Not Enough Time

I had such a great post planned for today. I had pictures that I was going to post, and cute stories that I was going to tell. Today has been so BUSY, that has totally flown right out the window! I just have time enough to tell you all that I'm leaving for Atlanta in the morning. I'm headed out to the yearly pilgrimage of DragonCon. I'll be back on Wednesday. I promise to have LOTS of kitten pictures and con pictures too! Everyone have a great holiday weekend!!

Kitty Crazy

I have battled all week long with the dreaded migraine! It actually started on Sunday afternoon, but I was able to refuse it's existence until late Monday afternoon. So, updating the blog was not an option. I was totally down for the count yesterday, but I'm finally feeling better; not great but better. I have so much to tell you all about. I just hope that everyone will hang around for the long haul.

Friday afternoon, Casey and I headed to Kim's house to pick up the three new additions. They are absolutely adorable, and they act as cute as they look!! For now, as you all could probably guess, we are going to keep all three. It only took a couple of hours to get attached. The shelter is really full right now, so we are kind of in a quasi fostering situation. Usually, most of our fosters end up as permanent residents. We did make quite a few pictures that I'll post here soon. The rest of the "Zoo" seems to be taking the new additions in stride. Fergie, the last addition to the household isn't quite sure what to make of the little furballs, but she is starting to settle. Right now, we don't leave them alone together. Another friend of mine, Zinia just adopted a new kitten on Monday. Since we are both trying to keep kittens entertained, she sent me a great link with instructions for a cat condo. It's made out of brown paper sacks!! It's a really cool design, so if you're interested, click HERE.

On Saturday, Casey and I made our way up to Clarksville. Casey's cousin, Andrew, just came back from his deployment in Iraq. We were lucky enough to be able to spend some time with him on Saturday. He looks like he's doing really well, and we're all glad that he's back home safe. He took us to a really neat restaurant in Clarksville for dinner. The menu is crazy!! They have a little bit of everything to eat. We enjoyed dinner and catching up. Afterwards, we went back to base with him for a bit. We got to meet some of his friends that he spent time with in Iraq. We made some pictures there as well. I'll have a big picture update tomorrow!

After we left Andrew, we headed to another friend's house in Clarksville. It was time for our monthly 501st Southern Outpost prop party. Everyone was building and finishing projects. DragonCon starts this coming Friday, and we all want to be ready for it. I just have a few little finishing touches to put on my officer's uniform and I'll be finished. Casey's Snowtrooper is done as well. I'll have LOTS of pictures to post after DragonCon. We finally got to a stopping point and made the drive back home. It was around 2 a.m., when we finally got home and into bed. Saturday was a REALLY long day!

Sunday morning Casey went and did shelter duty. At 12:35 p.m. I met several members of the Celebration Pet Day committee at the Walking Horse Celebration grounds to pass out our Pet Show flyers at that afternoon's dog show. It was one of the most hot, miserable days I can remember in a long time. It was mass chaos out there as well. We handed out flyers for over an hour. Hopefully, it got some extra word out about our event. Afterwards, I came home and collapsed. That was when the awful headache started bothering me. Although, I guess it's no wonder after the weekend we had!

There are no really big plans for today. I'm just trying to rest up a little. Tonight, one of my friends is putting new brakes on my car. We're trying to get it ready for the trip to Atlanta to DragonCon on Friday. Casey will be busy working a ballgame tonight until 10 p.m. So, I'm sure that I'll be shot tomorrow. Everyone have a good afternoon!

New Arrivals

Here I go again!!! Casey and I get new additions to the family this afternoon. Kim's barn cat had kittens that were in desperate need of a good home. I caved in the worst way. So this afternoon, we go to pick them up. We are getting a gray boy (I've ALWAYS loved gray cats), who I'm calling Obi Wan; Obi for short. I was only going to get the one, and then I remembered the destruction a bored kitten can have on a place. So, Casey and I decided to get two. The other is going to be a girl. Casey gets to decide which of the two girls this afternoon. Here are the pictures:

Obi Wan

Here are the two girls:

Bear will be ecstatic. He LOVES kittens. As a matter of fact, he thinks all kittens belong to him. He's very maternal to be a male. I'll report back on Monday with more pictures. I'm sure that I'll have a very exciting weekend!

Gearing Up

There's not much other than just the usual going on for me and Casey. Our town is gearing up for it's annual Walking Horse Celebration. Town will be flooded. Eating dinner out is out of the question. Imagine 50,000 extra people in a town that usually only holds about 16,000. Yeah, you get the picture.

