The Pasta Experiment

Many thanks to Laloofa over at Mehitable Days for some suggestions on alternatives to white pasta.

Here are the things that she recommends:
On your pasta issue, I recommend Tinkyada pasta. It looks and tastes like white pasta, but is whole grain (made from brown rice). We really enjoy it, especially the spaghetti and lasagna noodles...
http://www.tinkyada.com/


VitaSpelt is also really good... I prefer their shell and elbow pastas https://www.purityfoods.com/

As luck would have it the grocery store had both. So I bought both and I plan to cook up some mushrooms and kale and green onion and nom nom nom tonight.

I also picked up some quinoa pasta. I will check back later!

Karls' Toes

Karl is a friend of mines (Alabaster Mom) big, black, fluffy dog. She adopted him from the Humane Society and he's funny. I was asked to blog about his toes.

Karl has toes. His toes have black nails. Black nails are hard to cut because you can't see the quick and you could make his nails bleed. Regardless of this, Karl will not let you anywhere near his feet, much less his toes to cut his toe nails. Karl makes a funny noise and runs away and kind of growls when you try and touch his feet. Karl has to go to the vet every once in a while. (Twice a year folks!) He hyperventilates when he sees the building and when he gets his nails trimmed he has been known to poop, pee, and express his anal glands. This probably stinks a lot. Karl also still has dew-claws which sometimes get stuck on the afghan. That would be a bitch.

This is all I know about Karl's toes. The end.

Annoying

That's how I feel. Annoying. Okay not entirely true. I walk a fine line between annoying and perpetually annoyed.

I picked up Spot's ashes today and I am now trying to find a picture to fit in the urn. There's a fun way to spend a Wednesday. I feel like I have been blogging non-stop about him, so I am going to move on to other topics.

If any one feels the urge (shameless plug ahead) I am participating in the annual Big Brothers and Sisters of Northeastern WI Bowl for Kids on Saturday. I am looking for donations. A donation of $10 or more and I will blog about what ever you like. You can make donations here: DONATIONS!!! I love bowling, but I suck at it. No big woop.

So yeah, that's all I seem to have for today. If you would like to read a truly good blog, check out Alabaster Mom. Her entry for today was hilarious!

I miss him so much...

I miss Sir Spot A Lot so much.

I don't miss the puke stain in the above picture.

Me and My Arse

I fear that it just keeps getting bigger.

I have started roller derby and it is great exercise. It even makes it easier to exercise at home, because I know I am working towards something.

Why do I still insist on eating like shit? What is my obsession with white pasta? Why couldn't I eat whole wheat?

Any thoughts on what I could do to make eating healthier easier would be deeply appreciated.

Is it me?

I am not sure what is going on recently. It seems since I had to let Spot go, I have noticed more and more people complaining about their dogs.

On Wednesday (THE DAY AFTER) a "friend" of mine launched into a half an hour tirade about coming home to her dog who had diarrhea in her crate and then threw up. She ranted on and on about how mad she was at the poor dog. I was steaming. I mean come on. First, it's not the dogs fault. Next, I would have been thrilled to be cleaning up Spots' poop at that moment. Lastly, she begged her sister for this dog. She was so proud of herself for saving said dog. Now the dog is a nuisance? Fuck off.

I seem to notice it everywhere. Outside on break it always seems like some one doesn't know what to do about "it" (which irks me as well. It's not and "it") And it all seems like such minute things to me. "The dog had an accident" or "The dog just wouldn't settle down last night". I understand that I do (as to most foster homes) have a much higher tolerance for poop, pee, jumping dogs, barking, whining, food on the walls, vomit, wrecked household items, tipped over garbage, missing and wrecked shoes, and dog hair covering e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. All of this is rewarded by wagging of tails, wiggles of butts, looks of adoration, cuddles, kisses, snuggles, and the deep doggy sigh they make when they are content and happy.

I guess what I am trying to say here is dogs have feelings (as do cats and pigs and cows and chickens, I think you get the point). The vast majority of dogs want to please their human companions, not piss them off. My "friends" dog didn't enjoy sitting in her shit all day any more than my "friend" enjoyed cleaning it up.

This all reminded me of a story that a rescue volunteer from Florida wrote. You can find the story here. This story makes me cry every single time I read it, but today really kicked me in the ass. It is written as if the dog was telling her story. There is a paragraph after the dog was in a shelter where she talks about her new home. The dog states: "I was so thrilled to have a family at last and so grateful that I just couldn’t help but jump on them all. At first they seemed to like it, but then they started to get mad at me. I also pooped in the house a few times. I had never been in a house before so I didn’t know that it wasn’t OK. "

I think that this is a huge statement. "I didn't know that it wasn't OK". I think that a lot of times people forget that dogs need to be taught things. Even adult dogs. If a dog has never lived in a house, of course s/he isn't going to know they can't relieve themselves there.

