15 Minute Ficlets

Declawing a cat is bad. Period.

I've never liked the idea of removing a cat's claws. Doing that takes away their defenses in a number of ways -- hinders their ability to fight and to climb away from danger. Even an indoor kitty has the potential for getting out, and what happens then?

Then I found out what declawing actually entails: they amputate the first joint of every claw.

This is not minor surgery. This is a big, big thing.

This site says it better than I ever could. They have technical details, too, if you need that to prove it to you.

There are alternatives to declawing! First of all, cats are trainable, especially if you start them young. If that doesn't work, there are Soft Paws -- colorful or clear sheaths that go over the claws. They're apparently very effective. I haven't used them on Abby yet, though I bought them; the ones I got are too small by now, unfortunately.

If a cat is already declawed, alright. If it's not, I just can't see having this done. Ever!

Am busily nomming on ramen.

Also watching 24! Season 2. It's my favorite. :D Also, is good for my fic writing.

Content returns on the hour.

Things have gotten quieter around here! Meaning online. It's 3 AM here, so most of the people not doing the 'thon are likely asleep. Lucky them! :) I'm doing okay, for the moment. I'm hungry, so I think I'll go heat up some ramen after this post.

I have to give a huge thanks to astrum_presul, who's been keeping me company on AIM all night. :D It helps!

To everyone else still participating in the 'thon -- go you! We're in the last quarter of the event. We can do it! Only five hours left!

When I was little, Grandma and Granddad (my mother's parents) had a dog and a cat. No, this isn't a repeat. ;) Different set of grandparents. Also, these pets were earlier.

The dog, Amber, was a cocker spaniel. She was gorgeous, in my opinion! Kat and I would follow her around on our hands and knees -- we were about her size. Kat even curled up in Amber's bed a time or two. I don't remember her ever biting or being violent, though she may have growled occasionally. I liked Amber.

George, the cat, was such a patient soul. Oh, he'd hide, but when he came out, he never fussed even though he had pre-grade-school me trying to pick him up. And succeeding, to an extent. There's a great picture of me with my arms wrapped around the cat's middle, his head and front legs above my arms, the rest of his body dangling down. He was almost as long as I was tall! And yet, he never fussed. Sweet guy.

I really do I wish I had pictures. I didn't think to ask Mom for pictures until too late. Sigh!

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Plenty of folks worry about global warming, the food crisis, wars in general, etc and end with the thought, "What can I, as an individual do about this?" Here's something to ponder: Article from the Asian times. Of course, how does lack of wasting food translate to making food more available in developing countries? If people in the US are not buying so much junk food, would less demand for flour, meat and oil make this food more available for international aid relief to developing countries? I wonder if market forces would jump in - if people are not wasting so much food, meaning that there's less demand, would that drive food prices lower so farmers are selling at a loss and eventually stop producing?

I've also read that if people stopped producing meat, there would be less carbon from production of cow pies, and less deforestation to open up corn fields for animal feed. That change alone, would help reduce global warming.

Well, I've been trying to buy only local foods - cheese is difficult to cut out of my diet. I rarely eat meat. I do buy a lot of vegetables from the local market - and never get around to cooking them so there's food wasted right there. Unfortunately, even dried beans come from elsewhere so there's the energy involved in transporting them (though probably not as much as transporting slabs of meat from New Zealand, which crops up in Vientiane). Some local foods - well, as people might notice from some of my previous food entries, they're not always things that I can bear to eat.

On the other hand, with the cost of food rising and the declining value of the dollar... I may have to see what recipes I can come up with.

( meme, meme, meme... )

Taken from fandom_memes

I can't think of that phrase without hearing Bob Barker's voice in my head. ;) It's a simple statement, but it's so true.

Too many animals are neglected, turned in to shelters, turned stray, or outright destroyed simply because they're not wanted. It is far, far better to prevent litters and control the population that way than to have to kill animals because there's no room for them in the shelters and rescues.

Furthermore, neutered and spayed animals have fewer behavior issues, from what I understand. Males are less likely to mark their territory; females who are spayed before going into heat have better dispositions and are less territorial. Again, this is just what I've been told from friends' and family members' experiences, but I have to believe it's true.

