Mid-Life Ramblings; Sanity Optional

What It's Like To Be Me

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:32:00 +0000

I may be late to the party but thanks to Pharyngula for turning me on to Roy Zimmerman.

To add insult to injury

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Louisiana Senator John Alario had proposed SB 26 to raise the state supplemental pay of police officers and firefighters. However, today he pulled the bill because it would have been vetoed by the governor. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/20009129.html

The legislators just got a 200% pay raise yesterday that Jindal won't veto but he would veto a $75 per month raise for cops and firefighters??? Oh hell to the no.

Once again proud to be a Louisianian

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:07:00 +0000

For those who don't live here in Louisiana and who may not have heard, today our state legislature finalized a vote to give themselves a 200% pay raise. This was a compromise because a 300% raise didn't pass. Not only that, our governor has already stated he won't veto it because he's being strong armed by legislative bullies who threaten to kill any of Jindal's initiatives if he does so.

While the pride referred to in the title of this post is truly tongue-in-cheek, I am quite proud of my sister, who sent the letter below not only to each of the 77 legislators that voted for the pay raise but to the governor, the newspapers, and local radio talk shows instead.

Dear ...,

As a hardworking taxpayer of this great state, I want to congratulate you on the raise you have given yourself and your friends in the legislature!! If my life could only be so simple to be able to give myself an undeserved 200% pay raise compromise, after failing to get a 300% pay raise.

I am expecting great things from this legislature now that you are the 14th highest paid state legislature in the US ~

#1 as healthiest state instead of #48

#1 in teacher pay instead of #45

#1 in road system overall performance instead of #30

#50 in infant mortality instead of #3

#1 for people with a bachelor's degrees instead of #47

#50 in violent crimes instead of #9

#1 in annual average pay instead of #38

#1 in median household income instead of #47

#50 in traffic fatalities instead of #9

#50 in unemployment instead of #2

#50 in persons below the poverty level instead of #2

#1 as the smartest state instead of #44

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/rankings.html

In the business world, CEO's who perform well are rewarded with high salaries and bonuses. Those who fail to meet their goals are fired. There is no reason why the same standards should not apply for you. If these goals are not met to justify your raise, prepare yourself for a difficult re-election.

Sincerely,

K

They'd better not screw this up.

Farewell, Tim Russert

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:03:00 +0000

The shocking news came just before 3 pm here this afternoon that Tim Russert, well known political pundit and host of NBC’s Meet The Press had died in his Washington office of an apparent heart attack. He was only 58 years old.

I was a Today Show fan for many, many years before switching over to Good Morning America in the mornings. So I got to watch Tim Russert a lot. I will never forget the fiasco that was the 2000 election. Russert had a white board that he would bring on the show with him. He had Al Gore in one column and George W. Bu$h in the other and he would run the electoral college numbers in every way he could imagine. I was watching the day he made the now famous remark, “It will all come down to Florida, Florida, Florida.” How right he was.

It was Tim Russert that I watched that fateful night in November of 2000 with the rest of a stunned nation as the returns showed a virtual tie. It was also Russert I watched four years later when it was “Ohio, Ohio, Ohio” that was pivotal state. By 2004 he was no longer carrying around his white board. Instead he had fancy schmancy computer tools that allowed him to play his numbers in every way imaginable. In an election that should have belonged to my candidate Howard Dean, I watched Tim all evening with what felt like a stone in my gut as Kerry was defeated.

My passion for politics started late in life. As a Sheriff’s deputy for so many years, I had enough drama with local politics to keep me quite uninterested in national stuff. All of that changed for me in 2000 and Tim Russert was there, feeding me information and fanning that flame that would turn into a passion. I always felt Tim was giving me pretty straight up information. Though he had Democratic roots, he'd become much more centered because he had to play both sides as a moderator. Although he was never my only source, I watched him more than anyone else.

Unlike so many people, my Sunday mornings are not usually filled with politics. Sunday is often a day of unwinding for E and me so I rarely watched the Sunday talking heads. But when I was in the mood for a good Sunday political debate, I spent my time flipping between Tim Russert and George Stephanopoulos. They could always be counted on to provide the best discussions. Tim was like a bulldog when he was interviewing someone of questionable ethics and I loved that.

So it is with a heavy heart that I join the rest of the nation in saying goodbye to Tim Russert. Thanks for helping fan that fire in me, Tim, and for great content. My thoughts are with your family.

An Open Letter To The American Kennel Club (AKC)

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:07:00 +0000

Dear AKC:

Regarding the latest news story of the elderly Arizona couple who had over 800 dogs in their triple-wide trailer http://www.kpho.com/news/15579448/detail.html, I am contacting you to express my concern at the AKC’s failure in this matter and matters like it.

