just can't agree

Just not in a good mood today. Not at all, really.

It's super grey and awful outside and usually I like this sort of weather, but today it's getting to me.


this video is from Beth who works with a couple cat rescue organizations. I actually didn't watch the whole thing because I found it really upsetting. Basically this cat, Dale, has been trying to dig himself out of his cage and has cut up his face and paws in the process.

I cannot even deal with stuff like this. I cannot even deal with watching animals who are in fear or panic. I find it to be too much. It makes me feel hopeless, and so I generally avoid watching videos like this or hearing about things like this.
Or I put on a sturdy face and say I don't care. Because that's easier.

At work the other day I was discussing my dinner party with my co-worker. I like this guy well enough, and he's pretty fond of pushing my buttons which is occasionally pretty funny.
Anyway, he tried to suggest that I should make and serve meat to my guests, despite the fact that I am vegetarian, because otherwise they wouldn't be satisfied with the meal.

WHAT THE FUCK?

I've been vegetarian since grade 8. I don't know how many years that is. Over a dozen? And lately it's the environmental aspect of the meat industry that I've been most turned off by.
But for some reason watching this video of this kitten trying to dig his way to freedom in his panic to be released reminded me of the other part of my vegetarianism.
I love animals. I really, really love animals. I like to look at cute pictures of them and I want them all to be happy.
The idea of the terror and stress that the animals live through before being killed is really quite awful.

This current meat industry is not like having a farm - killing the animal, using up all the bits to feed your family. I have respect for that.

This industry is wasteful and diseased and I honestly think it can destroy the lives of the workers as well as being awful for this animals and the environment.
I just can't agree with it.
You have no idea how many times I day I think about how much easier my life would be if I ate meat. I am constantly reexamining it.

I am so embarrassed of being vegetarian, I rarely mention it on here, I avoid the subject in real life. I get defensive about everything.
I'm probably the biggest baby about the whole thing out of anyone I know. I find it overwhelming to feel like such an outsider so much of the time. I just can't agree with eating meat and there's no way that anyone I know is actually going to stop.
It makes me feel beyond helpless.

But then, I too am a hypocrite, I eat eggs and dairy. And that's awful, too.
I excuse it with we all draw our lines in the sand, but really I'm just a straight-up hypocrite. A deservist, an entitled asshole.
This whole thing is too depressing to deal with today.

Haaaaaa aaaamazingly depressing!

In better news, I'm going to Ottawa with Dayna on Wednesday for a road trip and to visit her parents and they are getting a HOT TUB. and her mum is making GLUTEN-FREE VEGETARIAN LASAGNE!
Honestly so wonderful.

odd couple animal bffs love forever

um this just made me cry a lot in a nice way. Amazing.

Love animals forever.

lovely country driving

I just had a really nice walk with Kaya that involved a bit of running, too. Mostly because I got annoyed with her stop-and-sniff routine that was happening approximately every two seconds.
It was nice to get out of the house and move around. I think I'm a bit depressed today. Mostly probably just hormones and seasons and vitamins and things, but still. Spent a lot of time watching internet TV and being annoyed at how nothing good ever happens to me (obviously untrue x 100).

Wow, I started this post about half an hour ago and then got completely caught up in reading the crazy facebook sagas of people I went to elementary school with. Totally sucked me in. Some people are crazy. So effing crazy it blows my mind. And the shit they put on facebook?? amazing!
I mean, I do understand the temptation, I've obviously put way too much of my life on Diaryland and on the internets in other ways. But it seems like one should grow out of it or something.

So Deck doesn't want to be called "Deck" anymore. I believe his words were "Every time I see that name I want to never be friends with you" something like that. Very polite like. He hadn't noticed that Poppy's been using it too.
But he isn't being at all helpful in telling me would be acceptable to call him by. I'm very close to referring to him as That Guy. I guess I will call him JL for the moment, but it seems like a copout.



Anyway, we went to Owen Sound just the night on Monday because JL had a doctor's appointment. It really was lovely to get out of the city and it's not a bad drive (for me, as the passenger)



I took a shit-tonne of photos for some reason. Like way more than were necessary. Classic. I didn't manage to get any of JL really limping. He had sprained his ankle (really badly) doing a big trick the day before and was in a bunch of pain the whole time. Poor limplet.



in this one I will be opening my mouth:


in this one I will make like I am looking behind you - maybe we are being followed:


let's take one that represents our personalities:


I'm thinking:


still thinking:


I think some unbelievable things!:






classic:


oh thank god this picture happened, we really needed one of these:



When we got there there were furry little beasts who jumped around a lot. A whole lot.

They basically just bite each other all day and run back and forth. I do not understand dogs.


The bigger one's name is Bunny and the little one's name is Blanche and Blanche is new and obviously cuter than Bunny (nice goatee, Bunny), poooor Bunny. Just kidding I don't feel bad for either of them, they've got it made!


This is the room that I got to stay in.
I know, right? It's very nice there, like a bed and breakfast. Possibly better than a bed and breakfast because there were smirnoff ices. (second time in a few days that I drank smirnoff ice. how fucking weird is that? a: pretty weird.)
Also my own balcony and bathroom? Yes, please.



