Oh sugar....baba bumba bumba

I ran into a site detailing how much sugar is in everything (or nearly everything) i eat.

It has nearly put me off eating...although...sugar is so yum!

but it is a great visual guide for how much sugar is actually going into your body on a daily basis.


www.sugarstacks.com

Thinking of Heaven

The other day i got into a discussion about the Christian version of Heaven. My friend wanted to preach a sermon on how great it is that Christians have a hope in a second life. The friend wanted to compare two funerals, one Christian and one secular.

Normally I don't get into the Heaven discussion because a person's personal views of what heaven is can be so deeply important to them. That day i felt like i was being told there was two options: Hopelessness in no second life OR Hope that we will see them again.

I felt the sting in that. My personal view (and hope for me) is that there is no heaven. I can not see heaven as a fun or nice place. I know, you will be with your creator forever and ever...

But i feel that it is sort of like being invited to a party but you have to know the secret knock first. (the Secret Knock being the correct religion)

The host says: come to my party. it will be so much fun! you'll love it. Really amazing people will be there!

Me: I don't really like meeting new people, but i would love to hang out. Will anyone i know be there.

the host: no

me: what about my friends?

host: well, no. They aren't friends with me...so...just you.

me: so you want me to come to a party where i won't know anyone and have to share you with a bunch of strangers?

Host: my friends are really awesome.

me: what about my friends?

Host: they are okay. but they aren't as good as my friends. You should be friends with my friends.

Maybe this is being too harsh, but how horribe would you feel if you showed up at the pearly gates and realised you were the only person from your family there? Or you mother didn't come? Then when you ask why they aren't there, you get told "Well, you didn't do enough to save them"....or "They didn't want to make friends with the host".

Generally one life, making the best that you can out of it, sounds better to me than putting all hope getting to do it 'perfect' the next time. I want to make the most out of my time, here and now. I want to value the people around me. I want to believe that we can work towards making the world a better place.

I don't want to believe in a god who hands out party invitations to the ones who figure out the correct secret knock.

LOL

I laughed really hard when i read this.

touching on some big questions

A question i have longed struggled with is why do science followers* go so far in trying to show creationists the flaws in their belief? i mean, if you believe the earth was formed through evolution, what does it matter if some one else thinks it was an act of God that lasted 6 days?

Recently i watched the Bill Mathur documentary called, "Religulous". It was the first time i had the question answered in a way that made sense to me. Bill suggested that while faith had many positives, it also had some scary places it could go.

He cited that many religions around the world believed in an apocalyptic event that would end the world and bring about a new world. He said that when the Bible (specifically) was written, only God had the power to end the world. Today, we have the power to end the world. His concern is with people in charge of nuclear weapons who believe 'the end is near'. Will their beliefs become a self-fulfilling prophesy?

Coming at it from that angle, i can see why non-believers would fear those who believe (in whatever religion they follow).

And yet i wonder if believers are so certain that they would 'push the button' themselves instead of waiting for a god to do it. Certainly the religious nutjobs many shows parade before the cameras would gladly end the world...but what about the run-of -the-mill people? would they be willing to step into God's place (believing it to be God's will) and end the world?


*These are separate from scientists. They believe what science teaches, although they themselves are not scientists.

i'm hooked

It was in high school that i started listening to a series of stories on CD. They were the first 3 books from Janet Evanovich. I was enthralled with the stories. But i moved states and forgot the author's name, (as frequently happens to me) and all i could remember was the series was named according to their order. (eg. One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to get Deadly).

Sadly, i could not find the books when i went looking in my new state. I soon forgot about them...sort of. I stopped looking every time i went into a book store. Every now and again, i'd lazily browse to see if i could find something that looked like it might be part of the series. Two months ago i found the series again.

Realising my pocketbook could never afford the full series from the stores, i bought the first twelve books online. So far i'm up to 'Seven Up'.
If you've been wondering why my blogging is so slack...this is 70% of the reason.

heritage

It isn't often that pride for my 'home' state comes into my life, yet the other day my mother sent me a forwarded email joke to me and it made me smile....then laugh...then show my terrified husband....and now i share with you too!

