Friday Cat Blogging

Rafe says.....
The Magic number is Two!








TGIF Cat Lovers
Visit the Friday Ark

The Apprentice

Well what a case of de ja vue I have watching tonight's episode.
Didn't we do the Car Ad task like....last season?
Didn't the boys say.....whooHoo we got this on in the bag because we are boys like....last season?
And........
Didn't the girls kick their Ass.....like last season???

All that aside, although the girls have some personality issues they really nailed the task.

The boys on the other hand, lead by PM Chris were not even bright enough to see what a disaster they had created. Could they not see the judges wince at the presentation? How painful.
In the boardroom, the entire team turns on Marcus. Now, Marcus is a flake but he was not given any responsibility and any idea he did have was shot down quickly by the boys club.

In the boardroom, The Donald pretty much told Chris what he needed to do to survive to the next round.
Trump pretty much said, yes Marcus is a disaster, but he did not lose the task.
Trump pretty much pointed out where the mistakes were made.
Trump pretty much said do NOT bring Marcus into the board room.
Did Chris listen?

Note to apprentice candidates:
If Donald bluntly tells you to not to do something, don't do it....Duh.



Bu-bye Chris

Bren's Blog from the official site

I'm running sooo late

this morning.

Class starts at 8am,
After school I am attending a wake for a former co-worker.
Long day today.
The weather guy was saying something about a tropical depression in the.......
*lalalalalalalalala*

shopping.....

When I realized Super Walmart was pretty much out of food, I wandered over to the Halloween aisle to see what I could find over there.
Sponge Bob Square Pants Gummy Hamburgers.......yummy!

On the Island....

Well, I took a quick trip to Galveston in the hopes I could find food to buy.
Everything looks pretty good there, considering only a few days ago we were watching computer models of the entire Island going under Rita's massive storm surge.
Coming over the causeway, it was apparent there had been "some" wind damage.
There were some broken freeway signs and ripped up billboards, not a lot.
Coming onto 61st, more broken signs and lots of palm frons lying around.
A hotel on 61st and Central City lost it's roof, and Washington Park looks quite a mess with the fishing dock all wrecked and scattered.
Strange....I don't remember seeing either of those on CNN.
I resisted going down into the historical district, I DID see that on CNN.
None of the fast food places I saw are open, I'm assuming they have not yet received shipment of new food.
The hardest Rita hit thing that I saw today was Super Walmart.
Not, by wind but by the loss of power that forced them to throw tons of food in the dumpster.
The milk and bread had been restocked, but there were no eggs, yogurt, cheese or other dairy in the cases. Both the Deli and Seafood counter remained closed. The meat department was busily stocking hamburger and chicken breasts and many folks stood by to grab some of that fresh meat. The produce counter was lite, but not empty. What WAS empty was the jewelry counters. I suppose they had packed that away in the case of looting.
It was so weird seeing freezer after freezer after freezer of empty shelves.
What was even weirder was the number of people staring at those empty cases like food would magically appear.
It was kinda like when you are hungry and standing there stupidly with the fridge door wide open hoping you see something yummy.
I didn't check any of the other stores for food, so I don't know if they are still empty or not.
I got to thinking maybe I should not refill my freezer anyway and just buy weekly for awhile.
Yeah, like until December.

Back to normal......

Things are getting back to normal here on the canal

The lawn is got mowed


Rhett hunted for bugs on the porch
(among the discarded plywood from the windows)


We got eaten by skeeters on the porch swing


Rafe got his chair back


And...
Rhett hunted for bugs, he doesn't give up easily


Life is good.
PJ:)

Weather

The weatherman is talking about the record temps we are suffering through, and then taking his fake crayon and drawing a circle, casually mentions a tropical wave that they are ( in his words) "keeping an eye on"
*covering ears*
It could develop into a storm by the end of the week, he goes on to say.....
*covering ears and closing eyes*
Lalalalalalalalala, I can't HEAR YOU......

The Apprentice

Wouldn't you know it.......my shows premiered during evacuation week!
I missed Martha Stewart, we had just gotten to Mom's and I forgot it was on.
I heard her firing line is something like....."You just don't fit in"
What a hoot.
Maybe I can catch her next week.

