For my cat Hobbs

I have two cats. One named Hobbs and one named ChinaMoon. Hobbs is an orange male tabby that I have had for almost 13 years. In the last two weeks I have watched him go from a healthy, older cat to an unhealthy, losing his hair older cat. I have been to vets and emergency clinics and they all tell me the same thing-he is old and he is dying. And I feel as if a part of me is wasting away as well. Now I am faced with euthanizing a cat who has been a part of my family for a very long time.

While ChinaMoon is your typical feline, Hobbs is so much more than to me. He is also my familiar who has taken part in many rituals. Together, he and I have accomplished some magickal workings that were quite intense and well, magical. I can't begin to fathom how I will proceed in my endeavors without him. I just know I will, but they will be missing a key player. Animals become a part of the family. They make us laugh, they make us cry. They give unconditional love and we become a part of their pact, or in the case of cats, their pards.

I know I will go on without him, but it's going to be a very bumpy ride for a bit. He has been my protector, my confidant, my solace when lonely. His fur has absorbed countless tears. And his ears should be bald for all the strokes they have received from me. But he is kind of a mean ass cat and will only tolerate that so much, except for recently. Of late he has been showing me a lot of affection. And that tells me right there that somethings wrong with him. It's almost as if he's saying goodbye to me. I am so happy to have been his pet. LOL His waitstaff, "bathroom" cleaner and blanket washer. Goddess of catnip and lost toys.

I'm going to miss you my furry friend.

Opinionated people

I like when people have an opinion and stick to it. Nothing you or anyone else can say will make them change their minds. At times, it seems a bit tunnel visioned, but, I like their sticking to it mentality.

The It's a bitch thing forum (www.itsabitchthing.com/forum) has just those kinds of people on there. Everyone expressing their opinions on several threads....amazing. And aside from the rare ass, nothing flames up and causes problems between members. We actually are a very tight knit group for being spread out worldwide. But we enjoy when we get sassy opinionated new members who join in the fun.

Come join us and see for yourself.

The dream thief- Shana Abe {Drakon series-Book 2} 4 stars

The second book on the series picks up with Kit and Rue Langford's daughter Lia. A delightful series that keeps getting better with each book. Love shape shifters, you'll love this book as well as the first.

The smoke thief- Shana Abe {Book 1} 4 Stars

I loved this book! Set in the late 1700's, it is a story of the Drakon, humanoid dragons that live very secluded from the Others (regular people). Like wolves, the drakon mate for life.

Book Description:
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....

Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?

From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.

Feel like bitching? Blowing off some steam?

http://itsabitchthing.com/forum/

The above is a link to a phenomenal forum. Phenomenal in that you can vent your spleen about anything you want. Sure, there may be those who disagree with you, and perhaps there may be some testiness. But isn't this why we vent anyway? To get it out and perhaps get some feed back. There is no flaming allowed as the administrators are very careful about what's posted, i.e. no personal attacks allowed.

So come see us. We're very friendly bitches. Who knows- you may make some new friends.

Depression not of the economy

I am sitting here trying to think about what to write for my blog. In the forefront of my thoughts is that I will soon be coming up to 2 months of having not worked. Granted, I know there are others going through the same problem for a much longer period of time. Not to be a bitch, but while I do feel for those people my main concern is me and my household. And please don't tell me things can be worse- I am very aware of that fact.

It's very disheartening to put myself out there on the sporadic interview calls I do get, only to either A: never hear back from them, or B: be told I don't have enough experience. Which is complete and utter bullshit as I have over 22 years in pretty much the same industry and 16 years doing accounting. So I'm not a CPA. I don't want to be a CPA and never have. what I do have is real life experience which you are not going to get by sitting your ass in a classroom and taking tests. I have watched as college graduates have folded like a piece of origami paper when the first real life work horror unfolds. Someone pass me popcorn as now it gets really good. See how your degree helps you out now. I am not saying education is a bad thing. what I am saying is that it doesn't prepare you for real life scenarios to the degree that you need to be prepared.

As I said in my previous post, I am taking a road trip on Friday. This trip is two-fold, as I need to get out of my house for a bit and see some new scenery and also, I want to see the area where my son lives for a possible move in the future. See, I live in "Sunny S.FL" and I detest this area with every fiber of my being. Every day more and more strip malls are going up, which will in all likely hood, rent to new businesses which will be out of business within a year. We don't need any more stinking strip malls. It's almost mandatory that you be bilingual and I refuse to learn a second language because some body who immigrated here is too fucking lazy to learn English. I was born here, therefore, I speak English. There's more and more ads placed for bilingual people, which makes me feel as if I'm a second rate citizen in my own country. To top it off, the majority of the employers want to pay a pittance, but you need a laundry list of experience. And if you have the requirements to meet said laundry list, they have the balls to tell you you're not qualified enough. It's enough to almost make me want to put a stiletto heel through someone's forehead. But then I would ruin a perfectly good pair of shoes and that would piss me off no end.

All of this has left me feeling a bit fragile, a bit like I've been pissed on and it's pissing me off as well. I have no control and that really makes me mad. So I've made a deal with myself, the next time someone wastes my time, I'm going to say something about it. Because my time I do control and no one has the right to waste it but me.

Road trip

I'm taking a road trip to go see my son. I leave Friday and return Tuesday. The fun thing about this road trip is that it's the 1st time I ever done so by myself. Kind of sad at 41, but there you have it.

It's a bit over 300 miles away and according to my son should take me about 6-7 hours. Map quest says differently, but who am I to argue. My bag is pretty much packed, my truck is being looked at on Thursday. Now all that's needed is my tune library, snacks and drinks. And off I go. Should be fun and I will be taking mental notes along the way, as well as pictures.

I think it will do me a world of good to go someplace new for a bit. Be in a new element.