Don't Bristle at This

Carrie M. sent me this link to a story about some orphaned hedgehogs in England, who have adopted a cleaning brush as a maternal substitute. Weird...but cute!

Au Revoir, Henry

Tonight I brought Henry back to the Red Door Shelter (after having him here for five months). It was sad to see him go, but he's such a sweet cat, I know he'll find a good home soon. (For his sake, preferably one without dogs!) Now I need to find a new home for Sisu. I'm afraid he might be kind of lonely without Henry around. Even though Henry could be kind of a bully, I think Sisu liked the company. And I know Chloe will miss chasing him during his rare appearances in the living room! I'll miss his snuggles and purrs--he's a very sweet and cuddly cat.

Rocky Mountain High

I had a wonderful, relaxing weekend in Colorado with Jennifer and Shelly. They picked me up at the Denver airport on Friday, and we drove back into Fort Collins to get some Scottish food at the Stonehouse Grille. I got to meet their houseful of animals--I had already met Jen's dog, Kelsey (the last time I was in Colorado, probably 5 or 6 years ago), but this was my first time meeting Shelly's dog, Alex, and the cats Keegan and Gertrude. All of them are very sweet (and that Keegan is quite a stinker!). Saturday morning, Jen and I headed to an Aveda salon. She got a haircut, and she treated me to a facial. And what a treat it was! It felt really good and was SO relaxing. Afterward we walked through downtown Fort Collins and had a delicious breakfast at Rainbow. That afternoon we went for a good hike at Lory State Park (one of Jennifer's favorite spots), and that night we all went out for Tex-Mex and very strong margaritas at Rio Grande. Sunday morning, Jen and I went to a Quaker Friends Meeting. Neither of us had ever gone before, and we both really enjoyed the experience. There were only five of us there, and only one woman spoke during the hour-long meeting. Other than that, we just sat in silence. It's pretty rare that I sit still and quietly for a whole hour, and it was pretty powerful. That afternoon, Jen, Shelly, and I had a lovely picnic by a stream, then went for a short hike. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at their home, eating dinner, and talking. One of the best parts of the whole wonderful weekend was the chance to just sit and catch up. Jen & Shelly are leaving soon for a three-week trip to Great Britain. I wish them all the best on their travels and hope it won't be 2-1/2 years before we see each other again! (If you'd like to see more pictures from my weekend in Colorado, check out my Flickr page.)

Happy Birthday, Chloe!

Yesterday was Chloe's 7th birthday. Instead of cake or Frosty Paws, Chloe and Scout enjoyed celebratory bananas and bread--two of their favorite treats. Chloe was a very happy birthday girl!

Tricky Wiki

I saw on the Colbert Report that a grad student created a way to track who's making edits to Wikipedia articles. The Wikiscanner makes it possible to see which corporations and politicians go in and alter the negative info on their entries. Interesting stuff!


FYI--I'll be in Colorado this weekend, so if you don't see any new posts for a few days, that's why!

Still Shopping at Wal-Mart?

I would guess that after watching "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" you might decide to shop elsewhere. Through interviews with Wal-Mart employees, this documentary exposes Wal-Mart's dirty financial tricks (such as essentially receiving taxpayer subsidies because so many of their employees are on public assistance, including state health care programs), environmental violations, poor working conditions overseas, and discrimination against its female and minority employees. For a summary of criticisms against Wal-Mart, go here.

Uptown Dogs

Yesterday I took the dogs to Uptown Animal Hospital for Chloe's annual check-up and shots. (Scout just came along for moral support, but he ended up getting checked out, too.) Both dogs were given a clean bill of health, and they've both lost weight: Chloe's now at 103 pounds, and Scout is down to 93. As we were leaving, we ran into Bill, who was picking up Bella, fresh from being spayed. It was quite an exciting little reunion for the dogs!

Evander Holyfield vs. Babe Winkelman

According to this article from ESPN, boxing is the toughest sport in the world. Perhaps not surprisingly, fishing ranks as the least-demanding sport of the 60 they ranked. (Ice hockey comes in as the second-toughest, and billiards--that's a sport?--ranks just above fishing.)

Not Even Harry Potter?

This is just sad....

Bon Voyage!

