I just became one of "Those People"

Dear Lord! I just sent out an email to get a stray cat a home. Getting those emails always make me so sad, but I never adopt the poor creature. Trying to find a home for a cat is like trying to sell ice to Eskimos. Man, I hope this works and didn't peeve people too much. Here is the email:

Hiya,

If you are considering adopting an animal, please contact me about this cat. If you aren't a cat person, please forward this to friends of yours who are. This is one of the best cats I've ever met, she shouldn't be a victim of lack of space and bad timing. (I don't want to offend anyone with this email, I just want to find this cat a home and figured I'd contact everyone with a big heart for their help.)

I took a few days off around the New Years. I figured I'd catch up on my correspondence, get a head start on the ole resolutions, but I came home New Years Eve and found a little black cat on my back porch. She had a safety collar and a little shaved belly (obviously a recent spay) She was ridiculously affectionate, so I hung out with her for about an hour. When she was still on our back porch the next morning, we took a picture and put up "Found Cat" posters around the neighborhood and had her scanned for a micro-chip at the local pound. No chip, but 3 days later, one of our neighbors called with her story. She was a part of a feral colony that they feed. They had her fixed to avoid more kittens and let her in the house for "a few days" but put her out again. She still had a stitch left in her tummy. The guy said "We have 5, if you want her, keep her."

Though she is the sweetest cat ever, I can't keep her. Which is where you come in! I think she would be a great addition to anybodies home. She is spayed, (we had that last stitch removed) she has her shots (I can get the paperwork from the neighbor). She is extremely affectionate and loves being petted and scratched and rolling around on her back being adorable. She was part of a large colony of feral cats, so, once acclimated to any new roommates, she should be great with other cats. From her behavior here, it seems that all she wants to do is come inside and snuggle. She's been hanging out on the back porch pretty much all day and all night.

She has been on our back porch for 5 days now. I've put up a temporary shelter for her, but I can't bring her inside, though she keeps trying to sneak in. I would love to welcome her in, but Munchy, our 17 yr old cat, has a nervous problem with her bladder and urethra, so anytime she has ever a small amount of stress she gets really sick with a UTI. She only has one kidney, so we try to keep stress to a minimum around her. Also, our finances can't support another animal and our housing situation isn't entirely certain. If we have to look for an apartment, having 4 cats would certainly make it more difficult.

I would love to get her in a home quickly (of if you are a rescue person, let me know if you have a foster situation available). We have set up a little shelter to keep her warm at night, but it's not heated and the weather could turn colder. She is also a black cat, outside, next to a busy street.

Sorry to be the first "Give this cat a home" email of the year, but lets find this girl a place of her own! Thanks for your time, I hope all is well in your world.

A

Check out my cookies

Here is a big surprise, Sugar is a big part of my holidays!

My family communicates with cakes and cookies. Check out my blog on our Christmas Cookie tradition, culled from the pages of a 1960's magazine called "Farm Wife".

I hope everybody has a happy, sugar-filled holiday.

RIP Pushing Daisies

The best show in the past two years just got canned, quietly and quickly. Pushing Daisies is now off the air. At least I'm assuming that I have just watched the last episode. The show has definitely been cancelled and there was no "Next time on Pushing Daisies" bumper at the end of this weeks show like there usually is. It's a harshing my Christmas buzz.

I was addicted to the show quickly after it debuted. The language was both clever and honest. It was modern and timeless and kinda like the Princess Bride meets the Thin Man. The writers were surely big fans of old Detective movies and radio shows. It is one show I always looked forward to watching. Our office organized a TV Thursday to watch Pushing Daisies eps and we'd swap off making pies to eat with our TV lunch. There is a buzz that the producers will wrap up the loose ends on PD with a comic book? Do they know their demographic? Maybe if they did, the show would have survived.

ABC also recently cancelled Boston Legal. Judging from the tenor of the last few episodes, Boston Legal did not go gently into that good night. BL was topical, funny and touching. It also had William Shatner, which was a cherry on the top-notch writing cupcake. While BL had it's share of naughty bits, it didn't focus on sex like a lot of other "lawyer"-y type shows and hospital dramas. It focused on story and character. Kinda like Pushing Daisies did. I'm going to miss that kind of intelligent writing.

