I Tried to be Reasonable

I tried to be reasonable and set my sites on an affordable car, but I just don't like affordable cars. I've come to accept this about myself. No Fiat or Mini Cooper in my future. Like a moth to a very expensive, well designed, shiny flame, I want another BMW.

My one concession: I'll downgrade to the 1 series this time with the 135i coupe. Now then, that's quite reasonable of me! And, vegetarian that I struggle to be, I'll opt for the vegan leatherette interior.

Off to buy a lotto ticket...

Dorothy Rocks!

Dorothy is a ten-year-old volunteer who works with me almost daily at Austin Pets Alive! Tarrytown. She cleans the cat boxes, does dishes, sweeps, washes windows, fills bowls and snuggles the cats that are up for adoption. She also inspires me to be a better person. Below is an email she sent to everyone she knows.

Hi everyone!

I am a volunteer at the new Austin Pets Alive in Tarrytown next to Texenza Coffee on Windsor Road.

Next Thursday, June 23, 7:30 - 9:30 a.m., Austin Pets Alive will host a free "Cats and Coffee" get-together to introduce the neighborhood to the great kittens and cats of all kinds that need homes. I will be out of town next week, but really hope you will stop by and meet the animals and the women I work with -- Jenn and Lexa, the store managers.

If you are not ready to adopt a new furry friend, you can support APA by purchasing a cool T-shirt or other fun gift items (good for camp care packages!). Please say hi to all the cats for me!

Your Friend,
Dorothy

Almost Summer

Janie's summer wardrobe

fruits of summer

summer landscape

Give it to a Busy Person

Chad likes to quote his friend Steve, who is probably quoting some other person with this: if you want something to get done, give it to a busy person.

I'm experiencing a very different lifestyle since I traded volunteering many varied hours each week for getting paid to work mostly set hours each week. I sleep on a regular schedule now. I'm still a night owl, but I go to bed at 2:00 AM most nights, instead of 8:00 AM some days and 3:00 AM other nights. I shoehorn chores and trips to the gym into my schedule; rather than laying on the floor and fretting about stuff I should be doing whilst suffering serious sleep deprivation. I'm eating healthier, and dropped six previously stubborn pounds like magic.

I'm generally happier even though I complain about any grumps that visit my workplace. Yeah, former fellow volunteer, It's real easy to come in and criticize the paint job once it's all done. Where were you for the five weeks when I volunteered with only a few other people planning, cleaning, scraping and painting? Butthead.

Yesterday at work a teenage lady visited some of the cats we have up for adoption. She cuddled a nine-week old kitten on her lap while also petting a twelve-year old cat curled up at her side. The lady said to the cats, "I'm having the best day." I wanted to cry sappy tears of joy, but held it together.

Our (Totally Imaginary) Housekeeper

Good help is hard to find. In the past our (totally imaginary) housekeeper made the bed most days, vacuumed twice a week, kept framed items on the walls hanging straight, dusted religiously, usually stayed on top of the laundry and ironing, and emptied the trash receptacles most days. My only ongoing complaints centered around kitchen duties: the kitchen cupboards and refrigerator tended to be a bit bare coupled with a general lack of interest in planning meals.

There's been very little evidence of our (totally imaginary) housekeeper's work lately, which leads me to believe that she may have quit without even giving notice. The nerve! Leaving Chad to tend to all of her chores last weekend and many evenings this week. If only I could remember her name, I'd call her and give her a piece of my mind... not that I can spare a piece.

Light up my Life

This is the light I will buy for the dressing room with my next paycheck:

You Are Cordially Invited

I've been painting, cleaning, planning, sourcing vendors and assembling IKEA furniture over the past month along with several other volunteers to prepare for the new Tarrytown Austin Pets Alive location to open tomorrow! You are invited to nibble some vegetarian appetizers, sip some bubbly (champagne or soda), shop some cute pet-related merch, meet some kitties that are up for adoption and bid on silent auction goodies at the grand opening celebration from 7:00 - 9:00 PM this Thursday, May 19. The festivities and new cattery are at 3108 Windsor Road in the heart of Tarrytown.

Here's the official link, and oh, lookit, you can donate some money while you're on that webpage!

