Saving Lots of Kitties

I have a new follower on Twitter that runs a cat sanctuary. She and her husband rescue cats and give them a nice home. Some are adopted out, but the majority get to stay on the Funny Farm. You can read all about them at http://www.gafunnyfarm.org. They are currently trying to raise money for a fence so that the kitties and all the other animals can be safe. If you're a kitty lover check them out. You can also follow them on Twitter. They are @gafunnyfarm. I think they're doing an admirable job taking care of so many cats. I grew up in GA, out in the country, so I know that people often drive by and throw cats out of the car. The cats that my mom has are ones that just showed up one day, and we know it's because someone left them there. Don't take on a pet, if you don't have the means to take care of it. A lot of kitties are being left homeless because of foreclosures and the fact that a lot of landlords don't allow cats. Don't leave your little friends behind. Try to find a good home for them, or drop them off at a no-kill shelter, at the very least. Animals are living beings, too, and deserved to be treated well.

When It's All in Good Fun

I don't usually blog on Sunday, but something happened to a friend that makes me feel the need to speak. I've been having a lot of fun on Twitter and have met some very nice and very silly people. I've enjoyed reading their tweets and know that they're just there to have a good time. Because my updates are protected, I can choose who I let follow me. That helps me to weed out spam, porn bots, and people that may not have much of a sense of humor. The people I follow are a great bunch and I love seeing what they have to say. It makes me sad to think that somebody might get offended by words that are meant in jest. It also makes me mad that others would make fun of what someone has to say. If you don't want to see what someone has to say, then unfollow them. It's as simple as that. There's no need to reprimand them if you don't like something they said, and there's no need to talk smack about them. We're all adults here, as far as I know, so why don't we act like adults?

We All Have Our Demons

This week saw the passing of 3 major figures in popular culture. Each had known the heights of fame, only to be thrown into the pit of despair. We have all experienced despair, but we're lucky enough not to have it play out in the media for all eyes to see. In these tough economic times we are all having financial problems, but Ed McMahon's and Michael Jackson's financial problems were deemed worthy enough to be splashed on the front pages of newspapers because of who they are. Home foreclosures and Ed's Cash 4 Gold commercials were fodder for the press. Many of us know people or may be people who have or have had various forms of cancer. Because of the high-profile life that she once lead, Farrah Fawcett's cancer battle was one that the press wanted to squeeze every detail out of.

At one time or another, we've all said (whether seriously or jokingly) that we'd love to have some famous person's life, but when it comes right down to it, what price did they pay for their fame? I won't go into the myriad of problems that each of these people had because the dead deserve respect. It's a shame that the famous people of this world don't get the same respect in life. I know that many of them court the press, but their business is their business until they decide to make it ours. As Ed, Farrah, and Michael are being laid to rest, it would be great if their demons could finally be laid to rest too.

Gotta Love That Man

Once again Gavin DeGraw is bringing his charitable endeavors to the forefront. His latest blog post on MySpace is as follows:

Musicians on Call 10th Anniversary
Gavin has been involved with Musicians On Call for years and has visited many hospitals around the country. In honor of 10 years of bringing music to the bedsides of patients, MOC aims to raise $10,000 in 10 weeks, and Gavin is asking for your help!

This is a charity that's near and dear to Gavin's heart and he's witnessed firsthand the healing power of music. His is such a giving spirit and he encourages his fans to be the same way. For him it's always about the music and how it can be used to help others, which is very admirable. For those of you that may not know who he is, I have links to his sites posted on this blog. Regardless of whether or not you know or like him, this is a very worthy cause. If you love music, then you can understand how important the work is that Musicians on Call does. If you would like to donate, please click on this link http://www.musiciansoncall.org/index.htm?inc=5&news_id=16033.

What Does it Take?

Have you ever had someone in your life that despised you no matter how nice you were to them? Whether it's a family member or co-worker, it can make life very difficult. I'm someone who is very conscious of other people and their feelings. When I'm in a situation I try to think about the other person, as well as myself. My mom's the same way. I think it may have something to do with us both being Libras. Regardless of this fact, there are still people out there that are willing to turn on you after you've done something nice for them. The only thing that I can attribute it to is the fact that these people are so filled with self-loathing that it permeates everything around them. When you're like that, all you have at the end of the day is your hatred of others to keep you company. How sad is that? What does it take to make these people see how wrong they are? Apparently not death. The death in my family over a month ago derailed some of the ugliness for a short amount of time, but now it's back with a vengeance. If people spent their time getting their lives straight, then they wouldn't have time to spread their hatred around.

