Don't. Really. I mean it. You've Been Warned.

So...I've now mentioned my dog and my cat. The picture exhibits the exact opposite of my pets' relationship. Oddly, it does represent my delusion of how I thought it could be.

I have no regrets about rescuing Sweetnik, but I've had to devise some pretty elaborate arrangements to keep her and Lady separate. Lady is (as told by the SPCA) a Terrier Mix (or Terror Mix, as I like to say). I often wonder "mixed with what?!?!?" She gets pretty hyper at times and has that Terrier brand of determination when it comes to other fuzzy creatures. Yesterday I had to stop her from catching a bumble bee!

Here's my latest mistake...Lady needed an updated rabies shot and Sweetnik hadn't had any shots, nor had she seen my regular vet (having spent her only vet visits to date at the emergency clinic). Yes, I took them at the same time. No, I won't likely do it again. Cat in carrier, dog on leash, owner frazzled. All's well in the end, but the actual event was taxing, to say the least. If I ever have to do it again, I'll ask someone to go with me - maybe two people. Maybe more.

Justice is Served

This precious little creature is "Sweetnik." My girlfriend and I rescued her from a neighbor. This neighbor has a history of making bad pet decisions. She had a cat in the past that had a broken leg and she wouldn't take care of it so another neighbor had to adopt it. She got a dog when she knew that the landlord didn't allow them and my girlfriend helped her out by introducing her to another friend who adopted that dog. She got another puppy and had to do the same. Said neighbor had taken custody of this tiny kitten before she should have been taken from her mother. Said neighbor then failed to provide proper care and allowed fluffy kitten to get pregnant before she was a year old. Cute cuddly ball of love then began to suffer from mastitis with a section of her belly about 3" X 3" having gone necrotic and having milk drip from the wound. On April 1 of this year, I saw the state of the animal and couldn't take it any more so I took her to a pet emergency room where it was determined that the kittens were too big inside of her (there were only 3, but she was so tiny to begin with...) and her organs were shutting down. And of course, she was rife with infection. Sadly, the kittens were not born breathing and no attempt was made to resuscitate them. I cried, but knew that the mommy was too sick to care for them. The dead and dying tissue on her belly was left so that she could heal from the inside out and she was on antibiotics for a month. Now, despite the inability to share space with my bratty dog, she is fully recovered and very special.

Now, back to the idiot who let her fall into such ill health. The SPCA charged her with criminal neglect, she turned down their first offer to pay the vet bills (she said that if she paid the bill, she wanted the cat back and they said no way.) and ended up going to court to face the criminal charges. She lost and was ordered by the court to pay me for the over $1600 vet bill, PLUS a $500 fine to the SPCA PLUS court costs. Well, I don't know if I can count on ever seeing the money, but at least she was deemed guilty of neglect by an officer of the court. Yay. I only hope she doesn't get any more pets because now she's moving and we won't be able to see if she screws up again and her new neighbors won't know to look out for that.

The Laramie Project

On 8/22, I received an e-mail from the UU church I stopped attending 2 years ago (another story for another time) regarding a production of "The Laramie Project" at the local University. As I've been looking into injecting myself back into the things I have a vague recollection of enjoying, I decided to attend.

I was aware of the story behind the story (the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard), but not really familiar with the make-up of the production.

The rendition I saw was simple in design - part of the audience (myself included) was seated on the stage and there were only chairs and simple costume pieces used by the ensemble of 7 to portray many more. I'd give all of the male actors A plusses, but the females only C's. Each of the men was able to portray their various roles quite well and would have easily made their points as each character without any of the simple costume pieces. The women, however, varied in only tiny degrees from persona to persona and one often had to verify the voice with the hat, scarf, or apron that was used to indicate it.

All in all, it was a moving experience. I was touched enough by the story that the following exchange in the lobby made me sad for all the jaded teens in the world:

hipster teen wanna-be #1: Did you get all misty-eyed?
hipster teen wanna-be #2: No, I've seen it before.

Not Very Blue of You, Minnesota.

From the "Blue States Gone Bad" file: I heard a report today on Advocate OutQ news that has me steaming. All I keep thinking is that the conservative "patriots" have no clue as to how far they are from the democratic ideals upon which this country was founded. There's this spin-to-downright-twisted mentality that I am not really hearing much about, but I keep seeing it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there's a lot of selfish cake-wanting and cake-eating.

