Lucy In Tunnel

So the new hot spot in our home is the multi-colored tunnel in the middle of our hall. Lucy has taken to napping there during the day. This is the cat who jumps a mile when the air-conditioner clicks on but yawns with boredom when I accidentally almost  step on top of her daily. 

Can you hear the thought process involved in the following photos?

Why are you down on the floor with me? Can't you see I'm gazing into the distance thinking important thoughts?

Huh. You're still here. Well, I shun you.

You bore me. I'm leaving.

We're Going to Egypt

We're going to Egypt! At least, that's the plan. Last night Blair and I attended an informational session about a Spring 2009 group tour of Egypt. Eleven days of pyramids, temples, and ancient ruins. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Egypt, but we've been hesitant about navigating a trip there on our own. Now we have a chance to go with a tour group of 22 people and I am psyched.

Psyched that is, until they brought up luggage. They expect everyone to get by for 11 days with a 24" suitcase and one carry-one. Um, hello? That will, like, hold my shoes? Blair said this will be a good exercise for me in learning to do more with less. I told him to go soak his head.

But no--I'll make it. Rewearing clothes doesn't bother me so much, but temperatures will be in the 90's - 100's and I have no desire to rewear smelly, sweaty clothes. Let's hope the hotel and cruise ship have laundry facilities. (A trip to see remnants of ancient civilizations and I'm focused on will my whites be white. Typical.)

I'm also a little freaked by the 10-12 hour plane ride, but many of the people who attended this meeting appear in their 50's/60's so if they're up for it, so am I.

My greatest concern, as always, is leaving the cats for so long. Especially with Lucy now needing her medicine twice a day. I'm just going to have to resolve to not think about them while we're gone. Otherwise I'll obsess.

What I LOVE about this group is they suggest all of us sign up for a course at the local community college on Egypt, so we'll be studying the history and monuments well before the trip. Come January, I'm going to throw myself into reading books on Egypt so I can understand and appreciate what it is I'll be seeing. 

Egypt. I may as well say I'm going to Mars. It sounds so... out there. But I'm thrilled. Plus, I actually have a friend in Egypt. A woman in Cat Writer's of America lives in Egypt so I'm going to see if we can connect during the trip. 

Of course, many more details will follow. Most of them involving how I can pack a hairdryer and straightening iron in my luggage without Blair's noticing....

...and I Spent How Much in Gas?

Today was not the most productive use of my time. I had a 3 PM meeting in Greensboro and--under the category of "What was I thinking?"--scheduled a 2 PM phone interview. It's a 35-40 minute drive into Greensboro and my interview was going to last 30-40 minutes, meaning I wasn't going to make my meeting. So I decided I'd drive into GSO early and conduct the phone interview at the coffee shop where I'd be meeting my 3 PM. Plus, my running group meets tonight at 6, giving me enough time to change and get there after my 3 pm ended..

I drove into GSO, but once I got there my 3 PM called to say she had to cancel. Plus, it was raining with no signs of stopping, making our workout look iffy. So in essence, I drove 40 minutes into GSO today to sit in my car and conduct an interview on my cell phone, then turned around and drove 40 minutes back home. 

I think I'm going to throw in the towel for the day and just go read a book and enjoy the rain.

Cheers.

Animal Rescue Workers - All Heart

Yesterday I interviewed an amimal rescue worker for an article I'm writing for a Purina publication. This woman and her husband have basically turned their home into a shelter, rehabbing and finding homes for over 2000 (think about that) dogs and cats so far. I asked how she got started in animal rescue and this is her reply:

"My husband and I were driving down a a road and we saw some kids throwing firecrackers at a dog. We chased them away and saw the dog was a shepard - bloody feet, 45 lbs, and completely hairless except for a narrow stretch down his back. We loaded him in the car and drove home."

She went on to describe how--not knowing what to do--she called a number of animal shelters and the humane society but "No one would even donate a bag of food to help us." Given the dog's far gone medical condition and needs, she was told it was probably best to put the dog down.

And here's my favorite line of the interview: "I thought that was ridiculous advice. You wouldn't put a bald man down, so why would you give up on this dog?"

Wouldn't put a bald man down. That needs to be a bumper sticker.

Anyway, she cooked and cared for the dog, he did a complete turnaround, and she found him a home with a couple who owns a Miata and a sailboat, giving the dog a true rags to riches story.

I'm always so humbled when I interview people like this. Would I put a bloody, diseased-looking dog in my car? Probably not. But this couple did and then went on to take in every hard luck stray they ran across. They don't get paid for this. They do it because, as this woman said of another abused animal she rescued, "There was no way I was going to let this dog die without having him experience a happy life."

Humbled, humbled, humbled before them.