Right now, we are preparing ourselves for our annual trip to DragonCon. This year I have a costume, so I'll be traipsing about in gear and so will Casey. My co-worker, Kim and her fiance will be there as well. It will be nice to have a little extra estrogen on hand this year. I'm looking forward to seeing and spending time with all my friends from the 501st Legion, Southern Outpost. There are so many cool things that I want participate in this year. I'm also really looking to the weekend in Atlanta. It's just nice to get away for a few days.

Tonight, the Celebration Pet Day Committee is meeting at our event location. Hopefully, we can figure out the best way to set everything up. Things are coming together nicely. We've gotten permission to hand out flyers at the Celebration Dog Show to advertise our Pet Show. Last year I judged the event, and we had over 500 entries. It seems like a really good way to advertise and get more participation. Three other committee members, along with myself, will be there Sunday to pass out all of the pet show and informational flyers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it pays off.

My life just hasn't been very eventful lately, but I guess that's a good thing. Right??

You've got SNAKES!

Click HERE

"Snakes" Over the Weekend

Sorry for my infrequent visits lately. I think that I may have a little less writer's block this week. Anyway, Casey and I had a terrific weekend. Yes, we went to see the much hyped "Snakes On A Plane" this past Saturday night. I'll admit it. I was just about as jaded a skeptic as you could get about this film from the get go. I couldn't imagine a more ridiculous idea for a movie. In spite of this I knew early on, that I would go and see it. I'm a HUGE Samuel L. Jackson fan, and his enthusiasm for this movie is infectious. As the release got closer and I heard more about it, I couldn't help but think of it as a fun summer flick. We had a great crowd in the theatre. Lots of teenagers and couples and just regular folks. There were two little ladies that stood out. They were grandmothers. They had apparently brought their grandchildren to see the film. As the snakes came out, one of the grandsons snuck up behind his grandmother and ran his fingers down her neck. She let out the most blood curdling scream accompanied by "HAVE MERCY!!!". It was absolutely hysterical. The whole time these two were puctuating the whole thing with little phrases like, "...get that baby!" and "...watch your leg!" It's the little things like that, that make seeing movies so much fun for me. I love it when the crowd applauds, and this one did. We hooted, hollered, and screamed the whole way through.

Now for the plot. Highly poisonous snakes are unleashed on an unsuspecting plane load of passengers by a criminal in an attempt to kill a key witness to keep him from testifying (could that sentence BE any longer?!!) If you want a serious film with a poignant message, then stay away from this film!! If you want pure entertainment, then this is the film for you. This film is full of thrills, screams, and just plain fun. It's not meant to be taken seriously. Yes, at times, it's totally predictable, but it was still well worth my entertainment dollar. Lots of times Saturday night, I found myself with my knees tucked up to my chin, clutching Casey's arm, wondering if the plane would crash and kill everyone or if the snakes would get everyone first. I don't recommend it for anyone with a phobia of snakes. I can also say, the fact that it was set in a plane that was in trouble made Casey (horrible phobia of flying) sweat it a little bit. In the very end, I had a fantastic time. I can also say that I'd be willing to go back again, especially with someone who hasn't seen it yet. When it comes right down to it, I was entertained. I had good company, good popcorn, and I left the theatre happy. That's what makes it a winner in my book. I say go see it and be happy!!

Snakes also has a great soundtrack. Stick around during the credits to see the music video for the movie theme. The Snakes On A Plane website is great too! It has clips from the soundtrack, downloads, merchandise, and things like this:

You can also have Samuel L. Jackson call your friends and family and tell them to go and see the movie. You can really personalize this phone call. It lasts for about a minute and is hysterical!!

Coming Back

I apologize for not showing up this week. See, I've had a terrible case of writer's block. This is the first time I've experienced it, since starting this blog. It could have something to do with the fact that I've been terribly busy with Celebration Pet Day. My friend, Elaine, is certainly doing a fantastic job helping me plan everything. We've pretty much gotten everything squared away food wise. I'm still sending out vendor invitations and rescue group invitations. This week, Elaine secured a fantastic challenge trophy for out Best in Show class. Mary Jo Pitts and Puppy Palace (a local grooming and boarding facility) is sponsoring the show for us. We have a great Celebration Pet Day Pet show planned. This is a fun show and is open to all kinds of pets, not just dogs! So all of you local pet owners, come on out and join us for the competition! The entry fee is $5.00 per class. Here is the class schedule as it stands today:

