Cult? What Cult?

Cult is a word with negative connotations, right? It is normally used for delusional, defensive groups like the Branch Davidians and the followers of Jim Jones.

"Cult of Personality" tends to be an especially prejorative term, usually associated with dictators like Stalin or Hitler.

Why, then, is the term of the week for the Obama campaign "Cult of Personality"? It is all over the news and blogs.

It seems like an attempt to belittle the enthusiasm and joy that American voters have for the first really inspiring candidate that Democrats have had since...I can't remember.

Seeing is believing

I scanned an old unflavored gelatine cookbook and put it up on my flickr account.

You need to see it. How bad do you need to see it?

Well, there's a recipe for jellied corned beef and cabbage.

Public Service Announcement

It is easy to love dogs more than people. Dogs are friendlier, kinder and simpler than humans. They are also covered in lovely warm fur (don't talk to me about hairless dogs).

My friend is going to put her dog to sleep this week. The dog is in horrible pain and can't stand up to pee anymore, so it is time.

It brings tears to my eyes. Nothing makes me sadder than when a faithful dog leaves this world.

I would like it if, when I am sick and old and in pain, someone would put me to sleep. I hope that idea takes hold before I get there.

Here's the public service announcement portion of our post:
If you have a deep chested dog like a greyhound, pointer or weimarauner, do NOT let them eat immediately after getting hot.

If they drink and eat too much while they are hot, like from a walk, they can get their stomach twisted and will need immediate surgery to survive.

I only learned this when Goldie was at the emergency vet after the exMrStapler's dog fought with her and tore up her ears. While I was waiting, a man came in with a weimarauner who was trying to vomit but couldn't.

The staff quizzed the man. The dog had been out for a long walk on a summer morning, came in, drank a bunch of water, ate a bunch of food, and started acting funny. The emergency vet staffer told the man that it would be an immediate $1500 charge to his credit card to get started on trying to save the dog's life.

At this point, I started sobbing. I was already on edge from Goldie's injuries and this put me over the cliff. Just then, Goldie came out, ready to go, so I never found out if that man's dog lived.

I'm just trying to prevent the same scenario happening to anyone else.

Bah! One-sided "friendships"

Everyone knows one. Those people that only pop up when they need something from you. They think because they keep you on their email list for when they send out bad jokes that they can call you and ask for favors.

But ask them for something and they disappear. Arg.

I'm just frosted because this just happened to me. Someone I was once very close with won't ever see me, though we have run into each other several times and I always open the invitation - "Hey, we should get together for lunch..." but nothing ever comes of it.

We had a brief email exchange when I got a mass email and responded. At the end of my last email, I said, "Why don't we get together for dinner?"

Nothing. No response at all.

Yesterday I got a "Hey, buddy, since you work at the newspaper I figure you might be able to help with a press release..." email.

I sent him to a local PR person.

I could easily write a press release...for friends. But at some point you have to wonder where friendship isn't friendship anymore. Kinda sad but that's part of being a big grown-up person, I suppose.

One question for Barack and Hillary

What are you going to do about the 750 BILLION defense budget, you know, the one that doesn't even include funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars? The one that is 30 percent higher than when GW Bush first took office?

Just wondering.