Serendipitous Times

Don't Go Into The Water...

2009-05-25T05:30:00.002-04:00

I used to want to go inner-tubing on the Delaware. When we'd go canoeing, I'd watch all the lazy people in their swimsuits with their feet hanging in the water, their floaty coolers tied to their tube, their arms not cramped from endless paddling.

Not anymore. I recently saw two television shows that not only terrified me, but made me wonder, "How the heck haven't I heard about this before?"

There are SHARKS in the rivers.

Not just any shark, mind you. If, say, a Great White were to try to swim up a river, as soon as the fresh water infiltrated its skin, its cells would rupture and it would die. But the bull shark, which stands third on the list of shark species responsible for human attacks in Australia, has three unique adaptations that allow it to survive in fresh water. First, its skin has tiny receptors that measure the amount of salt in the water surrounding it. These receptors then communicate to a unique gland below its tail, capable of storing salt, and tell it to either purge salt or release it to the body. If this gland should happen to run out of salt, the shark's kidneys are capable of recycling and redistributing salt from its body.

Scared yet? Well, here's what I found out over the past few days.

-In Australia, bull sharks have been found several hundred miles upstream, even living in lakes. A man was killed in 2003 in Miami LAKE by a bull shark. A horse was also attacked in an entirely freshwater river. And on the show "River Monsters," the host found evidence, in the form of a juvenile shark, that they aren't just swimming into the rivers, they're BREEDING in them.

-Bull sharks have been sighted 2200 miles inland in Peru. Numerous attacks have been reported, by sharks ten feet long and greater.

-There have been several sightings of bull sharks in the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, including a shark attack in Lake Michigan, in which a man lost his leg. This happened in 1955, which makes me wonder...when was somebody going to tell me about this???

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Who, What, and Why...what's missing?

2009-05-21T20:01:00.002-04:00

I heard about a dog show in the next town over from us starting on Friday, put on by the American Working Dog Federation. My husband and I were really excited about this, and wanted to go.

Well, whether we get there or not is a matter of some debate. First, the original advertisement, in a small local weekly advertisement paper, had the dates wrong (Friday, May 21-Sunday, May 23). I wanted to see whether it started on Friday or Saturday, so I went to the AWDF's website, where I found that the show actually starts on Friday, May 22. Perfect for our schedule. But, since the dates in the original ad were wrong, I wanted to confirm the venue.

The AWDF's website lists the venue as "The Lehigh Valley, PA." Wow, thanks guys. There are probably about thirty little towns that make up the Lehigh Valley. The site tells you what airports are closest, and which hotels are offering discounts, but it doesn't actually say WHERE the event is taking place.

Since the original ad listed the venue as Northern Lehigh School, I visited the school's website. Nada. They don't even HAVE an events page.

So then I simply Googled, "American Working Dog Federation show Slatington." You'd figure I'd at least pick up a local news article, a blogger's page, something. The only thing I did find was the transcript for Northern Lehigh School District's board meeting, which has notes on the AWDF's application for the event.

So, my husband and I are going to take a chance and drive over to the school tomorrow, and hopefully there'll be dogs doing cool stuff.

But for those of you who plan your own events, ACCURATE publicity is crucial. Most people probably would not have tried as hard as I did to track this event down, and yes, the "dog crowd," probably knows all about it, but they're missing out on lots and lots of people who would have checked the event out, had it been better advertised. So remember, folks: Who, What, When, Where and Why.

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Victorian Zombies Can't Curtsy

2009-05-20T05:30:00.000-04:00

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!, by Seth Grahame-Smith: I heard about this book a while back, but the concept just seemed too far out there. Then I happened to pick it up and read the back cover blurb—well, then I had no choice than to take it home.

The funny thing is, the book is as much a homage as a parody. I’m fairly familiar with the storyline of Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Classics), and for the most part, Grahame-Smith stayed very true to Jane Austen's original tale.

But rather than simple upper-crust English debutantes, Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters are warriors, trained in China by Shaolin masters and sworn to defend England against the plague of “unmentionables,”—zombies—until death, dismemberment, or marriage. Now Austen's tale of a journey through the complicated mire of Victorian society is further convoluted by the threat of the risen dead’s unabating hunger for brains.

