The Litterbox

Odds and ends and bits and pieces, all bundled together with flushable clay.

Friday, January 21, 2005 , evening

My dark side

I’ve discovered that I have a dark side, my own personal Mr. Hyde. The magic potion which changes me from mild-mannered webmaster to seething and calculating revenge expert is carried by teenagers—angry, dramatic, text-messaging, bitching teenagers.

A few years ago, Nancy and I made the mistake of starting a “fan site” for a “celebrity” (and I use the term loosely). We had no particular interest in this celebrity, but knew she’d be having a brief moment in the spotlight and thought we’d try to take advantage of that. Our original plan had just been to throw together a quick but thorough site so search engines would consider us “an authority site”, but eventually the site became our pet project and we decorated and enhanced it with all the bells and whistles we could pay for. We still didn’t care for the “celebrity”, but wanted to see if we could make a truly great website.

We did make a truly great website, and people flocked to it by the thousands. People also incessantly stole content from our site, taking everything from entire text passages I’d written, to our entire photo gallery. In every case the thieves were teenagers, and if you asked them to stop stealing your hard work, they’d just laugh and say it was “public domain” because it was “on the Internet”. Many a night I lay awake fantasizing about flying to Australia to strangle other people’s rude and obnoxious brats who were taking credit for my hard (and in many case, expensive) work. We were able to cut down on some of that sort of theft by using anti-hotlinking code, banning the IPs of troublemakers, etc., but we then started to find even bigger headaches on our message board. Teenagers by and large insist on writing in text messaging abbreviations, which are impossible for non-English speakers to read, and are pretty much impossible for me to read as well. They don’t even all use the *same* abbreviations—they make up their own based on their perverse concepts of spelling. If you ask them to write in “proper English”, you get called “uptight”, or even worse, a (sic) “communist Natzi”. A large number of teenagers feel the need to lie and tell outrageous stories—if I had a nickel for every teenager who’d claimed to have suffered multiple, dramatic injuries, or the number of teenagers claiming to be millionaires with butlers, or the number of teenagers who insist they’ve had sex with their teachers, I could retire wealthy. I just wanted to have a message board where young people could have nice conversations with other nice people, but nearly every day there’s some new person who wants to brag about how drunk they were the night before, how many people they slept with, how their gym teacher has a crush on them, etc. If they’re not bragging, they’re angry and depressed, and talking of getting tattoos to commemorate the times in their lives when they nearly committed suicide. They’re just so self-centered and feeling sorry for themselves, and I rarely see any of them attempt to seek out positive experiences. I suggest they volunteer at an animal shelter during their summer vacation, but instead they paint their walls black and write bad poetry about how much their lives suck. I just despise them! I know I was never like that! I know I was sensitive and took things very seriously, but I also had an interest in the world around me, and read a lot to expand my horizons. My dreams were to travel and to go to college and to to have exciting jobs—I know I never fantasized about the days I’d be able to get into bars to get drunk. If I was a teenager today, would I be self-centered too? I really hope not.

In any case, that “celebrity” website is causing me so much agitation that it’s about time to close it down and move on. It was an experiment, I learned some stuff I didn’t really want to know, and now I’ll work on some project that’s less interactive. I’ve reached my celebrity fill, and Ellen Degeneres, this means you, too.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/21 at 09:28 PM
The Litterbox • (2) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Sunday, January 16, 2005 , evening

The Chai Master

On January 12th I mentioned that the adoption coordinator from Best Friends had called to tell me about a cat up for adoption named “Derek”. We did arrange to go see Derek on Saturday just as a courtesy, and because I really wanted to meet some of the staff from Best Friends (a place I’d love to work for them one day). As luck would have it, I met Derek and it was love at first site. He is a beautiful, short-haired blend of tan and grey, with little white accents on his feet, head, and the bridge of his nose. His eyes are the most gorgeous pale blue. What sold me on him was how he purred with ecstacy when I massaged his feet—my cat Sweet Pea only let me touch her feet when she was literally moments from dying. I was never able to touch Sweet Pea’s stomach at all, but Derek rolls on his back for belly scratches. When I picked him up to hold him for the first time, he grabbed on to me with his paws and that was it—I knew he had to come home with us.

