RIP Kitty

2006-11-21 - 5:03 p.m.

Dear Internet,

Today, my kitty went to heaven. I don't care that my Church doesn't believe in kitty souls, as discussed previously.

Kitty, as he will be called, was the runt of his litter seventeen years ago. His mother was abandoned when she was pregnant, and my uncle's friends took her in. There were seven kittens in all, and he was the only black and white short hair.

Kitty's personality made his size less important. He figured out the litterbox first and was the first to greet visitors at the door when they came to pick cats. My mom fell in love with him immediately. We also adopted his sister (who died ten years ago from a tumor), a fuzzy sweetheart with a killer left claw. The two of them were adorable together, and were best of friends.

A german shepard moved next door to us, and Kitty made friends with him, as well. The dog had been found in a pound, abused and very skinny. Kitty got his playful side to come out, and both were very gentle with each other. Both tried to make the other's sounds. Nothing is funnier than a cat trying to bark.

Kitty loved people the most, though. He'd show up to the door where people came in to say "hello" and get attention. He always let us know when mail came through the mailslot, and we knew when the mailperson was a good person, because they'd stop to play with Kitty through the mailslot.

He loved being around my mom and I, but any lap was good. The best part of Kitty was his willingness to be entertaining just to be around. He loved to play fetch, knew what words like "birdies" and "treats" meant (and went to those respective places), and always responded to his name.

When his sister died, Kitty went into a depression and we had to get him a brother. His brother was a homeless kitten, terrified to have driven from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, but Kitty took his new brother under his wing. Kitty also got diabetes, but mom trained him to jump on a kitchen stool when she'd say "Shot!"

Kitty's small stature always made him seem like a kitten. Even when he was sick these last few weeks, the vet couldn't believe he was 17 because of his muscle mass.

Kitty had cancer, and he's out of pain now. But he's been around for more than half my life. I miss you, Kitty.

P.S. - The Boy is 28 today (which will get its own mention) and our friend just defended his Ph.D. thesis. Congrats to both!

Racist Little Happy Feet

2006-11-20 - 7:20 p.m.

Go with me on this.

I wanted to see "Happy Feet". I really did. I was all excited, and then I heard some people who did see it describe it to me...

1) There are two groups of penguins, the tall Emperor penguins (with "middle of America" accents) and the short, stocky Adelie penguins (who have last names like "Amigo").

2) The Adelie penguins like shiny items and are obsessed with wooing their women.

3) The Emperor penguins can't really dance, but man, those Adelie penguins have rhythm.

4) This is only from the first FIFTEEN MINUTES OF THE MOVIE.

5) I won't get into the religious implications, but Christianity apparently takes hits on both Catholic and Protestant sides.

I have a few progressive readers who have children. I ask you NOT to take your kids to this movie. Take them to "March of the Penguins" again or something. Please do not let Hollywood have your money so that you can help them perpetuate stereotypes that are insulting and ridiculous.

I know, I know, what harm can it do? If it's one of their few impressions of what adult-sounding Latino people are like (I love me some Dora, too), it might leave a very wrong impression.

I am part of a group on campus. My father is Latino. I have heard awful and ridiculous comments growing up, and one of the first ways I think we can stop those comments is to ensure that little kids never hear those ideas.

This concept is getting no attention in the press. Kramer's doing a great job of being overtly racist, we know, but racism that is "undercover" is more harmful, because our society doesn't say a word.

Say a word.

Breaking It Down

2006-11-15 - 5:12 p.m.

My body is exhausted.

My brain is exhausted.

My smile is exhausted.

Some can attest to the fact that I am getting to a point where I've just had too much going on, even if it's not all that much. I've been busy, if you can't tell. Silly things, like student organizations and visiting friends and dinner with people I haven't seen in a while. Stupid things, like papers for classes that I want to go well and a national ethics exam that makes NO SENSE. Crazy things, like trying to dust and wash my apartment for all those guests we've had in the apartment. And frustrating things, like trying to explain how completely overwhelmed I feel right now without worrying people.

Because honestly? What's new? Life in Alektraland always has some illness, some craziness, some overachievement and overinvolvement. I don't know if I'll ever not be overwhelmed. House stuff and someday children and, oh yeah, that career that's careening my way. Life is crazy. Life is stressful.

