Religion: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Yesterday my minister's sermon was devoted to reconciling faith and evolution; how often we are given an either/or ... if you believe in God, you doubt evolution; if you accept the fact of evolution, it diminishes the role of God. My minister stated what I have accepted since I was in grade school and saw my first fossil -- that you can accept science and know God and love are at the center of it all. Since this seems rather obvious to me, it was not my takeaway from the sermon. Instead I took out my notebook and scribbled his quote:

"All religious experience is a private revelation."

To which my heart shouts a hearty AMEN!


This is why I recoil when people wear their faith like a badge. It feels, at best, insincere to me and, at worst, like a violation of personal boundaries. There are bloggers out there that I have met through Saturday 9 that I no longer visit because they beat their readers over the head with their faith.* It literally makes me teeth hurt to see a post open with a psalm and then go on to show pictures of Trayvon Martin flashing his tattoos and exhaling smoke, implying that since a kid has body art and uses pot he is somehow inherently dangerous and brought on his own
murder.

 

Happy Presidents' Day, Gentlemen

I recoil. I'm disgusted, both as Christian and as an American.

I have the same reaction to politicians like Rick Santorum who explain how a being Christian dictates how I should vote and how he must govern.

First of all, all Christians are not Catholic and we don't all believe exactly the same thing. Secondly, the separation between Church and State as championed by Thomas Jefferson and John Kennedy is very dear to me. Especially as a woman. Religious totalitarianism is always bad -- whether you're trying to force me into a burka or a mantilla.

And lastly, it's TMI. My relationship with God is joyous, life-affirming and private. Not unlike when I've been lucky enough to be in a romantic relationship and the sex is joyous, life-affirming and private. It's one thing to share the high (or perhaps, low) points of any relationship with friends and readers. But I care as much about the intricate nuts and bolts of anyone else's day-to-day relationship with God as I do what position they prefer in bed.

*I'm not suggesting these bloggers change their style. Our blogs are our space to use as we wish. If someone's writing bothers me, it's up to me to avoid that blog, it's not up to her to alter her content.

Sunday Stealing

To play along, click here.

1:Favorite children's book. Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. A big, beautiful picture book about our 16th President. Loved it, loved it. I'm happy to see it's still in print.

2:The last book you've read. Primetime Princess by Lindy DeKoven. It was completely decent chick lit.

3:Books on your "to read" list. Dust by Patricia Cornwell and HRC by Allen and Parnes.

4:Top 5 authors. William Goldman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton, Nora Ephron.

5:Favorite genres. Mystery and biography

6:A book that has made you extremely mad Jen Lancaster's writing has devolved from amusing to cruel. I gave up on her when she dismissively referred to Rachel Maddow as "he." Not funny nor clever, just mean and rather neanderthal.

7:A book that you've cried over. In Cold Blood. That passage at the end about Nancy Clutter's horse, Babe, being sold after his mistress' murder. That book really is genius.

8:A book that made you laugh out loud. The Princess Bride. Yes, it was a book before it was a movie, and it's excellent.

9:Fiction or nonfiction? Depends on my mood.

10:First book you've read by your favorite author. The aforementioned Princess Bride.

11:Best book-to-movie adaption. I'm tempted to say The Godfather, except that the movie is such a vast improvement over the book that I don't think it counts. So instead I'll go with To Kill a Mockingbird.

12:Do you read comics/manga? No

13:Hardcovers or Paperbacks?  Depends

 

14:Do you buy books as soon as they come out or wait a while? Depends.

15:Do you buy books spontaneously without any prior knowledge of what happens in it? Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. So many bloggers, including Kwizgiver, suggested I read it.

16:Have you ever bought a book based on the cover alone? No

17:Where do you usually buy your books? Amazon, or the local bookstore here in town.

18:Book that had a strong impact on you Saving Graces by Elizabeth Edwards.

19:Historical or science fiction? I'm just not into sci-fi at all.

20:Dystopian or Utopian? How about just plan real?

