Singles online

When I signed up to do paid surveys, I apparently got on the mailing list of a lot of things. One is for singles online, or dating services. I won't apply to anymore dating services. I tried that after my 30th birthday, and got so frustrated I cancelled my accounts. I only got one date out of it anyway. Now I'm 31 (eek!) and completely give up on men. Sure it would be wonderful to get married, live in a house in a small town, have kids and cats (I'm allergic to dogs), and have a white picket fence surrounding the yard full of flower beds. I just come to the realization that it will never happen. No man is ever going to find me attractive, I'm not going to make enough money to buy a house or adopt a child, and I have my cats to love and cuddle. I finally give up. I'll just single the rest of my life. I'm hopeless. Post later. Bye!

Kitties in tree

Frodo has finally grown strong enough to follow Precious up the treetops. Though they investigate different branches. See if you can find them. Post later. Bye!

Don't worry, they do come down on their own.

Interview

I had my interview at a historic house to be a volunteer. She said I had exceptional (or excellent or whatever she said above good) references. When I went to work, I ran into my boss and told him that I guessed I have him to thank for that. He grew a giant smile. Though, I was disappointed she didn't ask me many questions. I was so ready to sell myself on my abilities to get along with he public, talk to foreignors who don't speak much English, and try to get children to ask questions. She did most of the talking. She did say I was dressed a little formal in my new purple suit I got just for the occassion. I can mix the jacket and skirt with other things. I have been trying to gain a dressy wardrobe in the coat closet because every time something happens (like wedding or gradaution) I have nothing to wear and have to buy something at the last minute. A great "Only in America" joke goes: Only in America can a woman have a closet full of clothes and have nothing to wear. I love those jokes. A friend from England liked them too, though I had to explain what they mean first. But enough jokes.

I am so excited for their special events. The other museum I volunteer at has special events too, but only during weekends when I'm working. They have some on weekdays I can do. Hooray! Well better go to work. Post later. Bye!

Cat did it

I have been editing a final copy of my book for the publisher. While typing in an email detailing the mistakes I saw, the cat jumps on the computer. I pull him off and see he just sent my email. I start another apologizing for the un-finished email I just sent. He replied he has never received an email from a cat before. Post later. Bye!

Pooh hell

I babysat my niece as usual so my sister can volunteer. We played wash and dry our doll blanket (I made the ding sound), read books, and then my niece requests a video. Yes my niece actually said "Video". So we watch Winnie the Pooh and Sing Along Songs. The second to the last song is a Winnie the Pooh song. Since she loves Pooh so much, I say we can rewind it to play the Pooh song again. Big Mistake. I am soon in Pooh hell rewinding this tape 15 times before my sister comes home. Niece wants Mommy to come down to the basement to hug her, she doesn't want to leave Pooh on TV. The last song plays and my niece protests. My sister turns off the TV for a Pooh break. Niece cries and screams her head off. My goodness. Mommy says to get ready for bed and we can read some books, maybe Pooh books. I'm starting to think my niece has a Pooh addiction. She doesn't react this way to Elmo. Now I'm home again. Post later. Bye!

Home Sweet Home

Even though I have lived in Des Moines for years, I still consider my parents' house in my hometown as home. Perhaps because I don't own a house. I visited my parents for my Dad to change the oil in my car (he insists that HE does it) and stayed a few days.

First on Sunday came the bridal shower for my cousin's fiancee so she had a chance to meet the extended family. We played games, ate cream puffs, and watched the bride open her presnts. No lingerie was given to her, just house things like sheets and utinsels.

Then, I went home to pack up and drive to my parents's house with the cats. I can't pack early because that would stress the cats too much. Dad emptied the oil tank in the garage and changed the oil the next day. He says I will have to take the car somewhere to change the antifreeze. OK, worry about that later. Mom had to point out the litterbox smell believing the litter covers up the smell. No, not really.

I took the cats outside and watched them sniff around and climb trees. It has been raining for almost a week so mud is everywhere. Mom put me straight to work making muffins for them while they went shopping and doctor appointments. I forgot about the muffins in the oven so they cooked for 3 hours before I smelled the burning cakes. Oops. Mom made more when she came home. Today we came back home. Good thing too because I didn't bring enough cat food. Who knew 2 cats could eat so much in 2 days. I gave them some of my Mom's turkey to fill their appetite beofre packing up to come back to my apartment. Post later. Bye!

Trying so hard

I have been trying so hard to earn extra money since I spent a mint trying to get my book published on my own. I tried saving money, but 2 cats prevent that from happening.

Looking through the want ads of a paper looking for at home jobs, I found out companies pay people to take surveys. I never heard of that before. So I go online and sign up, for a fee of course to access all these companies' paid surveys.

I click on company survey access #1: I am directed to another paid survey site where I can access companies' surveys for free. why did I pay a fee to access this site?

Access click #2: I am directed not to a paid survey site, but to a web page of articles of paid surveys. One article said 99% of paid survey sites are scams. Like we are suppose to know where to find the 1% that are real.

Access clcik #3: I am directed to a website claiming if you accessed this site for a fee then it is a scam. They no longer do mystery shopping or paid surveys anymore.

Go through hoops in the free paid survey search site to find other sites who do paid surveys and off lots of free. Yes you do get paid to do a survey, but you also have to purchase a membership that costs more than what one gets for the survey to get paid for the survey. if you do not cancel your free trial memberships, you are billed each month until you do.

Did I just waste a fee to be paid for nothing? I guess Mom is right, I am the stupidest person on earth. I fall for scams so easily when I badly need money. I would like to know if the news media is more concerned over celebrity babies and contiuous bombs going off in the Middle East to protect poor people from scams? Need I mention car title loans who charge outrageous interest because such practice is yet legal to do, but unwise if you are poor and badly need money.

I did find a mystery shopping site I signed up for (through the fee site), but at the present I don't have time to do any mystery shopping. My sister just signed up to volunteer at the Democratic Party place and needs a babysitter every week. Isn't that so nice of her? Post later. Bye!

Great opportunity

I read in the musuem letter that they are hiring for a position I have the education and 2 seasons of volunteering experience to qualify as a candiadate. The question is: Do I apply?

I would take a pay cut, but get similar benefits. I would work 5 days a week instead of 4 like I do now. Plus work in the hot summer heat doing manual labor as compared to doing crosswords in air conditioning while sitting at a desk all day like I do now. How do I decide?

I voted against it. Besides the money (my cats need to eat today not when I make more money), my allergies were the deciding factor. Humidity, like early in the morning, makes my allergies act up and I feel glued to the bed not being able to breathe.

Comparing all aspects of the opening and my job now, I decided my poor people, dead end, a moron can do my job looks pretty good compared to a prestigious, must have college degree to be hired opening. I'll pass this time.

Post later. Bye!

Happy Birthday To Me

I got a surprise visit today as I opened the door in my pajamas. The neighbor kids from yesterday brought their baby sister to see the kitties. She kept calling my kitties, "doggie". We started the playing in the hallway and moved in my apaprtment when they wanted to look inside. Then the baby sister was getting tired so one girl took her home. Then she came back annoucing that their mother told them to come back because she was going shopping. They promised they would be right back. I changed my clothes, took care of cat duties, and cooked my lunch. They never came back. That's OK with me.

Then I took the cats outside because Precious drives me nuts meowing at the door. I saw the girls. We did meet a squirrel who bounced tree to tree to chatter at my cats. The cats jumped up the tree trunk and the suqirrel ran into another tree. Then it was time to come home.

I went out with my parents and my sister's family went out to eat in honor of my birthday. My mother baked an Angel Food cake for me. My niece sat in my lap for the picture. We went to a new pizza place with a buffet. They have great cinnomon rolls. The pizza isn't that great. After we returned to my sister's house we talked and went out for a walk. When niece got tired we came back. We watched Age of Innocence until bedtime. Lastly, I drove home and petted my cats.

Happy Birthday to me. pOst later. Bye!

Find kitties

I took my kitties for a walk outside and took some pictures. I met 3 girls outside eager to pet and pick up my babies. One girl introduced them to her female cat watching from the screen door. I explained to her father that my boys are neutered. Two sisters came outside to find the apartment playground, but didn't know where it was. They followed the cats everywhere and came upstairs to see which apartment we live in when I decided our hour and a half walk was long enough. They just looked inside the door and I got cat treats out to coax the cats back. I said good-bye and shut the door. I don't mean to be rude, but I thought it a bad idea to invite strangers, especially kids, into my apartment.

See if you can find my kitties in the pictures.

Vet office

I took Frodo to get his shots thinking this is the last time. They don’t have Frodo's records from the animal shelter I gave them last time. I know the lady marked a sheet while checking Frodo's folder. Well whatever she wrote down was not there, just the shots they gave that day. They didn’t reaize Frodo had been neutered until they grabbed his privates or knew he was from a shelter. They need those records because the nurse needs to figure out if he needs another distemper shot.

So I go home to get the folder and call the vet office to read off the unprouncable medical terms. I'm on hold for 5 minutes. Get a person and she has no idea what I'm talking about and gives the phone to someone else. I read off the shots and when they were given. She is confused at the series of shots they gave, "Why did they do that" she says. I asked if she would like the phone number of the shelter's vet and she says yes so she can call them for Frodo's records. As I start reciting the first 3 numbers, she interupts saying it would be easier if I just came down with the folder and they can xerox it for the file.

