Random Blog A Musing Farf: October 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

EVEN BLOGGING IS MORE EFFORT THAN I FEEL LIKE EXPENDING

I am completely unmotivated to do any real work today. I have stuff piling up on me and since Evil Partner is always on my back, I better do an amazing job, and yet I have zero interest today. Really, all I want to do is curl up on my couch with a book and relax. Maybe nap.

Part of my lack of motivation is easily attributable to exhaustion. I am just tired and really should get more sleep. But part of it is just that I can’t muster the strength to care today. I want to eat Halloween candy and flip though US Weekly. That book mentioned a second ago could be too much effort. The only saving grace is that hopefully there will not be a staff meeting tonight since most people in my office have kids and will race home to take them trick-or-treating.

Even tonight I am not going to get my much needed rest. First of all, I am assisting in a dog training class tonight and even if I don’t want to help out, I need to continue working in the program in order to earn my dogs their 75% discount for doggie day care.

Sigh. In the time it took me to write this, I was just given two more assignments. Grrr. I can’t wait for the Thanksgiving break. Seriously, I have way more important things on my mind than work – like how to eat another Oreo without gaining any additional calories.

Monday, October 29, 2007

PIZZA TASTES EVEN BETTER WHEN EATEN IN SECRET WITH SISTER

I love traveling with Sister. We have so much fun. Last weekend, we drove to DC and spent 4+ hours in the car each way, belting out show tunes at the top of our lungs and trying to guess where on the map we were after we past the leaving NJ sign, but before we saw the Welcome to PA sign. (Seriously, is it the black line on the map? Are we in no-man’s land?)

This weekend, we headed to a spa in the Pocono Mountains for a well-deserved “Sister Weekend.” We took Pilates and Belly-Dancing classes, had massages, facials and reflexology and basically relaxed all weekend.

The best thing about the weekend is that Sister and I have the same approach to traveling. Traffic on the way down? That just means there is time for Disc 2 of Phantom of the Opera. Spa food leaving you wanting more? Sneak out to a local pizza palor.

Yes, you read that right. The food at the spa was delicious, but they limited us to 950 calories each. Ummm, while I am all about losing weight, I really need at least 1200 calories a day. Especially if I am doing Pilates and Belly Dancing. We were starving. So, after lunch, while everyone else went to a lecture about nutrition and longevity, Sister and I snuck into the car and devoured a pizza and gigantic helping of baked ziti.

Of course, we were not really hungry come dinner time and could not finish our food. When asked, we simply told everyone that the portion control method really spoke to us and we were no longer going to eat everything just because it was on our plate. We were praised for our dedication to the program and had a good laugh. Who says cheaters never win?

Friday, October 19, 2007

I HATE ELLEN DEGENERES

I am not sure why people who are celebrities seem to think that they are above the law. Sure, they get away with more then someone like me, but you would think that they would be pleasantly surprised when catching a lucky break, as opposed to shocked and outraged at being forced to follow the rules.

In this case, I am taking about Ellen Degeneres and her deplorable behavior toward a rescue dog from Mutts and Moms.

I am totally siding with the rescue group. Ellen Degeneres was wrong. I used to like her but have become so upset over Ellen’s behavior that I am making a public vow to never watch her shows (either live or televised) again. Further, I have since thrown away my signed Ellen Degeneres poster, from way back in 1994 when she performed at my college.

For those of you unfamiliar with the controversy, here it is in a nutshell from Access Hollywood:

The talk show hostess and her partner Portia de Rossi adopted Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix, on Sept. 20. But when things didn’t work out, DeGeneres gave the dog to her hairdresser.

In doing so, DeGeneres violated an agreement with the Mutts and Moms dog rescue agency by not informing them of the handoff.

When the agency called DeGeneres to ask about Iggy, she said she found another home for the dog. The agency sent a representative to the hairdresser’s home Sunday and took the dog away.

DeGeneres went public about the situation Monday while taping an episode of her show to air Tuesday. She admitted she didn’t read all the paperwork involving the adoption.
Ummm, exactly. She did not read the paperwork.

I am extremely involved in the rescue community. I help to run a rescue group dedicated to re-homing Shiba Inus. I have volunteered at shelters and recently, have been working on socialization and training with rescue dogs, in order to make them more adoptable. So, while not an expert, I do know something about the subject.

