I Let Another One Go, But I'm Not Upset

I had to let another potential worker go last night. Usually that kind of thing upsets me, because I don't like to tell someone "you're fired!" but this guy pushed the wrong button. I never would have known he was like that. He wrote me a note last night to clarify what I want. Upon first reading it, I was like OK. So I will write back to him and give him more info. But then I got to the end of the note, which he wrote "I am trusting you won't turn around and use my page on your site without payment. Don't let me regret it." All this when I already told him in the previous letter that I wasn't going to be using these mock-ups on the site! It pissed me off when he said this!! It kinda hit me like an 18-wheeler on the highway! At the very first instant, it didn't register, so I continued to write the note giving him a better explaination of what I wanted, at the end of that letter I wrote "Why on Earth would I use your page when I said I wasn't going to???" Then the more I thought about what he said, the madder I got. I almost was not going to do this, but I did. I wouldn't have felt better if I hadn't. I wrote back to him again with this message:

"Listen, let me do this, I'll just let you go. I believe that the relationship between a worker and employer is sacred. And if you cannot trust me to keep my word then there's no relationship there. I'm sorry. I wish you all the best. Please disregard my offer to accept your work. Thank you."

As angry as I was, I tried to keep a civil and professional position. I'm serious, he really burned me up with that remark. He may be a young 20-year old who does not yet know that what he says sometimes can lead to harsh consequences. I was that way when I was 20 too. And it wasn't like I didn't tell him that I would not use these pages on the site. All I needed was a visual. I only need that because my understanding of coding and anything related is so poor. I need a visual! I wouldn't ask for it if I didn't need it so much. Well, as I said in my last blog, I knew this was not going to be an easy choice. So many people have sent me such wonderful ideas, it's going to be tough to choose the right worker for the site. But this is the first time someone I was about to hire has ticked me off and I've let them go because of that. No one else has ever talked to me like that when I was about to hire them. I treat all of them with the greatest respect. Some people can feel it I guess while others can't.

It was supposed to rain today!!! But it's sunny out there!!! I hate it! I've seen the damn sun all damn week!! It has wreaked havoc on my sinuses!! My nose is constantly bleeding now!! I knew this would happen! It almost is never rainy at this time of year here. It rained last night, but this morning, it's sunny and cold, the worst kind of weather for me. The weather girl said last night we were supposed to have rain ALL WEEK!! I knew it was too good to be true. Instead we got the stupid sun!!! And I thought it was moist here all the time. Before we moved here, that's how it was. That's why I moved here. That's what happens when I move to a place. I've always been unlucky in that way! The first year, it's fine, it rains when it's supposed to. But after being here for a year, the sun starts to show up all the time. And now it only rains at night. The days are sunny, cold and dry! Wanna bet when we move to Bozeman, it's going to stop snowing? Those will be worse days, because there for sure it gets sunny, cold and dry!!! And stays that way for months.

I Never Figured This Would Be Easy

I'm still in the process of trying to find a designer for my Metazoica site. I've been deleting people who I didn't feel clicked with me, and I know I've broken a few hearts in the process. Well, today, to help me make a final decision, I asked all the applicants to turn in a mockup page displaying a picture and the text to accompany, par my specifications. So far, I've gotten a couple of submissions. I got one guy who couldn't do a mockup until April 19th. I told him I absolutely could not wait that long. Much as I liked him and knew he could do a great job on the site, I had to let him go. I told him I was sorry. I have a lot of other applicants whose raw work I'd love to see. And I felt it wouldn't be fair to leave them hanging on for an answer until the 19th. Some of them are rather impatient, and want answers NOW!!!!

Well tonight, one of my favorites submitted a mockup, and he did rather well! He made a really dynamic, eye-catching website for Metazoica. I added him to my favorites on the site, and I added him to my MSN messenger. I also added him to my Facebook. I really like his work! But he hit me with a trick question tonight. After I had viewed the mockup site, and told him how wonderful it looked, he wanted to know right then if he could begin working on the site. I told him as much as I'd love to say yes, I cannot. I still have to think about the other applicants. I have to save time for them to show me their work. I hated to let him down, but I felt it would have been rude of me to just hire him without giving the others an opportunity to show me their work. And I told him all this before he made the mockup. I hoped it was clear and he understood. I told him I could not make a final choice until the end of the month. That's plenty of time for others to submit their work for me to review. Well, he backed off, saying he was no longer interested in working with my project, that he has a couple others to work on. It struck me like a lightening bolt. I thought he understood!! But I was wrong in thinking that I guess. I just want him to realize, I did not reject him voluntarily!! He rejected himself from my project! I told him he was actually quite close to winning the position. But he still wasn't interested. He said he needs a job right now. I feel bad for sure, but it's his choice. And I surely don't want to keep him from a sure job. So, I took him off my list. I hated to, but he made his choice.

I asked everyone to submit a mockup, it'll help me make my final choice. This has not been an easy, or even a restful, journey. I hate telling people I am not interested in their services. Especially when someone has so much potential. I just sit here wondering how many more people are going to react like that one did before I make my final choice?? LORD have mercy!! I may have no one left to choose from and I'll have to continue to do the site myself. UGH!!! Oh well, I've managed this far. But it would have been nice having the site professionally done. I'd just rather not post the job on a place like elance, they don't allow you to ask for mockups. And I am sooooo poor in figuring out internet language, I need a visual aid just to understand. I don't want to risk hiring someone like the guy who did the UMG website! I won't go through that again!!!! If I remember correctly, he wouldn't even do a mockup.

