Monday, August 31, 2009

"The Promise" - When In Rome

If you need a friend,
don't look to a stranger,
You know in the end,
I'll always be there.

And when you're in doubt,
and when you're in danger,
Take a look all around,
and I'll be there.

I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. (I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. (I promise)
But if you wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me,
I promise, I promise you I will.

When your day is through,
and so is your temper,
You know what to do,
I'm gonna always be there.

Sometimes if I shout,
it's not what's intended.
These words just come out,
with no gripe to bear.

I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. (I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. (I promise)
But if you wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me,
I promise, I promise you...

I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. (I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. (I promise)
And if I had to walk the world, that make you fall for me,
I promise you, I promise you I will.

I gotta tell ya, I need to tell ya, I gotta tell ya, I gotta tell yaaaa ...

I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. (I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. (I promise)
But if you wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me,
I promise you, I promise you...

I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. (I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. (I promise)
And if I have to walk the world to make you fall for me,
I promise you, I promise you I will ...
I will...
I will...
I will...

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Today......

Today Grimmies realized something wasn't right. Maybe he thought that Cash was having a sleepover last night and would be back today...but he wasn't. He's been moping around the house all day long, and we've found him sitting in a corner chewing at his toenails (not his paws which would be indicative of an allergy). He'll wander into his house (crate) and lay there, quietly crying to himself when he looks over at Cash's house next to him.

Andrew took Cash's fleece out of his house and washed it today.

Funny....when Cash was alive, Grimmies would go into Cash's house, playing with Cash. Although Cash's door has been open, Grimmies hasn't once gone into Cash's house. He's laying in the bedroom now, quietly crying and staring at Cash's house.

It's just entirely too sad.......all of it.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Why you should not support Backyard Breeders....



Rest In Peace, Cash.
It's not your fault you turned out the way you did. It's the fault of the backyard lowlife thug breeders that bred you.


Last October (2008), Andrew and I saw an ad online for a tiny puppy. I told him that we would go out and get our supplies for camping, and if we came back and called the owner, and he was still available (as the ad was 2 weeks old), we would go get him.


We came back, and sure enough, the puppy still needed a home. We told the owners we would be over in about 3 hours to pick him up after heading to Andrew's parents' house north of Cartersville. We left from their house and headed over to Lawrenceville to pick up the puppy. Halfway there, I called to remind them we were coming. The boyfriend answered and said they had six other people coming to get the puppy, and it was "first come, first serve." We had already driven over an hour. Andrew floored it.


By the time we got there, we were about 5 minutes away, and we get a phone call from the owner stating someone was coming right then to pay cash and get the dog. I lied and told her we were turning into her neighborhood: what house are you?


When we pulled up, we saw a joyful little puppy jumping up to greet us. Andrew handed the owners $60 and picked him up. While we were there, the owners got a phone call from the other person. The girlfriend comes outside, gets the boyfriend and goes back inside. They both come out and say, "the guy said he'd give $100 for the puppy." I said, "you said first come, first serve." The boyfriend said, "yeah....I said that." The girlfriend was pissed as she told the other buyer to come get the puppy (even though the puppy was still in Andrew's arms).


We left there with our little 7 weeks (or so) bundle of joy and promised to take the best care of him that we ever could. Unfortunately, he was the product of breeding quantity over quality for greedy Backyard breeders to make a buck. The very difficult decision was made to euthanize Cash due to various health and aggression issues that made him a liability and a statistic.


We will ALWAYS love him.

Inspiring -ectomies.

You know how people say how some people are just inspiring. Whether or not they truly mean inspiring or just a good person, we may never know; however, this weekend, I did meet someone who was truly inspiring. Being around her was like a breath of fresh air, like a calm AFTER a storm, and I felt myself breathe a little easier, smile a little more, and realize that no matter how many trials or bumps in the road I thought I had, there's always someone out there who has it worse.

She was just your typical-looking woman: short in stature, petite, shorts, t-shirt, flip flops. She walked over to the group of us standing there talking, and she hugged two people with a joyful "hey! how are you?!" I was introduced to her, and she began answering questions regarding how she was feeling, how she was doing, etc.

