Well I guess 2009 is starting off a lot better for some than others. I got a lovely email from #3 telling me he got married today. How sweet. Supposedly he met his new bride in December 2007 and told me about her. I am sure I was really paying attention then. And they got married today. I was going to send him an email of congratulations but then thought why? He is only telling me to poke at me, not because he considers me a friend or someone who would offer him a hearty cheer. He did the same thing when we got married. He immediately sent off an letter to #2 telling him that we got married. He even mailed it from Las Vegas thinking that #2 was smart enough to look at the post mark. It was not because he wanted to share his happy news it was just a sick way of feeling in control. Seriously, why would your tell you ex wife you got remarried when she hates you and you hate her. Oh I forgot, he only wants what is best for me. Him and Jesus.
My only hope is he test drove her first so he does not end up in the same situation he was before. So on that note I will say good luck instead of congratulations.
Today is the last day of 2008. Can you image that 9 years ago people thought our total existence would be destroyed because we were rolling over to a 000 year and they thought computers would crash. Who knew that we would be just fine and that nothing big would happen? Well anyone who had a brain and did not fall for the drama at the time.
As I said last year I do not make New Years Resolutions. I have enough problems I don’t need to set myself up for more disappointment when I do not keep them. But, each year I do like to stop and reflect on the previous year and years before it and think about ways to fix my life or make it better.
For 2008 my only thought was to survive better than I did in 2007 and I was successful in that. 2008 was no where near as bad as 2007, I grew as a person and learned once again how to be my own person and not rely on anyone else. I missed that part of me. I missed the part that knew how to survive and fix the plumbing when I needed to. I had allowed myself to rely on #3 and it backfired on me and I needed to learn once again how to rely on me and only me. I know it sounds harsh and some of you are thinking that it is sad. But for me it is the way I have lived my entire life up until 2000. It was my safety net knowing that I could do just about anything I needed to and it did not require asking a man for advice or help. So I am happy to see the self reliant, dependent Cindy back. I missed her.
For 2009 I want to live my life to the fullest everyday. This means that 2009 is the year of doing nothing. You know how the Chinese have Year of the Dog, Cat, Chicken, Rodent, Bug, Squirrel, etc. Well this is Cindy’s Year of Doing Nothing. This means that I am going to work on not doing anything for people that do not appreciate it or respect me. I started that today by severing the last and final string that attached #3 and me; 2009 will start #3 free. I told my mother that I would not be attending my nephew’s birthday party because it is held at a skating rink and if I did not do that when Joshua was a kid I certainly was not starting now. But, after Christmas I realized that my actions towards my nephews are not appreciated by my sister. It is just expected so this year we will stop that and have a normal aunt/nephew/niece relationship. They are not my children and I do not need to worry about their future or lives. It does no good to do so anyway.
As far as the funeral home goes, I am no longer going to be the go to person when someone wants a day off or calls in sick. Unless I want to work extra I am not, it is not appreciated by the company, but they come to expect me to be available at the drop of a hat and get upset when I am not. I am hoping to that 2009 will be much calmer and sedate than 2008 in 365 days when we revisit this day I am sure I will be telling you how wonderful I did in 2009.
Okay, one can hope.
My co-worker Matt sent me this link when he learned about my love of the The Whale that Exploded. This is a news clip from 1970 when a sperm whale (they said it was a gray whale but it is actually a sperm whale) died after he beached himself. To be far it has to be difficult to decide what to do with a 45 foot 8 ton animal when it dies on your beach. It's not like you can call animal control and they come out with a shovel and scoop it up.
The highway department decided that the best way to remove the animal was with dynamite. Gotta love a man who likes to use dynamite as a solution. They used 1/2 ton of dynamite in the hopes that the whale would explode into small pieces and the birds would eat the little pieces and the problem would be solved. Unfortunately there is this little thing called Murphy's Law and Murphy's Law basically states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Watch the video and you can see exactly what went wrong. Watch closely at the very beginning and you will see a kid about 8-10 years old that is in the background. You only see him briefly and not again in the video, but knowing that he was there for this monumental event makes me wonder if he was traumatized for life and has an ingrained fear of falling whale blubber.
The highway department decided that the best way to remove the animal was with dynamite. Gotta love a man who likes to use dynamite as a solution. They used 1/2 ton of dynamite in the hopes that the whale would explode into small pieces and the birds would eat the little pieces and the problem would be solved. Unfortunately there is this little thing called Murphy's Law and Murphy's Law basically states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Watch the video and you can see exactly what went wrong. Watch closely at the very beginning and you will see a kid about 8-10 years old that is in the background. You only see him briefly and not again in the video, but knowing that he was there for this monumental event makes me wonder if he was traumatized for life and has an ingrained fear of falling whale blubber.
I finally have a diagnosis for my constant itching and I am happy to say it is not an allergy to any of my critters. I was really concerned that I was allergic to the piggies or the hammies but I am not.
You may remember that several months ago I broke out and I determined that I was probably allergic to the hay I was feeding the guinea pigs. So we stop the hay, unfortunately the skin problems continued. At the time my neighbors were moving and the conclusion was drawn that there must be some sort of mite that was migrating to my apartment and biting me. But they exterminated and I exterminated and we all lived in a toxic world but the irritation continued.
It went on and on and I was miserable. I could not stop scratching, my arms and legs. It would get better for a day or two and then come back with a vengeance. To top it off, any sort of heat aggravated it horribly. So this meant no hot baths and no hot showers. I would take a cold shower or luke warm bath so as not to start itching. Do you know how miserable it is to take a cold shower in the winter? It is not fun.
One day on the verge of insanity, I drove to my doctors and showed them my arm where I had scratched IN MY SLEEP. I looked like a heroin addict. My arm was covered with scratches. I got in that afternoon. My doctor, Deborah has been my doctor for several years. She is use to me coming in with the oddest problems and having me demand she fix them. So this was really not much different than any time before.
She diagnosed my condition as Neurodermatitis. Yea a name for what was driving me crazy. But what the hell is neurodermatitis? She explained it as best she could without upsetting me because there is basically no cure you can get it under control but it will always be there. Oh boy. She prescribed 2 different antihistamine and more ointment to add to my growing supply.
You may remember that several months ago I broke out and I determined that I was probably allergic to the hay I was feeding the guinea pigs. So we stop the hay, unfortunately the skin problems continued. At the time my neighbors were moving and the conclusion was drawn that there must be some sort of mite that was migrating to my apartment and biting me. But they exterminated and I exterminated and we all lived in a toxic world but the irritation continued.
It went on and on and I was miserable. I could not stop scratching, my arms and legs. It would get better for a day or two and then come back with a vengeance. To top it off, any sort of heat aggravated it horribly. So this meant no hot baths and no hot showers. I would take a cold shower or luke warm bath so as not to start itching. Do you know how miserable it is to take a cold shower in the winter? It is not fun.