1. Cutest Tail - Owners up to 12 yrs.

2. Cutest Tail - Owners up to 12 to 18 yrs.

3. Cutest Tail - Owners 18 yrs. and over.

4. Color Class - Owners up to 12 yrs. (can be unusual or just very pretty vibrant or exceptional pretty regular colors).

5. Color Class - Owners 12 - 18 yrs.

6. Color Class - Owners 18 yrs. and over.

7. Critter Class - Furry pets (open to any furry pet other than dogs.)

8. Critter Class - Non furry pets (open to any pet such as iguana, snake, lizard, etc.)

9. Costume Class - Owners up to 12 yrs.

10. Costume Class - Owners 12- 18 yrs.

11. Costume Class - Owners 18 yrs. and over.

12. Adopt Me Class - These dogs need a new mommy or daddy!

13. Humane Society Alumni - Only for dogs that have been adopted through the Humane Society or a Shelter.

14. Best Trick

15. Puppy Class - Puppies under 9 months.

16. Ugliest Dog - We mean this in the most loving way!

17. Prettiest Dog - Children and pets up to 12 yrs.

18. Prettiest Dog - Children and pets 12 - 18 yrs.

19. Prettiset Dog - Adults 18 and over.

20. Cutest Dog - Children & pets up to 12 yrs.

21. Cutest Dog - Children and pets 12 - 18 yrs.

22. Cutest Dog - Owners 18 yrs. and over.

23. I Look Like My Dog - All ages.

24. Special Needs Dogs - Only for dogs missing a leg, eye, etc, or anything that makes them qualify special needs.

25. Best In Show - 1st place winners from all other classes.

Hiya!

It's been another uneventful day here. I've been fortunate enough to be inside in the nice airconditioning, while outside it swelters. I just checked the outside temps to see what I'm in for while swimming laps today. What I saw made me cringe: 99 degrees and it feels like 108!! There is a beautiful indoor pool that I could use, but the bright sunny days pull me outside. I just can't resist, so I load my water bottle half with ice and half with ice cold water and "just do it". I just feel better with some outdoor time everyday. It soothes my soul for some reason. I've missed my walks with Bear so much, since he has been plagued with some arthritis problems. The pool has become my outdoor outlet. I'm a regular there, and they expect me everyday at the same time. I've also met and become aquainted with the other regulars: call it a swimming social circle if you will. They do their required laps, while I plow away with my water aerobic equipment, before laps. It's quite a nice relaxation technique. The summer has been brutal at the outdoor pool. For the better part of 2 months now, we've been swimming in water at least 90 degrees. Just a tad warm to work out comfortably. The temperature had been rising so this week, they started pumping cold water into the lanes. The one ture thing about water that Alton Brown teaches and the pool proves: It takes a while to get water to temp but once it's there, it takes a while to change the temp too. Boy howdy!!! So in a short while, I'll be at the pool. I must be crazy!!

More Progress

Today has been a quiet day. In my spare time, I've gotten the forms and invitation letters ready to go out to other area pet rescues. If there's one thing I know about animal rescue, it's that networking works! While my shelter may not have the perfect pet that someone is looking for, one 20 miles down the road might. That equals one more animal saved in my book. Space made for one more animal to be taken in and saved. I like to subtract from the BIG total. So, I'm inviting every rescue in the area to come and have a meet and greet booth at Celebration Pet Day for FREE! I've also invited them to bring some of their adoptable pets, along with any organization literature. I'd love to see some animals get homes, because of this event.

I have realized to my horror, that we have scheduled our event at the same time as Nashville's Dog Days event. But, there's no way around it. Due to other county events and scheduling, this was the best day possible for us. It is my dream for our small event to one day be as successful as the Nashville event. We are trying to create and forge the kind of community support that the Nashville Humane Association has. To all of my friends and Nashville readers, please consider doubling your fun that day. Do both festivals. If you just cannot make the trip, please attend one!! Every person that supports any animal rescue organization helps. With that in mind, here are some quick details about our event as it's coming together:

2nd ANNUAL CELEBRATION PET DAY

Saturday, October 14, 2006

10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Bedford County Agricultural Center

Benefits the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association

Come join us for a day of family fun.

Star Wars Character Meet and Greet, Programs, Dog Show, Games, Food, Vendors, and Fun!!

FREE ADMISSION!!!

Donations appreciated.

ALL dogs welcome that are leashed and up to date on vaccinations!!

For information contact the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association at (931) 684-KIND or e-mail SBCHA@hotmail.com

Working Towards the Goal

I apologize for the lack of a weekend update. I've been really busy the last week or so organizing Celebration Pet Day. Through the dog show that I judged a couple of weeks ago, I made some great contacts. I've been busy touching base with these folks to get an agility fun competition arranged and some volunteers. I spent most of the last weekend preparing vendor packets for booths at the event. I've so far sent out information packets to 21 potential vendors. I sure hope that we have some luck with response. Last year, our first year, I was overwhelmed at the incredible response that I received. In fact, our arena was too small to accomodate everyone. I just hope that I'm that lucky again this year.