21:Worst book-to-move adaption? Oh, The Great Gatsby! I thought the Redford version (gorgeous though he was) sucked … till I saw the Leo/Baz waste-of-space.

22:Book that should have a movie adaption? I'd love to see Lisa Lutz' Spellman series made into a movie

23:The first book you've fallen in love with Little Women

 

24:Humor or angst? Depends

25:How many books do you own? Countless

26:Do you go the library? Not often enough

27:How many books do you read a year? Between a dozen and 20.

28:Favorite "required reading" book? The Great Gatsby

29:Favorite quote? "Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death." Princess Bride

30:A book you absolutely hate Moby Dick

This single woman's take on Valentine's Day

I don't care about it.

I don't hate it. I hate space hogs, handguns and uncooked tomatoes.

It isn't a day that makes me sad. My late uncle's birthday makes me sad, the anniversary of 9/11 makes me sad, and, for some reason, Easter makes me sad.

I don't resent it. I sincerely hope everyone who is in a relationship had a lovely day. I was glad to see so many mylar balloons and floral displays in the office building yesterday because I know this winter has been tough financially on the florist in our lobby and I was happy to see her raking it in.

Otherwise, I simply don't care about it.

Why is it that when I say that, I get accused of being "grinchy" or "sensitive?" I think it's one of society's preconceptions about unmarried women. I'm surprised to encounter this in our post-feminist world.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: As Time Goes By

1) This is the theme song of Casablanca, generally acknowledged as one the screen's great love stories. In honor of Valentine's Day weekend, what's your favorite movie romance?

2) Even though he was only 5'8 and had a receding hairline, Humphrey Bogart was a popular leading man. What movie or TV actor or actress makes your heart skip a beat? Mark Harmon is my TV boyfriend. He's not only very good looking, it appears he's a very nice man. Handsome is as handsome does!

3) Sweethearts are those little heart-shaped candies that are printed with messages like, "Be Mine" and "Kiss Me." Do you like how they taste? It's been so long I don't even remember how they taste. But I do recall that they are hard as little heart-shaped rocks.

4) Valentine's Day is a big day for florists. When is the last time a floral arrangement adorned your table or desk? I always have flowers on my desk at work. This week it was six yellow carnations.

5) Do you think an e-card means as much as a conventional card in an envelope? No.

6) Despite what you see on Valentines, the human heart isn't bright red. It's really a brownish shade of red, like a brick. Now it's your turn. Share some trivia that's been rattling around in your head. (It does NOT have to be about Valentines or the human heart. It can be any random fact at all.) The life expectancy of an indoor cat is 12-14 years, while an outdoor cat seldom sees its 8th birthday.

7) When is the last time you thought your heart would break? When my cat Charlotte was sick last week. She's a good old girl (between the ages of 14 and 17) and I was worried I would lose her. Fortunately, she's on the mend!

8) What is the most recent thing to lift your heart? I posted a new selfie of myself and got dozens of likes and some very sweet comments. I've never been confident about my appearance.

9) Who is the most "hard hearted" person you know? My niece. She's a tough girl. I don't think of this as a bad thing. I am proud of how she stands up for herself.

"Mom Enough" for You?

Friday morning our team had a talk from one of our advertising agency's planners, the one who is considered expert on Millennials. He said that this generation has always had the internet and, therefore, so much access to information that they feel rather cynical about much that's said about them.

OK, I asked, then how to they feel about being demographically sliced and diced? Specifically I was thinking of a certain fast-food company that does virtually identical commercials with African American actors for airing on BET. Has this kind of advertising proven effective? Is it viewed as outreach or pandering? I was hoping for some facts and figures.

Instead he answered in general terms, saying that it's too soon to say definitively how it impacts sales, but that anecdotally Millennial consumers are annoyed by it. He likened it to me watching a commercial obviously aimed at me during a sports broadcast. "You know they [the advertisers] are saying to themselves, 'Mom enough for you?'"

I understood his point, but I was taken aback. I have never had children and even if I did, I'm now 56. If I had become a mother, my kids would either be finishing high school or in college now. I don't think that now I'd be the target for 'Mom' messaging, even in an alternate universe.