If you have pets that aren't for breeding, please get them spayed or neutered! If you have financial difficulties, you may be able to find a low cost clinic nearby. It's worth it!

Note: all pictures in this post have been shrunk down in size and/or cropped for better web viewing quality. I've got some, er, super hi-res versions on my comp, that are about 1.1 MB each, over 400 from the SGA panel alone. A future picspam, with HQ images could be in the works, all depending. However, I make no guarantees on my photography skills.

I got distracted, so I think it's time for another poll!

Poll #1230319 How many pets?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What's the highest number of pets you've had at once?

As we were returning from the village visit the other day, we passed fields and fields looking like this. The fields were wet when the farmers transplanted the rice, and then the rain stopped. Even just a few days, given the state of the soil and the depth of the water, and the ground dries out and starts to crack. Right now, the rice looks all right but another day or two...

It usually rains constantly at this time of the year - a constant heavy rain which sometimes diminishes to a drizzle but then starts down heavy again. The clouds keep the air cool and moist and the water doesn't evaporate. This year, thunderstorms provide relief from overly sunny skies and hot weather.

It's strange because it's been raining very heavily in the north. The Mekong river is very high right now, and areas of the north have been affected by the flooding, with whole fields of corn or rice washed away.

The life of the average rice farmer depends on the rain. If the skies are so unpredictable, what else can they count on in life?

I was afraid of dogs for many years. I have three good contributing causes. The first is what I mentioned in my previous post -- Zeppy biting me. That'll scar you in more ways than one. The second was the fact that my mom's friend Carla refused to train or discipline her dog. I was 8 when we left Virginia, so I was little; the dog was about my size. I couldn't easily get away from it, and Carla wouldn't do anything to keep him away from me. Then, to make matters worse, I was chased home from the bus stop by a big black dog. NOT COOL.

I was okay with the dachshunds, for the most part, though Grandma made sure I kept my face well away from any of them. Other dogs, though, were not good. Eventually I relaxed, as I got older and bigger. I also made friends with some dogs, like llylilin's and the one my piano teacher had. I'm still somewhat hesitant around anything other than goldens and dachshunds, but I can manage.

Ah, Minolta, my love, we have not seen each other for the longest time.

It is fair to blame this break in our relationship largely on the emergence of a certain digital camera --a certain, smaller, lighter and quicker than you digital camera. Cheap, too, and though I don't mind your expensive nature, sometimes it does have the tendency to break the bank.
So I admit, I did get a little addicted to my Canon. Sure, it doesn't have that comforting, solid weight you have, that simplistic yet impressive versatility that you rarely boast about but make clear after a couple of button presses. And no, there is nothing quite like having a manual focus; the peckish, fragmented pixels that a digital camera has doesn't really have the clarity that you do.

It often overcompensated for bad lighting or quick movement. Occasionally it tried too hard in broad daylight, too -- I'd glance through my review sheets, disgruntled by the streaky, loudly bright atmosphere all of my outdoor pictures had, even after I adjusted shutter speed, aparture and all that other pretty stuff.

But what was I do to, Minolta? You -- despite not being terribly old -- are a dinosaur. An old, film-swallowing monolith that wanders unsteadily through the new world of photography, unsure of your place in the food chain anymore. I fear bringing you through airports -- fear that all of my work, all of those shutter clicks -- will be obliterated courtesy of TSA and X-Rays. I fear your bulkiness will make me stand out as a tourist more than I already do. Sure, there are some places that work for tourists, but there are others that don't, and I don't want to endanger you or me in those situations.

I guess I fear the fact that I might lose you. Clicheed as it sounds, you're a pretty awesome camera, and I'd be pissed if someone stole you -- or something. That's one reason you've been tucked away in your bag for the longest time, sitting next to my laptop case and the new (old?) turntable I got for my birthday.

But I guess we had a reunion, didn't we? Yellowstone was a blast, a time when I began to realize the beauty of aparture and shutter speed, lighting conditions and flash. Zoom isn't terribly long-distance (which does make me sad, a little bit), but that was okay. We managed. You ate up six canisters of film -- film that I, a: didn't know I had and b: didn't know was so expensive -- and froze the world at the Lower Falls, some clearings and even (not as impressive as it is) Old Faithful and surrounding area.