The story was about Lutheran Pastor named Roger Franzen. Apparently, Franzen is (was) a closeted, celibate gay pastor working at the Lutheran High School of Greater Minnesota. Somehow, he was outed, then fired. When he sued, he lost - all the way up to the Minnesota State Court of Appeals. Apparently, in their finite wisdom, the State has decided that, through a "freedom of conscience clause," religious organizations are exempt from the Minnesota Civil Rights law protecting people from discrimination in the workplace. Somehow, this got all twisted around and the winning argument stated that intervening in such a situation would interfere with the separation of church and state. HA! (I say.) Odd it is that their "not interfering" seems to have the same effect as interfering... Perhaps in order to prevent any other such interference, the state folks ought to exempt the remaining "pure" employees of faith-based organizations from taxes on their income (like any state would give up any revenue source...and yes, I checked - Minnesota DOES tax personal income). They should also be denied any other state benefits and rights. Perhaps they should be allowed to drive as fast as they want while doing the work of God. Aaahhh, ramble do I when I get going on such topics. It made sense in my head before I started typing.

Guilty Pleasure Recovery Attempt

Hi; I'm Patti; I'm a schmaltz-a-holic. *Hi Patti*

I am admittedly the oldest living fan of the only-in-syndication-no-reunion-episode-in-sight TV show "Felicity." I watched it when it was new and I've been watching it ad nauseum on the We network. The We programmers see fit to air two consecutive episodes week-nightly, God bless'em. I have seen almost every episode, most twice, some thrice. In an effort to regain my adult status, I have quit lukewarm turkey (less than a full episode weekly). If, during a random (or so I'd say on the witness stand) scan of popular stations, I come across a scene that rings unfamiliar, I'll tune in to fill out the Felicity file in the recesses of my brain. I'm currently seeking sponsorship to help me banish this demon once and for all.

Vacation? What Vacation?

Ahhh...fresh air and a week away from most responsibilities. Life moves just a bit slower in Northeastern Maine - or was I just feeling and seeing it because of my "vacationer" status?

Of course I came away with my "I gotta move there" mentality - like I do after just about every trip. At this point in my life, however, I recognize this escapist attitude and remember that wherever I go, I am still carrying most of the inescapable crap with me.

After a week off of work, one would expect to spend time catching up. I had no delusions of just stepping back into the routine without a good deal of scrambling to get back into the same tempo as my colleagues. What I did not expect, however, was that I would have staff calling in sick and/or coming in late so that it was Friday before I actually had the opportunity to do my own job. I can't be mad at people for getting sick or for them having obligations to care for their errant children, but the framework of our workplace often leaves me as the only pinch-hitter. I can only hope that this week will prove calmer - at work, anyway.

On a more personal note, I may very well have finally ended a relationship that hasn't been working for some time. I am indeed sad and have twinges (more like internal, bone-shaking earthquakes) of thinking we can make it work, but the very sad truth is that it is quite unlikely that we will be able to salvage it. My middle-of-the-night awakenings were not riddled with fear and sorrow (as they have been in the past when we've said "goodbye") but the alarm (and 4 or 5 subsequent snooze-button alerts) brought great sadness and regret. I cry as I type, sincerely wishing that she'd call and make the promises that have been missing all along - that I might become the center of her world as she'd become in mine. I have tried to learn how not to need things that I thought I needed...to no avail. I suppose I really do need those things and she is not the person able to offer them. I know enough intellectually not to judge her for this inability nor to feel unworthy of having such needs fulfilled - but emotionally I am incredibly hurt that I (we) have failed so thoroughly.

*update* Well, it seems we can't let go right now - and neither she nor I really want to - I really want it to work...wish us well.

Maybe a "Dog's Life" Ain't So Great After All

My father sent me the following link with the heading: "What the *#@$?!?!?!?!?"

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/Aug/20050803News037.asp

The text of the article can also be found in the comments for this post.

Very sad - indeed. That strange pet psychic woman from Animal Planet should go take a look. I can't imagine losing a pet that way. Why would anyone tempt fate by walking their dog in that area?

Impending Vacation

Well, those megapills are doing their trick - all the while wreaking havoc on my stomach and causing fatigue. Enough of my bellyaching. I've got a vacation for which to prepare. I've had the reservation since April and the cost is non-refundable so I'm going! Missing a day of work didn't help my stress level - I'm a day short in preparing my staff for my absence. Thankfully, they're a good group of folks who can keep things running well while I am gone. I have no delusions of indispensability. Sometimes, though, they forget how easy it is to carry on through a non-crisis so I'm posting this while I'm gone:

I was almost convinced to leave my laptop at home, but then I decided to put off completing the work for my two "I" grades a little longer so I'll use the quiet, distraction-free atmosphere to get them done. Maybe. I may or may not have internet access. I'm bringing one of those insidious Free AOL trial cd's with me in case they have a local number up there.

I have cable access at home and, even though it costs twice as much as the dial-up, they offer no travelling access - but they do with the dial-up! That pisses me off...not to the point that I'd switch back to dial-up - I'm far too spoiled with the instant gratification of cable.

Finally heard from one of the missing friends I'd caught up with. My dismay at not hearing from them was somewhat allayed by my therapist who advised me to try to fill my social voids from the here-and-now rather than the past.