I did get to see The Donald.
I was a little disappointed that he did the boys vs girls thing again.
The task was to organize and run a one day fitness class, didn't look too hard.
The boys, though a little unorganized at first, did a fairly good job of getting along and won the task by only a few dollars. PM, Marcus seems a little flakey and I doubt he is long for this job interview. The Donald mentioned that he talks too much, and did he shut the hell up? Nope!
The girls on the other hand were a complete train wreck.
The flyers for the class looked like they were advertising a strip club, and they snapped back and forth at each other throughout the whole task.
Melissa got fired and to be honest I was surprised that the other girls had not bitch-slapped her by then.
What a mouth on this one, all attitude.

Note to apprentice candidates:
When you are in the boardroom, let Donald do the talking.
He could barely get to say "your fired".


Bu-Bye Melissa!

Shopping.....

My neighbor who did not evacuate (huh?) said the electric went off Friday around 4pm which prompted me to throw away most of what was in the freezer and fridge.
When in doubt, throw it out....you know?
Thank goodness beer and cat food does not spoil, now that would be tragic.
Anyways.....
I'm hearing the stores have not yet been able to restock milk and bread so decided to wait on replenishing everything until things calm down some on the Island and I45.
Besides.....
We still have a case of beanee-weenees and 15 gallons of bottled water we can enjoy...yum!

PJ:)

Rafe and Rhett say.......

We're home too!!



Graphic Gift from Wystful1...thanks!

The boys had a great time at Grandma's house!
The resident cat, Sampson went on vacation to the vet and was kind enough to let Rafe and Rhett visit to keep Grandma and Granny entertained in his absence.

Grandma has a screened in porch, with a great view for cats to enjoy.

Rafe enjoyed the evening breeze.


and Rhett had fun watching birds and catching bugs




Rafe found a chair he liked




Grandma bought Rhett a little scatching post, and in typical cat style,
he had more fun in the box it came in.


Going home was a little stressful, they both cried for 5 hours and only settled down about an hour from home.
I think they wanted to stay at Grandma's.
I don't think her or Granny would mind that at all.
Sampson may have a different opinion however.

We're Home!!

We left Uvalde at 3:30am yesterday with 15 one gallon gas cans...thanks Mom.
We had looked all over 3 towns for 5 gallon cans and all were sold out.
There was very little traffic but no gas to be found, we were glad to have that extra gas.
There was no electric when we arrived, but it came on about 3 hours later.
We heard someone down the street yell......YES!!!
The heat index was over 100 degrees.
People are returning now and taking down the boards off the windows.
The boys are glad to be home, but seem perplexed that the house is in such disarray.
All the outside stuff....chairs, swing, grill etc.....are still inside.
We emptied a lot of stuff out of closets and into plastic bags.
This might be a good time to organize closets....haha.
John went back to work today, and Chandra's job will call her back tommorrow or the next day.
We had very little damage, and our neighbors looked good too.
What a relief!

Our storage shed was knocked down, but John was able to put it back together.
Fantasic Plastic....haha.
We think the lawn mower is broken.
I hope it is, I hate that lawn mower since I have been having to use it.
I want a self propelled one anyways.

Update: The mower is fine....PHooey!

Part of the dock is still under water and some of the boards are flapping around under there.
At first we thought some were missing, but today I see they are there and can just be hammered back in place. It does't appear the water even got onto the top part of the deck or the yard at all. What a nice surprise.



Part of our next-door neighbor's tree fell and bent the fence.
That is on his side, so I'm sure he will take care of that.



All in All we are very happy to be home, heck..... we are happy to have a home.
After all.......there is no place like home.
PJ:)

Today..

It looks good for Galveston today, real good.
I am checking the Bayou Vista and Omega Bay message boards in the hopes someone can get in there and report the status of our neighborhood.
Now, I just want to go home.
I'll update if I hear anything...PJ:)

Update 1:
Galveston is not allowing residents to return, but Bayou Vista and LaMarque is.
There is no electric, however.
It is too late to leave for home today, but we are considering getting up very early in the AM and trying to get home on the back roads.
We were not able to purchase any gas cans, I think every gas can in TX is sold out.
Hopefully we will be able to find gas on the way.
Surely the stations will be replenished by tommorrow.
Maybe they will have the electric fixed too.
I want to go home!