Well, in other news, one of my Facebook buddies told me about Joan Rivers saying shit about fat people in general. I made a video telling her what I think of her saying that (fun or not), I told her to kiss my ass. Well, I was never a fan of her's anyway, but the comment she made on Twitter just downgraded my opinion of her. Well, it struck a chord with a couple of Joan Rivers fans already, LOL! I have the feeling there will be many more! hehehe! Oh well. Like I said in an earlier video, it just goes in one ear and out the other! hehe!

A Loss of Thought

I don't know what to do. I have been in the midst of hiring a professional to redo my whole Metazoic site, particularly the Meet The Mammals section. I want to make that section a little more streamlined, and I tried to do it all by myself. No such luck!! I suck when it comes to programming! So I noticed Yahoo has joined with a site called Odesk. It seems to be a good site where you can find professionals and hire them for a specific job. I set a rate and got several responses. I can only spend so much on this project. It's not like the UMG project where there was nothing but books to purchase (the site is still down and I'm thinking of moving it to a different server!) But I only have one page devoted to selling some things, and even that is just a hobby. I haven't sold anything yet, and I really don't expect to. Not saying I couldn't fulfill my obligation to, but that's not entirely what Metazoica is all about. It's a virtual zoo. I take donations that keeps the site up and running. That's also the extent of it. I will also have a members area in the future, to showcase videos and even video games depicting these mammals. That's something I've always wanted to do. But that comes much later. Right now I want to just add a few simple features to the site. I have eliminated a couple of people for whatever reasons. Mostly because their quote was too high, or they didn't have the skills I am looking for. I cannot spend too much on this site. However, I have one worker who has offered to redo the whole site for $350 and I am almost considering taking him up on his offer. But then I had another person tell me that programmers from India don't know what they're doing. I wasn't sure whether to take his word or not! My last programmer was from Pakistan, and he didn't seem to know what he was doing, and he abandoned my project! So, I'm not going to pick someone based on their location. It could have been some kind of hijinx or bitterness even. I don't know.

There's another guy that has applied and he also sounds great! He can do this project and I like his prices on animation. I might also consider him, if nothing else, for the help in animation! I did tell him in the future I plan to have movies available about some of the more interesting mammals on the site. He can do movies at $300 each! Not bad!! Well, that's one of the better prices I've seen for animated movies. I wonder how the movies would look at that cost?? Of course whoever does the movies would have to be able to add furry textures on the animals. I wouldn't want it any other way. And I'd want exceptional quality. Oh well, not now. Later!

This is a very tough choice, though I think I am going to go back and eliminate some more workers. I hate that part!! I know how Timmy used to feel on Black Wednesdays when he was doing Rockstar: INXS. Eliminations are always difficult! I hate to destroy a person's chances of a job. But I want someone who can really make me smile with this work. I even spoke to one of the applicants last night, and he sounds good too! UGH!! This is not going to be an easy choice. But it's something I have to do. I want to narrow the field a little more. I want to make the right choice. This time, I'll let instinct do the thinking. hehe! I don't want another worker like the one that did the UMG Productions site!! I want someone who will always be there when I need them, and do what I want them to do. That last guy, he never even removed those banners I kept telling him I didn't want! They were an eyesore!! I want someone who can do a better job, and make Metazoica a real eye-catching site. Maybe I'll go with the guys who wanted to revamp the whole site. That would be a nice switch. Like I said, this isn't going to be an easy choice! What to do? I don't know! Someone's going to get this job. I know the others will have other work sources, so I guess I need not worry about that. I'd like to give some young sprig starting out a chance too. hehe! That'd be good on them. Ohhhh but this is one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make.

Stand Up Against Fat Discrimination

There is a new group on Facebook, and I'm hoping all who have weight issues will join me in this group as well. This is a group about standing up against fat discrimination. Even if you don't have weight issues, please join, and show you support fat acceptance. Fat people are being discriminated against all the time, for jobs, medical insurance and even having fun in amusement parks, movies that have seats made only for skinny folk, and we cannot even go on a helicopter ride because they tell us we're too fat. If you are sick of this, if you have relatives that are overweight, or friends who are overweight, or if you yourself are overweight, and you're just sick of the discrimination just because you weighed a few extra pounds, join this group on Facebook! If you are sick of going out of your house and you can't go a single block down the road without some jerk calling you a fat name, join this group. It'll give you some support. If you are trying to lose weight, this group will give you words of encouragement, and even show you the best way to lose weight. If you are a jackass who gets his jollies making fun of fat people, don't join! The group leader warns you will be deleted. But I urge anyone who has a friend, family member, or who is themselves overweight, to join this group. You'll be glad you did!! Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lets-stop-fat-discrimination/107247585967873?ref=mf