One day on the verge of insanity, I drove to my doctors and showed them my arm where I had scratched IN MY SLEEP. I looked like a heroin addict. My arm was covered with scratches. I got in that afternoon. My doctor, Deborah has been my doctor for several years. She is use to me coming in with the oddest problems and having me demand she fix them. So this was really not much different than any time before.
She diagnosed my condition as Neurodermatitis. Yea a name for what was driving me crazy. But what the hell is neurodermatitis? She explained it as best she could without upsetting me because there is basically no cure you can get it under control but it will always be there. Oh boy. She prescribed 2 different antihistamine and more ointment to add to my growing supply.
It is with great sadness that I learned that my step mother Sue passed away unexpectantly on December 15th. I received an email from my father, Bill informing me of her death this morning.
Sue and my father; have been together for 39 years. That is pretty much my entire life. She was one of the kindest people I will ever know. We always had a saying about Sue; she was a person that no one could dislike. She was always smiling when I saw, even when my father was battling Leukemia and she was exhausted. Whenever she saw me walk in the hospital room she would smile and give me a hug. She was always more concerned about everyone around her and how they were doing than for herself. Sue and I spent a lot of time talking during those weeks and months and I felt like I got to know her just a little bit better.
I know for me this is a huge lose of a great person. The world is a little less brighter without her in it. But, I know that where she is now is a good place and it is a brighter place with her in it.
My love goes out to my father, and sister Sara and brother Patrick. I hope they know that their mom was a great lady who with just a smile made someones day much better.
Sue and my father; have been together for 39 years. That is pretty much my entire life. She was one of the kindest people I will ever know. We always had a saying about Sue; she was a person that no one could dislike. She was always smiling when I saw, even when my father was battling Leukemia and she was exhausted. Whenever she saw me walk in the hospital room she would smile and give me a hug. She was always more concerned about everyone around her and how they were doing than for herself. Sue and I spent a lot of time talking during those weeks and months and I felt like I got to know her just a little bit better.
I know for me this is a huge lose of a great person. The world is a little less brighter without her in it. But, I know that where she is now is a good place and it is a brighter place with her in it.
My love goes out to my father, and sister Sara and brother Patrick. I hope they know that their mom was a great lady who with just a smile made someones day much better.
This was the first holiday for all the critters (at least that I know of). I can say they all waited anxiously for Santa to appear and since they are up in the middle of the night Santa came at a different time for them than for the dogs.
Each critter had their own stocking. My entertainment center looked very festive with a stocking for Tau & Kali at each end and in between 9 little stockings for the critters. Each critter got a honey stick from Santa, except Sasha she got a chewy log filled with seeds. She had gnawing issues. They also got new balls to run around in. Everyone got their presents around 12:30 on Christmas morning when they were awake and mom was still baking. Shortly after wards we all went to bed.
Early on Christmas morning...okay it was 11 on Christmas morning but early is different for each person. Tau and Kali were anxiously awaiting their gifts (not really but I like to pretend). They each got toys and cookies and of course Kali confiscated everything for herself. Mommy got a brand new jewelry box from Josh and the kids. Exactly what I wanted and needed since I no longer had one.
Our Christmas dinner was a bit different this year. There was no way any of us could handle another turkey and stuffing. So we went with a traditional New Mexican Christmas dinner with a few little adjustments to the menu. Since Phyllis does not eat pork Eddie made beef tamales from scratch. They were absolutely amazing. I made pinto beans without pork and they were pretty damn good. We had chips and queso, guacamole and more desserts than you can shake a stick at.
We ate and ate and ate then exchanged gifts. With the three of us we are usually all about gifts with meaning and reasons behind them. We try to give things that will help the other person in one way or another and sometimes we give things that are just fun to look at. Either way it is always fun and full of love. This is how we like to spend our holidays, with each other.
Lucky for us and our waistline I am working New Years so we won't be doing dinner but we will ring in the New Year our own way I am sure.
Each critter had their own stocking. My entertainment center looked very festive with a stocking for Tau & Kali at each end and in between 9 little stockings for the critters. Each critter got a honey stick from Santa, except Sasha she got a chewy log filled with seeds. She had gnawing issues. They also got new balls to run around in. Everyone got their presents around 12:30 on Christmas morning when they were awake and mom was still baking. Shortly after wards we all went to bed.
Early on Christmas morning...okay it was 11 on Christmas morning but early is different for each person. Tau and Kali were anxiously awaiting their gifts (not really but I like to pretend). They each got toys and cookies and of course Kali confiscated everything for herself. Mommy got a brand new jewelry box from Josh and the kids. Exactly what I wanted and needed since I no longer had one.
Our Christmas dinner was a bit different this year. There was no way any of us could handle another turkey and stuffing. So we went with a traditional New Mexican Christmas dinner with a few little adjustments to the menu. Since Phyllis does not eat pork Eddie made beef tamales from scratch. They were absolutely amazing. I made pinto beans without pork and they were pretty damn good. We had chips and queso, guacamole and more desserts than you can shake a stick at.
We ate and ate and ate then exchanged gifts. With the three of us we are usually all about gifts with meaning and reasons behind them. We try to give things that will help the other person in one way or another and sometimes we give things that are just fun to look at. Either way it is always fun and full of love. This is how we like to spend our holidays, with each other.
Lucky for us and our waistline I am working New Years so we won't be doing dinner but we will ring in the New Year our own way I am sure.
My one goal for the day is to see if my family will call me. So far they have not. I don't really expect them to, they never have in the past. My mother calls me but no one else does. I get calls when they want something or need something, or they are thinking about a vacation and want a free place to stay.
This is one of the main reasons I hate holidays. Holidays are all about family and I really never felt like I had much of one. I have always been more of the black sheep of the family and never felt completely at home around them. Even when I go home I am always reminded that I no longer fit into that world anymore. My family that lives in Florida won't even see me if I go there. They are more interested in my brothers than me. My mothers family has never known us, we only visited them and that was it. There is no reason for them to want to know us. My father and his family have never been in our lives. They were just a stop over when we went to Florida. The only family I really have are my mom, daddy, brother, sister, nephews and niece. I don't have cousins that people talk about, I don't have aunts and uncles that we visit or that visit us. My grandparents are gone. The most important family member I have is Joshua and he is never far away.
Phyllis came to the conclusion that both her and I married people for their family. Not so much for the man, it was their family we wanted. In my case, I knew #2 and #3's family way before we ever became a couple. I loved both of their families and when the marriages ended I lost both of their families. I can say that #3's sister and I have stayed in contact and I don't expect we will lose contact with each other. We have a lot in common and I love her to death. In many ways she is the big sister I never had and never knew I wanted until I had one.
