How about an awesome and quick Dennis Miller quote?

These liberals are telling me that I should take it easy on the terrorists. They said that our founding fathers would have gone easier on them. They were, after all, for civil liberties. Let me ask you a question: Do you really think that our founding fathers would have put up with any of this shit? I mean, our founding fathers blew peoples' heads off because they put a tax on their morning beverage!

Per IMDb.

The old fogeys quest for good cheap travel ideas.

Before we go on, let me just say that this is a long article. Most people would suggest breaking it up into a series, but why? Personally I hate it when people do that. No, really. Let ME decide how much I want to read. If I don't have time to finish, I can come back. If I want to read it all now, well then let me read it all now! I hate it when people make decisions for me. Now that that's out of the way!

I frequently travel to California and stay there a while. I went for a month this past January. I'm also leaving in a couple of weeks for a couple of weeks.

And yes, I've seen this commercial....



It doesn't matter though because I hardly live alone. I have a house full of adults and really BIG dogs. lol! Not to mention an alarm system. Needless to say, I'm not overly concerned with that part.

That said, my biggest problem is packing light. I really REALLY try, but after traveling a lot, I've learned that to be really prepared for what I need to do, I can't pack light. Well, that's not true. I can. I just hate trying to.

My grandmother was queen of the packing world and was simply amazing. She traveled the world and carried one small bag, for her and my grandfather, at all times. This was way back in the 70s when baggage wasn't a big deal too. She carried two outfits, a camera, film and shoes. That's it. That's all she took. She would hand-wash her clothing at night and hang them to dry. She swears that they were dry by morning and then they'd shower and put on the clean clothes.

Back then hotels didn't have hair dryers, irons, microwaves, etc. You had a bathroom, some soap and a bed. Heck, you didn't even have an alarm clock! You had to ask the front desk to call you.

Anyway, as much as I would LOVE to travel like my Granny did, I can't. To begin with, I eat like a 3-year-old. I have large breasts and even if I lean over my plate, my food drops on my boobs. Yes ladies! You with the smaller girls, be happy. You've no idea what a pain in the ass it is. For this reason I have to take several tops. It's that or wear a freaking bib every meal which is NOT going to happen.

An easy, less expensive, grain free, hypoallergenic pill pocket substitute.

I have a dog that is seriously allergic to everything on the planet. I've never had a dog with allergies like hers before, so this has been a lesson that I could write a freaking book on. No kidding.

I think she's also allergic to grass, so that doesn't help. How do you keep a dog off of the grass? Well the simple answer is YOU FREAKING CAN'T!!!

The truth of Baking Soda and Baking Powder in dog foods.

Quickly I wanted to write this up. I've seen websites that warn people that baking soda and baking powder are highly toxic for dogs. The problem is that they're not explaining the whole story.

Amazon Blows American Independence Day

Today is the day that American's celebrate independence. There is a glowing misconception here in America and it's very VERY sad. To illustrate, I want everyone to be honest here. When do you (Americans only please) think the American Revolution was over? Now don't cheat! Answer this quietly to yourself.

Was it...
A. Before Americans began the war against the British.
B. During the war against the British.
C. After the war against the British.

HomeAgain Update

The other day, I wrote a rant about HomeAgain. I'm not going to explain it all over again, but you can read about that here. I promised that if I heard from them again, I would post an update and so I am.

Microchipping, dog tags and why HomeAgain is the last company I recommend.

I spent money to have my dogs microchipped and before I go further on this, let me give a small lecture here. Please do not rely only on one method of finding your dog. Don't rely on only a collar tag and don't rely on only microchipping. Be sure to do both.

It is obvious why tags are beneficial, of course. While on that, I highly recommend Boomerang Tags. Those are the most durable tags I've ever seen. I bought one for my dog years and years ago and while the color (I got plastic) may have dulled, the lettering is quite clear. That thing will last her entire life!

Weird Searches 3

Yesterday I binged watched a ton of old song videos. Some from the '70s some from the '80s, some current or fairly recent.