This lovely cat adoption site and fun shop is also my employer as of Friday at noon. I'm breaking a couple of my own job rules by working retail for a non-profit, but I'm pretty excited and a bit nervous to be co-managing the adopt/shop. My co-manager and I have so much freedom and responsibility to run the shop and plan great adoption events for sweet pets. In addition to short-term resident cats up for adoption, we'll also have dogs for adoption at the Tarrytown location on most weekends! The shop sells dog bowls and beautiful locally made dog collars in addition to cute locally made cat collars, cat toys, pet beds, pet-themed jewelry, art and even pet-themed night lights that are locally made by a great glass artisan.

Drop by to say hi! I may be able to introduce you to your future furry friend and/or outfit your current fur-baby with a fab collar and bedazzle you with a pretty necklace.

Save the Kitties!

The kitten nursery at Austin Pets Alive is full beyond capacity with over 50 kittens and a few expecting mama cats. Please consider being a temporary foster family to a few kittens or to a pregnant mama cat who just needs a safe, clean place to have her babies. Mama cats do all the work as long as you keep them stocked with a blanket, fresh food, fresh water and a clean litter box. You can have some cuteness without the lifelong commitment by providing care for kittens and/or mamas until they get adopted to forever homes, or until they can move into one of the many adoption catteries around Austin.

Here's a link to the application to be a foster: click here.

Here's a link for more information: click here.

Here's a sweet blog about the kitten nursery if you'd like to help there: click here.

Purr...

Schedule Huggermugger Sans Big Payday

Between studying lines for dinner mystery shows, performing dinner mystery shows (or having them cancel due to lack of reservations at the last moment), pulling four to six hour shifts overnight at the bottle baby nursery, painting the new Tarrytown cat adoption center and lining up local retailers for the shop component on the new Tarrytown cat adoption center, I feel like I have a "real" job for the past few weeks. Except I don't get paid much in money, but instead earn feelings of accomplishment, kitten gratitude and self-confidence.

That said, I'm ready to start sleeping more like a normal person. I crave yoga classes to work out all the kinks in my shoulders, neck, right arm and back from many hours painting my own kitchen & the adoption center, and stomping around ballrooms in four-inch heels for dinner shows. And dare I admit my shallow want to earn some money beyond the very occasional dinner mystery paychecks and even more rare "use of image" checks that come in the mail from my agent? Yep. I dare.

I want a job that pays me some money. I do not want to fall back into old patterns of taking retail positions, professional marketing jobs or working for nonprofits. I want a job at a for-profit place that doesn't make me feel as if I'm selling my soul or selling out my ideals. I earned a bachelor's degree in Speech Communication, but I'm much more engaged when working with my hands and my brain; rather than dissecting rhetoric or writing speeches. I feel great accomplishment assembling items, organizing spaces, making things pretty and caring for animals. My top three dream jobs are set dresser, decorative production: such as upholstery or jewelry assembly, and retail display production (not interacting with customers; just making pretty displays).

Paging Dr. Freud...

I don't personally endorse taking your mom to a murder mystery brunch for Mother's Day. It sends a strange message. However, I will be performing in a murder mystery brunch on Mother's Day. See the show and enjoy a yummy brunch. Maybe send Mom some flowers and don't bring her to the show, unless she just loves a good, silly mystery.

Click the poster below to make it bigger so you can get all the details.

Kitten Season = Volunteer Season

There are about eleventy hundred kittens being born at this moment. Some of them will end up at the kitten nursery where I and other volunteers will care for them until they can get into foster homes and/or get their precious selves adopted. Forgive my lack of blog updates. I'm either bottle-feeding or dishing up gruel for little scratchy puffballs of cuteness and neediness. Or maybe sleeping.

Puppy Love Update

The Austin Pets Alive puppies that we fostered for several days in January grew up to be teenage doggies. They both turned out gorgeous! Both were adopted.

Wendell found his forever family with his next foster home. His new mom volunteers with me in the Bottle Baby Nursery at APA. Wendell's new family kept the name I gave him, which honestly warms my heart.



Winnie, now known as Talulah, an equally cute and old-fashioned name, was adopted by a family in Lockhart. Look at those lovely blue eyes!