For some reason I am big on making memories for the kids. Maybe it is because I have so many bad memories that the few good ones I have are more special to me. I always wanted Joshua to have great memories of Christmas and his birthday. I tried very hard to give him traditions to pass on to his children one day. I don't know if that will ever happen, I will have to wait and see.
This year I wanted my nephews and niece to have some traditions. I wanted them to have something that they can look forward to every year. I was hurt and disappointed to find out that my sister does not care if this comes to pass. She only wants to make them happy for the moment and does not look to their future. It made me sad to realize that no matter what I want for others I can't always give it to them. It made me really dislike the holidays and just want them to be over even faster.
I spent several days living with this growing sadness over my gift to my nephews and niece being ruined by my sisters frivolity. So much so that I really regretted not volunteering to work for the holiday. But I still had dinner plans with Phyllis and Eddie and in the end I was able to give some gifts to a family who truly appreciated them. It felt good to hand these small items over to their mother who hugged me and thanked me and I knew in my heart her and her children appreciated the small gesture.
For now I have decided that next year will be different. There will be no attempts to make my families holidays memorable. That is their job and I have learned from the past that what I do give is not appreciated it is expected. Next year will be about those who need help and appreciate it. I will look to give to them instead of those who do not need it. I am not saying I won't buy gifts for my family, I am sure I will. But it will be a simple gift and that is all. It will not be a process that starts in June and has me shopping til the last minute trying to find the perfect thing for them.
I think it is time to start making my own traditions for myself and I think starting in 2009 I will focus on what makes me happy and I will take the dogs and go on a trip for Christmas. We will have to see. I only have one more celebration to get through then I am free and clear until next Thanksgiving.
This is one of the main reasons I hate holidays. Holidays are all about family and I really never felt like I had much of one. I have always been more of the black sheep of the family and never felt completely at home around them. Even when I go home I am always reminded that I no longer fit into that world anymore. My family that lives in Florida won't even see me if I go there. They are more interested in my brothers than me. My mothers family has never known us, we only visited them and that was it. There is no reason for them to want to know us. My father and his family have never been in our lives. They were just a stop over when we went to Florida. The only family I really have are my mom, daddy, brother, sister, nephews and niece. I don't have cousins that people talk about, I don't have aunts and uncles that we visit or that visit us. My grandparents are gone. The most important family member I have is Joshua and he is never far away.
Phyllis came to the conclusion that both her and I married people for their family. Not so much for the man, it was their family we wanted. In my case, I knew #2 and #3's family way before we ever became a couple. I loved both of their families and when the marriages ended I lost both of their families. I can say that #3's sister and I have stayed in contact and I don't expect we will lose contact with each other. We have a lot in common and I love her to death. In many ways she is the big sister I never had and never knew I wanted until I had one.
For some reason I am big on making memories for the kids. Maybe it is because I have so many bad memories that the few good ones I have are more special to me. I always wanted Joshua to have great memories of Christmas and his birthday. I tried very hard to give him traditions to pass on to his children one day. I don't know if that will ever happen, I will have to wait and see.
This year I wanted my nephews and niece to have some traditions. I wanted them to have something that they can look forward to every year. I was hurt and disappointed to find out that my sister does not care if this comes to pass. She only wants to make them happy for the moment and does not look to their future. It made me sad to realize that no matter what I want for others I can't always give it to them. It made me really dislike the holidays and just want them to be over even faster.
I spent several days living with this growing sadness over my gift to my nephews and niece being ruined by my sisters frivolity. So much so that I really regretted not volunteering to work for the holiday. But I still had dinner plans with Phyllis and Eddie and in the end I was able to give some gifts to a family who truly appreciated them. It felt good to hand these small items over to their mother who hugged me and thanked me and I knew in my heart her and her children appreciated the small gesture.
For now I have decided that next year will be different. There will be no attempts to make my families holidays memorable. That is their job and I have learned from the past that what I do give is not appreciated it is expected. Next year will be about those who need help and appreciate it. I will look to give to them instead of those who do not need it. I am not saying I won't buy gifts for my family, I am sure I will. But it will be a simple gift and that is all. It will not be a process that starts in June and has me shopping til the last minute trying to find the perfect thing for them.
I think it is time to start making my own traditions for myself and I think starting in 2009 I will focus on what makes me happy and I will take the dogs and go on a trip for Christmas. We will have to see. I only have one more celebration to get through then I am free and clear until next Thanksgiving.
Today, December 19th is my Mom's 60th Birthday and I am sending out the best birthday wishes because she deserves them. Happy Birthday Mom.
My brother Jeremiah under went major surgery on Monday to help elevate some of his pain due to his Crohn' s Disease . According to my mom he is doing okay and could be out of the hospital next week, but we will have to wait and see. I want to send him lots of love and positive light for a speedy recovery.
Well #3 is certainly not taking my new adventure into astrology with grace and poise. He seems very disturbed and upset. Why? Probably because I am being given the real picture of what was really there in our relationship and what my life is really like and not his Stephen King version. Just for shits and giggles here is his response on why he got together with me:
My advice to him was that you get a dog for loyalty and a traveling companion you don't marry someone. And then in his ever romantic way he compared me to test driving a car. But, in all honesty he was right, I gave more thought to buying a car than marrying him. I guess that is why I have a car and not him. And a hand fasting is a year and a day, but what good would that do if you were happy on day 366 so you made it legitimate and then on day 458 you no longer liked them? The hand fasting does not prevent divorce or prevent one partner going psycho and having a mid life crisis.
Again, another great reminder why I am glad we are over and he is on to looking for his next loyal travel companion. I hope she is smarter than I was.
"If you haven't figured out,...I wanted a relationship with you primarily for your loyalty. I thought we could travel well together (a huge plus)..."
"The lesson? Don't buy a car without a test drive,...and don't get married without a significant try-out. The pagan ritual of a one year handfast before marriage would be wise,...although only the most mature people could probably benefit"
My advice to him was that you get a dog for loyalty and a traveling companion you don't marry someone. And then in his ever romantic way he compared me to test driving a car. But, in all honesty he was right, I gave more thought to buying a car than marrying him. I guess that is why I have a car and not him. And a hand fasting is a year and a day, but what good would that do if you were happy on day 366 so you made it legitimate and then on day 458 you no longer liked them? The hand fasting does not prevent divorce or prevent one partner going psycho and having a mid life crisis.
Again, another great reminder why I am glad we are over and he is on to looking for his next loyal travel companion. I hope she is smarter than I was.
I had my astrology session last night and I have to say I am really enjoying it. I am learning a lot and instead of worrying about the changes that are coming I find that I am getting excited. I really have a "bring it on" attitude.