We had dinner with his folks, who are kind of ridiculously nice and welcoming and warm, just like last time. They are pretty cute and his dad makes such dad-jokes (like where do dads even learn how to make these jokes?) and his mum asked mum-questions. We had a big dinner with such classic hits as mashed potatoes and corn and brussel sprouts and salad and his dad cooked me some fake-chicken cutlets special (then tried some and proclaimed that they tasted like cardboard -- oh dads!).
We had apple-rhubarb pie for desert. Except for JL, who, apparently, does not like pie. WHAT?? WHO DOESN'T LIKE PIE?? THIS DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME IN ANY CAPACITY ON ANY LEVEL. no really. WHAT THE HELL??

I put ice cream in my after-dinner coffee.

And I had pie for breakfast, also. And JL's dad put so much whipped cream on it! And then kept threatening to add more!


The house is still located on the Georgian Bay. It's still really effing beautiful.
There are Canada geese hanging out around there. They are awesome.


These are similar pictures to the last time we were up there, too bad for you!


but with more geese.
oh hey, we live on a marina:


It was super misty out and kind of warm in the afternoon. The poor cripple was inside so I hung by the water for a bit by myself. No, wait, hounded by tiny dogs.
I'm saving my favourite picture for later. I don't know why. I just want to.


There's a creek that runs beside the house

by the treehouse I'm not allowed to go into. I am infatuated with the two little bridges they have going, as well.
When we used to camp at Redberry we always got the campsite that was by the stream and the little bridge. sigh.

BFFs:

I really like that cat! I really like big old toms in general.


the living room is like an old cabin sort of, except with a much bigger TV.



sorry I didn't take any photos of the bearskin rug (head still attached) for you.



Then I took some timer shots of myself. (I originally wrote "tiger" shots, which would've been much better)




then I made attractive faces while jumping in the air:


this one looks like I'm falling from somewheres:


then that guy wanted to be in the pictures too

but I couldn't take him seriously.


then we looked smug:


finally everyone did a good job:

Except Blanche, she was probably off eating carpet (no, that is not a euphemism).

Okay that's enough for now, pictures of a tiny waterfall and the trip back soon maybe. Probably. You're lucky like that.


Also, I have a theory that cellphones have a two-year-old self-destruct button. They just aren't built to last the length of a three-year contract. Who's with me?

links and photos and sad news altogether now

Still at the cottage most likely, so here are some pictures of me and some links. probably more interesting than if I were actually here actually blogging.



Fuck You, Penguin -- I really think this is funny. "A blog where I tell cute animals what's what" Because they need telling for sure for sure.



I'm such a big fan of Craigslist. No, but honestly. I've bought computers and cameras and ipods off it and even had missed connections.. so this site is awesome because of how dumb the world is.
You Suck at Craigslist





It was brought to my attention that one of my friends had never seen the story about Christian the lion. So here you are, just in case you somehow have never been on the internet at any point in your life:




Hmmm. So, I found out on the weekend that a kid I went to highschool with died. He was into doing that roof-jumping thing, jumping from roof to roof I guess? I didn't even know that that was a thing, but apparently it is and apparently you can fall off of them.
Such a bad scene. Tragic.
So maybe don't do that, okay, thanks.

Owen Sound Road Trip Round Up Part two!!!

Okay so then we drove on to Deck's parents' house in Owen Sound and Deck and Cpt. made me ride in the backseat and I didn't want to and I had to read skateboard magazines because I was lonely.


At Deck's house his parents had gotten us a shit-tonne of food. So much! We had burgers and salads and fruits and I made guacamole (delicious, obviously) and basically ate our faces off. In the best way.


So what if I were drinking Bud on ice? So maybe I like Bud? (I do kind of like Bud and also it's way less gluten than other beers!)

I obviously changed into sweatpants pretty much as soon as we got there. COTTAGE LIFESTYLE. So comfortable. It was kind of chilly but also perfect.



Deck's parents were so happy to see us, his dad insisted on taking photos for me, pretty awesome. I love how hard we're all eating. Uh Huh.





The dog at that house is basically nuts. It bolted at top speed back and forth across the lawn about 1 billion times. Relentless. Kind of cute, too.


After dinner we were sort of sitting around moaning about how much we'd just eaten and we see Deck's dad going down the slope with a can of gasoline -- one should really pay attention to people carrying cans of gasoline.


He made us this awesome huge bonfire with this pile of old branches and stuff -- when he set it on fire it made the loudest WOOOSH explosion sound it rattled the windows of the house and scared the shit out of us, wasn't expecting it at all at all!

To get a perspective on the size of it, bear in mind that that bench by the water is normal bench size.


We had to sit far back from it at first.


Drank some beers, ate some candy, talked about really, really deep things.

So nice out. Seriously though.


Deck's parents have an awesome cat who's sooo old and nice and calm and doesn't really like to be picked up (still did).

The dog wants the cat to be besties but the cat walks by himself and all places are alike to him.

Yes, those stairs do lead down into the Georgian Bay. Such a nice property, so lovely to sit by the water late at night.


Okay therein ends part 2.

I had an unexpected bit of time this morning before leaving for cottageparty2k9part2 so I'm making some entries and then I'm going to try and set them to auto-publish. We'll see if it works out!