If you’re a purist, you’re going to hate this book. But if you enjoy dry wit, a light, ridiculous (in a good way) story, and carefully measured amounts of locker room and toilet humor, you’re probably going to want to check this out.

Oh, and P.S.; rumor has it that Hollywood's looking to turn this into a movie. :)

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Poisoned

2009-05-19T05:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Diary,

I guess I’m officially important now. Someone tried to assassinate me.

It started when, thankfully, we found the Valforte’s village, settled in a temporary tent city a few miles from their original village. And…I mean, they’d just had their homes burned, all people could see was this Andrian “princess” walking into their midst…I can understand why it happened. To make a long story short, I was poisoned.

I nearly died—I should have died. Actually, from what I hear, I did die for a few seconds. The amount of poison I was given probably would have killed the entire village, but I suppose my sorceress constitution wasn’t taken into account.

Not long after, Koen and I got into an argument, about me putting myself between him and the other Valforte in danger. He says I’m too important, that each and every one of them can and should die before me, if it comes down to that. Obviously, I have a problem with watching my boyfriend and, let’s face it, my family, lay down their lives for me while I stand back and quiver.

It’s not the way I’m made. If it was, we wouldn’t be here. I’d still be back in that cottage Halryan brought me to, staring at my cell phone in the hopes that service bars would suddenly appear. I wouldn’t be running around, risking everything I have and even things I haven’t got yet for a world I’m not even sure I believe in. I think he understands now. At least, we’ve agreed to disagree.

It got me thinking, though. What would have happened if the poisoning attempt had been successful? If I’d died…the world would have ended.

If it weren’t such an annoying burden to bear, man, would I have the biggest head in the universe.

--June

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Brunching with Readers

2009-05-18T05:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry about last week’s interruption in the blogs; sometimes life just isn’t convenient to blogging.
I’m back on track this week, though, and have a very nice author event to tell you about. The slate plaque/pen holder you see above was my gift from the Bangor Public Library, for participating in their biannual Brunch with the Author program.

At times, it can be more uncomfortable to address a small group than a large one, but that certainly wasn’t the case here. I was made very welcome from the start, and there was no “pressure to perform.” It was also very nice to be able to tell the attendees that the book we were discussing was written just a few blocks from where we were sitting, since before moving to Palmerton we lived on the same street as the library. And, ya know, they fed me and gave me presents.

So thanks to Melanie, who set the event up, and the awesome library staff and Friends of the Library members who made me welcome and fed me homemade goodies. I had a great time!

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Some Funny To Start Off Your Week

2009-05-11T05:30:00.000-04:00

After a horrific week at work last week, I'm still a little hungover from life. So I'm taking the lazy way out, and sharing some funny pictures from the LOL series of web blogs:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more dog and puppy pictures

see more Engrish

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Ink Exchange, by Melissa Marr

2009-05-07T05:30:00.000-04:00

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely), by Melissa Marr: I have to admit, I was a little dubious about this book. When we met Leslie in Wicked Lovely, she seemed like an airheaded party girl...how could she possibly have the strength and depth of character to survive in Marr's fey world?

We find out that Leslie is just as strong, if not stronger, than Aislinn. Living with her drunk, absentee father and drug-dealing brother, she goes to great lengths to hide the dark turn her life has taken, lying to her closest friends and hiding deep scars from horrific betrayals to keep up appearances. She wants one thing and one thing only for herself; a tattoo, which she believes is the only step she can take to reclaim her body and spirit for herself.

But her desire for ink entraps her in the world of the fey, when she unknowingly chooses a design that will link her to Irial, king of the Dark Court, by way of an "ink exchange," which will feed the Dark Court with humanity's chaotic emotions.

So many times, when an author follows a story by way of different characters, there's a certain repetition, but not in this book. Leslie's story is both radically different and just as captivating as Aislinn's. I'm loving this author, and can't wait to read Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely).

