The Cat's Meow

A rice shortage? Good grief!

2008-04-24T20:26:00.003-04:00

Rice shortage?

Several stores are now "rationing" rice due to a severe rice shortage. Ohhhhkaaaay... Costco's idea of rationing is to limit each customer to four 20-pound bags of rice. I don't think 80 pounds of rice is going to last me very long. I'd better find another store to buy from and stock up!

And in the meantime, I can have free rice donated to poor people on my behalf while testing my intelligence with a fun game. Check this out.

Cat

It never fails...

2008-04-05T14:08:00.005-04:00

I can leave my house a million times, and never see anyone I know.

So why is it that the one time I go out looking like death warmed over, with any old clothes and no makeup, I see my favorite ex-boyfriend? Now he's probably thanking his lucky stars that he moved on before I turned into the wicked witch of the west.

Damn!!

Cat

Call a stranger, any stranger

2008-03-30T00:03:00.002-04:00

So now you can letanyone who sees your blog call you up by pressing a button on your blog. Now, why in the heck would I want to let any kook who happens to run across my blog call my phone? I have plenty of free cell phone minutes available, but I'm not much of a phone talker. Maybe that's why I have so many rollover minutes all the time. Half the time I don't even feel like chatting it up with my friends, let alone a stranger. Or a stalker.

This is the button that bloggers can insert in their posts so that readers can call them. Obviously, I've disabled it here. You won't reach me when you click on it, but it will link you to the Blogger blog post where they explain how it's all supposed to work.

I guess there are some people who will enjoy a feature like this, but I am definitely not one of them.

Cat

I'm all a-twitter

2008-03-27T22:59:00.005-04:00

So Christmas and the New Year have come and gone. My oldest daughter turned 26 (gasp!) on Jan. 13. My mom seems to be winning her battle with cancer for now. Ava is still a precious little thing, of course. She just gets cuter and cuter every day. The homeowners association finally got the indoor repairs done on our house for the damage from hurricane Wilma. They broke our tile floor while they were doing the repairs though, so to replace it they put wood flooring down in the living room. It looks pretty good.

And I still can't seem to find the time to write one simple paragraph a week about my life to keep this blog updated. Maybe I can keep it current if I'm able to do it in one-sentence increments, LOL. I found this site called Twitter where you can write short (very short - less than 140 words at a time) updates about what you're doing day to day. They have a little video on the home page about how it works.

So, I'm going to try that out and see how it works. I can post entries by phone too. I've finally learned how to send a text message. Welcome to the 21st century Cat! In case you want to keep track of whether I actually do update it on a semi-regular basis, my address there is http://twitter.com/meowtalk

Just remember that each short entry is an answer to the question "What are you doing?" For example, here is my latest Twitter entry:

follow meowtalk at http://twitter.com

Merry Christmas

2007-12-20T20:54:00.001-05:00

Haha, I saw this Christmas card in the store and it totally cracked me up. I wasn't sure who to send it to, though, so I figured I'd put it on the blog and send it to everybody.

(Hold your mouse over the card to see the inside.)

Tie your shoes correctly

2007-12-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

Can you believe there is a whole website about how to tie your shoes? And even more unbelievable, Ian Fieggen makes the subject interesting.

All these years I never knew why the bows on my shoelaces were crooked, or that there is an easy way to fix it. I also didn't realize that there are two trillion different ways to lace up your shoes! This site shows you 33 of them. I think I'll try the Zipper Lacing Method and see if anybody notices.

Cat

Now I've heard everything

2007-09-17T18:59:00.000-04:00

I thought there wasn't much left that could surprise me, but this piece of news takes the cake.

People never cease to amaze me.

Cat

Stress

2007-09-08T00:20:00.000-04:00

Just had to say I saw this bumpersticker and thought it was the funniest!

Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet.

Hahahahaha

Cat

Blogging Without Obligation

2007-08-01T00:39:00.000-04:00

So, I finally don't have to feel guilty when I go for weeks (or months) without being able to think of a single thing to blog about. And I no longer have to apologize for my long absences.

