Rats Are Good Pets, But Not Like This

Just taking a short break from work....yesterday was moving day (love the new apartment, its so much better than Aero Flats) and theres still a ton to do before the kitchen here at S'wood closes for remodeling...I get to power-wash again, which I swore I'd never do after my adventures as an intern at SP.

Anyway, I just came across this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24317073/?GT1=43001

Basically, the lady had purchased rats, intending them for snake food. Maybe she had problems going through with this. Anyway, the rats overran her house, were "rescued" and now are going to be given/sold as pets. The rats would not survive in the wild because the lady fed them cat food.

I love rats. I have had them for over 7 years now and they are really good pets, as is mentioned in the article. However, I'm not sure these rescue rats would be suitable for pets. They've basically been running wild, for their entire lives and are probably not used to human contact or interaction of any kind. They did find 10 babies, which probably have the best chance of being good pets.

My dad had a rat named Violet who was a rescue from the Humane Society. She would run out of her hiding places to try to bite you. These rats, more than likely, will be just like Violet.

I'm afraid that the people who adopt these rats will probably either feed them to snakes or let them go into the wild when it becomes apparent they won't work as pets.

My suggestion, while not cost-effective or efficient, is to spay or neuter each rat and let them live in a colony of sorts. Have the lady who let them breed uncontrollably pay for this, or for them to be humanely euthanized. Don't make one person's negligence a bunch of rat owners problem.

Black Honey Deeps

I try not to be materialistic. But I love art and I love color and texture of all kinds.
So colorful makeup, (especially when it is limited edition, no longer available in stores and sold for a semi-reasonable price on eBay) rocks my world a teensy bit.

The old Emily would've snapped one of these babies up, no problem, but I'm going to resist. I need to save. Hopefully posting this here will help get the Clinique Black Honey Deeps Limited Edition Set out of my system.

Not Really Political

I am registered to vote. I didn't really do this on purpose, it was a question they asked me when I was at the DMV. It was actually the best part of being at the DMV that day. Anyway, so I'll do that. I'll pay attention when the Democratic National Convention is here in August. But otherwise...I usually skip those articles.

But, I've always been intrigued by Cuba. I've seen the country from a mile away and it looked rugged and nice. We weren't allowed to get closer than that. Because of the embargo, that country has always been kind of mysterious, kind of intriguing. One place that Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations couldn't go. They have mostly-male supper clubs, with fascinating cuisine....

Anyway, with the new leader, this might be the first foreign country I make it to. Probably not though, because this article sounds hopeful. A lot of changes need to be made, though.

www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/02/cuba.freedoms/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Why I Couldn't be a Vegan, Part II

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)...you could use this as packing material if it was wet and in large pieces. It just doesn't seem natural. The sad thing is that if you added enough spices, a pretty delicious equivalent to Sloppy Joes could be made.

I really think that using fake "cheez" to duplicate macaroni and cheese is wrong. Its not real food, and I have more of a problem with preservatives and additives than a piece of beef.
If you want to be vegan, get rid of all the dishes you want to copy that have meat in them and decide you want to create really great food that doesn't need a meat substitute. Don't get me wrong, there are wonderful entrees that have tempeh/tofu/beans, etc in them that have merit on their own accord.
I just found a chile-beer marinade for a vegan dish that would be great for meat..maybe there is a double-standard here.

Whenever I think about food for too long, at least in a practical sense, I think of the store where got started in this industry. The older I am, the more I work with people, (to be honest, I didn't have to deal with many strangers/customers/guests before I turned 24), ]the more I realize that that place was flawed. They didn't treat people in a way that made them feel comfortable, unless they were regulars, meaning people who spent a lot of time and/or money. In fact, a lot of the time I felt really uncomfortable and forced to fit into a mold based on who they thought I was.

I'll stop now. I don't miss the place, meaning the city, I miss the lifestyle. And that is shallow, but honest.

Why I Couldn't Be a Vegan

So I got this vegan cookbook from the library called Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I'm gonna ask for it for my birthday because I think a reduced amount of animal products is really healthy. I'll never stop eating meat because of the enjoyment factor....could never give up seafood and sushi.
Anyway, I tried a recipe with agave nectar in place of a refined sugar or honey (which isn't vegan) and really really didn't like it. I don't mind foods that taste fake..Diet Coke, which is alright or pretty good, depending on my mood and Splenda, which I deal with when there's no alternative.

Agave Nectar tastes fake and is real. This I have a problem with. Take some honey, add water until its really runny and add a slight bit of lemon. There you go.

