Snarkygirl’s blog

I have a cat, actually two.  Never thought of myself as a cat person, but one day a friend moved in with me and she brought along her cat, Chelsea. Friend moved in with her boyfriend, I kept Chelsea.  I got the better deal.  Chelsea was just about a year old when she became part of my life, that was 14 years ago.  Known this cat longer than I have known a lot of people.  This is Chelsea:

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Chelsea, the Wonder Cat

Her tongue is sticking out, after a grueling session of napping in my office chair. 

And then this is Scooter, Demon Cat:

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Do you know how hard it is to get cat fur out of a keyboard?

Seconds after this picture was taken, he bolted off the desk, taking my mouse, mouse tablet, various pens and paper clips with him.  Scooter earns his name, he is very skittish and will run at the slightest noise.  Sometimes it must be a noise I can't hear because he scoots away with no warning.   Scooter showed up at our house just before the hurricanes of 2004, where we had three of them go over the top of our house.  He was skinny, bedraggled and dirty.  I took pity and started to feed him and well, as you can see, he's moved in.  First time I took him to the vet he weighed 9 lbs, now he's over 14.  Boy loves his food.

Chelsea and Scooter do NOT get along.  Well, Scooter gets along with everybody, once he gets to know you.  Chelsea just hates him, it's a constant scream fest around here, he walks up to her, she hisses and smacks him, he walks away. 

Anyway, just thought I would park a couple of pictures here.

Always thought I was a dog person, and yet here I am, with these cats.  And I wouldn't trade them in for the world.

I will not turn into one of those crazy cat people.  You know who I'm talking about.  You read about them from time to time in the newspaper.  Some bat sh*t lunatic, (and it's usually a woman) gets busted for having a gazillion cats living inside.  The filth and the smell must be noxious, and yet here is this looney toon, telling the paper (or TV reporter) " I loooove them all"  Sheesh. Get the net.

Just occured to me.  Wonder if the bat sh*t looney toon started her slide toward insanity when she posted pictures of her cats on the web..........hmmmmmmmmmmm.

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Ah, I really have nothing to say today, just wanted to put some down some words to mark the occasion.  What occasion, you may ask?  Not a one, just that it's a pretty day, the sun is shining, and I continue to have hope that world is not going to hell in a handbasket.

You know, there are alot of nice people out there. I had previously posted that my mother was diagnosed with lung caner, and a gentle and generous person left a comment that was so appreciated.  Sonyaseattle, I know you're out there, thanks.  Your kind words meant a lot.

Didn't do much over the weekend, husband was out of town so I had total control of the remote, so I watched TV til my ears bled.  Lots of junk on these days, but blended in there are some pretty good shows to watch: Mythbusters, Dirth Jobs and practically anything on the History Channel.

My job requires that I travel alot, I will be headed to Toronto this week, last week I was in Santa Barbara, CA.

I have been to Santa Barbara a number of times, and while I was out there this last time, I decided to look at some real estate.  I had a wild idea that I could find a condo or someplace that my husband and I could use for a vacation retreat.  The whole area around there is truly lovely - oceanfront right up against the mountains, just beautiful.  Well..........talk about sticker shock!  I went to an open house for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath 'cottage' (that should have been my warning, it wasn't small, they called it a 'cottage' . One of those real estate terms to look out for, like "in an up and coming area" really means that the random gunfire hasn't nicked the house in weeks) 

So this cottage really was adorable, hardwood floors, crown moldings, updated kitchen and a 6 figure price tag that was knocking on 7 figures!  And it wasn't even in Santa Barbara, it was up the road in Goleta.  Needless to say, no vacation home for us!  So to all you lucky people in Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas, I have to ask:  How the hell do you buy a home out there?  Or is it like Aspen?  No "common" people live there, just celebrities and people with large bank accounts they either earned or most likely inherited.  I have cousins who work in Aspen. And they live in Rifle, Colorado, close to 2 hours away because they can't afford to live near the town in which they work.

Ok, that wraps up the brain dump for the day.......

Just wanted to add some more stuff here...

My mother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.  My whole family was devastated by this news, it's a very very scary word, cancer.  She's undergoing chemotherapy now, is holding her own, but I never knew that lung cancer is considered 'incurable'.  You can go into remission, but will never be cured.  So this diagnosis is like having that sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.  Life has changed irrrevocably and we have to adjust and learn to live with this disease.  And pray that remission can be achieved.

If you smoke cigarettes, STOP NOW.  You are potentially killing yourself.  Sure, there are some people who manage to smoke like fiends and escape contracting cancer.  But cancer isn't the only thing that these little coffin nails can supply - Emphysema, heart disease, chronic bronchitis to name a few.  Do you really want to risk this? The late stage of chronic lung disease is no laughing matter, it's a miserable way to die. Imagine being alive, yet feeling like you are drowning - all the time?  Just stop smoking anyway you can, save yourself.  Save those around you who love you, second hand smoke is just as bad.

Both of my parents smoked.  I had bronchitis all the time as a kid, always had a cold of some kind.  Looking back, we now know why I was a sickly kid.  If you have kids, STOP SMOKING.  If someone loves you, STOP SMOKING. If you have any respect at all for yourself, STOP SMOKING.   .

My first post on a blog, yipee!

What about me?
I'm NOT 5'11 and weigh 120 lbs, lets just say you won't ever see me on America's Next Top Model. 

 
I am middle of the road in my political beliefs, I think if any two people want to marry and share a mortgage, taxes and kids, go for it.  I also think if you aren't disabled in any way, GET A DAMN JOB and stop sucking at the tit of welfare.
I hate the war in Iraq, but I have to support the men and women who are over there fighting in something that we never should have gotten into in the first place.

I don't care about George Bush, he's no better, no worse than any previous president or any future one.  It's all about the benjamins my friends - he (or she, someday) who has the most bucks wins. Period.  Americans love a sound bite and attractive people, get someone who looks good, speaks to the common people (are you listening, Hollywood?) and can raise mucho dinero will be the next Prez.  Forget Hillary, she has pissed too many people off, me included for sticking with that a-hole husband of hers.  She should have dumped old Billy Boy when she had the chance, I would have respected her so much more....