Sweepin' The Clouds Away

Well, today we got a big surprise, it's sunny today, and it was supposed to be raining. Well, I want to say happy St. Patrick's Day to all my viewers. My ma traditionally celebrates this day with a dinner of corned beef and cabbage. She's almost 50% Irish in background, so she kinda grew up with her grandma carrying on this tradition. Oh boy! I personally HATE corned beef and cabbage!! Funny eh? I guess the Irish genes are just not that dominant in me. hehe! That's a joke BTW. I definitely have those well-known characteristics, I am a little bit sweet and a little bit salty at times. In my case, more than ma's, I have a lot of characteristics thrown together giving me a balance in my temperament.  I'm almost 50% Mexican, so I have a lot of that Latin temperament as well as the Irish on top. I also have the rather hot temperament of the Scottish as well. A lethal combination. But I also have some Scandinavian softness added to my background. It's probably that that prevents me from completely flying off the handle and staying that way. But then it's run over again by the French/Italian in my background, which can also be quite temperamental. I get angry, but I get over it rather quickly. Sometimes when I blow up at someone, I usually think back and say to myself "Oh GOD how I wish I hadn't done that!" LOL! Sometimes when I get pissed, I can really get PISSED!!! That's when I do the things that has me wishing I hadn't done them in the afterthought. hehe! I'm still working on cooling off. Well, today I am celebrating with making some mint-chocolate cookies. I found some Andes mint chips in a store, and I thought that would be cool made up in a batch of my famous deep chocolate cookies. Where I usually add chocolate chips to that batter, today instead I am going to add mint chips. It's gonna be GOOOOOOD!!! Yes I admit it, I like to splurge in sweets once in a while.

Well, I found out Hutch's Strangest Party is going to be sending condolence cards to Timmy's wife, Beth. I think that's a very nice thing to do and I would love to send her a card myself. So I will definitely be a part of this. I never met the woman, and I barely know Tim! But shoot, I cut my hair for people like her. I feel like I need to do something great in addition to cutting my hair. Cutting my hair was a radical change for me! I'm so much more used to having it long. Well, last night, I had Anna dye my hair, kinda turning the clock back a little. As if that's some big thing!! I've been gray since I was 10 years old!! My ma was an early grayer and so is Anna. She just doesn't have as much gray hair as me. Everyone seems to like my hair better short. Maybe I should keep it this way.

I also got another interesting e-mail, from the so-called "Better Breeders Corner". Apparently their forum has been hacked. Looks like karma is rearing it's ugly head for them! I can only look at that message and laugh. Well, I laughed for a while, then I tossed it away. I don't ever go in that forum, and have no interest in what happens to it or anyone else in that forum. Well!! I do have a few buddies in there, and I do care about my buddies. But the rest I couldn't care less about. Most of the people in there are the dirty dozen mob. And they like to look up other peoples' personal info and put it on the forum. Ya know, the time and effort they put so much into poking their noses in other peoples' business, would be so much better spent doing something useful, like I put some of my time into helping out with Leukemia awareness. Oh but look at whom I am talking about. Most of the dirty dozen don't even know how to hold scissors, much less how to use them. And I doubt they care anything about leukemia awareness. If it doesn't affect their cats or dogs, I doubt they care about it.

Timmyfan: The Night After

I put this video together last night, it adds a bit of comedy relief to my "cutting my hair" video. I haven't had short hair in over 15 years, so I thought I would play a little on that, and show what I was first thinking when I saw myself in the mirror for the first time after cutting my hair. This is strictly for comedy, nothing else. I'm not trying to make fun of people who are bald or have short hair. I'm sure not making fun of Timmy or anyone with leukemia. My sis Anna almost ruined this video because she took my whining too seriously. That's how it is in this house. hehe! Anyway, hope you all enjoy it. :)

Tim Farriss For Leukemia Awareness

Tim Farriss sports a new look with his "hair-dresser". He shaved his head for charity. He did it for leukemia awareness. He did that, and is asking for sponsors in his cause. I could not give any money myself, but I did what I could to show him I am backing him up in his quest. I cut my own hair. I made a video of the event myself and placed it on YouTube. My hair was growing, it was down past my hips. To cut it was a huge sacrifice on my part. I wanted to let it go down to my feet! But I wanted to support Timmy in his cause.

It wasn't until after I recorded this video and put it together that I found out the reason Tim was going for this event. His wife, Beth, also has been stricken with leukemia. I cannot tell you how sorry I was to hear that. I told Tim my thoughts and prayers are with him and his wife as well. Hope she can get better. I truly do. Also, I am hoping to hear something about another friend who was striken with cancer, and hope all is well with her. I haven't heard anything from her in about 2 years, and I have been quite worried about her. So I did this for her too.

I have said in the past that if Tim ever became bald and weighed 300 pounds, I would still love him!!! LOL! Well, I know he doesn't weigh no 300 pounds, but now the little bald guy comes out. And I think he's just as cute as a button!!! I want to kiss his little bald dome!!! hehehe!! He looks better than me! My hair hasn't been this short since I was in high school! And I was skinnier back then! I look terrible! But, it's for a good cause. It's the best I can do right now. Anyone who would like to support Timmy in this venture, go to this link: http://my.imisfriendraising.com.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=343735&langPref=en-CA

Cages Now In The Making

Well, I've got some cages now in the making! This first one I am working on will be for birds. Finches and softbills mostly. I bought my stuff for the cage when I went to Oregon last week. I bought wooden planks, screws, hinges, clasps, wood glue, silicone, and some other things. I had them cut the planks right there in the store. In my little car, I had no idea how else I was going to carry them home. The next day, I discovered I needed a sander, I had a lot of splinters in the wood! So I went and bought a sander. It's a nice one! And sanding was the easy part! That was the fun. I spent 2 days sanding every piece of wood I had. Including the scrap wood, which I know I can find some use for. Next I had to screw each piece together. My father lent me his drill and bits, and I tried to use them. They kept breaking! I couldn't figure it out so I went to the hardware store here in town and I asked for the strongest drill bits they had. So that's what I got. I came home and started using it and it worked like a champ! Now I was happy, I could drill the holes to screw in the screws, and now I have made a half a box.  But then I realized my shorter planks to go on the ends, were too long! I hadn't counted on that so, I needed to cut them down. I was going to go to the local lumbermill and ask them if they could cut it down for me. But my father came up yesterday and said he would do it. I asked him if he could cut a perfectly straight line and he said yes. So I said OK.