Get to the office, get a person who knows why I'm there, I hand over the folder, and the lady is given the phone. She doesn’t write anything down, just talks on the phone about a little girl 8 years old who was sent home with a 102 temperature and throwing up. She thinks is inexcusable to send this girl home when she is so sick. I assuming it was a doctor who sent the girl home, not a school. We are interupted by the nurse who gave Frodo his shots asking if I forgotten something. I explain I brought over his records and the lady on the phone pats the folder sitting on the counter. No xeroxing was done and only a couple of boxes were written in on the paper saying Animal Record on top. The lady hands back the folder and says Thank you, then continues her conversation. You know, it really pisses me off when customers are neglected so people can take personal phone calls. Especially when they make me come all the way back because somebody didn’t do their job last time we were there. I have no idea if Frodo needs anymore shots, lady on the phone didn’t say one way or the other. I'm done griping. Post later. Bye!

First bird

Precious caught his first bird. I saw him pawing at the bushes and then his head got bigger, then I realized he had something in his mouth. He hid under the bush and I saw him pawing at a bird, it didn’t move. I don't know what he did with it, it was all under the bush.

Then Precious climbed a good 10 feet up a tree trunk, then looked at me like "What do I do now?" He made himself comfortable on a branch, then started down. He came down a little backwards, then turned around to jump down. As he was squirming before the jump (maybe 8 feet), I walked over and spread my arms. I caught him and set him down. We had an adventurous walk.

I got in the mail my first birthday card today from my aunt. She was pleased at the cat photos I sent her. Apparently she feeds a stray cat in the neighborhood. She cooks chicken for her dog and feeds whatever is left to the cats. Pampered pooch. She included $20 with her letter. Mom keeps reminding me that my dining room table is my birthday present so don't expect anything else from her. I don't have any plans for my birthday. Mom said she wanted to take me out to dinner. I can't expect my barhopping friend to recall my birthday every year.

Post later. Bye!

Party!!!

My sister sells Tupperware so she is itchy to get me to host a Tupperware party. She said she will bring all the food and drink, and the Tupperware lady respresenting the company. I have been sharing the news at work to see if there is interest. I have a few excited to come and a few maybes. I never hosted a party before so I am relying on my sister for help. I do feel guilty making my sister bring all the food so I told her I can make cupcakes. I think this will be fun.

My sister often rags on me about getting better friends and working with higher class of people. She can't understand why I want to hang around poor trashy people. Easy: They accept me the way I am, fun to talk to, eagerly look at photos of my cats, and encourage my dreams. Why would I want someone else to be my friend?

Post later. Bye!

Good-bye Nina

I received notice of the no-kill shelter cat I had been sponsoring for about
a year has died. Nina died from complications of feline leukemia and the
staff made her as comfortable as possible in her last hours. The noticed
called it passing over the rainbow bridge. I wonder where that come from. I
have heard of passing away, going cat heaven, or even kicking the bucket,
but never heard of a rainbow bridge to describe dying. Oh well. Post later.
Bye!

Tupperware party

My sister has been itchy for me to host a Tupperware party since she sells it. She said she would provide the finger food and drinks. I get 25 party invitations and catalogs for those who can't attend but wish to purchase. I got a few yeses and maybes so we shall see what happens. I plan to invite everyone I know at work. My relatives live too far away. Post later. Bye!

Spider-cat

I caught my kitty Frodo climbing the window screen in the bedroom in the middle of the night. Then I spied Precious climb up and paw at Frodo until he came down. Ahhh, I didn't have to get up and grab him as usual. When I do that it means I close the window for a day to keep spider-cat from climbing up again. He is learning. Later when Frodo climbed up again and stuck his head through the blinds, I yelled at him to get down and he climbed down. I didn't shut the window. I petted him and said he was a good boy. I also petted Precious since he was there next to my feet. Post later. Bye!

Cat walk

I took my cats outside and left off the leashes. They did have harnesses on if they wandered in no-no territory. I did hook up the leash when they got interested in the pool fence. They jumped around like prancing gazelles and climbed trees while chasing each other. They stirred up people walking their dogs, but sniffed about ignoring them. The dog owners guided their dogs away from the cats. When Precious once could not see Frodo in the bushes, he let out this strange yowl and Frodo answered. Cats do speak to each other, thye just don't speak English. Since we had not gone outside for almost a week, I let them have extra time out. Cats do talk to each other, they just don't speak English. After an hour and 15 minutes, the cats were meowing at the door to go back inside. They meowed at the wrong door (they all look alike) so I had to carry them to the right door. It is aninteresting experience carrying 2 cats in my tiny arms. I met one of my nieghbors coming home with groceries. He petted Precious and talked about a neighbor on the 2nd floor whose cat was allowed out on the balcony. It jumped over the railing, landed on the roof over the front door and jumped door to the ground. There is not much chance of that happening from the 3rd floor balcony where I am. I wore them out so much that they took a nap right away. Post later. Bye!

Ad for purses

I saw an advertisement today for Paris Hilton's purse collection. Is there anything this girl doesn't do? I mean modeling, reality show, book, perfume, horror film acting, commericals, record label, singing on her own album, and now purses. I have to wonder what exactly is her passion. I can tell she gets her feet wet in everything and masters nothing. Post later. Bye!

Funny people

The other night, I guess some flights to Cedar Rapids were diverted to us. I had a guy (not joking) asked me to bill United Airlines or the FCC (I think he meant FAA) for his rental car because they messed up his flight plans. I said I couldn’t do that. What a weirdo. Post later. Bye!

Hurricane Annika

My sister and niece came to visit me and the cats today. My niece Annika entertained herself in my bedroom while my sister and I talked in the living room. We heard her talking so we felt asured she was alright playing with the cats. I checked on her once and she was looking at my photo albums and got excited when she saw people she knew.

Then I had to go to work and my sister tried to put my niece down for a nap while she played on my computer. I come home to a bedroom that looked like it was hit by a hurricane. My cats' water bowls were empty and their food soaking wet. Plus my bedroom was a mess with stuff thrown everywhere. Then I am missing 3 pictures out of my photo albums after putting them back in the slots. At least my niece had fun. Post later. Bye!

Maggots

I got a moist cat food from the animal shelter when I picked up my cat Frodo, along with dry cat food they use. Today I check the cats' food dishes to see the moist cat food is moving. Odd. A closer look revealed maggots crawling all over the food. I tossed it in the garbage disposal and rinsed out the container. I hope Frodo doesn't have maggots in his tummy from this. He takes forever to eat his food. I wish he would eat the mosit stuff I little quicker, but he takes his time about it. Post later. Bye!

Met Superman

Well I met Superman as he walked by and said hi to my coworker who lives next door to Superman's parents, but I didn't realize it was him until my coworker said "You just missed Superman." "You mean that kid that just walked by," I answered. Sorry I didn't get his autograph. Posty later. Bye!

Warning at the desk

I heard today of an airplane bombing plot in Britain where 15 to 20 people
were arrested planning on using a new explosive that is a liquid so the TSA
banned on liquids from carry on baggage and beverages held in passengers'
hands. They even printed a warning for the car rentals to tape to their counters to inform the public of this new rule. I think the TSA should simply ban all carry on luggage, coats, and any clothing with pockets. Perhaps that will make the security line shorter with fewer false alarms from innocent passengers not thinking like
terrorists.

I was also thinking that there is actually an explosive substance invented by the terrorists that the US Army has yet to get their hands on. That seems a little strange to me. Post later. Bye!

Fleas

My sister told me yesterday that her cat has fleas around its head. She is convinced my cat gave them to hers. But they haven't seen each other in weeks since my cat has been banished from her house. Plus, I took one cat to the vet the day before and he said nothing about fleas. He said I have a healthy cat. I am sure if one cat had fleas the other would too. Who knows where they came from? Post later. Bye!

Figured it out

I figured out why my Precious keeps chewing on my ears, he's teething. My other cat Frodo has started doing that chewing thing to my pajama top. I looked up in my cat book when they start getting their adult teeth, 4-6 months. Then thye sexually mature at 7 months for males (6 months for females), and are fully grown at 1 year. I guess Frodo would be like a 7-year-old human, while Precious would be about 8 or 9. Post later. Bye!

Cute kitties

Here are photos of my kitties playing today. The larger is Precious and the smaller with white paws is Frodo. Post later. Bye!

Adventure

Today I got visitors today. My sister and 3 nieces from another state went to church with Grandma to pick up one niece who was visiting Grandma this past week. My sister came yesterday with 2 nieces and stayed overnight at my other sister's house in town. We met up at IHOP, but they were a little crowded and I have to get to work in an hour or so. I gave directions to Perkins nearby, but gave wrong directions so they found their own way there. I had the Belgian wafle, sister had strawberry waffle, one niece had shrimp feast, another had omelette and pancakes, and the third had soup and something I forgot. I think it was some kind of sandwich. Two nieces ate off of the shrimp feast plate because my niece got full drinking her chocolate shake waiting for the food and had a tummy ache. Then the omelette and pancake niece was full the the third ate most of her pancakes. So I would have time to visit with my visitors, I called work from my sister's cell phone to say I would be in an hour after my shift began. No problem.

Then they followed me to my place. Once niece made my sister move so she could sit on the couch next to me, then ran all over the room playing with the cats. The shrimp feast niece wanted ice cream she had last time she visited, but my sister said no since she didn't eat her dinner. One niece told my cat Frodo, as they petted them good-bye, to go find the ring. My cat Precious is named after the Ring in Lord of the Rings. The nieces loved the cats so much that my sister had to order them to put the cats down. Then I walked them out to get dance recital pictures off my sister. They are back to school shopping. One niece said she wished she could go swimming again as we walked to the car. No swimming today, gotta go shopping. I had a long day at work before driving across town to feed my sister's cats. She returns from vacation tomorrow. Post later. Bye!

Water bowl

My 2 cats drank from the same water bowl at the same time, and no catfight. I was so happy they are getting along so well.

My new cat is less of a scaredy cat now. Post later. Bye!