And, here is what I do know: NYC Shiba Rescue (and other similar groups) all spend HOURS trying to match the right dog with the right family. We interview families, visit their homes, and otherwise make every attempt to ensure both the humans and the dogs will be happy together. We turn down people who do not meet our critera for a good home. We argue among ourselves about what the best match is and will not adopt out a dog until all this happens. And for this reason, we have adoption agreements.

Since our goal is to have to dog matched with the perfect home – and to make sure we can keep tabs to ensure that the home remains perfect – there is a clause in our adoption agreement which states that if an adopter finds that at any time during the life of the dog, for any reason they can not keep the adopted dog, they will contact us immediately and we have the first right to have the dog back. You can not give the dog away. You can not sell the dog. You have to give the dog back.

Now, while it has never happened to us yet, if someone called NYC Shiba Rescue to tell us that they could not keep their dog because it was terrorizing their cat, we would offer to come get the dog immediately or to work with the adopter on training. If the adopter did not want to keep the dog but suggested another family that had fallen in love with the dog, I am pretty sure we would tell the adopter to have the potential family contact us and then we would complete the adoption process with them. See, everyone wins.

Adopting an animal is a wonderful experience. I did not think I could ever love a dog as much as Tiki until Cody came along. But, it also comes with responsibilities and upholding an adoption agreement is one of those responsibilities (as is spaying/neutering and training). While Ellen Degeneres was willing to do the former, she did not bother with the latter. Why? I am not sure but I guess it was because she just didn’t think anyone would care.

But of course Mutts and Moms, just like NYC Shiba Rescue, does care. That is why they bother to mention it in an adoption agreement.

Of course, Ellen Degeneres also complained that she spent $3,000 on the dog. But that $3,000 did not seem important when she gave the dog away. And really, not to be petty, but what percentage of her income are we talking about? I mean really.

And now, according to a quick Google search, Mutts and Moms has been forced to suspend operations. Their petfinder account is de-activated and their links no longer work. So, instead of one dog going to a home that Ellen Degeneres did not pre-approve, no dogs are being adopted out by this organization. Simply translated, dogs are languishing in shelters because Ellen Degeneres is a selfish, horrible person. (If I were Suzanne I would call her a fucking cunt and douchbag bitch, but as you know, I refrain from swearing).

So I hereby publically announce that I am no longer a fan of Ellen Degeneres. Frankly, I am sorry I was ever a fan in the first place.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

EVERYONE KNOWS THIS BUT ME

Clearly my goddaughter is so brilliant that she reads Suzanne’s blog. Yesterday, upon attempting to give her the best day of her young life, I made plans to take her and her brother to the NYC Children’s Museum. I was very sad to get there and discover that it is closed on Mondays.

After trying the locked door several times, because “sometimes doors are hard,” my goddaughter looked up at me accusingly and said, “Auntie Sara, you really should have called first.” I admitted she was right and asked her if she at least enjoyed the 10 block walk to the museum from my apartment.

“Can we please take a taxi home?” she sighed.

Looks like I am not the super cool babysitter I was hoping to be.
IT TAKES TWO

This weekend was a lesson in parenting. Husband and I hosted my best friend from high school, her husband and their two children (the older is my most brilliant and beautiful goddaughter) for a long weekend: 1000 sq. feet , 6 people, and two dogs. It was loud and crowded and I will likely be wiping little fingerprints from countertops for a long time. And, while I adore the entire family, I was not unhappy when they left. I needed the quiet.

Generally, Husband and I spend weekends at home, catching up on reading and maybe watching a little television. We are generally quiet folks while at home (or at least our neighbors have never complained about noise) and we had no idea what was in store. First of all, children wake up really early. Even when they stay up late, they wake up early – the staying up late just means that they wake up cranky. And, they have no idea how to whisper. I am exhausted.

But, we also had a lot of fun. I will go to extraordinary lengths to hear a two year old giggle and really, there is nothing better than watching a movie on the couch with two children snuggled into your lap. And, Husband and I loved having conversations with my goddaughter (who is, as she will tell you, not just four, but four and a half!). Both kids were good natured, adorable and, we think, brilliant.