You see, I've joined "Bloggers Without Obligation", not quite procrastinators-anonymous, but giving me complete liberty to blog only when I want to and how I want to.

Ahhhhhh.....the freedom!

Ava-isms

2007-07-20T23:10:00.000-04:00

It's funny how some of the things that Ava says have made their way into into our family vocabulary.

The thing that you push the buttons on to change the TV channel is a "me-mote". LOL, in many ways it is a "me-mote" when certain people are holding it.

I love how she sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star..."Twinkle little up-high star". So, of course instead of teaching her the right way, we all sing it the wrong way with her.

And then there are just the things she says that I couldn't have made-up if I wanted to...like the other night.

I had put her in bed, but I could hear her moving around. So I asked "What are you doing?" from my room. I get the standard answer - "Nothing." So I say, "I know you're doing something because I can hear you." And my darling little princess responds, "Well, I'm picking my nose." Hahahaha! Oh, to be that innocent again.

Can you believe she'll be three years old on August 16? Where does the time go?

Cat

Fire and Rain

2007-05-09T18:33:00.000-04:00

Fire: The brush fires here in Florida have blanketed the entire state in smoke. I can smell it even inside my house, and it's so thick outside that it burns your eyes at times.
Rain: We need some, badly.

Fire: There is a tropical storm out there already! I hope that isn't a sign of what this year's hurricane season will be like.
Rain: Unfortunately, the storm won't be bringing us any of that much-needed rain.

Fire: Our new roofs have already failed inspection, and they aren't even on all the buildings yet.
Rain: At least they are finally getting started on the roof project...

Fire and Rain: A song by James Taylor, from the album Sweet Baby James, which was the very first album I ever owned. Do you remember what your first album was?

Cat

Hello again

2007-03-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

I know some of you think I've dropped off the face of the earth, but my feet are still planted on terra firma. I've had a lot going on...I had to close the store (but I still have the online biz going), I got a new job in an entirely different field than I've ever worked in so I've been learning lots of new things, and I've been treating a chronic illness.

I know you don't want to hear another one of my feeble promises to update more frequently, LOL, but I really will try. My work hours are long, and by the time I get home, it seems like all I want to do is sleep. One of my friends described the "new" tiredness so perfectly...

I was tired before, but able to exercise and function although needing some rest time in the day. Before, I thought fatique was when I was traveling and got so exhausted I could fall asleep anywhere including hard floors. That is not fatigue.

Now, I am lying down and thinking about exercise. I think about raising my arm, lowering my arm. Next, I think about raising and lowering my other arm. Next, oh, I forgot where I was, I think it's rest time. OR, I think I'm hungry. I think I'll eat. I think I'll lay here and think about eating.

So, you see, I think about blogging all the time, I just don't actually make it to the computer. Now, if there were only a way to transfer my thoughts electronically... ;))

Cat

Merry Christmas to me

2006-12-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

I stopped at the CVS by my house on the way home from work today. It's the only place around here that sells Hagen Daz chocolate/dark chocolate ice cream bars, and I buy them all the time. I mean, ALL the time.

The manager was ringing me out, and I said to her "You've been out of those for a couple of weeks. You got them just in time for Christmas for me." And she tells me they aren't going to carry them any more! They got a new ice cream distributor, and this is just an old box that she found in the back freezer so she put it out.

As I'm digesting that shocking news, she runs my ice cream thru the scanner and says "You aren't going to believe this."

What, the price went up to $5.00 or something?

She tells me it scanned at 57 cents!! And if I want more, run back and get them now before the price is corrected. WOW, Merry Christmas!

So, I got a whole box of them. Now I just have to put a note on them in the freezer before somebody else eats them.

That figures...

2006-12-14T22:02:00.000-05:00

I had a jillion errands to run and doctor's appointments today. I had scheduled everything for one day so that I could have Tara take a day off from her job to work in the store and I could get everything done.