I've also been busy trying to create a new graphic to represent our event. We'd love to use this graphic on our correspondence for Celebration Pet Day, as well as sell some t-shirts at the event. My problem? I have no graphic arts capability at all. I was never meant to design anything. So, I'm asking you all, my readers, for some backup. If anyone knows anything about graphic design, and would love to help out the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association, I'd REALLY appreciate it. We'd just love it to say Celebration Pet Day, have SBCHA somewhere on it, and a cool logo. Even if you just have ideas about a design, I'd love to hear it. Feel free to comment away. I'd be pleased as punch to have some designs in my e-mail box too!! I'll give artist credit right on every t-shirt we sell. Please keep in mind, that 100% of the revenue from t-shirt sales go directly to the shelter for building upkeep and animal care.

There's another community dog show scheduled for August the 27th. We are gathering a group together to go out and hand out flyers about our show. This particular show had over five hundred entries last year. If we get permission to pass out flyers, that's a lot of free advertisement. My partner, Elaine, and I are busy getting food donation confirmations. It seems in these last couple of months of preparation, I miss my mind the most. If anyone has suggestions, program suggestions, or promotional ideas, please shoot me a comment. I'm so deep in it, it is always good to hear from another perspective. I'm thinking about starting a separate blog for the progress of this event and it's planning stages. I'll let you all know, if I decide to do that.

Great Day for Pets and Their People!!!

Congress passed the No Pets Left Behind legislation!! What a HUGE step forward for pet owners. I remember the horrible stories from the victims of Hurricane Katrina that were forced to leave their beloved guide dogs, assistance dogs, therapy dogs, pet cats and dogs, and other pets behind. It was terrible. I can't imagine facing a choice like that. Read on from the Humane Society of the United States below:

August 4, 2006

WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States praised the U.S. Senate for unanimously approving a Senate substitute to H.R. 3858, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, just before adjourning for the August recess. H.R. 3858, as originally introduced in the House, was approved by that chamber in May by an overwhelming vote of 349 to 24.

The PETS Act, introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Chris Shays (R-CT) and in the Senate by U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), will require local and state disaster plans to include provisions for household pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster or emergency. As this year's hurricane season approached, The HSUS had lobbied Congress and mounted a national advertising campaign to pass this legislation quickly to keep people and pets together next time disaster strikes.

"The House and Senate have taken an important step in ensuring that Americans will never again be forced to make an impossibly difficult choice: leave their animal behind while they flee a disaster or take their chances by staying in a disaster-stricken area with their pet," said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO. "We are grateful to Senators Stevens and Lautenberg and Representatives Lantos and Shays for championing this important legislation. We hope it will soon be on its way to President Bush, who said during Hurricane Katrina that he would be sure to take his dog, Barney, if he was forced to evacuate."

To read the full artcle, click HERE. If you wrote to your legislators about this issue, please take a minute to drop them and say thanks!!

Pain In the Neck

It's been one of those days. I woke up this morning with a little crick in my neck. Not a big enough one that I can't function, but enough to really get on my nerves. I can't quite locate where it is, except it's on the left side. It's made my whole day off kilter. I've walked around with a slant to my step. I've tried to work it out, but no luck. I'm just hoping that I can function at the pool this afternoon. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, the pool is just the trick. It'll either make it better or much, much worse. I'm tired of looking at the world sideways today. It's just made things weird! That's it for today. The typing just makes my neck kink up tighter and tighter. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll be happy to see them. Until tomorrow....

The Past Few Days

The past few days have been both sublime and hectic at the same time. I had a really nice little break. I feel physically and mentally recharged.

Over the long weekend, I managed to finally get my 501st Legion costume underway. Hopefully, I'll be an offical member by the end of this month. There's still a couple more that I'd really like to get done for the Rebel Legion, but those may have to wait until next month.

Casey and I had a lot of fun together planning for our trip to DragonCon at the end of this month. We are looking forward to a little away time and being with friends. While there, we'll also get to debut our new costumes. It'll be interesting, that's for sure.

I got a lot of extra housework done over the weekend. Yesterday, I got Bear to the vet for his annual exam. He got a good report, even though he has a little ear infection. Afterwards, he got to go to PetSmart and run around sticking his nose in all of the treats. He's feeling kind of puny today, because of the vaccinations. A little extra love and treats for him tonight. Last night, we had some friends over for dinner and some gaming. I had to run out for a little bit to conduct a Celebration Pet Day meeting, but I didn't miss too much of the fun. It was nice to kick back and visit with friends. There was one downer to the weekend. Casey's youngest cousin, Eli was in a nasty car accident over the weekend. He is is now is intesive care. The worst is over and the prognosis is good, but it still made for a very stressful weekend. Everyone say a little prayer that Eli's recovery is as quick as predicted.