My favorite band of all time is the Eagles, that's right, IS. It is a single band. Anyway, I think "Hotel California" is one of the best songs in history. I can listen to it over and over again and I never tire of it. What I was surprised to learn yesterday was that Don Henley actually dated Stevie Nicks. I can't believe I didn't know this! Of course, I'm not one of those groupie fans who knows even the DNA sequence of the object of their affection.

Open Line, Say Anything!

I have written OpenOffice Templates, I've posted things elsewhere and this is the page where you can just comment for whatever reason. If it's template help, feel free to explain here. Also, you can veil your email address like whoiam at gmail dot com or whoiam at gmail dotting com (remove ing). Whatever you feel comfortable with.

Cheers!

Proof that the Library of Congress' Card Catalog search absolutely SUCKS.

So it should have been a simple task. All I had to do was look up this book. I photographed the LOC page of the book and using the number, I thought it would be very easy to find it.

WRONG!!!! Ben Franklin would be very disappointed. I mean, we all know that he would LOVE to live in today's world of technology (not so much seeing how this country has twisted the laws he helped set forth). He even founded the lending library system and would so not be happy that the public couldn't find what it was looking for.

Tell you what, how about I copy/paste exactly what I reported to them as the problem?

Your search is useless. I have visuals and since I took the time to do this so you could see the problem, please reciprocate by taking a look and fixing the problem.

Here is a book page that clearly has your catalog number on it:
http://goo.gl/IKKXwp

Here is search #1 that should have found it since it is exactly as written:
http://goo.gl/LnHNqx

Okay, fine. Maybe it can't read hyphens... it SHOULD, but whatever. Nope, wrong again.
http://goo.gl/oDyDwO

Well maybe those first two digits are for something else. They should still be "findable" but again, whatever. Let's try it with those first two digits. UGH! It still didn't work because the book I'm looking for is in freaking ENGLISH!!!!
http://goo.gl/ytZzPG

So this obviously needs fixing. Really. It does.

SERIOUSLY????!!!! My session timed out right in the middle of writing this and I've only been on this page for two minutes. TWO MINUTES!!!!!

I was forced to rewrite this entire thing in Wordpad then copy/paste it in your stupid email.

Look, this is for the public. Make it public friendly. Okay?

P.S. I'm posting this on Blogger, so others can see that they're not insane. Here's the link:
http://goo.gl/JvGWDT

Yep. To add insult to injury they had the nerve to even time out my session, which should have included the click to the feedback submission page. They should know that it takes time to write up problems accurately.

SHAME ON THEM!!!

Ancestry: My Best Frenemy

I love genealogy. Always have. I remember as a little girl, reading about my ancestors that my Great Aunt Virginia researched. I dreamed of what it was like for my ancestors and found myself sad for not knowing them personally.

I'm always on the lookout for new things. I'm getting ready to join DAR. There is little I have to do. My Aunt Virginia did most of it for me. I just have to prove up to my great grandfather, which isn't much. Still, what is odd is that I can even find marriage records for great great great great grandparents (no, I'm not kidding) but I cannot find my great grandparents' marriage record. ANYWHERE. I have the date and everything. It's just not found.

We KNOW they were married, so it's not like a skeleton in the closet or anything. In fact, they were pillars in both the church and the community. Their marriage date is a fact. I just wish I knew where my aunt found the record because I can't seem to find it.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post. The point of this is to demonstrate why Ancestry gets on my nerves... part I, because there are many.

Take this...

Notice on the left, I have "male" added as a filter? Then why are the first two hits a woman named Mary? I don't know about you all, but I've never heard of a man named Mary before.

Point is, be careful with that. There is a lot of the new search that needs fixing.

Thoughts on The Song of Berrnadette (1943)

Just wanted to post my thoughts on this movie. I posted this in a message board:

First of all, I'm not Catholic; I'm a Christian, just not Catholic. Second, I don't know what she saw, but I believe that she believes she saw the lady. That is what matters, faith.

That said, I really felt that the movie was quite moving. I am SO not a Jennifer Jones fan and I fully expected not to like it nor her performance. I'm delighted to say how wrong I was about that.

