Dogs in the kitchen

I made a batch of plain banana pudgy pooch treats last night. I live in a row home with big, open spaces, so there is no way to barricade the kitchen area and keep curious and purportedly so hungry dogs out of the way. Lest I accidentally step on a certain little girl or the toes of a certain big boy, I order Jack and Coco onto their couch while I bake. They sit there, drooling, until I call them over to lick the bowl. Here, cleaning up my food processor bowl and enjoying little bits of pureed banana:

And, of course, they always taste-test the final result:

Two paws up!

Or is it four paws up? "Four paws up" sounds rather like someone died.

***

Usefulness of the day:

If you have one in your area, check out Aldi's. Just leave the credit card at home - they only take cash or debit. Check out their website to know what you're in for before you go!

The Lone Beacon

I took the Austen Heroines quiz and...I am Elizabeth Bennet:

Take the Quiz here!

You are intelligent (check), witty (check), and tremendously attractive (triple check there).

You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of ridiculousness. (I think "lone beacon of reason" has found its way into my vocabulary, yes.)

You take great pleasure in many things. (Yes! Too many things pique my interest; I sometimes overwhelm myself -ohlooksomethingshiny!)

You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. (Way to rain on my "tremendously attractive" parade here, sayeth the Lone Beacon.)

Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed. (What's with this "seem" language? I thought Lone Beacons made well-reasoned, thoroughly thought out decisions?)

***

Usefulness of the day: Keeping your car clean! If you have dogs (or messy children?) get in the habit of keeping an old towel or two in the car to wipe down muddy paws. Stash a few plastic bags in a console, too - they're great for holding dirty shoes after a hike. Get a little waste bag that goes over the seat if you generate a lot of trash in the car. If you fill up your car in a state that considers you too stupid to allow you to pump yor own gas, use that time to clean out or organize your car. (I'm in Philly, but NJ - which won't allow you to pump your own - is so much cheaper! I used to feel guilty, but I've moved on.)

A cautious and tentative announcement...

I do believe that spring is upon us.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come...

happy birthday!

(to me.)
Pictures taken by Roommate, last year.

Jack loves a good party!

Coco does not. She's the girl who didn't get invited and then calls the police with a noise complainy.

Why so serious?

Ah, that's more like it.

I don't know if that's a yawn or grin.

Jack's rubber chicken got leid.

"Who invited you?"

I don't think dogs are supposed to eat wax candles.

Or balloons.

Reflecting on another year.

If you give a mouse a cookie....

Ever since I let Jack sit on on the forbidden chairs, he has been taking some serious liberties with the "no bed unless invited" rule. Yes, I suspected this might happen. First, he curled up into a tiny ball on the foot of the bed so as to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. A week later, he let himself relax and sprawl. Yesterday I found him resting his oh-so-weary head on my pillow.

On the positive side, his non-furniture behavior has improved.

***
Please pray for R. & F. Their home was broken into twice and most of their stuff was either taken or destroyed. The police say that robbers will make a second trip if they were not able to carry everything away the first time. Thankfully, F. is fastidious about keeping receipts, but this could not have come at a worse time as R. is recovering from months of chemo and radiation.

***
In other news, I'm back at the doctor's office this afternoon. Again. Another suspicious growth. I call it my mood ring as it changes colors throughout the day. TMI? Sorry. But if you have a moment...

***
Tip/trick/lesson of the day: Free lotion, more free lotion, and wear your sunscreen!

mosaic game

This fun, illustrated game came from Only Visiting This Planet.

Rules: Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.b. Using only the first page, pick an image.c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name? Allison.

2. What is your favorite food? Avocado sushi.

3. What high school did you go to? A small boarding school in New England.

4. What is your favorite color? Shades of red. To wear, black. In a bedroom, pale blue. In a kitchen, shades of yellow.

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Vin Diesel. From xXx.

6. Favorite drink? Water, plain, room temperature. And German white wines.

7. Dream vacation? Athens or Cairo.

8. Favorite dessert? Plain fruit. I don't like sweets, baked goods, or chocolate.

9. What you want to be when you grow up? Sucessful.

10. What do you love most in life? Awe.

11. One word to describe you. Curious.

12. Your flickr name/some screen name you have. For AIM, I use the name given to a one of a few, rare perfect syllogism in the Aristotelian logic system. I took a ton of philosophy classes in college. I'll be impressed if you guess it. I now only use gmail's messenger system.

Want to play?

***

Tip/trick/lesson of the day: For moms :). Also, free packet of moist wipes, coupon for a free probiotic bar, and free 2-week supply of vitamins.

hard-hitting investigative reporting from the dollar store

I conducted a thoroughly non-scientific investigation of the quality of items at dollar stores all for you, my dear readers. I visited only one store (a national chain) and I understand that inventory at dollar stores is constantly changing.