The adoption representatives from Best Friends were very friendly, and the whole adoption process was fairly quick but thorough. I have to say that their adoption policies are great, so if you have the chance to adopt from them, I’d highly recommend it. Their policy is to allow us to return Derek if we can’t care for him for any reason at any point in his life, and they’ll also provide assistance with medical expenses above and beyond basic care. Derek came home in an almost-new kennel carrier with blankets, toys, a big packet of information about his background and general cat care, and a month of free pet health insurance. He also had recently had all his shots, been neutered, microchipped, and had a dental cleaning. It was a great start to what I hope will be many long and happy years with Derek, who may be 7 or may be 13, depending on who you talk to. He was rather chatty in the car on the way home as he apparently doesn’t enjoy travelling, but once in the house he settled in like he owns the place. He strolled downstairs, had some face-to-face time with the big and little dogs, browsed the bird room, and has toured most of the upstairs furniture. So far he enjoys climbing on the cat tree, looking out the window, and sleeping under the chair. He’s been completely comfortable with us from the moment of his arrival, and I once again have a cat who will sit on my lap while I watch TV. He’s an absolute sweetheart. His background report said that he was found as a stray in Kanab, Utah. I have no idea where he spent the first years of his life, but he must have been happy to have developed such a nice disposition. Oh, he was given the name “Derek” at Best Friends, but the person who originally took him in as a stray called him “Chai”. We thought “Chai” was a nice name, but it seemed too feminine, so we decided to stick with “Derek”. As an acknowledgement of his roots, and a tribute to his zen-like qualities, we now refer to him as Derek the Chai Master. Photos will follow eventually, once our camera is out of the repair shop.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/16 at 09:24 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Saturday, January 15, 2005 , evening

Introducing… Mr. Derek Chai!

Oh, it’s such a long story and it’s late, so I’ll tell you tomorrow. Go Vikings!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/15 at 09:12 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Thursday, January 13, 2005 , evening

Bears with clothes

I love teddy bears, and today received a birthday parcel from my parents which contained this little bear and her doggy pal:

My Mom included a note in the package commenting that she knows I “don’t like bears wearing clothing”, and I guess that’s sort of true but it also sounds a bit kinky. I like to think that I prefer teddy bears in their natural, wild state—unclad, as if they’ve just wandered in from a day in the forest (where they perhaps enjoyed a picnic). I don’t mind if they want to wear clothes, though—even in Vegas it gets pretty chilly.

And while we’re on the subject on birthday gifts, my fabulous birthday sweatshirt from Nancy:

Before Christmas we traded in a number of “bonus points” we’d accumulated from an online advertiser for a very large gift certificate from Amazon.com. We split the gc in half and each placed an order for things we coveted. I bought a Dremel Mini for grooming bird and dog nails, as well as a couple of CDs (Sarah McLachlan’s Afterglow Live and Gwen Stefani’s Love, Angel, Music, Baby). Mainly though, I bought BOOKS, and today a big, glorious box of new books was dropped on our doorstep by those nice guys at UPS. If you want to know what Brown can do for you, well, they can deliver books (and English muffins from Wolferman’s). I can now look forward to lots of great reading, ranging from Jeff Corwin’s Living on the Edge to Tom Robbins’ Jitterbug Perfume. I’m reading the latter solely because Ami Cusack of “Survivor: Vanuatu” listed it as her favourite book. I’m sure that sounds very pathetic, but I figure it’s a more mature way of showing my adoration than camping on her front lawn or having her name shaved into the back of my head. I’m all about being practical.

In sad news, our Olympus C-5060 digital camera had to be sent to the Olympus hospital in California today for emergency surgery. Sparing no expense, we enveloped it in swaddling bubble wrap and asked the aforementioned Brown to get it to its destination safely. It’s been a fabulous camera since we bought it last April, but it’s having some sort of electrical problem that’s causing it to (among other things) take photos on its own. It could turn out an exorcism is the more appropriate solution, but I hope it’s just a mechanical glitch. As soon as we dropped the camera off at the shipping store the cats started to do the most adorable things, and of course we couldn’t take photos of any of it. They’re deliberately inconsiderate.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/13 at 09:14 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 , evening

Cats is cats

We’re under the impression we still have two cats, although they might just be sofa gremlins and figments of our imaginations. After 5 days with us, Jackson and Chelsea are still quite jumpy and nervous, and ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. Chelsea let me pet her head and neck for a while today, but she made it clear that she was merely tolerating it and not really enjoying it. She makes the strangest sounds—I never know if she’s purring or growling.

