The Cat of Many Names

My wonderful neighbors from Phoenix call us the cat gypsies. I must admit we've rightfully earned the name, but it wasn't without their assistance. You see, a year ago we had one cat named Fred

We've had Fred since May 2002. Fred lived with my sister for the year prior to that. Before my sister, he lived with two other people. I guess you could say Fred was the original gypsy, not us. Anyway, the Friday prior to Christmas '07, I had to rush Fred to the vet. He was vomiting. The last time he had vomited like that I almost lost him due to a urinary tract blockage. I didn't mess around. We found out that afternoon that Fred was in kidney failure; he had lost 75% of his kidney function. The vet told us we could have a few more days with him or a few more years. Needless to say, this wasn't the wonderful news we wanted to hear during the holidays. Just so you know, it's been a year and Fred is doing wonderfully. More on that later....

A few days after getting the bad news about Fred, two cats show up at our front door. Literally. I thought it was Fred meowing to come in. I opened the door and in run these two:
It was one of those rare nights in Phoenix where it was actually going to be 32 degrees outside. They were both so sweet I couldn't possibly stick them back outside. I got Teddy to agree to allow them to stay in the garage, even though they ended up with free reign of the house. Fred didn't come home until the next morning. He was NOT thrilled, but he adapted. Meanwhile, I posted fliers all over the neighborhood trying to find the cats rightful owner. I had the fliers up for almost two weeks and didn't receive a single call. Meanwhile, Ann and Rhonda told me, repeatedly, that it is good luck when a cat chooses you, let alone TWO cats. "You just have to keep them" :) Of course, I am a softy. When no one claimed them, I happily became their new owner.

Now, fast forward to July 2008. Teddy and I made the decision to move back to VA in about a 48 hour period. Fred was okay at this point, but not really happy in the house. Sassy (the big boned fluffy cat) pretty much tormented Fred whenever he came inside. Besides, Fred has always loved being outdoors, even in the heat of the Phoenix summer. That cat was in heaven after we moved from VA to AZ. He brought me lizards and humming birds every chance he got. He loved lounging on the stucco walls, soaking in the sun. It was actually pretty rare for him to come inside. I had MANY concerns with moving him back across country. He didn't do well on the ride out - he had passed his bowels all over himself in fear the first day we had been on the road to Arizona. He was healthy then, too! He had lost weight as a result of the move. He had gained it back, but with the kidney disease had lost weight again and wasn't putting it back on. How would he fair riding in the car again, this time with two more cats? Furthermore, he is a sprayer. We would be staying with my parents upon our arrival back in VA until we could find a place. They have a male cat, Herbert:
I knew Fred would be spraying all over the place, not to mention that he'd be stuck in the house with three other cats! Not good times for Freddie boy. Last but not least, we knew we'd be living in Ghent. I knew there was NO WAY I'd be able to let him out around here and feel good about it. I'd be worried about him getting hit by car, at the very least (According to my friend Lydia, I'd also need to be worried about PETA breathing down my throat as well). I was hashing this all out to Ann and Rhonda, trying to figure out how to proceed in Fred's best interests, when they offered to keep him. This was a HUGE relief to us. I knew they would love him just as much (if not more) as we had and that he'd be SO much happier not to have to go through the trauma of a six day ride or being kept indoors. This was incredibly difficult for me as well. Even though I knew that this was best for Fred, I loved my kitty and didn't want to be without him. I just did what was best for him rather than for us. To date, Fred has done exceedingly well in Ann & Rhonda's care. He has gained weight back and stays very close to home these days. From all I hear, he is a very happy old man.

Once we arrived in Norfolk, we kept Smokey and Sassy up on the third floor for about two days. Herbert had time to sniff them and determine that there were others in his territory. He really didn't seem to care, other than just exhibiting signs of curiosity. We let the two cats loose on the third day. Herbert and Smokey pretty much hit it off right away. Sassy was okay at first. As the days progressed, however, she became more and more bitchful towards Herbert. We were at my parents for two weeks until we moved into our own place. The cats continued to stay with my parents for the first three weeks we were in our new place. Sassy's behavior continued to decline. She tormented Herbert every chance she got. She began to knock things over on purpose (like the vase my mother had on a stand in the kitchen). It was time to bring Sassy home.