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Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr

2009-05-06T05:30:00.000-04:00

Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr: Aislinn has a secret. She can see fairies. And they’re everywhere. So far, she’s managed to keep her head down –the fey don’t take kindly to mortals who can see them. But when the Summer King, Keenan, chooses Aislinn as his next Summer Queen—a position with potentially devastating consequences—she’s thrust into a centuries-old war, and nothing will ever be the same for her again.

I held off on this book for a long time, because a lot of ‘fairy’ books are the same, with just a change of character names. But this was a standout in a field of copycats. Not only was it beautifully written, but there was a really welcome romantic twist on the usual, “girl meets supernatural, immortal boy, falls in love…” storyline. Aislinn really shines as a strong, down-to-earth heroine, flawed at times but wonderfully brave. And as a bonus, I finally found out how to pronounce ‘Aislinn’ (Ashlyn, if you’re interested). If you’re thinking about venturing into the ‘urban fey’ subgenre of YA, this might not be the one to start on…you’ll be ruined on everything else.

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Displaced

2009-05-05T05:30:00.002-04:00

Dear Diary,

We finally arrived at Koen’s village…or what’s left of it. Koen and the twins thought the Andrians caught wind of the fact that they were helping me, and burned his people out.

I have to call them that, the Andrians, even though they’re ‘my’ people. I can’t align myself with them. All I have in common with them is skin color, and they’re attacking the people I’ve eaten with, slept with (ha, in more ways than one, now), and loved. I hate them. I hate my own people.
We have no idea if any of the Valforte made it out; we haven’t found any bodies, but the village is burned to the ground—

I’m going to try and do a search for them. God, I hope I find something.

--June

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The Awakening, by Kelley Armstrong

2009-05-04T05:30:00.001-04:00

The Awakening (Darkest Powers, Book 2), by Kelley Armstrong: Chloe Saunders may have escaped from the frying pan, but she landed smack-dab in the middle of the fire. After running from Lyle House with fellow supernaturals Derek, Simon, and Rae, she was captured by her back-stabbing aunt and sent to the Edison Group. There, she learns that her powers, and those of the other kids in Lyle house, have been genetically enhanced—with potentially dangerous consequences.

Chloe manages to make another escape with Tori, another supernatural teen, and an unlikely—and at times unwelcome—ally. Back with Simon and Derek, they’re on the run from Edison and their own family members—and Chloe has a big price on her head.

I was really looking forward to this book, after reading the first in the series, The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1), and it didn’t disappoint. Armstrong’s writing style shines in YA. The only letdown was in the book’s cliffhanger ending—and no publication date for the next book’s release! Hurry up, Armstrong!

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Twirling Dervish

2009-05-01T05:30:00.000-04:00

You might want to think twice before messing with a “band geek.” A seventeen-year-old California girl was walking to school the other day when two men grabbed her and demanded her money.

Did they get her money? Noooo. Instead, one got a punch to the nose, the other a kick to the groin, and they both got to suffer the indignity of being chased off by a little girl beating them about the head with a twirling baton.

Ladies and gentlemen, there IS such a thing as karma. And boy, is it sweet.

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2009-04-30T05:30:00.000-04:00

Magic Study, by Maria V. Snyder: Twenty-year-old Yelena is going home for the first time in fourteen years. The fourth magician of Sitia, Irys, has located her family deep in the jungles of Sitia. Her parents welcome her home with open arms (which is rather uncomfortable, since Yelena has no memory of them) but her brother, Leif, is mysteriously hostile.

Yelena sets off soon after meeting her family for the capitol, where she’ll continue her magical study with Irys. But on the way, she’s ambushed by Cahil Ixia, who claims he’s the rightful king of Ixia, the country where Yelena was raised.

Once she makes it to the capitol, Yelena becomes involved in the hunt for a serial killer, rumored to be one of a rare and feared type of magician, a Soul-Stealer. But politics constantly interfere, and her loyalties are questioned. Even Yelena isn’t sure; how can she choose between your birthplace and the only home she’s ever known?

I was a little apprehensive about this book, since Poison Study wrapped things up pretty nicely…where would the conflict come from? But my fears were groundless. This was yet another riveting book, and an interesting one, as we got to see Yelena make a lot more choices on her own, away from Valek’s protective gaze.