Yesterday at church we gathered around Jen and Al to bless them as they move on to new places. A big group of us went to Penny's for lunch after church, and then Jen and her boyfriend, Rich, headed to Austin, and Al headed to Cincinnati. It's sad to see them go, but I wish them all the best!

Fight Night

Saturday night I went to Lisa's place, and we finally watched the Mayweather/De La Hoya fight that she had TiVoed back in May. She had a couple other fights recorded, too, so we ordered pizza, drank beer, and watched some good boxing. It was a fun girls' night in!

FINALLY!!!!!

Joanna e-mailed last night to say that they received the news we've all been waiting for for months: They are out of the courts, and she and Tom are now legally Alejandro's parents! She's been down in Guatemala for months, living with Alejandro as his foster mother, with Tom going down to visit as often as possible. We've all been anxious to have Jo back home and to finally get to meet their son, who we've heard so much about and seen/read about on Jo's blog. There's still paperwork and such to deal with, so Jo and Alejandro won't be home until October. But at least there's finally an end in sight! Woo hoo!

Happy Birthday, WAFF!

My WAFF (Weird Aunt From Florida), Candy, turns 58 today! As you can see, her advanced age has not diminished her charm or sophistication. She's still the same demure, ladylike role model that she has always been. And now she has a blog! I encourage you to check it out. Happy Birthday, Weird Aunt Candy!

Check Out My Photos on Flickr!

I've started uploading photos to my Flickr account. So if you want to see more images than I'm able to post here, check out my Flickr page. (It's a work in progress....) If you're on Flickr, let me know, and we can become contacts!

Good-Bye and Good Luck, Jen!

Last night Carrie, Lisa, and I went to a going-away party at the Seven Ten Lounge for Jen, who's leaving on Sunday for Austin, Texas. Her boyfriend, Rich, is in town to help her move. It was fun to catch up with him and other church folks who were there. We found out that Al is leaving--moving to Cincinnati for a new job. Lots of big changes going on these days!

Out with the Old...

Yesterday afternoon, Jessica came over to help me go through--and toss out--some of my excess stuff. It was pretty exhausting, since I was constantly battling her about what should and shouldn't be thrown away. We eventually managed to fill up three garbage bags full of paper, including pay stubs from my job at Lord & Taylor, years-old articles I had always meant to read, and reference materials for my thesis. She even helped me carry the bags out to the dumpster to ensure that I wouldn't go back and pull anything out. That Jessica is a tough (and smart!) woman.

Good Dogs at the Beach...or Not

It was such a beautiful day on Friday, I had to take the dogs to the beach. They ran around, splashed in the water, and played with other dogs. They were really good...until a parasailer swooped by, and Scout started chasing him! He kept sailing right near the shore, and Scout kept running after him--through the open part of the fence from the dog side to the people side of the beach. Chloe was chasing Scout, and I was chasing Chloe, yelling after them both. Finally, they both stopped, turned around, and ran back to me. It would have made a great picture, if I hadn't been chasing them so frantically!

Mammo-Jamma!

Friday morning I had a baseline mammogram at St. Francis in Evanston. With our family's history, I knew it was important to do. I was kind of dreading it, but it actually wasn't that bad. And I won't have to do it again until after I'm 40--so for a REALLY long time (ha!).

Out with the Cheetah Girls

Thursday night after class at Cheetah Gym, I went to the Hopleaf with Julie, Nicole, Helen, and Mandy. There was a lot to catch up on! Helen is job-hunting, Mandy is moving and just started a new job, and Nicole is settling into motherhood and her big new home. Julie will soon be appearing on TLC's "Design on a Dime." It seems to be a very transitional--and exciting!--time.

A Sweet Surprise

Thursday afternoon we had a surprise baby shower at work for John and his wife, Kristin (whose appearance there was also a surprise to him). We celebrated their baby's upcoming birth (due next week) by gorging ourselves on ice cream and presenting the expectant parents with a Target gift card and some books and stuffed animals. We wish them all the best!

