Good riddance to 2008! It's been a particularly awful year. I lost one of my beloved cats, Claire, after 16 1/2 years. The economy went to hell in a handbasket. The company I work for got bought out in an emergency fire sale. We lost some great people, such as Paul Newman, Tim Russert and Heath Ledger. And once again I've failed to lose any weight!
On the plus side, though, we are finally getting rid of Bush and Cheney, replacing them with Obama and one of my faves, Joe Biden. Obama has picked a pretty good team of folks to help him, and he will need all the brainpower they collectively have to try to get out of the messes Bush has created. But hey, another benefit of this year's election is that the GOP imploded!! Woohoo!! During 2008 I found a great TV show I should have been watching (Burn Notice), and a new show I love (The Mentalist). Batman took on a particularly chilling Joker in what is arguably the best movie of the year. My friends and family members are all still around for the New Year. And my three remaining cats are healthy (knock on wood).
As far as 2009 goes, I don't think the economy is going to get much better. Maybe toward the end of the year, but I'm not counting on it. I think we will see a lot of stores close, but then we have been overstored for some time and didn't know it. There will be higher unemployment. The stock market won't see 10,000 for quite some time. This is not a short-term correction. I believe someone has hit the big cosmic economic reset button. We had a fake economy driven by too easy credit and deregulation that let the financial institutions run amok. We're now coming down to earth, and it is proving to be a really rough landing.
But let's hope that by the end of 2009 we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Cross your fingers and toes that we all get through this in one piece. We're living through a time that will make the history books, and if nothing else, perhaps we will learn some lessons from it so we don't make the same mistakes again.
So buh bye, 2008, don't let the door hit you on the butt on the way out. Happy New Year, everybody! If you drink, don't drink and drive!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Best hot chocolate I've found yet
I'm a hot chocolate connoisseur. I'm one of those few people who made it to adulthood without becoming a coffee fan. I love tea, but I can leave coffee in the dust. But hot chocolate?? Now that's the drink of the gods!
Starbucks has a decent hot chocolate, and I thought it was pretty good until I happened to stop in at Seattle's Best Coffee for some. OMG. Holy cow!! That's some good hot chocolate. They put the hot chocolatey milk in the cup, squirt on the whipped cream, drizzle on the chocolate sauce -- so far like Starbucks... but then they add white chocolate shavings and a stick of dark chocolate to boot. Oh, man.... grab yourself a spoon, it's more like dessert than a drink! The only downside is that I can't have it too often, I'm sure it's not particularly dietary...
Starbucks has a decent hot chocolate, and I thought it was pretty good until I happened to stop in at Seattle's Best Coffee for some. OMG. Holy cow!! That's some good hot chocolate. They put the hot chocolatey milk in the cup, squirt on the whipped cream, drizzle on the chocolate sauce -- so far like Starbucks... but then they add white chocolate shavings and a stick of dark chocolate to boot. Oh, man.... grab yourself a spoon, it's more like dessert than a drink! The only downside is that I can't have it too often, I'm sure it's not particularly dietary...
Friday, December 26, 2008
My Sweet Baby Claire
Some posts are tougher than others to write. This is one of them. Last Saturday I lost my 16 1/2 year-old kitty, Claire, to kidney failure complicated by hyperthyroidism.
Claire and her littermate Katie have been a part of my life for longer than any other pet I've ever had. She was a sweet and loving little kitty. She never gave me a minute's trouble, unless you count the lockjaw she always got when you tried to give her a pill!
Unfortunately Claire had numerous medical issues during her lifetime, but I'm very happy she made it to 16. I have known people who won't take older pets to the vet, but the way I look at it pets need more medical care as they age, not less -- just like people. When you take on the responsibility of a pet you also take on the responsibility of their medical care. I have veterinary insurance for my younger cats, but of course they would not insure Katie and Claire due to their age and Claire's previous medical history. The extensive vet bills for Claire wound up coming out of my pocket, but I could not bear to have her put to sleep for financial reasons.