Just now and then, even the normal amount seems too much.

Oh, and this is stupid, but my 17-year-old cat is sick. He's 17. He's lived with my parents his whole life (which is why he didn't come with me, not that my parents would ever part with him). He's had a full and happy life. But instead of feeling sad, I'm just angry about his being sick. Too many people in my family (and some very nice friends) are really sick. I am angry, not at the cat, but at the world that my cat, who is truly an awesome cat, has to suffer and be sick. Dammit, he's a nice cat who even says hi to the mailman. He plays fetch and litter-trained himself.

I know that my own religion says that animals don't have souls, but if I get to go to heaven and he doesn't, it doesn't seem very fair. He's much nicer than most people (and cats) that I know.

If this doesn't give you a clear idea of the "enough" that I've had, I don't know what will.

Hope y'all are doing better than I am.

Fixed

2006-11-12 - 11:21 a.m.

I fixed it! You're so proud of me, I can tell. It was the map link I had for readers to say where they were from. Since no one was using it and it's screwing up the page, it's gone.

Yay!

I'm currently watching the Howard Hanna show on Sundays to pretend I'd ever want a half-million dollar house. Out of one of those houses, the only thing I really want is their bathrooms. Have you seen their bathrooms? It's like heaven. A real-life tub you could take a bath in! I haven't lived in a place with a usable tub since I was in St. Louis. (Remember My Little Pony Sea Ponies? They were the BOMB.) I love taking baths, but it's usually a germ-phobia problem for me. At our current house, there's some rust and the porcelain is wearing thin and I honestly don't think I could possibly scrub enough to get over it. In fact, I've been here five years. I can't scrub enough to allow myself to take a bath here.

I know it's less ecologically friendly to take a bath, but I'm going on 18 years - no constant bath. I think I could count on my digits the number of baths I've taken. And I...

(Dude, I think a Steeler had this house I'm looking at. It had mirrors everywhere and black curtains and tile and leather chairs. It looked like a more tasteful version of what you'd see on MTV cribs.)

Where was I? Oh, yeah. I would love to have a pool, but that's excessive. The amount of effort that goes into a pool is the same argument I have for the reasons not to have a dog: it's all fun and games until you realize how much damn time you spend taking care of the dog/pool. With pools, you have to open and close them, but that's just the start. There's the vaccuuming, the skimming, the shocking (chemicals), the scrubbing, the testing... It's a huge pain in the ass. My grandparents did that because it made their six kids stay outside, and that was key to my grandmother's sanity. I highly doubt the Boy and I will have six children, and if we do? It's his sanity, so it's his call.

So how about a normal-priced house with a tub that doesn't scare us? That's gotta be cheaper.

If you could have the one thing you really want in a house, what would it be?

Blame Chris

2006-10-16 - 3:58 p.m.

So in cool news, I have also been selected to do consumer reviews of selected products. I checked out this offer:

Hamburger Helper will donate up to $15,000 to eligible 501(c)(4) "hometown" organizations. All a group has to do to win is to register online with www.myhometownhelper.com and complete an essay of two hundred and fifty words or less describing how they need help.

Awesome, right? And hats off to Hamburger Helper. However, none of the charities I do work for or have a concern for are 501(c)(4) organizations. Qualifiying organizations, according to wikipedia.org, include AARP, NRA, MoveOn.org, and the Christian Coalition.

I'm just not a political animal. Hamburger Helper is all about providing computers to schools and lights to playground ballparks. And those are good things. So are some of the applications that I found on the site, which were even more political. However, most are dealing with public schools or emergency response groups. Still 501(c)(4) groups.

So it's basically geared for those in suburbs and small towns. Those with children and those with houses, not apartments. I am glad that Hamburger Helper is doing this, and for those of you this might help, I hope it can aid you.

Right now, however, my family in Buffalo is dealing with a natural disaster. People are without heat and power and some don't have water. The article doesn't relay the destruction, where trees have smashed houses and damaged all sorts of property.

I've talked about it to quite a few friends. This happened Thursday night. Why is it this didn't seem to make national news?

Minneapolis Monday - DC Monday - 2007-08-06
Okay - 2007-08-02
The End is Here - 2007-07-26
Two Years - 2007-07-23
Screaming to a Halt - 2007-07-21

previous - next