One warning, though…this is NOT a children’s book. In this and the first book, there are rather graphic descriptions of rape and other types of sexual violence. I’d say sixteen and up only.

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Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2009-04-29T05:30:00.001-04:00

Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer: Fifteen-year-old Miranda’s diary holds the mundane day-to-day doings of any teenage girl, until an asteroid knocks the moon out of orbit, disrupting Earth’s gravitational forces. Now it chronicles her family’s survival as life on Earth seems to slowly shudder to a halt.

Masterful doesn’t even begin to cover it. Pfeffer’s story seems to prove that, like T.S. Eliot’s poem, ‘The Hollow Men,’ the world will end, “not with a bang, but a whimper.” Most post-apocalypse books bring the world to an abrupt end with one single thunder-flash event, but here, the slow encroach of global atmospheric changes send human life into an almost lazy death-spiral downward. Miranda, who lives in a happy, loving home, and isn't used to having to go without, struggles with her slightly self-centered nature as decisions and sacrifices are made to keep the whole family alive. Her wants and complaints bring a very realistic dimension to the story.

I’m really surprised I didn’t have nightmares from this book, especially since, five minutes after finishing it, I read about the swine flu outbreak for the first time. But I still highly recommend you read it, since it’s not only a really powerful story, but a reminder of how global changes really could affect us.

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Poison Study, by Maria V. Snyder

2009-04-28T05:30:00.002-04:00

June’s diary posted over at Teen Seen yesterday, so head on over there if you want to check it out!

I’ve decided to change up my blog posts a little bit. Usually I’m scrambling for “fodder,” except on Thursdays, when I usually have four or more books to review. I don’t feel like I’ve been giving them the reviews they deserve, since I’m trying to condense it so my post doesn’t end up a novella.

So, for the most part, I’ll be doing a book review a day from here on out. You’ll still have June’s diary here on Tuesday, I’ll give you a little something from my life if I haven’t had a boring week on Wednesday, and Friday I’ll try to give you a little funny.
Without further ado:

Poison Study, by Maria V. Snyder: I mulled this book over for quite a while before I actually broke down and bought it. The cover blurb didn’t grab me, and it just seemed like yet another cookie-cutter heroine fantasy.

Boy, was I wrong.

In the kingdom of Ixia, murder, even if it’s in self-defense, is punishable by death. Which is why Yelena, a teenaged orphan, has languished for nearly a year in a dank dungeon in the city’s capitol. But Yelena gets an unexpected chance at life, when the Commander’s poison-taster dies.

By law, the poison-taster must be someone already marked for death. Yelena agrees, despite the fact that the position offers no chance at freedom; you’re the poison-taster until you die, and to avoid escape attempts, Yelena is herself poisoned, and will die unless she ingests the daily antidote.

Yelena undergoes the rigorous—and dangerous—poison identification training, and soon goes to work as the Commander’s taster. But in addition to standing between the Commander and his enemies, Yelena herself is targeted by several determined groups who would love nothing more than to see her dead.

This was one of those books that sucks you in from the get-go. Snyder hits the ground running, painting Yelena as both tragic and unbreakable. I love how Yelena doesn’t wait to be rescued; when she knows she’s incapable of dealing with a threat, she seeks out the resources to make her stronger.

I’m currently reading the next book in the series, Magic Study, so you’ll be seeing that review on Thursday. Stay tuned!

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Don't Panic...

2009-04-27T05:30:00.001-04:00

Everybody’s freaking out about the swine flu, including myself, since I work in a health care setting, and will probably be performing the flu testing everyone’s talking about on patients. So, to keep myself from freaking out, I made this small list of cheerful reminders about the outbreak.

-Out of an estimated 1400 people sickened in Mexico, only 86 have died. I would call those good betting odds.

-There have been 20 cases of swine flu reported in the United States. None of those have been fatal. Remember, there are drastic differences between the health care system in Mexico and the health care system in the United States. Not only are our hospitals and doctors better equipped, but patients have an easier time getting the treatments they need.

-This is not a pandemic, not even close. In the flu pandemic in 1918-1919, forty MILLION people worldwide died. And this was still in the days when people used chamberpots and took medicines with cocaine in them. We’ve come a long way since then.