Back cover

Just when I'm trying to figure out how to send back my story version with all corrections present, this will be my 3rd attempt of sending this back. Then the book publisher sends an email telling me to cough up a back cover paragraph describing the book and me. No wonder I'm so bitching lately when people ask for favors. But I can't tell anyone what is bothering me because no one knows I'm doing this. If I do, I know it will be: So is it done yet?

I read the back of a few books to see what they say. So far , I came up with:

Written for a beloved teenage niece, The Hermit tells a story of a hero who fell from grace reciting his autobiography to three boys demanding to know why he can't erase all the evil in the world. The Hermit stages of life in a world when mermaids and fairies were real. Back when people worhipped gods and goddesses of nature and commerce. A time when kings creating empires respected sorcerers and witches while their soldiers discovered iron weapons. This is a story of a foretold hero rising to fame in his homeland, falling in love, and losing everything he ever cared about. Will he rise from the ashes of sorrow and fight another day?

And for the author's paragraph:

Jordan Harvey loved reading stories to her nieces and made up a few of her own. Her debut novel chronicles much of her own life from a childhood full of hope to a twenty-something struggling to make ends meet. Now living in Des Moines, IA with two cats named Precious and Frodo, Jordan Harvey writes stories in her spare time for a wider audience.

Wake up call

Early this morning, I received a wake up call from my cat. He was on my
back, claws dug into my hair, chewing on my ear. At least I know what it is
like to have a lion cub eating me. Post later. Bye!

Cloud 9

I am so excited today no grouchy people will be bringing me down. I emailed the shelter holding my 2nd kitten last night about when they estimate I can bring him home. They answered back today that I can take him home tomorrow. He has been neutered, but still has yet to have his final shots (like rabies). If I took him in tomorrow, I would have to pay for his final shots. That's ok, I can handle that. I'm so happy Precious will finally have a playmate. Post later. Bye!

Cat offer

I don't know why I bothered adopting a kitten from an animal shelter, I'm having cats thrown at me left and right. A friend from the car rental next door offered a kitten to me. But I already reserved a kitten from the shelter. I'm just waiting to take it home. I don't need 3 kitties. But since Precious badly needs a playmate and has been banished from my sister's house, I said I could foster it for a month until I get the other kitten. She guessed it was a girl that weighs about a pound. Mother cat is a stray roaming around down by the river where my friend's brother was feeding it. My friend has 2 dogs and a ferret so she can't take in this kitten. It is roaming around lose in her yard. She said she will find another home for it while it is at my apartment. Hopefully it won't get chased up a tree or hit by a car before I get my hands on it. If she can't find a home for it, it will be going to the animal shelter where I am getting my kitten from. Post later. Bye!

Buried treasure

I was cleaning out my Precious's litterbox and found a green ball. I tossed across the floor into the living room and Precious comes back with it, dropping it in the litterbox. Weird cat. He also drop balls in his water bowl. Well he is sleeping so I better go try to clip his claws. Post later. Bye!

Weirdoes

Guy comes to my counter asking for flight info. I point out the flight arrival screens hanging on the ceiling. He says it states it will arrive at 10:30 (So why is this bozo bothering me?) He has never done this before so he would also like to know how long it takes to fly from this city to here, commuting the time zone change in that assessment, because the flight has not left yet. When it is coming?!

Don't know, sir. He says, "You people are suppose to know these things". Sir, this is a car rental. I point the direction the airline counters. There is nobody at the airline counters, he claims. I point out again the flight screens hanging on the ceiling and he finally leaves. Weirdoes.

Tip of the day: If I am not standing in front of a airline logo nor wear a airline logo on my uniform, I don't work for the airlines. Plus not having staff visible at the airline counters is not my problem. OK?

Thinking

I have been watching the news coverage about the bombings between Israel and Lebanon. And so far the American President has not asked for a cease fire. Why is that? The Secretary of State Rice is talking to everyone about humanitarian aid for the Lebanonese people, except to Israel. I'm sorry for not saying this sooner, I have been expecting someone else to say it.

To Israel: Can we please have a cease fire now?

Post later. Bye!

Lance Armstrong is here

Lance Armstrong has arrived in Ames by private airplane, going by the news camera point of view. He rides in the annual bikeride across the state of Iowa called RAGBRAI. It has already begun and half way done. Yesterday the town of Waukee welcomed riders with leis for their themed overnight stay, Hawaii. They even had a photographer take pictures of riders wearing grass skirts and straw hats in front of a tropical backdrop. Each overnight stay has a theme and a beer garden. Lance Armstong will be present in Newton today to speak about cancer research in the town hall. It is expected that 10,000 people will come just to see him. They even set up large screens for people outside the town hall. Then Mr. Armstrong will ride the rest of the route of the bikeride with the 6500 plus other riders. This bike ride has become so popular that they had to only accept 6500 riders to ride the entire route while more are allowed to ride parts of it. At the beginning the riders place their tires in the Missouri River. At the end, they place their wheels in the Mississippi River. My friend's son is riding this year with his YMCA club. Post later. Bye!

Caught in the rain

Yesterday I took my niece and Precious outside for a walk while my sister ran to the store. It was barely sprinkling when we came outside. Under the trees, we got no raindrops at all. After 20 minutes exploring the backyard, it poured. My niece was screaming but I couldn't see her. Precious jumped into the bushes. I found my niece behind the grill under the eave calling my name. I tied up the leash to the bushes and guided my niece back inside. I told her I had to get Precious. Then I called for Precious to come out of the bushes (fat chance of that) so I had to stand in the rain dripping wet waiting for him to come out. He did come out and jumped on my sister's plant box. I grabbed him and went inside. I dried us off, even Precious. I stuck in some sing along videos my other sister left behind since her girls are too old for them. My niece loved the sing along tapes. She didn't even notice my sister came home until she told her she smelled a poopy diaper and paused the tape. Post later. Bye!

Precious is banished

Through the cat fights with queen bee cat and nervous cat hissing at Precious, Precious had been alowed to come back to my sister's house. Today after jumping on top of my sister's brand new leather chair for the first time and puncturing a hole with his claw, Precious has been banished from my sister's house. That should make her cats happy. Funny, he has jumped on my leather/vinyl chair a dozen times and never punctured any holes. His nails need clipping again I suppose. Anyway, he was getting to be difficult to put him in his carrier. Today my neighbor picked him up and asked if this was mine. My Precious is turning into a weasel. One more month for his playmate from the shelter to arrive. Post later. Bye!

Surprise package

When I filled up my kitty's freshly cleaned litterbox, Mr. Kitty batted a bunch of litter on the floor near the box. He usually jumps in the litterbox digging around when I add new litter. I didn't think much of it until today when the pile on the floor was getting bigger. With my litter brush and dustpan, I brush up the extra litter to put back in the box. Guess what, there is poop in the pile. Bad kitty pooping on the floor. So the pile went into the bag for disposing. Post later. Bye!

Mad as a wet cat

I started the faucet in the bathtub to take a shower. Mr. Kitty jumps in and lays down on the shower mat comfortably. He probably thought I was going to just run the faucet like when I cleaned his literbox the other day. No, I'm taking a shower today. So when I turned on the shower he jumped out and shook his body on my clothes sitting on the toliet lid. He bit and pawed at me for that as I tried to pet him to see how wet he was. Just the top coat of fur is wet. Post later. Bye!

What was that?

I show up at work today to be asked to step into the backroom immediately after clocking in. "Am I in trouble?" I naturally asked. No, I'm not in trouble. I'm just causing trouble (more or less) between the owners and some employees, which means half the people I work with are angry with me. I had no idea one email explaining why I made the outside crew stay longer than their scheduled time would cause such an uproar. I thought it had blown over by now. No, I'm a serious bad judge of people.

Problem is communication. Some employees only wish to be contacted by coworkers they like, which is bad news when the one they like is not there and the hate list victim needs something from them. I found out I'm on the hate list today so I should not go out of my way to help a customer get what they want, because it will not be delivered.

Let's see, what else was there. Oh, yes. I'm not to contact the owners under any circumstances. I guess I made them mad too. OK, I can handle not emailing a happy birthday greeting to them.

Then the person speaking to me informs me that she is new person in charge so if I have problem with how she handles things, I should go directly to her to complain. Excuse me? Go to the person who can fire me if I disapprove of the way they handle things. Guess I will be walking on egg shells for a while trying to not anger anymore coworkers. And here I thought I got along with most people. I was wrong. Post later. Bye!

Fun day

During my nieces' visit, we went swimming in my apartment pool. There wasn't too many people there, just a few adults standing along the edge sunbathing and talking while standing inside the deep end of the pool. One group brought a dog, radio, and baby. They had a baby inner tube that holds the baby while they kick their feet in the water and has a tree-like thing over the baby kinda like an umbrella. Then my baby niece got fussy and needed a nap. Precious tried to lay down with them, but my niece would not have it. Then we barged in to eat popicles. My one niece tried so hard to play with Precious, but Precious wanted to rest. My sister had to the TV so loud that I had to point out that I do have neighbors who might not like the volume of the TV. My Mom called to get the update of what we are doing and my nieces talked to Grandma. Then we went to a restrauant with a waiter. Next we went back to my sister's house because our aunt wanted back the mattress she lent them for the visitors. That loaded up, my sister brought me back home. We planned to go bowling, but my sister is not suppose to drive in the dark. She missed the exit on the freeway because it is closed, so we took the extra long scenic route back. Today they are at an amusement park and tomorrow is the Science Center. There is a Titanic exhibit here. Post later. Bye!

Why me?

Why do people keep asking if I know the new Superman, Brandon Routh? I even
got asked if we went to the same school together and was I invited to the
invitation-only movie showing. This only proves how well my friends and
coworkers do not pay attention, our hometowns are no where near each other.
The answer to all questions is no.

