A very sad day.

On March 31, 2005, our sweet and loving companion, Rubu, passed away after a short battle with aggressive lymphoma. She was 11 years, 11 months old. Rubu was born on a farm in rural Minnesota and I adopted her from a co-worker when she was 6 weeks old.



She was an adorable friend who would cheerfully greet all visitors, and never complained about anything. She always knew where I was in the house and would follow me around and keep me company. She loved to watch the squirrels on the deck and usually slept in the living room to keep an eye on the backyard. One of her favorite things was to jump on my back while I was leaning over. I would walk around the house with her taking what we called, an elephant ride.



During her last few months, she was losing weight due to her illness. We were giving her prednisone and a digestive stimulant twice per day. Somehow I think she knew we were trying to help her. She tolerated having medicine squirted into her mouth, and didn't get mad at us. She would spend hours sleeping in my lap in the evenings. Two nights ago, I went to bed on the couch with her in my lap and we slept together for hours. Yesterday she jumped up into my lap and seemed okay, although by now she had become nothing more than skin and bones.

This morning, she quickly took a turn for the worse. She could hardly walk, her breathing was labored and she was moaning. We took her to the vet and learned that we needed to say goodbye. She continued to purr even in her last minutes.

We will miss her dearly.

And you thought Saddam was bad...

The administration seems to be going overboard in their efforts to stifle dissent when GWB comes to town to talk about plans to change Social Security.

In Denver, three people say they were booted out of a presidential event last week even though they never uttered a peep, apparently because their car bore a bumper sticker denouncing the war in Iraq. (“No more blood for oil”)

In Fargo, N.D., last month, local Repub’s developed a blacklist of more than three dozen residents, including a city commissioner, who were to be banned from the event.

Who's the evil dictator?

Canada, eh!

So you are thinking of defecting to Canada. Good for you! I wish I could.

Sick of living in a country ruled by a puppet of corporate America? Tired of seeing hundreds and hundreds of US soldiers - men, women, boys, parents, brothers, sisters, uncles - killed for oil? How many lives must be sacrificed for the war machine? We are making enemies faster than we can kill them. If you are interested, here are some resources that may be of some help to you...


The official Canadian immigration website:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html

A Canadian attorney offering helpful information:

http://www.victorialaw.com/

The Canadian Immigration newsletter:

http://www.cicnews.com/

A metric conversion website:

http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm


What you will need:

You will need a Canadian immigrant visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residence, a valid passport, two copies of a detailed list of all the personal or household items you are bringing with you and two copies of a list of items that are arriving later. Note: The lists should state how much your personal and household items are worth.

You must also bring with you enough money to cover living expenses such as rent, food, clothing and transportation for a six-month period. You may be asked to show proof of your funds.

You should also bring:

Birth certificates or baptismal certificates, marriage certificates, adoption, separation or divorce papers, school records, diplomas or degrees, trade or professional certificates and licenses, letters of reference from former employers, a list of your educational and professional qualifications and job experience (a résumé), immunization, vaccination, dental and other health records, driver's license, including an International Driver's Permit, and a reference from your insurance company, photocopies of all essential and important documents, in case the originals get lost (be sure to keep the photocopies in a separate place from the originals) and car registration documents if you are importing a motor vehicle into Canada.

You cannot bring into Canada:

Unauthorized firearms, explosives, fireworks and ammunition, narcotics, other than prescription drugs, meat, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, flowers and soil, endangered species of animals or products made from animal parts, such as the skin, feathers, fur, bones and ivory, cultural property, including antique and cultural objects considered to have historical significance in their country of origin (you may, however, bring family heirlooms), more than 200 cigarettes (you must pay tax on the excess amount) per person over 18 years of age if you are immigrating to Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, or per person over 19 if you are immigrating to Ontario or any of the other provinces, and more than 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of commercial alcohol (you must pay tax on the excess amount) per person over 19 years of age.

Good luck!

Get over yourself

Unbelievable that some holier-than-thou republican congressmonkeys have stuck their noses into someone's private family business. A man wants to end the suffering of his wife, who has been in a vegetative state for nearly 15 years.

The monkeys actually called her to testify at a hearing. Not that she could ever testify... it was simply a stunt to try to force them to keep her alive since she would then be protected, "from anyone who may obstruct or impede a witness's attendance or testimony".

Sorry guys, but we have a court system that is supposed to handle matters such as this. Oh, wait, they've already ruled that the feeding tube can be removed. Please, instead of making a scandal out of this, let her die with dignity.

We need to elect replacements.

Taco Tuesday - Wiener Wednesday

Well, it's been a while so it must be time for another update.

1. We have now had over 90 inches of snow in Duluth, and I lost track of how many days it's been below zero.
2. I have all of my (job required) securities licenses now, so I guess I can keep doing my job? Shouldn't they pay me more money?
3. Scully continues to be the most cuddly cat on the planet.
4. We installed a new floor in the bathroom, prior to selling our house last week. It wasn't without a few glitches. The instructions on the adhesive said to wait about an hour for the adhesive to dry. We discovered that it actually takes about 6 hours for the adhesive to set up, and we ended up having to re-install some tiles. I am now a 2nd level floor installer after failing a few rolls.
5. My grandparents returned from their month-long trip to California and Hawaii, bringing pneumonia with them. Grandma was in the hospital for 4 days, but she's doing fine now. Grandpa didn't eat for 3 days and lost 10 pounds.
6. Massive garage sale planned for mid-April. Our new house will be smaller, so we need to get rid of some stuff. Moocow need a couch or two?
7. Rubu has been on prednisone for lymphoma for a few months. She has lost 3 pounds, and has trouble keeping food down. She isn't interested in eating, so I have to "force feed" her by squirting food into her mouth with a syringe. She continues to be a cuddly friend, and sits in my lap daily. She will be 12 years old in May and every day that she is with us is wonderful.
8. We rented "Super-Size Me" last weekend. It's a documentary? about a guy who eats McDonald's food every meal for 30 days. He is monitored by a doctor, cardiologist and dietician. He ends up gaining 24 pounds, his cholesterol shoots up over 50 points, and his doctor is so concerned that on day 21 he tells him to stop because what he is doing is "dangerous". Eating at McDonalds... dangerous. And, I just looked up to see that dumb-ass Burger King commercial with the stupid singing guy and cheerleaders and crap. How stupid do they think we are? Well, stupid enough to keep eating there.

Wifey is in California for 5 days, and the cats and I are enjoying a nice long, relaxing weekend.

Time to watch Gwen Stefani.