Goodbye Martian, Hello High Noon

Ever since the Martian (that's the name) paint went on our kitchen walls over four and a half years ago, I've thought it was too bright and garish. The wall color glowed and cast an acid green color onto other surfaces in the kitchen and hallway. The paint didn't match anything else in our house. While the Martian paint earned comments for uniqueness and bright saturation, I loathed it. I honestly think that paint made my skin look green whenever I entered the kitchen.







Chad and I finally repainted the walls High Noon blue this weekend. I love results of this repaint. It's bright yet calming. This color picks up the cool blue and gray flecks in the counter top and the cool tones in the kitchen tiles. This blue perfectly pairs with the aqua details in our long hallway rug and on the living room chair. *happy sigh* As an added bonus, when we pulled out the refrigerator, oven and hutch to paint the walls, we also scrubbed all the surfaces. Now we have an impeccably clean kitchen.

You're Here to What?

This weekend I spent some time volunteering at Austin Pets Alive for a special adoption event. I greeted people as they entered the cat building, which also houses the veterinary clinic for cats and dogs. Many people came to visit cats for possible adoptions. Some people brought foster dogs and cats to see the veterinary staff at the clinic. A few people arrived to pick up new foster pets to bring home with them for a while.

As another volunteer and I were standing at the main entrance looking over some paperwork, a cute young lady walked into the building. We all smiled at each other. I said, "Hi. Can we help you?" She replied, "I'm here to get busy." The other volunteer and I exchanged a glance that telepathically communicated, um, she's here to what? Then my brain kicked into gear and I realized that the cute young lady was here to get Busy, with a capital B. Recovering quickly from the awkward millisecond, I said, "Is Busy in the clinic right now?" Turns out, Busy was indeed a dog in the clinic, ready to head to a loving foster home. Busy... what a cute name!

Famous!

No, not me, Silly, but the quilt that I'm making out of some of Chad's old shirts with some new fabrics was featured in the Stitch Lab newsletter this week. I'm so proud that Leslie deemed my quilt worthy of the fabulous newsletter! I love the classes I've taken at Stitch Lab. I'll share more photos of the quilt when it is completed.



Our fierce little lap-kitty, Kenji, posed for this photo featured on our veterinarian's website! Choosing Kenji as a model was a bold choice for our awesome vet, because Kenji bites and growls like a poorly-socialized junkyard guard dog when she feels distress. Thank goodness, she smiled real pretty for her close-up!

Biopsy is a Scary Word

Our sweet old lady cat, Marigold (a.k.a. Miss Mare, Mare-bear, Mei-mei, Old-Lady-Baby and Baby-Granny), had a growth removed from her cheek last week. Due to her senior-citizen status and the suspiciously fast appearance of the growth, the vet (a.k.a. my hero) advised that we should have the growth biopsied to rule out cancer.

A little history: Chad and I dated for nearly five years before we got married. As Chad and I got more serious and started planning for the long-term, he told me he was allergic to cats. Fine, I figured we'd have dogs, because I knew I wanted pets. Eight months before we got married I tried to break-up with Chad for reasons which make absolutely no sense to me now, but which seemed earth-shattering at the time. Chad refused to be part of the break-up, and showed up at my apartment daily much to my annoyance and confusion. I, being absolutely certain of the break-up and its permanence, got a cat. Not just any cat, a gorgeous blond and auburn Persian kitten. I figured that getting a cat would be like Chad-repellent, since he was deathly allergic to cats, or so we believed... Upon telephoning me (I didn't have caller-ID) and learning of my new cat, Chad came over almost immediately to meet her. She didn't even have a name yet. He was so enamored with the tiny puff-ball kitten, that he snuggled and cuddled her, and started thinking up names for her. I nearly named her Pumpkin, but Chad came up with the brilliant name Marigold. Long story short, Chad wasn't actually allergic to cats. He took so many photos of Marigold when she was little, and asked in seriousness if we should make a baby-book for her. As you know, Chad and I did get back together, and he even tricked me into marrying him. What I thought would drive Chad away, namely Marigold, ended up bringing us closer together.