I don’t understand how your organization can continue to issue litter registrations to someone like this without red flags going up and bells and whistles screaming. If the purpose of the AKC is further breed standards, how can you not recognize puppy millers such as these? Oh that’s right, it’s because you work so closely with the likes of the Hunte Corporation, the largest puppy broker in the nation.

Rather than being the organization that fights for the dogs and champions reputable breeders, yours has become an organization where the almighty dollar takes preference over the lives of innocent puppies. As long as those puppy millers keep sending you their fees, you’re going to keep registering their litters, no matter how many they have in a month’s or year’s time.

I cannot properly express to you my disgust and disappointment in the AKC. My breed of choice happens to be the Bichon Frise. I am not a breeder but am very involved in rescue. Every time we get some poor little pup out of a puppy mill with a grade 6 PDA heart murmur or a group of 30 breeding females dumped on us with diseases and mange and broken spirits, I get angry that these places are allowed to continue mistreating dogs and passing along genetic diseases and traits detrimental to the breed. I understand that the USDA is in charge of inspections but your organization is part of the chain as well. And both you and the USDA have dropped the ball.

Your organization can make a difference in the lives of these innocent little dogs but you must regroup and remember what your original purpose was. Until you change the way you do business and get involved in shutting these places down, I will continue to spread the word of your willful impotence and liability in these matters. I will scream it as loud as I can and encourage others to do so as well.

This is a time when the AKC has a choice. You can continue to go down the current path and focus on the money or you can do something heroic and help save lives. The decision is yours to make. I hope that you make the right one.

Puppy Mills

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 23:06:00 +0000

I’ve mentioned here before that I volunteer for a wonderful Bichon Frise rescue group called Small Paws Rescue®. It started 10 years ago when two women, who met on the internet and shared a love for Bichons, decided they needed to do something for all the hurting little Bichons out there. From there Small Paws® has grown into one of the largest breed rescues in the world with over 6,000 volunteers.

Our Nate came from Small Paws® just over two years ago. He had been a stray found in north Texas and placed in a kill shelter. His time was just about up when Small Paws® found out he was there and took him in. He was sent to us as a foster but we failed Fostering 101 and happily adopted Nate a mere 11 days later.

Since Nate’s arrival we have managed to successfully foster Sam and Sadie, who are half-Bichon and half-Shih Tzu. As you can read here they are now living a wonderful life in North Carolina. I get updates on them periodically and my heart just bursts to hear how great they are doing.

E and I recently decided to open our hearts and home to another Small Paws® rescue and this morning I drove to the airport and picked up Leah. She is a puppy mill rescue out of Missouri and this is a first for us as we’ve never had a dog from a mill. She’s really skittish and wouldn’t even get out of her kennel for me a while ago. Of course, coming from a puppy mill, she doesn’t even know what it’s like to be a dog.

Leah is here in my office right now. The door to her kennel is open but she isn’t venturing out. That kennel is her little den; her safety zone. As I sat here watching her I realized that she’s lived her entire life of three years in a cage. She’s had little or no human contact. She served only one purpose – to have litters of pups to make money for the miller. Puppy mill dogs are not pets and if they get treated as well as livestock, they are lucky. Leah has no idea what it’s like to be loved. She doesn’t trust humans. Her little soul is broken and it makes me both sad and angry.

Leah and others like her are the reason that no one should ever buy a dog or cat from a pet store. The puppies are taken away from their mothers too early and shipped in large trucks to the pet stores where some of them don’t live to be sold. The mothers and studs are kept in cages all of their lives usually stacked one on top of the other. No one lets them out to potty. Most likely they’ve never even touched grass. Their little toes are splayed from having to walk on the wire cage floor. They are kept outside in rickety buildings with little or no heat or air conditioning and often no windows.

Puppy millers are not legitimate breeders. They couldn’t care less about the breed itself. They don’t care about puppies born with hereditary diseases or genetic deformities. I can’t tell you how many of these puppy mill dogs have heart murmurs – huge holes in their hearts – that are then passed on to their offspring. Puppy mill dogs don’t often get to see a vet if they are sick or hurt. They’re just put down as vets are way too costly and eat into the puppy profits.

Legitimate breeders will not sell their pups to pet stores - I promise you that because legitimate breeders care about the breed and breed for standard. Big stores like PetsMart and Petco do not sell dogs and cats. These are corporations with scruples. Other chain pet stores don’t have these same scruples. We have one of those stores here in Baton Rouge too. I won’t go near the place. Well, once I did because I knew they had Bichon puppies in there (for $1200!) and I wanted to see if they were healthy. I went in and asked to look at them one at a time as if I were interested in buying one. I checked each little pup from head to toe. I also questioned the sales clerk about where they get their puppies. Poor kid gave me the spiel that they are taught – “We get them from local breeders.” I told him I knew better then left and cried when I got into the car.

