Ten Commandments for a Responsible Pet Owner

(While I'm on the subject of pets)--These Ten Commandments for a Responsible Pet Owner are from a PAWS Shelter Newsletter. PAWS is a non-euthanize shelter in Montclair, NJ

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me -- it is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment. I HAVE ONLY YOU!
5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice when it is speaking to me.
   
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll NEVER forget it.
7. Before you hit me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food. I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old and weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old. You, too, will grow old.
10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch it" or "Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for ME if you are there. Remember, I love you.

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He came with a 24-hour Warranty - PETCO Calendar Contest

Check out some of the story entries in the Petco 2010 Calendar contest. Or tell the story of how your pet changed your life. I have 2 cats. Here is the story of my eldest, Willie:

Fourteen years ago, my sister who lives in New Jersey thought I needed a pet. And as a volunteer at a non-euthanize shelter there, she had just the cat in mind -- Willie. He had been in the shelter for 2 years and was the pound mascot. I wasn't so sure I needed a cat, so sis threw in a 24 hour warranty. "If you don't get along with him, we'll take him back -- really!"

Such a deal! Who could refuse it? That, and the fact she said he was part-Siamese and very friendly convinced me. She and her husband drove Willie up from New Jersey to my home in Massachusetts.

After an entire night of loud yowling that sounded like cat yodeling, I was past ready to take my sister up on the 24-hour warranty. I called the next morning and was told "Oh she and her husband already left for New Jersey!"

Hair Purgatory: Between the Big Chop and the "Hang"

A www.naturallycurly.com member started a topic about Hair Purgatory. For hypertextured 4a's, 4b's and beyond, that means when that pretty teeny weeny Afro (TWA) is no longer teeny enough to highlight your head shape, but not long enough to hang even partially south. It's still too short for that but it may be flopping out in other more crazy ways. It may naturally coil. But it also may have different textures. The sides may be tighter like coffee stirrer coils. The crown may have looser coils. The front may grow more slowly than the back. One part may be coarser than another. Or one part may be shrinkier than another.

This is the time when many curlies are focused on gaining length but are still learning what products and routines work best for their hair. It is when we aspire to all those shoulder length and beyond natural looks whose photo albums we so eagerly stalk. We get so focused on our hair future because that is way easier than our hair present. And of course these SL gals never had to go through this awkward period, they just woke up one morning and were SL, right? Let's call this Beyond the Big Chop (BC) Purgatory. It's a tough time because depending on what you do, you can inhibit your hair's development.

Beyond the BC hair purgatory happened to me several times over many years. It was a tough time for me -- too long for the cute shape anchored by my scalp. Too short for the hang. Doing the north, east and west, but definitely no south. WTF was it doing?

• not long enough to hang but not short enough to behave.
• not long enough to pull back into a bun.

I was in this stage several times in my life and each time it felt like I was unanchored and could not see the far shore. No matter how much I patted it down it refused to behave like a TWA. It also refused to behave like it wanted to drop and hang. I went through several cycles of growing it to a certain length, losing hope, and BC'ing again. And it all happened before the curly hair product revolution I saw happen after Y2K.

Today's Quote

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970

Coffee Talk

I gave up coffee and Splenda in April and surprisingly my skin has improved. I no longer have to use concealer to brighten the dark spaces on the inside of my eyes by my nose. They are gone!

Since quitting, I had one cup of full decaf, and it didn't taste very good. So it was the caffeine that kept me drinking coffee -- and gave me a 5-day headache after quitting, until I drank some yerba mate. This was as serious an addiction as cigarettes and as hard to quit. Now my new hot beverages are Guayaki Chocolatte Mate and Taylors of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast Tea with soy creamer. And I make smoothies. Instead of Splenda I use stevia from NuNaturals.

I still miss the coffee ritual: grinding the beans every other day (decaf and full caf mixed), brewing the coffee, frothing the milk, garnishing with nutmeg and cinnamon. That cup of coffee was better than anything you could get at Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or a gourmet coffee place. Even Quebrada Bakery in Wellesley where they make some of the best coffee I've ever tasted and where I got a taste for Ethiopian. Their Dancing Goats was so good.

I used Ethiopian Sidamo beans for the caffeine mixed with Whole Foods Everyday Decaf beans.

Yes, I'm coffee reminiscing. Not as good as drinking it.

Coffee drinking face

Non-coffee drinker face