We went out with my father and stepmother yesterday. While I was out with my pa, he asked me what I will be putting in this cage and I said birds. He said "Are you going to have a lot of birds like you did when we lived in Toutle?" and I said "For sure!" He told me not to get any birds. He argued that birds carry diseases and stuff. Shoot! Cats carry more diseases than birds do, and stepmom always has to have a cat! I just stuck my tongue out at him, I wasn't in the mood to argue with him about what I can and cannot have!! The man still believes he owns me. He still thinks he can tell me what I can and cannot do. Typical father I guess. I never get birds that are big and noisy, like macaws. I'm not interested in them. I like little birds, like little finches and softbills. I'm thinking a few pairs of gouldian finches for this cage. Along with maybe some diamond finches, or perhaps shaft tail finches. Maybe put in a couple of diamond doves as well. Make this an aussie cage! hehe!

Well, father was wrong about his being able to cut a straight board!! The boards came out a little bit crooked!! My own fault!! I should have followed my first instinct!! DOH!!! But anyway, the bottom is almost finished and it weighs about 100 pounds!!! But hey! The foundation must be solid. All I have to do is put the wheels on the base and it'll be done. Then I can make the frame. The frame will be made up of 2x4s. I'm thinking of putting a solid back on the cage. That might look better. Then the front and sides will be made up of acrylic. I got some price quotes on acrylic and I will soon be ready to put that in. I'm even thinking of finishing off the cage with a coat of paint and even stencil a little design on the frame. Maybe some birds and leaves. It'd be cool!!!

Later, I will be making the lid, and I will have to install some lighting fixtures, which is easier than it sounds. I'm going to put in some UVA and UVB emitting lights, which are important to the health of the birds. As well as heat bulbs. So I need to install fixtures for both. Since these are all grass birds, I should simulate a grassland environment. Petco often sells terrarium grass. Let's see what happens! Next cage I am going to build needs to be perfect. I will be creating a cage for day geckos. Their cage will be recreating a rainforest environment. I'll be installing a sprinkler system in that one so it needs to be perfect. No gaps, no holes, no mistakes! Then maybe another bird cage. One for small waxbills like St. Helena's. They're cool! And Cordon bleus which are really pretty! Maybe purple-cheeked waxbills too. And if I can find them, pygmy doves. Those are very hard to find though. I've only seen them available once and that was 10 years ago at an exotic bird and reptile expo.

Well anyway, that's been my week. That is why I haven't blogged much this past week, been so busy.

Tsunami Tscare

Well, we had a bit of a tsunami scare here, but it turned out to be false. Though the waves did kick up a little bit. My ma was out all day, she got herself a new car. Yippee!! It's a Ford Focus. Bummer!! I hate Fords!! They are the most unreliable cars there is. Well, I heard there may still yet be a tsunami in Japan. There was a bit of one in Hawaii, how bad it was I don't know just yet. I'm hoping my friends and family still living in Hawaii are OK. I have a godmother there. So, I hope she and her children are OK. Of course her children are all grown!! Not sure if they still live there or not. I remember her name is Gladys, and last time I heard from her was in 1995.

Well today's been a full day! Ma's been gone with my stepfather, I've been working on this book about mammals of the Metazoic, I got called retarded white American trash by someone on YouTube. LOL! Been a full day! hehe! I seriously need some help with the Metazoic site. My old buddies keep asking me when I'm going to do something new and different. I keep telling them I don't know. I've got a lot on my plate now as it is. I simply cannot wait till Monday!!! I'm going to get my stuff and begin building my bird and reptile cages!! I am also on pins and needles about the upcoming new INXS website! Oh boy! Is that ever exciting!! If they are going to have a forum, and let mere fans moderate it, if I may, I'd like to make a suggestion for the owners of the site. Have anyone who applies to moderate the forums go through some kind of rigorous test or something. Or online moderation classes or something because I don't think it's fair to have posts deleted just because they cause a little bit of a debate on the forum. The site needs action and a debate will do it. Like I said, as long as there are no personal attacks involved. But last time I was on that forum, I noticed one of the mods erased a whole thread simply because someone she didn't like posted on that thread, which was as stupid an act as I've ever seen anyone perform!!! My advice is DO NOT allow someone like that to moderate again!!! Of course if that person does, I won't be going in the forum, but I'm just laying out a bit of advice. They can take it, and create a forum that is peaceful and fun, or tell me to shove it and have a forum that is so sensitive it won't be any fun at all.

I think personally, ONLY posts that present a personal attack on someone should be removed. But because a post causes a few people to disagree does not mean that the thread should be deleted. There are ways a person can disagree and still maintain a respectful, graceful position. I've done it lots of times myself. Here's some examples of a good and bad debate for someone to go by:

Good debate:
Mikessa: I don't want to worry about world hunger when I am facing problems of my own.

