Cous Cous the Bored Lion

Somewhere in middle of nowhere California is a private animal park named Cat Haven where a lion named Cous Cous recently killed a woman who was cleaning his enclosure.  The problem here is the word "enclosure".  Big cats do not like being held captive and I am sad whenever I hear a story like this.  It is sad for the woman killed, but also sad for the cat because he was killed as well.  I read that the cat was in a separate cage while the main cage was being cleaned.  Cous Cous was able to use his giant paw to open the door and hit the woman so hard across the head that it broke her neck and killed her.  Cous Cous then played with her body and would not leave it alone so he was shot and killed.

I am so torn on issue of captive animals.  I am a huge animal lover and struggle with the idea of eating meat, but I still do it so I am a hyocrite.  Without places like this for people to see animals there may not be the interest in saving them.  But on the other hand these animals are miserable. I refuse to ever got to a zoo again because of the way the animals are kept in small areas and just pace.  It makes me so sad. 

I have two cats who we used to keep indoors to keep them "safe" as we have been tought.  One them is now institutionalized and is too frightened to go outside now.  The other one was so depressed and bored being inside that after five years we decided to let him go outside.  We have been very lucky that nothing has happened to him, but he is so much happier when he gets to go outside.  Being that it is currently the middle of winter, he has cabin fever.  I play with him every day, but he loves to hunt and kill.  He is a murderer.  Another thing I struggle with.  I liked it better when he would chase thing and get some exercise, but not catch anything.  Now he catches stuff.  Sometimes he eats it and sometimes he just plays with it.  He does not like it when his little friends no longer play with him.

Cous Cous I am sure was just bored and the woman was a toy to him.  Some are now blaming her because she was talking on her cell phone at the time and not paying attention to the cat, but blaming the victim is not going to change anything.  Wild animals kill, they are not domesticated just because they are put in a cage.

RIP Cous Cous and your keeper.

2013 Grammys

A dress code memo?  No flesh?  This is the Grammy's!  It is supposed to be the best outfits and best music of the awards season.  I thought both missed the mark.  Or am I just too difficult to please these days? 

My favorite moment of the show was J.Lo's entrance with the massive slit.  Then her comment about how she "got the memo" and then the other guy said she "inspired the memo".

Did anyone else notice Beyonce's reaction to J.Lo?  She was like "whaaaat...I could have worn that?".  Instead she chose pants...yes, PANTS...to the Grammy's.  I realize Middle America Mothers Against Leotards (MAMAL) did not appreciate her Super Bowl attire, but there is something in between a PETA hating snake/iguana skin leotard and a pants suit that you would wear to lunch.  It's called a dress.

My other beef with the Grammys, and music in general these days, is what happened to the rock stars?  Ugly, skinny guys who know how to play a guitar???  I can't say I'm in love with any of the music this year.  Johnny Depp was the only guy there who actually looked like a rock star...except for the bad self tanner.  Ok, maybe he's part pirate, part rock star.

Most beautiful goes to Carrie Underwood. She looked better on TV than in this picture. 

I did not enjoy her movie screen dress though during her performance.  I prefer when they let her be feisty.

Most annoying goes to Taylor Swift.  I thought she was maturing but now I take that all back.  And I am seriously questioning her singing ability as well.

What were your most memorable moments of the Grammys?

Mail Order Chicks

Who knew there was such a thing as mail order chickens???  I get it that people buy chickens, but I had no idea that they could be shipped in the mail!  One site I looked at said if the box is not full enough they will include extra male chicks to keep the others warm.  I can't imagine how awful it would be to be put in a box and shipped in the mail.  I've been obsessed with this for two days now.  My husband tells me I need to be able to separate the idea of livestock and pets.  If this bothers me, he suggests I become a vegetarian.  I have thought about it, maybe it's time to stop talking and give it a try.

Who are They Protecting?

Something about a cover over a magazine in the grocery store makes me want to look to see what someone thought was soooo offending.   

When I looked behind the black cover, I saw this.

Why does this need to be covered?  Epecially when you look back at the first picture and the magazine below it that is not covered.  It's also has a woman with a very low cut shirt.  I just don't get it.

How NOT to Run a Small Business

I would love to have my own business.  I've been thinking about for years, but just don't have a good idea yet.  If I did have my own business I think I would treat my customers like royalty to try to get referrals and repeat business.  Apparently not all small business owners feel this way as I feel I've been treated bad by a few lately. 

For example....