But my coworker lives next door to Superman's parents and has known him for
years. She doesn't have much to say about him though. Pity no one asks her
about Superman or if she was invited to the invitation-only showing.

Post later. Bye!

Bye Bye Doggie

I asked my coworker what the baby did to the dog for the dog earning a one way trip to the animal shelter and make his wife upset. The baby did nothing, the problem is the dog does not get along well with children. He got this dog from his brother when he had his niece because they can't get along. His brother thought maybe it was abused as a puppy by children to behave this way. He knew they would have to get rid of the dog when his wife and him had a child, and now it is time. He can't find anyone to take the dog, so off to the shelter it goes. My coworker said children are more important than dogs. Sadly, that is true.

My sister and I made a pact long ago that if anything happen to her or her future children were allergic to her cats, I would take in her cats. I hope that goes for me now that I have a kitten. Though, I would consider my future children equal to the cat in importance and try all possible solutions to keep both. I got a kitten to be with me until it dies, not until it is inconvenient.Post later. Bye!

Weird dreams

I am the master of weird dreams. If someone thinks they have better weird dreams, please share. Last night I dreamed up a boy with 2 younger sisters receiving a phone call that their parents have been in an accident and they will need to stay with the neighbor until thye are well recovered. The neighbor is a sweet old lady who always smiles and lives in a spooky old house. Every piece of furniture is covered with a dusty sheet, ghosts walk about (one is Emily who is quite mean to the youngest sister), and 2 cats talk to the siblings. The night they come over is the lady's 400th birthday and changes into a younger self when she was a teenager. The brother falls in love with this red headed beauty out of a fairytale. Soon her father finds out of this romance as they party in costumes in her backyard garden. as the couple sleeps and she returns to the old lady form, her father barges in and shoots the couple's bed frame with machine guns. The old lady gets up and pleads for her lover's life. Remaining still in the bed he pretends to be dead. She cries and cries to her father how wonderful this boy is and her father grunts and leaves. The boy is hit with a few bullets, but doesn't die. The boy gets up and kisses the old lady. Next the go out in town in 1920's outfits cause it is Halloween. Then I woke up to hear my kitty purring pressed up against my back. Post later. Bye!

Missing cat

I came home without a greeting from my cat Precious. He was eating his treats as I flew out the door to work. I hear a meow, a "Help me" meow off in the distance of my dark apartment. Where is Precious?, I ask myself out loud. Another meow. I discover the bedroom door shut. Open it and out jumps Precious meowing like crazy as I pet him. Must have been chasing a ball behind the door to close it. I have no idea how long he was there, but he did not rush to the litterbox. Post later. Bye!

Visitor

I received a visitor at work today. My sister and niece were picking up a passeneger at the airport and stop by to see me. My niece was so surprised to see she grabbed my arm saying my name, I was real. With a big smile, she pointed at me and looked at my sister squealing my name. My sister took our picture in front of my company's sign. I tried to show her off to my friends, but my niece was not cooperating and wanted down. I chased her around the baggage claim area (which was empty for the moment) and got my exercise for the day. My sister then had to go get her passenger. I gave my niece lots of kisses and a hug. Post later. Bye!

Weird

Weird, I poke in the website to do a cat lover's survey I got off my Petco receipt and I get connected to a screen full of naked women called million something girls dot com. I was horrified looking at women's private parts. Once I exited out of the disgusting site, there is my survey. Is it not safe to do web searches without visiting porn sites? My apologies for not loving to look at naked women, I'm not a guy nor a lesbian. Post later. Bye!

Bad kitty

I took my kitty over to my sister's house as usual for the kitty playdate with her cats. The first hour was quite intense with my Precious jumping on top of my sister's cat, thus starting a catfight. Bad kitty. Though it is almost funny watching him jump in the air spread eagle and land on the cat. I lost count how many times I separate the 2 cats. This time I had to go in and physically break up the fight. He just wants to play with the other cats so badly and they won't play with him. When the other cat hides under the coffee talble, Precious would dangle his paws over the top in attempt to play. Once I caught Precious laying on the floor with the other cat's fur pieces in his toes. Real bad kitty pulling out fur. After a while, he calmed down and laid near the other peacefully. No more catfights.

I do wonder if I had remembered the harness and leash and taken him outisde when he got excited, if that would have calmed him down better. I think I'll leave Precious at home next time I go over. Post later. Bye!

It's a boy!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a boy!!!!!!!!!

I went over to the animal shelter and picked out a playmate for Precious. He is currently named Elton and has 5 sisters, he is the only boy of the litter. I plan to call him Frodo, after Lord of Rings books. He is gray with black stripes that are hardly visible and has white paws often called socks. He has shorter fur than Precious. The adoption person let me play with the 8 kittens they had, one had been reserved already. She recommended 2 boys play together well, from her experience.

I was there for an hour and 20 minutes letting the kittens climb over me and attack my shoelaces. Precious did lots of sniffing when I got home. One all black kitty I thought was the runt climbed up my shirt and got up into my hair. I still feel the scratches on my scalp. I have scratches, red and white, on my arms and legs. 2 tuxedo kittens took a nap on my lap as I sat on the floor pretzel style. Precious likes the cubby hole when I sit pretzel style too.

There was a male orange tabby like my sister's cat, but I had concerns. He and his sister were found at a construction site and rescued. They were bottle fed when first came to the shelter. My sister's 1st cat was found under a car and ever since gorges on her food to the point they had to hide their 2nd cat's food. My sister thinks it might be from that starvation period. Then the tabby still had its blue eyes (the others had yellow eyes) and quite tiny compared to the other cats, well maybe the size of the black runt. I knew I would have to wait longer for him to take home. They have to be 3 pounds and 16 weeks old for spaying and neutering before thye can be adopted. I picked the bigger male that endlessly attacked my shoelaces. I could tell he was the boy of the group of sweet girls. He also got up on my shoulder twice. He is marked as reserved until I can adopt him hopefully by the end of the month.

Post later. Bye!

I don't believe this

Once upon a time I worked at a retail store chain where it was forbidden to speak negatively about any "guest" in our store. Some managers can't understand why we hate customers when they support our paychecks.

This is why I hate customers:

Lady calls up complaining the seat her daughter was sitting on in her minivan shook loose after about 100 miles and they just rented it. We should make sure all the minivan seats are secured before we rent them out to people. I offer an exchange of vans. No, she is in another state. I look up quickly the sole location in that state and it is where she is. I inform her that she can exchange cars in her city if she is uncomfortable driving it. No, she secured the seat herself. She just wanted to let us know that we need to secure all seats before renting them. OK, I will tell them that (Yeah, right). As I start to hang up, I hear her talking to her husband and hear her say, "What a bitch". Please explain how I was a bitch to her.

After dealing with people like like that every day, one will learn to hate customers. Post later. Bye!

> I had a magic moment with my kitty this morning. He got up on my tummy and
> collapsed on me with his head hitting my left shoulder. Then purred right
> in my ear and I could feel him twitching as cats do sleeping. Next he got
> up on my chest and kneaded his paws on my neck. I need to clip his claws
> again. Then laid down again and stretched out with his head under my chin.
> He got up a 3rd time, kneading his paws on my chest and laid down with his
> head right shoulder, tail on left shoulder. Then he flipped over and
> rolled off of me. Aaaah, an hour of contentment before he jumped off the
> bed to drink some water.

Quote

I received my book publishing quote in U.S. $s.

$23 to convert my book into their format
$32 to add barcode to sell book
$112 for template book cover design
$895.60 for editing and proofreading
plus the 10 book minimum purchase and shipping for that
I decided to take care of the copyright myself at about $40, plus shipping to send it to the copyright office in D.C.

So I'm looking at over $1000 to make my dream come true, which I will do even if it kills my family to watch me fail. I'm guessing about over 200 books must be sold to get my money back at 40% royalties from the publisher. Post later. Bye!

Library card

Today my coworker complains how she can no longer use her library card, even
though she is reading a library book at work. Her husband has been let go of
his job, along with all his coworkers, and has yet to find another job. He
borrowed some movies from the library since it is free, using my coworker's
library card without her knowledge. Library movies must be returned the next
day, he holds them for a week. The overdue charge is 50 cents per movie per
day. He owes the library $18, thus my coworker can no longer check out stuff
at the library anymore. Now she is avid about him finding another job. Post
later. Bye!

Food machines gone

I do not believe this, the airport took out the food machine with chips and
candy bars. All there is drinks and more drinks. Don't these people know we
have to eat too. What weirdoes. Post later. Bye!

I did it

I sent my completed story to a Print on Demand publisher. Now I will find out how much their editing/proofreading services cost. I sent an email to my family and friends stating if they would like one of the 10 book minimum purchase, send me a check for $12. Only my nieces and people under 18 can have a free copy. I also plan to donate some to libraries and write newspapers and magzazines to ask if they will review it. I will see how many I have left to sell to friends and family. I doubt I'll get rich from this adventure, but perhaps get some attention to form an audience reading my books. I included in the email how if they wondered why I was charging them when I'm giving away free copies, I listed the prices they give for services to emphasize that this is costing me a lot of money, even if the book is free to others. I don't feel I'm unreasonable asking for $12. They will be asking themselves I'm sure if they really want to buy my book to be nice. I suspect if I gave away free copies to everyone I know that most will sit on a bookshelf unread and gather dust as they come up with excuses why they have not read it. Hooray! I finally will have feedback I have been searching for. Post later. Bye!

