dramatic rodent...

thanks to steven for bringing this little piece of hilarity to my attention...

News & Mews...

Tonight, I'm packing up to go on a vacation. That's when I weed through my closet of mostly unworn clothes, some (nay, many!) with tags still on them. Meaning, that's about the only time I do it. And really, it's so demoralizing to wait this long to try on some of these items again, only to find that they just don't seem to fit like they used to. Dammit. Another reminder...

But back to that key word up there: VACATION. Getting the frick out of town! Yippeeee!!! This trip to Chicago is my Christmas present from Jon -- just now being cashed in... We are taking the train overnight, which means that we can sleep for most of the actual travel portion of the trip. And we all know how much I like my sleep, right? I'm a total sleep whore. I love it. LOVE it. So travel involving sleep? I'm so there.

ION... An orange & white kitten rode into work with one of my co-workers under/in his car, and being that I work with a bunch of suckers for animals (myself included, of course), the little guy spent the day sitting around the office with us girls -- eating, sleeping, purring, you name it. He was a total sweetheart.

Well, that being said, guess what lucky individual had to take him home when the work day ended? You guessed it. Moi. But actually, he was a pleasure -- got along great with Kitty Bug and the other cat who gladly eats the food I put out but won't let me touch him/her. They played and played -- I really think Kitty thought I brought her the kitten as a toy. I need another cat like I need a hole in the head. For real. But I can't resist a cute face and a sweet mew. However, I need to be careful because I was sitting on my front porch last night, kitten in my lap and Kitty Bug circling me wanting to be petted, and I realized that I must look like a crazy cat lady to passersby! (luckily I have a pretty big front yard!)

Well, when I came into work yesterday morning, one of the guys who I could tell had been kind of wanting to take the kitten home greeted me at the door and said he and his wife would love to take the kitten. I'd grown somewhat attached to the little fellow over the course of our 2-day cohabitation, but let's be realistic -- not enough to pass up the chance to place him in a good home! I'm lucky to have found him a home at all! Much less a farm with other cats, a dog, horses, etc. So I brought him in with me this morning, off he went to his new home, and commenced to settling right on in! He'll be a happy, happy, happy kitty... The cat gods should adore me.

Just Stuff...

It's been awhile since I posted a chunk of just "stuff" for funsies -- weird, interesting, uninteresting, funny, sad, strange, odd, whatever... just STUFF:

• The Albino Squirrel Preservation Society
• How is in the world could THIS possibly be comfortable!!!??? Or even worth the effort???
• MISSOULA, Mont. - A man was cited for drunken driving twice in the same day, by the same officer, and jailed after authorities said he showed up drunk for his arraignment... (well, when you're on a roll.....)
• I can't even smell salmon without getting sick, much less eat it. Now a fast-food salmon wrap? Ew.....
• TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japan will get its first nursing home for dogs with round-the-clock monitoring by doctors and a team of puppies to help aging pooches feel younger, a pet products company said Wednesday.
• LEGO artist... Genius!!!
• "Tunnel of Hair"? Bleh!!! I can barely clean out my own shower drain with my own hair without puking!!!!

Have I Ever Mentioned That Otters Are My Favorite Animal?

I mean, come on, how freaking cute is this!? Go to any zoo or aquarium and watch: the otters are always having a BLAST!!! I'm totally jealous...Mother Russian sea otter 'Meel' floats on water as she holds her newly-born baby during a press preview at Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo Wednesday, June 13, 2007. The baby sea otter was born on June 2. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

This is going to be a problem...

My cousin just called me and said this: "I think we're going to have to put Matthew in rehab." [That's her 2-year old son, btw.] Why, you may ask (as I did)? Because the child woke up today and was offered some orange juice, only to reply, "No orange juice -- want BEER!"

That's my boy!!! So proud...

8 Random Facts...

I've been tagged by Silent One ~D~

1. I am an only child. Yep, a spoiled brat -- never heard that one before (ha)...
2. I hate SpIdErS. I loooove animals, just not spiders. Sometimes I don't kill them just out of spite, but it's hard. I mean, it's not their fault that I hate them, but still... ;)
3. My favorite color has always been and always will be PURPLE.
4. I always have a camera of some sort with me. Always. Either my Sony Cybershot DSC-T1, my Nikon D50 or just my cell phone camera (which I never use b/c I've been spoiled by the others), if not all of the above. I just love taking pictures...
5. I hated milk when I was little (drank apple juice instead). Unless it's in cereal, nothing has changed.
6. I firmly believe that queen of all fashion colors is BLACK.
7. I curse like a sailor. Like a damn sailor.
8. I am a proud Republican & a Christian. :)

Happy 80th Birthday, Grandmother!!!

My beloved grandmother turned 80 YEARS YOUNG yesterday (that's her on the right with her "baby sister"), and the family threw a little party/family reunion for her in north Mississippi this past weekend to celebrate the occasion... She was born there and a good many of her relatives -- old and young -- still live there.

My cousin and her boys also came from Georgia and little Matthew was in quite the celebratory mood all day long, carrying around his Bud Light bottle. And folks, he didn't just hold the bottle for a few minutes -- he literally carried it around for hours (plus, he's a sloppy drunk, spilling it all over himself, as you can see in the shot below)! What can we say, in this family, we start 'em young!
Family, friends, BBQ ribs, chicken, beer, and all the desserts you could imagine -- good times, good times!!! You only turn 80 once, right? Happy Birthday, Grandmother!!!