Help some animals in need? why yes of course!

(an email i got from a coworker)
Hello everyone,

I'm emailing you with a heavy yet hopeful heart. There are special people that we meet in rescue - people we know from the very bottom of our rescue hearts that will do anything they can for the animals in their care. People that will go without food in order to feed their rescue animals because the person can understand the hunger but the animals cannot.

I would like to introduce you to a rescuer that I feel embodies all that is wonderful about rescue. His name is Hank. Hank runs the Kindred Spirit Animal Rescue Center in Fairdealing, Missouri (population 1,381). He also drives the local school bus.

The first time that I worked with Hank, it was to help him with Lab puppies that he needed to get to Kansas City, MO. He'd reached out to a fellow rescuer in Missouri for help because he'd never transported any of his rescue animals very far and was so delighted that others could help him place more of animals outside of his region in Missouri.

I was delighted to help Hank with that transport (and many since then) and am always over the moon when one of our transports ends up in his monthly newsletter. Yes, he writes a monthly newsletter in order to celebrate each and every adoption that takes place - it's a beautiful newsletter that I know takes him a lot of time to write but he always takes the time to do it because each and every animal that comes into his keeping is no different than if they were his own companion animal.

Why am I sharing all of this? Yesterday, I received an email from Hank that simple broke my heart - both because of its content but also because I know it broke Hank's heart to write it. It was an email notifying his rescue network that he cannot take in any puppies at this time because of what it cost to get several litters of puppies ready to travel to out-of-state rescues. Litters of puppies are very expensive to vet - especially to a rescue that isn't receiving an adoption fee to offset the costs. It can be anywhere from 2-12 dogs incurring charges simultaneously - can you imagine how quickly those charges add up?

I don't want Hank to have to turn away AND animals during this cold winter season so I am asking for your help. Hank did NOT ask for me to send out an email - this is 100% all me. I believe in Hank with all my heart and wish that I could cover the amount of his veterinary bill on my own but I simply can't so I'm sending this message to everyone that I know - my comrades in rescue, my personal friends and my family. Specifically to my friends and family - in lieu of a gift this year, please make a donation to Kindred Spirit Animal Rescue Center.

You can donate online by clicking on the following link:

Help Kindred Spirit Animal Rescue Center

You can also mail in monetary donations and supplies (blankets, raw hides, toys, collars, leashes, etc) to:

Kindred Spirit Animal Rescue Center

HC 1 Box 3977

Fairdealing MO 63939

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Please remember that no donation is too small.

For those of you unable to donate, I ask that you share this message and keep Hank in your thoughts and prayers.

There is no one else to lead the charge down in Fairdealing, Missouri. Please help Hank to continue to be able to help the homeless animals in his region. It's his passion and his life.

With much love and respect,

Kerin

Long Time No Blog

Wow
i really stink at this updated blog posting resolution i made a few months ago.
maybe i'll get better
maybe not

Ennui....

it's a beautiful day and the sun is shining and it's over 70 degrees.
why do i feel so "bleah"?

A book I have to read....

heard about a book called "You Ruined it for Everyone! 1010 People Who Screwed Things Up for the Rest of Us" by Matthew Vincent.

link to story in USA today by clicking on the title to this post


I'm an anglophile, and the cold toast thing always bugs me....

What to do when you have to go

This blog is about restrooms

Bathrooms, toilets, WCs, loos..you know what I mean.

This should be simple, but when you're in a foreign country, it's sometimes nerve-wracking.

First time I was in Tokyo, just off the airplane. I go thru customs and run to the nearest toilet I could find. I go in, go to the first stall and was confronted with a gutter, or a drain. Not sure what to call it (an in-ground sink?), but it sure as heck wasn't the familiar stool that we encounter here in the US. It's more common in Japan (and in other countries) to find a "squat toilet", kind of like peeing on the ground. Only it's not the ground, it's porcelain and has water and a flusher, but you pretty much have to squat. I never really got the hang of this, since my balance is precarious. Suffice to say that I took to wearing skirts, or got used to undressing from the waist down in order to answer the call of nature!

WIkipedia has nice explanations and photos so you can see what I mean:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan
(or click on the title of this blog post too)



I've also encountered squat toilets in Europe too (the top of St. Peter's in Rome comes to mind!)

Besides Japanese toilets, I've also learned that when traveling, it's good to keep some things in mind:

Some restrooms will have attendants and they expect a tip. Sometimes in exchange for a tip, they will give you a few squares of really scratchy toilet paper.

Some restrooms will have attendants that expect a tip and don't even give you some scratchy TP in return. I always pack travel size tissue packs for this purpose.

Some restrooms have no attendant, so always good to come prepared with tissues and even hand sanitizer.

