Thursday, November 25, 2010

Top ten things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:


Chad
my sweet, funny pets
good friends
living in Austin
our cozy 1952 house
online shopping (No doorbuster madness for me, thanks.)
KITTENS!
my fellow volunteers at the kitten nursery for Austin Pets Alive
The Paramount Theatre
the DVR, so I can watch the Macy's Parade in under 30 minutes on fast forward

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Season's Eatings



Typical Thanksgiving food does not tempt my tastebuds or my tummy. Turkey? It had a face. I'm not eating that. Tofurkey? How about NOfurkey - gross. Stuffing? Dry and eww. Yams and/or sweet potatoes? Gag. Pecan pie? Not my fave and oh-so-fatty. Green bean casserole? I wonder why anyone would defile vegetables in that manner. Brussels sprouts? Meh. Pumpkin pie? Maybe a few bites. Mashed potatoes? Hold the gravy.

I'm super-thankful that The Alamo Drafthouse opens its doors on Thanksgiving. After Chad and I do the Turkey Trot fun run to benefit Caritas, and after our nap, we're headed to the only place where Chad can get a traditional turkey dinner while I dine on salad and veggie pizza as we watch the latest box office hit. Hooray!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sharing Morning Sunny Spot





Kenji and Janie like each other, but they LOVE a warm, sunny spot.

Chad sent this photo to me last week. (I was still asleep when it was taken.) It made my day.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Volunteering: Good for your Mood


I have the post-Halloween blues. Halloween is my favorite major holiday. (All of you who prefer other holidays, go ahead and freak out. To each their own.) Now that I've carved pumpkins, dressed up in a costume, eaten more candy than I should have and watched lots of fun, scary movies, I'm left feeling a little blah, like my aura has turned dingy-beige. Perhaps this is a prolonged post-sugar-rush crash, perhaps a touch of pre-seasonal affective disorder, but I feel less than shiny-happy-sparkly.

The thoughts that put a pep in my step involve the kittens that I and other volunteers care for at Austin Pets Alive. Feeding these little fuzzballs, snuggling these miniature purr-monsters and even cleaning up after these mobilized happiness-spreaders makes me feel better. I can't hold a pudgy, purring kitten and be unhappy at the same time. These states are mutually exclusive.

More than any other volunteer activity I've ever done, caring for kittens warms my soul.

Find a volunteer activity you love. The pay is amazing!

Monday, November 08, 2010

What About this Saturday?


Play with the Murder Mystery Players! All of our public murder mystery shows include delicious dinners, fun prizes and a heaping helping of murder mystery and laughter!

Saturday, November 13, 2010 starts promptly at 8 PM

ONLY $36.95 per person plus tax and gratuity.
Plenty of free parking! You won't get that downtown!

Dave and Buster's Austin
9333 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78759
512-346-8015 ext. 12106 for reservations. Reservations required.

Can You Say Murder?

Top children's television celebrities assemble to see who will win best kids' show according to the Parent's Watchdog Association for Children's Television Programming. Nominees are: Helen Nice for Stomper Room; Richard Hodges for Mr. Hodges; Dr. Louise Moppet for The Moppets; Hubert X. Quackenbush for Bob the Clown; Pirate Pete (his real name?) for Pirate Pete. Last year's winner Clarice Dixon for Detective Safety presents the award, and conducts the investigation when things go awry. (I play Detective Safety, or Detective Thafety, as I like to call her.)

*This show is not for the kiddies as the show hosts flaunt their true personalities.*