Not Heidi
Not Heidi's JournalWhat one food or beverage . . .
What one food or beverage can you just not stand - and what would you rather have in its place?
For me, it's IPA. I'd rather drink hot water with seasoned salt mixed in.
What's yours?
Looking for the correct forum
I'm very unhappy in my marriage. I don't know the proper forum in which to discuss this.
Do you know if there's a specific forum for this?? Separation and divorce are out of the question. I don't want to discuss this in that forum.
Thank you.
Charley Girl died on June 3
I posted on June 1 that my Charley Girl, my 21-year-old blind tabby, died on June 3. We went to the vet to help her along, as she had already lost her life, her interest, her wanting to play with toys, her desire to eat - all the things you expect from a cat.
She went peacefully.
Thank you to all of you who gave messages to me.
Best,
Not Heidi
I think my cat is dying.
Charley Girl is 21 years old. In January this year, she went blind. She seemed insane for a day or two, but once she learned to navigate her way around the room (she's always lived in our bedroom), she improved. Until a couple of weeks ago, she'd made our bed her own, until she took to her old enclosed bed* in the closet. We don't see her very much anymore. Except when we feed her, she stays in the closet.
Shortly after she went blind, she began to lose weight. She now looks like an abandoned stray who can't find any food or any friend or any home. She is so thin. To pet her is to feel her ribs. The space behind her ribs is all sunken in. We can feel the bumps of her spine. She does eat, not quite as much as I'd want, but she drinks enough water.
My wife and I have been discussing whether it's time to take that trip to the vet. We don't want Charley Girl to suffer anymore.
Have you had a similar experience with your cat? Can you offer any advice from experience? None of my friends or Kathy's have had similar experience - at least not in the last several years.
We are desperate to know what to do.
* It has a bed, four walls, a roof, and a small hole to get in by.
I happened across a Trump paraphernalia stand the other day.
Last Saturday, I met some friends at a restaurant in Los Alamitos (Orange Co., CA). On the sidewalk, maybe 30-40 yards from the restaurant, was a table crammed with Trump crap. Hats, t-shirts, pins, buttons, flags and more. A lot of cars honked as they passed. One of my friends and I walked over to look at what was on offer.
Some were downright offensive; the worst was a button reading "JOE AND THE HO GOTTA GO." 
The Ho?!* There was another: "FUCK BIDEN and fuck you for voting for him."
The best, though, was one of the flags. It was a large standard "TRUMP" flag, background white, lettering blue. The slogan below "TRUMP" was "NO MORE BULLSHIT." Oh, delicious irony.
*Probably a holdover from the Clinton campaign.
I happened across a Trump paraphernalia stand the other day.
Last Saturday, I met some friends at a restaurant in Los Alamitos (Orange Co., CA). On the sidewalk, maybe 30-40 yards from the restaurant, was a table crammed with Trump crap. Hats, t-shirts, pins, buttons, flags and more. A lot of cars honked as they passed. One of my friends and I walked over to look at what was on offer.
Some was downright offensive; the worst was a button reading "JOE AND THE HO GOTTA GO." The Ho?!* There was another: "FUCK BIDEN and fuck you for voting for him." That one wasn't as offensive as the first.
The best, though, was one of the flags. It was a large standard "TRUMP" flag, background white, lettering blue. The slogan below "TRUMP" was "NO MORE BULLSHIT." Oh, delicious irony.
*Probably a holdover from the Clinton campaign.
Symbolism in movies - are you curious?
What started me thinking about this is that I'm watching Michael Clayton. I wonder what the three horses on the hill represent. There's at least one other scene that I find curious in the same way.
Do you ever wonder about symbolism in movies? Tell us about it.
No, I haven't been drinking. 
A friend I met last year in "the program" is now hospitalized
I hate it that that's become necessary. But she was honest with the program psychiatrist, and told him she'd been cutting.
I don't really know how to encourage her. I've been hospitalized myself, two months in 1986 and a week in 2019, and I remember precious little. This makes me mad. (I'm sure not knowing how to encourage her is due to having had ECT in April-August '23. It wiped out most of my memory.)
I probably can't take her anything, but I'm going to take her a Monster anyway, and maybe a Snickers.
Have you any advice for how to support my friend on my visit tonight? Thank you.
("The Program," or more frequently, just "Program," is at a mental hospital in Orange County, CA. It consists of four group sessions in about five hours [and lunch - hospital food. Yum.]. Patients are supported by a case manager (all certified psychologists, all of whom lead the groups) and a psychiatrist - and admin staff, who rarely get any glory. I attended last year from August to December. It was quite beneficial.)
If you have any ideas as to how I can support my friend on my visit tonight, I'd be very grateful. Thanks.
I need some jokes, please.
I need jokes - clean jokes, please - to send to my friend in jail. I've sent him two jokes so far, and he's said that they made him laugh. He needs to laugh.
Please post your best jokes. Short or long - doesn't matter.
Thanks!
I heard from my friend who is in jail
About a week ago, I sent Frank (not his real name) my first letter as he languishes in jail. I heard back from him yesterday. He dictated a Facebook message to his husband by phone (I think that's how he must've done it). I thought I wouldn't hear from him until he got out, so I am thrilled.
I was concerned that he might not be safe, but he reports that he is. I told him a joke that he appreciated.* He asked how my foot is (recent surgery), which I didn't expect. He's always thinking about others.
I miss Frank very much. I hadn't seen him for a couple of years (he lives in No. Cal.). He visited us at our house on his way to jail - completely unexpected (but my sister knew), and I'm so glad he did.
He writes that he's working on a letter for me, but not to expect it for some time. His sentence is for less than a year.
I've known Frank since we were kids. I met him when my sister and his became best friends as freshmen in high school. He is my oldest friend. We haven't always kept in touch, but that ends now. I love Frank and wonder how I could not keep in touch with him.
*I have another joke lined up for him in the letter I'm writing now. Please offer your opinions - or maybe a better joke:
A string is walking down the street and sees a bar up ahead. He decides to go in and have a beer. Inside, he hops up onto a bar stool and asks the barkeep for a beer. The barkeep sneers at him and says, "You g.d. string! We don't serve your kind. Get out!" Stung but used to this, the string hops off the bar stool and leaves. Outside he continues on his way.
He sees another string walking his way, a friend he hasn't seen for a while. They greet each other, then the second string says, "Hey, there's a bar up ahead. Let's go have a beer." The first string says, "I just left there. The barkeep said they don't serve 'our kind.'" The second string says, "Oh, yeah? Watch this." He jumps up high and ties himself up. Then he pulls at his ends until he looks all shaggy. The first string gets it and follows suit. Then the second string says to his friend, "Let's go." They enter the bar and hop up onto bar stools. The barkeep comes over and stares at the strings. Somewhat nonplussed, he says to the second string with a sneer, "Aren't you string?" The second string says, "Frayed knot."
Profile Information
Name: K.J. HeidebrechtGender: Female
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Home country: United States
Current location: Fountain Valley, CA
Member since: Wed Jun 19, 2019, 03:15 PM
Number of posts: 1,399