Update 2:
One of John's co-workers was able to check on the house and it is A-OK.
We are so grateful.
This will be my last post until we get home and back online.
Hopefully we won't be without electric long.
PJ:)

Today...

We woke up early to find we had gone to sleep with the lights on and the TV still blaring Hurricane Rita coverage.
The Boyz wanted breakfast, then an hour later they wanted to be fed again.
Why the hell not, they are on vacation after all.
Rita appears to be heading north now, to Port Arthur/Beaumont.
That puts us on the "clean side" of the storm if there even IS a clean side in a storm this size.
However, if it swings down and hits at Surf Side Beach, we are back on the "dirty side".
There is already storm surge in Texas City.
I wonder if the water has risen in the canals yet?
I wish they would take those reporters and move them around a little.
One chick has been standing on the 61st Street Pier for 3 days!
A lot of people would like to know how the bayside communities are doing, after all many of us live waterfront, but not on the gulf side of the Island.
I guess if there are no waves lapping up behind the reporters, that is too boring to report from.
A couple of the forcasters are saying the storm could circle round and hit twice.
We've also heard it could travel right up I45 and affect DFW as a Cat2.
I am getting our insurance papers and things organized while we wait.
This sucks.

Today.....

We got evacuated OK.
We left at 10am and though our usual 5 hour drive took more than eight we were in much better shape than those poor souls who left the Island later in the day and got stuck in hours and hours of traffic. We brought all 3 cars and and filled them with clothes and things. I carried the cats with me and that was really fun. Rhett settled right down and took a long snooze, but Rafe decided to sing with the radio for the entire 8 hour drive. If you haven't heard a Siamese Cat singing to Jimmy Buffet you haven't lived.
When we arrived at Mom's they settled right in exploring and having fun. They love Grandma.
Today we face the daunting task of What if...what if we have no house after this. What if we have no jobs. Where can we go that will accept pets if we are looking at months of being homeless. The truth is if Rita stays on her path, we will not have a house. We just won't.
PJ:(

Today.....

We are evacuating.
We will be watching and hoping from Uvalde and reading the
Houston Chron's Rita Blog.
Be safe everyone....PJ

Today.....

Rita continues her path toward the Island and the Mayor has called for voluntary evacuations starting now.
Most likely mandatory evacuations will start tommorrow.
I have not heard what the plan is for our neighborhood, but being only a few miles from the causeway, I'm assuming we will be required to leave as well. I do know the mandantory evac route goes in a direction opposite of where we wish to travel, so we will need to leave before that order is given for sure.
I'll keep in touch with everyone.
PJ:)

Update 1:
The noon tracking chart shows the storm coming in farther south, far enough we may not have to leave. *crossing fingers*

Update 2:
We've pretty much decided we will go ahead and leave.
Everyone has been released from work tommorrow, so there is no reason to hang around here. Hopefully we can come back Sunday or Monday.

Today.....

The local news is showing TS Rita on track to hit the "somewhere" on the Texas Coast this weekend. Local talk radio however, is predicting a level 3 Rita headed for Houston/Galveston specifically. I am heading out to the store to get extra food, water, cat stuff and beer.
Of course if it IS a cat 3 storm we will have to evacuate anyways....sigh.

Update:
The current tracking map shows the storm hitting between Galveston and Freeport

Update 2:
The boyz get new outfits

Update 3:
Galveston issues voluntary evacuation orders

Desi says....

Any Kitty, whose ANY kitty is at the Carnival of Cats
hosted this week at Watermark

Today is...

Mexican Independence Day.
And if you thought that was Cinco De Mayo?
You were wrong.
Ole'

Friday Cat Blogging

Desi says
A kiss is just a kiss....or not!

Desi and James

See Desi and more at the Modulator for Friday Ark #52

Today....