This cat is such a part of our family, that I was devastated to think there was even a possibility that she might have cancer. I got weak in the knees and felt faint when I saw the seven (!) sutures on Marigold's pitiful shaved cheek where the growth had been removed. I kept it together in the vet's office and on the drive home, but started sobbing as soon as Marigold exited her kitty carrier at home. I worried and waited for five days to get the biopsy results. The vet called me himself with results, which I initially thought might mean the news was bad, but he quickly stated that the test results yielded good news. Marigold had a benign cyst, not cancer! I'm so thankful and happy that we'll have our sweet, funny Marigold with us longer, and that her quality of life is still great.

Houston Travelogue X 2, Unenthusiastically X 1

Chad and I went to Houston last May to get away from our everyday responsibilities and chores for a weekend. We stayed at the lovely and comfortable Magnolia Hotel. Magnolia Hotel offers a free breakfast buffet with hot and cold items each morning, a happy hour each evening with discounted soft drinks and libations, and complimentary cookies with milk every evening from 8:00 - 10:00 PM. Our hotel room was cozy, quiet and well-appointed. A coffeemaker with complimentary coffee and hot tea were provided in each guest room.

During this 2010 visit to Houston, we watched the wacky annual Art Car Parade from along the route within walking distance of the hotel. We had great seats for a Houston Astros game, which was within just a few blocks' walk from the Magnolia Hotel. Overall, the weekend was fun, comfortable and relaxing.

Fast forward ten months: Chad and I hoped to stay at The Crossings - a lovely, serene spa resort on the edge of Austin in the hill country for a much-needed getaway. Unfortunately, when I went to The Crossings website to book our stay, a message appeared that The Crossings was closed, and that only previously booked reservations would be honored. No information on the website as to future plans for the now defunct spa. Google searches yielded no more information either. Ugh.

Lacking other ideas, and having no desire to endure air-travel, we settled for another trip to Houston last weekend for our getaway. This time we stayed at the posh Hotel Zaza in the museum district. Our pool-view villa was huge and wonderfully decorated, but our hotel villa door faced out towards a noisy road rather than in towards the hotel hallway as the vast majority of the hotel's guest rooms do. All night and all day we listened to the metro rail make frequent stops three floors down from our room. Our do-not-disturb doortag blew away several times as a result of the winds whipping at our hotel room door. Saturday night a loud dance party with a professional DJ boomed noisily from a ballroom up through our floor until midnight. Apparently the DJ favors Usher and The Black Eyed Peas. The hotel lobby and restaurant displayed signs warning that proper stylish attire was required. Room service breakfast the first morning of our stay was incredibly expensive for what we thought would be a healthy egg white omelet with fresh basil and tomatoes, but which ended up being an egg white omelet drenched in oily pesto with a few tomatoes and lots of mozzarella cheese. Access to the butler's pantry, touted as a feature, was nothing more than help-yourself coffee and hot tea set out near the elevators each day from 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM only - no coffee or tea provided in the guest room. Twelve ounce sodas from the mini-bar were $4.00 each. Want an evening treat? A cupcake from room service costs $8.00 plus a 21% service charge plus a $3.00 delivery fee, tip not included. While the decor of the Hotel Zaza was gorgeous, stylish and modern, the actual welcoming and comfort of guests seems to be an expensive afterthought.

If we return to Houston in the future, we'll be staying at the much more gracious, less noisy and slightly more modest Magnolia Hotel.

Last weekend, our ventures outside the hotel included a quick lap through the Museum of Fine Art Houston, where we saw the Impressionist special exhibit. We experienced our first Blue Man Group show, which was delightfully silly and fun. The best meal we had all weekend was the Sunday brunch buffet at the super-charming Baba Yega restaurant.

While it was nice to get away from our daily obligations and routines, and have time together, I so much wanted to get away to a quiet place in a natural setting rather than another busy, loud city. Days after returning home to Austin during its annual SXSW madness, I received an email promotion for Travaasa - a brand new spa resort in Austin set among rolling hills on the former site of The Crossings. Um, this would have been incredibly helpful information to have before we unenthusiastically went to Houston again. Had we known that a new spa resort would open within a month at the former site of The Crossings, we would have been among the very first bookings. Maybe this summer...

Motorin'

The car I drive now is great when it works right. When something wears out or breaks, it is very expensive to fix. At eight plus years old, my car teeters with two wheels over the white-elephant precipice. I'm jonesing for a new ride, something fun and a little sassy, unassuming and eye-catching, zippy without being cop-bait. Oh yeah, and priced under $25K.

