Anatomy Lesson

For Otin, who continues to beg for intellectual stimulation.
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Sink Cat

Lucy's favorite haunt.
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Weird Books, Part ?

New books on this week's (actually last week's, it closes tomorrow morning) order list:
Surgical Care Made Incredibly Visual! (I imagine there's a reason for that exclamation point, and I don't want to know what it is)
Naughty 3: It's Juicy No Matter How You Slice It (urban fiction - slicing it? Not sure what this refers to, because anything I imagine slicing in this context would lead to pain. Then again, what do I know? Maybe that's the point - or maybe not. I'm kind of dumb when it comes to these things, I admit it. Sheltered a bit, I should say. Or dumb. Take your pick. I know what Otin will choose.)

(pic is my B, on her first day of fourth grade, yesterday)

Cat Yoga

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Sunday Boa

Ready for church in my lovely green boa.
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Junior

This one's a couple of years old . . . He's a good kid.
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Jackpot!

Bobby Labonte keychain - I am in tears. My son is laughing at me. It's the 18, the car in which he won the championship for Joe Gibbs in 2000. Thank you, God!
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Another find at the thrift store . . .

You can bet there is no Tony Stewart stuff - no one ditches Smoke!

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Thrift Store

Ugh, but it's a NASCAR find, so I had to post.
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NASCAR Sponsors

This post was inspired by Michel, who was excited to see that Little Debbie is a NASCAR sponsor. You would be surprised by who is a sponsor of NASCAR and/or specific drivers/teams . . .

DIRECTV
Mars (as in the candy company - so M&Ms, Mars bars, etc. - official chocolate of NASCAR)
Kellogg's (official breakfast food of NASCAR)
Nabisco (they are the official cookies and crackers of NASCAR)
NicoDerm
Prilosec (the official heartburn remedy of NASCAR)
Tissot (the official timekeeper and watch of NASCAR)
UPS

Target
Taco Bell
McDonald's
Long John Silver's
Great Clips
Dollar General
Beringer Vineyards
U.S. Border Patrol
Dr. Pepper/Snapple

GameStop
Holiday Inn
Macy's
several casinos and resorts

And, of course - Coca Cola, Budweiser, Crown Royal, Jim Beam, Miller Light, Budweiser, Jack Daniels, Red Bull, and Coors Light.

This is not an all-inclusive list - just a few of the more interesting ones.

I can't belive Eileen is not a dollar store treasure hunter - they are way fun and not only can you find good deals, but cool fun stuff that you won't find anywhere else. Take my dinosaur hat, for instance - and it is my hat, not my daughter's, although I did let her wear it when we got home. I was the one who wore it throughout the store and didn't take it off at the register - the cashier just scanned the label off my head.

NASCAR Find

At the Dollar Tree . . .
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License Plate Find

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Bathroom Reading

Our bathroom library has been carefully selected by moi. And my kids, of course . . . we share some of the same tastes and interests, particularly in cats. Our books include:

Disapproving Rabbits (rabbits who don't like your behavior - or your existence)

Stuff on My Cat (inspiration for my own escapades in this sport)

Obama's Blackberry (most recent acquisition, I was in tears laughing at Borders over it)

Stuff White People Like (they have a website, too - oh, so does Stuff on My Cat and Disapproving Rabbits)

Bad Cat (probably the favorite, can't beat it - cat lovers must see this book, I am not kidding)

Brides Behaving Badly (trippy redneck fun! - oh, speaking of which, I love My Big Redneck Wedding on CMT - fine family fun. Or not)

Zobmondo (weird quizzes, etc.)

Thoughts of Chairman Miaow (kitty in charge!)

The guy with the dirty t-shirt stopped by the morning and proudly announced, "I am not wearing an obscene t-shirt today!" He smiled like a naughty child and I couldn't help but laugh. I love old men.

License Plate Report, Part 2

So it isn't the plate this time, but the frame.

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NASCAR Pop Tarts

Superfun-ness from the Kent State library vending machine!

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Old Guy T-Shirts

An older gentleman approached the circ desk this morning - he's a regular, always smiling, harmless flirting with us girls, it's cute and fun - wearing a t-shirt that said "Wanna Play Army? I'll Lay Down and You Can Blow Me." I asked him to come closer so I could read it. He giggled and turned red, and I read it out loud. I stood there speechless for a moment afterwards, and then started cracking up. I told him it took a lot of nerve to wear that, and I thought he was very brave. He was proud of himself after that, and smiled as he strutted through the building to grab a newspaper. I love old guys.