Husband and I want to have a baby and have been trying for several months without luck so far. I spoke to my friend about this (who was convinced that a weekend with her children would push back family planning by several years) and she suggested that I attend a “fertility circle” with a group of women she knows. According to my friend, they have a 100% success rate within 3 months. I have to admit, for a second I was tempted. Fertility without needles and/or drugs? I am a big believe that positive energy accomplishes many things and I was tempted to try out the fertility circle on the theory that it could not do any harm.

I was sort of worried about convincing Husband to go along with something like this and I asked my friend how other women approached their potentially skeptical partners about participating. It was at this point that my friend told me that no men were allowed. Basically, a group of women partake in a ritual and send positive energy to the woman trying to conceive. Then, her fertility increases.

Hmmm. That would make sense, but it takes two to make a baby (at least, if you are trying the old fashioned way, which we are) and we have no idea which one of us is the reason it is taking longer than we originally planned. The feminist in me is all riled about this. I can have all the positive energy in the world and be incredibly fertile, but if Husband is not, a baby is not happening (enter Stephen Colbert…sigh… ooops, I digress). So, on that basis (or until a medical doctor says it is all my issues), I am not sure that the point of the fertility circle really is. Thus, since I can’t see the point, I am not schlepping more than 2 hours in order to attend one.

Maybe while I was learning about parenting, my friend should have been learning about feminism….

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A BOOK OFFER

As thought I needed more proof of how lucky I am to have married Husband, he sent me the following email this morning: "In case you want to go get your boyfriend's new book at a Borders," and attached this link for a discount at Borders.

Its good to be married to someone who not only understands my unrequited love for another, but actually encourages it!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

ME: IN 500 WORDS OR LESS

I remember back a few (okay, more like 15) years ago, when I was applying to college. There was so much paperwork to gather, letters of recommendation to obtain and personal statements to write. Then, when I applied to law school, I had to do the entire process all over again. When I got into law school, I breathed a sigh of relief that my application days were over. It just seemed so unfair that I would be judged on the basis of some papers that really did not give a peak into who I really am.

But now, in my attempt to purchase an apartment (or rather, in NYC, shares in a corporation which will give me the right to lease a certain apartment through the co-op), I am faced with the same thing. Husband and I each needed four letters of recommendation from friends (preferably who were already co-op shareholders), current bank statements (and not the kind you can pull off-line, but actual paper statements), a personal statement and various other documents.

But, none of these reflect who I am. For example, according to my broker, neither the letters of recommendation nor the personal statement are supposed to mention dogs – and not just owning them, but I am not supposed to mention my work with NYC Shiba Rescue (made you look, Jenna!) or my classes to become a dog trainer – or politics. I also can’t mention controversial subjects like abortion, so talking about my work for Haven is out. And, while you are supposed to mention that you cheer for local sports teams, I can not mention that those teams are the Mets, Giants and Rangers. Apparently there may be an anti-dog, anti-choice person on the Board who roots for the Braves, Eagles and Devils who would then black-list me from the building.

So the letters and personal statements are just hollow and generic, which is too bad. If I were on the Board, I would much rather hear about a person who was passionate about their causes and teams (even if I disagreed with their opinions) and, as a person who is making a family dinner tonight in order to celebrate Tiki the Wonder Dog’s second birthday (happy birthday Tiki!), I would appreciate living near someone who was equally as passionate about their animal companion, even if such a companion were a rabbit or goldfish.

But, I guess this way I have a better chance of getting accepted to live in the building. Just like in applying to college and law school, when my applications made me sound serious and academically motivated, I was forced to wait until after the acceptance to be myself. So, once I am moved in, I can be the real me. But this time, I am really serious when I vow to never go through an application process again.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

A DIFFERENT KIND OF WRITING

Several people have emailed me directly to ask me while I have not blogged very much in the last few weeks. I know. I am sorry. I had no idea that buying an apartment was so time consuming. It’s not like in the suburbs where you go into contract, hire some inspectors and wait until closing. We need a Board Package, which has to include 6 letters of reference from people who are not related and preferably owners in co-op buildings themselves. Then, we need business references. The letters can not mention the dogs or politics (pretty much the only things that define my life) and of course, they need to be vetted by the broker.

So, since my friends are lazy, I am busy writing, but instead of writing blog posts, I am writing letters on my own behalf. Board package is in on Monday and then I will resume my regular schedule…