Strange phone call

I got a call from Mom a few hours ago. She called to make sure I understood why she packed up the parade candy she didn't want yesterday stating it was meant for my coworkers, not for me only. OK, will someone please explain my Mom's concern on giving my coworkers free candy. They are the last on my priority list. I told her I picked out what I wanted out of the 2 ziploc baggies and gave what I didn't want to my coworkers. If my friend was at the airport like she said she would be, I would have given her the baggie for her family as a thank you for her generous invatation. But she wasn't there, so I gave it to my coworker present and said it was for everybody, not just him. I'm not that nice. My sister has a box of candy from her job so she didn't need more. I think she still has Easter and Valentine's candy in there, but I could be wrong. Well I better go to bed. Post later. Bye!

Happy 4th of July

Today Americans celebrate America's declared independence from Great Britain. I went to my hometown to see our small town parade. The marching band for the school has shrunk so badly there were only about 8 students in regular clothes sitting on a float playing their instruments. Usually the band marches with the band teacher blowing a whistle from the side along with flag twirlers and someone holding a banner with the school's name on it. And they all wear the same clothes.

My baby niece loves the horses and picking up candy. She is not allowed to eat any of it. We ate leftovers for lunch and took naps afterwards. I got up in time to get ready to leave for a day out with my friend at her friend's house. My niece was sound asleep when I left so I kissed her cheek softly and tip toed out. My friend was not at work like she said. I call her a bitch and shared the reject parade candy with my coworker surprised to see me. I don't really chew gum. I go back to my car and call my friend. I have her # on my cell phone. She left a message on my answering machine, but I have not been home to hear it. As I drive, she give me directions and I park my car.

Her friend had been fighting with her boyfriend so she didn't want to visit her today. The guy my friend's friend thought was so perfect for me, my friend thought was not my type. I do require more than being single and having a job when deciding if I'm interested. My friend grilled chicken and grilled corn on the cob. She also made macraroni and cheese. After supper, we took the kids to a nearby park with rides and goodies. I had cotton candy and popcorn. It is just like my hometown's celebration on a larger scale. And my hometown does not sell beer. Next we drove around to get a good spot to see the baseball stadium's fireworks display. It was about the same number as my hometown's, except they had 3 exploding at once whereas my hometown shoots off 1 or 2 at a time. It seemed shorter than my hometown's too. Finally I come home to a meowing cat badly needing attention. He is on my lap right now. Poor thing probably wondered where I went all day.

For firecrackers and such being illegal to shoot off there were a lot going off for a few hours, like one exploding every 5 seconds. It is quiet now. Everybody must have gone to bed. Happy 4th of July. Post later. Bye!

My poor sister broke her tooth and required a crown like Daddy has. Then her crown came off and she had to visit the dentist again today. Their fridge is still not working. They called a repairman, who said it was the compressor. Well, that is under warranty so to have to have it fixed by the company they bought it from. They came out last Thursday, fridge went out the Saturday night before, and repeated that it was a broken compressor. They need to order parts to do the repair, so maybe this coming Thursday or so they will have their fridge working again. Their food is at 3 neighbors' houses. Good thing too because they will have a foreign visitor coming next week. This adoption agency gets orphans together with people looking at adoption to have a guest in their house for a week doing activities with the other orphans and organization leaders during their stay. Kinda like summer camp with a host family to experience the wider world and have fun since they are living in an orphanage and don't get out much. They are not told that they may be adopted, just having fun. For the host families it is a trial run. My sister and her husband will test their skills on handling foreign kids who are not privaledged with top education and loving environment. Nightmares and abandonment issues come attached to many of these kids. Many older kids adopted into foreign countries have problems adjusting and never feel like they belong so they end up having drug and behavior issues when they become teenagers. Many run away from home. Their visitor will be an school-age boy. I am not allowed to come along on the adventures because they didn't put my name in for criminal background check like all the host families have to do. I said I will come do my laundry as usual and go home that week. They probably will be gone when I come over.

We had fun today with my baby niece. We read books, did laundry, took Precious outside, played ball, and ran away from my sister chasing my niece down the sidewalk. I was holding the cat leash so I could not help chase her down. Then waiting for burgers to cook on the grill there was a loud bang and the electricity went out in 4 houses. Someone found a sqiurrel dead on the road under a utility pole. We think the squirrel hit something causing a flash of light and taking out the electricity. 2 people called the power company. All the neighbors came out and conversed by the dead squirrel. Then it started raining so everybody went back inside. Inside, we watched the rain pour down and let my niece sit in her stroller for a while. Then she wanted to go outside. No, it's raining. She has a crying fit over not going outside. She rocks the baby asleep and baby starts crying again when she wakes up. She always cries waking up. Today, I noticed my cat is getting more aggressive with the cat that likes to eat my Precious's food I leave out for him. I call its name and take away the food dish, then Precious paws at it as if saying get away from my food. Otherwise he lets the cat eat it and helplessly sits aside until I intervene. Precious doesn't like their food so I have to keep them out of his. I caught my sister cuddling with my cat on the couch in the basement, it is cooler down there with the air conditioning off. I taught my niece a new word during laundry, Khakis. I have to wear khakis to work. Well, that is today's news report on babysitting. Post later. Meow!

Special Olympics in Ames, IA

These past few days the Special Olympics have brought a great deal of
business to the car rentals at the airport, in fact they nearly wiped out
the inventory available to rent at my company. People are very proud to
announce their child or grandchild is in the Special Olympics. The lucky
ones get hotel rooms in Ames where they are taking place this week. The
unlucky ones have rooms in nearby towns and the northside of Des Moines. I
have seen many teams walk though with same t-shirts advertising Team Indiana
and Team Ohio.

I also had to explain why we have a small selection of cars to choose from
to people without reservations. One guy said he is here for the Olympics and
still angry I have only 2 cars for him to choose from because he is a club
member of our company and never had any problem like this before. Another
guy looked confused asking, What are the Special Olympics? His wife answered
him so I didn't have to. A coworker claimed to never have heard of the
Special Olympics before. I asked what planet does he live on. Today I
announced that the newspaper said they were founded in 1968 (a year after he
was born).

A son of the founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Timothy Shriver, won an award
for his longstanding support of the Olympics last night. If you didn't know
this, Eunice Kennedy Shriver is a sister of the infamous President JFK; wife
of Sergeant Shriver who ran for president, founder of the Peace Corps,
founder of Headstart, and died of Alzheimer's causing their daughter; Maria
Shriver, the journalist who married the bodybuilder-turn actor-turn Governor
of California to write a children's book about the disease. I guess the
Special Olympics needs better advertising if there are people walking around
who have never heard of them. My coworker didn't even know who Eunice
Kennedy Shriver was. I think I work with an alien even if he was born in
Boston, MA. Post later. Bye!

Cookies for sale

A coworker asked if I wanted to buy some cookies from his fundraiser. He
didn't say what fundraiser this was for, and he doesn't have any kids, so I
do wonder what this is for. I said no to cookies. I am still working on my 4
boxes of girl scout cookies from my nieces. Post later. Bye!

Delivery

I got my new folding chairs yeasterday so now I have a proper dining room set. They are black with seat padding. My folding table is dark brown wood with black vinyl in the center. My cat loves them. I placed my Mom's free old chair with wheels to the side in the event she visits and has a rolling seat. Each chair was in its own box and felt so sorry for the guy who brought them to my door. He took 2 trips and when he went out the fire door, my cat got his head stuck in it wiggling like crazy. I opened the door and then stuck cat in the bedroom. I think one is suppose to give tips to delivery people, but when I'm paying $25 in shipping and handling I skip the tip. Now I need guests to cook for. Post later. Bye!

Another coworker gone

I heard today a coworker had been fired this week. He wanted lasted Sunday off, but no one would work for him so he had to come in. He decided to call in sick. He has been skating on thin ice from multiple infractions and this was the last straw for my boss. This should cool off another coworker who always threatens to call in sick if he doesn't get the days off he requests. One time he actually got mad about not being allowed to leave early so suddenly he wasn't well and needed to go home immediately. Who do these people think they are kidding?

Oh sure, I would come in to work if I didn't get my requested day off. I just let it be known that if I have to miss certain things (like a graduation), I will be a grouch all day. So far I had not had this problem. Post later. Bye!

Pop, pop, bang, bang

I can tell the 4th of July is coming and so can my cat. The days and nights are filling up with pops and bangs from firecrackers. Sure fireworks, other than sparkles, are illegal in Iowa (manufacturing, selling, buying, possessing, and lighting), but that never has stopped people from setting them off. But then, a law is only as good as its enforcement. How does one enforce a ban on fireworks with them going off all over the place? My coworker from Florida was so depressed finding out about our law. We explained we get our fireworks from Missouri, so on the way home we are perfect drivers not wanting the police's attention. It is common knowledge people go to Missouri for their firecrackers and roman candles around here.

Now is the time for melon tests on TV to display the dangers of fireworks. Melon tests are firecrackers and cherry bombs placed in melons and lit. It is fun to watch melons explode on TV. Post later. Bye!

Volunteering

Today on my way to my volunteer position at a museum I got off the wrong exit and took 5 minutes to realize this. The activity they had for me was help weave cattail mats for the floor. The leaves were sometimes less flexible than I would have liked. Next I often got lost in the strands and sometimes skipped one or two causing me to unravel to fix it. My cold last week and the heat of the day must have fried my brain. When needing a break in concentration, I helped scrape the buffalo hide. It takes them 5-6 days to prepare a hide for tanning. When we got the last visitor we packed up and went home. My kitty was glad to see me. Post later. Bye!

Babysitting

I babysat my toddler niece again so my sister could go to her doctor's appointments. She had a sore foot and the doctor said she had a stress fracture. But the next time the doc can see her is in 2 weeks so she has to sit and relax with her foot up during that time. Yeah, right, with a toddler and errands to run she can't sit for 2 weeks. Today she was walking around the house without shoes. The stress fracture is in the bone between the ankles and toes, whatever those bones are called.