1. Wine tour
I've used a company a few times for wine tours.  We pay them one price per person and in return we get transportation, lunch and our tasting fees paid for.  This makes for an easy going day where we get driven around and just need to eat and drink all day.  My dad is coming to visit again a few weeks and he wants to go again so I contacted the owner with a reservation request.  Three days later she told me they weren't doing "small tours" because it was Easter weekend.  This makes no sense to me as we want to go on Saturday and not Sunday...and their small vehicles will then be idle.  Oh well, I'll try to find somewhere else I thought.

2. Wine tour attempt # 2
I found a limo company that does wine tours as well.  They charge by the hour instead of by the person and can also provide lunch.  I emailed with them to get the details but was told I had to call to make a reservation, which annoyed me because I'd really rather just type my information in instead of telling someone everything over the phone.  They were very responsive over email, but when I called nobody was available to talk to me and nobody ever called back.  Now we still have no wine tour...ugh.

3. Blog design
I want to have my blog re-designed.  The designer who did Postcards from Patrice was not available so I tried another place that had a portfolio that I liked.  I paid the deposit, which was actually the entire amount, and was given an estimated due date.  I waited a week after this date and then contacted the designer...she said I'd have a draft by the end of the week.  End of the week comes and still I have nothing.  Two more weeks we do this where I ask about it and am told "by the end of the week".  After the third week, I gave up and asked for my money back.

4. Bathroom remodel
We were trying to get quotes from 3 companies to remodel our master bathroom and 2 additional bathrooms, but we ended up with only 1 quote because the other two companies apparently were not interested in us.  One place didn't return my phone call (after I called and left my info and then they called and left me a message) so I gave up on them.  The second place came out to our house and we spent 2 hours discussing what we wanted and they took measurements.  I really liked their portfolio, but they never got back to us with designs and estimate!  This really annoyed me because we went in to work 2 hours late one day to accommodate their schedule and then they never gave us anything.  I did ask at one point and was told a date, but then nothing came. 

I think I'm nice and polite to people and want to use their services, but I'm not going to beg someone to let me give them my money.   In this economy you'd think they would be more receptive to me wanting to use their services.

Are you a small business owner or have you been treated badly as a customer?  Tell me your stories!

When I Grow Up...

I wonder if kids today dream of becoming a reality star when they grow up.  I remember wanting to be a a truck driver (thanks to BJ & The Bear), an astronomer and a cook in my own restaurant.  Today it seems like the easiest way to riches is to be a reality star.  Kim Kardashian made $6M for doing what???  Audrina Patridge made $3.5M.  Even The Situation made $2M.  The reality star of the moment makes more in one year than most people make in their lifetime.  Something is wrong here.  I have not seen this 16 and Pregnant thing, but I hope kids (and adults) don't start doing stupid life changing things just to try to become a reality star.  Oops, Balloon Boy's dad already did.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

# 1 Procrastinator

To say I procrastinate is an under statement.  A month or two ago something cracked my windshield and the crack keeps extending.  It's right in the center and doesn't bother me so I haven't bothered getting fixed.  Problem is, the fine Commonwealth of Virginia requires something called a safety inspection to be done each year and I know it won't pass with the cracked windshield.  My current safety sticker expires tomorrow, as does my car registration and I still have to get it smog tested.  The same place that does the safety inspection does the smog testing so I need the windshield before the safety/smog gets done.  To make things worse, these tests are mostly done at gas stations and you have to sit in your car and wait in line and the lines get really long at the end of the month.  I just set up a place to come fix the windshield here at work and then I'll be spending the rest of my day at the gas station, then the DMV to pay the registration.  Oh, and we are supposed to have a tropical storm/depression come through here tomorrow as well.  Great planning on my part, but I only have myself to blame.

 

Skinny Mirrors

I am in the need of practically an entire new wardrobe, especially for work.  I used to dress a lot nicer back in CA, but the company I work for here is quite causal.  I've now been there for six years and I've been getting more and more casual.  I remember my first week when I dressed nice for Monday through Thursday, then wore jeans on Friday.  The person who was training me, who wore jeans and a sweatshirt every day (I'm not this bad), told me, "you can wear jeans every day you know".   I didn't take her seriously at first, but now looking back, I miss dressing nicer. 

The Happiness Project is a book about a woman spending one year doing things to try to make herself happier.  Not that she is unhappy, but she wants to improve things.  She spent each month for a different subject and one of them was about cleaning out the clutter.  One thing she did was clean out her closet and it inspired me to want to do the same.  My closet is stuffed with clothes...most that I don't wear.  It's time to clean it out and make room for a new wardrobe!

