So I ordered this cute, reflective, PINK harness for Franny, from Amazon. It said right on the damn item description that it is sold by and ships from Amazon.com. So why the hell is it shipping from China? And if that’s legit, WHY don’t they indicate on the item page that it’s not shipping from within the US?
Shenanigans. I call them.
Comcast sent me a “new” modem last week. I finally had time to set it up today. Opened the box to find that the modem was scratched up and had what looks like a cigarette burn. It did not inspire confidence, but okayfine. We can’t have nice things. I’m used to that. Then I plugged it in and turned it on, and smoke came out of it, accompanied by an acrid smell of burning electrical wires.
I spent 45 minutes on the phone, on hold then talking to a very nice man from India. Not much he could do for me, which I expected, since it was a clear equipment failure. But he filed a report, and now I have to go to the Comcast office tomorrow to get a (hopefully working!) reacement. I was hoping to avoid driving over there, because I hate going to the west side.
I walked to work today. It was (as I may have mentioned!) cold and miserable. I decided I needed A Something, and I hit 10,000 steps on my way to the snack machine for Doritos. So that’s the kind of day it was. Ugh.
And then I got annoyed with being cold and did some rage walking up to the stairs to the 10th floor. Which was fine, but walking back down I hurt my good knee. So I stressed the rest of the afternoon about having to walk home on a bum knee. It ended up being okay, thankfully.
I am driving in tomorrow though, so I can take extra warm wear.
Have I mentioned how cold it’s been at work this week? It’s been cold, yo. Really, really, really cold. My hands and feet are like ice cubes, and they hurt. I know 60F doesn’t seem that bad, but believe me, when you are sitting all day at a computer, it’s bad.
I have drunk so much tea and coffee that I don’t ever want to look at the stuff again. I think I have done most of my daily 10,000 steps walking back and forth to the bathroom, because did I mention TEA AND COFFEE?
Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)
Giant ragweed, or what we called horseweed, when I was a kid. It is trying to kill me.
These bozos were in the back field, shooting a compound bow. The line of trees and shrubs are hiding another apartment complex. Which they are shooting toward. Assholes.
I don’t know if they even live here, or if they just thought this looked like an awesome place for target practice. There were two people out in the field, playing with their dogs, while this was going on.
I eat a lot of yogurt and prefer Greek because it’s thicker and you get more protein for your calorie bucks. I’ve been eating Dannon Light and Fit, despite the fact that it has artificial sweeteners in it, because I like the texture and it’s only 80 calories per serving. I can add Fiber One to it and get a decent amount of protein plus stay full, for just under 150 calories.
My grocery store didn’t have Dannon Light and Fit on sale (or, rather, not the flavors I like), so I tried Yoplait Greek 100. What. Fresh. Hell. Is. This? Y’all, it is awful. Way too sweet, and somehow it’s runny. How do you make Greek yogurt and have it still be runny? The stuff is supposed to be strained multiple times to remove excess moisture. That’s why it’s so high in protein relative to regular yogurt.
I double and triple checked the nutrient label. It allegedly has 12 grams of protein, which puts it in line with other Greek yogurts, but I don’t understand how it could possibly have that much protein given that it’s runny. Something seems fishy to me.
Also, when I added my Fiber One to it (if you’ve never had it, it looks like little twigs, and the taste and texture is what you’d expect from little twigs), the cereal got soggy before I could eat it. That never happens with Greek yogurt. It’s thick enough that it doesn’t saturate the cereal before I can finish it.
Do not like. DO NOT WANT. But I have 9 more containers of it, so I’ll be eating it for the next two weeks. O gross.
Thirty Seconds of Googling for Kids in Crates with Dogs
A rescue group in the town where I used to live posted a photo of a kid in a crate with one of their dogs. Comments poured in, exclaiming the cuteness of the wee tot and the sweet doggie. I commented that I thought it was a bad idea for kids to be in crates with dogs, and that I think it’s irresponsible for rescue groups to set that as an example of cute behavior. It’s not cute. Not even a little bit.
A crate is a dog’s safe place. It may be the only safe place the dog has. It is also a small, enclosed space. A space that even the sweetest, kid-lovingest dog might suddenly decide is worth fighting over. And you will not be able to do a damn thing about it, because you are on the outside of the crate and the kid and dog are on the inside. And also you will be busy taking photos and cooing over how cute the little moppets are.
So. Kids do not belong in crates with dogs. And I said so. Out loud and in public on a rescue group’s Facebook page, after they posted a really not at all cute photo of a kid in a crate with a dog. They told me to chill out, that the kid was fine and the dog loved him. Which yes, I’m sure is true. I don’t even doubt it a little bit! But still, it is a bad example. (And also, I do not think the dog was as happy about it as they insist she was.) And I said so. Again.
I made a total of two comments. I said my piece–politely!–and then I let them have all of the last words and I got on with my life. Well last night I saw a cute tuxedo cat on their page, named Piglet, so I thought I’d share it because Piglet is a right and proper name for a tuxedo kitty, yes? And in doing so I noticed that they’d blocked me from commenting on their page. And further digging revealed that they’d removed both of my comments from the kid-in-crate-with-dog photo. WTF? Is this how grown-ups act? No, I do not think so!
(The group’s photo is in the collage above. Middle of left, brindle and white Pit Bull with curly haired wee moppet. See the side-eye? See the licking of the lips? See the tight ears? That is not a happy, comfortable dog.)
red paper boat 