Raining Cats & Dogs

Lisa's in Tucson for work this week, so I'm watching her Yorkie, Isabelle. Izzy fits right in with my little zoo here. She's not afraid of the dogs or cats, and she keeps up on walks, even though her legs have to move about four times as fast as Scout and Chloe's. She's got a cozy nest on the couch and has co-opted a beat-up old snowman toy, which she carries around and attacks with glee. Hey, when you've already got four animals in the household, what's one more, right?

In the Heartland

Last night I had dinner with Carrie at the Heartland Cafe. It was a nice enough evening to sit outside, where we enjoyed a couple drinks, hearty food, and good conversation, with the rhythym of the el train behind us. Love those summer evenings in Chicago!

Providential

Last Wednesday morning, Tomkin flew into Chicago. I picked him up at Midway, and that afternoon we took Scout and Chloe for a long walk in the rain. We brought the dogs over to Bill and Laura's and chatted with them for a while (they hadn't met Tomkin before). Then Tomkin and I headed to the Hopleaf (yay!), where we met up with Adolfo, Heidi, Lisa, Carrie D., and Carrie M. It was such a fun evening! We hung out in the bar area until the waiter (through Tomkin's strategic "pre-tipping") managed to get us a table. We chowed down on mussels and frites, drank some delicious beer, and had lively, interesting conversations. On Thursday, Tomkin and I flew out to Providence, Rhode Island (first time there for both of us). He was the officiant at the wedding of his friends Liz and Steve. I hadn't met them before, and we got to hang out with them (and Liz's sisters, Farin and Jaemi) on Thursday night. Tomkin had been raving about Liz and Steve, and they were just as cool as he'd said they were. We all walked up to the Brown University campus, which is where the wedding was held. Friday we headed to the Little Italy neighborhood for lunch, and then we went to the rehearsal. It was fun to see Tomkin in action. I sure wouldn't want his job, but he loves it! After the rehearsal, we went to a nearby restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. I got to meet more of Tomkin's friends, which was fun, and we had a fabulous meal. On Saturday we walked around with Tomkin's friend Mark and his girlfriend, Sissy, until we had to get ready for the wedding. First we had the "preception" (aka "cocktail hour") at the Faculty Club. The wedding itself was at the nearby Manning Chapel. Everything went smoothly, and the bride and groom were beaming. We headed back to the Faculty Club for dinner, dancing, and cake. It was a lovely celebration. Sunday morning we went to a buffet in our hotel, and then we had some time to kill before our plane left. We were staying at the gorgeous historic Biltmore Hotel, and there's a park across the street. Tomkin suggested we spend some time there. So we sat under a tree, people-watched, talked, and Tomkin read to me. It was one of the best parts of the whole weekend. We flew back to O'Hare, arriving about 7:00, came home, and took the dogs for a walk (one of Tomkin's favorite things to do--lucky for them!). This morning, he headed back to St. Paul. It was quite a wonderful weekend!

Rosy Angels

Tonight I had dinner at Rose Angelis with Carrie, Lisa, and Jen. We truly gorged ourselves--the desserts (including pistachio ice cream with caramel sauce and a pear "lasagne") probably put us over the top, but they were totally worth it! Jen's leaving next weekend for Texas, and she just turned in her thesis (woo hoo!), so it was nice for us girls to get to celebrate with her before sending her off to bighorn country.

Fun with Flora & Fauna & Family

Thursday night I went back up to St. Paul for another wonderful weekend with Tomkin. It was pretty low-key, but it was nice to just relax and hang out, especially since things have been so crazy lately. We went out for Middle Eastern, Mexican food, and pizza, and took some nice walks around the neighborhood and a nearby lake. I also got Tomkin hooked on watching "Rescue Me"--love that satellite TV! On Saturday we went to the Como Park Zoo, where we saw lemurs and other cool primates, snow leopards, seals, and lions. We rode on the carousel, which was built in 1914 and has been restored to look as it did originally (with the addition of an organ). I don't remember the last time I rode a carousel! We walked through the conservatory and the Japanese garden and saw all kinds of beautiful flowers and plants. Sunday morning we drove up to Sartell and had lunch with Dad and Sandy. I hadn't seen them since last Thanksgiving, so it was great to see them again and catch up. Tomkin hit it off with them right away, which didn't surprise me at all. I flew back to Chicago on Sunday night. Another quick but fabulous trip!