Small Paws® has worked hard over the past few years to get the broker prices down on Bichons and make them not worth breeding. Since it has become hard to make money on them bred to other Bichons, millers have started cross-breeding them with other breeds to make “designer puppies” like half-Bichon and half-Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to create a “Cavachon”. They then sell them to pet stores who sell these pups for over $1,000.00 even though they are just mutts. You can’t register a “designer dog” because they aren’t pure bred. They are truly no different than your run-of-the-mill shelter dog except that someone paid a LOT of money for them and that their parents suffered in a mill somewhere.

Fortunately, a lot of breeders have gotten rid of their Bichon stock and have given them to Small Paws® and other Bichon rescue groups. Dogs like Leah will finally have good lives. It’s going to take her a while and she may never be as outgoing as a normal dog but Leah will learn to trust humans and she will know love. I can guarantee that because until she is adopted, she will be living with us where she will be spoiled and well loved. Leah will never have another litter of puppies again. No one is ever going to make money off of Leah again. Our dogs have a job now to teach Leah how to be a dog. She will someday feel safe outside of that kennel. Beginning today we start working on healing that broken little soul.

Want to read more about the horrors of puppy mills? Click the links below or Google "puppy mills" and please help Small Paws® and other rescue organizations put puppy mills out of business by not buying dogs or cats from anyone but a legitimate breeder, never from a pet store and by not patronizing pet stores that sell dogs and cats. Only when the demand stops will the supply cease.

I thank you and Leah thanks you too.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/puppymil.html

http://www.critterhaven.net/partners.htm

http://www.turner.com/planet/promotions/puppies/prisoners.html

Thank you, Johnny Mathis

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:14:00 +0000

I don’t know about most of you out there but music marks so very many moments in my life.

We have a new radio station KDDK 105.5 in the area that plays what I consider to be classics – Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis, Jr., Tony Bennett and all the greats. They also throw in some show tunes and the most eclectic mix of Musak-type tunes, songs in French and Spanish, patriotic songs, old time religious songs, and the occasional operatic aria. After my Kidd Kraddick fix every morning, I tune in to this new station promptly at 10 am. I spend the rest of the day either singing or humming along or laughing as I try to figure where they dug up a particular song. I would go out of my mind if I couldn’t have music in the background while I work.

One of the first songs I ever heard played on this station is the one that endeared me to the place forever. I was driving along and heard Johnny Mathis’ “Sweetheart Tree” - a song written by the great Johnny Mercer for the movie "The Great Race" directed by Blake Edwards.

They say there’s a tree in the forest
A tree that will give you a sign
Come along with me to the Sweetheart Tree
Come and carve your name next to mine

They say if you kiss the right sweetheart
The one you’ve been waiting for
Big blossoms of white will burst into sight
And your love will be true evermore

Johnny is Mom’s very favorite singer. She has been fortunate enough to have seen him live several times through the years. “Sweetheart Tree” is one of Johnny’s lesser known tunes so it’s not an easy song to find (as I found out one birthday sometime back when I decided I had to find it on CD for Mom). But the second I hear it I am transported back to 1965 at age 4 when Johnny’s album “The Sweetheart Tree” was brand new. I was an only child at the time and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. “Sweetheart Tree” quickly became our favorite and I remember I would often beg Mom to play our song. She would put that album on the phonograph and we would dance.

I hadn’t heard the station replay “Sweetheart Tree” since the first day I listened but this afternoon they dug it out again. On the first occasion, I had called Mom and turned up the radio so she could hear it over the cell phone. Today I just sat back in my chair and let my mind remember a time when it was just my mom and I at home every day. There wasn’t a set up twins there taking up a lot of her time (not that I’m not glad they came along later), none of the mother-daughter battles of the teenage years had happened yet, I hadn’t discovered The Beatles, and I still believed moms were perfect in every way. Johnny Mathis sang and we twirled and giggled and sang “Sweetheart Tree” together - just Mom, Johnny, and me. I have lots of wonderful childhood memories but this one ranks way up there.

So Johnny, I’ve made fun of you through the years and have given my mom a hard time for being such a huge fan of yours, but the truth is that 40+ years ago you gave my mom and me something special to share and I really have to thank you for that.

November 20, 1999

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:19:00 +0000

About nine years ago, I was working from home one afternoon and I had my AOL Instant Messenger open so that I could communicate with my office. All of a sudden a message popped up and this person asked if I was his friend Terry. I said no. He apologized and explained that his friend worked at a 911 center in Utah and all he could remember was that she had 911 in her screen name. Since he couldn't remember the whole thing, he'd done a search for screen names with 911 in them and mine showed up and flagged me as being online. He took a shot that it might be her. He then asked if I worked for a 911 center and I explained that I'd recently left a job in a center. He was genuinely curious and asked several more questions. Before I knew it, we'd talked the whole afternoon away and I'd gotten very little of my work done.