My less expensive option, Fiat opens a dealership in Austin in just a few days. Io amo Fiat.


My more expensive option, Mini Cooper opened a dealership here in Austin this year.


Now who wants to join me for test-drives?

Lions and Tigers and a Bear, Oh My!

Saturday I toured the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation grounds in Kendalia, Texas with some of my fellow Bottle Baby Nursery volunteers. We saw all sorts of animals ranging from primates to raccoons to exotic birds to lions to domestic cats. The only animals we touched were a friendly young vulture with an injured wing and a young dove who waddled after us seeking attention.



Some of the animals at the facility will be returned to their natural habitats if possible. These animals do not get names. Human interaction is kept to a minimum. However, many of the animals are too tame, disabled or dependent to be set loose on their own, but also too large or aggressive to be pets, and will be permanent residents of the facility. To see animals treated and tended with care and respect at this sanctuary restored some of my faith in humanity.



This Fennec Fox was once a pet. While this animal is achingly cute and playful, there are plenty of cats and dogs in need of homes without breeding wild animals in captivity and selling them as pets. The fox was surrendered by its owner, probably because it behaved like a wild animal forced to live in a house. Just because an animal looks cuddly doesn't mean we should put a collar on it, drag it inside our house and name it. This little guy has a happy ending, living in a huge natural enclosure with meals and a heated bed provided.



We also met lions that were formerly pets. The previous owner's family made him surrender the lions when it became too expensive to feed them properly. The lions came to the rescue group emaciated and sickly, but are now thriving.



Cutest animal of the day award went to a Marmoset (tiny primate the size of a squirrel) who ran up a tree limb to greet us through the fence. He waved a carrot slice in the air at us, then settled in to watch us and nibble his carrot, almost as if we were his entertainment. Again, as cute and endearing as he looks, he is a wild animal and should not be kept as a pet. He has thumbs and sharp teeth. He is aggressive, easily bored and smart. (Actually, that sounds like a lot of people I know, but you get the idea. Right?)

In my opinion, some people purchase exotic pets as status symbols and/or to make themselves seem more interesting. I find this behavior short-sighted and shallow. It's one thing to care for an injured wild animal in need of help, but I find it deplorable to buy a wild animal and expect it to act like a domesticated dog, cat or hamster. You want an exotic pet? There's a bunny rescue group in the Austin area. That's kind of different.

I'm Mad at Amazon.com

Perhaps you've heard/read the news that Borders bookstores filed for bankruptcy, that half of the stores will close, after putting many locally owned bookstores out of business over the years. I love books, and hate to see bookstores go out of business. I normally check Book People and my neighborhood Half Price Books before ordering books or DVDs from Amazon.com, because I want to support the local economy. I acknowledge that Amazon.com is much cheaper than Book People, and usually even cheaper than Half Price Books. I find the items I want from Amazon.com in stock 95% of the time. I take advantage of the free shipping from Amazon.com that automatically comes with $25 purchase.

BUT, Amazon.com doesn't charge sales taxes in Texas, despite the fact that they have a processing facility in Irving, Texas, and by law should charge sales tax in the state of Texas. The state of Texas sent Amazon.com a bill for $269 million dollars in back sales taxes that Amazon.com should have been charging customers, and paying to the state of Texas since 2006. Amazon.com's response: basically act like a big bully. Deny the bill. Deny any wrongdoing. Close the Irving processing center and eliminate 119 jobs in a terrible economy. Click *here* to read a comprehensive article on the whole debacle.

As much as I've loved Amazon.com in the past, I think we have to break-up now. The corporation is acting like a big-old-butthead. Amazon.com and their amoral lawyers act with no regard for the law, rules or ethics. I don't want Amazon.com to have such a monopoly over book sales that even more local book and media stores close. Just as Borders is now declaring bankruptcy and closing stores, after forcing others out of business in their wake, so could Amazon.com someday go belly-up and leave us with the sad, very limited offerings on the book aisle at Target.

Next time you need a book or magazine, go support your local bookstore. Or at least support a chain bookstore that pays local and state sales taxes.

Goodbye, Amazon.com. It was great while it lasted, but I've outgrown you and your petty ways. You're like the girl with the curl. When you're good, you're very good, but when you're bad, you're horrid.