I received a phone call from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary today and we discussed Scooter. Unfortunately, Scooter won’t be able to come live with us for a couple of reasons. For one thing he’s a “dirty” cat—he tends to leave fecal trails because of his lack of hind legs and subsequent litterbox problems, so he requires a lot of extra cleaning. Also, our carpeting would pose a problem because it might give his little butt rug burns. Scooter will do better in a home with a linoleum floor. We also talked about a cat who just came up for adoption named “Derek” because he’s used to both parrots and dogs. Derek will be in town on Saturday and up for adoption, although it would be impossible to adopt him now that we have Chelsea and Jackson. I did say we’d come down and meet him, but the adoption attendants won’t be holding him for us and will adopt him out to any interested individual. It’s unfortunate it worked out this way, as I’m glad we were able to give C & J a home, but do miss having a cat around who actually likes us :p

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/11 at 09:35 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Thursday, January 06, 2005 , early evening

Cats!

We theoretically have two cats, but because they’re in hiding, it’s as if they don’t really exist. When we brought them home, one immediately fled behind the bar and crawled up on a shelf, and the other vanished under the couch. One is probably still under the couch, and the other is lurking under the edge of the sofa cover, hissing at the German shepherd. I wish they’d just let me show them where the litterbox is located. Ah… the joy of pets!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/06 at 06:39 PM
The Litterbox • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Wednesday, January 05, 2005 , evening

There’s such a thing as “too much cabbage”

I had wonderful Polish food for lunch today, but have discovered that there is such a thing as “too much cabbage”. The meal opened with cabbage soup, then we had cabbage rolls, and then we had hunter’s stew with cabbage, and wow, the ol’ digestive tract isn’t sure what to make of it all. It all tasted fabulous, but we were saddened because what had been a fully-themed Polish restaurant had become a “European” restaurant which also features a bar and gambling. Instead of being bright and airy, it was dark and smelled of old cigarette smoke, like a casino. I guess the place wasn’t making it on Polish food only, which is a shame. We were the only customers in the place for lunch so we had the complete attention of the server, who provided a surprise piece of birthday cheesecake for dessert I’d told her it was my birthday in an attempt to get her to improvise a “sampler platter” of food for us (something which used to be on the menu), but it didn’t work. I did get free cheesecake, though. Complete with a candle.

After lunch we went to two malls in town to exchange a sweatshirt Nancy had ordered online for me for a smaller size. I’ve now completed my mall visit quota for the year—I just don’t enjoy them anymore. I’d much rather shop from the comfort of my computer, but there are the occasional clothing size glitches.

Remember those two cats I mentioned not wanting to adopt in yesterday’s entry? They’re coming home with us tomorrow. I felt really trapped by the idea of the cats being put to sleep if we didn’t adopt them, so in the future if we want to add any pets to our home we’re going to keep quiet about it. The current owner was kind enough to pay for full bloodwork for them and all their shots, so we know they’ll both have a clean bill of health, but it’s going to be a big adjustment for all of us. If the cats can’t get used to the dogs and parrots, I don’t know what we’ll end up doing. I’m crossing my fingers that this will have a peaceful and simple resolution.

So, those are my big birthday memories as I turn 39: gas and cats.

P.S. I almost forgot to mention my biggest surprise gift of the day—Camden Toy sent a lovely autographed photo of himself as the flesh-eating demon, “Gnarl”, complete with an appropriately creepy birthday inscription. Camden Toy is a very sweet and thoughtful guy

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/05 at 08:09 PM
The Litterbox • (1) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Tuesday, January 04, 2005 , early evening

It’s birthweek!

I’ve got an hour and 13 minutes left of being 38 years old. I don’t know how I suddenly got this old—I’m quite sure I’m still just 25 and a mistake has been made in the birth certificate department. About 9 years ago I was going through some period of mental delusion and I went to a psychic in Albuquerque, NM. Among other things, she told me that I would end up working as a paramedic/EMT, and that by the time I was 38, “money wouldn’t be an issue”. I assumed that I would either get rich this past year or die, but I did neither. I also don’t work as an EMT, but I do watch “Emergency Vets” and I recently read the book, “Ambulance Girl”. I was really counting on that “money won’t be an issue” thing, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. She had no predictions for 39 year old me, so I guess I’ll have to wing it from here. I hope to have a birthday lunch of Polish food, weather permitting. Oh, and I always use the term “birthweek”, as it means presents and cards can arrive on any day in a week-long window without the sender feeling guilty about them being late

