The Prize Patrol is on the Way

I got an email today from Publisher's Clearing House.
It said to be watching NBC news tonight when the prize patrol surprises me by knocking on my door!
Whoohoo.

And it gets better, I also won the Nigerian Lottery.

Wow!

The Apprentice: Carolyn, You're Fired

People on-line reports that The Donald had fired Carolyn Kepcher.

That sucks.

Wordless Wednesday

Fun With Google

Someone searched for
Deep thoughts of Ray Nagin

Good luck with that one, dude.....ha.

The Boyz on the WWW

Two of The Boyz are featured this week in a couple of our favorite blogs.

Rico is "Cat Model of the Week" according to Cat Call and the Carnival of Cats
and
Rhett is "Cat of the day" over at Kat's Cat of the Day

Cool, huh?

By the way, if you run across Rico Loco at Kitten Wars, could you send a vote his way?

TV: The Emmys

Now, please understand that it is was NOT my intention to live blog The Emmys.
BUT
Simon Cowl (sp?) needs to button his shirt and put on a tie
and
Oh Dick Clark is not ageless anymore, God Bless him
and
Barry Manilow got an Emmy....
I love Barry
and I hate it when HBO wins stuff because I do not have HBO
in fact, I think I'll turn in.

TV: The Emmys..Well the Pre-Emmys

I was watching the pre-Emmys on the TV guide channel with Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa and I just don't get her.
She said...(paraphrased)
Nicole Richie will not be here, her doctor said she should not go out on a windy day.
Then, mocking her she says..."Does this tampon make me look fat"
Now Nicole, I can take or leave, but I had to turn the channel after that....Yuck.

Shopping: Special Veggies

This bag of frozen corn looked plain enough
when I picked it up in my grocers freezer
but upon closer inspection I learned
that it is "special"

Just put the whole unopened bag in your microwave and

out comes perfectly cooked buttery corn.

It is priced slightly higher than frozen corn that is not "special"
but if I have a coupon, I will buy this again.

Read More at http://birdseyesteamfresh.com

Regional Meowing-In

The Carnival of Cats will be over at Catymology later today and they posed a question to their readers about Meowing.

Rafe: Rafe is a big talker being Siamese, but I have no inclination to ask him to perform on command.

Rico: Rico on the other hand only has to be picked up and he will start hollering. He hates to be restrained in any way, even for a cuddle.
Hear Rico Meowing

Rhett: Rhett hardly meows at all. He was interested in the microphone though when I was recording his brother and thought he might.......but no.

Fun With Google

A search for "Gouchos Butt" (yes, it's misspelled) drags up an old Apprentice Post

Speaking of The Apprentice...
The Apprentice 6 has completed filming in California, but will not be back on air until January.
Phooey

Eye on the Tropics

and TS Ernesto

Map from WeatherUnderground

Women's Equality Day Around the WWW

The History of Equality Day

The Official Proclamation

Read the 19th Amendment

A Timeline

Picture History

and now you are ready to
Take a quiz

Cat Puke

One of The Boyz has eliminated half a drawstring from a jacket I had hanging in my closet.
I'm assuming it was Rhett, because he was acting kind of punky yesterday and lost his supper right before I went to bed.

Not to mention, eating things in the closet (shoes etc.) is a typical Rhett thing to do.

He seems fine now, thank goodness but this is a perfect example of why his name is pronounced

RHETT!!!!

Friday Cat Blogging: Trio of Trouble

So I keep hearing bumping around downstairs, I am trying to sleep in
and wonder what in the heck are The Boyz doing down there.
I sneak down in the dark with my camera.

I guess I was just imagining things

Oh, and since I missed Kitty Movie Monday
this week....
Here's the Movie
================
See more innocent and not so innocent pets today at the Friday Ark.
This Sunday the Carnival of Cats will be at Catymology.
Hope to see you there!

Alone in My Room

John is going to the sleep disorder clinic for his sleep study tonight.
Luckily the insurance is picking up a big chunk and we can be billed for the rest because this thing is not cheap!
I haven't even googled to see what is involved.
I guess they just watch him twitch, fart, and snore all night?
Just wait til they hear the language he uses in his dreams.
They may decide to send him back home again....ha.

Solar System is Downsized

You may have heard all over the news today that Pluto is no longer considered to be a Planet.

No word on whether Pluto is still considered a to be a dog, however.

Don't you hate it when....

You wake up and think it's Friday and after awhile it hits you it's only Thursday?
So, disappointing

Wordless Wednesday

Advantage: Rico Rhett Rafe

At least two of The Boyz have earmites....yuck.
All three got advantaged today and I have a bloody finger to prove it.
(Rhett)
I got Rico's ears cleaned, but Rafe will not let me near his.
He was already annoyed, it is pill day.
If fact everykitty is giving me a wide berth this evening.
They were glad to see Paw come home from work tonight for sure.

In Houston: Houston Humane Society

Marvin Zindler, local consumer activist attacked the Houston Humane Society tonight on his news report.

