Hey all!

JJ5: Your meal sounded so yummy! I'm making a cold pasta salad with pesto with fresh mozzarella and cherry/grape tomatoes for dinner tonight :)

Ethel, what a close call for you!

Thanks Bonnie, I could sure use those hugs right about now :)

Welcome Florida1!

PM, I know exactly how to do the dance on Fodors -- just waiting word from you :D

To all those who have loved ones dealing with health issues, keeping good thoughts for you.

<b>Ryan: </b> Miss seeing you -- hope your summer is going well and your kids are having fun. The DS moves to Hoboken this weekend. I plan to visit a lot -- any suggestions for good places to eat? I figure if I'm paying for good meals, he won't mind me visiting so often ;)

I want to see &quot;March of the Penguins&quot;!!!

LoveItaly - Sooooo glad you're are feeling better!

PM Glad your interview went well, but I was realllly looking forward to a report on &quot;C&quot;, or was it, &quot;D&quot;? getting old, memory not good.

Tiff - you are good, really, really good, how can you remember all those posts to converse on? must be oh so smart! :-)

Jorr - Thanks for the advice. I need to learn how to be an effective squeeky wheel!

Florida--Thought we could get you to drag yourself up to our GTG :P Remember, I may be surrounded by Vols like Iceeu2!

And to all--thanks for your words of sympathy. You never think when you get that first pet how attached you will become to eachother til it happens and then you're hooked. I got Shayna right after graduating college on a whim. She was a teeny tiny kitten and stole my heart the moment I took her in my apartment. GoT--Can't decide if we will get another cat right away but wonder if we'll look for a dog soon. We've been talking about getting one for ages now but felt Shayna wouldn't adapt well...and we still have our funny, naughty little orange tabby Allie Katz who is thankfully young and healthy. She has been extra sweet and cuddly today, when she hasn't been looking for her big white, fluffy sister.

Rave: I love the Doobie Brothers. Maybe because I went to high school in San Jose in the 70's.
Rant: They are playing inside when they come here. I'd rather go to a concert outside.

Don't lose hope OWJ--I really do hope to get up there and provide some Gator support! Just not sure I can make it yet...depends on work.

Tiff: My memory is not as good as yours, lol! Glad no one was hurt but I'm sure cleaning up all of that glass is a real pain in the you know where :D

LoveItaly: Glad you are feeling better.

Rave: 29 days and counting until I pack up the truck and drive out to my new home state of WA unless....
Rant:my condo sale falls through,since the buyer of my 1 bedroom shoebox built in '72 is now busting my chops on everything... My daughter is ticketed to fly out with her Aunt and G-ma on 9/11 and I'm supposed to start new job on the 15th....now I'm looking at shelling out a few grand,or putting the brakes on my move...so I guess it's going to be putting the money out...

Other than that,Happy Friday....

I totally forgot...I do have a rave, after all.

I got a completely out of the blue endearing email from my DH's ex-wife this week telling me that she appreciates the friendship I have with her now-teenaged daughter, and adding that she feels that her child has been in good hands with me over the years.

After the pain we've endured in that scenario (I won't go into details), and my waiting 14 years for such a nod, I wanted to print the email and frame it. :)

Not that I needed the nod to know I've done well by her daughter all these years and treated her as my own child, but it was nice to have it mentioned and appreciated by her mother.

I think the water is finally starting to pass under the bridge. (Fingers crossed).

Rave: I HELPED SOMEONE TODAY!!!!

Gyppielou most certainly did help someone today. Gyppielou, if you won't tell everyone how, then I will. It was on the thread about the sick mom who wants to see Niagra Falls once more. Gyppielou made a very generous offer to another Fodorite. Here it is for anyone who hasn't seen it.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34655072

Yeah, Gyppie, I've been meaning to tell you just how HUGE that was! That was an amazing offer.

Today I was the recipient of a random act of kindness that I'd like to share. This afternoon my vet's tech--who has been so wonderful through Shayna's illness called. She told me she had several acres of property and would like to bury our cat overlooking her lake. We were going to put her in the pet cemetery (no Stephen King jokes, please). Shayna was sick the whole time since we've been in the new house so didn't think she would've wanted to be laid to rest here. It continues to blow me away how in the midst of something bad, there is always an angel on earth to help you through.

Gyppie, I think you are one of Valerie's mom's angels.

Three cheers for our Gyppielou! You're awesome!

OWJ, that sounds like a lovely place for Shayna to rest. The staff at our vet's office were all very good to us when we were in your situation. It makes a huge difference when people care.

OWJ, what a beautiful offer from your vet. I can only imagine how touched you were.

And yes, Gippielou's offer was awesome. More than a lot of close friends would offer.

And dear Statia, do you remember when I told you that all your loving efforts would be appreciated some day?
Being one, I know it is not always easy being a stepmother, but then it is not always being a mother either come to think of it. Statia, what a gift of love you have given your husband, he must adore you. I hope you work out getting to Slovenia. I want to go there so bad.

What a sweet sentiment, LoveItaly. You have a very valid point. I hope you are feeling better as the evening wears on.

Thanks for the kind words. :)

<b>Good</b>: There are many caring people in this world willing to come to the aid of those in dire need.

<b>Bad</b>: Some of the richest nations on this planet, along with their major news outlets, choose to either gloss-over or<i> totally ignore</i> human suffering of monumental scale. US news agencies in particular have ignored this devastating story which started unfolding <i>last</i> year.

Read (and weep) for yourselves. Here's where it stands today:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&amp;ne...-1&amp;q=niger


<b>Indifferent</b>

&quot;Issues and topics&quot; that garner scads of attention and dialogue for no discernible reason.

Dear Nimrod, I know what you are getting at and I appreciate your concern for those that are very much in need, in fact desperate.

However, don't assume because people need some fun time from the hard cruel world and its realities that they do not care. And please don't assume that noone here does nothing to help those in need.

Assuming is a big mistake.

Everyone has their own causes that they contribute to. It may be your cause or it may be a different cause. Not everyone wants to broadcast what they contribute. It is really noone elses business. Furthermore, very few people can contribute to every cause.

And each individual also has their own pain and worries, in one way or another. And consequently having fun with like minded friends relieves a bit of the tensions of day to day life.

God bless you for your help to those in need. And please have enough faith in your fellow man to know that each one of us, or at least most of us, does the best we can to make this a better world.

Please, don't be so judgemental, especially when you do not know of what you speak. Peace!

I have no idea what you're talking about lady. (Actually I do, but it had nothing to do with my post)

Take good care, dear.

Oh, and I do know of what I speak, thank you very much.

ps &quot;Noone&quot; is not a word.

As I have stated more than once I never typed until I got my first computer as I had secretaries that did all the typing...and yes I know you know what I am talking about. End of subject. BTW, if you want to critize with my upbringing calling someone &quot;lady&quot; in the manner you did was not exactly considered polite.
Take care.

Yes, a mistype I know. As I have said often, I am not the best typist in the world.