My niece and sister had pizza delivered because their fridge is broken. It actually broke down 2 days ago and the repair people can't visit to inspect where the problem is for another 2 days. They have a small fridge on the table to keep important things like milk cold.

Next we read books, played dolls, and rested trying to get her to take a nap with so much excitement. My cat got into a cat fight with my sister's cat. I broke it up and carried away my kitty. He runs back to the unplayful cat and laid down next to it, then all was well.

Just when I was about to give up trying to get my niece to sleep, she falls asleep. I took out my kitty to explore the background. My sister came home just as we stepped out. I had the harness on wrong so I had to pulle the cat out of the bushes to get it on right. It was twisted, but better on. It is hard to get a harness onto a wiggly cat. My sister chatted in the backyard. Lastly, we went inside to check on the baby and she woke up. After a snack, we left. Post later. Bye!

Print on Demand

Since I can't get anyone I know to read through any of my stories and so far been rejected by book publishers with no feed back, I decided to check around for Print on Demand companies to get it published. It is very hard to improve a story wih no feedback. I did once get the suggestion of publishing it myself and try to sell the book at bookstore and see if anyone buys it. I assure you this struggling author can not afford to print 1000 copies just to see if anyone lifts it off the bookpile. People need to do their homework before giving suggestions on selling my book.

My comparative study of Print on Demand companies.

1. They are more concerned on appearance than quality of the story. Of course they offer editing services, for $1000, or more if they charge per word. It takes more than a pretty cover to sell a story. Harry Potter only has illistrations only on the chapter headings so $25 per illistration seem unnecessary to sell a book to the public. Cover art is $200 to $350, $150 to copy the author's artwork.

2. You only get 2-5 free copies, naturally you have 40% author's discount but how does one make a profit buying your own book. Plus they don't include the retail price of your book you get 40% off of. You get good royalities from sales, 40-50%, but at what price are you getting that 50% from?

3. Review comments from newspaper book reviewers cost only $100-$150. The problem with only positive comments to place on the cover is the lack of sincerity in the comments. I have seen outstanding reviews from famous people endorsing books I bought to find out the books really sucked and a waste of my time. Negative reviews and comments are just as necessary to a struggling author as positive. I gladly will review a book or movie for that matter for free, but I doubt anyone will take me up on that.

4. Lastly it costs another $100 or $300 to format your story to be ready to be published in their system. Sure you can do it yourself for free on your own computer, but you have to buy Acrobat Reader to do it so that way is not exactly free either.

For a struggling author with no cover art or illistrations, no one to review it or edit it, a whole package can cost $800 to $4000, depending on how much help you need to make a book. And after you spend this small fortune, there is no guarentee the public will love reading your book. Then again, if it is Print on Demand, can your book be returned by the reader if they don't like it? That part is also not advertised in the packages. Plus, they also do not advertise how many books you have to sell to get your money returned. I think I'll take my rejections from book publishers like a woman and edit my own story. Post later. bye!

Family reunion

I went to a family reunion today. My Mom's cousins and sisters are usually the ones who come. This year we had a guest of honor, my uncle from Spokane, WA. We ate a potluck dinner. I made macaroni and cheese, a giant cookie, and lemonade. There is a little lemonade and macaroni left, but the cookie is all gone. I called my cookie masterpiece, I ran out of frosting. I had blue and red covering most of the cookie with purple parts where they mixed. I placed yellow sugar roses on top.

We played badminton and frisbee. We played on the swing and playground equipment. My toddler niece was frightened of the slides until I went down them 5 times. Then she wasn't so scared. Next she climbed up the slide following her cousin's example. I surprised she could cling on the slide like that. It rained off and on so the slides made our shorts wet and dirty. One of my nieces climbed a tree with my cousin's girls. We sang Happy Birthday to my aunt and then followed each other to my Mom's cousin's new house nearby. It is very nice and next to their fishpond complete with fountain. The house is on the slope of the hill so it should not flood. She had a former sewing machine table as a display table in the entry, she still has the anceient before-electricity sewing machines. Now I'm home again playing with my kitty. Post later. Bye!

Pet issues

I read a magazine article about problems people have with their pets.
Usually the problem lies within the human, not the animal. I say: If you
can't handle scratches on your furniture or scampering at night, then you
should not get a cat. If you can't handle a dog barking or digging in the
yard, then you should not get a dog. If you can not handle a squeaky wheel
turning in the middle of the night or tiny teeth biting into your skin, then
you should not get a hamster. If you can not handle allowing a bird freedom
in the house for short periods of time or its squawking, then you should not
get a bird. If you can not handle maintaining proper heating lamps or buying
dead flies, then you should not get an iguana. Get a fish, they make no
noise, have short lives, do not need out of tank stimulation, and require
less yucky cleaning.

People often think of pets as status symbols and displays the people's
personality. Sadly, they do prove how shallow, or how loving, or how
relaxed, or how rash, etc. someone is. They also show how responsible people
are in other areas of life. If one can not handle the responsibilities of
owning any particular pet, do us all a favor and not get one. The animal
shelters for abandoned pets will thank you along with animal control. Post
later. Bye!

Cat sneeze

I received my first sneeze in the face from Precious this morning, spray and all. That's ok, I coughed in his face a couple days ago so it makes us even. I hope I get over this cold for the picnic Sunday. I still have congestion and no appetite, but feel more energetic than yesterday. I plan to make a giant cookie and lemonade. Mom always wants lemonade every time we go somewhere. Well better get ready for work. Post later. Bye!

Gift

I received an unexpected gift on my doorknob as I left, a blue cat
collar complete with bell. I am thinking the bell ringing all day and night
will irritate me and my neighbor below me, so I gave it to a coworker. She
lets her cats out by themselves at her house. Besides that, I dont' really
need a collar for Precious to wiggle out of and I have search all over for
it. It was a sweet gesture though. Too bad I don't know who to thank. Post
later. Bye!

1st night

We had our 1st night after surgery and Precious is back to normal. And I have a bad cold. I picked him up from the vet and he slept all the way home. Not a single meow. He meowed when we got home, but only a couple times. Groggy like a drunk, he tried to walk around and I placed his pet bed in front of him. He wobbled toward it, then stopped and laid on the floor. I picked him up and set him on his pet bed.

Next I finished a movie with many dark scenes and whispering so it was hard to tell what was going on. I checked on Precious to find him walking around the hallway. He followed me back into the living room and fell asleep in my lap. Soon it was time for food to be offered. Precious wasted no time eating something and fell asleep with his nose in the food dish. Didn't drink any water. I laid down on the floor so Precious wouldn't have far to go for food and cuddled with the kitty. Even little boys need their mamas. For a strange reason I felt very tired anyway and needed a nap.

When it was time for bed I put Precious in my bed and cuddled against him. My sleepiness was explained by not being bad allergies because of the rain (I turned on the air conditioning to rid the humidity), but a cold when my nose refuse to stop running. I hate summer colds. The heat and humidity make me feel worse.

Morning came without much sleep. Even Precious had a hard time sleeping with me sitting up to blow my nose and shaking the bed sneezing. After I called my volunteer place to say I would come next week instead, Precious seemed to be more active. I went to sleep. I got up at 2:30 well rested and feeling a little better. Precious drank most of his water and ate most of his food. I have to go shopping today because I'm out of beverages. I have to write a Thank you note for my aunt's kitty gift of $10. I have to tell her it was very nice of her and tell her Precious is a him. Plus everyone at work says my cat is spoiled. I say my cat is not spoiled, he is loved. A friend actually told me it was a good thing I didn't have kids, they would be spoiled rotten and spoiled kids are very demanding. I spoiled my nieces with love and lots of presents, but they are ok with the word no. They are good kids and Precious is a sweet kitty. Besides, the thing Precious and my nieces demand most of all is my attention. I have plenty to spare. Post later. Bye!

Vet's call

I recieved a phone call from my vet informing me the surgery was successful and they had a surprise for me. Precious is a boy. They shaved for surgery and noticed an extra, small appendenge. So my Precious is a him. That would explain a lot of feistiness she had. Post later. Bye!

Strange

It feels strange to sit here in my living room without no cat sleeping on my lap. She is being spade today and getting the last of her vaccinations. Poor thing. I read a paper about what to do after surgery. No food the 1st night, water late in the evening. Light, moist meals until she feels better. She may puke from the anethesic nausea. Keep her in warm and quiet room for the 1st 4 nights. That would be my room and turning on air conditioning to keep out the airplane and traffic noises. I'll have a groggy cat who should not play until recovered. That will be quite a change from the wildest cat my brother-in-law has ever seen, a comment he made yesterday. No jumping until healed, but at least we don't have to deal with stitches. Nowadays, they use a glue that dissolves on its own in 10-14 days. My poor baby. Post later. Bye!

Babysitting again

I went over to babysit my niece agin. I arrived after lunch and got started on laundry. Read, dance, play flashcards, and watch a movie before my sister came home from her doctor appointments. Next she wanted to tidy the place a bit before our uncle arrived. I watched my niece outside and asked if she is suppose to be in the driveway. My sister goes out to grab her and our uncle shows up. I hold back my cat as they came in.

We had supper and our uncle had a picture show on TV of his new house and grandsons. I asked if likes his rental car from my company. He does. He also visited the place I volunteer at. Eventually, Precious and I had to leave because we need to feast before fasting for her spading tomorrow morning. She gets into my food so I have to fast also, and not turn on the faucet because she can't have any water. I gave her extra treats at home and finished her nap on the balcony. The food and water are gone now.