We left that conversation agreeing that we'd add each other to our buddy lists and chat next time we were online at the same time. Those chats soon began to be daily sessions where we exchanged thoughts and ideas and got to know one another. Months and months flew by and then the phone calls began. Before we knew it, this guy from Utah and I had formed a bond over the miles. He decided he wanted to move down here to Louisiana so he found a job and a place to live. I picked him up in Kansas City that summer - July 10, 1999. We were married four months and ten days later. I was two weeks shy of my 38th birthday.

Eight years ago today, I married the man that I had given up hope of ever finding. Yet he found me on a fairly new thing called the internet. If I'd been anywhere else but at home on my computer that day, these past eight years would have been so very different and lonely.

Instead of sitting here telling you what a lonely 45 year old woman I am, I get to tell you about how well taken care of I am, how loved I am, and how happy I am. These eight years have flown by with E by my side. There have been high points and low points but through them all we have stood together knowing that neither of us wanted to be in any other place.

So thank you, my darling E, for being the husband that you are. I would have laughed all those years ago if someone had told me how this would all go down. But the smile on my face today is one of pure joy because I get to be your wife. I love you deeper every year and I am so thankful to have your hand to hold as we journey through life together.

Inked!

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:43:00 +0000

I know that I was supposed to continue with the story of last weekend but I have to interrupt that story with this breaking news... E and I got inked on Friday night! This is E's second tat but was my first foray into the world of permanently inked things on one's skin. I have to say that I love it! It took me until I was just a month away from my 46th birthday to figure out something that I could live with permanently on my body and here it is...

The needles represent the first pair of needles I ever bought - size 8, 14" Brittany Victorian walnut - that I broke a couple of months ago. I was sick over losing them as they were my favorite an irreplaceable. Now I have the with me always. The color of the yarn is special to me because my two best friends K and D and I call our get-togethers "purpling", which references the poem "Warning" aka "When I'm An Old Woman" by Sandra Martz. I had him put it on my lower left calf.

E got the symbols for Zen and Om on his upper right arm. Check it out...

He wanted a calming color so he had me pick out a nice blue. I think it came out great.

Basking in the post-Pilgrimage glow Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:52:00 +0000

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing photos and memories of this past weekend. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend it in Memphis, Tennessee, and Corinth, Mississippi, celebrating our dear friend DixiePeach. I was joined by my friends PKB, Poppymom, A and S. We didn't think we could possibly top Peach Pilgrimage 2004 but it actually happened.

Day 1 -

Began with a six hour drive that included a couple of stops along the way. First stop was the Artex Factory Outlet in West Point, Mississippi, for some cloth napkins (45 for 10 cents each) and some place mats. Next stop was to pick up Dixie in Corinth and then we headed west towards Memphis to meet PKB and Poppy. Since we were staying at the Peabody hotel that evening, we ditched the cars in the parking garage then headed into the lobby for some drinks and to check out the ducks.

While the ducks marched out of the fountain for the evening, we shared some yummy peach martinis.

This is Dixie, me, and PKB enjoying those drinks. Photo by Poppymom, who - just after this photo was taken - wore PKB's martini.

PKB then got the bright idea that we should walk over to Beale Street while we waited for A and S. She kept saying she wanted a bucket of beer from Silky O'Sullivan's. When we got to Silky's PKB was informed that they didn't sell beer buckets but did sell a bucket called the Diver. Naturally, she ordered that. It came with eight straws and was an odd shade of pink. We were later told that it contains beer, red wine, rum, and grenadine. It actually tastes pretty good but it will make you fully aware that you've been drinking.

We sat at a table outside on the street corner and attracted many amused passersby who had to know what we were drinking. All Dixie would say was, "It's a bucket of hooch. What did you think it was?"

Here's the hooch:

And here's the four of us enjoying the hooch on the street corner:

Poppymom, PKB, Dixie, and me. Photo by some random Beale Street passerby who wanted to stick his straw in the bucket and taste.

Of course, when A and S landed, they called and busted us. Apparently we weren't supposed to start drinking without them. We didn't have the heart to tell them that it was way too late for that.

Next post will be all about our night in the Peabody.

Yay, Al!

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:19:00 +0000

You may not know this about me but I love Al Gore. So does E, for that matter. In fact, E calls him the best president we never had.

So imagine how excited I was to hear Al won the Nobel Peace Prize today. I can't think of anyone more deserving this year.

As predicted, the awarding of the Nobel Prize immediately intensified calls for him to enter the Democratic nominating contest for president and speculation over whether he would. The rumors that he would win it had already helped a grassroots movement to draft him into the race raise tens of thousands of dollars for advertisements.

Boy, don't I wish. I'd work hard for that campaign.

Congratulations, Al. You certainly deserve this award. Keep up the fight.

Mitt - the Nit-Wit

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:47:00 +0000

During yesterday's Republican Candidates Debate held in Dearborn, Michigan, Mitt Romney was asked if he'd need to get Congress' approval to declare war against Iran.

