decided to go back to school I did not know that the firm would decide to expand; therefore I could not have foreseen the increase in my workload. I also did not know that I would end up having to have minor surgery, nor did I know that said surgery would turn out to be not-so-minor and take weeks to recover from. I did know that Christ...

I did not know how to cook until I was 28 and pregnant with Little Dog. Prior to that I had no interest in cooking at all. Kitchens were merely places for storing my smokes and caffeine. Restaurants were invented for people like me. I learned to cook one reason: I was pregnant and I was hungry! I ate like an elephant, but thankfully never looked like one. I consistently lost weight and ended up weighing 2 pounds less when I delivered than I had when I conceived. I had tiny little bird legs and a big huge belly full of baby.  See?! During the pregnancy I craved my mom’s old fashioned cooking. She made me meatloaf, roast with potatoes, macaroni and cheese and even Jell-O with Cool Whip mixed in. She would tell me dinner was ready and then warn everyone else to watch out for my flailing limbs as I frantically shoveled huge helpings onto my plate. So, while my mom cooked me dinners, that still left breakfast and lunch unmanned. At the time my entire experience with “cooking” c...