My boy Tony is going to rock the Glen this weekend. Last week's race sucked big time - Tony's car was a problem; his tenth place finish was a nightmare, although he successfully defended his first place standing in the Chase race. Robby Gordon got bent over a chair big time - I am so hoping he beat the hell out of David Stremme. Bobby Labonte was super-pissed at David Ragan, but really, I didn't see that the child did anything intentionally, but I do love Labonte and was upset at his on-track reaction to the wreck - love ya, Bobby! He's a good man, great driver, and super hot. Here's to an exciting race on Sunday, without the disaster that Pocono was last week.

Bunny Update and Sharing Beds

For those of you as outraged as I am over the rabbit drowning incident - the girl is facing criminal charges for animal cruelty. The humane society in our area is pushing for prosecution, and their investigation revealed that she was acting on her own. Petland, however, revoked the franchise and the store will not reopen. The animals were taken to other Petland stores in the area.

Like Eileen, we got our pets at shelters - actually, our cat was from a shelter showing their animals at Petsmart; and the other one, Lucy, is my parents' cat, which came from the vet's office, which was showing shelter animals for adoption. My older chinchilla, Betty, came from a pet store that is independently owned - I know the owner from a needlework guild to which I belong, and she is a great person. They care for their animals personally and are in the store every day. The cats they sell are cats that are found on the property, strays or dumped animals, often litters of kittens. They get them their shots and vet care, and charge only what is necessary to cover the cost. Our younger chinchilla, Bella, came from a breeder who adored her chins. Unfortunately, she could not keep up with them and had to sell them to a larger breeder, who now provides our chin food. Dawn chose to sell them instead of allowing them to get sick or starve, although she lost money on the deal, I'm sure.

Sharon guessed the general - I took the picture myself in Clarksburg, West Virginia, home of Stonewall Jackson and my grandpa. My mom lived there until she was eleven. I was there for an academic conference in March and had to snap a photo. He was a true tactical genius - the city is very proud of him.

I took this photo this morning before leaving for work. For the record, I sleep in that bed too. With the B, and at least one cat. We're pretty cozy, you could say.

Sick People

Okay, I have issues today.

On the lighter side, this book was on this week's order list:

"Master Cleanse Experience: Day to Day Accounts of What to Expect and How to Succeed on the Lemonade Diet."

Yes, tax dollars are being spent on such a book. Sadly, many will check it out, mostly for the gross pictures that are included. We all know what that stuff looks like, do we really need to see it? Ugh.

On the not-so-light side - the Petland store at the mall near me is closed. We hear rumors about Petland all the time. Teenagers with double-digit IQs work there. We stop by often and pet the animals, coo at them, etc. My son is particularly fond of the birds. My mom bought her Cairn terrier there not so long ago. Last week some evil girl who worked there drowned two rabbits, had her supervisor take a picture, and posted it on her Facebook page. Rocket scientist that she is, she also commented that she was swearing at them because they wouldn't drown fast enough. A very few people have come to her defense, saying the rabbits were supposed to be euthanized because they were sick and attacking each other; but a vet was supposed to handle that in a gentler manner. The picture on Facebook - and now floating around the Net - is nasty, as she has an evil smile as she holds the dead rabbits up by her face. Her name is all over the place too, so not only is she out of a job, she will probably have more than a few people harassing her on a personal level. Bad enough for someone to behave like this towards defenseless animals entrusted to her care, but to flaunt it in a very public way is just stupid. Pride in that sort of behavior is sickening. Thoughtless cruelty to animals is unacceptable. Period. This girl should be sterilized - anyone who can do that to an animal should not be allowed to procreate her sick genetic makeup or have living beings under her watch. I am very concerned that my son will find this picture on the Net during his surfing; he is very sensitive about animals and would be very upset over it. I spent my time crying in the bathroom at work this morning over it, but I am a big girl and understand that this girl will be criminally prosecuted and clearly, is already publicly humiliated. My son, who is autistic, sees in tunnel vision and would be crushed and very disturbed by such a picture.

Quiz for the day - totally unrelated - name the great Confederate general pictured above.

License Plates

I never see cool plates like these unless my son is with me. He is very attentive to such things, in true autistic fashion, and I suspect that I am not, for more than say, five minutes, in true ADD fashion. He spotted this one on the way to the psychiatrist's office a few minutes ago. I didn't catch a pic of the other fun one he caught - LUV TOFU.
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Strange Email

I just got an email from my ex-husband that states "got mail, making piggies." I am afraid to respond.

Boo hoo, Jimmie Johnson is a lap down and in 34th place. Right where cheaters belong.

Cat Friends

Just lots of cat friend pictures . . . Lucy seems to have escaped this time. Bonus points to whoever can identify my tattoo by his name.