I would encourage anyone who cares about their pets' health to get veterinary insurance. I carry insurance from the ASPCA, which I think is better than the company whose pamphlet you see quite often at veterinary hospitals.
I have loved all my pets, but it seems to me that during the course of your lifetime there are some that are just a pinch more special to you. Katie and Claire are like that for me. I hope everyone has the opportunity at least once in their lifetime to have a pet as sweet and lovable as Claire. I will miss her always.
Claire and her littermate Katie have been a part of my life for longer than any other pet I've ever had. She was a sweet and loving little kitty. She never gave me a minute's trouble, unless you count the lockjaw she always got when you tried to give her a pill!
Unfortunately Claire had numerous medical issues during her lifetime, but I'm very happy she made it to 16. I have known people who won't take older pets to the vet, but the way I look at it pets need more medical care as they age, not less -- just like people. When you take on the responsibility of a pet you also take on the responsibility of their medical care. I have veterinary insurance for my younger cats, but of course they would not insure Katie and Claire due to their age and Claire's previous medical history. The extensive vet bills for Claire wound up coming out of my pocket, but I could not bear to have her put to sleep for financial reasons.
I would encourage anyone who cares about their pets' health to get veterinary insurance. I carry insurance from the ASPCA, which I think is better than the company whose pamphlet you see quite often at veterinary hospitals.
I have loved all my pets, but it seems to me that during the course of your lifetime there are some that are just a pinch more special to you. Katie and Claire are like that for me. I hope everyone has the opportunity at least once in their lifetime to have a pet as sweet and lovable as Claire. I will miss her always.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Breaking News... "Breaking News" is waaaay overused
Can we institute a new broadcasting rule? You can't use "breaking news" unless it's really BREAKING. Like within the last hour or two. After that, it's no longer BREAKING, it's old. Honestly, it seems like I can't watch cable news without "breaking news" on the screen, even if the "news" is several days old! Just my latest pet peeve.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Rest In Peace, Caylee Anthony
It now appears that the remains of Caylee Anthony have been found, pending DNA testing.
I'm glad for two reasons. While there has been sufficient evidence that Caylee has been deceased since she went missing, and that her little body had once been carried in the back of her mother's car and then disposed of, her grandparents have been unable or unwilling to accept it. When the body was found yesterday they were on a plane flying back from California where they had gone to chase yet another "Caylee sighting." They have been living in such denial that they would have continued to chase ghosts for the rest of their days if her remains had not been found. Now they can go through the proper process of grieving that has been delayed so long.
I'm also glad because this makes the case for the prosecution much stronger. Without the remains there may have been just that one juror who could have been persuaded that there was a possibility Caylee was still alive.
So rest in peace, little Caylee. What a tragedy that your life turned out to be so short. But at least now your family has the certainty of knowing your fate, and your killer can be brought to justice.
I'm glad for two reasons. While there has been sufficient evidence that Caylee has been deceased since she went missing, and that her little body had once been carried in the back of her mother's car and then disposed of, her grandparents have been unable or unwilling to accept it. When the body was found yesterday they were on a plane flying back from California where they had gone to chase yet another "Caylee sighting." They have been living in such denial that they would have continued to chase ghosts for the rest of their days if her remains had not been found. Now they can go through the proper process of grieving that has been delayed so long.
I'm also glad because this makes the case for the prosecution much stronger. Without the remains there may have been just that one juror who could have been persuaded that there was a possibility Caylee was still alive.
So rest in peace, little Caylee. What a tragedy that your life turned out to be so short. But at least now your family has the certainty of knowing your fate, and your killer can be brought to justice.
Jen, be a good girl and put your clothes back on
Jennifer Aniston, what in the world are you doing? Posing with only a tie on for the cover of GQ? Seriously?? Come on, you may still be in good shape, but you are too old for this kind of behavior. Seems to me that you've spent a lot of time agonizing over Brad and Angie and trying to get his attention. He and Angie have more kids than you could fit in a Volkswagen bus. Besides, it's Angelina Jolie, for cryin' out loud! I think you need to hang it up now. He's not coming back, and you're just looking silly. Besides, I'm just getting weary of famous women posing for magazine covers in the nude, like that's something new. Enough already. Don't you know your father could see that??