I watched a show on TV about helping girls get guys. Poeple give me tons of advice, but none of it ever works. I saw nothing on the show that could help me snag a man. I can't even get a single man to go out with me and my friends can't get any guys they know to meet me. How do I fix that? Post later. Bye!

Amazing weekend

I went over to my niece's dance recital to discover the dance teacher changed the time of the recital and missed the first dance on the program. My nieces were difficult to spot with their hairpieces changing their appearance. One dance had a girl's hair fall out when she did a cartwheel. Another dance had girls do back flips over each other and two girl's hair got stuck and they had to complete the song connected. My oldest niece was invited to a pizza party with her boyfriend and friends and came home at 3 AM.

Saturday held my second niece's softball tournament. She is the pitcher and a switch hitter. Her team lost, but they would play again several more times before the tournament is over. I gave her a hug good-bye and told her she did a good job after the game. Their next game was in a few hours so they took their equipment to my brother-in-law's truck (he's the coach). On the way, a girl carrying the stick holding the helmets dragged an end through a puddle and then lost a strap. She said it was not her fault. My brother-in-law told her not to be George Bush avoiding responsibility. She stuck her tongue out making a face.

I gave my Dad his Father's Day present, Season 1 of the TV show Alf. I showed off my new cat album and my 3rd niece wished I brought her with me. A 3 hour car trip is too much to demand from a cat. Besides, my sister doesn't want a cat in her house.

I heard very good news about my Dad's cancer condition. He is in remission and for the moment, cancer free. The radiation makes him feel like there is a burn inside his body and still is very tired, but no longer on death's doorstep. I found out when my sister asked about his cancer. I later asked when Mom had planned on telling us this news. She thought she told everybody. Obviously not.

I came home to read the note from my friend that my cat didn't eat much in my absence, but there was vomit in 2 places so she had eaten something. My poor kitty distressed. I took her outside after putting everything away. I heard one neighbor fighting and a pair of shoes fell from a balcony. I think her kid did that. Another neighbor told me that she sees my cat's head peeking through the balcony railing when they go in and out. Yeah, I said, she likes to do that. Tonight she mewed like crazy and ran to the door when I heard a lady saying goodbye to her girls outside.

I cleaned the litterbox and put in new litter. It is a dirty job, but must be done once a month. Now I am ready for bed. I had a full day. Post later Bye!

No kitty

I heard back from the animal shelter about the one-eyed kitten I tried to reserve and adopt so my cat has a companion. They decided on a family who wanted to adopt 2 cats. They have a mother cat with kittens and said possibly when they are ready for reserving I could have one of them. The family is adopting the mother cat as their 2nd cat. Post later. Bye!

My luck gets better by the day. I find out there is a rock concert in
Waterworks Park with one of my favorite bands, Poison, this coming Saturday
and I will be in Nebraska. I cut out their picture in the paper and placed
it next to the one I cut during their Flesh and Blood tour that my college
roomate laminated for me. Even at age 45 (or however old they are now), they
are still hotties. Maybe I will catch them next year.

I also had a thought about the starve the cat 12 hrs. before her spading. I will also have to stop eating for 12 hrs and brush my teeth early since the cat has to stick her nose in my food and drink leftover water sitting in the sink. Post later. Bye!

Quitting

I am quitting my volunteering at the local animal shelter. I didn't sign up to come over again. I doubt they will notice my absence. There nothing to do, nobody talks to me unless I speak first, and their fundraising events are on days I work. They are most antisocial people I ever met, they must work office cubicles where idle conversation doesn't happen. They don't welcome people coming to see the animals and barely speak to each other. I didn't come across town to spend hours twiddling my thumbs asking 4 times if there is something, anything I can do. I did stock the merchandise, fold up carriers for adopted pets, and separate newspapers. I got my other musuem volunteer work that has people willing to speak to me. Sorry, being a salesclerk made me actually want to speak to people. Customers expect conversation even if it is just about the weather. Post later. Bye!

Babysitting again

I babysat again today. Once I arrived my niece didn't want anymore breakfast. I started my laundry and fell asleep on the couch. 2 hours later I wake up to my niece playing on the floor. I toss in more laundry so I can get done soon and start dinner before my sister shows up. Once I said Mama, my niece kept asking where her Mama was. I heated our dinner in the microwave and her is my sister in a different car. Her's is being repaired. We take my kitty outside and my sister soon joins us. I finish my laundry and we are on our way, it is naptime.

I come home and my Precious sleeps for about 6 hours. I get a discount card from my retail store credit card for 10% off my next visit. It expires in 4 days. I wish I had gotten this discount coupon card 2 days ago when I bought $200 worth of pet supplies and ink cartridges, and some movies for myself. I'm not buying anymore. Sure getting 10% off is great, but I have to fork over the 90% out of my budget.
Post later. Bye!

Writing guides

I received my Oprah Magazine today and eagerly read the articles on how to write a good story. Snore, snore, snore, how much longer is this article. I read several books on how to tell a great story, though most of the advice is blah, blah, blah, what does this have to do with me.

I think the probelms with writer's advice is too much analyzing. Example: ballet or if you are not as cultured, a rock concert. If you analyze with paper and pencil all the steps these dancers do, you will find the same steps being repeated in various orders and in altering directions (left foot, right foot). At the end of your analysis paper, you might realized you had not enjoyed the ballet, or concert, as well as if you simply just watched the flow of movement.

I can tell you the ingredients of a good story, and I'm not even a professional writer.

1: Must have catchy title. I have no idea what The Catcher in the Rye is about, but I can tell you J.D. Salinger wrote it. That is a catchy title.

2. Must have flow from one idea to another, or flow scene to scene without jumping around and confusing the reader. This is why I hate mysteries from the all the jumping around without much connection between scenes, they mainly connect person to person.

3. Learn to think backwards. Start with deciding how the story ends or the purpose of the story. Then decide on the means and motivation the hero, or villian, will use to get to the ending. Lastly think up a cathcy introduction full of drama and wonder to lure the reader into the story.

4. Decribe things with verbs and emotions more than adjectives and adverbs. Rushed in a panic sounds better than Ran swiftly with achy feet. Reading about every object that sits in a room or everything a person is wearing is quite boring.

5. Write what you know. After all, the most popular stories are the ones where the reader can say, This could be me and what would I have done. Why do think Harry potter is so popular?

Post later. Bye!

Shopping day

Today I had a long list of things to buy. I took 2 trips to my car unloading things. One thing that bothers me about baggers is that thye place large objects in huge sacks. Some things can be unsacked and still be carried.

I got a new pet bed for Precious, leopard print. I got a cat jungle gym (above photo)she was playing on while I put it together. I got her a new fishing pole, she chewed off the tip off the other one until the string came off it. I got new food dishes and another carrier for my future cat. Precious barely fits into the up to 12 lbs. carrier, standing up that it. I got soem new stuffed animals she likes to carry around and attack. My last present was pet grass.

All else was groceries and ink cartridges. I got a toenail clipper like the one the vet uses. I snipped the tips of her nails while she napped so she held still this time and I clipped all 4 paws. I don't clip all the way to the quick (blood-filled nail bed) because she needs her claws to jump up on the couch. They are tolerable now when she walks across the lap. I put up balloons on the balcony railing to keep her from jumping up too high. I had a full day. Post later. Bye!

Kitty baptism

I was refilling my cat's water bowl when she wanted to drink from it. She actually let the running water pour over her forehead until I turned off the faucet. Strange cat. Even stranger, she quit eating the tuna she loves so much. Perhaps she still likes her sardines. Have to give her that. Post later. Bye!

Awful color scheme

My apartment complex has decided on a new look, even gave us newsletters of the summer's progress. I bet a man came up with this color scheme. A woman would have chosen better colors. On the exterior is chocolate brown, lemon yellow, and white. The interior is the ugliest tan I ever saw, cobalt blue, and white. I feel I am living in a giant Hershey's Kiss. Even worse is them painting the handrails black, even though they were already black. Have you slightest idea how disgusting it feels to drag you hand across paint? The doors are harder to open now since they painted the doors entirely and paint is sticky when dried. Post later. Bye!

Phone call

I received a phone call from my sister today. I am the reward for my niece
going pee in the potty. They will call back if she does it again. Dr. Phil
says to call a superhero as a reward for going in the potty chair. I'm still
above Elmo, how flattering. Post later. Bye!

Nightmare

I was playing on my computer as usual when the mouse stopped working. I tried to put it in hiberanation a second and un-hibernate it that ususally starts it working again. No, not this time. Log off and on, restart computer and nothing happens. Then I go under mouse keys where I can use my tab and arows to click on things, but it won't let me send an email. Try to turn it off and start again in the morning. No, I have to send my email before shutting down. After attempt after attempt trying to tab and arrow to the send square of my email, my computer completely freezes so the mouse keys won't even work. After a hour and 45 minutes of frightening my cat with anger she never seen before, I leave in in hibernation and try to fix it tomorrow. I was tired.

Computer still frozen hours later and still can't move the mouse. Turn off mouse keys to see if mouse will work now. No, still frozen so I try unplugging the internet connection. No go. Next I go into the help again. Last night I discovered by accident that hitting control and escape in that order hit the start button in the corner and then I arrow up and over to the help square. Alt tab and control tab along with arrows keys help move around even with mouse keys off. Check on rebooting. Can't reboot a laptop, you can only restart it. Check on frozen mouse again. This time I go under a different category to see I have to check mouse properties first. Last time under frozen mouse I set up the mouse keys. Go under properties and select touch pad mouse. My mouse is disabled. How did that happen? Tab and arrow to click Enable mouse and now my mouse works again. Sometimes I want to toss this computer over the balcony, it is a big headache when it stops working. My Mom often asks how do I know what key to hit at work to make the computer do things. I say just keep hitting keys until you hit the right one. That way works eventually. Post later. Bye!