Sometimes I am floored at the way people talk about their animals. In so many ways people relegate them to "just a dog". Yet they expect them to have super-psychic powers. Dogs should automatically know where to relieve themselves. Did you just suddenly become potty-trained? I don't think so. Dogs know what they did wrong. Not if you don't teach them what is right. Dogs should know what the word "NO" means. Not so. They don't speak English any better than you speak dog. We have had dogs come into rescue who believe their name is "No, No".

I know of a family that keeps their dogs outside, yet insisted their dogs were like children to them. So you would let your kids stay outside all day?

This was kind of a long ranty post. I hope you enjoy.

Ask and you shall receive

So a very nice thing happened the other day. Okay yesterday. I got my new skates (yay). They make skating so much easier. I can actually do cross-overs and my back doesn't kill quite as bad. I was able to find vegan skates online at a very reasonable price. Problem is as a derby-girl, you beat the ever-living-piss out of your skates. Last night we were practicing falls and the toes of my brand new skates are all scuffy. :(

They make "toe guards" for speed skates. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that makes a vegan version. All of them are leather. I had the rink owner tighten my toe stops and she pointed out that I needed the toe guards. I explained my dilemma. She then proceeded to tell me that she had some faux suede material at home and she was thinking she could do a couple layers of that with some plastic (like flexi plastic) in between and we could see how that would work.

Needless to say I was completely flabbergasted and very impressed.

In other derby news we have our first "bout" on February 2nd. I haven't passed my safety test yet, so I won't be competing but I will be skating during a half-time demo. If you care to see me make an ass of myself, come on over. Shit, you should come just for the fun of it. Here is the info. Tell your friends, tell your enemies. Bring a chair and come out for a good show!

Now I have to go study for my test on roller derby rules.

The Good Times

I know that when ever a loved one dies, everyone tells you to remember the good times. That's usually easier said than done. I am lucky, Spot was a funny dog and I have lots of great memories about him. Alabaster Mom blogged about Spot's "pre-bark" here. It was a funny little bark he did when he wanted attention, or food, or whenever he was bored. It was like he was revving up for the real thing.

Another time I will never forget happened at a local insurance company. They often hold fund raisers for GABR and allow us to bring dogs. Spot came as a representative for the rescue, as he was very laid back and loved people. Joining us that day was Gracie, a senior female also being fostered in Green Bay. She and Spot had eyes for each other. They were grooming each other all day, laid next to each other, you get the picture. All of a sudden, some of the other volunteers and I look over and witness Spot mounting and humping little Gracie. Spot was not normally a humper, but this was hysterical. And Gracie seemed no worse for wear.

At the first Boxer Bash Spot and I attended together, he became friends with a female named Sasha (or Pasta Batman). This was in Spot's younger days when he still enjoyed a good chase. Somehow the two of them got a hold of a cardboard tube (like the inside of a roll of paper towels or wrapping paper) and were playing with it. Sasha would run and Spot would chase her. She would always be looking behind to see if Spot was following, and if he wasn't, she flaunted the tube in his face. So cute.

My mom was staying with us once. She decided to sleep in the basement on a recliner. She was a little concerned about how Spot would be with her. Dave and I went out to see a band and when we came home at 2 am we went down to check on mom and Spot. He had jumped on the end of the recliner and laid down right in moms' lap.

As Spot aged, this Spot on the couch was his favorite. He would lay there and watch the world go by. I miss him so.

Spot

One of the few times Spot ran.

I plan on writing more about this, but I just can't seem to come up with the words right now.

Spot was escorted to the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday. He had another stroke very early Tuesday morning and it left him completely debilitated. He could no longer walk or see and I am not sure he knew who I was. He no longer had control of his bladder and wasn't eating or drinking. I stayed with him until the end. It was heart wrenching.


I miss him so much.

Veganism and Parents

A few nights ago (In fact, I think it was Friday. I am such a rock star.) I was in the Vegan Freaks chat room having a good time, chatting with some freaks.

A young lady of 19 joined us and she expressed concerns about being vegan while still living under her parents roof. We gave her the basics (buy and cook your own food, don't give into their bait, etc etc), but it got me to thinking.

I am 31 and my parents still give me shit about being vegan. My dad likes to throw hunting around in my face. My mom asks questions like "Do you eat olive oil?" (Why wouldn't I mom?) My in-laws don't understand at all. All family members tend to treat it like a passing phase. A trend if you will.