It was all good, until the end. I really felt like two things were out of character for Bernadette and it's as though movie execs said, "It's too long, just tie it up and end it," so the last moments leading up to the end were a bit forced, causing mistakes.

The first is about Bernadette suddenly piping up and saying how she could make Sister Marie Therese believe by showing the Sister her leg. If she didn't suffer, as she said she didn't, she wouldn't have gloated about it. I know the intention probably wasn't gloating, but unfortunately that's how it it was played out. They would have done better by allowing the Sister to discover it on her own.

The second one was her complaint that everyone complains about pain, making it worse than the pain really is. That was insensitive and not something I believe she would have really said either. Besides, I've been a nurse for over 23 years and I'm here to say that I think pain is very often worse than they actually claim. Sure, there are many babies out there, but more often than not people really try to overcome it.

I hate to say it but those two glaring mistakes nearly ruin the movie. Especially since they come back to back.

Other than that, I thought it was really sweet. I think that if her personality was as kind and innocent as she was portrayed, that alone makes her a saint. Today's world is about selfish attitudes. It's all about ME and what the government can do for ME and how others shouldn't offend ME and how Christians are naive and prejudiced. It's very sad. We truly need a Bernadette today, don't we?

That sums up most of it, but I did want to say a few other things. First off, I think it's sad that some Christians say they believe in miracles then cruelly ridicule those who claim to have seen/experienced them. I'm not saying that they have to agree nor actually believe them. It's just that kindness is how everyone, not an enemy, should be treated.

I also want to remind non-Christians that Christians do not have to live like Jesus. That is an ignorant misconception and mistake that is inexcusable (if you're going to debate then know your subject, else you look stupid). NO ONE can live like Jesus. EVER. That's the reason Jesus came to us! We all sin and that is the fall of man. Christians are sinners and always will be. To believe for even a second that we're supposed to be like Him is like believing that the sun will never shine. It's never going to happen.

Godzilla Rocks!

Last night we went to see Godzilla. I was a little nervous after having seen the total failure of Elysium, on DVD. I mean, really! I was already hearing how so many didn't like Godzilla so I was getting very nervous.

Needless to say, my anxiety was unfounded. What a movie! This is what Hollywood needs as a template for a great film.

Elysium Sucks

What is it about Hollywood that makes them so unoriginal? One movie will become successful, then suddenly there are tons of movies out there that have similar approaches. Look at all the zombie films and TV shows. What about all the dystyopia movies? Suddenly we're also inundated with a bazillion super hero films.

Why is it that Hollywood cannot say, "Wow, that was a good idea. Let me see if I can do something different"? Rather than, "Wow, that was a good idea. Let me see if I can do the same thing by changing the story just a bit." You'll never see the former, only the latter. Despite what Hollywood thinks, they lack a great deal of creativity. All they do is repeat what the original creator did and that's NOT creativity.

I thought about this the other day when I saw the very disappointing Elysium. I don't know what they were thinking.

Using the Atrac brace.

Got the brace yesterday! At first, Girlie was all excited to put it on. I think she thought it was a harness, like the kind you put on when we're going out for the day. I felt bad because clearly that wasn't the case. It took a bit to figure it all out.

There are two videos in particular that need watching. The first is what to do before you put it on. That does make your adjustment time amazingly quick. I was too impatient and just started putting it on. Then it took forever to get it right.


After that, there is the cute Jake video where Dr. Spatt puts it on his dog. It could use some editing, but when I got the actual brace, I realized the video was more helpful than I expected. Looking at it before you get your brace makes it seem a little awkward. However looking at it after you get it seemed much more helpful. Whatever. The point is that it's helpful.


Oh and yes, those are my comments there. :)

The #1 tip I recommend is what he says during the first 60 seconds about keeping the tether tight. That's the part I missed and that's the part that screwed me up to begin with. I couldn't figure out why mine wasn't fitting like his. Finally I watched the video again and that was the one thing I didn't do.

