blah

i have never been this disinterested in a christmas in my life. we had the presents, we had the tree, the food, the right music, and both of us had the day off... and it was just another day. a cool day, because we got beavis and butt-head on dvd and season 5 of the simpsons (and watched quite a bit of both), but still just a day. and shaggy got me a bread maker. i should be jumping up and down screaming for joy. i love fresh hot homemade bread, but it takes a good 4 hours what with prep and cleanup and all that, and do i ever have 4 hours? but this machine is awesome! i dumped some stuff in, pushed some buttons, went to sleep, and voila! when i woke up, there was bread. it took one paper towel to clean up some flour i spilled while measuring, and i have bread.
so i don't know what the deal is. is it age that makes things mediocre? more likely it's my firsthand experience of the retail madness that killed the christmas spirit - all those crazy people fighting to spend their money on token gifts that probably won't be appreciated anyway... for example, i received several "safe" token gifts of scented candles a picture frames. and i gave out masses of fudge and cookies (job security for personal trainers...no, i'm not devious).
my parents sent the same two items they sent last year, just in different colors (how thoughtful). i am not making this up. the silly wraparound skirt that is sitting in my car trunk now has a twin on my floor. and the silk pajamas that smell like oil are also no longer alone in a plastic bag in my closet (the smell is kinda gross, and i don't want to infect my other clothes - but how can one throw away silk pajamas? it's not like they can be easily washed).
with all the seasonal madness, i have decided to get my christmas shopping for this year completed by march or so, then have it all wrapped/labeled, ready to mail, etc. by april, and then i can stick it in the closet and forget about it until the middle of december next year. or i could be sadly realistic and mail out sheets of notebook paper next year, with depressing messages, such as:
"it costs too much to mail packages." or
"i didn't feel like fighting the crowds." or
"i thought about getting you something nice, and it's the thought that counts."
shoot, i could have those ready to go tomorrow.

too much fun

i just finished my fabulous four-day weekend, and it was busy busy busy... at least, part of it was. friday i did nothing productive. shoot, i don't even remember anything i did on friday.
saturday morning i scooped poop, petted a couple of adorable chihuaua mixes, and got kissed by sammy the lion. quite an experience! he doesn't have the best breath in the world either, and his tongue is as big as my face. that was pretty cool though.
that evening we were invited out by some co-workers of shaggy's. we went down to the waterfront (a pub-type place downtown). i was thinking along the lines of burgers, a couple of beers, and then we would just goof off... but no, these folks were serious. shot after shot after shot, with about seventeen beers apiece in between. then two of the guys got in a fight with some other guys, and then security got involved, and they called the police, and one of the drunken co-workers managed to skillfully evade both security, and a large man with a rapidly darkening blotch on his face, by skipping through lines of parked cars. after which, he snuck back into the bar.
i was thouroughly amused, especially considering that these guys work for a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote healthy lifestyles and family values.
and they soooooo out-drank the feds we used to hang out with.

so the next morning, i woke up to a huge crash, and ran out to the living room to find cats scattering in multiple directions, and a rather large mess. apparantly putting the large potted plant way up high ("out of reach of the cats"), and having a glass-top coffee table at the same time, was just a bad idea. i must say that shadow is one determined little guy! the main reason the plant had been put "out of reach" is that he prefers actual dirt (or potting soil) to a litterbox, and he DIGS in said dirt, at every opportunity.
so i cleaned that up. then i went to church. i helped the little kids make foam handprints with their pictures on them (someone had brought in a digital camera). the projects turned out really cute, and i know several moms are going to love them.
that evening we attended a christmas party for shaggy's work. the catering was fabulous! there was EGGPLANT RIGATONI!! and multiple-layer chocolate/tiramisu dessert stuff. i was a very happy little feaster. there was also a white elephant gift exchange, to which we brought a tic-tac-toe shot glass set (a board and 9 glasses with "x"s and "o"s on them) and a jones soda holiday gift pack. the soda pack is awesome - turkey, broccoli, corn, salmon, and pecan pie flavored sodas - and it comes with a spork and wet wipe. very cool. we put them in the pile, and came away with candy - see's, and ferrero rocher, so not bad. our friend with the swollen hand from saturday night (he had managed to evade the police as well) got the shot glass set at first, but it was "stolen" from him during the gift exchange.

monday was more of a project day. i mixed up cookie dough, cleaned, did dishes, cleaned more, decorated the apartment, got the tree, put the lights on it, tossed on some candy canes, then watched some simpsons (hey, i gotta have some simpsons - this one was the episode where ralph falls in love with lisa, and she embarrasses him on the krusty the clown anniversary show). late in the evening, i did a bit of baking, and came away with candy cane cookies, kringla (weird biscuitty cookie that i LOVE), and some turtle fudge. mmmmmm chocolate caramel pecan.... i also got out the singing, dancing, santa-suit wearing homer simpson. he's as funny as he was last year, although twilight does not like him, since he's standing on one of her perches.
and today, back to work. nothing too exciting. people shopping, people shopping, and oh my goodness, more people shopping.