It was evident that Sassy missed Smokey within a day of her moving into the apartment. She moped. So, despite my mother telling me that Herbie and Smokey loved each other too much to be separated, I attempted to bring him home as well. He was NOT happy. First of all, he didn't have three floors to rip through ( he LOVES to run laps). Second of all, being on the corner of a busy road, it was too loud for him. He immediately hid under a dresser and wouldn't come out. I couldn't do it to him. I took him back to mom's. He's been there ever since.
Now, what to do for Sassy's lonliness? Here's where I get to the point of this babbling blog :) We adopted a kitten from the SPCA on October 12. We named him Raz in honor of my godmother's Dad who had passed the same day:


We named him Raz, but Teddy and I called him ( and some days, still do) the shitten. Around the kids, we'll call him Mr. Mittens

This picture shows you why... look at those paws! You can also see that little spot of white on his chin, so that led us to calling him Cheebah. Hmmm.... other names have included Razamataz, Bat Boy, parrot man, gator(he makes a sound like a baby gator), and more that I can't remember right now. I'll have to update this when I do :) I joke that he doesn't know his name because he has so many.

Million dollar question: what does Sassy think of him? I think the picture below says it all:

Where's our outrage part 2

Yeah, so last night my "federalist" bonus dad (a.k.a John, VERY conservative) wanted to know where I got my numbers in my previous post. Of course, now I can't find the link. I started the search over and I find numbers ranging all over the place.  I googled "total cost of bailout". So far, on the first page of results I am not seeing my original number of 8.4 Trillion; however, the "low" end is 4 Trillion, high end is 7.4 Trillion. But really, is 4 TRILLION any better??? Can you even wrap your brain around that number??? Here's a great way to put it : In simple terms (and using the accepted US numbering system) a million is a thousand thousand, a billion is a thousand million, and a trillion is a thousand billion, or a million million. To put that into perspective, if you stacked fresh, new US $1000 bills on top of each other, a stack worth US$1 million would be 109 millimetres high. A stack worth US$1 billion would be 109 metres high. The stack would reach about a third of the way up Sydney's Centrepoint Tower.

The stack of US$1000 bills needed to equal US$1 trillion would be 109 kilometres high. The Earth's atmosphere reaches out about 120 kilometres from the surface. (http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/20081204/how-much-four-trillion-dollars.htm)

So now, here's some articles discussing where the totals are coming from. You decide for yourself.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27719011

http://abcnews.go.com/business/economy/Story?id=6332892&page=1

http://voltagecreative.com/blog/2008/11/scary-bailout-money-info-graphic/

This will get you going. Google for more if you're interested...

Topic Switch

I decided I wanted to depart from my rants of the last few days.... 

I have a Christmas Cactus that I bought last year to replace the one I killed the year before. It was my challenge to keep this one alive. It was very touch and go last January after it bloomed. There were a few points that I just didn't think it was going to make it. I replanted it in the spring and nursed it along through the summer. It finally began to flourish. Everything was going well, then we decided to move back to Virginia from Arizona. Not only did this poor plant have to go through a 6 day move, it went from the desert to constant humidity. It started to go downhill again. I nursed it back to health and not only is it alive a year later, it has bloomed! Woo hoo! :) 

Our money

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: gabriel
Date: Dec 22, 2008 10:25 AM


...is gone...the banks can't, or won't, account for the first half of the 700billion dollar bailout they have received...go figure...i don't know about you, but, when i borrow money from a bank to buy things, i have to tell them what it's for, how long i intend to use it for, and how i plan on paying it back in a timely manner...i guess the banks who lend us the monies, and the wall street folks who invest the stuff, hide it, loose it, or steal it, don't exactly have to own up to the same standards, when it comes to large figures of cash that we the people can't even wrap our minds around...i dunno, whatever i guess...i mean, the economic downturn and collapse of the entire global monetary sysytem is only a small fraction of what it is that we will be dealing with for the next few years, or decades...centuries...good stuff i tell ya, it's the end of the world as we know it, and i feel fine...bwhahahahahahaa...



WASHINGTON – It's something any bank would demand to know before handing out a loan: Where's the money going?

But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's largest banks say they can't track exactly how they're spending the money or they simply refuse to discuss it.

"We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,'" said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to. "

The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest?