-You don’t need to put on a respirator mask just yet. Wash your hands, take your vitamins, postpone the trip to see Granny in the nursing home, and don’t share beverages.

I hope this made you feel better; I know I feel better now. Drink your orange juice and stay healthy!

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A little funny for your Friday...

2009-04-24T05:30:00.000-04:00

Here's some funny for you to enjoy from my favorite LOL sites:

see funny english mistakes

see funny english mistakes
Only slightly less helpful than Ikea directions...

see more Lol Celebs

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Enjoy!

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Books of the Week

2009-04-23T05:30:00.001-04:00

This week was a pretty good one for reading, since I had the luxury of a few days off last week. I made it through:

Gone , by Michael Grant:A post-apocalypse setting/theme, which I'm predicting is the trend that will follow supernaturals in YA, now that the Twilight craze is simmering down. Oh, that and superpowers. Superpowers are going to be huge.
Getting back on track, Gone was a very well-paced book. It was a long book, which may put reluctant readers off, but once you get into it it's not overwhelming in the least. Sam and Astrid are divinely funny and brave, and Caine, Diana, and the rest of the "bullies," are realistic enough to be absolutely terrifying. Very much looking forward to the next book in May.

Nation , by Terry Pratchett: I had a lot of fun reading this one. I like Pratchett's dry, whimsical style--it gives you a giggle in unexpected places. It's been a while since I read something of his; he's been getting a little too theological for my tastes, and he did go into the Gods and their games in Nation, but it was easy to ignore in light of the fantastic characters, Ermintru--er, Daphne and Mau, a young Victorian English girl and a South Pacific native boy thrown together when a tidal wave leaves them stranded together on Mau's island.

Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1) , Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) , and Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3) , by Angie Sage: I read Magyk a few years back and always meant to pick up the next books, but of course they got lost in Jackie's Endless Book Wish List. The first book, Magyk, was wonderful, and both Flyte and Physik were great, although these two had a tendency to lose me a little bit. I'll definitely be getting the next one, especially since Sage left two of my favorite characters in a very precarious position, but probably on eBook, as my public library only has 1-3. The book follows Septimus Heap,wizard and seventh son of a seventh son, and his adopted sister, Jenna, changeling princess, through a series of adventures, helped by a really stellar supporting cast. Reminds me of Harry Potter in more ways than just the obvious.

Well, that's all I've got for this week. I have absolutely no idea what I'll be reading next week, since Amazon is taking their sweet time delivering the ton of books I've ordered, but stay tuned!

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War of the Lilacs

2009-04-22T05:30:00.000-04:00

Well, the ache has at last faded from my shoulders, arms, back, hands, and hamstrings. This past weekend, M and I engaged in the War of the Lilacs.

One of the previous owners of our house had planted lilacs and then done absolutely nothing with them. This was also true of the next few owners, until, by the time we bought the house, the plant had gone completely hogwild. In fact, I didn’t even realize they were lilacs—they’d gone so wild they didn’t flower anymore—until one of my halfhearted attempts to clear them made the plant send up a “peace bloom.” Which was really annoying, considering I’d wasted a whole day and several layers of my skin trying to get the dang things out.

Enough was enough, and we finally cleared the plant out and took back our yard.

We battled roots thicker than our arms (Sirius helped, of course!), but at last:

Victory!!

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At Last...

2009-04-21T05:30:00.001-04:00

Dear Diary,
“Happiness” is such a limiting word. “Elation,” “ecstasy,”…I could go through the whole thesaurus (if I had one) and not find a word to even approach what I’m feeling right now.

Koen and I are together. He came and found me after the whole Halryan debacle last week and, well, things went from there.

He’s felt about me the same way I’ve been feeling, but the whole societal separation thing kept him from telling me how he felt. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have believed a line like that, but a) it’s Koen, he doesn’t lie, and b) we both got cornered directly after we “came out,” for a lecture on how dangerous our relationship is—for Koen especially.

That knocked me for a loop and made me reconsider everything, but Koen refused to let me back out, and told me I was more important than the threat of—well, let’s not talk about it.