In Case You've Lost Faith...

Weezer's Rivers Cuomo released a solo album back in December...I either overlooked it as crap or just didn't pay attention, can't remember. Its pretty good stuff. The video for Lover in the Snow kind of reinforced my opinion that Rivers is a big...jerk.

Maybe these are the beginnings of me seeing Weezer like I did back in 1999. That was a good year. 2006 was better ( not for them, for me).

I digress. Check it out. I'm not actually paying any money for it. Made that mistake with Maladroit. I'm going to have to hear the 6th album in its entirety (when its released in June 2008) and then might, maybe, perhaps I'll purchase it.

Here I Am, Rock my Bracket like a Hurricane

Its March Madness! My favorite time, other than my birthday, and...Fridays, in that order. I love it because it sneaks up on you. After Valentine's Day (which, I'm sorry, is Hallmarktastic) a few months until Memorial Day and then approximately 35 days until my birthday, I don't have a lot to look forward to. Unless you count moving and no vacation until September.
And then, all of a sudden, there is Bracketology, conference tournaments and chances for thousands of dollars that you and I, quite frankly, have a snowball's chance in hell of winning. But just the games, the times when you can watch to see if your team or that Cinderella (Georgia, Drake and UMBC, in that order) can pull out a victory, are worth it.

It brings me back to the days when my mom and dad would post a wall-sized bracket on the closet door and fill it out as the games were played. We'd watch the Big 8, and now Big 12 tournament and cheer for KU every step of the way. So there is a certain amount of nostalgia and family ties that go into this.

All I'm going to say is this: If you have no idea who a team is, you've never watched their opponents and aren't even sure who their best player is, please do not put any money on this team. I don't even care of your best friend's uncle the bookie says to. Just don't. Its March Madness and anything can happen.

except if this team is Kansas. You should put all your money on Kansas.

Portmanteau

I guess i could say, "Its been awhile since I posted a word of the day" but instead I'm going to just post one without further discussion.

Portmanteau. noun. plural: portmanteaux. A a word that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded new meaning.

I think my dad said this word to me. It seems familiar. He also taught me quite a few words throughout the course of casual conversation that I will maybe list here.

A portmanteau you might be familiar with: spork. Not a spoon. Not a fork. But something different. And when I got them from KFC, less useful.

I looked up the word blaxploitation, when it came up on Wikipedia regarding an ODB song. The song itself came from a movie of said genre.

Blaxploitation is an portmanteau of "black" and "exploitation" and refers to movies set in the early 1970s, usually in the ghetto and dealing with pimps, drug dealers, Afros and/or SHAFT.

A Hat

I'm not really big into hats, unless its cold outside. However, when I saw this jewel, I had an intense urge to purchase it.

I resisted the temptation but wouldn't that be a lovely accessory to a certain ivory dress??

Back Again

So I realize that I left things a bit heavy. Which was not my intent. My easygoing pace of life just doesn't let me focus on the negative and heavy for too long. I'm excited about where I'm going to go, what I'm going to do. I look back on the last few years and think, WOW, I could be living bored right now, unhappy and trapped.
Instead, I'm right where I want to be. There's a certain contentment, certain peace of mind that comes with taking risks, dealing with what happens and knowing you made the right choices (ok, maybe 85% right).

Right now I'm looking forward to taking the exam to become a Certified Dietary Manager. But right this second I just want it to be warm. Something above 50 degrees, a lot of sun and not much wind.

Never a Consideration

In the last few weeks, I've gone through quite a bit. Only 5 or so people know exactly what has happened, and as much as shouting my predicaments from the rooftop might be therapeutic, its just not going to happen. You have to just trust me when I say that getting divorced was small potatoes (and quite a bit easier) than what I'm dealing with.

The coolest thing is, after about a week, I'm totally at peace with it all. Everything was completely my fault, which makes it easier in a way. Many people can get away with their mistakes; I cannot.

Even though there are a lot of people around to support me, there is a certain amount of loneliness that comes with the uncertain and inevitable. At the end of the day, as my mother once said, you have to take care of yourself. And sometimes that just means taking it one day at a time.

This song is on a commercial...it makes me happy...enjoy!

Sara Bareilles Love Song Lyrics

Thoughts While At Work On A Sunday

The stock show is in town, which means there are more trailers, trucks and livestock on I-70 than usual. It also means that traffic is slow at really weird times. But this all makes sense ~ especially if you've ever been to a county fair.

What I find unusual is the Martin Luther King rodeo held tomorrow in conjunction with the stock show. I know when I think of racial equality, I think of cattle being roped and scary rodeo clowns.