Body butters. I purchased four different brands, and was extremely disappointed with all. The consistency was more like regular body lotion, and a thin lotion at that. One barely smelled like the promised sandalwood scent. A better and high quality alternative at a low price is a tub of pure cocoa butter.

Hair conditioner. I purchased two different brands and was even more disappointed with the conditioner than the butter butters. Both knock-off brands actually made my hair feel dry and rough. Not sure how that is possible - even $1 Suave conditions! I'm going to stick to my regular brand. Conditioner is one of those items that my hair is quite particular about.

Shampoo. I purchased three knock-off brands. Not quite as good as the original, but it does the job. The shampoo seemed thinner, too. I'll stick with my solid shampoo puck from Lush. Yes, it's $7-$9, but it lasts forever. No, I don't work for Lush...I actually dislike most of their products. Despite the "natural" claims, many products contain suspected carcinogens like cocomide DEA and titanium dioxide. Which is fine, because many chemicals and cancers and anthrax are all "natural."

Hair gel. I purchased two knock-off brands. Not a good buy - they left my hair stiff, sticky, and dry due to the high alcohol content.

Body wash. I purchased two knock-off brands. The liquid was much more diluted than the original, so I'm not sure that this was even a bargain.

Deodorant. Many popular brands in a jumbo size, all made in the US. These will go into my toiletry kits for the homeless. Good buy.

Toothbrushes. Good buy and many popular brands. Did you know you should replace your toothbrush every 3 months?

Toothpaste. I did not buy - every single brand (even Crest and Aquafresh) was manufactured in a foreign country. For an extra dollar or two, I'll stick with an American product.

Disposable razors. 12 popular brand razors for $1. Good buy if your skin can handle disposable razors.

Shaving cream. I did not purchase, but the large containers looked like a good buy.

Dishwashing soap. Perfectly fine. The large size I purchased costs about $4 at my grocery store, so this was a good buy.

Sponges. Again, perfectly fine and cheaper than my grocery store.

Trash bags. I purchased three different brands. All were just as good as popular brands. Good buy. Am I the only one Shocked and Appalled by what grocery stores charge for trash bags these days?

Plastic baggies. Just as good as the popular brands. Good buy.

Dish towels. At $1 per small towel, I can do better at the grocery store. Not a good buy.

Plates/dishes/bowls/glasses. These all felt like good-quality items. Some of the designs were atrocious, but many were plain solid colors. Still, Ikea has cheaper prices on some items. I did purchase a dozen Coca-Cola glasses for a friend. They were heavy and textured and definitely retail for more than $1 each.

Placemats. Some lovely, beaded placemats here! I've seen almost identical placemats retail for more than $12 each. Mixed in with some really cheap and/or ugly placemats.

Disposable eatware. Many popular brands. I don't use disposable eatware, but these looked like a good buy provided you buy the larger sizes.

Cookie cutters. Not good. They were poorly made and flimsy and I dented them on the first use. I can usually find wonderful copper cutters at my local flea market, and other cutters at such retailers as The Cookie Cutter Shop, Cookies in Seattle, or Etsy.

Socks: 3 pairs of white cotton gym socks for only $1. I'll be buying all my gym socks from here from now on. Good buy!

Men's t-Shirts: Another good buy. Thick, quality cotton and no logo. Good for the gym and homeless shelters and, if you wear men's clothing, wearing.

Baby/toddler clothing: I did not purchase because the material felt so stiff and scratchy. I was also concerned about poorly fastened buttons - I worry they pose a choking hazard.

Dog toys. I actually did not purchase these because they were so poorly made that I worried about Jack swallowing loose parts.

Children's toys. I did not purchase. Many of the brightly-colored toys were made in China, and I'd be concerned about the lead content in these.

Children's books. I flipped through a few and found some spelling and grammatical errors. Stik to teh libary.

Children's coloring books. I think it's better to let kids have a blank piece of paper. And some of these coloring books featured scantily-clad teenaged females - knock-off Barbie and Bratz dolls. Bratz...shudder.

Pharmaceuticals. I did not purchase because every item I looked at was made in another country. Be very careful if you purchase non-US pharma products - some countries have lax safety standards.

Food. I bought spaghetti (non-whole wheat), canned veggies, soda, pretzels, granola bars, and beef jerky. I verified that everything was made in the US and well within the expiration date. Everything was fine, and many were popular brands. I divvied up the snack foods into the plastic baggies to add to my kits for the homeless. Good buy, especially for food pantries. Just be careful about the country-of-origin and the expiration dates.