One of the things that we focused on last night that I really did not want to do was my chart and #3's information. Apparently it is important for me to understand exactly why that relationship did not work out from an astrological point of view so that I know what to look for in the future. I only know his birthday so that does limit our information but there was enough. I could recall a few facts from a previous session we had together, where Bethalya told us something about my south node and his chart. Whatever this information was it really upset him because he did not see it in the charts and in fact refused to believe it until she pointed it out to him.His comment to me afterward was "If I had known that we would never have gotten married." Well that just makes you love them more don't it.
Based on the little information I was able to provide we found several things in his astrology that in know way were compatible with mine. In fact based on our charts there is no way in hell we could even be friends much less partners. I was told that according to his chart it shows him as person who is needing to constantly rebel and someone who is always try to prove something. Mine is just the opposite. I like a calm and sedate life, I go with the flow and the constant upheaval is very upsetting to me. This is very true, #3 has never stayed in one place very long; he likes to move around like a gypsy. Me I like to put down roots and make a home and unless something happens I stay there.
So after we discussed this and we both agreed it was the best thing for me to get out of that relationship we moved on. We looked at my chart and we saw in the chart exactly where I had my breakdown last fall. It also shows that there will be more challenges coming up but we both feel that if I survived the breakdown last year the horrible part is over. The rest is more of a clean up.
Here is where the Ghost and Astrology come together. In approximately September 2009 I get to deal with Chiron which is referred to as the "wounded healer". Chiron is located in my 4th house which represents home. Apparently I will need to deal with old wounds that are affecting my home. Which goes back to my childhood and issues from then. This is exactly what Tim told me a few nights ago, that it was time to start working on old issues and the time that I consider to be a time of innocents. But, since I am working with the astrologer I know that this is coming and I can start working on these issues and preparing for it so that instead of another meltdown I will be able to move through it easier.
It looks as if September and October of 2009 are going to be hectic months full of house cleaning. But I am ready and willing to take it. Because if I don't do it now I get to deal with it again in 14 years only worse. So I say "Let's get on with the show."
With the holidays I won't go again until January 9th, but I have a lot of information to work on and lots of homework to do.
One of the things that we focused on last night that I really did not want to do was my chart and #3's information. Apparently it is important for me to understand exactly why that relationship did not work out from an astrological point of view so that I know what to look for in the future. I only know his birthday so that does limit our information but there was enough. I could recall a few facts from a previous session we had together, where Bethalya told us something about my south node and his chart. Whatever this information was it really upset him because he did not see it in the charts and in fact refused to believe it until she pointed it out to him.His comment to me afterward was "If I had known that we would never have gotten married." Well that just makes you love them more don't it.
Based on the little information I was able to provide we found several things in his astrology that in know way were compatible with mine. In fact based on our charts there is no way in hell we could even be friends much less partners. I was told that according to his chart it shows him as person who is needing to constantly rebel and someone who is always try to prove something. Mine is just the opposite. I like a calm and sedate life, I go with the flow and the constant upheaval is very upsetting to me. This is very true, #3 has never stayed in one place very long; he likes to move around like a gypsy. Me I like to put down roots and make a home and unless something happens I stay there.
So after we discussed this and we both agreed it was the best thing for me to get out of that relationship we moved on. We looked at my chart and we saw in the chart exactly where I had my breakdown last fall. It also shows that there will be more challenges coming up but we both feel that if I survived the breakdown last year the horrible part is over. The rest is more of a clean up.
Here is where the Ghost and Astrology come together. In approximately September 2009 I get to deal with Chiron which is referred to as the "wounded healer". Chiron is located in my 4th house which represents home. Apparently I will need to deal with old wounds that are affecting my home. Which goes back to my childhood and issues from then. This is exactly what Tim told me a few nights ago, that it was time to start working on old issues and the time that I consider to be a time of innocents. But, since I am working with the astrologer I know that this is coming and I can start working on these issues and preparing for it so that instead of another meltdown I will be able to move through it easier.
It looks as if September and October of 2009 are going to be hectic months full of house cleaning. But I am ready and willing to take it. Because if I don't do it now I get to deal with it again in 14 years only worse. So I say "Let's get on with the show."
With the holidays I won't go again until January 9th, but I have a lot of information to work on and lots of homework to do.
I am really really trying to be in the christmas spirit. I have shopped til there is nothing left to buy. I have accepted with grace and dignity that Joshua will not be able to come down for the holiday. Okay maybe not so much grace and dignity as a"Life Sucks" attitude. I even told my step sister Desiree that she could stay in my house if they come out for the holidays. That is true holiday spirit for me. But for the last month there has been nothing but lovey dovey christmas shows on tv and christmas carols on the radio. But the worst are the christmas commercials.
Every commerical is some man try to prove he loves his wife/girlfriend by buying her expensive jewelry. The commercials are so sweet you need a dentist when they are over. One guy finds the perfect christmas tree for his "whatever" because it comes with a gift. Another is washing the yorkie instead of watching the game because there will always be another game. Here is the catch, it is for a jewelry store because "you are not that guy" so just buy jewelry.
Growing up and even in my adult life, I would see these commercials and think "One day I will have a man like that." I will have a man who wants me to have the perfect christmas because every year I try my hardest to have the perfect christmas. Then two things happened: 1) I found men who absolutely hate christmas and want to leave me alone while they either go drink with their buddies (ie: #2) or go to Scottsdale, Arizona to spend the holiday in the warm sun while I stay behind alone working (ie: #3). Yes, these are the men commercials are made of. 2) I realized there is no such thing as the perfect christmas. It is impossible for it to ever happen. The harder you try to worse it is.
I was trying to think last night about when I ever had a really great christmas and I could not remember one. I remember the holidays but there was always something that happened to turn it bad. Someone started fighting, the stress level was too high, my meds were not working properly.
So what does one do when they are alone for the holidays and all the commercials tell you that unless there is a man in your life you will never own expensive jewelry. Hell, I don't know. I just wait until someone comes along that is rich enough to buy me jewelry. I guess we will see. So until then it is back to the horrible commercials, songs and TV shows. Lord help me.
Every commerical is some man try to prove he loves his wife/girlfriend by buying her expensive jewelry. The commercials are so sweet you need a dentist when they are over. One guy finds the perfect christmas tree for his "whatever" because it comes with a gift. Another is washing the yorkie instead of watching the game because there will always be another game. Here is the catch, it is for a jewelry store because "you are not that guy" so just buy jewelry.
Growing up and even in my adult life, I would see these commercials and think "One day I will have a man like that." I will have a man who wants me to have the perfect christmas because every year I try my hardest to have the perfect christmas. Then two things happened: 1) I found men who absolutely hate christmas and want to leave me alone while they either go drink with their buddies (ie: #2) or go to Scottsdale, Arizona to spend the holiday in the warm sun while I stay behind alone working (ie: #3). Yes, these are the men commercials are made of. 2) I realized there is no such thing as the perfect christmas. It is impossible for it to ever happen. The harder you try to worse it is.