The world's first antidepressant perfume came out recently. Its called Smiley (not making this up) and is designed to be uplifting. A picture of it is above. Notes include: Top notes of bergamot, orange and pimento berry ( instant picker-uppers and energizers). Middle notes of cocoa, praline and curacao "provide the joy" ... theobromine and phenyethylamine from cacao have an endorphin effect similar to eating chocolate. Bottom notes are patchouli, myrrh and musk. Unfortunately its not available in the United States ~ I would try it out at the local Sephora if it was.

I'm at work for a 1/2 day today because I'm manager on duty. This means I take care of anything that other senior staff would, but can't because they aren't here. I gave a tour, called maintenance and heard the nurses gripe.

Later today my mom is coming. I'm not sure what we're going to do. I get tomorrow (mostly) off because of manager-on-duty this weekend and its the "soft" opening of Indulge French Bistro, a really nice little place that E is helping to get running. I'm really excited about her being here and having what is going to be a really amazing meal.

a quote to reflect on

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.
~Henry Ward Beecher

Hello 2008

I think a lot of my life can be summed up by this great quote by the actor Steve Martin. I've changed it only to reflect present tense.

"Yes, these events are true, yet sometimes they seemed to have happened to someone else, and I often feel like a curious onlooker or someone trying to remember a dream. "

I was asked yesterday what my resolutions are and I responded that I want to make sure that they can be followed through on before making them known. Today I realize that there is no other option ~ to grow and become better, I need to have courage in every aspect of my life, to have wisdom to know what needs to be changed and the ability to follow through. The hardest part about this (almost overwhelming) resolution is that I can't do it alone. It is so much easier to rely solely on yourself and then, when failure occurs, to say well, I did my best.

A lot of life isn't about doing your best. It is picking up the pieces in whatever arrangement they fall in and putting them together again. Most times, the new configuration is better, or at least better suited to the new circumstances. You can't put a square peg into a round hole. =)

Both great and terrible happened in 2007. Much of it was because of choices I made. What I learned: you can't control other people ~ their decisions, their opinions, their ideas about what needs to occur. The people you need in your life are the ones who let you be yourself, who will be honest but also understanding.

I also learned: to lead others; that growth is painful and change inevitable, pain doesn't come with a timeline, jealousy is my Achilles heel, its ok to be alone but I'm not designed to be like that.

I'll keep you updated...hold me to my resolution!

Bleeding of Me

Apparently there are some people who pass out at the sight of a traumatic wound...some people pass out when they see someone else in pain/bleeding. I just pass out when I see myself bleeding. It has to be a particularly bad wound, or a fairly insignificant one with a lot of stress involved...its embarrassing but not anything can be done about it, according to the doctor.

My dad is right ~ I probably shouldn't use knives or anything sharp. I'm in a profession that demands it though, and I have gotten a lot better at being safe, concentrating and making sure that I know what I'm doing.

I can't wait for Christmas. It will be my first in "the fatherland" and I'm realizing how many people really care about me ~ at work, in my extended family and those I've just known a short time. There's a lot to be done before we leave next Thursday but the time will go quickly and I'm going to have fun.

Tonight is the apartment complex Christmas party and Monday all the dept heads are going out to lunch somewhere semi-swank. We get the rest of that day off. I just have to make sure that the food order is mostly done tomorrow so I can fully enjoy it.

Already, in my mind at least, planning trips...to Dallas to see my bro's new place, back to Kansas for my cousin's wedding...this won't be until next year, but still. For once, things are changing and its not traumatic for me!

Baby fever. Never truly understood it until recently.

Just Tired

I don't know why I can't do what I intend to do. I intend in trying to before I post again. Right after I posted this I thought, this is stupid, I'm being silly. But then I let it sit for a few minutes before writing anything else...just gathering things together, I guess. I thought about what 'rini and i talked about before...she's so awesome, I love her, two doctors, WOW!

I realize I'm fortunate for everything I have and will have in this life...just because of who I know, have known and will know...I just want to do my best and it stresses me out. I should be thinking about people at the end of their life; making everything the best I can for those I'm resposible for...its a lot of weight to bear as I walk out of the building everyday.

I realize I spent tooo much time thinking about semesters eand too little time thinking about people. We're going to a new church on Sunday and I'm going to refocus; spend most of my time concentrating on where I want to be.

When I think about living in Indiana, going to New Harmony, having kids, doing the best I can with what I have...I don't miss it. It makes me wistful, but also realistic...that wouldn't last long, for sure, my life would be short and sore, sad and I would report it as good.