to anyone who was planning on sending me christmas presents - if anyone was:
please spend the money on this center instead. the baby tigers from my wildlife rehabilitaion center are here, along with leopards jake and chloe, and tonka, the sweetest, purple-eyed, chirpy mountain lion i have ever met. it would mean more to me than anything if people would help feed tonka and the others. the website is http://www.wildlife-sanctuary.org.
please don't let my friends die.
thank you


"Wildlife Center To Close Due To Drop In Donations

(AP) KEENESBURG, Colo. With donations plummeting, officials at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center predict they will have to close their shelter for more than 150 animals, including baby tigers, lions, bears, wolves and leopards.

"None of us like to say the word euthanasia around here, but nobody realizes how terrible things are for an animal that's going hungry," owner Pat Craig said. Craig has stopped taking calls from zoos and others looking for homes for big cats.

The center faces an estimated $150,000 deficit, Craig said. That means he may not be able to feed the animals, many of which eat up to 40 pounds of meat a day.

The WOLF sanctuary in Laporte has also seen donations drop, sanctuary founder Frank Wendland said.

Donations have dripped since a devastating tsunami hit Southeast Asia and hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast. It comes even as aid to domestic-pet rescue organizations have increased.

Craig said he hoped a TV segment on Animal Planet, focusing on the sanctuary's 1-year-old black leopard named Eddy, would help ease the cash crunch but the segment has not aired.

When Craig walks by Eddy's enclosure, the leopard makes a chirping noise -- a sound Craig says animals raised in the wild reserve for their mothers. He said he will try to find a way to spare Eddy as long as he can.

"That's something I ask myself, 'Oh my God, how do I choose who goes first?"' Craig said."

(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

target

i received a forwarded email today, from the american family association. basically, they want everybody to boycott target stores, because target doesn't use the word "christmas" in their advertising. well, i could be mistaken, but i believe target would open themselves up to aclu and liberal boycotts if they did use the word "christmas". so what is a mass retailer supposed to do? i know lots of people will take this the wrong way (because people are stupid), but personally, i support target, and ceo robert ulrich, for making a decision and sticking with it. they know they can't please everybody, so they're trying to remain generic and at least not offend anybody. does the afa recognize this? oh no. if stores don't promote the christian religious holiday, they are offended. i am curious where the madness will stop.
i consider myself a christian, but i don't pretend that others shouldn't be free to follow (or not follow) whatever religion they choose. i won't say merry christmas to my customers because i respect that they might not celebrate the same day i do. i will not, however, be offended if someone wishes me a merry christmas, happy kwanzaa, good solstice, or whatever. i recognize that they are wishing me well - that any of these salutations is meant in a kind way. if people would only be grown-ups about this... sigh

on a completely different topic: i saw the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe this afternoon. it was an incredibly faithful re-telling of the book, brought to life in a phenomenal way by weta workshops - the geniuses behind the lotr trilogy. the only thing in the entire film i have a slight issue with (and believe me, i take issue if things aren't just right) is that, near the end of the movie, one of the humans is riding a talking horse with a bridle and bit. a definite slip there. the rest of it was fantastic! in both meanings of the word. liam neeson was a great choice for the voice of aslan - he's familiar-sounding, but not enough that i could have placed his voice if i hadn't already known who he was. the animation was incredible! all in all, i probably can't say enough good things about the movie.

also, my store has completely sold out of turkish delight.

lazy day

what better way to spend the first day of december than curled up in bed all day with a pile of books and junk food, and an assortment of kitties wanting to cuddle from time to time? it's been great, although i should get up and do some dishes soon so that we will have something to use for dinner. i'm debating actually making something, or warming up the leftovers we have from last night's venture to chili's. we were given chili bucks by one of shaggy's clients, and i am entirely grateful. we went to the chili's on sports arena boulevard because we happened to be down that way... at sea world!! we both had the day off (or mostly off - shaggy had a staff meeting) so we spent the afternoon at my favorite local entertainment. we have passes to the park, and yesterday we discovered that they stop charging for parking a few hours before closing, so we shall be sure to frequent the place on our free afternoons a little more often. and for the first time in our many visits, we both had our video camera, had enough tape, and had remembered to charge the battery, so we were able to record the entire pet show.
and i suddenly remembered that i have a half hour before the rental office closes, and that i have a rent check to pay, so i'm off.