I was trying to think last night about when I ever had a really great christmas and I could not remember one. I remember the holidays but there was always something that happened to turn it bad. Someone started fighting, the stress level was too high, my meds were not working properly.
So what does one do when they are alone for the holidays and all the commercials tell you that unless there is a man in your life you will never own expensive jewelry. Hell, I don't know. I just wait until someone comes along that is rich enough to buy me jewelry. I guess we will see. So until then it is back to the horrible commercials, songs and TV shows. Lord help me.
There are several things in this world that entertain me but nothing entertains me more than when good animals go bad. So what is this phenomena? It is when you take a normally nice and calm animal and poke them one to many times and they turn psycho on you and when they turn psycho there is always someone there to film it so people like me can laugh our ass off. So what has me laughing this weekend? National Geographic channel is showing The Whale That Exploded...hold on a second I have to stop laughing AGAIN.
This is a serious documentary on a dead whale that exploded in the middle of a Taiwanese town in 2004 covering the entire area in dead whale parts. Okay, hold on I am laughing again. Okay, I'm good now. Why is this funny? Because for years we have killed thousands of whales; in the name of science, food and worst off entertainment. All whales are on the endangered species list and are therefore protected from killers. The Orca is not a whale but a porpoise but is none the less protected from the entertainment industry (AKA: Sea World) from removing them from the wild. There are several groups that I am a part of that are working everyday to have the orca's that are in captivity released back into the wild. Contrary to popular belief the orca is one of the few animals that can survive in the wild after living in captivity. They can even be reunited with their family pods and will be accepted back. Every country recognizes that the whales are endangered and require protection and they honor this agreement except Japan who still hunts whales today taking thousands every year claiming they are doing it in the name of science. Right!!! There are a few exceptions, such as native Eskimo tribes hunt whales for food. They do not use any high powered harpoons or scientifically engineered ships to hunt them down, they hunt them the way their ancestors have done for centuries. They only hunt what they can eat, not 10,000 whales a season.
So based on the history people killing these amazing and gentle animals and the Japanese who ignore the fact that whales are a dying species and need us to protect them in order for our grand kids to actual know what a whale is. So they deserved Mother Natures cruel little joke. But then again when you are carting a 50 ton dead whale carcass through a town what do you expect?
This is a serious documentary on a dead whale that exploded in the middle of a Taiwanese town in 2004 covering the entire area in dead whale parts. Okay, hold on I am laughing again. Okay, I'm good now. Why is this funny? Because for years we have killed thousands of whales; in the name of science, food and worst off entertainment. All whales are on the endangered species list and are therefore protected from killers. The Orca is not a whale but a porpoise but is none the less protected from the entertainment industry (AKA: Sea World) from removing them from the wild. There are several groups that I am a part of that are working everyday to have the orca's that are in captivity released back into the wild. Contrary to popular belief the orca is one of the few animals that can survive in the wild after living in captivity. They can even be reunited with their family pods and will be accepted back. Every country recognizes that the whales are endangered and require protection and they honor this agreement except Japan who still hunts whales today taking thousands every year claiming they are doing it in the name of science. Right!!! There are a few exceptions, such as native Eskimo tribes hunt whales for food. They do not use any high powered harpoons or scientifically engineered ships to hunt them down, they hunt them the way their ancestors have done for centuries. They only hunt what they can eat, not 10,000 whales a season.
So based on the history people killing these amazing and gentle animals and the Japanese who ignore the fact that whales are a dying species and need us to protect them in order for our grand kids to actual know what a whale is. So they deserved Mother Natures cruel little joke. But then again when you are carting a 50 ton dead whale carcass through a town what do you expect?
I was woke up this morning at 3:00 AM by piano music. Very nice piano music I might add. I laid there in bed trying to figure out what it was that I was hearing. Thinking the CD on my nightstand had come on. I reached over to turn it off only to actually turn it on by hitting the on/off button. So I now know that it was not the Yanni CD playing. But the music was still going. It was not loud music as if I was sitting in a lounge it was soft as if it was being played somewhere else. The thing is I have 2 neighbors and neither of them own a piano and I would not hear it even if they did. So my conclusion was this was "other worldly" music. I liked it and since I was not feeling threatened and the dogs were still asleep I was went back to sleep listening to this nice music.
When I woke up this morning I was still thinking about the my concert in the middle of the night and I recalled another odd event that happened earlier in the week. After closing up the house and going to bed, I heard a thump in the sanctuary aka hamster/gerbil/guinea pig room, so I got up to see what the critters were up to in there. I saw the glass container of sunflower seeds had fallen from the top of Buddha's cage to floor and across the room. This would be pretty much scientifically impossible. First off the glass container is square and heavy, so even if it fell it would not roll across the room. Second if the container had fallen the lid would have popped off, but the lid was still tightly secured on the container. Not reallying caring I put it back on top of Buddha's cage, this was my security lock for his lid, since he is new I do not know his level of escape and I don't want him to figure out he can open the lid by pushing up. Later in the night I heard some rustling and moving but animals live in there so I let it go. When I went to make sure all was well in the sanctuary you could immediately tell someone had fun in there. Shavings were scattered all over the floor and Tommy the gerbil was out.
Tommy never gets out, NEVER. He is the best behaved one of all, catching him proved to be a challenge because he is in love with the dogs and wanted to play. He actually was running up to them trying to touch Kali so the kids got tossed out in the morning snow while I caught him and put him back. After that we had a good old fashioned "Come to Jesus" meeting as we call them in the south. Now if you have never had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with spirits it is always an event. Why? Because you are basically talking to the air. I can only hope they are listening. Apparently they are because life in the sanctuary is quiet at the moment.
I also realized that today is the last full moon of 2008 so things can only get nuttier.
When I woke up this morning I was still thinking about the my concert in the middle of the night and I recalled another odd event that happened earlier in the week. After closing up the house and going to bed, I heard a thump in the sanctuary aka hamster/gerbil/guinea pig room, so I got up to see what the critters were up to in there. I saw the glass container of sunflower seeds had fallen from the top of Buddha's cage to floor and across the room. This would be pretty much scientifically impossible. First off the glass container is square and heavy, so even if it fell it would not roll across the room. Second if the container had fallen the lid would have popped off, but the lid was still tightly secured on the container. Not reallying caring I put it back on top of Buddha's cage, this was my security lock for his lid, since he is new I do not know his level of escape and I don't want him to figure out he can open the lid by pushing up. Later in the night I heard some rustling and moving but animals live in there so I let it go. When I went to make sure all was well in the sanctuary you could immediately tell someone had fun in there. Shavings were scattered all over the floor and Tommy the gerbil was out.