I decided to be complimented that I look young enough to have a younger kid. And it's better than hearing, "Golden Girl enough for you?"

Me vs. The Space Hog!

If you read this blog with any frequency, you know I hate space hogs. A person who takes an extra seat on the train or bus for his totebag or backpack, causing others to stand, is at best rude and at worst a thief. (Did he buy a fare for that totebag or backpack? No? Then how is it different than taking two loaves of bread from the store and only paying for one?)

The place where space hogs annoy me more than public transportation is the gym. It's simply wrong to take up the entire bench in the locker room with your water bottle and iPod and towel. A bench is for people to sit on. Likewise, it's rude to drape your belongings on an exercise machine to reserve it when you're doing something else.

So on Friday, I removed the towel from the leg lift and started doing my exercises. The offending woman came barreling over to me, telling me I didn't have to throw her towel on the floor.

I patiently told her that I didn't "throw" it, I "removed" it, and she has no right to try to reserve machines. She kept yelling at me, and I kept repeating the same thing: "You're not supposed to reserve the machines."

She stormed off to the showers saying, "I'm leaving now. You can use any machine you want."

"My," I called after her, "how good of you to give me permission."

After she left, one of men who was also waiting for one of the three (3!) machines she'd draped her belongings over came over and gave me an "atta girl" for "confronting her with common sense."

I felt like a cross between Emily Post and Rocky Balboa, fighting the good fight for common courtesy.

BTW, this woman is at least 45 years old. I don't know where she gets this sense of entitlement, or why by this point in her life she hasn't learned that we all have to inhabit this space together and we should respect one another.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

To play along, just answer the following three questions ...

• What are you currently reading?  Primetime Princess by Lindy DeKoven. It bills itself as a Devil Wears Prada set in TV, rather than publishing, but I don't think that's accurate. DWP (the book) had a very unlikeable heroine. Yes, her boss was a horror, but the protagonist was hard to root for, as well. (I feel vindicated on this point, since Anne Hathaway's character in the movie was much nicer.) ANYWAY, Alexa in Primetime Princess is up against an entrenched old boy's network. The TV network provides an interesting backdrop and I enjoy reading about Alexa's different friends. I know I've always had a variety of people in my life, different friends I turn to at different times, and I like seeing that aspect of Alexa's life portrayed in this book.

• What did you recently finish reading? Bruce, by Peter Ames Carlin. OK, I admit it: I didn't really finish it. I put down this detailed (500+ page) Springsteen biography because I needed a little chick-lit break. I'll return to Bruce soon.

• What do you think you’ll read next? We'll see how I feel after Bruce.

To see how others responded, click here.

A little in love

My classic movie group got together Tuesday night for the screwball classic Bringing Up Baby. When I first saw it back in the 1970s, I was bowled over by Katharine Hepburn. And she is beautiful and so very funny in a fast-talking, breathless and exhausting kind of way.

But this time around I was enchanted by watching Cary Grant respond to her. His posture, his reaction shots, were almost as funny as her antics and it doesn't hurt at all that he looks and sounds, well, like Cary Grant.

I love watching Hepburn with Spencer Tracy because I know their story. But I wonder, if I was able to see The Great Kate's work without being biased by her astounding biography, if I wouldn't prefer her with Cary Grant. Think of him wooing her away from both her stodgy fiance and the brash reporter in The Philadelphia Story, or her falling in dear, unrequited love with him in Holiday. Sigh ...

On a side note, it was nice to see Martha again. She's become my classic film series buddy.  On the face of it, we don't have much in common. She's an African American CTA bus driver and grandmother. But we do both love our movies!

That's My Girl!

Today, when you see news footage of the French President arriving at the South Lawn, please notice the protocol. When the limo pulls up, the President, First Lady and their honored guest will walk a receiving line that includes the Vice President and Secretary of State. Then the band will play a few bars of "Hail to the Chief," followed the French national anthem, finishing with our national anthem. After a few formal opening remarks by both world leaders, President Obama will escort his French counterpart into the White House. Mrs. Obama will follow. (Since the French President just recently went through a high-profile divorce, there is no one for Michelle Obama to give flowers to, or enter the White House alongside.)

