raggdoll

Happy birthday, Tim. And thank you for all of your help.

0:1:1 First kisspass--will gladly pay for that first.

It depends. What genre? What type of recommendations do you want? What types of novels do you enjoy the most? My favorite author at the moment is John Irving (he's the author of The World According to Garp). A Prayer for Owen Meany is at the top of my favorite novels by him.

Questions that would arise from what? A picture of the President on the wall with other Presidents Yeah, I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean either... From what little info we have, it sounds like she got screwed... From simply reading that article, it appears as if this is the type of question that "arose" from the picture (bolded, my emphasis): "Parents e-mailed an assistant principal, accusing Pillai-Diaz of suppressing free speech because the teacher refused to talk to students about why the color picture hung in the room. "Students said, `You like George Bush? He's killed people,' " Pillai-Diaz said. "As a rule, I don't talk about my politics in the classroom." The picture hung next to posters of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Pillai-Diaz said school officials was told the picture was OK, but that she should address questions that arise because of it." _________________________________________________

Welcome (back?) to the skies! It's wonderful that your children are so supportive. I laughed when I read this. I bet your instructor had a great time with you. What wonderful advice!

For Whom the Bell Tolls The Sun Also Rises The Dangerous Summer (began as a Life magazine article, became a full length book) The Garden of Eden (not to be mistaken with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, by Mark Twain--excellent novella, by the way) A Moveable Feast (Hemingway's adventures in Paris) and The Old Man and the Sea--my favorite, especially if you like symbolism.

Consider this. Pontiac donated cars to an extremely popular show; the recipients, all 276 of them, will now go and tell all of their friends, who will tell all of their friends, etc., ad nauseum. Pontiac is also, as a result, now on all of the major news networks, both cyber and televised, and will probably be on the a.m. radio shows tomorrow, if not into next week. Plus, people are mentioning the brand name in forums on the Internet and discussing this. Pretty good marketing, if you ask. I think they'll get their money's worth and then some.

I was going to mention the "Exorcist" stairs, as well. Here's the history and directions; they're very easy to find, and right down the road from a semi-cool pub, if memory serves. http://www.hoyasaxa.com/sports/stairs.htm Taking a picture while no one is on the stairs and placing said picture on your refrigerator is not only a great way to frighten unwanted guests later, but makes a really cool conversation piece. For what it's worth.

Four cents a paper? You weren't selling; you were pimping. I honestly wish more kids were like this today and could have the opportunity to learn this responsibility and accomplishment. I also wish this thread weren't suddenly making me feel so old.

Then again, if it was that early, the parents might be considering the safety of the child. How many times have you seen people driving and not paying attention because they were applying makeup/on the cellphone/late for work and driving at mach 3? Some parents are just that overprotective, too, so the kid might have nothing to do with the decision to deliver by bike or ride in the car. And let's face it, some neighborhoods just are not safe. Doing a search for registered child sexual offenders in your area will result in some quite surprising results. Plus, if the kid usually delivers by bike, there may have been other circumstances--a sprained ankle, broken bike, early dentist appointment. At least the kid was with the parent. That alone is saying a lot. He or she is learning responsibility by example and is able to spend time bonding with the 'rents. Of course, I'm not a parent, nor do I pretend to be one. Just looking at the flip side.

I used to bite my nails; now I don't even have the urge anymore. Painting the nails made me stop. Paint your nails--clear works best for this. The first thing you need to do is move from one bad habit to a different habit. Instead of biting the nail, I would pull the polish off, paint them again, then pull the polish off again. I probably went through a few bottles of polish in the first few months of doing this, but I quit biting my nails. You could wrap something around your nails, like tape, but this could make life a little difficult. Or interesting. Wearing gloves would definitely deter you from nail biting. You might want to do this in the privacy of your own home, though, unless you're in an environment that would support someone wearing gloves during the summer. The main thing is to become more aware of your actions; biting nails while zoning out isn't going to help, but if something can distract you momentarily before you bite, you can analyze why you're biting--boredom? stress? habit? At least you'll be aware.

Quite a few people were asking where you were this past weekend. And now you have an excuse to visit another DZ if you decide you can't wait two weeks. See ya at Raeford.

This would be my suggestion, too. The police won't necessarily be able/willing to work on this as dilligently as an animal organization can. An organization, on the other hand, is better equipped legally and manpower wise to make sure -something- is done, and every case I've ever heard of reported has always been investigated. I could live to be a thousand and I'd still never understand why someone could be cruel to a defenseless animal.