Am I weak and selfish for believing him, for continuing to be with him, when the
consequences could be so severe? Is it naïve to keep thinking, even after all this time and everything we’ve been through, that love could really conquer all?

June

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Debunk'd

2009-04-20T05:30:00.000-04:00

This blog actually ties in nicely with last week’s Teen Seen theme, “Gossip.” Yesterday someone tweeted a link to a news story which stated that Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, was being sued by her former college roommate for plagiarism, since said college roommate had written a short story for her writing class in college and believed Meyer had stolen the idea for her hit novels from her. She had the backing of her professor at Brigham Young, who remembered her story.

You’d think, after all this talk about gossip last week, I would have known better, but I FREAKED out. Called a friend so we could shriek and cry together, searched on every possible combination of terms to try and find this woman’s original story…and then I stumbled across this article on Twilight Lexicon, debunking the whole thing.

Well, thank God SOMEBODY keeps a cool head in a crisis. Just goes to show you, folks…don’t believe everything you read.

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Guess the Rhyme...

2009-04-17T05:30:00.000-04:00

I found a neat blog prompt this week that asks you to rewrite a nursery rhyme from one of the character’s points of view. I’m sure you can guess what mine’s about:

My name’s Jacques. Couple of years ago, me and my two brothers, Cousteau and Yves, decide we’re a little peckish, and head out of our little hole in the wall to see what we can scrounge up. And when I say hole in the wall, I wasn’t saying our apartment was crappy—well, it was, but my point is, we’re mice. So, we live in a hole in the wall. Really. Or we did then.

So we’re sniffing along the linoleum, when all of a sudden Cousteau’s like, “Whoa. That’s a really big…blur.” ‘Cause we’re nearsighted, so anything further than our whiskers is just a series of blurs in various sizes, shapes and colors. Hey, our health plan doesn’t cover vision.

But this was a new blur. And it was moving. So then all of a sudden Yves is like, “CAT!”, and we all take off running for our lives. Smack into the heels of the farmer’s wife. Remember that nearsighted thing I told you about? Yeah. Doesn’t come in handy when you’re moving at high speeds.

Stupid lady starts screaming her head off and hopping around on the foot we didn’t run into (yeah, ‘cause I’m so sure we hurt her—us weighing about two ounces apiece) and takes a whack at us with this huge carving knife.

And let’s just say it’s a good thing her aim is as bad as our vision, or we wouldn’t just be missing our tails.

After we made it back to our hole, we did what any self-respecting, nearsighted, tailless mice would do. We lawyered up. Sued the crap out of the farmer and his wife for introducing the cat, pain and suffering, and discrimination, since, with our vision problems, we fall under the Disabilities Act. Al Sharpton gave this really inspiring little speech about us on Larry King Live the one night that helped our case out a lot, I think.

Bottom line; we won the suit. Took the farm, plowed it under, and put in a bunch of luxury condominiums. Plus this singer-songwriter guy made up this cool little ditty about us. It really took off, too. Yeah, it’s “three BLIND mice,” instead of “three NEARSIGHTED mice,” but the guy said ‘nearsighted’ would have completely messed up his meter. Hey, with fifteen percent royalties, he could’ve wrote a song about three blind armadillos, for all I care.

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Campaigning for JoJo

2009-04-16T05:30:00.001-04:00

Since nothing I read this week impressed me, I decided to write about an ambitious project I've taken on--trying to convince my husband that we have the room for another dog.

I have a very specific dog in mind. The picture to the left is of JoJo, a 45 lb shepherd mix I found on Petfinder.com, who's currently in the care of a local shelter. She's a beautiful girl, but the description is what got me:

"We have had Jo Jo for a few months she has sadly been overlooked and she is really a great dog. She so needs to find her forever home. Jo-Jo, a confident, enthusiastic, playful, smart, 1 year old. She is a shepard mix but we think she may have some Shar-Pei in her as well do to her body shape. We can only guess by looking at her as we do not know her parents. . She is knee-high and approx 45 lbs. Jo-Jo loves people. She is very intelligent and energetic. She is in a kennel now, but she does have crate-experience, and would probably crate-train easily. Jo-Jo loves the water...LOVES it. She loves other dogs too, but unless they are also active and love to play they become annoyed with her. Jo-Jo is an absolute sweetheart! Jo-Jo would enjoy an active lifestyle. Need a buddy to bike, hike, or run with? Jo-Jo's your girl! "

I don't know how much more perfect she could be for us. We're very active; Martin walks Sirius every morning, our usual weekends involve a hike to the lake, and I take Sirius for a bike ride two or more times a week. Playful, but might annoy other dogs? Sirius annoys every dog he meets with his enthusiasm. The two of them could just annoy each other and collapse in a happy pile at the end of the day.