Now my challenge is finding clothes I like.  I've been terribly uninspired most of the time when I go into stores.  Now that I have my new attitude of dressing nicer at work (although not too formal since I wouldn't fit in), maybe I'll find some things I like.  I went to Ann Taylor Loft a couple nights ago.  I usually like their clothes, but they don't tend to look good on my body.  I decided to just start trying things on and see what works and for some reason almost everything I tried on was too big and I had to get smaller sizes.  Once I had clothes that fit, I was surprised how good everything was looking and how skinny I looked!  I have lost a few pounds recently, but I looked even thinner than I thought.  I ended up buying a pair of slacks, a skirt and a shirt.  When I got home I tried them on again...but they didn't look so good.  I've convinced I was the victim of a "skinny mirror".  I still like the clothes, and they do fit, I just don't look the way I thought I did in them.  I think the store was trying to play to my ego...the clothes run big so I feel good buying a smaller size and then the mirror are likely tilted to make me look thinner.  It's a great feeling in the store, but then a downer when I see myself at home.  I guess it's better than those dreaded 3 way mirrors at Bloomingdale's that make everything about me (including my hair) look horrid.

Have you ever been the victim of a skinny (or fat) mirror!

Large...A Relative Term

Bathing suit shopping is never fun. Maybe for about 1% of the population it is, but not me. I've been buying suits online so I don't have to see myself under the lights and bad mirrors in the stores. I get them in the mail, try them on at home and then send back whatever I don't like. It's ridiculous to me how small bathing suits run. I always order "large", since I can't see them to tell what size I need, but some of these suits are still tiny. I wonder if it is just their way of telling me that if I can't fit into the "large" that I have no business wearing the suit at all.

I just need the confidence and self esteem that this guy has!

Don't Lie to the Children

Thursday was Take Your Child to Work Day. At my work they put on quite a day for the kids with activities all day. There were structured activities like an obstacle course, scavenger hunt, demonstrations in the TV studio and hot dogs and cookies for lunch. I don't know what else because I don't have kids and just had to deal with them running through the place all day. Some even played ping pong with their parent or sat in the massage chair. This all sounds good to me...sign me up! But this isn't what work is really like. Quit lying to the kids and tell them what it's really like...or just let them be kids and think their parents are cool.

Pet Peeve

It really bugs me when people are rude. Something that really bothers me is when I'm going through a door and hold it open behind me and the other person doesn't touch the doors and walks ahead of me. I don't know if this is clear or not, but it was a push door that I walked through first so there I was in the bathroom holding the door for this woman. There was someone else at my work that this happened a couple times with and I referred to her as Miss Priss. She had one of those fancy southern 2 part names which I won't reveal here since some of you may know her.

Tiger Watch

How can I not comment on Tiger Woods??? I don't find all his cheating unbelievable, but what does puzzle me is how it was kept secret for so long! These days with the internet, gossip blogs, paparazzi, text messaging, email and camera phones, how did this not come out sooner??? I feel badly for his wife and I'm really hoping she leaves him to show that men with power and money cannot buy whatever they want. I'm tired of hearing about rich powerful men cheating and their wives staying. Clearly there is something wrong with Tiger's marriage. At least he hasn't paraded her in front of the media a la Kobe Bryant when his wife sat next to him at a press conference regarding him being accused of rape. My prediction is that Tiger is going to announce he has some kind of addiction...sex, prescription pain pills, or alcohol and then go to "rehab" to try to save his image. My bet is on sex addiction. The other thing about infidelity that I don't understand is why the wife gets mad at the other women? These other women, although not the classiest of ladies, owe nothing to Mrs. Woods. It is her husband she should take it out on...and clearly she did just that on Thanksgiving.

Focus People

I finally started getting caught up on The Biggest Loser. I am about 5 or 6 episodes behind. Yesterday I was watching an episode where they have to eat out the entire week and make healthy choices and their pop quiz focuses on this too. I couldn't believe how hung up these people were getting on which fruits have higher amounts of sugar than others! Seriously people...nobody ever became overweight by eating too many mangoes or grapes.

Violated...But Not Really

Over the summer I endured ten weeks of painful dry needling treatments in my neck and head to try to resolve my health issues from the accident. The owner of the place I went to is the expert is this treatment. He teaches the method and is a leading researcher who authors many papers. I didn't see him, but the other physical therapist in the office. I drove an hour to another state for this. It helped me some, but the improvements plateaued so I stopped going given the distance and the pain involved.

A month or two ago I got a letter from a state board investigator telling me my PT was being investigated and asked me to contact him if I felt there was anything inappropriate that occurred. This perplexed me and I couldn't imagine what he did wrong. He wasn't my favorite person in the world since I felt he was insensitive to the amount of pain the treatment caused, but never anything inappropriate. I put the letter aside and soon after threw it away.