When you look through the fur, do you see any black specks? If so, those are flea dust (aka flea droppings). That's one way to identify the kitty has fleas without actually seeing fleas. The best way to get rid of fleas is to give him a bath. Honestly, if you want to save yourself and kitcat misery and save your arms from being shredded, pay a professional to do this. When I did this, it was at most $15 per bath. If you decide to do it yourself, be aware that cats don't like water--and find a shampoo that is safe for cats. Pet shampoo in general is too harsh for cats, since it's made for dogs. There are sprays that are available for the house, if you find yourself infested, but the best defense against fleas is a good offense. Wash cat. There are different varieties of flea pills available at the vet's office--they might seem expensive, but usually they're sold in 6 month supplies, so they're cheaper than having to bomb or spray your house every few weeks. And after kitcat has his bath, give him a toy or a small treat. He'll deserve it, and might forgive you sooner. Oh, yes. Cats do hold grudges.

It's adorable; definitely a long haired tabby. Ditto what was already said about the matting--that can be a mess and quite painful. If you end up keeping him/her, when you visit the vet, have him checked for feline leukemia. It's a simple blood test that only takes a few minutes--until you do this, if you have any cats in your house, don't let them around one another. It's extremely contagious if one cat has the disease and other cats aren't vaccinated (but is not dangerous to humans).

I'm so happy for you. Raeford has a great group of people; hope to see you out there.

When I was little, I had a Raggidy Ann doll that I loved so much, I decided to rip her arm off. After that, I wanted to be Raggidy Ann (but keep both my arms), so whenever my parents would ask my name, I would answer, "Raggail," a combination of Raggidy and my middle name. The name stuck and changed to Raggidy/Raggdoll over the years. Honestly, I wish people would call me Raggidy, since the name is unique, but those who know the name and aren't family somehow think it's an insult to me. Trust me, if I invite anyone to call me by my childhood nick, it's a huge compliment. Though during the teenage years, I didn't enjoy it quite so much. Imagine being a 14 year old girl and having adults call you "Rag" in front of other teenagers. Nothing like a little embarrassment to help prepare a girl for those adult years.

The humane society is a little different from clinics in that you have to deal with owners. Other than that, and perhaps promotions for the community, it's very similar. It is difficult when pets die, or especially when you see them abused--along with the funny stories, I have some horrid, awful ones, too. There were many nights that I went home crying, or would return to the hospital on my days off to see how a patient was. There were a number of times I had to excuse myself from an exam room and take a break from an owner and, fortunately, only one time did an owner physically threaten me. But--knowing that I was the one who was making the animal feel better--there's no other feeling and it makes the bad worthwhile. The scar I mentioned, the only one from working at the vet, is from a chihuahua who was terrified of everyone and mean to everyone else. I was the only one the dog would let pick him up and, when I did, he was so scared that scratched me with his dew claw. The scar is on my left arm, a little faded, but every time I look down, I think of him and know that he trusted me and, for a brief while, I made him feel better. It sounds like I'm talking about children, and I'm trying not to overmphasize the negative. It is there, though, just as with any job. Still, I would do it over again, no questions.

I made this decision when I was a child--no matter what I chose to do as a career, I was going to enjoy it. My parents both hated their jobs and taught me, by example, what not to do. Working takes up more than 50-70 hours of my life per week during the regular year. That's too large an amount of time to dislike what I'm doing. In highschool, I volunteered at a vet hospital, then worked as a vet assistant/everything else from my senior year of high school until I graduated college. I absolutely loved it, and only have one scar (and many funny stories) from the years spent there. Not everything about the career is great--people can be monsters when it comes to their pets and money, and owners and animals sadly die--but I met some of the most amazing people and animals, learned a lot of medical knowledge and techniques, and even managed to get a scholarship for college out of the deal. I don't regret anything about the experience at all. Have you worked or volunteered at a vet clinic? If not, that might be a good way to discover if it's something you really want to do--and see if the vet clinic will help pay for school. Just a thought.

I'm awful at doing self-evaluations, especially the one which was due last Friday. On the bright side, I'm apparently an expert at procrastination.

I'm very lucky. I already have my dream job: teaching. Absolutely love it, even when I hate it. There's nothing like seeing that "a-ha!" moment from a kid to brighten a day.

Thanks again, all. I've heard about the Raeford Dragon. Knowing is half the battle, right? I'm still flying high from today's jump. And reading everything available here to get as much information as possible. Thanks again, and to those nearby, see you at Raeford.

Thanks all for the welcome. I jumped over at Raeford and everyone and everything was great. I'm looking forward to more good times.

Hi, all. I'm so glad I found this place. Two weeks ago, I made my first tandem. Last weekend, my first AFF. If all goes according to plan, this weekend will be my second AFF. My parents think I'm certifiable. My ex thinks I'm crazy. I know I've found Heaven. I'm hooked already. Nervous and a bit scared but thrilled and amazed. I hope the high never ends.