Today we had a call from the vet’s office, asking us if we’d be interested in adopting two cats who would otherwise be euthanized. An elderly woman had died leaving two cats, and the family was unable to keep them due to allergies. The local shelter was full and couldn’t take them, which sort of left us as the only option. I ended up speaking to the cats’ current guardian on the phone for a while, and she was a nice woman who really did want to find an option other than euthanization. I gave her the number for Best Friends and suggested she call them, but told her to call us back if they weren’t able to help. Sigh. The cats are 7 and 12 years old, a male and female, one nice and one not-so-nice. I absolutely don’t want the cats to be put to sleep simply as a matter of convenience, but on the other hand, I want the opportunity to choose my pets and not to have them thrust upon me. At least half our birds have been other people’s cast-offs, and while I’m glad we can help and offer a good home, I also love the opportunity to take my time finding a new pet of my own choosing. I don’t think it’s terribly selfish of me to be willing to adopt a homeless cat, but to prefer to adopt a homeless cat with green eyes, or one with tortoise-shell colouring, or one with no back legs, etc. In any case, the woman with the cats said she’d call me back, one way or another. If she calls back and the cats still need a home, then I guess they’ll be coming to live with us. The one nice thing about them is that they seem to be Democrats—their names are Chelsea and Jackson.

For anyone else who might be a January 5-er, here’s a special image for you from Hold the Mustard:

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/04 at 07:12 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Monday, January 03, 2005 , evening

I want a Scooter

I want a Scooter. Not the kind that would cause me to fall down and scrape my elbows, but this kind of Scooter: Scooter is available for adoption at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and we definitely think we’d love to have him come live with us. We don’t mind his lack of back legs—we’re a house full of misfits, and Scooter will fit right in. We love his little muppet face and miss the pitter-patter of little paws (or the scooching of a little butt, if you prefer), and would love to have a cat under our roof again. We faxed in an adoption application and hope Scooter will decide to come home with us. Chose us, chose us—we’re fun and we have catnip!

My mother called earlier this evening to tell me my aunt had died. I hadn’t seen this particular aunt in at least 10 years, and she’d been in fragile health for quite some time. Still, I’m saddened by her death and wish I’d been able to see her more frequently. She was born and raised in Scotland, so her accent always gave her an exotic flair.

I’m still trying to set up my new computer. As I try to install software, Stamps.com insists I don’t know my username and password, so I’m going to have to dig into the old computer to try to figure them out. Bah.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/03 at 09:16 PM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Saturday, January 01, 2005 , mid-morning

My Green Thumb

I forgot one very important thing in my 2004 review—I forgot that I had finally discovered my green thumb. It’s pale green, verging on yellow, but it’s more of a talent with plants that I knew I had. For that, I have to thank the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. The book awoke in me an obsession with orchids and strange plants, not necessarily in growing them myself, but in finding out more about them and the places they grow wild. That led me to read more books about exotic places like Borneo, and eventually I ended up with my own orchid plant growing in a pot on the kitchen counter, a bromeliad from Chile growing in the yard, and a fledgling hydroponic garden setup, also hogging my kitchen space. I’ve learned to grow tomato, cucumber, and cilantro plants, and I’ll try to branch out to peppers as well. It’s been so much fun—it’s like having pets without all the emotional attachment. Here’s a picture of what my orchid (a Zygopedilum from Orchids.com) will eventually look like if I don’t kill it first:

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/01 at 10:41 AM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Page 77 of 78 pages « First < 75 76 77 78 >

About Me

My name is Leigh-Ann, I'm Canadian, and I live in the United States. This gives me great insight on cross-border issues, like American vs. Canadian candy bars, and curling vs. golf. I enjoy coffee but not caffeine, as I like to think I'm agitated enough already. I think a day without Starbucks is a day without sunshine (there are no Tim Hortons here, so I make do with what I've got). I love animals and birds and fish and even most of the creepy crawlies on the sidewalk and in the garden, but I prefer it when they stay out of the house. I'm a veterinary technology student at Penn Foster, and I'm the Director of Wee Paws Animal Sanctuary. I bottle-feed lots of kittens, and try to find homes for society's less fortunate felines. If you'd like to make a donation to Wee Paws, click the button below, or click here for more options and ways you can help.

I live with the fantabulous Flippy. I write a blog about fibromyalgia at Tired Girls. Feel free to check out the photo gallery if you want to see 500 pictures of my dogs, cats, birds, etc. Get in touch with me via the "contact" link above - I'm actively seeking work, and specialize in Internet/social media marketing (but I don't blog about it). My background is in radio and television. One more thing: this blog was designed to be displayed at 1280 x 1024 in IE, because that's just the kind of girl I am.

Subscribe to this blog's feed by clicking any of the icons below: