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Reason #23,479 why I love Anthony Bourdain

February 28th, 2008. Published under General. 5 Comments.

It’s no secret I love Anthony Bourdain. Not in an “OMG HE’S SEXY” type of way - but I love his bluntness and snarkiness when it comes to just about everything. But it’s posts like these that make me giddy:

I have to wonder about an ad depicting a dead squirrel–with the caption “Some Things Look Better In HD.” Which is pretty much what the geniuses at Travel Promo have subjected innocent members of the public to.

Actually, it was worse: An old photo of yours truly–after a horrifying night of drinking in Iceland, huddled, near naked in the Blue Lagoon, pondering whether to throw up or simply sink beneath the surface and die.

Is this enticing? Does this make ANYONE–even longtime convicts–feel compelled to tune in? Some Things May Indeed Be Better in HD. My puffy, drink ravaged face and 51 year old naked torso would NOT be one of them. With all the beautiful places we’ve been on the show, THIS is an example of the glories of hi-def? Apparently, the price of crack must have dropped near HQ. There’s no other excuse for this shameful display of ugliness. What tiny, deeply disturbed demo were they trying to appeal to here? German Scat Porn websites likely attract greater numbers. And…

What about the CHILDREN!?

I look forward to the next ad–of my head, photo-shopped onto Barney Fife’s naked body torturing a puppy. Now THAT will draw them in!

What tiny, deeply disturbed demo were they trying to appeal to here? German Scat Porn websites likely attract greater numbers. - stuff like that alone just warms my snarky, black little heart.

Update on the Chester Man

February 25th, 2008. Published under General. 1 Comment.

Well, I heard back from the vet.

He doesn’t have the feline auto-immune thing the vet was thinking he had. So that rules out everything but a food allergy. WHICH IS WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS MONTHS AGO.

*sigh*

I love my vet, I really do, but I think she LOVES spending other people’s money. Case in point: she now wants me to put Chester on a special food that doesn’t have a common protein source and is hypoallergenic - for 8-12 weeks. One that costs $21 for 4 lbs of food. Did I mention that I have a 3 cat household? Cats that have all been raised and fed for more than 8 years on a “self-serve” type of feeding regime? Did I also mention that if Chester has even one piece of the non-special food, it will negate any of the testing?

This poses a problem. Tim nor I have time to ration out portions of food for all three kitties and watch them eat it so we can ensure Chester eats his own stuff and stays out of the other food (and vice versa). Also, $21 for 4lbs of food? Is it made of caviar? Gold flake?

So I did a bit of research on some food I could buy in a pet store rather than from a vet then I called her back. Well, she hemmed and hawed about it and despite me READING HER THE INGREDIENTS LIST for the one I found, she still was pushing me to get the platinum and diamond encrusted food. I told her “listen, there is no way I will be able to start feeding all three of my cats on a ration basis and I do not have time to watch them eat every morsel of food to ensure Chester doesn’t get into the stuff he can’t have. Furthermore, I want to buy something that ALL THREE of them can eat so I can continue feeding them on their current “feed yourself” routine. Your food is too expensive and if there’s nothing wrong with this other food, then I’m going to go that route.”

Then she tells me about how the stuff SHE has has been “AAFCO Certified by feeding trials” and some other bullshit. I did some research on that certification - and could find no information on the internet about it. Sounds like a certification for a price to me. Then she said (because the food I was looking at was a lamb/rice combination) that lamb was “too common” and the stuff SHE had was a duck/green pea combination and that would be so much better. I told her I’d think about it.

Sheesh.

So I went to Petco (I know….but they were the only ones that had the allergy food, PetSmart didn’t have any). While they didn’t have the food I researched, I found a different brand called “Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Duck Formula“.

Well, would you look at that? Duck and green pea. Specially formulated with “a single source of animal protein that most cats have not been exposed to, and a single source of carbohydrate not commonly found in cat foods.” Which is exactly what the other food the vet wanted me to buy had. I double-checked the ingredients list and there was nothing additional in the ingredients that Chester couldn’t have.

All that for $24 for a 10lb bag. Granted it’s not much cheaper - but it’s on par with what I had been feeding them (Science Diet Indoor Cat), so I won’t go bankrupt feeding all three the limited ingredient food. It should help with Roxy’s “eat too much and barf” issue. At least I hope so. :)

Thanks for all the good vibes. Keep your fingers crossed!

Stuck in the Politics

February 22nd, 2008. Published under General. 2 Comments.

This is probably the first election season where I’m not just completely disgusted with the outlook for the candidates that are available. I caucused. I friggin’ CAUCUSED.

As a self-proclaimed hater of politics. This is huge.

