Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Is Acorn a website or an app?

[Brattinella]

4 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Is Acorn a website or an app?

My hubby got me a subscription for Christmas 2 years ago, and I'm still going strong.  It is a website, lots of new titles. old ones, obscure ones too.  I love all things British (or Australian, or Canadian, or Scottish, etc).  I think it is about 5 bucks a month all told.

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I'm also loving "Vera" (Brenda Blethyn as DCI for Northumberland) and "Agatha Raisin" (comical Murder She Wrote). A friend recommended "Pie in the Sky", but I just couldn't get into it - retired cop opens a restaurant, but still has to do occasional jobs for the police.  Acorn is great!

Vera and Agatha Raisin are another pair of shows I adore!  I never watched Pie in the Sky, due to the ridiculous fact that the lead actor scares me.

[peacheslatour]

Does it have Last Tango In Halifax?

[Prevailing Wind]

I don't know about that, but the site is acorn.tv

[Brattinella]

52 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Does it have Last Tango In Halifax?

I will check.  BRB.

No, not at the moment, but they add new shows all the time.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Brattinella

[mmecorday]

There's a discussion going on now about people of color or same-sex couples appearing in commercials. I find it very refreshing because not all families look the same. I like that advertisers are trying to be more inclusive. My girlfriend and I are probably two of the most boring people alive and I can't imagine people even talking about us because our lives are literally all about working, taking care of the cats, and falling asleep during reruns of "M*A*S*H" after dinner. I don't view those commercials as pandering. I think that they're saying, "Hey, this world is made up of a lot of different people and they all need stuff."

[janie jones]

I agree.  And what's more, "pandering" is only possible if a group is underrepresented. 

[friendperidot]

There's an ad or it's a public service announcement, or something, not really a favorite, but I appreciate the message. It tells women to speak up at the doctor's office about their endometriosis.

I don't have endometriosis, but I am a chronic migraine sufferer. In the 60s, when I started having them, there wasn't much in the way of treatments, my mother was also a lifelong sufferer, she would be in her room in the dark for days, I resented those "sick headaches" so very much, but I did apologize to her as an adult sufferer.

But when I started having them, if you went to the doctor, they didn't do much, you were kind of discounted for over-reacting, for stretching the truth, for trying to get out of things, (and I may or may not have lied about having a headache to get out something once or twice in my life), told to just suck it up and do whatever. Jobs/bosses/co-workers were not sympathetic, again treated like lying, trying to get out of things, etc. My ex-husband would not believe I was really sick unless I was throwing up, not all of my headaches make me that kind of sick.

Treatments have changed over the years and doctors are more inclined to believe and try to find help. I've tried them all, tryptan meds are very bad for me, every one causes rebound headaches and severe stiff necks that last for weeks. I've developed an intolerance for codiene, that's been out of my life for years, I'm intolerant of Benadryl, that may be age related, but I cannot use it.

But years ago, I would never admit to how many headaches I had a week (4-6), how many days a month I had headaches (20-30), it's difficult living in pain all the time and nobody believes you. I've been emergency rooms more times than I care to think about, used to be 5-6 times a year, I haven't been with a migraine in several years now, and the last bad headache that made me almost faint in my neighbor's driveway, that he called an ambulance for what turned out to be an aneurysm, not a migraine. I've thrown up on more triage desks than I care to remember, but that does usually get me in a treatment room quicker. By the time I go to the ER, I am drug seeking, I want out of my misery and pain. There is one hospital in this city that when I do go there and they look up my records, I get in and out quickly, I need an injection of Stadol and Phernergren. And as long as I don't get a first month resident who wants to do a spinal tap, I will educate them quickly and quietly about migraines, then they can give me my injection and get me out of there so I am not taking up space from someone who needs a lot of attention. And the biggest help in my life is that I take Clonoprin daily, it's a blood pressure medication that is used for anxiety and since I started it about 4 years ago, I've only been in the ER once for migraine. 