I love you Grammy. I realize now how hard life is without someone you love so much. I just keep moving on...someday I will have a marriage like yours.

More Things, Maybe up to 20

1. I heard an En Vogue song today and I remembered how much I loved that group of ladies.
2. Whenever I think of something I haven't come across lately (like En Vogue for example), I wonder what they are doing now and if the aftermath of fame treated them alright.
3. It costs a lot more to live in Denver than in Indiana. How can it be less $$ to pay a mortgage but much more worth it to rent?
4. I think I've really gotten as stressed as I can possibly be for the holidays already and Thanksgiving isn't for another 2 weeks. I'm just going to chill and be relaxed...I think E (and the rats) like me better this way.
5. That movie with Michael Keaton--Multiplicity...or something like that, where the clones get dumber the more copied they are, reminds me of people at work. I think some of these people are clones of clones.
6. Sometime I'm going to ask someone what it was like being a man and how they like their new life as a woman.
7. I worry sometimes that I could lose the ability to keep what I say in my head from coming out of my mouth, resulting in something like #6 being said.
8. I think sometimes I say I'm bad with names because unless I really want to remember, I don't. Its just not something that sticks in my head without making a conscious effort.
9. I with there was an indoor amusement park close by. I don't even know if those exist in the United States unless you count Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America. I don't. I could really go for a nice ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl or Octopus right now.
10. Maybe the Office will be on TV forever. I know that forever is a long time, but it could be the first neverending show. I would settle for it being on as long as Cheers.
11. I can't get to 20 today. I need to do paperwork.

Understanding

I believe that everything happens for a reason...maybe not for anything significant (at least that we can figure out) but still, a reason. I think I work in a nursing home because of my confusion related to death. This will sound strange, but until I started working in long-term care, I was never able to figure out death. I understand that a body only lasts for so long, that the mind wears out, but I'd never been around someone going through that. It just seemed to me that death was like going away...I've only seen one dead person, ever, and at funerals prefer to think that they were just away for an extended period of time.

When someone dies, you have to make peace with what you thought of them and who they were to you. This is difficult when you have very little experience creating closure with those who are alive when they leave. I have found that it is easier to do this on a smaller scale, with people you hardly knew, and transitioning eventually to those who mean the world to you.

It still doesn't seem like Grandad is gone. And because of the bizarre way I relate to the difficult and uncomfortable, I honestly wouldn't be shocked if I saw him at Thanksgiving...I'd just ask him where he went and how the weather was. I know this isn't going to happen, but it is still my way of viewing death.

Lucky #13, (random things about me)

1. I think that getting older is more about attitude and adjusting than anything else.
2. A nice comfy t-shirt and jeans represents my personality.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. It also raises your blood pressure and will end up hurting you, not them.
4. Regrets are a waste of time unless you learn from them and are able to not make the same mistake again.
5. You know the saying, you have to love yourself before you can expect anyone else to? Maybe the illusion of self-love can be good enough.
6. I'm picky about friendship...its dangerous to be close to people only out for themselves.
7. I've never thought of myself as a risk-taker but according to Dad I am and compared to some of my family I'm freakin' Evil Knievel.
8. Is it wrong to do things just because the retelling of it will make a great story?
9. A lot of life is boring. Some of life is dramatic. You can change the balance but make sure you're able to deal with what you get.
10. I wish I had a Delorean that was able to time travel. I'd run into my future or past self and probably have no idea it was me..."dude that girl looks just like me and has the same clothes..."

11. Its really hard to know what to compromise on and what to let go...I have to say, is this really important to me?
12. So communication is hard for me, especially when you don't know how it will affect the other person, (who you care about or wouldn't be making this effort in the first place), so sometimes I have to take approx. 30 seconds of silence and figure out what to say.
13. #12 makes me feel slightly mentally-handicapped

We're Goin' Home Loki

"We've paid our debt. Don't you think it's time... Don't you think it's time we went home? And to do that... I... I think we may have to dispatch our-our would be dispatchers."

I freakin' love Dogma.

My other favorite quote:
"Your hard-on for smiting has prevented us from negotiating what ought to be the relatively simple matter of catching or staying on a bus."

Clerks and Chasing Amy rock the house, but Dogma has Matt Damon in it. As a fallen angel. I've always wanted to play hockey on a roof though. Chasing Amy has Joey Lauren Adams.
We'll call it a 3-way tie.

The day after tomorrow, partypartyparty. No specific plans other than seeing the family, drinking Octoberfest and lots and lots of food.