Three men married wives from different states in America.

The first man married a woman from Florida.. He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.

The second man married a woman from Texas. He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done and there was a huge dinner on the table.

The third man married a girl from Idaho. He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher.

decoder anyone?

original found at foxtrot.com

taggie goodness

So i've been tagged a few times, (del, melody) so i figure it is time...

So, without further ado...

> I like tofu. I even like raw tofu. As i prepare it, i'll often sample pieces. If for some reason i find the texture not satisfying, i've been known to throw the entire block away.

> When the converstation eventually turns to where i'm from, i pause and often consider blatantly lying in order to keep people from thinking that i'm "one of those americans". Probably because i secretly fear that i really am.

> My animals mean so much to me. I had no idea that i was such a big animal lover until after i got married. I know what that means... i just don't want to think about it too hard.

> I psycho-anaylse myself far more than is necessary to survive in a normal 'civilised' culture.

> My house contains masks and photos of family and friends on the walls. The masks represent more than the pictures can. and yet i think the people who have painted masks for me don't realise the importance of their contribution to my walls.

> The best parts of my life are filled with quiet, silent hugs, and sloppy kisses.

> I believe i live in a magical place but way too far away from my friends and family. (you need to move near me...trust me, it will be worth it)

As the rules of the meme go, I now pick seven bloggers to share seven things themselves:

Penguin @ Penguin - Life As Me
Clare @ insane troll logic
Kaisa @ The Homely Housewife
MaybeMelody @ File Under 'Miscellaneous'
Becky @ Collaboration
Litigious Mind @ No Prior Restraints
Jen@ Happiness Returns

Here's what you do:

> Link to your original tagger and list these rules in your post.
> Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
> Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and links to their blogs.
> Let them know they’ve been tagged.
> Let your tagger know you've completed the meme.

the introduction

Ginji gives birth

^she purred and purred as i rubbed her chin and belly, several hours before she went into labour.

^She was so happy and content!

^early on April 8, she gave birth to four beautiful kittens.

The pet boarding home

My husband and i have accepted our first pet boarder, Ginji.

She has come to us pregnant and nearly ready to give birth. She will stay with us until her kittens are 10 weeks old or 1 kg in weight. Once this happens she will go back to the RSPCA where she and her kittens will find new homes.

She has settled into our home very well. She gets on well with Faith, although she isn't entirely sure she likes Bob yet. They enjoy liaisons with a window between them, but they suddenly have a bout of nerves when put into the same room.


The nerves are not helped by the fact that Bob recently had a fall and was forced to take medication so that he could walk and jump properly. He is in a fair amount of pain and doesn't really want to deal with Faith or Ginji. I don't blame him.

Ginji on the other hand is very social. She loves a good pat and gives small mews of commands when you fail to give her the attention she requires. For a young momma cat, she has an amazing temperment. Many mothers-to-be, become cranky in the time before birth. Not Ginji, she can't wait to love anyone and everyone who comes to say hello to her. I know she will make a great addition to any home.

AMAZING!

once upon a time....

One day the old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Shepherd thinks, 'Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!' Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder, if there are any more around here?'

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. 'Whew!' says the leopard, 'That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!'

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes, but the old German Shepherd sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, 'Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...

'Where's that darn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!

Moral of this story...

Don't mess with the old dogs... age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! Improvising and brilliance only come with age and experience.

--the previous story is stolen from a mass email someone sent me..

What local internet addict is spending too much time worrying about the Jolie family?

It amazes me the rubbish papers publish, receives attention from the public. How does a picture of a couch count as news? when you claim that Brad Pitt has been spending his nights there. GAH! that isn't news! that is lazy publishing!

I think the reason that certain celebrities continue to be in the lime light week after week is because readers want to see 'what happens next' in their story. We all know the Jolie-Pitt story, but we want to see what happens next. How does the fabulously wealthy, ultra good looking, with beautiful children manage to screw up? We want to know! cause they can't have all that and not be secretly sucky at SOMETHING! and we, the public, have to know.