Here's his answer:

"You sit down with your attorneys and {have them} tell you what you
have to do," Romney said, adding quickly "but obviously the president of the United States has to do what's in the best interest of the United States to protect us against a potential threat."

Given a second chance by moderator Chris Matthews, who asked whether President Bush needed the Congressional approval he received for the Iraq invasion, Romney again offered a legalistic answer.

"You know, we're going to let the lawyers sort out what he needed to do and what he didn't need to do," Romney said.

I think that Senator Robert Byrd needs to loan Ol' Nit-Wit Mitt his copy of the pocket Constitution so that Mitt can bone up on the country's most important document.

According to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution:

The Congress shall have power to. . .
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

That power is not granted to the Executive Branch to which the office of the President belongs.

Apparently Fred Thompson isn't the only Republican candidate lacking in the intelligence area.

Recovering from the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:25:00 +0000

LSU almost let Florida taze them on Saturday. LSU (the #1 team in the freakin' nation) let Florida lead the whole game until the last minute and a half, when LSU managed to score a touchdown and lead by four points. No one of the 92,000+ fans left that stadium until the clock ticked all the way down to zero. I think I held my breath for the entire three hours. In fact, not more than 10 minutes into the game, I declared that I couldn't watch another minute and went in the back to play games on the computer. But being the nosy Cajun that I am, I turned on the little TV back there and watch out of the corner of my eye. The poor cat got introduced to the chaos that is the Barefoot household when there is a tight LSU game on. But there was much celebrating when LSU finally pulled it off.

I spent all day yesterday fighting the migraine from hell caused by the fact that my sinuses would not drain for anything. I tried coaxing them with Vicks Sinex and Benedryl to no avail. I ended up with my head between two pillows trying to sleep it off. It was about 7 pm when my sinuses finally gave up, having been subjected to some of each sinus med we had in the house. I'm sure my liver is pretty upset over all of that.

Tonight E and I have a date to clean up the kitchen, including the refrigerator. Whoo. Freakin. Hoo. Our exciting life just rolls right along.

Happy Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:28:00 +0000

I must admit that Friday kind of sneaked up on me. Yesterday I had this "Wow! It's Thursday." moment. Rarely does the end of the week come quickly for me so I'm pretty stoked about this one.

I've got a bunch of stuff creeping around in my head, so today you guys get dots.

How could Larry Craig think the judge was going to overturn his guilty plea when he had a month in which he talked to his attorney and helped lay out a very specific plea agreement? Dude, just resign. Because of you, they're redoing the bathroom stalls in the Minneapolis Airport and making the walls lower to the floor so you can't pass your hand under. Dumbass.

In just two weeks, I will be on my way to Peach Pilgrimage 2007. Why? Because DixiePeach is coming home for a visit and several of us are heading over to see her. Poppy Mom will be there as well as my friend PKB. We are going to spend the weekend knitting, eating, and shopping. We haven't seen Dix in three years so we are very excited.

Those danged dogs are still harassing poor little Gus. I've about had enough. It's time to teach the spoiled brats some manners. We're going to be working on sit and stay. They're going to get a reminder of who the true alpha in that house is.

Knitting classes have been slow and I'm bummed out about that. Not only could we use the extra money but I really love teaching. I hope it picks up again soon.

E and I have tons of housecleaning to get done. My brother and my BIL are coming for a visit in a week and a half and the house is a wreck. And we have to buy a new vacuum cleaner because E's old one finally bit the dust.

Where is the cooler weather, for crying out loud? It's October already. I know it's Louisiana but, geez, could we have some lower than 90 temperatures sometime soon?

Well, that's all I've got for now. Y'all have a great weekend.

LSU is playing Florida on Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:46:00 +0000

And I just can't resist posting this graphic.

Ok so I totally stole that from my brother's blog but I just had to do it.

LSU #1

Ah, the smell of new cat

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:16:00 +0000

There is controlled chaos in our house. The cat isn't at all sure that he likes the dogs. The two little dogs have put him on ignore for the most part. However, Nate has appointed himself the cat supervisor. Every time Gus moves, Nate feels the need to be there. Now I know Nate well. He wants to play with the cat. That's why he keeps jumping around him and yapping. But Nate is about four times the size of the cat and it really pissed the cat off. Kudos to Gus though. He doesn't run from the dogs. He stands his ground and growls and swats, if necessary. The dogs, especially Sophie, are extra clingy because they are afraid we'll love the cat more than them (as if that could ever happen!). But dogs are like perpetual three year olds and logic doesn't work on them.

We've been keeping them separate during the day while we're at work. Gus gets the back of the house and the dogs get the front. It works well. Gus has decided he likes the bed.

I know that in a week or two all of this will be ironed out. But that yapping is about to drive me nuts.

It's a Boy!!!