Tommy never gets out, NEVER. He is the best behaved one of all, catching him proved to be a challenge because he is in love with the dogs and wanted to play. He actually was running up to them trying to touch Kali so the kids got tossed out in the morning snow while I caught him and put him back. After that we had a good old fashioned "Come to Jesus" meeting as we call them in the south. Now if you have never had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with spirits it is always an event. Why? Because you are basically talking to the air. I can only hope they are listening. Apparently they are because life in the sanctuary is quiet at the moment.
I also realized that today is the last full moon of 2008 so things can only get nuttier.
I have been feeling very "flighty" lately. I have done things that are so out of character with me that I am left baffled and speechless; such as running a red light for no reason other than one of my personalities decided it had turned green. Lucky for me it was not a busy intersection but I had to face one of Albuquerque's finest and tell him flat out "I got nothing. I have no idea why I did that." He was very nice and let me go since he was just as confused as I was. After that little interlude, I decided it was time to check out my astrological chart and see what was going on. What I found out has me excited and a little confused.
For those of you who do not know, I am a Capricorn which is a earth sign. As a Capricorn we are very down to earth and practical to a fault. I would love a red convertible but when it comes time to buy one, I talk myself out of it because it is not practical. Not only am I a Capricorn I have 7 planets in Virgo another earth sign. On another front, my outward personality is very vivacious and outgoing so anyone who knows astrology would think I was a Sagittarius because I act like one on the outside, but once you get to know me you know I am fun and easy going to a point but if you live with me (which no one can) I am not so fun and easy going.
My life revolves around work, I am a workaholic and I always have been. I was told point blank that nothing will ever be more important to me than my career; not family and certainly not a partner. In fact I have absolutely NOTHING in my house of partnerships. Again, I was told that the chances of me having a lasting relationship are pretty much nonexistent. Unless I find someone who is just as much of a workaholic as I am since any man I meet is going to want to spend time with me.
This is where my confusion comes into play. #3 is very much into astrology, he is all about his chart and everyone elses. He claims to have done my chart years before we ever got together, he claims to have "decided" he wanted to marry me based on my chart and how close they were together. Why didn't he see that I have nothing in my house for partnerships? He should have known that I would not be able to have a lasting relationship with anyone. He should have known that I would never be able to be completely and totally open with anyone. It is in my chart plain and clear.
So did he mis read the chart? Probably not. One thing I have found out through trial and error is that you can not give a unbiased reading to someone you are close to. It does not matter if it is Astrology, Tarot, Numerology, Runes, etc. You will always read into it your personal feelings and desires. As the relationship starts to change and you see more of them your opinion changes. I personally feel that #3 did not like what he started to see in my chart and that was one of the main reasons he left. I have several years of challenges and ups and downs. But, I know now that this is not a bad thing. Challenges are good for me, I like to be challenged. Ups and downs are just that; but they pass. If you are reading a chart and you see this you will get scared especially if you do not handle these things well yourself. Then they are going to become problems for you. #3 does not do change or challenges well, he sees them as a negative, ups and downs are a negative thing for him as well. So I can see why he bailed. Why would you want to ride that out if you did not have to?
I was excited to hear this because for the first time I am not told this information in a negative light. I am told this information as just that information. I am told you can do this two ways positive or negative. The positive way is to be prepared for it and face it head on. Be prepared to work on grounding yourself, staying in the now, staying focused. Don't allow your thoughts and imagination to get the better of you because it will win. So I know that until 2010 I need to work on staying grounding so that Albuquerque's finest can forget that I am out there. I started by finding out what was the best gem to wear for grounding and it is Moldavite so I have that to help. However, it also intensifys any psychic or paranormal experiences you have. So this should be lots of fun.
I just wonder that if I knew this information in 1999 would I have ever gotten involved with #3 or would I have been okay with saying "No thanks"? Now I can be honest with any man who shows interest and tell him up front that unless he is okay with once a week don't bother. Because it is not going to happen. I am okay if he decides not to bother, because I don't want to go through another relationship wasting my time and theirs only to find out in the end that it was never a possibility in the first place.
For those of you who do not know, I am a Capricorn which is a earth sign. As a Capricorn we are very down to earth and practical to a fault. I would love a red convertible but when it comes time to buy one, I talk myself out of it because it is not practical. Not only am I a Capricorn I have 7 planets in Virgo another earth sign. On another front, my outward personality is very vivacious and outgoing so anyone who knows astrology would think I was a Sagittarius because I act like one on the outside, but once you get to know me you know I am fun and easy going to a point but if you live with me (which no one can) I am not so fun and easy going.
My life revolves around work, I am a workaholic and I always have been. I was told point blank that nothing will ever be more important to me than my career; not family and certainly not a partner. In fact I have absolutely NOTHING in my house of partnerships. Again, I was told that the chances of me having a lasting relationship are pretty much nonexistent. Unless I find someone who is just as much of a workaholic as I am since any man I meet is going to want to spend time with me.
This is where my confusion comes into play. #3 is very much into astrology, he is all about his chart and everyone elses. He claims to have done my chart years before we ever got together, he claims to have "decided" he wanted to marry me based on my chart and how close they were together. Why didn't he see that I have nothing in my house for partnerships? He should have known that I would not be able to have a lasting relationship with anyone. He should have known that I would never be able to be completely and totally open with anyone. It is in my chart plain and clear.
So did he mis read the chart? Probably not. One thing I have found out through trial and error is that you can not give a unbiased reading to someone you are close to. It does not matter if it is Astrology, Tarot, Numerology, Runes, etc. You will always read into it your personal feelings and desires. As the relationship starts to change and you see more of them your opinion changes. I personally feel that #3 did not like what he started to see in my chart and that was one of the main reasons he left. I have several years of challenges and ups and downs. But, I know now that this is not a bad thing. Challenges are good for me, I like to be challenged. Ups and downs are just that; but they pass. If you are reading a chart and you see this you will get scared especially if you do not handle these things well yourself. Then they are going to become problems for you. #3 does not do change or challenges well, he sees them as a negative, ups and downs are a negative thing for him as well. So I can see why he bailed. Why would you want to ride that out if you did not have to?
I was excited to hear this because for the first time I am not told this information in a negative light. I am told this information as just that information. I am told you can do this two ways positive or negative. The positive way is to be prepared for it and face it head on. Be prepared to work on grounding yourself, staying in the now, staying focused. Don't allow your thoughts and imagination to get the better of you because it will win. So I know that until 2010 I need to work on staying grounding so that Albuquerque's finest can forget that I am out there. I started by finding out what was the best gem to wear for grounding and it is Moldavite so I have that to help. However, it also intensifys any psychic or paranormal experiences you have. So this should be lots of fun.