It was cool. I missed having a manual camera a lot.

But I suppose I'm here to gripe, Minolta: it cost twenty bucks for three rolls of film. It will cost forty bucks for six.

I am a struggling writer working barely above minimum wage (and no, I suppose that I'm not complaining -- much), and though insurance premiums have dropped, I assure you that gas and all other entities are not cheap.

I love you, Minolta.

But for now, consider our relationship on a "Separated" status.

You'll get your day out of the bag, some time.

I promise.

My father had a long haired dachshund he named Zeppelin, or Zeppy. Not for the band, but for the dirigible. He kinda has a thing for them.

Zeppy was a good dog. He had "his place" on a chair in Dad's living room. Dad could tell him to go to his place and he would, just like that. He was pretty, too -- iirc, his coloring was similar to that of a golden.

He wasn't always a good dog, though. He did bite me once, when I was sitting on the edge of his chair to pet him. Bit my lower lip, very deeply; any deeper and I'd have needed stitches. I still have a scar from it, though.

Zeppy developed liver problems (I believe) and died an early death. Even more sad was that I think it happened when Dad was out of town. He hasn't gotten another dog since; he loved Zeppy, and I know he still feels bad for not being there and taking better care of him.

How did music become such an important thing in my life? Palahniuk's right - we're addicted to it.

I'm doing my Law readings like a good girl.

EDIT: LOL

"In blunt term, wilful blindness is a way that criminal law has of criminalising the wilfully stupid."

Crim looks like it'll be fun. Can't say that of Admin Law.

Yeah. Getting tired. Bad!

Atlantis is on! Return part 2, which is slightly unfortunate -- part 1 is one of the best episodes they've done, and part 2 just didn't live up. However, knowing what to expect, I think it's better than I thought it was.

Also regarding Atlantis: I'm loving the new season. Go figure.

I'll have a real post on the half hour.

ASK MY MUSES ANYTHING.

Ask any of the muses I roleplay a question and I'll reply in-character as them with an answer. Feel free to ask them ANYTHING, regardless of whether you know their canon or not. Feel free to also ask them as your own muse. They will respond accordingly.

PLS DO THIS. I AM SO BORED.

MUSES:

Ai Kago (missaibon)
Akane Suzuki (akanepearl
Aki (spiderinmyhead)
Aki Hoshino (star_revealed)
Aya (ayawaii
Byou (rockersxroom)
Hazuki (adoreanillusion)
Hibiki (smashthem)
Hiko (hikorock)
Hisui (tetolove)
Kumi Koda(juicycherrygirl)
Kyo (insanitygarden)
Leah Dizon (koi_shiyou)
Peggy (xsexual_dollx)
Reina Tanaka (genkireina)
Reita (viciousrock -> former trashxhuman)
Ruki (madredparty)
Zoli (burndollface)

( And a muse survey )

Grandma and Grandpa, my father's parents, had two pets for many years. Pinka was their large grey tabby, and Poidka was their dachshund. Pinka was, if I recall correctly, only a few months older (younger?) than my older sister. I remember him as a big, strong cat. My grandparents lived on the water and Grandpa fished regularly. Most of what he caught were catfish, many of which he fed to Pinka. Pinka loved the fish. ;)

Poidka was the son of my aunt and uncle's pair of dachshunds. He was, without a doubt, Grandpa's dog. He followed him around everywhere -- they were constant companions. Poidka was protective dog, as well. He hated when people hugged or kissed, because he interpreted it as an attack. (I think.) He'd bark like crazy if anyone came to the door or even walked past on the sidewalk. He was a great dog!

Pinka and Poidka were buddies. They'd play together, or at least Pinka would allow Poidka (who was much younger) to play with him. They lived very well together, despite the "rule" of cats and dogs not getting along!

As all animals do, the pair got old and eventually passed away. They both lived good long lives in a very loving home -- there wasn't much more they could have asked for that they didn't have.

( Pinka and Poidka -- pictures! )

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I'm starting to yawn. This isn't good.

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