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 22:07:00 +0000

We have been kitty-less in this house for a year now, since our beloved Omar died. I have to admit that I have been very lonesome for some kitty love. Before E and the dogs came into my life, I had cats. Three to be exact. And old age took them all. So last October I found myself catless for the first time in 19 years and I thought that was going to be alright. But as time has passed, I've become more lonesome for a cat.

So a couple of days ago I found a cat through Petfinder.com and begged E to let me get him. He is about a year old and a full-blooded Persian. He's just the sweetest boy you can imagine. The rescue group had named him Rex but since I have a BIL named Rex, we knew we'd have to change his name. So I let E name him - Guinness - no, not after Sir Alex Guinness the famed actor, not even after the famous world record keepers. No, our Guinness is named after Guinness Stout, E's favorite beer. E says Guinness is the color of the foam that tops a good glass of Guinness Stout. I've already shortened it to Gus.

As of right now, Guinness has not yet met the dogs. They are off getting groomed and have no clue when they return it will be to find the place has been taken over by a cat. But they were used to having Omar around so I think things will go well. Guinness was exposed to dogs in rescue and he's VERY laid back. I expect he'll just put them on "ignore" and go about his business.

Here are the pics that we have. I've tried taking new ones but he won't stand for it. Such a typical cat.

Lionel, I Think I Love You

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:33:00 +0000

I listen to Air America from 10 am until 5 pm daily at work. Since their Air America 2.0 reinvention, they've added a couple of new shows. One of those shows is the Lionel Show. I was not an instant Lionel fan. He has a terrible habit of ridiculing some of his callers and I really don't like hosts that do that. But he's been growing on me as a host.

Today he announced his "Education Manifesto" that he would use if he were the head of the Department of Education.

1. Education is not a right, it's a privilege.

2. One-size-fits-all education is not good. Not every child is meant for college. Determine whether a child should be on the college track or the vocation track and educate them accordingly.

3. Unruly kids are returned to their parents after intense due process. Schools are not babysitters. If a kid brings a gun to school, the parents get to complete his education.

4. Pay kids to attend school just like they will be paid for working as adults. Giving them tangible incentives keeps them interested and gets them to invest more in school.

5. Learning a second language would be mandatory.

6. School would be year-round. Summer vacation was put into place when we were an agrarian society. Kids no longer have to work in the fields.

7. Rudimentary life training would be mandatory. Kids would learn about credit, how to manage a checking account, how to parent, and other life tools.

8. Lessons in manners and elocution would be mandatory.

9. The pay scale for educators would be inverted. Front line teachers would be paid the most and administrators would be paid the least to encourage good teachers to stay in the classroom.

And that, folks, is when I fell in love with Lionel.

I Want to Make This Perfectly Clear

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 22:49:00 +0000

All day long I've been listening to the various shows on Air America as the hosts discussed the Jena 6 and yesterday's march. Inevitably, each host would have to field calls from callers with the following questions:

Didn't those six guys commit a crime? Why shouldn't they go to trial? Why shouldn't they be in jail? Why do y'all want them to get off with no consequences?

I hope that at least someone with those questions stumbles across my little blog here because I'm about to answer them.

Yes, a fight broke out and a crime was committed. Yes, those who committed that crime should go to court and, if found guilty, serve any sentence that is given to them to serve. NO ONE has demanded that these guys get off "scott free".

It has never been questioned that a fight broke out at school and a boy was beaten up. The problem all along has been the unfair way punishment has been handed out.

Let's compare:

1. Three nooses are hung from an oak tree after two black kids sit there for lunch the previous day. The offenders are three white boys. Nooses hanging from a tree mean one thing and one thing only. They are a threat to the lives of the black kids. Punishment for those three white boys - Each given a three day in-school suspension.

2. At a party, a black kid is beaten up by a 22 year old white male wielding a beer bottle. Punishment - The white male is charged with a misdemeanor and given probation.

3. At a convenience store, two white males harass two black males and an argument ensues. One of the white males grabs a shotgun out of his truck and points it at the two black males. Here in Louisiana that crime is called aggravated assault (AKA assault with a deadly weapon). One of the black males wrestles the shotgun away from the white male and leaves the scene with it. Punishment - white male who committed aggravated assault, none - black male who left with the shotgun to keep from being shot with it, theft.

4. A fight between white and black students starts at school. In the course of the fight, a white male is beaten and kicked by several black males. When I was growing up and going through school, if there was a fight, everybody involved got into trouble. Punishment - white kids involved, none - six black kids involved, charged with attempted second degree murder.

So let's look at our totals now:

White kids
1. Three days in-school probation
2. Misdemeanor and probation
3. None
4. None

Black kids
1. None
2. None
3. Theft of a shotgun
4. Attempted 2nd Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit 2nd Deg. Murder

Now weigh those punishments in the white column against the punishments in the black column. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...looks quite a bit heavier in the black column to me.

