Discipline

I recently returned from a vacation. My parents were kind enough to let Atticus the cat stay with them. I was so terrified that he would tear their house apart and bite everyone. After all, that's what he does at my house. When I returned, I found the most adorable sweet tempered cat. If it hadn't been for all 5 kinks in his tail, I would have thought it was a different cat. Shortly after we got home, Atticus turned back to his old ways of biting, scratching and bulling everyone around. Where have I gone wrong with this cat?

My dad sent me this link to Dr Phil along with this quote that came from the site. "Your child does not have to love you every minute of every day. He'll get over the disappointment of having been told "no." But he won't get over the effects of being spoiled". Now if I was to substitute the word "child" with the words "dirty, rotten, scratching beast", the same principle applies.

So why is it so hard to discipline? It's got to be the sappy way they look at you.

Regarldess of all this, I thought the site gave some good food for thought for everyone.

Stressed

Are you a bubblewrap popper? When you come across some bubblewrap, do you fight the urge to pop all the bubbles between your fingers? Have you ever been so bold as to pop them under your feet? Or twist the wrap so tight that all the bubbles pop at once?

Yeah, I do all those things too. Which is why this is so exciting.

Eyeball jewelry

Move aside tattoos and body piercing. Eyeball jewlery may be the next biggest trend.

My views on this? Barf... gag. Oh I'm dizzy.

Fish

Every time I go to Jan's blog, the fish picture reminds me of a childhood experience. My brother had a fish bowl full of adorable little goldfish. Everyday the number of fish seemed to decrease, but we couldn't remember exactly how many were there the day before. It wasn't until the number went from 15 to 5 that the realization came that something out of the ordinary was causing the fish to vanish.

Using a little sneakiness, I decided to follow the cat Babs. She was known for her dastardly deeds, and I was not going to rest until I caught her in the act of pawfishing. This didn't take long. I tiptoed into the living room just in time to see her expertly dip her paws into the water and snatch a goldfish. It was in her mouth and down her throat in seconds. It was like magic. It was the cutest thing I'd seen in ages, although rather sad for the innocent goldfish. If you've witnessed such an act, you must admit that it's fascinating to watch.

I currently have a cat that is also known for his dastardly deeds. I'm so tempted to see if he can become a sneaky fishercat.

Getting Organized

Last Friday I acquired the coolest toy, It's a Dell Axium X3i. It has integrated wireless, plays MP3s, moves faster than any desk top I've played on, and has me once again addicted to solitaire.

If your thinking of becoming reclusive with a pocket pc, this toy will do it for you.

Expiration Dates

I'm a curious one when it comes to expiration dates on food. I wonder why some foods have the dates stamped nice and easy to read, and others have this annoying code that is mind aching to solve. 3 days ago my dad sent me the answer key to those impossible codes, such as E219W1. It's from this article from MSNBC. The quoted part is in italics.
LOOK FOR EXPIRATION DATES.

Canned foods will last up to two years from their date of manufacture — not the date you purchased them. Many cans still carry a manufacturing code (instead of a “use by” date). While there is no standard, most canned goods follow this system:

For example, let’s assume the code reads as E219W1. What does that mean?

E = The month the food was manufactured. Since the manufacturing year typically starts in June with “A” for June, in this case “E” stands for “October.”

2 = The last number of the year in which it was manufactured — 2002

19 = The day of the month the can was manufactured

W = The plant name or location

1 = The shift on which the product was manufactured — in this case, the first shift of the day.

If you don’t want to take the trouble to decipher all of this, just call the 800# on the package and the customer service representative will be happy to tell you when it was made.

Silly Laws

I received an email regarding funny laws. Their probably made up, but it's worth a good laugh anyway.

1.LAW: It is illegal to transport a skunk across state lines.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Tennessee

2.
LAW: It is illegal to taunt someone for refusing to participate in a duel.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: West Virginia

3.
LAW: There is a one-dollar fine for every instance of public drunkenness and/or swearing.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: West Virginia

4.
LAW: It is illegal to require someone to purchase a horror comic book.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: California


5.
LAW: It is required by law that you make a loud noise when passing a car on the left.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Rhode Island

6.
LAW: It is illegal for a bingo game to last longer than five hours, unless the bingo is being played at a fair.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: North Carolina

7.
LAW: A man may not seduce a woman by lying, and claiming he will marry her.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Mississippi

8.
LAW: One must not collect seaweed.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: New Hampshire

9.
LAW: It is illegal to wear a bulletproof vest while committing a murder.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: New Jersey

10.
LAW: Unless a customer orders it specifically, it's against the law to serve margarine instead of butter at a restaurant.
COUNTRY: USA / STATE: Wisconsin