"I'm doing okay. I'm taking it easy, but I'm pushing it. I really am. But you know what? If I don't push it, I just won't feel like myself, and I'll start feeling sorry for myself if I don't DO something."

You see she was recovering from a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) and a complete hysterectomy (removal of uterus and ovaries).

But she was doing okay.

"As far as I see it, guys, I've rewritten my genetic destiny. I've come to terms with that, and I'm okay," she says with a smile at all of us. She had a certain way about her that made you smile. You didn't see her as "poor, dear you recovering from those -ectomies because of cancer." You saw her as "you're so cool and calm and inspiring."

You see, the definition of "inspiring" is as follows:

"to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence."
And that's exactly what she did. She filled us all with joy and even hope. She made us all breathe a little easier, made us worry a little less, and all-in-all just feel good abotu ourselves and life, in general. It was truly an esteemed pleasure running into this person that, although I'll probably never see again, was truly inspiring.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Over 16 inches gone....

That's right. Last night I stopped into a salon, and I was asked, "do you want to donate?" Of course, knowing they were a Locks of Love salon, I said, "SURE!" She fastened my long locks into two ponytails and then - CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! They were gone. My hair was (then) shoulder length.

She asked me how short I wanted to go, I showed her, and her eyes got big. I said, "don't worry about it. I figure I can be a harvester for hair for Locks of Love."

And this is the end result (yes, I like it)



Friday, August 14, 2009

If you have $250K, you can buy a castle



(Yes, that's USD $250K....not Pounds)

Westhall Castle: For Sale (Scotland....Under Contract)

15 bedrooms
5 reception rooms
Walled garden and policies
Courtyard with 3 cottages
About 53 acres

Westhall Castle is near Aberdeen in Scotland. It was once a magnificent castle turned hotel that has fallen into a state of disrepair. The property was abandoned over fifteen years ago and has not been touched since. There is even a courtyard and a formal walled garden (in the same condition as the castle), several outbuildings including a stone barn, old piggery, old grain store, and more.

If you have the money to renovate it, then I think it's well worth it. After all, who wouldn't like to be a Laird with their own castle?



Thursday, August 6, 2009

Where have manners and self-respect gone?

As Andrew and I were leaving the gas station last night, we had the windows down in my Honda, and we are suddenly jarred.

Our ears catch it first, and then our eyes as a tall, slim woman is waving her hands around, standing by the gas station building screaming and yelling, "yah...yah....you allow that b*tch drive MY car around and then you're gonna talk sh*t to me!" She continues with other expletives, hand waving, neck moving gesticulations as she approaches a white Dodge Neon parked by the vacuum beside another car. She continues screaming and shouting, her own little tirade, as we see she is talking to a guy who is bent over in the backseat throwing stuff away.

The woman walks over to the car, still pissed, as we are now beside the gas station waiting on a red light. She now has an audience of others at the gas station.

She continues her rantings and battery of scathing words to the guy as he stands up, proud as a peacock with an asshole's smirk on his face, continuing to clean the car.

As we drive off, the woman is going in the trunk throwing stuff out of it on the ground.

What has happened to manners and self-respect? Does that woman not realize how much of a psycho she acted like? What does she think namecalling and screaming at someone is going to do in the parking lot of a gas station? And the guy...what the Hell, man? Mr. Cocky McCockerson is really just a dick.

Methinks these two were raised by rabid animals.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Emory Study on Smoking and Relationships

I had heard an advertisement on the morning radio show I listen to while driving to work. They were looking for couples in which one member smoked, and the other member did not smoke.

Perfect!

Andrew smokes. I do not.

Being as Andrew wants to quit, I e-mailed them, and I received a response from them. I had to fill out a survey (basically informational stuff), and, if we qualified for their study, we would be contacted.

I received the phone call today. Andrew has to call to set up his appointments for the program. If I understood the advertisement, it was to also help the smoker quit smoking.

I think there are two, maybe three, office visits for the study.

Wish him luck!