So what should be done in the case of the Jena 6? Well, their charges have all been reduced to aggravated 2nd degree battery, which is still a felony. My question is why does the white guy who beat somebody up get a misdemeanor and some probation when the black kids who beat somebody up get felonies with the possibility of 10 years in prison at hard labor? How about reducing those felonies to misdemeanors? That might work.

The basis of the Jena 6 issue has always been the heavy-handedness with which charges have been handed out and how unbalanced those charges have been between the two races. I don't understand why some white people can't wrap their head around this. (I am white, BTW) Our country is based on the foundation of equality for all. This isn't pre-civil war America; this is 2007, for crying out loud. This isn't supposed to happen any more. But it will continue to happen as long as there are folks out there that take the "oh, it's not so bad" attitude. Wake up, people. It's bad and we need to do something about it.

In Support of the Jena 6

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:21:00 +0000

Racism is alive and well here in this country, folks. And anyone who doesn't believe that is a gigantic fool.

Take Jena, Louisiana, for example. A town of nearly 3000 people that is 85% white and 12% African American.

A year ago, a new black student at Jena High School had the audacity to ask the school principal if he could sit under the oak tree to eat his lunch. The principal told him he could eat anywhere he wanted to. However, the white students there were under the impression that the tree was their sacred lunch ground. The reaction to this new student joining them for lunch was to hang three nooses from the tree the next morning. The three white student were originally expelled from school but the school board reversed the Principal's decision and only gave them each a three-day in-school suspension. It was the position of the school board that this was "just an innocent teenage prank".

Later on a black student was invited to a party attended by mostly white students. While at the party, the young man was beaten up by a 22 year-old wielding a beer bottle. The 22 year-old was charged with a misdemeanor and received probation.

Shortly after the beating at the party, the victim and a friend went to a local convenience store where two white students began to tease the young man about having been beaten. A scuffle broke out and one of the white students pulled a shotgun on the black student. He was able to wrestle the shotgun away and left with it. Rather than charging the white student with aggravated assault, the black student was arrested and charged with theft of the shotgun.

Somewhere in between all of this, there was a fire at the high school. No one knows who the offenders are.

The final event in all of this was a fight that broke out at the school between white and black students. During the fight, a white student was beaten and lost consciousness and was kicked repeatedly by black students. Six students, now known as the Jena 6 were arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. It needs to be noted that the "lethal weapons" used by the black students were their shoes. It also needs to be noted that the white student was treated in the E/R and released that same afternoon. He was well enough to attend the ring ceremony at the high school that very evening.

The district attorney Reed Walters showed up at the school during all of this and had a meeting with the black students. At one point he took his pen out of his pocket, looked at them, and said, "I can end your life with one stroke of my pen." Walters has, however, continued to deny that these charges were racially motivated. In a press conference yesterday, he swore he tried to find something to charge the noose hangers with but just couldn't find anything. Hmmmmmmmm...as a former Louisiana law enforcement officer, might I suggest terrorizing? Ol' Reed Walters really wouldn't have had to dig that deep for that one. It's a felony, too.

Mychael Bell, the first of the Jena 6 to stand trial, was convicted of aggravated 2nd degree battery (a felony) in July. Today was supposed to have been his sentencing date. Thankfully, an appeals court overturned the verdict last week, citing that Bell should not have been tried as an adult. Of course, the D.A. is going to try him again.

Tens of thousands of folk descended on Jena today to protest this case. Among those in attendance was a large delegation from the church E and I attend, the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge. I was not able to get off of work to attend but was proud that those who were able to were representing me as well. They are calling today's protest "the largest since the Civil Rights movement".

There was also a rally on the steps of the state capitol here in Baton Rouge this afternoon. Thanks to the horrible traffic in this town, I got there at the very tail end. There were only about 20 people left when I arrived. I did manage to take a couple of pictures, though.

You know, although I am often so very proud of my home state, things like this just make me hang my head in shame.

St. Jude's Golden Nugget

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:52:00 +0000

The article from St. Jude's website.

a discovery in Memphis, Tennessee, promises to have a similar effect on the field of cancer research. A team of researchers found new mutations that contribute to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of childhood cancer. The strategy the scientists used to make that discovery has started a “gold rush” worldwide, because it shows researchers how they can identify unsuspected mutations in adult cancers, as well.

[...]

Until recently, scientists lacked the tools for such a project. Then the human genome project provided a kind of blueprint of what normal genes look like in humans. Scientists also developed new technology to aid in the search.

In 2005, the timing and conditions were right for St. Jude to conduct a study to pinpoint the lesions that lead to leukemia. The hospital had the technology and a vast store of leukemia samples from St. Jude patients. “We thought that we could apply that technology and gain insights into the lesions that were present in leukemic cells that were not present in patients’ normal cells,” Downing explains. “We would then be able to take that information and start identifying the number of lesions in existence.”