McDonald's tend to have recognizable bathrooms that no one will hassle you for using if you don't buy anything (though if you like ICE COLD milk, this is the place to find it)

Places like Brazil have little covered wastebaskets that you put ALL paper waste into (even when I stayed at a fancy, hermetically sealed chain like a Hilton in Sao Paolo) since the systems can't handle the paper.

Always good to search out information on this stuff. Maybe it's because i'm a woman, but peeing seems to be more of an issue for me than my husband. He can even pee into the gutter in Japan and no one even looks twice (only really works late at night, when every other salary man is off work and out for a few drinks with friends!)

Happy Travels!

Italian class!

a month ago i started taking Italian classes again. i am the same student i always was in college: i left my homework until the last minute and did it last night. i did manage to practice my verbs on the train to work this morning. i feel that fluency will not be achievable until i find time to go to Italy and get lost for a few weeks.

20th anniversary week continues!

okay...so yesterday was our "official" anniversary day.
Our picnic has been put off until this evening, and it will be in front of the TV catching up on Burn Notice.
We had a bit of a situation to deal with last night. Bjorn crashed on his bike commuting home from work.
This meant I had to assist with hosing him down with Bactine and applying some bandages. We only had energy for some
Mexican take out after that (and watching some season 2 of True Blood).

Woohoo! who says we don't know how to celebrate?

In homage to the Discovery Channel....

August 1 brings us Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. My husband and I FINALLY caved in and got cable (for the reception - those digital TV antennas and close proximity to MSP airport don't mix) a few months ago. Hence, it will be our first Shark Week as a couple.

But we've been married 20 years. This week. So we decided that we needed to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary with a week long string of events (some big, some small, some not really events at all...but work with us, we've never done this before).

So we're celebrating 20th Wedding Anniversary Week (restraining order free since 1990!)

Sunday: Como Zoo and brunch
http://www.comozooconservatory.org/

Monday: husband picked me up after Italian class w/ a box full of gourmet cupcakes from Sweet's Bakeshop
http://www.theitalianculturalcenter.org/
http://www.sweetsbakeshop.com/

Tuesday (tonight): Tapas and drinks at Solera!
http://www.solera-restaurant.com/

We'll see what else happens this week!

PS - My niece will be moving close to the HQ of the Discovery Channel in MD (in honor of shark week?)

I've simply GOT to start blogging more!

Would be a pity to let this space go to waste.

to quote John Lennon

life is what happens when you're busy making other plans

my blogging has fallen by the wayside in the rush to keep up at work

going bananas loading RSS feeds into my google reader

mwah ha ha ha......(rubbing hands together vigorously)

8 Things - Thing Number Three

Just started the lesson on RSS feeds, ashamed to say I was kind of clueless. Haven't finished the Thing yet, but will work on it as time allows. Seems to me it's similar to when i sign up for a site and ask to be emailed any time there is an update - but different!

Web 2.0

Moving along into "thing 2"
BMJ editorial - good to see - the big challenge is getting increased participation. some people are not big on embracing technolgy (age old dilemma). The article has a lot of good references to check out too.

Stephen's Lighthouse - lots of good stuff here - a bit overwhelming. but i took a quiz on smartphones and i like the latest post about "50 things" - important to think about

LOVED the video - saw it once before but i can't remember where

I'm the kind of person who wants to go in and "clean up" all of the unused websites that have been abandoned.... I hate clutter! So i'll try not to think about it

BLOG PROMPTS
1. why take this course? why not? i'll learn neat and interesting stuff - i can amaze my friends at cocktail parties
2. some of those videos are from 3 years ago (posted) - i don't think i was aware of YouTube 3 years ago
3. the Wayback Machine is cool....sites are definitely more user-friendly now. The old ICSI.org website is a dinosaur!
4. at 2 different times, probably spent about 2 hours reading and surfing around

extra bonus: not sure if i think the number of articles on PubMed is large or small. Seems to me that this stuff isn't going away. Younger people are embracing this sort of stuff. Us "older" sorts better get w/ the program (change or get left behind)

back from vacation

Vacation was lovely, though Tampa was colder than normal.
I HIGHLY recommend "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett. I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to read it (published about 9 years ago?). I really enjoyed it

Books I hope to finish reading on vacation

I am bringing 3 old books that i've never read on vacation:Track of the Cat (can't remember the author's name) and book 2 in the series. All I know is that they are all set in National Parks w/ a main character by the name of Anna Pidgeon (did I get that right?)
and
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
here's hoping I find the time to read all of them (I plan to leave them behind on the ship in the swapping library area)
Labels: authors, books, vacation

My first blog (not really...)

First blog post on my new blog. I have one set up on Ning, but it's restricted to a specific group of people (and i haven't been on it in a LONG time). We'll see if I get better at blogging now.

I leave on vacation tomorrow, but wanted to get this in before the 3/1 deadline. A cruise in the Gulf of Mexico/Western Caribbean awaits.

Ciao!