Timmyfan: Hello Mik, sorry to hear about your problems but world hunger is a growing problem that should be the concern of everyone.

Bad debate (including personal attacks):
Mikessa: I don't want to worry about world hunger when I am facing problems of my own.

MadameX: oh shut up about your problems, who cares about you when there are starving children in this world you moron!!

The latter type of comments are the kind that does nobody any good and should be deleted. I understand that people can get upset when there are disagreements, believe me I used to!! Sometimes, without either party realizing it, the debate can lead up to the kind of comments like the one from "MadameX" simply because someone like "Mikessa" in the example, holds fast to her beliefs. That's to be expected. So her comment should be deleted because it has a personal attack involved, and if possible, would be better if it was taken to PMs. But it wouldn't be worth it really if Mikessa is going to just hold on to her beliefs. Then MadameX's arguments would be futile. hehe!!! :)

Anyway, I hope this clears the air a bit.

Andrew Koenig Found Dead

It's true!! The child actor of Growing Pains was missing in Vancouver BC for some time. Police and rescue teams have been searching for him for a week. Well, he was found today in a rather remote forest where he usually liked to retreat to, after having killed himself. I don't know the guy, but I'll tell you his story is no different than any other child star story. As sad as I am to hear this news, I mean no death is a picnic, this is how a lot of child stars end up. Either dead at an early age or imprisoned. My sis says it's because as adults, they usually realize their glory days of stardom are over. As adults they are usually not wanted in movies or any other TV shows. Not all of them get rejected though. Look at Melissa Gilbert. She was still in movies and on TV even after she became an adult. Granted they were low-budget movies.

Well anyway, my prayers go out to Koenig's family. May GOD give them strength in this horrible time of loss.

Speaking of losses, UMG Productions is going to be down for a while. We're experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment. The site will be up again just as soon as we can get these problems resolved.

Pure Ecstacy!!!

I just found out that INXS.com is going to be back. I am a very happy camper now!!! I cannot wait! Am I going to join again? Maybe. Will I be an active member again? I have no clue! If they are going to have a forum again, I want to know who is going to be moderating. I like Drumbaby a lot, but I just wish she wasn't so sensitive when it comes to moderating the posts. A little rebellion isn't going to hurt anyone. If all the posts on the forum were to be nothing more than a kumbaya love fest, it'd be pretty damn boring!!! I'm just stating facts here. As long as the person isn't specifically targeting any one person, the way Catsredrum and the rest of her delusional dim-wit friends do, I say there is no harm in having a debate on the forum. But personal battles probably should be taken to PMs. But if certain people are going to moderate the forum again, I will not become an active member. One of them, last time I checked, still lives in this state and I don't want her to find my house and possibly poison another one of my dogs again! That's also one of the main reasons I will not join any INXS forums. Because I know this person and the mods are siding together, and I'm pretty sure they would be more than happy to share my personal info with her. So, before I'd make a single post on that forum on INXS.com, I'd want to know who is moderating. If it's someone I don't trust, I won't post at all. If I have no idea at all who is moderating, I won't post at all. Simple as that! If the site has blogs again, I might just use them. Maybe. I feel safer here though.

This reminds me of the Biblical book of Revelations. LOL!! Well, as of this typing, inxs.com will be back again in 34 days, 20 hours, 19 minutes and 21 seconds! LOL! They have it all pinpointed to the last second! This is so exciting! I cannot wait to see these guys again. I heard their concert in BC really rocked! As they always do in my opinion. I saw a pic of Timmy this morning. Is he going back for that mullet look? His hair was standing on end. Timmy, please!! Let that hair grow!! I love it long! :D No matter what he still looks good to me. I cannot wait to gaze into his magnificent eyes again. I cannot even begin to describe how I felt seeing a new pic of him today! I realized, I miss him more than I first thought. I can't wait till they go back on tour, I just hope I'm not too busy to go to a few concerts. With my cages being built and Anna moving to the dorm at MSU. I hope she can stay there. She had trouble at the dorms in Yellowstone. She snores too loudly, so they almost kicked her out of there. When we were bunking in a room together in Bozeman last year, I didn't hear her snoring. But then again, I am a sound sleeper! An earthquake couldn't wake me up. Also, there is a reptile expo I want to try and make it to in Anneheim, CA. Not sure why I want to go! Most everybody there is probably going to be selling nothing but man-made mutated reptiles!! It'd be a big disappointment and waste of my time because I prefer the natural colors. Sometimes though I like to take my chances.

Well, in other news, did anyone hear about the SeaWorld worker who was killed by a killer whale??? I did! The trainer's name was Dawn Brancheau, and some say she was taken underwater and violently shaken. Others say she was simply drowned. This is so uncharacteristic of killer whales!! I remember hearing of 2 other incidents where killer whales have actually killed humans. The first was in 1991. The second was in 2000. And now, 10 years later, another trainer is killed by an overamorous orca!! I wonder if this really is signaling the end of the world because now I am noticing animals are not acting like they used to. I can remember polar bears used to never attack adult walrus. Lions never used to hunt elephants. Killer whales never used to hunt people. Killer whales are intelligent too! They should be able to know the trainer is a friend. Well, SeaWorld said they are going to keep working with this whale, even though it attacked someone already and killed them. I'm not so sure that's a very good idea. If the whale killed once, more than likely it'll do it again. Not the best idea to allow people to work with it again. But that's just my opinion. My prayers are with the family of this worker.