I just wonder that if I knew this information in 1999 would I have ever gotten involved with #3 or would I have been okay with saying "No thanks"? Now I can be honest with any man who shows interest and tell him up front that unless he is okay with once a week don't bother. Because it is not going to happen. I am okay if he decides not to bother, because I don't want to go through another relationship wasting my time and theirs only to find out in the end that it was never a possibility in the first place.
I decided yesterday that in the year 2009 I am going to go on a vacation by myself, completely alone, no one but me, myself and I. I know I travel all over the place alone but I want to travel, vacation and return home alone. This is one of my goals of self discovery, learning how to be happy in a new environment alone. Without anyone to rely on or ask questions of or depend on to know what we are doing.
I am trying to figure out where it is I want to go and when. My ideas are:
1. Hawaii
2. Carribbean cruise
3. Mexico (Isla Holbox)
4. California
Hawaii is still my top choice. It seems fairly easy to get to and I can spend a week on the beach. I like the cruise idea because it is all inclusive and you go to relatively safe places that I can explore alone. Mexico is probably out of the question due to their continued civil unrest and drug wars it seems to dangerous to be wandering off alone. California would be nice for whale watching or shark diving but not much more. I have never really been a big fan of California. The water is too cold to enjoy and it is too crowded. besides you need a car to go everywhere.
I want to be able to take a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and then bus or cab after that. I don't want to spend my vacation driving around. I want to go on a few tours and spend the time alone working on my own stuff. This is why Hawaii or a cruise are sounding more practical. If you can think of somewhere you want to ad to my list please do so. Here are my requirements.
1. Must have beach
2. Not a major city
3. Safe for me to be alone
I am trying to figure out where it is I want to go and when. My ideas are:
1. Hawaii
2. Carribbean cruise
3. Mexico (Isla Holbox)
4. California
Hawaii is still my top choice. It seems fairly easy to get to and I can spend a week on the beach. I like the cruise idea because it is all inclusive and you go to relatively safe places that I can explore alone. Mexico is probably out of the question due to their continued civil unrest and drug wars it seems to dangerous to be wandering off alone. California would be nice for whale watching or shark diving but not much more. I have never really been a big fan of California. The water is too cold to enjoy and it is too crowded. besides you need a car to go everywhere.
I want to be able to take a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and then bus or cab after that. I don't want to spend my vacation driving around. I want to go on a few tours and spend the time alone working on my own stuff. This is why Hawaii or a cruise are sounding more practical. If you can think of somewhere you want to ad to my list please do so. Here are my requirements.
1. Must have beach
2. Not a major city
3. Safe for me to be alone
As I said in the previous post I was given two Campbell Russian Dwarf Hamsters which the production assistant that originally wanted to adopt them named them Mo and Hawk because they have a black line of fur that runs down their back looking much like a mohawk.
Well you know that all my animals get names based on their personality or some other twisted version of naming them. These two were hard to name because they are just plain mean. But on top of the meanness they are incredibly curious animals. The first night I was able to hold them and cuddle them but that ended after a night in the sanctuary and I am sure after their orientation from the other animals in there they were taught not to be nice.
The names did not come to me until late last night when I was creating cages for them to help with their curiosity. Buddha was named Buddha because he is kinda rotund and he has a habit of sitting on his fat fanny in his food bowl and he looks like a fat Buddha.
Lakshmi was named after the Hindu goddess Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. I figured this time of year is all about prosperity and good will. So why not name her after the goddess and hopefully she will bring those two qualities into my home.
Besides every since I saw the story of the baby Lakshmi in India who was born with 4 arms and 4 legs, or basically a headless twin attached to her I have been dying to have something to name Lakshmi just because I LOVE that name. I thought about having a baby and naming her Lakshmi but it was so much easier to get a hamster and a lot cheaper.
I will post photos as soon as Josh get's here with my camera. But for the meantime they look like this...
Well you know that all my animals get names based on their personality or some other twisted version of naming them. These two were hard to name because they are just plain mean. But on top of the meanness they are incredibly curious animals. The first night I was able to hold them and cuddle them but that ended after a night in the sanctuary and I am sure after their orientation from the other animals in there they were taught not to be nice.
The names did not come to me until late last night when I was creating cages for them to help with their curiosity. Buddha was named Buddha because he is kinda rotund and he has a habit of sitting on his fat fanny in his food bowl and he looks like a fat Buddha.
Lakshmi was named after the Hindu goddess Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. I figured this time of year is all about prosperity and good will. So why not name her after the goddess and hopefully she will bring those two qualities into my home.
Besides every since I saw the story of the baby Lakshmi in India who was born with 4 arms and 4 legs, or basically a headless twin attached to her I have been dying to have something to name Lakshmi just because I LOVE that name. I thought about having a baby and naming her Lakshmi but it was so much easier to get a hamster and a lot cheaper.
I will post photos as soon as Josh get's here with my camera. But for the meantime they look like this...
I have been thinking about how to explain the events of the past few days. It was crazy, silly and a bit Hollywood. So the only way I know to explain how my hamsters ended up on a movie set here in Albuquerque is to start at the beginning.
It started last week on Wednesday, I got a call from a number with a “661” area code and since I did not recognize it I ignored the phone call. Carrie with Gentle Jungle in California left a message asking me about adopting a hamster. I called her back and told her I did not have any hamsters available for adoption but I think there was someone on craigslist selling one. At this point in the conversation I had no idea what this was about or why she wanted a hamster. Carrie started to explain that they needed 2 hamsters that were beige and white that would be used together in a movie. So I did the speech about hamsters not being able to be together that if they are they will fight yada yada yada. Well, she was a bit upset to learn this and asked a million questions about how to get hamsters to work together. She may know everything there is too know about working with Lions, Tigers, Bears, oh my. But she knew nothing about working with a hamster. She told me that she would have Tamara call me since she was in New Mexico and would be the one in charge of the animals in the movie.
A few minutes later I got a call from Tamara of Gentle Jungle and she was in fact here in Albuquerque working on the movie Men Who Stare At Goats. We discussed the difficulties of working with hamsters, the fact that they are nocturnal and not easy to train. She mentioned that they could not find any hamsters that the director liked and wanted to know if they could “borrow” Parker and Guinevere and Lance and Pandora just in case he liked them. I have to say I was nervous and bit uneasy about loaning my animals for a Hollywood movie. The most I would do was agree to meet them at my house and let them see the girls. So Tamara came over and we spent some time talking about my hamsters, their personalities, and temperaments. After she agreed to sign her life away if ANYTHING happened to my furry babies I agreed to let her use them. So we loaded up 4 cages and almost 1 dog, Kali was not happy to see her subjects leave without her. It was a lonely night without my hammies to keep me company, but it was also the night of the office Christmas dinner so I was gone until 10 pm. So there was not a lot of time to miss them.
Friday, came and I talked to Tamara off and on all day checking on the girls and making sure they were okay. She assured me that they were fine. My co workers spent the day making fun of me and my “movie star” hamsters. Who were living the life of royalty on a movie set. Finally at 9pm I told her I would come and get them since I was exhausted and had a long weekend ahead of me. They were filming in a neighborhood outside of downtown. So I drove over and was given permission to be on “set,” it was very exciting. All the cameras and people running around, yelling “Rolling” and “Cut” it was just like you see on TV only in real life. I could not get the girls right away because they were inside the house out of the cold. So I hung around and talked to people working on the movie, we talked about the dynamics of making the movie in the middle of a neighborhood and so on. They wanted to know all about rescuing hamsters and how one gets into the business. I thought it was funny them asking me “How do you get into the business of hamster rescue?” when they were in the most difficult business to get into in the world. Everyone was very nice and interesting. I was confused by the man in the kilt. I was not sure if that was part of the movie or if he was a real Scotsman and just liked wearing a kilt. I did wonder about his "little person "because it was freaking freezing out there. But I was polite and did not ask.
I did have to meet with the Animal Humane representative, whenever animals are used in a movie someone from Animal Humane has to be there. So she got all my information and we discussed the legalities of using animals in movies. She also informed me that I would be going home with possibly 4 new more hamsters than I came with. Apparently they had bought 4 more hamsters from Petco (2 shorthaired hamsters and 2 Russian Black hamsters). There is a law that when animals are purchased for a movie they can not be taken home by anyone on the set. They have to be turned over to an adoption group or rescue then the person can adopt them that way. Lucky for me the 2 short haired hamsters were purchased privately by Tamara and belonged to her but the Black Russian’s came home with me.
As we loaded up 4 cages and 2 boxes full of hamsters I was happy to see my girls and one boy come out to say hi. As I greeted each one by name they popped their furry heads out of their hideaways to see what mommy was doing. Of course the Hollywood people immediately thought I had them trained to know their names. I explained that it was not their names they recognized but my voice and this was their usual dinner time. So I hated to disappoint them but they were only looking for their nightly snack and nothing more. Gentle Jungle did make a nice donation to Haven for Hamsters and I got to meet some nice people. Unfortunately the one gentleman who wanted to adopt the Black Russian’s changed his mind after I explained that they would each need a cage and what all that entailed. But as I always say the more the merrier and Kali is thrilled with two new minions to do her evil bidding.
It started last week on Wednesday, I got a call from a number with a “661” area code and since I did not recognize it I ignored the phone call. Carrie with Gentle Jungle in California left a message asking me about adopting a hamster. I called her back and told her I did not have any hamsters available for adoption but I think there was someone on craigslist selling one. At this point in the conversation I had no idea what this was about or why she wanted a hamster. Carrie started to explain that they needed 2 hamsters that were beige and white that would be used together in a movie. So I did the speech about hamsters not being able to be together that if they are they will fight yada yada yada. Well, she was a bit upset to learn this and asked a million questions about how to get hamsters to work together. She may know everything there is too know about working with Lions, Tigers, Bears, oh my. But she knew nothing about working with a hamster. She told me that she would have Tamara call me since she was in New Mexico and would be the one in charge of the animals in the movie.
A few minutes later I got a call from Tamara of Gentle Jungle and she was in fact here in Albuquerque working on the movie Men Who Stare At Goats. We discussed the difficulties of working with hamsters, the fact that they are nocturnal and not easy to train. She mentioned that they could not find any hamsters that the director liked and wanted to know if they could “borrow” Parker and Guinevere and Lance and Pandora just in case he liked them. I have to say I was nervous and bit uneasy about loaning my animals for a Hollywood movie. The most I would do was agree to meet them at my house and let them see the girls. So Tamara came over and we spent some time talking about my hamsters, their personalities, and temperaments. After she agreed to sign her life away if ANYTHING happened to my furry babies I agreed to let her use them. So we loaded up 4 cages and almost 1 dog, Kali was not happy to see her subjects leave without her. It was a lonely night without my hammies to keep me company, but it was also the night of the office Christmas dinner so I was gone until 10 pm. So there was not a lot of time to miss them.
Friday, came and I talked to Tamara off and on all day checking on the girls and making sure they were okay. She assured me that they were fine. My co workers spent the day making fun of me and my “movie star” hamsters. Who were living the life of royalty on a movie set. Finally at 9pm I told her I would come and get them since I was exhausted and had a long weekend ahead of me. They were filming in a neighborhood outside of downtown. So I drove over and was given permission to be on “set,” it was very exciting. All the cameras and people running around, yelling “Rolling” and “Cut” it was just like you see on TV only in real life. I could not get the girls right away because they were inside the house out of the cold. So I hung around and talked to people working on the movie, we talked about the dynamics of making the movie in the middle of a neighborhood and so on. They wanted to know all about rescuing hamsters and how one gets into the business. I thought it was funny them asking me “How do you get into the business of hamster rescue?” when they were in the most difficult business to get into in the world. Everyone was very nice and interesting. I was confused by the man in the kilt. I was not sure if that was part of the movie or if he was a real Scotsman and just liked wearing a kilt. I did wonder about his "little person "because it was freaking freezing out there. But I was polite and did not ask.
I did have to meet with the Animal Humane representative, whenever animals are used in a movie someone from Animal Humane has to be there. So she got all my information and we discussed the legalities of using animals in movies. She also informed me that I would be going home with possibly 4 new more hamsters than I came with. Apparently they had bought 4 more hamsters from Petco (2 shorthaired hamsters and 2 Russian Black hamsters). There is a law that when animals are purchased for a movie they can not be taken home by anyone on the set. They have to be turned over to an adoption group or rescue then the person can adopt them that way. Lucky for me the 2 short haired hamsters were purchased privately by Tamara and belonged to her but the Black Russian’s came home with me.
As we loaded up 4 cages and 2 boxes full of hamsters I was happy to see my girls and one boy come out to say hi. As I greeted each one by name they popped their furry heads out of their hideaways to see what mommy was doing. Of course the Hollywood people immediately thought I had them trained to know their names. I explained that it was not their names they recognized but my voice and this was their usual dinner time. So I hated to disappoint them but they were only looking for their nightly snack and nothing more. Gentle Jungle did make a nice donation to Haven for Hamsters and I got to meet some nice people. Unfortunately the one gentleman who wanted to adopt the Black Russian’s changed his mind after I explained that they would each need a cage and what all that entailed. But as I always say the more the merrier and Kali is thrilled with two new minions to do her evil bidding.
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