Walking kitty

After volunteering at the local musuem, I took a long nap from getting up so early 3 days in a row. My time at the museum was spent watering the beans and squash (the deer ate the corn), scraping at a buffalo hide for the tepee, and being eaten by bugs. I had bug spray on, but the flies still bit. My 3 hours napping refreshed me. When I got my head back together, I strapped on the kitty harness and took Precious outside. She is a strange cat. She acted like she didn't want to leave when I opened the door. I guess she only jumps out when I am leaving her behind.

Finally made it out and she only wanted to walk on the sidewalk, but then cats do love cement. I stepped out into the grass and she followed me, but she much preferred the bushes. One bush gave her burrs that she did not like me pulling out of her fur. She climbed up trees and scratched at the dirt. She chased a stick I threw, but unlike a dog she just sniffed at it.

A mother came by with her 2 boys and petted the Precious. I told her first boy approaching that she loves to be petted. She even licked the mother's fingers when she turned playful. Then the poor mother had to pry her kids from my cat, they wanted to take her with them. Precious followed them to their door and I held her back saying it was the wrong door. She watched them go upstairs and I thought it time to go back inside, it was getting dark.

I shook Precious up by cleaning the toliet. She did not like being locked out of the room. I saw her paws sticking out under the door. Poor kitty. Now she is out is out on the balcony again absorbing the night air. Tomorrow is back to work again. I don't feel I have had a day off. Post later. Bye!

Babysitting day 2

I made it to my sister's house on time and realized I forgot my cat's food at home. My brother-in-law lets me in and I go to find nail clippers to cut Precious's claws. I have the most difficult time trying to get her claws exposed. I squeeze her paws, but her fur hides the claws until she grabs at something. Then my niece wants to play piggyback while I'm on the floor, pushing things aside to get to the cat hiding in dark spots of the room where I really can't see her exposed claws. Naturally the cat does not hold still for this. My brother-in-law goes to take a nap.

Next my sister comes home. Now I wonder in my head why I was asked to come babysit if they were going to be home. I planned to take my cat outside again, but now I should be going home soon.

I keep trying to clip her nails and even have my sister hold her so I can get it done faster. My niece throws a tantrum and I decide to hold the cat while my sister clips. I instruct her to clip the very tip of the claw. My niece jumps in her lap and my sister holds the weeping girl. Explaining to my niece she can't hold her and clip my cat's claws at the same time, the cat wiggles free and jumps down. I give up. I think I got most of her nails anyway, I keep finding the nails I already clipped. I explain to sister that her clipped nails have a dull edge so she has a harder time climbing things. We go home as naptime approaches and my niece is screaming. I say I should go now because I forgot my cat's food. We were there about 2 hours, but eventually Precious will be hungry.

I didn't really say why I chose that day to clip them. I decided to clip after I caught my cat climbing a window screen in my bedroom that has only a 3-story drop to the grass on the other side should that screen come break loose. I can't have my kitty fall out of a window, so I started keeping that window mostly closed. if she managed not to climb the patio door screen, I'll open the window all the way again. Before now, she hasn't been strong enough to leap that high. I guess I should watch more carefully on the balcony. She keeps jumping up towards the railing's top edge, but has yet to get on top. I don't want her on top of the railing, another 3-story drop if she slips off the catwalk. Enough for today. Post later. Bye!

Sleeping cat

I took shots of my Precious today sleeping, yawning as she woke up, and making a funny face when she realized I was taking pictures of her, flashes have a way of doing that. Post later. Bye!

Babysitting day 1

I babysat my niece today and will again tomorrow. I got up 3 hours earlier than usual for my first day off. I was ready to go back to bed, but my sister needs me. When I got there, my niece was barely woken up. She squeals Precious's name making me think I've been replaced by my cat as my niece's favorite thing.

Her father gets ready for work and fixes her breakfast. Then splits when I put my laundry in the washer. Precious meows to go outside, so I ask my niece if she wants to go outside. Oh, yes. I wrestle with Precious down to strap on her harness she despises as my niece laughs at me.

I get her strapped and leashed ane we are on our way. Precious climbs 3 trees and I wish I had my camera. She relaxed on a branch and jumped down. My niece walked around pointing out everything. Bird, tree, bush, boy, car, airplane.

Eventually we came inside and I folded laundry. Lunchtime came and I fed her leftover spagetti and broccoli. She got spagetti sauce everywhere so I grabbed my sister's camera. I also changed her clothes.

Soon I needed a nap from getting up so early and my niece threw doll blankets on top of my head. She even gave me her toy lamb. My niece slept in a chair while I crashed on the sofa. Naptime over with, I made a snack of Teddy Grahams and juice. After snacktime, she cooked on her toy kitchen and tried to feed the cat empty plates and cups. She started to wave around a fishing pole with cat toy on the string, but soon played something else after my Precious ran up to her. I took over the cat toy since Precious was already wound up, we can't just suddenly stop.

My Precious scratched my niece's knee when she tried to jump on her lap. My niece doesn't like Precious being that close to her. She watches her from a distance. Though she did pet Precious a few times when I was already petting her. When my sister came home she scratched my niece's neck as if she were a cat. My niece is jealous of her Mommy paying attention to my cat. We watched a movie my sister recorded and then it was time to go home.

Taking my laundry outisde, my Precious escaped so I didn't really come back in to say good-bye when I finally dropped her in the cat carrier. I waved to my niece in the window. I will see them tomorrow. My Mom called after coming home. As usual, she wants to know what my sister is doing. I can't have a life because my sister needs a babysitter at a moment's notice. If I didn't do it, my Mom would be and she has to drive around 20 miles to my sister's house. My Mom commented how I leave my cat behind when I go to work, but bring her with me to my sister's house. Yes, I do leave my cat when I work, which is why we have separation problems whenever I go somewhere. I can hear her meowing all the way in the parking lot. My kitty needs to be loved, but explain that to Mom. Post later. Bye!

Today's rantings

What is this, Yell At The Sales Clerk Day?

We are extra busy this week courtesy of the World Pork Expo so after a mad rush of customers off a flight, there is few cars to select from. But try telling that to the Queen of Sheba pissed off saying she hates small locations like ours because of the lack of selection (and lack of butt kissing I'm sure). Well Your Highness, if you were here 7 customers ago, we had a larger selection to choose from. At the end, she preaches how some locations have a separate lots for club members, some locations let you pick your own car, some locations don't make you sign paperwork and some don't make you stand in line. Does this bitch really think I have never heard that before? Go ahead and insult me, you are not saying anything I have not heard before. If she would have ask nicely, I would have informed her which nearby locations have the member lots. As my coworker said after she stormed away, Don't come here if you hate our location so much. The car rental next door say the Member Card means "License to Abuse". Apparently they get more verbal abuse because they are not privately owed like mine.

Then I get people who decided not to make a reservation because our website said we had cars available. Sure, but at the moment I don't have the keys to the car you want, but will be getting keys in 2 minutes (or whenever the car washers bring them over). Just because there are 20 cars sitting outside does not mean I have the keys to give customers.

And on top of our car shortage for the moment, I get a jerk on the phone demanding to know the price of his reservation went up $7 from last year's price. He declares he will shop around at our compeition because that was not right. Click. Sir, my car insurance went up $40 for no reason this year. My phone bill increased its taxes this year. My electricity and gasoline for my car went up from last year. I believe it's called inflation.

I'm just glad I don't work the next 3 days. We are sold out, which means "No reservation, No car". During sold out days, we always get the Queen (or King) of Sheba demanding cars cause they are club members. That don't mean a thing when we are sold out. Then we get people with broken down cars who badly need a car to rent crying how they have no way to get home because someone dropped them off. Sorry, but sold out means sold out even if that means have to walk home. Post later. Bye!

Happy Birthday Jody

My supervisor turns 40 today. Like me turning 30 last year, she intends to have fun. She even took the whole week off. I sent her an email at home with the Happy Unhappy song from Alice in Wonderland altered to wish her a Happy Birthday. It is more fun to type than the regular Happy Birthday song. Post later. Bye!

Adventure for the day

The adventure of the today was a guy who did not speak a word of English,
but only Spanish, needing assistance to use the phone. My kind coworker
calls the phone numbers on the business card he had to discover the business
is closed and the numbers for a certain guy on the card were incorrect. My
coworker is unsure if someone is suppose to pick him up since he doesn't
have a driver's license to rent a car. A paper the man has says the job he
is here to do requires English. Frustrated, my coworker starts asking if
anyone around her speaks Spanish. No. He calls a former employee from El
Salvador to translate what the guy needs help with. He needs a taxi cab to
get to his destination. My coworker walks out to the cabs with him and tells
the driver where to go. The man needs a price. My coworker writes the price
down for him. Now there is a good deed done that will never be found in the
customer comment box. Post later. Bye!

Volunteering at the shelter

Yesterday I volunteered 4 hours at the local animal shelter. Yeah, 4 hours of separating newspapers. They like the full sheets for the dog kennels and half sheets for the small critters' cages. The ads they toss out. They got new puppied that very morning and one left with a family while I was there. One puppy was adopted before I showed up. I was so happy to see the puppy go. They got new kittens too, but I shied away from them. I will be tempted to stuff one under my shirt for Precious to play with. They are so cute, how do I pick just one. I got their website to look at photos when I got home. They don't have too many babies on their site. I went to other local shelters and found the cutest darling called Sugar Ray with one eye. It is only a month old and it came to the shelter with an injured eye that had to be removed. Poor thing. I am trying to have him reserved to adopt later. Precious was sorta sprung on me so I am taking me time with this one. Post later. Bye!