So, I appreciate what this ad/public announcement is saying, speak up, don't discount yourself, be proactive, say the things you need to in a way that will help the doctor understand what you are really going through and get you the help you need. One other thing that I think helps so much now is that since the 70s, more and more doctors are women. And women's issues are getting more attention and better treatment

[bilgistic]

It still takes women nine-plus years on average to be diagnosed with endometriosis. Women have to fight to be believed about their conditions. I have migraines, and if I can't get to the GP or neurologist, the nurse won't call in my prescription, which only half works (yep, triptans). She'll tell me to take Excedrin Migraine. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by bilgistic

[chessiegal]

I had endometriosis and I'd say it took my gynecologist ( a woman) about 2 months to get it diagnosed after much testing. In the process, they discovered I had an enlarged ovary, which turned out to be cancerous - late stage 1 ovarian cancer. Endometriosis turned out to be a very good thing for me.

[friendperidot]

bilgistic, you have my sympathy, ask about Clonodine, not Clonopin which is a benzodiapen and can be addictive and one of the meds some addicts are in ERs looking for. It's a blood pressure med, that was never a problem for me, but most of my headaches are now eased off with Excedrin Migraine. If I get close to running out of my prescriptions, I almost get paranoid, I just don't want the headaches back! Keep asking for the help you need. I used to work in a psych hospital, and my immediate supervisor was an LPN, it was Friday afternoon, and my doctor's office would not return my phone call about calling in a script. I was almost at that throwing up stage, I was crying on the phone. My supervisor came over to my cube, got the phone number and my script was called in shortly after. One of the nicest things a supervisor ever did! So, sometimes, some people do understand.

chessiegal, I'm so happy that you got early diagnosis for both. I so much prefer going to a woman doctor, they understand much better about problems that are primarily women's issues.

[Prevailing Wind]

I have a handful of docs that I go to regularly: GP, dermatologist, podiatrist, ophthalmologist, dentist and orthopedist. I have recently realized all but the ortho are women.  My boss at my part-time job is a woman, too. In fact, we have 6 vets at the clinic and only one is male.

[theredhead77]

Is there a "Big Game" commercial thread?

[chessiegal]

I'm finding it ironic that I ended up going through 2 hotel booking sites today we discuss - Trivago.com and Booking.com. We're visiting family in New Orleans in April, and the hotel we normally stay in Uptown was booked. I wanted to see if I could get a room at Hampton Court on St. Charles in the Garden District. The useless Hilton site kept sending me to some hotel in Illinois. After 3 tries, I gave up and went to Trivago. They told me the best price was at Booking.com, and I did indeed get a good price on what can be hard to find hotel rooms in that area. Commercials can be helpful.

[Silver Raven]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I'm finding it ironic that I ended up going through 2 hotel booking sites today we discuss - Trivago.com and Booking.com. We're visiting family in New Orleans in April, and the hotel we normally stay in Uptown was booked. I wanted to see if I could get a room at Hampton Court on St. Charles in the Garden District. The useless Hilton site kept sending me to some hotel in Illinois. After 3 tries, I gave up and went to Trivago. They told me the best price was at Booking.com, and I did indeed get a good price on what can be hard to find hotel rooms in that area. Commercials can be helpful.

I always use hotels.com

[xaxat]

Despite the large number of sites, most travel search engines are owned by a handful of companies. For example, Trivago and Hotels.com are both owned by Expedia.

[chessiegal]

I went to the grocery store late this afternoon and the front of the store was wall-to-wall Valentine's Day stuff - cookies, flowers, candy, balloons. I don't know how they're going to sell all that stuff by tomorrow. What will they do with it? I've checked the store the day after Valentine's Day the last few years looking for bargains, and everything Valentine had disappeared.

Edited February 13, 2018 by chessiegal

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I don't know how they're going to sell all that stuff by tomorrow. What will they do with it?

Everyone knows the best bargains on chocolate come February 15!  You also see a lot of that stuff at discount/closeout stores like Odd Lot and Ollie's after the holiday.

[chessiegal]

28 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Everyone knows the best bargains on chocolate come February 15!  You also see a lot of that stuff at discount/closeout stores like Odd Lot and Ollie's after the holiday.

The last several years, there was no Valentine candy at the store on the 15th. They took it all off the shelves!

[ABay]

Bastards!

[Moose135]

Those fools! What are they thinking? Missing out on all the post-holiday chocolate sales!