It seems some lady surrendered two older cats to the shelter because she was moving.

Well after the fact her co-worker said he would take them so she went back there only to find out her these cats had been put to sleep.

Marvin was outraged that older cats are almost immediately killed at the shelter.
He says people should be informed they may be PTS.
(umm, if they are dumping do they really want to hear that?)

A shelter spokesperson said, the women was informed the cats would be "evaluated".
I was a little disappointed that she did not defend the shelter's position a little more and use this air time as a way to educate people.
Of course, maybe she DID try and she was edited....who knows?

Regardless...
Marvin?
You should have been outraged at the number of people who think pets are disposable.
You should have been outraged at the number of pets that are running loose unaltered producing tons of puppies and kittens and making it even more difficult to place older pets.
There is just not enough room in the inn, Marvin.

That lady has only herself to blame for the death of her beautiful cats.

Fun With Google

A search for
Lawn Mower Lamarque Texas

points to: our first day back home after evacuating Hurricane Rita.

With the anniversaries of last years storms coming up, this is a subject that has been very much on our minds.

In Houston: Mayor Ray Nagin

From ABC Eyewitness News

Mayor Nagin and Houston Mayor Bill White plan to announce the opening of the New Orleans Journey Home Center. The expected visit of Nagin is a cooperation between the cities of New Orleans and Houston to bring about answers and solutions for evacuees who want to get back their homes in Louisiana.

The Katrina Evacuees are often in our news, and is usually not a positive thing.
It seems nearly every crime report starts with the words "a Katrina evacuee"

Only just yesterday a convenience store clerk in a store I frequent was shot and killed.
The report mentions that one of the suspects is from NO.

No doubt there are also good families struggling to make it here after losing everything and I hope this program helps get them settled in or return home, whichever they prefer.

Houston around the WWW

Houston Has A Problem

Crime Spike Hits Houston

Struggling to Make Houston Home

Even More

I can't help but wonder when they will stop calling these folks evacuees and start calling them Houstonians.
It looks like many of them are here to stay, but if they want to go home I hope they get the chance.
I really do.

===================================================

Update: I just watched some interviews on the news with evacuees checking out the new center and one lady said.

"I'm here to get as much as I can get"

At the risk of having a rude deep thought, I have no comment...ha.

TV: Burger King

Burger King - Chickflix

This is so funny!

Shopping: Fat Toilet Paper

Triple Rolls of TP must be the dumbest thing ever invented.
They don't even fit on the toilet paper holder thing very well.


Even Rhett can not get a good spin going!

Shopping: The Walmart Thing

I'm still annoyed with Walmart and mailed off a letter to corporate in Arkansas today.
I enclosed my receipt from that day along with the coupons in question.

I did not ask for anything other than an explanation of the policy.

IF they respond, I will post both letters.

Are we taking bets?

A Pain Or Two In The Neck

(click for full size)

So a local chiropractors office was doing free screenings at the Houston Home Show and we said why not?

They asked, do I have pain?
And I say sure, doesn't everyone have aches in their forties?

Before they ran the sensor down my spine,
the doctor explained the chart.
White is fine, blue is marginal and red shows some real problems.

After my she finished she commented that I must have a lot more pain than I am admitting too and then called over her associate because she knew the girl had never seen "black" before on a screening.
The girl said...Wow.
Black is not good.

Then it was John's turn.
John's scan was all white.

He was told he has the vertebrae of an infant.

Now THAT hurts.....Ha.

Work Related: Houston Home Show

I let John chauffeur me to meet with a client to see one property this morning then we headed out the Houston Home Show. There is always interesting things out there that we can not afford, but it is fun to pick up the papers and carry a bag with lots of stuff to later be recycled without being given a second look because we can not afford that stuff in the first place.

I took some business cards and stopped to talk with everyone that I thought could help out with my business and met some nice people. I met a couple of mortgage brokers that are kind of new in the business and said they do not have any realtors on my side of town yet and they promised to send me some leads.
They said they would only send leads that are pre-approved for a loan.
Well, I said...I like those kind....LOL.

I also attended a home staging workshop, while John checked out the massage chairs and fancy mattresses. The speaker was interesting, but I didn't learn much that I didn't already know.
I did find out they certify realtors for $325.00 and for that you get a two day seminar with a home staging expert.
I'm thinking that is a lot for me to pay them to sell their product, but the class looks fun.
I will check it out for the future for sure.

Bed In A Bag

RicoLoco's new kitty bed from The Bendy Store has arrived!

Of course in typical kitty fashion




He prefers the bag it arrived in


See this weeks best cat blogging efforts at Sunday's Carnival of Cats
hosted this week at Red Peonies.

Shopping: Super Sucky Walmart

I like to print coupons at SmartSource.com.

I have never had a problem redeeming them at the various grocery stores that I frequent.

Well, today I stopped at a Walmart Food Center AKA Super Walmart and the cashier said, oh we don't take those kind. She wouldn't even look at them.