None of the banks provided specific answers.

"We're not providing dollar-in, dollar-out tracking," said Barry Koling, a spokesman for Atlanta, Ga.-based SunTrust Banks Inc., which got $3.5 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Some banks said they simply didn't know where the money was going.

"We manage our capital in its aggregate," said Regions Financial Corp. spokesman Tim Deighton, who said the Birmingham, Ala.-based company is not tracking how it is spending the $3.5 billion it received as part of the financial bailout.

The answers highlight the secrecy surrounding the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which earmarked $700 billion — about the size of the Netherlands' economy — to help rescue the financial industry. The Treasury Department has been using the money to buy stock in U.S. banks, hoping that the sudden inflow of cash will get banks to start lending money.

There has been no accounting of how banks spend that money. Lawmakers summoned bank executives to Capitol Hill last month and implored them to lend the money — not to hoard it or spend it on corporate bonuses, junkets or to buy other banks. But there is no process in place to make sure that's happening and there are no consequences for banks who don't comply.

"It is entirely appropriate for the American people to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent in private industry," said Elizabeth Warren, the top congressional watchdog overseeing the financial bailout.

But, at least for now, there's no way for taxpayers to find that out.

Pressured by the Bush administration to approve the money quickly, Congress attached nearly no strings on the $700 billion bailout in October. And the Treasury Department, which doles out the money, never asked banks how it would be spent.

"Those are legitimate questions that should have been asked on Day One," said Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., a House Financial Services Committee member who opposed the bailout as it was rushed through Congress. "Where is the money going to go to? How is it going to be spent? When are we going to get a record on it?"

Nearly every bank AP questioned — including Citibank and Bank of America, two of the largest recipients of bailout money — responded with generic public relations statements explaining that the money was being used to strengthen balance sheets and continue making loans to ease the credit crisis.

A few banks described company-specific programs, such as JPMorgan Chase's plan to lend $5 billion to nonprofit and health care companies next year. Richard Becker, senior vice president of Wisconsin-based Marshall & Ilsley Corp., said the $1.75 billion in bailout money allowed the bank to temporarily stop foreclosing on homes.

But no bank provided even the most basic accounting for the federal money.

"We're choosing not to disclose that," said Kevin Heine, spokesman for Bank of New York Mellon, which received about $3 billion.

Others said the money couldn't be tracked. Bob Denham, a spokesman for North Carolina-based BB&T Corp., said the bailout money "doesn't have its own bucket." But he said taxpayer money wasn't used in the bank's recent purchase of a Florida insurance company. Asked how he could be sure, since the money wasn't being tracked, Denham said the bank would have made that deal regardless.

Others, such as Morgan Stanley spokeswoman Carissa Ramirez, offered to discuss the matter with reporters on condition of anonymity. When AP refused, Ramirez sent an e-mail saying: "We are going to decline to comment on your story. "

Most banks wouldn't say why they were keeping the details secret.

"We're not sharing any other details. We're just not at this time," said Wendy Walker, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Comerica Inc., which received $2.25 billion from the government.

Heine, the New York Mellon Corp. spokesman who said he wouldn't share spending specifics, added: "I just would prefer if you wouldn't say that we're not going to discuss those details. "

The banks which came closest to answering the questions were those, such as U.S. Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares Inc., that only recently received the money and have yet to spend it. But neither provided anything more than a generic summary of how the money would be spent.

Lawmakers say they want to tighten restrictions on the remaining, yet-to-be-released $350 billion block of bailout money before more cash is handed out. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the department is trying to step up its monitoring of bank spending.

"What we've been doing here is moving, I think, with lightning speed to put necessary programs in place, to develop them, implement them, and then we need to monitor them while we're doing this," Paulson said at a recent forum in New York. "So we're building this organization as we're going. "

Warren, the congressional watchdog appointed by Democrats, said her oversight panel will try to force the banks to say where they've spent the money.

"It would take a lot of nerve not to give answers," she said.

But Warren said she's surprised she even has to ask.

"If the appropriate restrictions were put on the money to begin with, if the appropriate transparency was in place, then we wouldn't be in a position where you're trying to call every recipient and get the basic information that should already be in public documents," she said.

Garrett, the New Jersey congressman, said the nation might never get a clear answer on where hundreds of billions of dollars went.