Commitment

It's a long word with scary connotations for some, but it's also a motivator. By committing to the things you know you need to do to get the things you want, you have something to strive for. Working toward our goals keeps us sharp, focused, and happy. When we're not working toward or trying to accomplish something, we get bored and sometimes even depressed.

Committing to something doesn't carve it in stone. Instead it gives you direction and a guideline to follow. As the situation changes you can adjust your plans to accommodate it. Life is always going to manage to throw a wrench in the works at some point or other. The way that we deal when that does happen shows what we're made of. It's hard to keep moving forward when something knocks us back. After fighting the good fight over and over again, the desire to give in can become very strong. I speak from experience on this one. It's easy to take a divergent path, but if you do that, you'll have to start from square one again, which is harder than continuing when you want to quit. When you're in the moment, it's hard to remember this, but keep it tucked away in your mind so that it's handy when you need it.

It's Okay to Be Who You Are

Over the past few decades, individuality has become taboo. A lot of young women feel that if they don't look and act like everyone else, they'll be left out in the cold. And then there are those that profess to be individuals, but are only the latest in a long line of conformists. At various stages of our lives we all want to fit in, but should never try so hard that we lose sight of who we are. I've always been someone who does my own thing. At times my choices have overlapped with what is or was the latest thing, but I never consciously sought to model myself after those things. Unfortunately, the quest for individuality can result in bullying. Years ago when we thought of bullying, we thought of larger boys beating up on smaller boys and sometimes girls. Now girls are bullies. There's the whole mean girl phenomenon that took hold about 10 years or so ago. Most of bullying from girls isn't physical, it's verbal. Rumors are spread and uncool girls are frozen out of the group. What I've described happens in elementary school. It only gets worse in middle and high school. It's becoming tougher and tougher for females as they grow up. The best thing for parents to do would be to let them know that it's okay to be different. Different doesn't equal bad. If we were all exactly the same and liked the same things, we'd be bored to death. Our differences are what make us interesting.

Taking Care of Your Own

Yesterday my mom told me that one of my cousins just had her 3rd child. This girl is 20 years old and all of her children have different fathers. Her morals are definitely lacking, but that's a story for another entry. This is about her unwillingness to take care of her children. I found out that her 2 oldest children haven't had a bath in at least a month and have been wearing the same clothes for a month. They've not been fed on a regular basis either. Meanwhile their mother was out clubbing, drinking, and smoking during her pregnancy. You may ask yourselves, What about the children's grandmother? Well, she's too busy flaunting her new body (due to weight loss surgery) and trolling for men. Meanwhile her grandchildren remain unwashed and unfed. Although the children's mother should be taking care of them, she's proven herself unfit for that. Sometimes the grandparents need to step in so that the child or children don't end up lost in the system. That's what my parents had to do with my oldest niece. By the age of 9 she had already led a very troublesome life. She had seen more than most people have seen in a lifetime. Unwed mothers are glamorized in society, which I feel is a mistake. If you choose to have a child out of wedlock, I don't have a problem with that. The thing I have a problem with is if you don't take care of that child. No child asks to be born, but many are subjected to unnecessary harm and hardship. If you're going to do this, make sure that you have the means to give your child a good life. Otherwise, stock up on that birth control because contrary to how it may seem, unwanted pregnancies can still be prevented.

Living with a Loss

A month ago my uncle died of a heart attack after botched eye surgery. He was 48 years old, with Down syndrome and congestive heart failure. Because he wasn't much older than me, he was almost like one of my brothers. Those of you who are familiar with Down syndrome know that many sufferers never develop a mental capacity beyond that of a pre-pubescent child. His case was very severe. He couldn't live on his own, and he couldn't hold down a job. His death is one that could've been prevented if the proper measures had been taken with regard to his surgery.

My point is not to place blame, but to contemplate this loss in my life. I saw him every day for the first 19 years of my life. After I went to college, I made a point to see him whenever I would visit. He was always happy to see me and would give me a big hug. Over the past few years his health started to deteriorate and I had planned to visit my family this summer so that I could see him again. Unfortunately, I never got that chance. That hurts because he was a very special person. He touched a lot of lives in big and small ways, and I know his memory will live on. The thing is, I think this loss will be tougher for me, than many others have been. His innocence was something rarely seen in adults. He was someone who truly loved unconditionally because that's all he knew how to do. He was able to hold on to the pure love that we all feel as children, that is eventually tainted by our life experiences. One thing we can all learn from him is to search for that pure love that once lived inside of us and let it break free. The people in our lives that we care about deserve that kind of love. Rest in peace, Uncle Danny. I love you.