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Looking for a great dog? Try Greyhounds!
You may find this post curious coming from a cat lover, but when I retire (at some point in the future, I hope), and my kitty population is no longer with me, I may be going Greyhound.
There are a lot of misconceptions out there about greyhounds. You don't need to have a house with a football field-sized yard for them, and they aren't constantly on the move. Most greyhounds up for adoption will be retired racers, anywhere from 1 to 5 yrs old, but they are sprinters and don't need as much exercise as you think. They're happy to spend most of their time indoors curled up on the couch or on a big dog bed. They are even good dogs for people who live in apartments or condos, as long as the owner is willing to walk them and give them a run in a dog park a couple of times a week. Another exercise option for them is to take them lure coursing, which allows them to run flat out and is just amazing to watch. Most adoption groups either sponsor lure coursing or could point you to a group that does. These dogs are very sweet tempered and many get along just fine with cats and other small critters. They are also very good with children, although some may need to be restricted to older kids.
Many dog racing tracks euthanize a lot of these beautiful animals just because of their sheer numbers, particularly after the racing season ends. This is such a tragedy, and so unnecessary. Unless dog racing is outlawed these dogs will continue to be bred only to race a short time and then be put down. If you are interested in adopting a dog, please look into one of these sweet animals. There are many organizations out there who round up dogs from these tracks and find families to adopt them. I would suggest also that you consider adopting more than one -- they're used to being around a lot of dogs and they're like potato chips anyway!
I have added a couple of links to Greyhound adoption organizations in North Carolina. You can Google for some in your own area.
There are a lot of misconceptions out there about greyhounds. You don't need to have a house with a football field-sized yard for them, and they aren't constantly on the move. Most greyhounds up for adoption will be retired racers, anywhere from 1 to 5 yrs old, but they are sprinters and don't need as much exercise as you think. They're happy to spend most of their time indoors curled up on the couch or on a big dog bed. They are even good dogs for people who live in apartments or condos, as long as the owner is willing to walk them and give them a run in a dog park a couple of times a week. Another exercise option for them is to take them lure coursing, which allows them to run flat out and is just amazing to watch. Most adoption groups either sponsor lure coursing or could point you to a group that does. These dogs are very sweet tempered and many get along just fine with cats and other small critters. They are also very good with children, although some may need to be restricted to older kids.
Many dog racing tracks euthanize a lot of these beautiful animals just because of their sheer numbers, particularly after the racing season ends. This is such a tragedy, and so unnecessary. Unless dog racing is outlawed these dogs will continue to be bred only to race a short time and then be put down. If you are interested in adopting a dog, please look into one of these sweet animals. There are many organizations out there who round up dogs from these tracks and find families to adopt them. I would suggest also that you consider adopting more than one -- they're used to being around a lot of dogs and they're like potato chips anyway!
I have added a couple of links to Greyhound adoption organizations in North Carolina. You can Google for some in your own area.
Can we get back to doing retirement the old-fashioned way?
We have all discovered recently that we have been living in a faux economy. We know how just how fast the economy can and will crater, and it looks like things will be some time coming back. It's been a real eye-opener for a lot of people.
Things were different for our parents. They were not only assured of having Social Security, but they knew they would retire with traditional retirement plans, giving them an income for life regardless of how long that life turned out to be. In recent years these traditional plans have been almost completely replaced with 401(k)s. Now we are finding our 401(k)s can shrink faster than a keg of beer at a frat party.
I would like to see Congress rethink 401(k)s and push a return to traditional retirement plans.
Things were different for our parents. They were not only assured of having Social Security, but they knew they would retire with traditional retirement plans, giving them an income for life regardless of how long that life turned out to be. In recent years these traditional plans have been almost completely replaced with 401(k)s. Now we are finding our 401(k)s can shrink faster than a keg of beer at a frat party.
I would like to see Congress rethink 401(k)s and push a return to traditional retirement plans.
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