Conclusion: Home items like trash bags are the best buys. Be very careful about pharmaceuticals, pet items, foods, and children's items. Many personal care products are of such low quality that you are better off to spend more somewhere else.

***
Tip/trick/lesson of the day: Etsy has some wonderful items! Everything on Etsy is handmade or vintage, and its a lovely place to do business. Much nicer that eBay. I have a little Etsy shop, too, and I've actually met some very sweet people this way. I do a lot of my gift-buying on Etsy as well - handmade purses, scarves, baby clothes, artwork, and more. If you sell handmade items, consider Etsy. The fees are much lower than on eBay.

My diaper bag

Yes, I have a diaper bag. Two, in fact, but is my favorite one. Back in my undergrad days, I spent a lot of time at an area duck pond, feeding the snapping turtles and coaxing the yellow-billed white ducks to eat from my hand. (Same duck pond that Seymour calls home.) I noticed that many mothers had these marvelous, multi-pocketed bags. I especially loved the several exterior pockets, perfect for bottles and smaller items like keys and a phone. I replaced the bottles with two Nalgenes - one for tea and one for water. For school, the wide design held my oversized laptop and books perfectly. I still use it to tote work with me to a coffee house in the weekends. For trips with the dogs, the pockets were great for holding a water for the pups and me, plastic bags, treats, toys, and towels for wet Jacks and muddy paws. How convenient! Oh, and it's cotton and can be tossed in the wash, too. Why do moms get all the brilliantly designed products? :)

***
I don't work for them, but I love Nalgene bottles. They last for years and don't crack or absorb most flavors. I've tried other brands, but Nalgene really is the best. I outfit mine with a spill-stopper guard, and swish with unflavored vodka if the bottle ever holds to a scent. If you're in the market for a water bottle, be wary of manufacturers that claim their bottles are "FDA approved." BPA is FDA-approved! If you want a BPA-free bottle, bypass the "FDA" language and just look for "BPA free."

Also, Scotch-gard your cotton handbags to keep them looking great.

Seymour the Turtle

This is Seymour the Turtle. Last weekend, I found him in my street. He was bleeding from a scrape on his head, so I reasoned someone threw him from a car. I took him inside and Googled around for a rescue that would take a turtle. Unfortunately, no shelter - not ever ones that take reptiles - could accommodate a pet turtle.

While I waited on hold for a wildlife refuge, I settled Seymour into a plastic bin and offered scraps of lettuce. Given how hard he fought to escape the bin, I began to suspect that Seymour might be a wild turtle, not a cast-off pet.

Meanwhile, Roommate was researching what kind of turtle Seymour might be. We did a check of his feet. Seymour looked like a water turtle, and a brief swim in the bathtub confirmed it. The wildlife refuge was closed for the weekend, neither of us wanted a guest in our only bathtub, and Coco was licking her chops. Seymour's breed was indigenous to the area, and I knew a local pond filled with turtles that looked just like Seymour. Hopefully he is not a Frankenturtle.

He was very happy to be free.

But, he did pause and look back at us.

Seymour's new neighbors.

How did Seymour end up on a city street? The wildlife refuge returned my call and explained that rains can cause a river to swell and deposit its wildlife in the sewers system.

***
Tip/trick/lesson of the day: Use code 2GR4N8 for a free Redbox movie rental.

Jack's new toy

Jack has fallen madly in love with his new toy. He's never done this before, and it's ridiculously cute. It's a little toy that looks rather like an alien mated with a duck. He carries it around all day, dropping it in his water bowl when he needs a drink and even sleeps with it.

Generally, he de-squeaks, de-stuffs, or otherwise destroys his toys within minutes. With this new and favored possession, he is extraordinarily gentle.

I went back to the store and purchased several identical toys, just in case.

And this is one of my new favorite pictures.

differences

BBC is taking some very heated criticism over the host of a children's television show, Cerrie Burnell. Unlike certain other children's entertainers, Ms. Burnell has not been accused and convicted of molesting children, indecent exposure, or possession of child pornography. So what is the problem? Does she moonlight as a stripper? Forget to wear underpants? Party into the wee hours with gossip mag photos to prove it?

Nope. Ms. Burnell only has one hand.

Oh, I'm so sorry. Readers with children, I should have made sure you didn't have any little ones peeking over your shoulder as you read this. I am sure the sight of Ms. Burnell will put them in years of therapy.