This is how it's gone so far:

Me: There's an adoption crisis going on. People are having to give their pets up because of foreclosures; the shelters are overwhelmed. We're in a very stable situation, employment-wise. We're used to a high-energy dog.

M: We don't have the room. (850 sq foot house and a postage stamp backyard)

Me: I really don't think the room would be an issue. Plus, think of how much Sirius is up our butts all the time. If we had another dog to concentrate his energies on, he'd be much happier. Dogs are pack animals; they need a social atmosphere. And he loves other dogs. Don't you think he'd be happier with a friend?

M: Hermione (our other cat) would be overwhelmed.

Me: Hermione lives in the bedroom and has since the day we got Sirius. That's not going to change. She's gotten somewhat used to dogs now, so I don't think it would be a problem. And he'd probably stop chasing her when she does come out if he had another animal to concentrate his energies on, one that actually liked him. And he's two years old now; we've always wanted two dogs, and if we wait until we get a bigger house, he'll be older and set in his ways
M: We don't have the room.

And on it goes. I have three or more arguments to his every one. I do think I'm making progress, but it's slow and arduous and I really just want him to say yes already. I mean, I know I'm going to win, he knows I'm going to win...why doesn't he just give it up already? *grin*.

Wish me luck, and if you have any suggestions for how to win the battle, feel free to let me know!

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Pet Peeves

2009-04-15T05:30:00.001-04:00

I've been running dry on 'blog fodder' the past few weeks, and so I've been relying on prompts and memes more and more. One prompt I consistently find concerns people's pet peeves. I have a lot of those, so I didn't think I could really cover it; it would be less of a blog and more of a pamphlet.

However, several patients over the last few days reminded me of, if not my absolute top pet peeve, at least a top three.

See, there are two groups of people I encounter regularly, the "Whistlers," and the "Do-be-doers." They are usually elderly, male men, who whistle or "do-be-do," tunelessly and ceaselessly. They are not whistling or humming any particular song; it's more of a composition in progress, which translates to the same five notes repeated over and over again. The Whistlers especially have a tendency to do it through their teeth, and directly at me, and usually have not brushed their teeth in approximately 24 hours.

I don't know why, but as soon as I hear the sound of whistling or "do-be-do-ing," every muscle in my body seizes up. The blood starts to pound in my ears. I have to force myself to stick the needle in their arm, rather than in their eye, and all I want to do is scream, "Will you PLEASE stop DOING THAT?????"

So, now that we've established that I'm a psycho...any pet peeves you'd like to share?

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Done

2009-04-14T05:30:00.003-04:00

Dear Diary,

I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I don’t care what happens. I can just sit right here in this little clearing while the world disappears around me.

If whoever’s running this whole little circus is trying to drive me nuts, well, congratulations, you succeeded. I just killed a man, which to me proves I’ve gone right over the deep end.

Someone’s coming.

June

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Coolest. Car. Ever.

2009-04-13T05:30:00.000-04:00

I think we’ve established I love my pets by this point, so it’s no surprise I’m really excited about the new version of the Element Honda just unveiled. It’s the world’s first pet-friendly car.

It features a pet bed, pet seatbelts, rear ventilation fan, built-in spill-resistant water bowl, a ramp for elderly dogs, a pop-up crate in the back seat, removable, washable seat covers—the glove compartment even converts into a pet seat, so you can keep an eye on your small dog while you drive. It’s even decorated with dog-bone floor mats and a pawprint design on the outside.

Some sources say this was just a show model, but others are saying Honda will be releasing this model sometime this fall for purchase. How cool is that?

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