Me: Why? They are manufacturers coupons just like from the newspaper, they have a barcode and everything.
Her: We just don't take them

OK, so then I go to customer service to verify this is the policy and ask why.
She did look at them, but just shook her head.
Her: We just don't take them
Me: Why? I just would like to know because they are clearly not made in photoshop they have a barcode and everything just like the ones from the newspaper.

She does not know why and calls a manager, to whom I ask again...Why?
and.....
For the third time I am told, they "just don't take them"

I then said I was disappointed that I could not get the savings on these items and wished she could simply explain the reason for this policy and she looked at me like I was stupid so I left.

Now am I going to throw a shit fit over a couple of bucks?
Maybe.
Am I ever going food shopping at Super Walmart again?
Not anytime soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks everyone for your comments.
This is our great-nephew Noah and he
is growing up way too fast!

In Houston: Body Worlds 3

So needing a break today, we ended up heading up to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and went to see Body Worlds 3 before it leaves Houston forever on September 4th.

I've been wanting to see this one for awhile now.

The tickets are a little higher than we normally would pay for special exhibits, but we really enjoyed it.

The platinizationized bodies are very interesting, but there are also displays of individual organs and sytems along with an audio tour to learn about the workings of the human body.

If this comes to your city, you should really go check it out.
It's not as creepy as you think....no really!

There is short commercial video here.

Work Related: Tough Week

and it's only what Tuesday?

I think I will play hooky this afternoon.
It's hard to work with hubby poking around the house in a lonely manner anyways.

Maybe we'll go up to H-town and see what's new.
Yeah, that might be nice.

On Vacation

Well, John is anyway.
He brought home one of those power washers
and is going crazy out there.

In fact he washed the porch so good that now he has to go back and nail some of the boards back down...ha

Kitty Movie Monday

A little kiss for our fans


Kitty Movie Monday is a popular feature at CatCall

Breaking News: Rafe is today's featured feline over at Kat's Kats
Go check it out!

Sunday Cat Blogging: Kiss Kiss

Rafe gets a little kissy from his baby brother, Rico
whether he wants one or not

(click for full size)

See the best of this week's cat blogging at today's
Carnival of Cats hosted by
Blog d'Ellison
and
There's more RicoLoco and The Brothers HERE

I'm so blonde: And I missed my Blog-o- versary

I was planning a really cool post for Aug. 7th the first anniversary of my blogging self.
Oh, well.

I got a haircut today...

Which is rare because I tend to let it go for months.

For some reason I just do not like to take the time and/or spend the money to get it cut.
But today I had an appointment on the other side of town for which I arrived too early, so popped into a SuperCuts and let her chop it off.

I've been a little down lately, but it made me feel a lot better to get a cute new style.

Look out world.

Cat Parasite Linked to Human Behavior?

Our sweet little kitties may look harmless but a
scientist has published a theory
linking certain human behaviors to a parasite passed
to the human race by pet cats.


ahh, but don't you just want to kiss that little face anyway?

Wordless Wednesday

(Click for Full size)

TV: Dancing With the Stars

Dancing celebrities for the new season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars will be announced officially on Good Morning America Monday.

But..
It looks like former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith has already been cast.

Should be fun!

Work Related: I want one of these!

And a big client friendly SUV to put it on.

Oh, and maybe a bottomless gas card would be nice too.

Hey, a girl can dream!

Tummy Tuesday!

It's "Tummy Tuesday" over at LisaViolet's CatHouse

RicoLoco has a polka-dotted tummy



I call him my "yummy little cinnamon roll"

In Kemah: Fleet Parade

The Blessing of the Fleet Parade
Kemah Boardwalk
August 6th, 2006



There were Pirates




Patriots







and Politicians


There were also some Party Boats







and boats that do not look like boats at all





Read more at Kemah.net

Kitty Movie Monday: Rafe's Chair

Just a little short one showing Rafe's pretty blue eyes


Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing
More Kitty Movies can be found every Monday at CatCall

Computer Woes

My computer is dragging it's ass today.
I have scanned, shut down, more scans, restarted, dumped the cache in all browsers, deleted cookies, ran more scans, and still it is just barely going.
I can't work like this...ugh.

Update: it seems to be better now, maybe it was my cable connection or something.

In Kemah: The Blessing of the fleet

From the Galveston Daily News:

“The blessing of the fleet is something that happens all around the coast,” said Tom Hults, event chairman. “It’s a tradition that goes back thousands of years. Back then, as today, commercial fishing was a very, very dangerous occupation. Because of that, we feel like this is a very important tradition.”


Photo from Kemah.Net
We may head over there today

Update: We did go and got some great pictures
between the scattered showers
coming soon

All Done!

Rico thinks Paw did a good job

Rafe is not so sure about the change

A job well done!

Lost? Start Here

The 124th Carnival of Cats will be at
TBIFOC on Sunday.
See you there!