Incredulous that anyone could find a woman with such a pleasant, gentle face objectionable, I scrolled through the comments and found this gem:

Do any of you who think [criticism of BBC's choice of a host] is so "unbelievable" actually have kids? It's very hard, as a parent, to have every social issue jammed down the throat of your kids before they even hit first grade. Kids need a certain level of emotion maturity and understanding to be able to MAKE SENSE of the things they see. Otherwise they can't categorize it properly in their minds.

Most parents are perfectly happy to deal with any situation but you want to do it when you know they are ready, NOT when the media and the politicians tell you to.

Parents, how do you "deal" with the "situation" of people who do not have a perfect arm? Or spine? Or brain? At what level of "emotional maturity" did you allow your child to lay eyes upon the "situation" of those of a different race or ethnicity?

Lest any of you think the above commentator was alone in her stupid, stupid idiocy, BBC also noted that "a father lamented that Burnell being on the show forced him to have conversations with his child about disabilities." Oh, how incredibly selfish of Ms. Burnell! I'm sure that if she knew that her body would force a parent to converse with his child, she would have confined herself to the shadows. Because that's where she belongs, you know. I'm sure that BBC hired Ms. Burnell precisely to "force" parents into talking to their children...not because Ms. Burnell was, oh, good at her job.

I attended an elementary school in Boston that simply did not address these matters. The place was rather diverse, looking back at my class pictures. Jews and Catholics, mostly, and a fair number of Vietnamese and Russian immigrants. Throw in a girl with fetal alcohol syndrome and two boys with Down syndrome, oh, and one African immigrant who suffered from polio as a child, and there you have it: "social issue[s]" aplenty "jammed down the throat." No one stepped in and said, "there will be some people joining our class who are Not Like Us. Please treat them as you would anyone else even though they are Not Like Us." Why? Because it is the height of idiocy to explicitly tell a child that someone has a "social issue" that makes him Different and yet expect the child to do something good with the information - all before having encountered said "social issue."* Contrary to the brilliant commentator above, kids don't need to "make sense" of every single thing. Present something as a non-issue, and they'll take our cues and treat it as such. A few queries, of course, but I believe "why doesn't she have a hand?" is perfectly natural and good.

As opposed to "Johnny, there will be a lady on television who doesn't have a hand, unlike the rest of us, and that's Different. This is an Issue that we need to discuss." Explanations like this present the differentness first, and the person second, and that reflects a lack of "emotional maturity" on the part of the parent. It tells the child that Ms. Burnell is "the lady with no hand" and not "the lady who hosts a television show." It tells the child that any deviation from normalcy is an Issue than warrants discussion. It probably means that the child will spend more time focusing on the missing hand than the show's content. And it assures the child that it is perfectly acceptable to view Different others as whatever their differentness is. Thus, the next-door neighbors are not "Jane and John" but "the black people next door." And your lab partner Susan is "you know, the girl who has a wheelchair."

It is fine to discuss differences. But it is ugly to use differences to define anyone. Neither Ms. Burnell's existence nor her arm is a "social issue." I sincerely hope I'm not the only one who feels this way.

* Though I believe there are some disabilities that might warrant a pre-meeting discussion. It is probably useful for sighted children to know that a blind student will be in class tomorrow so they can learn how to approach a blind person at a crosswalk. Likewise, it might not a bad idea to let children know that a new playmate has autism of Tourrette's syndrome. However, people like Ms. Burnell don't really have these kinds of special needs that warrant a pre-meeting discussion. (Though certainly, a person who is missing a hand or uses a wheelchair will invite discussion - and that's fine and appropriate. I'm not advocating that anyone ignore differences - simply that we do not use differences to, well, point out how Different the Different person is.)

Nurse Coco

I was feeling so ill upon my return from India and was unable to attend a get-together to which Roommate and I had both been invited. Roommate said she felt better leaving me under the watchful eye of Nurse Coco, who looked rather cute but did nothing to soothe my poor, hot, fever-flushed skin.

Yes, that is an old sock on the Nurse's head. And a paper towel nurse's cape.

Life is too short to go around with no sense of humor.

***
Tip/trick/lesson of the day: Check your state's website for abandoned property! Totally on a whim, I checked a state of former residence and discovered I apparently left money and/or stock in the state. I'm in the process of claiming it back. Payday? I also discovered that my father has abandoned money somewhere as well. Long shot, maybe, but it takes 10 seconds to search! I'm immensely curious to find out the amount...all I know at this point is that it is over $100. How on earth did I "abandon" over $100?

Search every state's abandoned property site in which you have lived, worked, paid taxes, or held a bank account. Don't forget to search for any former or maiden names as well. This is all free, so please don't fall prey to companies that charge a fee for a search. Start by Googling "[your state] 'abandoned property'."