One of my cats just brought some prey and I am very sad.

Keeping my cats indoors is not an option. Due to my carefree folly, we have too many. They'd kill each other (or we'd kill them) if they were all indoors all the time.

But this is the result. They don't bring us provisions very often, but when they do, it makes me very sad.

44-inch receipt from CVS

I use their damned card to get the discounts. In return I get ridiculously long receipts, containing coupons for things I'll never buy. Today's is more than a yard in length. I swear, you could write the entire New Testament on one of these receipts.

Pfft.

Oh, on edit: I bought a 12-pack of Coke, two 20-oz Zeroes, a box of band-aids, and a snack. 44-inch receipt. I say again: pfft.

Nutty things we say to our pets

"Would you get your ass out of my eye?" Me to Charley, a cat, last night.

What's yours?

my sister made my day

My sister sent me an email that said she and BIL were going to shooby down to Ruby's on the HB pier for breakfast. She said she'd call me when she got there, and had me go to www.hbcams.com and choose the south view.

She called. I looked. I'll be damned, I'm talking to my sister on the phone and seeing her live as she sat with BIL on a bench on the pier, the rock of my life. I took a screenshot. Such a simple thing, but I'll treasure this little event forever.

And I am so homesick that I cry sometimes.

If 96.45 is 15%

what is 100%?

Mrs. Venation update

It was quite a scare, but all seems well now. The ER PA said it was a bad attack of GERD. (I didn't know that gave you headaches and dizziness, but what do I know?) She still has a nasty headache but attributes it to hunger; she's just eaten for the first time in almost 24 hours. She's actually working right now, saying she'll log off after she finishes something from yesterday. We'll see.

Thank you to everyone who sent out good vibes and wishes and prayers last night (whether you posted in the thread or not). DU is a community of friends and it's comforting to know one can come here for support.

Mrs. Venation by ambulance to ER

I can't even go back yet; I got here just after the ambulance and she's not in an exam room yet.

She was putting together a cat tree (what else?) and started feeling sick to her stomach. She sat down and chills and the shakes came on. She waited for me to get home and I gave her some Rx nausea drugs. Didn't help. She laid down for a while, then came out with a splitting headache. i called 911 and here we are.

No idea what it could be. Please keep her in your thoughts, send vibes, and if you pray, you know what to do. Thank you.

Describe a time of disappointment.

I’m a native Southern Californian. In 1989, the California Angels hosted the All-Star Game. I knew there was no way I could get tickets, so I joined their group of volunteers. Volunteers would be dispatched at all the hotels in and near Anaheim, to be stationed in the lobbies as points of information for players and media. Other volunteers worked in other jobs and other places. I took a week off work to perform what I thought would be this terrific duty (even though I had to wear a skirt).

On the first day of All-Star week, I found myself at a Hyatt in Anaheim. I was behind a little stand with a sign on it, the All-Star logo and the word “information.” There was another volunteer there. There were no chairs. We stood all day. No one came to us. Not a soul. I was quite disillusioned and didn’t go back. (Quite irresponsible. I was a different person back then.)

When I returned to work the following Monday, the president of the company sought me out. He asked jovially how I enjoyed the game. I told him I enjoyed it, and that I was glad the American League had won. He asked me where I was seated. I told him, in my chair in my living room. He was surprised. He said he’d heard I was going to the game. When I explained about the volunteer corps, he said, “Oh. That’s too bad. I had an extra ticket and was looking for you.” I cried for days.

question for those who do not have tattoos

Do you ever think about getting one?

What would you get? Where would you put it?

I would get one of these, under my left clavicle (the bottom one without the background).

Have you ever heard of a short story called "The Porcupine Whose Name Didn't Matter"?