This tradition was introduced by the Kennedy Administration. Before the 1960s, a foreign dignitary just got out of his car and walked up to the steps to be greeted by the President and First Lady, who may have been in the doorway ... or not. The ceremony you see today was developed and fiercely adhered to by JBKO, who insisted the world see that we are gracious and respectful of our guests and proud of our beautiful White House and our heritage. Here she is in 1962, with the wife of the President of Honduras. She's amused by her toddler son, John Jr., who is watching the ceremony on the shoulders of a Secret Service agent.

Jackie was passionate about how the world viewed the United States. The logo treatment you see today on the side of Air Force One was also Jackie's. The plane has changed since 1961, but the familiar light blue nose, 'THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' in blue lettering and the US flag on the tail were all her.* And it remains to this day.

The more I learn about her, the more impressed I become. She was only 31 when she was thrust upon the world stage, and she seems to have seldom if ever put a foot wrong.

*Eisenhower's plane had a big flower on the side.

Nine months

I just ran the numbers. If I get let go this month, I should receive two months severance and I have 7 months' worth of expenses put away. That means I will be "good" for 9 months without another job.

Of course, I have no confidence I'll find another job in 9 months. My best friend has been unemployed since August, 2012. My friend John has been without a regular, full time gig since June, 2012. Marketing and advertising are tough right now.

But there's only so much I can do about that this morning. One way to keep my job is to go into the office this fine Monday morning, right?

Feeling weepy

I'm not much a crier. But I cried today when it washed over me how much I miss my uncle, and how much he gave me.

It was 50 years ago today. I was six. For some reason the clan had gathered at my Icky Grandma's house. I was getting bored and fidgety. My uncle suddenly rescued me from certain scolding by inviting me to join him on an errand. We ended up at Korvette's department store -- one of the few that were open on Sunday. I don't remember what we came for, but before we got in line to pay he was distracted by a group of young people. (He was, after all, just 21 at the time.) They were surrounding a card table. He guided me over there and we checked it out, leavng with a record for 99¢ and a free balloon. The record was "Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You" and the balloon featured a pictured of these four young men that none of us had ever seen before. We returned to Icky Grandma's and, as the family gathering broke up, he reminded me watch The Ed Sullivan Show that night so I could see what all the fuss was about.

The rest, as they say, is history.

If you read this blog at all, you know that I am a massive Beatle fan. He gave me that, and few things gave me as much enduring joy as The Beatles. But that's just one thing I am grateful to my uncle for. I remember him as always bringing fun and magic with him.

I do not believe in revising history. My uncle was not a perfect man. Frequently, he wasn't even a nice one. But he was always, ALWAYS good to me. He was my godfather and he felt a connection to me. This story, that began when he got me out of that house before I could get another stern talking to lecture just for behaving like a child, was a good indication. For my Icky Grandma was his mother, and he knew how soul crushing she could be.

He should be alive today. He should be on the other end of the phone as I call him at this hour (7:00 on Sunday night) and thank him for giving me the Lads, and everything else he gave me. Instead, his life was cut cruelly short by Parkinson's. Because his condition was no doubt exacerbated by service in the Army and his exposure to Agent Orange, and I am very, very angry right now.

I take some comfort in knowing I thanked him in life, and that from his unique vantage point in heaven, he knows how fondly he's remembered right now.

Where did today go?

Got up. Attended church. Shopped at Petco and picked up an egg-and-cheddar bagel on the way back. Laid down on the couch for a minute and ... SHIT! IT'S AFTER 4:00! MY SUNDAY IS GONE!

Sunday Stealing

To play along, click here.


1.)Do you like Valentine's Day?  Not especially.

2.)Are you going to celebrate it? Not especially.

3.)Celebrate Valentine's Day with friends or someone special?  No

4.)Pink or red? Whichever is brighter. I'm not big on pastels.

5.)Candy Hearts OR cards? Are we talking a heart filled with chocolate candy? Or those "be mine" sweethearts. If it's chocolate, I'll go with those. Otherwise, I'd like a nice, old-school Valentine with cupid on the front.

6.)A short kiss or a big hug? Depends on who is doing the kissing/hugging.

7.)What are your plans for V-day?  Budgeting for payday and preparing my tax paperwork for the accountant.
 
8.)What would be the best gift to receive? Sex. 

9.)Would get back with any of your ex's for V-day? In a weak moment.

10.)Is there a food or beverage you associate with V-day? No

11.) What are your thoughts on "Love at first sight?" I believe in connection/attraction at first sight, but not love.

12.)Do you think people who have dated can stay friends? I have never seen it first hand.

13.) If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about dating or relationships what would it be? Don't excuse bad behavior by saying, "Aw, he doesn't mean it." Trust your 2014 self, Gal. He did mean it.

It's time they were vanquished!

My cat Charlotte is behaving much more like her old self. Not only is she eating often and enthusiastically, she tracked down and killed her fuzzy mice. Finishing off the gray one required special care but she was up to the task.

She's still not out of the woods. Getting food and fluids into her was just the first, most critical step in getting her well. Her hypothyroidism is still slowly killing her. She's still down to barely 5 lbs. While her eyes are no longer watery, the pupils are still dilated and that's a sign of high blood pressure. Once she stronger, we have to get her back on her thyroid meds.

She's at least 14 years old, perhaps as old as 17. I realize she may be reaching the end of her feline life. I'm not trying to keep her alive at any cost. That would be selfish. But I am devoted to keeping her as comfortable and happy as I can for the time she has. That's the deal I bought when I adopted her.

31 Days of Oscar Blogathon -- Actors

In Praise of Practical Magic

April 5, 1965. ABC pre-empted the hospital drama Ben Casey for the Academy Awards and TV viewers got to see Julie Andrews graciously accept sublime revenge on Jack Warner.

Studio boss Warner famously passed on Julie for the lead in My Fair Lady. Never mind that she created the role of Eliza on Broadway and played it successfully for hundreds of performances. According to various reports, Warner said she wasn't glamorous enough for the big screen … or not "right" for middle America … or not powerful enough a talent to ensure box office success.

The lady herself admits she was hurt and upset at the time. Who wants to be told that she's not pretty enough, not good enough? Also, she was justifiably proud of her carefully crafted Eliza and would have liked to have seen that performance preserved on film.

Fortunately, the people at Walt Disney Studios had complete faith that she would play in middle America and invited her to accept the lead in their big budget, live action extravaganza, Mary Poppins. The result was literally Oscar gold, while Warner's Fair Lady Audrey Hepburn wasn't even nominated.

Some Oscar experts opine that the award was less about Julie and more a swipe at the very unpopular Jack Warner. Today Carrie Fisher makes fun of Julie's award, saying she can't believe her mother, Debbie Reynolds, lost her Unsinkable Molly Brown Oscar to Mary Poppins. But I think Julie Andrews is a wonder in her first film role and this award was completely deserved on its merits.

From the moment she descends upon Cherry Tree Lane, Julie's Mary Poppins commands attention, admiration and respect. She virtually hires herself, and Mr. Banks is helpless in the face of her common sense, confidence and efficiency. She introduces herself to the children, bringing order and rules into their lives so that they will be prepared for adulthood. She also makes sure Jane and Michael get a lot of music and magic.

It's a neat balancing act. Yes, the Banks children get to dive into chalk paintings, participate in a fox hunt and derby while riding carousel horses, and take their afternoon tea on the ceiling. But they also have to keep the nursery neat and clean, take their tonic each morning, mind their manners and go to sleep on time. She's as firm as she is fun. She takes the screen with such authority it's hard to believe this is Julie Andrews' first time before a film camera.

Maybe Warner was right and the camera doesn't love Julie the way it does the always luminous Audrey. But it certainly was charmed by her. With her clear skin and bright eyes, she is a pleasant, comfortable screen presence.

Then there are the musical numbers. Like everything else about her performance, her voice is both beautiful and exquisitely controlled. Its inherent warmth helps keep Mary from seeming officious. So does her chemistry with Dick Van Dyke, especially in three of their most memorable scenes -- "Jolly Holiday," "Chim Chim Cher-ree," and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Their eye contact is constant as they regard one another's dance moves with interest and affection.

Julie followed Mary Poppins by doing the impossible -- making an even more commercially successful film. The Sound of Music is still a veritable cash register, bringing in continuous and awe-inspiring revenue from DVD sales, soundtrack sales, audience-participation sing-alongs and regular showings on TV. But Julie's performance as Mary Poppins is better than her Maria Von Trapp. More layered, more unexpected, more interesting. It's ironic that the more complex characterization is a magic, fictional nanny rather than a real woman who fled Nazis, but such are the vagaries of movie musicals.

Want more Oscar? 

From Feb 1 to March 1 you can discover 

a month's worth of posts by visiting 

Paula's Cinema Club,  

Once Upon a Screen and Outspoken and Freckled.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Why Don't We Get Drunk?

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1)This week's song was once named the favorite love song of Bud Wiser, the godfather to this humble blog. With Valentine's Day coming up, what's your favorite love song? "All My Loving." It was 50 years ago this weekend that Paul looked into the camera and sang, "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you/tomorrow I'll miss you/remember I'll always be true." A sweet, innocent sentiment sung by a dark-eyed troubadour. Sigh.

2) When this song was first released back in 1973, the "Why don't we get drunk and screw?" refrain was considered shocking. With the explicit sexual content in many of today's songs, it now hardly raises an eyebrow. When is the last time you were shocked? (Not just by a song, by anything at all.) I was saddened by the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and shocked by the circumstances surrounding it.

3) Buffett named his first daughter Savannah, presumably after his favorite city. Tell us about your favorite city. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Chicago. It's an ethnically diverse and easily walkable city. We have great restaurants, world-class museums and breathtaking architecture. There's no better place to shop than Michigan Avenue.  We have profesional basketball, hockey, football, soccer and, of course, baseball! Opening Day at Wrigley Field is Friday, April 4.

It begins again in 59 days!

4) Mr. Buffett opened a Margaritaville Casino in Atlantic City. Have you ever gambled in Atlantic City? What about Las Vegas? No and yes.

5) Saving Florida's manatees is a cause near and dear to Jimmy Buffett's heart. If we were to make a $100 contribution to any charity in your honor, which would you choose?  Toys for Tots. Every kid should have a merry Christmas.

6) If today was your birthday, your astrological sign would be Aquarius. How often do you check your horoscope?  Seldom if ever.

7) On this date in 1974, the show Good Times ("Dy-no-mite!") premiered and, much to Sam's confusion and chagrin, still enjoys an audience in syndication. Tell us about a pop culture phenomenon that you just never got into. Seinfeld.

8) Is there a home improvement project on your list of things to do? It's my plan to devote my tax refund to redoing my bathroom.

9) A warm-weather choice to consider on a February day: Ice cream sundae or banana split? Hot fudge sundae with nuts. Yum!

A mixed bag

Today Charlotte and I went to the vet. She was down to 5 lbs.! To put this in perspective, a year ago she weighed just over 7 lbs., so in the last 12 months she's lost 28% of her body weight!

The vet doesn't know what set her on this recent downward spiral and, frankly, he right now, he doesn't care. He looked at her pre-op bloodwork from last month and didn't see anything out of the ordinary except her thyroid. So he guesses that whatever is bedeviling her right now wouldn't have such a drastic impact if she hadn't been weakened by the hypothyroidism and weight loss.

So she got some intravenous fluids and an appetite stimulant. And boy, did that do the trick! She snarfed down the new, super rich "critical care" food the vet sent home with us. She also enjoyed some crunchy cat treats and licked my plate clean. The only thing she's not interested in is her standard kibble. Hopefully by Sunday or Monday, she'll be back to her old self.

And then she'll go back to the vet. He was worried that her blood pressure was elevated. Hopefully by her next visit either he will tell me it's back within the normal range, or he can figure out what's causing it to rise.

She hates going to the vet. I hate taking her. It's expensive and traumatic. So I hope we're almost done with this!

My aging feline population is expensive

Right now at work we have three people doing the work of two. This is not good. I wouldn't be surprised if the axe falls on one of us before February is over.

I found out, quite by accident, that although I've been there the longest of the three, I make the least.

$7,000 less than my officemate (hired in 2007), and approximately $11,000 less than the newest addition to the team (hired 2012).

I always knew that when I joined this agency back in 2004, I didn't drive a hard enough bargain. I took vacation time instead of salary and assumed that I'd get raises every year/18 months. Then the Recession happened. In 9 years I've gotten one raise. My coworkers/competitors simply negotiated better deals.

Making less than the boys may just work out in my favor. For I have more experience and I'm more cost efficient.

Which is good because I have two cats with medical problems. Reynaldo is on a special diet for life, and Charlotte is going to the vet again Friday.

I remain very worried.

I got her to purr!

So Monday when I got home from work, I found my diva cat Charlotte lethargic, hiding and refusing food and water. Tuesday morning found her a wee bit more social. On Tuesday night, I whipped out that jar of Gerber 2nd Meats I keep on hand for just this occasion.

ATTENTION, PET OWNERS -- Dogs and cats alike are in love with the scent of Gerber 2nd Meats and will eat it, no matter what. They don't provide much in terms of feline/canine nutrition, but are rich in moisture and can help you fend off dehydration. Also, a dog will snarf down a pill the size of a football if it smells like Gerber 2nd Meats.

Miss Thing was feeling friendly enough toward me to sleep on the foot of my bed Tuesday night.

Today she's still not eating or drinking, but she did lap up more of the Gerber and she's beside me on the sofa, purring!

We're going to the vet Friday afternoon. But I'm feeling more confident about her prognosis. The lack of appetite and constipation/dehydration could be a reaction to her thyroid medicine.

God, You're Dumb

Remember Archie Bunker? He's the grumpy old man by oldest friend had been crushing on. I still cyber stalk him because I want to be 100% sure she's not circling back to him. (For all that he's a toxic douchebag, she's attracted to his eyes, smile and minor celebrity as a retired sportscaster.)

Anyway, today he's ranting over Facebook as "Big Brother" because of those "look back" anniversary films they've put together for us. Who are THEY to take HIS information and put together a video?

Um, Arch? THEY are the ones who own your information because when you posted it, you gave it to them. 

My poor girl

Right now, my cat Charlotte is asleep under the futon. She doesn't want food, she doesn't want attention. She wants to be left alone.

I don't know what to do. I fear she's having a bad reaction to the meds I've been giving her each morning for her thyroid condition. But I am resistant to take her to the vet. She hates it so much, it terrifies her so. She's old, she's weak. I'm not sure it's right to subject her to that.

But if I don't take her, then what? Sleeping by herself under the sofa, without the interest in food or friendship she had just yesterday, is no way to live.

My poor girl. I hope she knows how much she is loved, and how hard I am trying to decide what's best for her.

The Killing Season

History teaches us that, if there are going to be lay offs, they will likely be on Tuesday, February 18. And I am worried.

Our client's fiscal year runs from February to February, and there are signs that they want to spend less with us. One are that I know about is travel expenses. Other areas, that I don't know about, could include our salaries.

My little creative team, which includes four of us in a single, over-sized office, just found out on Monday that we're being moved to an even smaller clown car ... I mean office. I'm not only unhappy about this because I hate the lack of privacy, but because of what I'm afraid it represents in terms of our value to this agency.

It occurs to me, too, that we were supposed to initiate performance appraisals in January. Well, January has come and gone and there was no additional word on the topic. And there wouldn't be ... if a blood bath was on the way.

I am worried. I am scared.

Image courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net