I'm not one to campaign for TV shows (there are too many real problems in our crazy, mixed up world to take up my time.) I have the attitude of enjoy it while it's here and let it go when it gets axed. Plus, losing the good shows on TV is actually great for helping kick my addiction to TV. I would not have commented on either show, except that ABC decided to pour lemon juice into my wounds by showing a trailer for a new show, the same trailer followed the Series finales of Boston Legal and the Pushing Daisies ender.

The trailer was for a wretched, new reality steaming load about an "Inner Beauty" contest. To quote Emerson Cod, "A stupid idea just found a new friend." (For the record, I hate reality TV. The only reality show I've ever watched was "The Swan" which was wicked brilliant. Bunim-Murray's offices are directly across the street from our gym and I give it the bird every morning. They are responsible for starting reality TV, with The Real World, nearly 20 years ago. Ass Hats.)

So farewell PD and BL. You are in the excellent company of Arrested Development, Freaks & Geeks and a handful of other shows that were too good to get ad buys. It's true what they say, Only the good die young. (see Two & a Half Men, that mess will not die.)

First 5 Commentors get a beer on me

Hey Friend,

Check out my charity case on FierceAndNerdy.com. It you are burned out on buying and/or getting presents that end up in the back of your closet, check out my latest blogumn. It'll blow your mind, help heal the world and keep landfills from overflowing.

Plus, Also too, there is a nifty picture of me with my mouth so wide open, you can see my tonsils (If you view it today - 12/15/08)

Feel free to share your favorite charity on FaN and help them get some monies for the holidays!

The Good part of shopping

I've spent the last 2 Saturdays shopping for Christmas. After 2 Christmases of being able to shop on Weekdays, I had forgotten how sucky it is to be trapped in a Mall with consumers and cranky clerks. But the prices were right!

Here were the good things that happened while we were shopping:

1. The book "Breaking Bad News with Baby Animals" It is pricelessly precious and awful and funny. HIGHLY recommend as your Yankee Swap gift.

2. Helping an Old Lady. The place - Ghetto Target. The time - 9:13 a.m. on a Saturday. The subject - Carla the old lady who fell, face first onto the hard tile ground after her walker ran out too far in front of her. Seen and I helped her onto the walker seat and Seen went to get a wheelchair/helper while I sat and talked to Carla. No, she wasn't hurt in the fall. She has a cat named Grandma, an 8 month old mutt from the pound that her son brought her. Yes, she had a ride home as she lives in a nursing home and a bus dropped off a bunch of old shoppers and would be picking them up in a little while. We got Carla to the check-out ok. She was sitting in the lunch area with her cat food and wire hangers when we walked out later.

3. NPH sighting. To end our day of shopping, we went to JoAnne's on Riverside in the Valley to buy flannel and fleece. Mom is making us PJ Pants! While I was waiting in line, a blonde, skinny guy walked by me and I thought "was that NPH? naaahhh..." It was 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday. We're at a fabric store in the valley. naaahh. Then, as we walked our cozy fabric purchase to the car, Seen said "Did you see Neil Patrick Harris? He was right behind you." Whoa. Weird. Random. So Los Angeles.

Merry Christmas!

Surf Diva

I'm home sick, in bed, today and surrounded by kittens.

It's nothing too dramatic, just a cold. I am trying to not check emails or harass the people I work with too much. To stave off the boredom, I figured I'd go through all the Internet pages I'd bookmarked over the last 10 years or so and this fella to the left popped up. How could I not share this with you?

You are welcome.

Amy's Awesome Gym

I have two tickets to the gun show. Buy one, get one.

Actually, I'm feeling a little flabby after eating so much sugar, wheat and fat over Thanksgiving, so I chose to blog about my gym going habits (or aspirations)

Check out my latest Blogumn about Amy's Awesome Gym on FierceAndNerdy.com

If you leave a comment, I'll buy you a beer. (a very healthy beer)

(I can't believe I posted a picture of Hitler)