It's surprising how one tiny detail throws the entire thing off. The cuff kept falling off of her and I couldn't figure out why. I tightened it and it would fall. I twisted it around and it would fall. All that and it was due to a tether. DOH!

How is Girlie taking it, you ask? Well, let's just say she's been happier. lol! At first, she acted like a little old lady who was being all pitiful. She took baby steps like Tim Conway (Andrews) here. You only need to watch the first 30 seconds to see what I mean, but trust me, it's worth the whole time to watch.



ROFL!!! Gawd that man used to make me laugh until I cried.

Anyway, so Girlie walked like him until I said, "Better hurry, I think there's a kitty cat outside."

Now before I go on let me say that I wasn't teasing her. There is nearly always a kitty cat outside. I have a neighbor who is a really sweet well-intentioned woman, but she feeds the strays and they have multiplied... by the freaking thousands. The cats lounge around on her porch roof that faces my yard, as well as her main roof, and tease my dogs, who bask in pointlessly barking at them. I'm in the process of trying to trap them and take them to the shelter.

As I was saying, I told Girlie that there was a kitty cat outside and wild horses couldn't have stopped her. She flew to that back door. ROFL! I sure wish I had video taped it because that was HILARIOUS. Needless to say, she can move just fine. She's just acting like she's all pitiful right now.

She's getting lots of encouragement, love and treats.... just as always. <3 p="">
So far, it appears to be working pretty well. She is bearing weight on her leg, which she wasn't doing before. She walked exactly like Zep here, but her affected leg is her left one.



She still limps, but she can definitely walk on it. There are two sets of rods for the brace. One set bends more easily than the other set. When she is consistently bearing weight, then switch to the more stiff rods. We've not gotten there yet, but I'll keep you all updated.

God is good! The ever wonderful and adorable Russell Wilson (yes, the Super Bowl winning quarterback of the Seahawks) posted this on Twitter the other day. Enjoy and you have a blessed April Fools Day!

pic.twitter.com/vkorLWouu6
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 29, 2014

-----
P.S. The Twitter widget doesn't seem to be working for me, but just click the link. You'll probably enjoy it. Cheers!

Dogs and Knee Braces for cruciate injuries.

Well, it's unfortunate but I have a sweet dog that has torn her ACL. We're not sure how much it's torn, but it's torn none-the-less. I thought that because there is really little information on the web about this, that I would record how it goes.

There were three options given to us by the vet:

1. Do nothing and hope that it heals; few do.
2. Get a brace, which would eradicate pain, and hope that it heals; about 50/50 chance.
3. Have surgery and hope that it doesn't happen again; some do.

Surgery is expensive. I know the surgeon, he used to actually be our vet, but his prices were very expensive so I had to switch to another vet. How ironic that we'd end up right back where we started. Maybe.

Weird searches 2

I call it the "Oh what's this? Click!" syndrome. The best example is when you go to Wikipedia to look up some small fact on lavender and two hours later you find yourself reading about the Nigerian Civil War of 1967. We've all done it, right?

So I started out reading about pH skin levels on dogs and next thing I know I'm searching online for soap molds and I don't even make soap!

Anyway, so out of pure curiosity, I wanted to see what these looked like:

Then I clicked it and voila!

Wait, what? It said on the previous page that there were 10. Where'd they go? You see? Weird search, or should I call that frustrating search? Maybe I shouldn't call these searches as much as glitches. Perhaps I'll change the name, next time.

Weird Search Results 1

You know, I search the web on a daily basis. I do a lot of product research before I make purchases too.Today's entry, will be the first. I've come across dozens of these weird search results over a period of time. I decided it was time to start sharing them.

So here we go!

My dog is sick and in a few minutes, I'll be heading out to buy some Pedialyte for her. This article at WebMD mentioned that there are some dog electrolyte replacement products so I thought I'd see if Petsmart carried it. The name of it is K9 Thirst Quencher. Looking for K9 will likely find too much so I typed in thirst. Here are the search results:







Since when did thirst have a synonym or a similar spelling of stairs? Huh?

In any case, I take it that they don't carry it.