When does it stop? I don't question people eating meat, dairy, or eggs (at least not to their face). Is it just hard when your kids don't have the same opinions as you? I felt bad for this girl because it sounded like her dad could be a real jerk if he wanted to. And that can be rough.

For any vegans reading this, here are some helpful hints:

1. Don't give into taunts. That's usually what they want.
2. Don't talk about veganism over food. Bad idea.
3. You are not going to change some ones mind in one day.
4. There may be certain people you chose not to discuss your veganism with. Don't do it.
5. Stand your ground and don't be wishy washy.

(A lot of these came from Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World)

Your What Hurts?

If I could tell you, trust me, I would.

My first night of roller derby practice has come and gone. To say the least, I am sore. In places I didn't know existed. My tailbone really hurts, a direct result of falling flat on my ass with in 25 minutes of practice.

I do plan on going back as it was a blast. I guess I didn't expect it to be as much fun as it was and I definitely didn't expect the girls to be as nice as they were. I mean, these are girls that call themselves "Derby Bitches". Everyone was so helpful. Sure, they laughed when I fell but every time a different girl let me know that she fell a lot in the beginning too. When we were doing specific drills, girls would give me examples, let me know if I was doing something wrong, and praise if I got close.

I also learned something. If you have ever seen pictures of derby girls, usually they are wearing shorts (or a skirt), tights (usually fun tights with skulls or something), and obnoxious tube socks. I did the obnoxious tube socks, because I am obnoxious, but I left the tights at home. Um, the tights serve a functional purpose as well as looking bad ass. When you slide across the wood floor (which you will) the tights 1. Protect your skin from road rash and 2. Protect your pride by alleviating the screeching sound your pasty white thighs make against the wood floor. Lesson learned.

The Spot Chronicals

We had another episode with Spot a day or so before New Years Eve. All of a sudden he was very unstable, wobbly, and couldn't make it down the stairs. He peed right in front of me and hubby (I should make it clear that Spot has bladder issues, but he normally doesn't do this right in front of us) and he would become very confused when outside. He also wasn't eating. As I looked at him, he looked...droopy. I thought to myself "Maybe he had a stroke". But I know that dogs very infrequently have strokes. To confirm my self diagnosis, I got out my home veterinary manual. And it said strokes in dogs are uncommon.

He ate that night and the next morning but it was with assistance. I had to hold the bowl up and make sure the food didn't get to mushed in the corner.

I fully thought that I would be escorting Spot to the bridge on New Years Eve. DH and I went so far as to cancel our annual party.

I called the vet first thing and they were able to get me in at 10. Which ruled. I mentioned nothing of the stroke. It took me forever to get Spot into the exam room, but we finally did and I gave all the symptoms to the tech, and then mentioned the s-word. The vet came in, had him walk around, looked in his ears and eyes, etc. He confirmed my suspicions.

The stroke was mild. In fact, I couldn't even tell you when it happened. The vet gave him a shot of something (a steroid) and sent us home with some prednisone. I can say I was hopeful, but not optimistic. The vet estimated Spot's age as over 10 (which is over what we had thought) so I wasn't holding my breath.

All I can say is wow. We got home, I let him outside and then took him upstairs. Let the other two out and went outside for a smoke. I looked in the back door and Spot was standing there looking at me. This means he got down the steps with out issue. He is on his second day of prednisone and unless I told you what had happened, you would probably have no idea. But you do because I just told you.

I know my time with Sir Spotula is limited, but I am glad I didn't have to say good by just yet.



I must laugh. As I was closing this entry, he did pee on the floor. That's not all his fault. It's a side effect of the prednisone.

Roller Derby Here I Come...

I made the decision and I committed. I should maybe be committed, but that's for another post.

I am going to join the women's roller derby league in Appleton, WI. http://www.foxcityzfoxz.com/

I have been looking for a from of exercise that I would actually enjoy doing. I don't like to move a whole lot. But I loved skating when I was younger. I am going to give this a try.

I think it suits me. The website says this:

So if you are or know of any bad ass bitches, undercover bitches or girls
who wish they were and want to learn how to be bad ass bitches "The Fox Cityz
Foxz" is for you. We can teach you to skate but we can't give you the attitude,
you'll have to bring that with you.

I think I have attitude. :) DH thinks that I am going to get my ass kicked. I am not sure he's wrong, but I do think that it is worth a shot. And we get to pick out fun names like "Britnee Smears". Any thoughts on a name for me, leave them in the comments section!

I'll let you know how Thursday goes.