Believe it or not, the electricity went out in the mall at 10:00 am because of the storm we had today, and they closed the mall and sent everyone home. (Oh, yeah, did I mention that I ran around all day in the pouring rain and got soaked every time I got in or out of the car?) If I had scheduled everything for any other day, I would have actually had a real "day off" today!!!!

Why can't stuff like that happen when I'm there?

And......speaking of doctors....

In one day, today, I spent $400 on co-pays for doctor appointments and prescriptions. And that's not including the $325 check I mailed yesterday for my monthly insurance premium. 2 days, $725! Can you imagine if I didn't have insurance?

Cat

I'm still alive, barely

2006-12-13T20:18:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a long time, eons even, since I've updated The Cat's Meow. I just want to let you all know that I have not:

Died
Fallen off the face of the earth
Been captured by aliens
Been committed to a mental hospital
Been eaten by a large animal
Or otherwise removed from this planet

I have, however, been extremely remiss in writing in my blog. If any of you are still checking this page for updates, I promise to make a much better effort beginning today. Scout's honor.

Cat

Company Loyalty

2006-10-06T22:23:00.000-04:00

Now this is what I call dedicated to your job. She didn't even take time off to give birth!

Read it here.

Cat

¡Va que va!

2006-09-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

Well, guess what? Can you believe it?

Someone actually reads my blog!! I mean, a real person! And I met him! (well, I guess it would be ´he met me´, right?)

How cool is that?

Cat

What an idiot!

2006-08-31T13:15:00.000-04:00

As Hurricane John lashes out as a category 3 against Mexico's Pacific coast, there are still some stupid American tourists in Puerta Vallarta who don't think they need to take any precautions.

"We have tornados in Iowa. This can't be worse than that," said Hal Nissen, 75, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as he walked along the oceanfront with his wife, Bonnie, 73.

I don't even know if I can say anything that illustrates what an idiot he is better than he already did.

Cat

And the panic begins...

2006-08-28T13:20:00.000-04:00

Already, the lines at the gas station are 10 deep, and the shelves at the grocery stores have been emptied of water, beer, and anything you can eat without cooking it. Forget about buying batteries.

The tourists have been sent packing, and the Florida Keys have been evacuated.

Yes, Florida is in a full-fledged panic over hurricane/tropical storm Ernesto.

I'm blaming it all on Tara. I think it's been three years now that we have spent her birthday sitting in the dark eating tuna sandwiches, and maneuvering our way around the patio furniture in the living room.

Oh, well, Ernesto, bring it on. At least I'll find out if my new roof leaks.

Cat

How much is your blog worth?

2006-07-26T02:35:00.000-04:00

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Well, I could have predicted that outcome. I have no idea what the value is based on, but whatever it is, I guess I have none.

But then again...

my other blog fared pretty well with the calculator...

My blog is worth $47,421.36.
How much is your blog worth?

Test your blog today! hehe

Cat

Color Quiz

2006-07-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

Cathi took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test!

"Wishes to find her stimulation in a voluptuous atm..."

Click here to read the rest of the results.

Cat

Hurricane blahs

2006-06-24T04:23:00.000-04:00

OK, time for a rant, or whine, or whatever you want to call it.

Now that hurricane season has officially started, I'm even more pissed off than I was last year.

Why, you ask? Well, because last year's damage isn't even fixed yet, and you can't even get anyone to come out and give estimates. Because our insurance rates have skyrocketed to quadruple what they were last year. Because our economy in Florida has taken a very serious hit ...and nobody even knows!!!

Why is it that Katrina and the people of New Orleans have received so much media coverage and help, but no-one outside the state of Florida even knows that Wilma was a very serious storm? Because we were not standing on our rooftops waiting to be rescued? We had no rooftops to stand on! Most of them blew off!

Look at an aerial picture of South Florida today. You will see many of the homes still with blue tarps on the roof from Wilma. And these homes are supposed to withstand another storm? There are still road signs missing or damaged, trailer parks that look like ghost towns, and piles of debris laying around. You can see remnants of Wilma everywhere. There are people to this day living in condemned homes, hoping they don't get caught, because they have noplace else to go.