[chessiegal]

57 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Those fools! What are they thinking? Missing out on all the post-holiday chocolate sales!

I know! The same chain 15 years ago had candy, including an oversized coffee cup, white with pink hearts, filled with chocolate, for half price I bought. I've got a full day on the 15th, but I'm going to try and get there and see if all the candy has disappeared again. I can't imagine what they do with it. Food banks don't want it. Same chain had Christmas candy on the shelves for weeks after Christmas this year. Tis a mystery.

[funky-rat]

12 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I know! The same chain 15 years ago had candy, including an oversized coffee cup, white with pink hearts, filled with chocolate, for half price I bought. I've got a full day on the 15th, but I'm going to try and get there and see if all the candy has disappeared again. I can't imagine what they do with it. Food banks don't want it. Same chain had Christmas candy on the shelves for weeks after Christmas this year. Tis a mystery.

We have a lot of Mennonite-run "surplus" grocery stores here.  They sell a lot of dented stuff, expired stuff, and candy from holidays past.  A lot of it ends up at those places.  I'll see Easter candy at Christmas time there.  It goes to food auctions, where it's bought by the pallet for pennies, and then sold in bulk bags for a buck or two.

[LoneHaranguer]

13 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I've got a full day on the 15th, but I'm going to try and get there and see if all the candy has disappeared again. I can't imagine what they do with it.

Things can sell out pretty quickly at the right price. I happened to be in a local Walmart one year when they decided it was time to get rid of the leftover Halloween candy. They put all of the bags (including the big ones) on sale for a buck each. When I left the store about a half hour later, the displays were nearly empty.

[chessiegal]

I went to the grocery store this morning, and all the Valentine's Day stuff was gone. Poof! All replaced by all things Easter.

[Brattinella]

I'm not sure where to put this, so I will leave it here.  All of you, my friends with dogs need to know about a recall.  Many canned dog foods are contaminated with pentobarbital, the euthanasia drug.  This has killed dogs.  Gravy Train is one of them.  Just a heads-up.

[frenchtoast]

1 hour ago, Brattinella said:

I'm not sure where to put this, so I will leave it here.  All of you, my friends with dogs need to know about a recall.  Many canned dog foods are contaminated with pentobarbital, the euthanasia drug.  This has killed dogs.  Gravy Train is one of them.  Just a heads-up.

My husband was looking into this and how the pentobarbital ends up in the dog food I won't repeat here. I have made dog food in my Instant Pot--ground turkey, brown rice, sweet potatoes or frozen butternut squash, and peas and carrots. They love it as the drips of drool on my kitchen floor attest. I use the Instant Pot more for my dogs than for my human family. My doggos--retired racing greyhounds--still get some dry kibble with the home-made stuff. But with all these recalls, it might be better to just give them soft stuff made at home.

[Ohwell]

I can remember as a kid there was no such thing as "store bought" dog food.  They ate what we ate.  They even had sense enough to mimic the behavior of the kids around Christmas time, as if they knew Santa was coming, and behaved themselves because they knew they were going to get a delicious hambone.

[bilgistic]

We're talking about the recall in the pets forum.

[Brattinella]

3 hours ago, bilgistic said:

We're talking about the recall in the pets forum.

Thanks!

[friendperidot]

From favorite commercials, arts in schools are the first things cut from budgets, but sports, nope, gotta have them. As a kind of nerdy kid, not a sports kid, 4'11" and female, went to school in the 60s, girls were not encouraged to be in sports, especially small girls, we were just supposed to sit in the stands and adore the boys. Nope, no resentment on my part. But it does have a lot to do with me being tickled pink over all the little, mighty girls in snowboarding, short track speed skating and gymnastics during the Olympics.

But back to cutting budgets and cutting out the arts, if I hadn't taken drama classes and participated behind the scenes at the fall and spring plays, I'm not sure I would be a functioning adult. I was and still am quite introverted and shy. I didn't like the acting part, didn't want to be on stage, but I loved learning about stagecrafts, learning about theater, reading plays, talking about them in class. I credit Mr. Michael Broker with me being able to hold jobs and be functioning adult. For me, he was Mr. Holland. And I have given him credit on different school reunion boards and the hometown FB page. I've heard back that he remembered me and was flattered about my statements. 

For many kids, art, music, drama classes are ways to encourage and support them. School has to be more inclusive and more than readin', writin' and 'rithmatic. Science helps make the world livable, arts is what makes it worth living. We need all, we need the grammar, the math, the history, the science, yes, we even need sports, but we need the arts, we need music, we need band, singing, we need drawing, paint, sculpting, we need drama, speech, debate. To become well rounded and well balanced adults, we need exposure to all of it. I learned in middle school, I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I love music, I love classical music, I love a lot of popular music, I love John Phillip Sousa for that matter, I love show tunes, but it was through art classes that I got exposure to those things. I also loved sewing classes and things I learned there have stayed with me all of my life. I designed and sewed doll clothes and supplemented my income for several years. I can't do that right now because of other circumstances, but my brain is still occupied with colors and designs and fabrics. 

I've watched my nieces drop out of school, they had nothing to motivate them to stay in school, much of that I blame on their mother and her drug use, she has little interest in school, and seeing that her children went, but I think the schools have responsibility for this too. I am now watching my great-nephew, he's 19, dropped out of school mostly before he was 14, he has learning disabilities, bi-polar, but very smart, he is so poorly educated, I turn so many conversations into teaching, he's tired of it, but on the other hand when he wants to understand things, he asks me.

I think the arts need to be back in school. Kids need fun stuff, like music, fine arts, not just sports. Not everyone is interested in sports, not everyone is cut out for basketball and football and soccer. I hated being forced to play basketball and volleyball, I am so short and I was not good in those games, they were torture for me.

Edited February 17, 2018 by friendperidot
typo

[chessiegal]

I was never good at sports - hated PE. This is me playing softball in gym class.

 

 

 

 

 

[Silver Raven]

Well, sports do bring in money, though more so in college than in high school.

[funky-rat]

When I was in high school (late 80's/early 90's), we saw our budget get dwindled away to nothing for band.  It was all funneled to a football team that rarely won more than 2-3 games per season (9th grade, they managed one game - the last one of the season).  We had to buy our shoes from a certain store - they were horribly uncomfortable and expensive.  That same store provided the cheerleaders with their shoes for free, because the owner's daughter wasn't good enough to be a cheerleader, but once free shoes were involved, they made her one.

The school told us if we wanted to buy new uniforms, that was on us, as they had bought uniforms prior (in 1973, I think - they were old and ratty and embarrassing).  They didn't help one bit, yet they vetoed several styles we chose, and instead wanted us to buy ugly uniforms that weren't made for girls (no room in the bust and narrow in the hips).  We muddled through 4 years with them, and a few years after I graduated, they got better uniforms closer to the ones we wanted initially.  We had to pay for buses to run us around to games and parades and whatnot (school buses - the football team got free charter buses, and the cheerleaders complained they had to ride with us, so after 9th grade, they got a "short bus" for them exclusively, and did not have to pay for it).  We got invited for some prestigious things to perform - that was also 100% on our dime.  Then in 11th grade, the school said we weren't inclusive enough, and demanded we take all of the other music department groups with us (all vocal groups, orchestra, etc) when we went on things WE were invited to.  We had always had good trips up until then - no discipline issues, etc.  Once we had to open it up to other groups, we were kicked out of several venues for shoplifting, etc, and were told at the end that we were not welcome back.  So we ALL got yelled at and disciplined.  The band stood up and refused to listen and walked off the bus, as it was one of the vocal groups that was causing all of the issues.   We earned varsity letters, but we had to buy our jackets, and we weren't allowed to have the same jackets the athletes had (which they got for free).  The athletes got a nice folder that had a team photo and a certificate.  We didn't get that.  They got their stuff at a school assembly.  We got ours at a pot luck dinner that was held in the cafeteria with only other band people present.  We had boosters, and they worked hard for us, but the athletic boosters were much larger in numbers, and much more well connected to get freebies than we were, plus they had the support of the school, and alumni.  The athletes did ZERO fundraisers, other than the money they got from concessions, which wasn't a lot.  We did, on average, 6-7 fundraisers a year.  People got sick of seeing me.

Starting in 10th grade, we had to start paying for our lessons, and our camp in the summer to get ready for football season.  We lost a lot of good kids over the years who simply couldn't afford all the costs, and had to drop out.  We dwindled to very tiny numbers at one point, and were too small to compete.  It was hard to know that all of that money was being funneled to a football team who sucked large, and would then complain that we didn't support them enough (yeah, it's our fault that you can't hold on to the ball) and cheerleaders who didn't like the music we played because they couldn't dance to it (yet the school had a say in what was in our music library).  We couldn't win.  I'm not sure how it is now, but the school has a nice sized band, and updates their uniforms regularly.  With the amount of taxes that district collects, I would hope they're helping some, but I'm not holding my breath.

[friendperidot]

funky rat, that makes me so sad. Like I said above, sports are not the be all and end all, not every kid is cut out to be a sportsperson, not every kid is interested in sports. There is so much in the world that is not sports. I know that sports get most of the money in schools and in a lot of major cities, I'm from KC, home to several pro teams, I've lived in Washington DC, now I'm in Tulsa, a few pro teams here, minor leagues, I don't know how much attention they get, I don't watch local news anymore or read the newspaper, I look at the news on line where I can avoid the sports stuff and most everything else, I can just see the major problems going on and I keep up with weather through the National Weather Service. If there's a tornado alert, even the cheap channels run a notice on screen.

There really is so much more to the world than sports, I thoroughly enjoy the Olympics, so I get all the sports I want every 2 years. We need more support for other things as children, how else are they going to learn if they don't get a little exposure, we went to the museum, to the art gallery, to the Philharmonic, to the zoo (ok, that wasn't so great, but maybe it sparked an interest in animals for someone). I have taken my dolls to the psych hospital where I worked and had an informal talk with the teenage girls on the residential wing, they were fascinated, they had no idea that dolls like mine existed, they wanted to touch them, see how they moved, comb hair, change clothes, all those fun things with dolls. I even took a couple of girls on level to the playground with the dolls and my very cheap digital camera (very early edition, about 2 mp, I've upgraded several times) we posed dolls on various playground equipment and I showed them how to operate the camera and I let them snap away. Then I went home, downloaded the pictures, printed them and took them back to the girls. Of course there were girls who thought it was corny, that's ok, the rest had a great time. I wanted to do that when I moved to a different hospital, but couldn't get it approved by the administration. They were ok with animals and acrobats, but not dolls. And by then I had tons more dolls and friends that had even more and different kinds of dolls, many that would have appealed to the teenagers of today.

[funky-rat]

A lot of it was small town politics.  I was not affluent growing up (we weren't poor - we did fine) but the area I went to school was affluent.  Back 20+ years prior, the school had better athletic teams, and they just clung to that, pumping all kinds of funds in it taking it away from other programs, but it was like throwing money down the toilet, and expecting to get a return on their investment.  And also being small town politics, people here live for high school sports (not like in Texas and some other states where towns shut down on Friday, but they want to either re-live their youth, or live through their kids).  And people would toss tons of money to make sure their kids had the best of everything.  If their kids weren't in your program, then screw you - it's not their concern.  There was an extremely small handful of affluent kids in the band (usually ones that weren't good at any of the sports the school offered - stuff like swimming - we didn't offer it as a school sport but some of those kids swam in club teams), and if we'd have something like a car wash, their parents would show up and do the work for them (this was late 80's/early 90's).

My mom was heavily involved with the boosters for the band until I was in 11th grade, and the school demanded we include all things (vocal groups, orchestra, etc) in our band stuff.  They agreed to let the other groups in, with the understanding that our treasury was ours - we worked hard to build it.  The parents complained that the other organizations didn't have a treasury, and they were willing to put in to ours, but it should all be shared.  Then one of the vocal directors wanted to send one of their kids (only one) to a special singing camp over the summer.  It was prestigious, but it didn't benefit any of us - even any of the other vocal kids.  The director said it would bring honor to our music program, etc.  My mom wasn't having it.  She said he should fundraise and get sponsors from local businesses, and we'd contribute a small amount toward it, but to pay for it in full would drain everything we raised, and it wasn't benefitting anyone but that one kid.  The director berated my mom in front of a room full of people, and she resigned on the spot.  I have no clue how it's done now, but I hope they have something better.  The other kids involved never did fundraising, and then wanted to take all of our money.

Still, I wouldn't change my experiences with the band (except that horrible 11th grade trip where other kids ruined it for everyone) for anything.

[Prevailing Wind]

Reply to discussion in "Favorites..."

Holland-America cruises only charge for alcohol. And whatever special extras, like spa visits, massages, beauty parlor, etc. you may use. Non-Alkie beverages were free. I don't know if they still are, but in 92 they were part of the fare. And there was NO tipping.  I didn't buy a whole lot of souvenirs in the 18 days, but my mom & I *did* buy every photo the ship's photog took of us. Nice memories, moreso than buying a tchotchke from somewhere.  Although, I did buy a ceramic dish in Acapulco. I kept the price tag on it, because it was $17,500.  (Pesos use the dollar sign, too.) It was a wee bit over $5 US. Bwaahahahahaha

[chessiegal]

We've taken the Queen Mary 2 from New York to England the last 2 years, and are scheduled to cross again in May, this time to Hamburg, Germany. It amuses me that Carnival owns Cunard, because the 2 couldn't be more different. People ask what you do with 8 days at sea - so much to do. We do the early dinner seating. They have a different show every night after dinner. Last year they had a concert pianist give recitals 3 afternoons. They have a planetarium, have lectures, show movies, a gym, and lots of quiet places to sit and read. I enjoy the formal nights. My husband has a tux and I bought some cocktail dresses and an evening gown. They have tea every afternoon, and ballroom dancing every night. We go watch sometimes after the nightly show. I love it.

[Spunkygal]

I never thought I would like to go on a cruise but several years ago some friends talked me into it and it was one of the best trips ever! We did the Inside Passage from Vancouver with the usual Alaskan ports. I had a cabin with a verandah which was worth every penny. It was so gorgeous and there was so much to do. The food was great and the service was superb. There weren't any drunken fools (that I was aware of) and we saw many pods of whales from our ship. I would definitely go on that cruise again. I am also intrigued by the cruises that @chessiegal goes on, but I hate formal nights.  

Edited February 24, 2018 by Spunkygal

[Browncoat]

I'll go on small ship cruises (150 people or fewer), but I am disinclined to go on a cruise ship whose population is greater than that of the town I live in. 

[chessiegal]

You don't have to go to formal nights - they have half a deck loaded with many food options for those who don't want to eat in the dining room. I enjoy seeing what the women are wearing.  One afternoon we went to a lounge on an upper deck in the front of the ship with a gorgeous view. We decided to have a Bloody Mary, and then a second one. We went back to the cabin for a nap and didn't make it to the dining room that night. lol

[peacheslatour]

I'd like to go on one of those Viking river cruises. Down the Danube sounds really nice.

[AuntieL]

I'm scheduled to go on Viking Cruise down the Rhine the end of the March. It was not cheap but you only turn 60 once.  I've never had any desire to go on an ocean cruise but this looks like it will be fun. We stop at a different town every day and the price includes one tour in each town. I'm going with a few friends that I've traveled with before so I know we're compatible. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a good time. 

[peacheslatour]

12 hours ago, AuntieL said:

I'm scheduled to go on Viking Cruise down the Rhine the end of the March. It was not cheap but you only turn 60 once.  I've never had any desire to go on an ocean cruise but this looks like it will be fun. We stop at a different town every day and the price includes one tour in each town. I'm going with a few friends that I've traveled with before so I know we're compatible. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a good time. 

Oh, that just sounds lovely. I hope you have a wonderful time!

[mmecorday]

Hello, lovelies! I have been absent for a month because I forgot my password! When I asked for a new one, PTV had my old email address and I couldn't update my account because ... well, I had forgotten my password. This morning I woke up and I suddenly remembered it and I've written it down several places so it won't be forgotten again. Lesson learned. Always keep your account current and choose a password you will actually remember without much difficulty. Now on with the snark!

I think it's funny that cruise talk preceded my post, as last night I dreamed I was on a cruise ship owned by Clint Eastwood. The food was terrible and people couldn't wait for the next port of call so they could eat something that wouldn't test their gag reflexes.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

I think it's funny that cruise talk preceded my post, as last night I dreamed I was on a cruise ship owned by Clint Eastwood. The food was terrible and people couldn't wait for the next port of call so they could eat something that wouldn't test their gag reflexes.

Hah! That's so funny. Glad to know I'm not the only one who has dreams like that.

[mojoween]

Bringing over cat food chit chat...

Mookie loves gravy food.  He also loves hard food.  And treats, which is why he’s 15 pounds.

We have hard food in a small bowl available for him whenever he wants it.  Around nine in the morning he gets a small bowl of soft food, his absolute favorite is trout-flavored Sheba Perfect Portions cuts with gravy (the packages are 37.5 grams per side, and he likes to have both sides) or Nutro Catfish and Tuna cuts with gravy, the same size.  He also likes Nutro salmon, salmon and chicken, salmon and shrimp and chicken.  He does NOT like those flavors in Sheba, because he’s a fussy ass who only wants the expensive shit.

Around 5 p.m. he has a packet of Fancy Feast broth.  He knows when I get that bowl and cries and cries until I put it in front of him.

If he feels that I am making him wait too long for breakfast (which again, is at nine a.m., but he refuses to use a watch so he never knows what time it is) he will sit in the hall outside the room I use for my work office and stare.  If I look back at him, he licks his lips as if to say “can you not see that I am STARVING TO DEATH OUT HERE?!?”

He is the most pampered cat ever but I don’t care, because he is the best-behaved cat I have ever come across in my life, and I’ve been around a lot of cats.

[Brattinella]

21 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Bringing over cat food chit chat...

Mookie loves gravy food.  He also loves hard food.  And treats, which is why he’s 15 pounds.

We have hard food in a small bowl available for him whenever he wants it.  Around nine in the morning he gets a small bowl of soft food, his absolute favorite is trout-flavored Sheba Perfect Portions cuts with gravy (the packages are 37.5 grams per side, and he likes to have both sides) or Nutro Catfish and Tuna cuts with gravy, the same size.  He also likes Nutro salmon, salmon and chicken, salmon and shrimp and chicken.  He does NOT like those flavors in Sheba, because he’s a fussy ass who only wants the expensive shit.

Around 5 p.m. he has a packet of Fancy Feast broth.  He knows when I get that bowl and cries and cries until I put it in front of him.

If he feels that I am making him wait too long for breakfast (which again, is at nine a.m., but he refuses to use a watch so he never knows what time it is) he will sit in the hall outside the room I use for my work office and stare.  If I look back at him, he licks his lips as if to say “can you not see that I am STARVING TO DEATH OUT HERE?!?”

He is the most pampered cat ever but I don’t care, because he is the best-behaved cat I have ever come across in my life, and I’ve been around a lot of cats.

He sounds like a great cat. :)

[Prevailing Wind]

Neither of mine like wet food. Which is good, since it gives Bosco the runs. They were eating a high-end Purina kind and both were closing in on 15 pounds. (Bosco had surpassed it; Stella was creeping up on it.) Dr.W. said "Purina OM" (OM = Overweight Management). It's prescription food, only at the vet's and extremely expensive.  Fortunately, I work for the vet and signed up at PurinaForProfessionals, where the food is less than 50% off. Whew! That's a HUGE savings for me and it seems to be working. Stella is now an almost svelte 11#13oz. Bosco is 13# 15 - he hasn't lost as much, but he's a big, muscular cat; he can carry the weight. Besides, he's a Bombay and they say Bombays are deceptively heavy - bricks with fur - so his breed is what makes him heavy.

But I truly do encourage anyone with spare time - get a part-time job at the vet's. The discounts are WELL worth it!

[mojoween]

1 hour ago, Brattinella said:

He sounds like a great cat. :)

Thank you.  :)  He truly, truly is.

One of the most amusing things that happened is when I was on a Skype meeting for work, and Mookie jumped on my desk, and one of the Team Leaders in the meeting said “...is that a dog?”

I do love working for a company where the cat ending up on camera isn't an issue.