I knew this would happen! PETA is having a field day with this news!!! As usual, they want to close Sea World and turn it into a simple sanctuary for marine animals. All the stupid celebs that also support PETA are getting in on the act. I wonder if the celebs that support PETA are in any way aware of their "sea kittens" campaign?? Maybe not. Because I'd think if they were, that would have made them stop supporting, knowing how stupid it makes them look to support an organization that creates such dumb ideas. PETA seems to think it's GOD or something. LOL! Wanna hear what one stupid celeb PETA supporter is doing about this? There seems to be no remorse for the worker who was killed, they blame it on the people. Anyway, read this article. I advise no one to sign this idiot's petition!! It won't do no good! Zoos are educational places for people to see and learn about wild animals. Just turning it into a sanctuary is not going to help the animals at all. PETA is using celebs to get out their stupid campaigns and it only proves that these celebrity supporters are at least as dumb as PETA is!! I left a comment saying such.

Small Dogs Connection With The Middle East

I always knew this. I first read that chihuahuas actually came from China back before I got my first chihuahua. The original chihuahua, the dog from Mexico and named for the capital city, originally weighed about 50 pounds. The Aztec royalty used them as heat pads on cool nights. Hence the term for a cold night a "3-dog night". The cooler it got, the more dogs were piled on to a person to keep warm. And chihuahuas really do seem to keep you warmer than any other dog. They also guarded their masters viciously. That's why the modern chihuahua has a plucky, terrier-like temperament. The only thing that has changed is the size. That changed when the Chinese invaded Mexico and took these canine heat-pads to their land, and their emperor. The dogs were fed a diet of rice and pork, which stunted their growth and over time the size stuck. Today, you may still see some throwbacks to the original breed, but none are 50 pounds anymore. The largest purebreed chihuahua I've ever seen was a whopping 25 pounds. It was tall, and fat. Today, with mock registries taking over and mediocre breeders continuing to breed dogs like that, I'd question if that dog really was a purebreed chihuahua. But that one did have AKC registration. I saw the pedigree and all. It was just a mediocre specimen.

Any time you see someone using ACA (American Canine Association) or CKC (Continental Kennel Club--not to be confused with the more reputable Canadian Kennel Club) or APRI (American Pet Registry, Inc--also known simply as APR) you simply must question the dog's ancestry. People who use these registries typically cross breeds, or have no accurate records of their breedings. Then there's the registries themselves. Look at their site, they register designer mongrels. Bad idea for any registry's reputation! Anyway, here's the article I found. I thought it was interesting.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/small-dogs-middle-east.html

Small Dogs Originated in the Middle East



These miniature mutts were the descendants of gray wolves, which also happen to be smaller than many other wolves.
 
Small dogs the world over can all trace their ancestry back to the Middle East, where the first diminutive canines emerged more than 12,000 years ago.
A new study, which appears in BMC Biology, focused on a single gene responsible for size in dogs. Researchers found that the version of the gene IGF1 that is a major determinant of small size in dogs probably originated as a result of domestication of the Middle Eastern gray wolf, which also happens to be smaller than many other wolves.
In terms of which came first, big dogs or small dogs, the answer is now the former.
"Archaeological studies suggest that ancient (dog) remains found in Belgium, Germany and Western Russia, which date to 13,000-31,000 years ago, were most similar in body size to the Great Dane, while those from the Middle East dating to about 12,000 years ago were most similar to a small terrier," lead author Melissa Gray told Discovery News.
For the study, Gray, a researcher in the Laboratory of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and her colleagues traced the evolutionary history of the IGF1 gene. To do so, they surveyed a large sample of gray wolf populations, other wild members of the Canidae family, and numerous breeds of dogs.
Gray and her team first confirmed that all domesticated dogs trace their heritage back to gray wolves. She indicated the jury is still out as to when and where the world's first dog -- of any size -- emerged.
All small dogs, normally weighing 20 pounds or less, share the variant of IGF1 also found in Middle Eastern gray wolves, the scientists discovered. This means the gene must have surfaced early in the history of small dogs, but after dogs in general were first domesticated.
The DNA studies, combined with the archaeological record, then suggest that at least 12,000 years ago, the first domesticated small dogs entered the world, with humans playing a major role in the process.
"(There) could have been a mutation arising early in the history of dogs," said Gray, "which was maintained by breeding and artificial selection by humans, or could have been an adaptive trait that developed during domestication as a means to coexist with humans."
The timing and location provide intriguing clues, as Middle Eastern societies then were moving away from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and towards agriculture-based communities.
"Small (dog) size could have been more desirable in more densely packed agrarian societies where dogs may have lived partly indoors or in confined outdoor spaces," Gray explained.
"It is unlikely that dogs at that time were used as a source of protection, but more likely that they were used initially for their fur, as a food source, and possibly companionship," she added.
Reduction in body size is a common feature of domestication and has been observed in other animals, such as cattle, pigs and goats.
David Macdonald of the University of Oxford and Carlos Driscoll of the National Institutes of Health point out in a separate paper in the Journal of Biology that most of the Western barnyard animals were domesticated beginning at around the same time 12,000 years ago.
Dogs stood out from the rest, however, because they were "in the role of not just a treasured companion, but a precursor to wealth and inequality" since "dogs are likely to have become status symbols as well as being intrinsically valuable," Macdonald and Driscoll wrote.