Cat Allergy Update

In the past 2 days I've talked to 2 different people about my cat allergy. I figured since it's on their minds, it might be on other people's minds, too. For those of you who don't know, I developed a sinus infection at the end of January. The pain and pressure would not go away, despite the use of antibiotics and nasal sprays. After consulting with 2 ear, nose, and throat doctors I was referred to an allergist. After taking the allergy test, imagine my devastation when I found out that I was allergic to cats! I love my kitty babies, so there was no way that I'd ever give them up. I was put on allergy meds and more nasal spray and was told to do nasal irrigation with a neti pot. I'm also supposed to wash my hands after contact with the kitties and keep them out of the bedroom.

Well, I've been following the doctor's instructions for almost 2 months now and my sinuses aren't bothering me, for the most part. I've gotten a bit lax with regard to washing my hands after touching the cats and with using the neti pot, so I feel occasional pain, but I know that can be remedied by being more diligent. I think purchasing and air purifier will help, too. Because of the changes that I've made, I'm sure I can live with cats for the rest of my life, which is something that makes me hapy. Cats are great to have around and I'm glad I didn't have to give up mine!

Giving Love the World Over

Currently my boy Gavin is in Europe doing a few shows. His European fans waited a long time for him to come back and see them. When he's there, they try to go to as many shows as they can, because they're never sure when he'll be coming back. Earlier this week he did 2 shows in Amsterdam and a lot of the European fan club ladies took in those shows. Their excitement was palpable what with their tweets and updates on the fan club message board. For those who have never seen him live, Gavin DeGraw is a true joy to behold onstage. He gives his all to every single performance no matter what. He is also one of the most accessible artists out there with regard to his fans. As the ladies regaled us with tales of the show and meeting him, I felt like I was right there with them. Gavin and his music touch people more than I think he'll ever realize. Music is a great healer, and Gavin's music can definitely cure what ails you. Reading accounts of the shows in Amsterdam gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. The tears weren't tears of sadness, but ones of pure happiness. I feel that anyone who gets to have the "Gavin DeGraw Experience" is truly blessed. I was so happy that my fellow Gavinistas got to have such a wonderful time. It's very rare for a person and his music to touch so many different people so deeply. That's the power of the Gav! :-)

Dissatisfaction

Have you ever noticed how your dissatisfaction with one part of your life can bleed into other aspects of your life? Right now I'm reading a book called How to be Cool. It's about a woman who has always been overweight, which caused her to be somewhat of an outsider. After college she took it upon herself to lose 75lbs. and basically make herself over. She thought that this amazing transformation would suddenly make her life so much better. She has a high school reunion coming up and feels that her weight loss will somehow validate her in the eyes of her tormentors. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book, but I can already tell you that she's not going to get the validation she wants. Even after all of that weight loss, she's still extremely insecure and paranoid. I believe that weight wasn't the root cause of her problem. Her dissatisfaction with her lot in life was. Teenagers are very introspective, especially those that feel like they don't fit in. Although she's 29, she hasn't grown beyond the adolescent world and what it encompasses. There's not really a single aspect of her life that she's truly happy with (not even her weight), yet she expects other people to view her in this new light. Her job is to instruct people on being cool, but deep down she feels like the most uncool person in the world.

The point is that we all should strive for self-satisfaction. We should like who we are and not worry about what other people think. That's hard to do when you're bombarded from all sides with ideals and expectations you can't possibly live up to. That's when you have to step back and ask yourself what you want and how you can go about achieving it. Just wanting it and striving for it might not always get you what you want, but it never hurts to try. If you fail, that might be an indicator that you need to go in another direction.

Patiently Waiting for My New Stove

It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm hoping to start posting everyday or at least every weekday. Just before the Memorial Day holiday, my oven died. I'm sure there are a lot of 33-year old women out there that probably don't even know how to work an oven unless it's of the microwave variety, but my oven and I are pretty tight. I've been known to bake cakes and cookies, muffins and pies. I also like to broil my meat, instead of frying it. Don't even get me started on pizza!

Initially, we were told by the landlord that we'd have a new stove on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Tuesday came. No oven. No phone call. On Wednesday he called and said that the oven was on backorder and wouldn't be in until Friday. Yay. Another whole week without my oven. That really sucks!

Since the death of my oven, grocery shopping hasn't been much fun. As soon as I think of something I might like to have for dinner, the thought occurs to me that I'd need the oven in order to cook it. There's only so much you can do with a toaster oven, and the microwave is totally hopeless for some things.

My boyfriend's birthday is coming up on Monday, so I would like to be able to cook him a nice dinner and a cake. Here's hoping that I get the new stove on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed for me!