Think of what you will about the Democratic candidates, but this article on the Daily Kos where someone really dug in and researched both candidates “experience” in the Senate is pretty enlightening. It’s not slanted too heavily in favor of one or the other - but it’s more of a logical and clinical look at just exactly what each candidate has done in the Senate. Go read it and make your own conclusions. But, I think you can see from the above photo, which way I’m leaning.

Another thing that shines in that article is how exhausted it makes me feel to think just how tedious and frustrating being in Congress must be. All that work, and very little to show for it. And people want to tell you the system isn’t broken. Perhaps that’s just the way it is and I’m too naive to realize that.

Interesting to say the least.

Sometimes I get lucky…

February 20th, 2008. Published under General. No Comments.

As you all know, I replaced my Butt Phone with a shiny, new Motorola RIZR last summer.

You should also know that it takes pictures…some not so bad. I even have a set over on my Flickr gallery of just photos I’ve taken with the RIZR.

I never knew it could do this.

I took that one blind over my head and I did not crop it at all.  All I did was make it black and white.

I know I’m not an expert photographer.  I like to think I have a good eye for such things.  But sometimes, you just get lucky.

I Can Haz Moar Time?

February 19th, 2008. Published under General. 1 Comment.

I am having a hard time remembering when I had some free time to just do nothing. Or free time to work on some projects that I want to work on and not stuff I have to work on. A day where I don’t have to work in one way or another.

Monday through Friday, I’m obviously at my regular job. Interspersed in all that are periodic podcasting projects, website work and general wrangling of the forums and sites.

Sunday through Friday I have the freelance writing job to do. Two stories per day.

Saturday, I work at Ye Olde Part Tyme Jobbe. Granted it’s only a couple of hours - but I still have to leave the house and go work. The afternoon is usually spent doing laundry and other such housework.

Sunday usually turns into Podcasting Day. I have to wrangle out Tech Snark every week - and efforts to lighten that particular load haven’t gone very smoothly and I end up having to do it all. Timeliness is critical with ALL the components of getting the show out and I’m getting burned the hell out having to keep up on it and having to keep checking to see that the things I handed off aren’t getting done.

If push came to shove - I know what would have to drop off as only one of the things that keeps me so damn busy doesn’t pay a wage.

I don’t mean to come across as a “poor me” and whining about how busy I am because I’m well within my ability to step back and eliminate some items from my life. But the extra income from the writing job is great, the employee discount of Ye Olde Part Tyme Jobbe is awesome and obviously I won’t quit my full-time job. I guess what tires me out is the wheel spinning of something that should be a group effort and not an individual one. I’d be more than happy to hand over the mantle to someone else just to show what’s all involved with the process. Would that make any difference, though? Maybe we shouldn’t do a weekly show anymore.

Ah well.

Chester Man is doing fine - he had 4 different areas biopsied and we’re awaiting the results. I also had my parents up all weekend (Dad was having knee surgery and went home Sunday) which is why the show was out late this week.

Otherwise, things are pretty damn good.

I’m at a loss of what to do.

February 13th, 2008. Published under General. 3 Comments.

$463.50

That’s how much my vet bill will be on Friday.

Since December, Chester has had some scaly, flaky itchy spots on his face that he’s itched and has had the hair fall off of because the skin’s gotten so flaky. I’ve taken him in to the vet twice already (not included in the above amount) trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with him. The last time we were in, they did notice he had a wax plug in his left ear and in order for them to get it out, they were going to have to sedate him. “As long as we’re doing that,” they said, “we can do a skin biopsy and blood work at the same time.” I’ve tried to wait it out and see if things got better on their own - but it’s spread to his back feet and his tail - the bald spots from before have been growing back their hair - but I’m biting the bullet and taking him in again.

I love my fuzzy orange guy - but after Friday I’ll have spent nearly a grand over the past two and a half months trying to figure out why my little buddy’s hair is falling out in clumps and is all itchy. He was a bit run down last week, but now he’s back to his old self aside from the scaly, itchy, hair falling out problem.

The vet’s talking about “auto-immune” and other shit like that and despite this new batch of tests, they STILL may not know what’s going on with him. I love him to death, but I’m not going to keep taking him in for test after test after test just to fucking find out “well, it’s not mites!” or “well, we ruled out scurvy!”

If it is something that would require a prescription to maintain his well-being - I’m not sure if I want to shoulder the time and expense of prolonging a life that’s going to eventually end anyway.  Where do I draw the line?  I’m not made of money and I don’t want to make him suffer needlessly - because as much as we like to think we know our cats - they still don’t speak English.

It’s a tough decision. One I’m not looking forward to having to face.

Wish me luck on Friday.  :-(