"A year or two ago, when we talked about spending $100 million for a bridge to nowhere, that was considered a scandal," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Stevenson Jacobs in New York and Christopher S. Rugaber and Daniel Wagner in Washington contributed to this report

Duck!

Here's some mindless fun for you!

Where is our outrage?????

I read the paper yesterday morning. The headline had to do with the budget cuts/new cigarette tax hike that Gov. Kaine has proposed in order to make up the 2.9 Billion dollar budget shortfall in Virginia. Yes, I am currently a smoker. No, I am NOT upset about the tax hike. Here's what I am upset about: the $418 million in cuts to Medicaid for indigent and disabled Virginians. I have a neighbor whose mother has been disabled and unable to work for 12 years. Wanna know how much "help" she gets? $650 a month and $58 in food stamps. That's it. My neighbor has had to pay her own rent and her mother's rent to keep her mom from being homeless. Now, they will be cutting access and programs for healthcare. Seriously?

Now here's what has me IRATE today: Bush has announced the auto rescue.
So, let's recap here: so far, without including today's bailout, we have handed out 8.5 TRILLION F'ING DOLLARS to the banks. Now, add, 13.4 Billion to three auto makers who refused to produce a better product and can't understand why they aren't selling their product. The American auto industry has essentially been thumbing its nose at the American people for nearly 30 years and now WE are bailing their asses out??

I just want to know this: Where is my neighbor's bailout? Where is the homeless man's bailout? Where's my bailout??? Why should we be expected to foot this burden (not just bill - it will be a burden as our dollar bottoms out and inflation goes through the roof. The greater depression is coming....) while these greedy slimes live the the good life ( google AIG ) ? Where is our OUTRAGE???

Phew. Sorry. Had to get that off of my chest....

Erasure

So, in my quest to "fix" my blog (i.e. randomly add and delete various pieces of HTML that I *truly* have no idea what its function is...), I decided to delete the post where the problems began. I still would LOVE for you guys to check out the Stimulator. Check out his page @ http://submedia.tv/stimulator/

Really, open up the link to pdf postcard for President Bush. You'll at least get a chuckle.

Um, yeah....

That last blog really didn't turn out the way I wanted it to but I am leaving it up since it took so much time to post.
In the meantime, check out the stimulator's page @ http://submedia.tv/stimulator/ to see the blog and the tasks at hand....

Humble Pie

So, I have to eat a humble pie. Yes, you read that right: not just a a bite or a slice, but an ENTIRE pie. 

I turned 30 Saturday. You know, the big 3-0. I told TR back in October that I wanted a party.I haven't had a party since I was.... hmmmm..... 8? I think? Anyway, I was embracing my inner child and wanted a big bash. His response? "Don't be a brat like Lisa. Just let it go and let me plan it!" You see, back in August, my older sister decided the week of her birthday that she wanted a party. She was a little put out that no one had any plans for her special day. Little did she know, Eric was busy behind the scenes planning a nice evening for her. Now I have to admit I fell prey to brat-itis as well.... 

      

For the last month, I've had friends and family ask me what I was doing for my birthday. "Do you have any special plans?" they asked repeatedly. "I don't know - ask Teddy" was my response time and time again. So, needless to say when my husband walked up to me Wednesday (12/10) and said "What do you want to do for your birthday?", I snapped. Snapped doesn't accurately capture it. I would say wild banshee woman took over. My eyes engulfed in flames, every muscle of my body quivering, I wheeled around on him and bitingly asked "What do you MEAN by that??? Do you mean to TELL me that it is three days away from my birthday and you don't have ANY plans??!!" (Teddy's Uncle James always says that you shouldn't ruin a good apology with an excuse but I am going to here for a moment; in my defense, I did have PMS.) 

The next day, my sister helped him play up the horrible husband routine. She emails me and tells me how it was killing her that we didn't have any plans for my birthday so she made reservations for us all to go out to eat. Teddy joins in, says to me that night, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you wanted a party". Man, I was fuming. I knew my husband suffered from selective deafness from time to time, but this took the cake. I just could not wrap my head around his inattention to detail. 