I got a long overdue hair cut.
The chick says..."is that your natural color?"
Yeah right....haha.
PJ:)

Movies

I missed Fever Pitch when it was in the theatres,
but picked it up for my baseball movie collection.
The story centers around work-aholic women who falls for a Red Sox fan (like the crazy obsessed kind) during last year's exciting run for the pennant.
Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were both very cute.
Well that pretty well sums up the movie,
not a lot of substance here, it's just cute.

Rafe says.....

Got Treats?

You go Joe!

So Monday night football comes on, and the great "Broadway Joe" Namath has a cameo in the opening titles.
and......
Holy Crypt Keeper, Batman! That dude is lookin' old!
I remember when I was a young teen and the infamous pantyhose commercial was showing.
My step-dad at the time ( a big football guy) was totally grossed out and that made it even more enjoyable.
*evil grin*
I thought it was hilarious.
Still do!
You Go...Joe!
PJ:)

Real Estate School

Well, I don't know HOW long it will be before the Federal Grand Jury decides if they want me or not and I need to register for school. I found out that one of the two classes I need is offered in a Friday thru Sunday setting, 8am to 6:30pm. Long days, but at least I can get that one over with and maybe if I am chosen to serve, it won't interfere with court.
I could actually finish up on-line if need be, but that it so damn hard to stay motivated for.
yeah....I need to do the classroom thing.
PJ:)

Rhett Says......

Why not grab a chair and join us at the Carnival of Cats hosted this week at Blog d' Ellison

At the Movies

If you are looking for ghosties or skeletons you won't find them at the
The Skeleton Key.

You will find about 60 minutes of Kate Hudson running around a spooky old house in the dark in her underwear.

There is also a creepy Hod-doo Voo-doo ending twist that made what appeared to be a predictable horror flick more than worth the $2.00 matinee price at the mall.

I give the story a B-, the acting a B, and Kate's ratty flip-flops a D

Today is.....

September 11th

I looked around the web this morning thinking I would find all kinds of tributes honoring the American Spirit post 9/11.
Well......
I pretty much came up empty handed with the exception of some old slide shows showing the horrific event itself.
I thought maybe I would post some of my own pics from our recent trip to NYC instead.










Have a peaceful Sunday, friends
PJ:)

On the Radio

Talk Radio host, Mike Gallagher is on his way to Slidell, LA to help out the animals affected by Hurricane Katrina. "Gallagher's Army" is bringing 800 lbs of food and supplies courtesy of Kroger and talk radio listeners. Noah's Wish volunteers are ready and waiting for the help and support, and hope to build new animal shelters in this area. On his show this morning, Mike said they have a bus load of pet food, lots of leashes and collars and....
"stuff for the little kitties".....awwww.

Friday Cat Blogging

Rhett shares some creative napping techniques

"HairBall"


"Alone in my room"


"Belly Up"


"You can't see me"


"Nipped out"


TGIF kitty lovers, enjoy more pet blogging at The Friday Ark

The Apprentice

The site for the new season is finally up complete with player profiles, suite tour and the fantasy game. The audition tapes are a must see. If you don't watch them all at least watch "James". No doubt all of the candidates are selling a line of shit, but this guy really goes a step further.
Fall is definitely in the air now!
PJ:)

Today is......

The 105th anniversary of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, also known as Isaac's Storm.


library of Texas Photo

Bud Kennedy of the Fort Worth Star Telegram asks,
Exactly how do we plan to clear out Galveston?

Ed Berger of the Houston Chronicle, ponders Galveston's vulnerabilities

And Kelly Hawes of Galveston Daily News asks what all of us on the Texas coast must be asking.
What if it had happened here?

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Josh.


You're pushing 30 now?
How in the hell am I supposed to explain that?

Love, your 30 something Mom

Shopping

I just came back from Shopping.
I got all of the Fall Birthdays and most of Christmas knocked out!
Our local JCPenney is going out and everything is at least 30% off!
So those of you my gift list.....your gifts are non-returnable.
Sorry bout that!
PJ:)

Rhett says.........

Mine Mine!




I can't fault him for loving shoes.....:)

Catching up....

Katrina:
Galveston is taking in 5,000 survivors onto the cruise ships today.
I can't help but wonder how our "own" homeless population feels about this.