[...]

Developing therapies based on these discoveries will be a long process. “But, really, to some extent, it’s like the gold rush,” Downing says. “From a scientific point of view, what this says is that there’s gold in those hills. Now we know how to find it, and let’s go find it.”

Downing predicts that within the next few years, this kind of study will be conducted on every human tumor. “As a result, an incredible amount of information is going to come out that will be a leap in our understanding of what causes cancer,” he says. “People are racing to do this, and that’s good. The competition will accelerate research, and we will end up getting answers much more quickly, which is what we are really after, especially in a place like St. Jude. We really don’t care about getting the credit; we just want to figure out how to improve treatment for kids with cancer.”

One day the world will be cancer-free because of this study. And my nephew, Tyler, will live the rest of his now healthy life knowing that when he was just a little boy of six, his blood was part of the study that started it all.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:03:00 +0000

Tonight we will be treated to yet another Bu$h speech meant to drum up support for his ill-gotten war in Iraq.

Here are some of the lies we're expected to hear -

That the surge has been a success.

That he's going to follow General Petraeus' recommendation that some troops be drawn down.

That as many as 30,000 troops will be drawn down by next summer provided the surge continues to be a success.

That because of this Petraeus plan, 2200 Marines are coming out of Iraq as he speaks and will not be replaced.

That Iran is forcing us to move in a direction that might include invading them.

Now let's talk about the truth.

The surge has not been a success. The Pentagon has been cherry-picking the numbers of casualties.
Senior U.S. officers in Baghdad disputed the accuracy and conclusions of the largely negative GAO report, which they said had adopted a flawed counting methodology used by the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Many of those conclusions were also reflected in last month's pessimistic National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq.

The intelligence community has its own problems with military calculations. Intelligence analysts computing aggregate levels of violence against civilians for the NIE puzzled over how the military designated attacks as combat, sectarian or criminal, according to one senior intelligence official in Washington. "If a bullet went through the back of the head, it's sectarian," the official said. "If it went through the front, it's criminal."

"Depending on which numbers you pick," he said, "you get a different outcome." Analysts found "trend lines . . . going in different directions" compared with previous years, when numbers in different categories varied widely but trended in the same direction. "It began to look like spaghetti."

The White House wrote the talking points for Petraeus. This is not his plan at all.

There may be 30,000 troops that will be home by next summer but it's not some big new plan. This will only bring troops back down to the level before the surge began. This is where the administration's slight of hand gets really good. You see, they're trying to make us feel wonderful about the fact that 30,000 troops may get to come home so that we forget that THE GOAL OF THE SURGE WAS TO END THE WAR NOT END THE SURGE. These troops have to come home anyway because they are going to be at the end of their 15 month deployment limit.

Those 2200 Marines were scheduled to come home anyway and had nothing to do with this so-called new plan.

It's the same song, second verse. Halliburton must be running low on funds and needing another country to reconstruct.

I know that Rachel Maddow just announced her new Bu$h speech drinking game for tonight but I won't be watching. I just can't bring myself to do it. Plus E won't let me. He's afraid I might break one of the TVs when I get mad and throw something at it..

Note to self:

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:02:00 +0000

No more coffee at night. None! Nada!

I played trivia with the gang last night. One of our members - Rabbi Barry - ordered coffee and the scent wafted down the table until it hit my nose. I decided then and there that I had to have a cup as well.

Wasn't such a good idea when I was still looking at the clock at 1:21 am.

More Louisiana fun

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:19:00 +0000

You know you were Born N' Bred in Louisiana when...........

Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.

You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras Beads.

You don't look twice when you see pink flamingos in yards of nice subdivisions during Mardi Gras.

You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfish boils.

Your ancestors are buried above the ground.

You drink Community, but tried Starbucks and don't see what all the fuss is about.

You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.

You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, "Don't eat the dead ones"... and you know what he means.

You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras Beads.

You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together.

Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.

No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.

Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you are #1 on the party chart.
You know that Tchoupitoulas (pronounced Chop-a-too-lis) is a street and not a disease.

Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.
You've eaten at one or more of these restaurants AND know how to pronounce them: Tu Jacque's, Gallatoire's, Ralph & Kacoo's, Brunet's, or Mulate's.

You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.

What it's like to be married to me

noreply@blogger.com (BarefootCajun) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:36:00 +0000

This morning's telephone call:

E: "Hello"
Me: "Hey babe, remember I told you that Small Paws was taking in 10 puppy mill Bichons this weekend?"
E: "Yeah"
Me: "Well, I noticed several of them are pretty tall and have long legs like Nate's."
E: "Ok..."
Me: "So I volunteered us to foster one of the tall girls once they clear their quarantine. Because wouldn't it be cool if Natie had a tall sister?"
E: *huge sigh* "Yes, dear."