Wax Hutch Figure

Hm. I don't think it looks anything like Michael. I found this among my Facebook articles this morning.
http://www.michaelhutchence.com.au/home/forum/topic/michaels-madame-tussauds-wax-statue-he-posed-for-in-1997

Perhaps the hair is what throws it off, but I don't think it looks like Michael at all! The moderator of that forum says it was a figure that was made in 1997, and Michael posed for hours for that thing. I don't know. It could be the hair that throws it off. Looks like a rather cheap impression of a ladie's wig. That's just my opinion. And the eyes kinda look evil. Michael had a much more innocent expression than that. The tips of the eyebrows are a bit too low. Michael's were more level. This guy looks pissed off. If this person did an impression of Michael, she should have done all of INXS. I kinda wonder what her impression of Timmy would have been like? LOL! He's a little more evil looking than Michael! hehe!! :P

Well, I was happy, I found an old buddy from an e-mail group I used to be a member of. Well, I am still a member there I think! LOL! I don't really know, I don't get into e-mail groups much anymore. But one thing I always remember about this guy, he was always nice, and he was sometimes very funny. I know one e-mail group kicked me off because I posted a link to my website, but I really didn't care at all. Simply because I don't use the groups much anymore. Kindof a shame. I wanted to get their opinions of my website. But eh! 'Tis OK. That was a group I almost never posted on to begin with. I find I am getting banned from places like that more and more. hehehe!! I must be getting evil in my old age. If indeed posting a link to an author's site on an author's forum is considered evil enough to ban someone. I don't know. I do know everyone has their own opinion of what is evil. Heck there are people on YouTube who think someone calling a fat person names is not an act of evil. But it is! Look at the people who do it. Many of the ones I've seen doing the act also have a look of pure evil in their eyes. And you notice they never do it to fat people who are obnoxious. They always do it to the sweetest fat people you could ever meet. That's been my experience.

Speaking of fat, I posted a video on YouTube about people calling fat people names. It's viewable on my channel. Actually the conversation goes in all directions. LOL!! That's me! That's my own unique brand of pillow-talk. I also talk a lot about my friends and family. I actually recorded the video a week ago, but I didn't complete the editing until last night and then I posted it on YouTube. I've been seeing so many people on YouTube just shit-talking fat people left and right. And you know who thinks they can get away with it?? Fat men!!! That's who. I told them no you can't. You're just as disgusting if you are a fat man as you think any fat woman is. So don't think your gender should let you off the hook of being seen as ugly or disgusting. Personally, I love a man with a little meat on his bones. Not obese, but I like a little meat. I don't really like skinny men. Someone like Timmy is what I like, and I always fall in love with men of his stature; dark hair, usually wavy or curly, with a somewhat huskey build. That's what I like. I think if I were a man I would be attracted to women who have a little meat as well. LOL! But I am not a man! Not even close. Just saying, meaty is my style! Though I have seen some attractive women who are full-figured. I've even seen some attractive women who are fat. But there are people who think just because a woman is fat they can't be attractive. But I am here to say that is not true!! I've only seen a relative handful of fat people who are not attractive. Sadly, I'm among those fat, unattractive women. Let's be honest here!! I have compensating qualities though. When I really like someone, I can be that person's very best, most loyal, friend. All of my friends compliment on how good of a friend I am to them. I may be a bit nutty, but my friends all say that is what adds a lot of spice to our friendship. Part of my attractive nuttiness comes from being so spontaneous. That's something I refuse to give up. I told one of my friends about how one time I went to Reno for dinner. hehehe!!! I did! I truly did. It was fun too. He said that's what he likes about me. The spontaneity. The only thing was that I had just lost my Groucho and it was the first long trip I took without her. So I wasn't happy all through that trip. But once I got to Reno, and saw all the lights and games and stuff, and the Peppermill where I had dinner, it made me happy again.

Fad Diets

My sis and I have been putting up some videos on YouTube about dieting and such similar subjects. I put those up in the hopes of helping others in the process of losing weight. I always say diets don't work. They don't!! That is something that I learned a long time ago. It's not about diets, the trick is training yourself to eat. Well, this morning I noticed someone commented on one of our videos, thinking it was a joke. I told her not at all. She's obviously a teenager who has probably only been on one diet in her life.

Well, we went in a variable circle, she says I am "jealous" because diets didn't work for me. I found that comment completely laughable!!!! There is no way on the planet I could ever be jealous of something like that because I know they typically don't work, and I am not the only one who has received results like that. Like I said, it's not about dieting, it's about retraining yourself to eat. The only way to accomplish that is to eat 6 small meals a day. Not large ones, like I'm not saying that you should eat 6 complete steak dinners every day!!! But 6 small-portioned meals is what is recommended. For example, here's a sample menu I received:

1. Breakfast can consist of 1 egg and a piece of dry toast (no butter, margarine or jelly).
2. 2 hours later, have an apple half.
3. Lunch can consist of a sandwich and some low-fat chips (check serving sizes).
4. 2 hours later, have the other apple half.
5. Dinner can consist of a small meat, like maybe a strip steak, veggies, perhaps a small baked potato, light on the butter. No cheese or sour cream though, unless it's low-fat.
6. 2 hours later have maybe a little dessert, like one of those 100-cal packs, or a cookie, or a small candy bar.