Maybe we'd leave them alone if they'd just open the door to their villa and tell us what it was. "we are rubbish at putting away our shoes" said Angelina.

Then again, we probably would only be more desperate for something more exciting in the sucky department.

The thing is...i managed to avoid the magazines full of almost clothed celebrities. I manage to pass on the blatant gossip sites, such as page6 and Perez Hilton...yet i get stuck on the entertainment/social section of the news sites. damn...sucked in again! How does that happen? i don't usually find myself attracted to the ho hum life of overpaid, under clothed actors...i think it's the tag lines. It must be the tag lines that suck me in.

"Which star watched as their stunt double got into an awkward position?"

clicking link in 3..2..1

Sigh...i'm such a sucker.

have i talked about this yet?

This song just lifts my mood so much. LOVE IT!

WOW

see more Lol Celebs

working girl

It was with great excitement that i have begun work at an animal shelter. I have been working with cats whose owners have passed away and left them to the shelter for care. These animals will not be destroyed but will live out the rest of their days without a home populated with other people. These cats live a privalaged life that includes their own room, a garden, and a personal tv. While they have everything they need to keep them going physically, there isn't a lot of people time. I have found it to be a great joy to spend time grooming, cleaning, and caring for these cats.

^This is Chantra. One of my favourite cats. She's beautiful and so sweet. she follows me EVERYWHERE!


^This is Chantra's brother. He doesn't appear as nice but it turns out he is a sweetheart as well. He just doesn't always know how to show it as well. (BTW: both these two cats are available for foster homing, but not for adoption. contact me if your interested in being their mummy or daddy for a while)

^These are parts of two cats that could be Bob's brothers.

^This is the 10 month old kitten that gave birth to a litter of 4 a couple months ago. She's had it rough. She's currently learning how to trust people again so she can be adopted to a loving home.

^Its me and my snuggle bumpkins!...she's so happy to be in the photo as you can see.

A lesson in stereostypes

One my first day at my new job, i left my dear little ones locked together in the laundry room. I made sure they would be as comfortable as possible. I created a bed for the cat at the top of some milk crates so he could get away from the dog if he so needed. I brought the dog's super comfy bed into the room and set it facing the door, knowing that would be the best place for her to wait for me. I gave them each a kiss goodbye and went to work.

When i returned home, they informed me that callous stereotypes of cats and dogs are wrong. Those stereotypes don't fit all situations and all circumstances. They were very eloquent.



see?

party time

We have been invited to a formal party in Sydney over the weekend. We had to take Faith because she is still too young to be left at home for that long by herself. So in keeping with the theme of "Formal", I made Faith a party dress.



And she looks so cute in her little dress!

Top 10 things i would rather be doing right now

10. Plucking my eyebrows. It isn't my favourite activity...but it would be more fun than what I'm currently supposed to be doing now.

9. Shooting up with needles between my toes. No it isn't because i harbour a secret love of needles or because of my not-so-secret foot fetish, but simply because the idea of torture is still better than what I'm supposed to be doing now.

8.Curling my hair on my legs with a large curling iron....and no my leg hair really isn't that long.

7. Singing songs from old musicals like "Oklahoma!" at the top of my lung in my office....actually i might do that. It will spice up my day.

6. Giving my dog a bath. Actually this one isn't that bad. I kind of enjoy this one. Plus my puppy smells so nice after a good bath...i should go home and bath her.

5. Weeding. this is a horrible chore. One of those horrible chores that should be inflicted on only really bad people....actually, chances are that it would end up my responsibility if we did it that way...so...only REALLY good people should be allowed to weed. There i will never be allowed to weed.

4. Cleaning that gunk out of the earring holes. Yep. it really is that gross. And i would so rather be doing that.

3. Creating a website dedicated to absurd fetishes. Like people with plant fetishes. (not vegetable, PLANT)

2. Taking pictures of "cute" couples. You know the ones that are so sickeningly sweet it makes you want to vomit? I would rather be taking their pictures and tempting myself to regurgitate lunch.

1. And the thing i would MOST like to be doing instead of data entry: become a lady stud and Go HOME!