Every insurance company has cancelled our policies and pulled out of the state, leaving the government to insure us, at whatever rate they want (and they want a lot!), because there is no competition.

We have had layoff after layoff, as our economy depends on tourism, and there was nothing here to attract tourists last season. And the people who live here don't have any money to keep the economy going. We've spent it all on shoddy repairs done by companies who came to Florida after Wilma, and then left when their repairs started falling apart.

Am I bitter when I hear stories about the people of New Orleans squandering their FEMA money on prostitutes and booze, while I remember standing in a FEMA line for hours, then being told there were no funds available? Not even a hot meal? You bet I am! I went home from the FEMA station to sit in a dark house with no electricity and with water rolling down the walls, while the people of New Orleans lived in hotel rooms and bought food (or whatever) with FEMA vouchers. And everyone I talk with here in Florida tells the same story.

I pray that we do not have another serious storm this year. We are not prepared for it, economically or physically. And not mentally, definitely not mentally.

But we do know one thing. If that storm does come, we will have to take care of ourselves. We learned that lesson very well last year.

this 'n that

2006-06-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

Just a few small things today...

Some customer service stories

I had the worst customer service experience with YAHOO! today. Read about it on my bizcradle blog.

Tara had to call Transunion yesterday to correct some (a lot of!) incorrect entries on her credit bureau report. The rep, based in a location that he "isn't allowed to tell people", said she would have to call the "managerment" department. She tried to tell him there was no R in the word, but he couldn't understand what she was talking about. Outsourcing.....isn't it great?

This joke is on me. Of course, I blame the cell phone reception, my hearing is just fine. One of the yahoo reps was giving me her email address, which I heard as yahooonthefloormailonthefloorsupport@yahoo.com. I thought it was kind of long, but since she was a call-center rep, I figured it was the address they used for reps "on the floor". I felt like an idiot when I realized it was yahoo_mail_support....the word was underscore, not onthefloor. LOL

Dancing Cactus update
As some of you know, I moved my retail store to another location in the mall. Well, I'm still not making a killing, but I've had sales every day since I moved! I really like my new location and think I will do much better there.

And in the news

Talk about "going to the dogs"..... at least this time it isn't a Floridian.

Cat

Mindless fun

2006-05-23T01:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a cute little game I found, in case you're really having a boring day at work. If you want the code to put it on your website, go to Home Business Today.

Meanwhile, have fun!!!

The Red Button Game! Thanks to Aaron for keeping it alive!

Cat

¿Quién habla?

2006-05-08T23:37:00.000-04:00

Now that I've gotten over my fear of speaking spanish on the phone, it's becoming kind of fun.

I was reading a whole discourse recently on one of the message boards about Mexican phone ettiquette, and how some folks who have moved there perceive people as being impolite. That's because when someone calls your house, or even your business, they don't ask "May I speak with Cathi?", like we do here in the USA. They ask "¿Quién habla?" ("who is speaking?") right off the bat of whoever answers the phone.

The board (bored?) people were discussing how they get offended, refuse to give their name, and have a stupid never-ending conversation when someone calls them.

Bueno.
¿Quién habla?
Yo hablo. ¿Quién habla?
José, ¿con quién habla?
Usted me llamó.
Sí, ¿quién habla?
and on and on.....

in english----> (not a literal translation)
Hello.
Who's this?
It's me. Who is this?
It's José, who is this?
You called me.
Right, who is this?

I mean, what's the point? They aren't going to change society, so if you live in Mexico, why not just go with the flow? I never really thought about it being impolite, I just always accepted that's the way it is. When someone calls, they ask who you are when you pick up the phone. And you answer the question. As the saying goes, when in Rome....

So, when I called Gerardo today, (to find out where my long-lost shipment is, but that's a blog for another day) the first thing I said when they picked up the phone was ¿Quién habla? I felt very Mexican. And anyway, my mom always told me never to begin the conversation that way when I called someone, so I also get to feel a little rebellious and enjoy being able to say that when I call people. (hey, I have to get my kicks wherever I can, right? haha)

Cat