That's it! That's your food intake for the day! In between those, drink LOTS of water!! No soda, no beer, or any other alcoholic beverage, you can have one glass of juice, for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. I prefer fruit juice, like apple, orange, but I make sure I look at the ingredients to see that it is ONLY fruit and perhaps water. No sugar! Sometimes I get the cocktail juice, like cran-apple cocktail, or grape-apple cocktail juice. I like those, they're good, but the main thing is to make sure no sugar is added. I'm learning to love pomegranite juice. It is rich in anti-oxidants, which will aid in weight loss as well. Pomegranite juice takes some getting used to. When I first tasted it, I didn't really like it because I thought it tasted like this grape and cherry cough syrup combined with this codene syrup I used to have to take!! UGH!! But after a few weeks of drinking it, you learn to like it.

Well anyway, this girl proceeded to say I'm "jealous" or I'm "attacking dieters" and yadda-yadda-yadda. She said that losing weight quickly is better than being obese. I basically just sat back and laughed. I've seen idiots like her before! She's basically letting the haters run her life. She is losing weight for them, not for herself. I'm losing weight for myself, not to impress anyone else. I said to her she is misinformed, and then I basically said I'm through getting through to her. She's obviously one of those types that thinks the only way to do anything is her way or no way at all. I'm not about to waste my time with her! People like her, it's just so much better to let them find things out for themselves. I told her that in her search for the right way, I hope it doesn't kill her in the process. Then I blocked her. I should stop making other peoples' problems my problem!! That's my problem!! LOL!! I think too much of other people, and I need to stop that! Especially when the other person is an asshole who would deserve whatever happens to her! Bad or good.

Well, I thought about it, and I felt it wasn't right to block her, so I unblocked her. But I know her type so damn well, I know what her response is going to be once she finds out she is unblocked (if she ever found out she was blocked). What I said is going to make her worse. It's not going to make her think about what she's doing to herself, losing weight as fast as she is. But, that's NOT my problem!!! She's not my friend! If it kills her, that's her problem! I'm not explaining anything to her anymore!! She's either going to wind up dead, twice what she weighs now, or with severe medical problems and my only hope is that I get to hear about it. I'll be singing over her bedside, "I told you so!" I've seen it all before! Believe me. I will continue to make these videos, in hopes that they help someone else understand. Though I have no idea why Anna said that protein and iron are vitamins!!! I told her to talk about B-12 and she didn't do it!!!!! Not until the last minute! I should have pre-read that speech she made. But the rest of her video was well done.

Fans In An Uproar

And I am among them. Yesterday it was suggested that the INXS fans who want JD Fortune back join the Facebook group for Petrol Electric and tell Chris Murphy that we want JD back!! I'm so hoping it works out! I hope CM is the one who is actually reading that page and it not be just some third party individual. CM was always portrayed by the band as a strong leader, and I am sure he is. Strong enough I hope to listen to what the fans have to say and take it to heart. One person started a thread to tell CM what we think and we all hope it works. Murphy needs to listen for a change. I know JD did something disrespectful, but don't we all at one point. One of my friends is saying that if INXS is dogging JD because of his drug addiction, then that makes them all hypocrites. I just said to this friend that people are hypocrites. No matter how hard we try not to be, all people are hypocrites. I think it's human nature. I've learned to accept hypocrites where I used to hate them. Ever since this one person accused me of being a hypocrite, whereas I simply called it a change for the better. Then I said to myself, "Hm. If this is what hypocrisy is, then I guess all humans can be accused of it." Especially those of us who want to change.

Well, I really do hope we can reach Chris Murphy with this campaign. I personally have nothing against the man, but dumping JD was a bad mistake. We all make mistakes, we must learn from them. LORD knows I have!!! I've made quite a few mistakes in my day, but I always learned from them. I'm so strong-willed though, I'll push myself to the limit before I learn the lesson. I'm strong though, I can take it. hehe! I get stronger every day too. If it is CM looking in on that page, hopefully he will take notice that the INXS fans (the ones who buy the CDs and concert tickets) want some consistency with the band. Settle on a lead singer, please! I said it in my last post, and on that page. That's all I want, is for INXS to settle on who is going to do the singing. It'd be nice if INXS could continue to make albums and tour the world, and the only way they can do that is if they have a lead singer. No JD = no Timmy. And that would upset me as a fan. The only other band for me who could take INXS's place after they are gone would be the Lovehammers. I'm already looking well at Dino. :)

Speaking of other bands, I learned about a group called HIM yesterday. I thought it was an abbreviation for something else, and I didn't recognize the name. I still don't know them. But one of my buddy's children is a big fan. If she got to meet him, I am happy for her. I looked for a picture online of Ville Valo. I didn't want to say anything directly to this friend, because I didn't want to hurt her little girl's feelings. But when I saw him, all I could say is YUUUUUUUUUUK!!!! IMO, Ville is one fuggly dude! But, on the other hand, she said he has a good heart and that's really all that counts. Anyway, I was happy her little girl got to see him live and he smiled at her. I'm sure she is ecstatic!! I'm the same when I see Tim and he smiles at me.

Well, anyway, I urge all INXS fans to join this campaign. The Facebook page for Petrol Electric is http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Petrol-Electric/255257813741?ref=mf. Write to this guy and tell him we want JD back as the lead singer, and tell him why.