A few days ago this crossed my mind so I wanted to find out what happened. I checked the PT web site and the guy I saw nowhere to be found on the web site. Then I did a google search on him and found that the state suspended his license just a few days ago. I read the entire report and can't even describe how I feel about what he did. INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH PATIENTS!!! He had an affair with one patient at her home, which the patient said happened while she was a patient, then later changed her story and said it was before she was a patient...ok, this doesn't bother me if it's consensual. Not a good idea for the PT since it was his patient...oh yeah...and he's married...and his wife is PREGNANT! So that's not the worst of it. Two other women accused him of kissing, hugging, touching, refusing to leave the room while they were dressing and a couple other things I don't want to write. The women were completely shocked by this and reported him to the head guy and he reported this to the state board. The PT admitted to some, but not all of the accusations. This guy has completely ruined his life. I hope his wife leaves him and he never works in the field again. I don't know why this bothers me so much since nothing happened to me, but it really angers me that he took advantage of these women. Who knows if there were more that didn't come forward. People don't end up at his office unless they are in horrible chronic pain. Being in chronic pain and having this treatment done is an extremely vulnerable place to be. Then to have the person who you are supposed to trust will help you take advantage of you sexually...I just can't stomach it. This somehow makes me feel violated even though nothing happened to me.

Big Gulp Gate

I have to pack all my liquids in tiny bottles and shove them in a zip lock bag that seems to always break because it's stuffed so full, but Miss Britney Spears gets to carry all the liquids she wants on board...and on to an international flight no less.

See the video of her big gulp...and if you look closely there is another bottle of something in a spray bottle that is much larger than 3 ounces.

Why Bother

Ashlee Simpson celebrated her 25th birthday in Las Vegas at MGM's Wet Republic pool party recently. Why did she bother having this at a pool? Look at how they are dressed? My guess is that Pete doesn't own a swim suit and there is no way Jessica is going to wear a bathing suit in public for fear of ridicule....so Ashlee, who is super thin again, wore street clothes as well. Why didn't she have her party in a club or something?

Are You Cold?

I am one of those people who is always cold. I always have a blanket on me when I'm watching TV on the couch, it just varies in weight between summer and winter. I tend to be really cold at indoor places with air conditioning such as work and restaurants. I am so cold at work most of the time that I wear my jacket a lot. I've asked the facilities department to warm up my area, but the fact is I sit under a vent and I'm not giving up my spot by the window to be away from the vent. They got the air to stop blowing constantly on me, but it's still cold. Fair enough...I just bundle up. Today I'm wearing a sweater and I still have my jacket on until I warm up from coming back from lunch (it's 70 degrees outside). Inside the A/C is blowing away like it's July. I'm fine with all this, but what gets me is when someone sees me with my jacket on and asks me if I'm cold? Duh..I wouldn't be wearing all this if I wasn't.

Please Don't Talk to Me

I went to see Feifei yesterday for an acupuncture visit. One of the needles gave me a shooting pain so I wasn't in the best mood, and I always feel nauseous after. On top of that I had to be face down in the oval thing like when you get a massage so I had a ring on my face. Luckily the drive to work is a little over 30 minutes so the ring is usually gone by the time I get to work. After the treatment I got in the elevator (on the 6th floor) and there is a man talking on his cell phone. As soon as I get in he says to the person on the other end that he "has to go". Crap...he's going to talk to me and the elevator in this old building is really slow. I just kept thinking, "please don't talk to me...please don't talk to me" in my head and I tried to cover my face with my hair so he couldn't see the ring. No luck...he talks to me and mentions the ring on my face. Great, thanks. I just ignored him and then as I got out of the elevator and walked toward the door he kind of yelled at me from behind that his wife gets that ring too when she gets a massage. Whatever....leave me alone, I need a ginger ale.

Stay Within the Lines

The Target credit card machine got mad at me today! With as much money as I spend in that store you would think it would let me do what I wanted. I used to have a nice neat signature when signing for credit card purchases, but lately I just don't care. It's almost a game lately to see how quickly I can write it. Today at Target I was signing the little machine box and it gave me an error message to "stay within the lines". It's ok, I forgive you Target because you are still my favorite store.

Done

I haven't had time to post much lately. I have been really busy at work and was working late most nights. I went crazy on eating snacks and know my JC weigh will not be good tomorrow. I am ok with it though. This project has been weighing on me for a while and I finished today at around 4pm (yes, on Saturday) and feel so much better now. It was a beautiful day today with the temperature going up to 65! Unfortunately, I started my day with getting my eyes dilated and then once I could focus and read again, I had to work. We did get out for a walk at about 4pm though and it was still nice. One thing happened though that I could not believe. We saw a couple with a dog and they let the dog off the leash. It starting running toward something...then I saw it was chasing a deer! Why would someone let their dog chase a deer??? It seemed so cruel.