So, my friend Susan came in to town the day of my birthday. She and I went to VT together and I hadn't seen her since Floydfest in 2006.  By this point, I was over being angry. I was actually beginning to be a little suspicious that something was going down. Mom was being WAY accommodating about picking the kids up Saturday night despite having a Christmas party to go with John. Not that this was bad, it just wasn't like my mom. Furthermore, she was being really weird about me being in her house during the week, which was so unlike her. Teddy telling me that I couldn't go over to my mom's Saturday morning made me the most suspicious though. I actually thought at this point something was going on at Mom's. I still thought we were all going out to eat Sushi Saturday night. Onward with the story.... 

Susan arrived in the late afternoon. I still had to get ready to go out. You see, since I have been unemployed, I have had NO sense of urgency about getting anywhere. Susan got a good dose of this slackness. She showed up while I was still in my PJ's, finishing up cleaning the apartment for her arrival. I didn't get into the shower for another hour. I then did my hair and make up, which by the way, I haven't done that in almost a year. We left a few minutes before six, which was when we were supposed to meet up at Lisa's house to go out to dinner. 

We arrived at my sister's house about twenty after six. By this point, I knew something was up. Too many cars I recognized... It was still a surprise though. It was incredible. SOOOO many people there! In all, there were 30 children and adults there for my party; even Teddy's Aunt Lissa and Uncle Randy came from PA for the party!! My sister put together a slide show of pictures. It was from the baby stage all the way up to this year. Friends and family contributed these photos. Teddy had requested that distant friends who would be unable to attend make a video to send to me. I was able to see my other sister, Grace, via video thanks to her taking the time to put something together. Other friends also made videos but had technical difficulties so I haven't seen those yet. ( I am really looking forward to viewing their creativity when the time comes! ) Teddy knew how much I was missing Phoenix so he had decorated Lisa's house with pictures of Saguaro cacti - too neat. Then, to further prove to me just how much he listens, he told me that he had called Connie Ralston to see if she could do a drum circle for the party. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, but how flippin' sweet that he even thought to do it :) 

The only person who was missing was my best friend Mary. She had a great excuse. Friday morning at 6:50, she welcomed her brand new baby, Lily Grace, into the world. Here's the beautiful family : 

I *suppose* I can forgive her for her absence - LOL! I am very excited for them and even more excited to have a birthday buddy in the years to come. 

So, how was my birthday? It was fantastic in every way and it was all thanks to my husband and family. I have officially eaten my humble pie. 

Deletion, et.al.

I deleted the last post. It served its purpose - cathartic release - so I have removed it. Thanks to everyone who responded. I took the words to heart. I think I know that I have to accept the situation, not like it. I know that I don't want that kind of deep seeded negativity in my life. I am chosing to walk away, but I also have to accept that it isn't just up to me either.
Speaking of walking away, I think I will only be getting online once a week here on out. I'm spending too much valuable time on the computer rather than getting things accomplished. My to-do list is getting too long :) I will write more soon....

FINALLY

Be warned - this post will not be well written nor will it be concise. I promise that this is not a preview of what's to come :) 

           I have wanted to start a blog for probably the last year. I suppose I have technically had one for the last three years, but I wrote through myspace ( www.myspace.com/srhouston ). I went to college late and, as a result, acquired many younger friends who I kept up with post-graduation via myspace. I have found enjoyment with myspace but I feel like my audience is a bit narrow. I've wanted to widen the population of people who read my thoughts. So why haven't I done this before now? I couldn't' figure out what to name my page. 

           I know - how silly is that? This is just a little insight to how my mind can get tripped up on such minute details when I write. I have been known to put off college research papers for WEEKS because I just couldn't get one sentence quite right. This perfectionism is a disease and this blog is my way to get over it. 

I don't know if I like the title. It may change. In reality, how important is the friggin' title? I just want an outlet to share my crazy ideas. The URL was pretty easy and I have to give credit to my "sisters" in Arizona for that name. Ann & Rhonda took my family and me under their wing while we lived in Phoenix. They ruined us - we now know that no matter where we live, we will never have neighbors as wonderful as them again. They have personally helped us out through so many difficult times and helped us create many fantastic memories of our time in the southwest. Their name for me is "Soul Sister Sara". I like it. It stuck, hence the URL. 

        I am just pleased that I have finally carved the time to get this little pet project underway. Now, I just have to figure out how to format the page to look the way I want it to :)