Update: ABC news is reporting a delay.
The evacuees do not want to leave the Astrodome

On a personal note:
My last group of classes start at the end of this month, but I have been afraid to register until I hear from the Federal Grand Jury if I have been chosen to serve. I hope they hurry up, I hate to pay for this stuff then not be able to attend. I am thinking I need to get a part-time job while I am finishing up my schooling and preparing for the state licensing exam.
I've heard the Grand Jury pays 40.00 a day, not a lot but it would help.
Now, I don't know if I want to be chosen or not...

PJ:)

Rhett says.........

I'm the King of the World!!







Check out the Carnival of Cats hosted this week at The Conservative Cat.
This is our first time joining in the fun.

At the Movies

We saw Red Eye today.

Directed by Wes Craven, this thriller stars Rachel McAdams who plays Lisa, a perky hotel manager with a fear of flying,
and Cillian Murphy who is cast as a typical bad guy.
Basically our handsome blue-eyed bad guy follows our heroine onto an airplane and threatens to kill her father, should she not follow his instructions.
I won't go into those (just see the movie)

Now....
You gotta love a girl that can not only run gracefully in open toed heels full speed through an airport crowded with people, but who can also use those same shoes to beat up the bad guy.
Man, that had to HURT!

I give the story a B-, the acting a B+, and those sexy black heels an A+

PJ:)

Project Backpack

The Houston independent School District is enrolling many of the children displaced by Hurricane Katrina so they may continue with their education and regain some sense of routine and normalcy in the midst of this tragic situation.

Supplies, clothing, and monies are desperately needed for these children.
Please consider donating to this great cause and help the youngest victims of Katrina.
Just go to Project Backpack for instructions how to give and what is needed.

Bush says.......

"The results are unacceptable"

no shit

Friday cat blogging

Rafe says.....

Animal Disaster Relief groups such as EARS , BestFriends,
and Noah's Ark are working hard to help animals left homeless in the wake
of Hurricane Katrina.
The Houston SPCA is helping out by taking in animals from shelters in Louisiana.
If you are looking for a places to help out, why not send a few bucks to one or all of these wonderful organizations

We live on the Gulf Coast, but natural disasters can happen anywhere, why not get an evacuation plan together for your family today?
We did!


Evacuation tips for Cat Owners

Take your kitty on occasional car trips that do NOT involve the V*T so he/she won't be
terrified at being loaded up for the evacuation

If you must bring the d*g, please teach it proper car manners so not to distract the driver or further frighten the kitty passengers.
Note:
We do not have one of these, but sure those that do will know what to bring for the D*ggy.

Believe it or not, kitty will be happier if put in a carrier...it just feels safer.
Don't be surprised if kitty enjoys singing with the radio though!



A potty pad in the carrier will help with accidents and should be changed often until you can get kitty to a proper potty place.

Consider getting a cat harness and practice with it in case you must remove kitty from the car.
You may also want to get a kitty collar with ID tag.
My brother and I would not enjoy wearing either of these, however.

If a hotel stay is part of the plan, make sure you have a litter box, litter and scoop.
We would also enjoy having our own blanket, pillow and toys.
We are creatures of comfort after all!



If possible, plan ahead to find a pet friendly hotel.
Remember, most people shelters do not accept pets.

You should also bring our shot records in case you find the need to board your cat.
Sadly, kitty jail may be in our best interest while the humans figure stuff out.

Don't forget medication (if your pet requires it)
and of course food, clean bowls and bottled water will be needed.
Also.....Kitty will want and expect treats!



Our humans can not imagine the heart ache of feeling forced to leave us behind to perish in a storm.
Our hearts, prayers, and purrs go out to all those in need.

Rafe =^^=

Look for us in the Friday Ark
And on Sunday join us at the Carnival of Cats,
hosted this week at The Conservative Cat

Shopping

The $1.00 mystery box from MidnightBox is here!!

It's kinda small.


Rhett thinks maybe there are cat toys in here


But, clearly there is not


I got a t-shirt and a camera that takes film (film?)
Oh and I got screwed?
I mean a 6 in 1 screwdriver set.....:)