Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Suck it up, pet

Dear human pet,

Please do not let out one more pitiful sigh as you lay on the couch, staring with as much zest as a rotten lemon at Susan Boyle's interview with Meredith Viera . It is not your fault that you did not get accepted into the Ed.D. program. It is their fault for not having told you how they had...

A) Dissolved the program you had originally applied for or -

B) Forwarded your original application to a different program that -

C) Had different requirements than the one you had originally applied for.

Consider the fact that they were willing to let you earn the credits you needed and work on your doctorate at the same time as a gift of sorts. Think of how they have already approved your application for an entire year should you choose to pursue this path. Remember how they said they really did want you for their school.

If this doesn't make you happy, then look fondly at your application to Texas A&M, and execute it with vigor!

After all - there's only room in this house for one creature to be this self-pitying, and that's me.

Sorry, babe, but you lose.

Will the pet be a cougar? Umm, wait...I mean...

Dear human pet,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you good luck on your interview at The University of Houston this afternoon. It's not every day that someone is invited to join an Ed.D. program. I'd say do well, but I can't help but be reminded of the day you went to interview for The University of St. Thomas. Remember how you were terribly sick that day, complete with the shakes, sweats, and pukies? That was...interesting.

You aren't sick now, are you?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #15-17

After the last few hunts, I didn't think the human pet had it in her to find anything. Her hunting skills could have best been described as obsolete as far as I was concerned. Ares didn't seem to be much better, though to be fair, he could blame youth as his excuse for coming home empty-pawed.

Imagine my surprise then when the human pet and Ares returned, having found a pink flamingo as requested by Cory:


Further imagine my surprise when they found a red wagon suggested by Tuck:


As for Roxie, Sammy, and Andy's sunrise, the human pet and Ares have been walking in the late afternoon so there was no chance of that happening. One dollar will be donated to Laney in her pursuit of Mutt Strut Poster Pooch 2010 on their behalf.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #11-14

My human pet is a great, big disappointment. I cannot believe that she is unable to locate such simple things as a rabbit in a garden, a big, scary bug, or a garden gnome. Maybe she's not really taking Ares for a walk; perhaps, she is merely visiting the neighbors and then coming home claiming to have walked him.

Irregardless, it's money out of her pocket.

Congratulations to Eric and Flynn, The Meezers, and Shaggy, Scooby, and Scout. One dollar will be donated on each of your behalves to Laney's quest for Mutt Strut Poster Pooch 2010.

Fin, you will be happy to know the human pet did manage to find a cat in "the wild". I put wild in quotes since I think she stretched the truth quite a bit. You can be the judge.



Wednesday, July 15, 2009

And now, a message from my pet...

Hello everyone,

Very rarely do I ever get to post my personal thoughts on the blog, but this time, Zeus thought you should all hear it from me rather than him. (He's not big on being the messenger.)

For the past few days, I have been extremely ill. Poor Ares didn't get to go on any walks. In fact, the only walking he did was on top of me as I laid on the couch or bed. Yesterday was the first day I had felt well, but I didn't want to push it so I decided to wait until today to continue the scavenger hunt.

To all those people who made suggestions, please know I appreciate it, and I haven't forgotten. I will play catch-up tonight, and hopefully, we can start moving in a positive direction. Thanks for your understanding!

Sincerely,

Marina, a.k.a "the human pet"

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The Perfect Tweet

The National Canine Cancer Foundation is sponsoring a terrific little contest at the moment via Twitter. All you have to do is donate $5.00 which also counts as your entry fee. You then choose which subject you would like to tweet about and craft the most perfectly assembled 140 characters as possible to win. Should you be chosen as the top Twitter guru, you might just win a new MacBook Pro! For more information, check out the site here.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #8, #9, and #10

Well, it just goes to show that when you go looking for something, you're often not going to find it. As was the case with the following three items suggested by The Kitty Krew, Angel and Kirby, and The Island Cats:

  • A bird in a tree
  • Any bug
  • A bird feeder

This may come as a shock, but there were no birds seen along the walk. As for bugs, the human pet admittedly didn't look too hard as she has a small phobia towards them. Bird feeders were probably abundant but not in anyone's front yards, and since all the houses in our neighborhood have fenced yards, that proved to be impossible as well.

Henceforth, the total for donations for Laney in Mutt Strut Poster Pooch 2010 has now reached...

Glitter Text - http://www.sparklee.com

Thank you for participating you three!

Be kind to your behind. It knows all.

It's a science as an old as time itself. The evolution of its history can be traced back to our earliest ancestors. Across seven continents, nothing else can claim such universality. So what could it be? If you guessed food, shelter, or fire, you would be wrong.

No, good reader, it is rumpology - the study of rear ends.

Currently in the scientific community, there is debate concerning the origins of this discipline. Many homo sapiens would like for their species to take credit for the birth of this extraordinary field, but several felines and canines are beginning to band together to fight back, claiming this branch of knowledge is specifically their own.

I became interested in rumpology when I overheard it being discussed on the human pet's radio. The morning announcers were trying to decide if there were any truth to discerning someone's personality and character based on the nooks and crannies of the person's buttocks. The two announcers mentioned Jacqueline Stallone and her 'study' of the derriere.

Intrigued, I decided to write to Jacqueline Stallone, famous rumpologist. As suggested on her website, I sent in a close-up of my rear with my letter detailing my investigation. Here is but a snippet of her report:

"Your rounded bottom suggests to me that you are a well-rounded person with much flexibility towards others. The curvature of your crevice indicates that you tend to be very accepting and good-natured. People enjoy your presence."

Personally, at this point, I felt pretty good about my venture into assology. After all, when people weren't looking at my gorgeous face, they were realizing what they were missing out on when I walked away. It seemed like a win-win situation to me.

That is until I met with Profesora Cordova.

Profesora Selina Cordova, leading specialist in canine rumps, of La Universidad Nacional de Mexico Para El Adelantamiento De Perros recently was kind enough to sit down and speak with me concerning her thoughts on the controversy during her recent visit to Houston, Texas. Right at the start of our discussion, she said heatedly, "How could homo sapiens really believe they came up with the idea of looking at or sniffing someone's butt? Everyone knows they got it from watching us! The whole idea is ludicrous!"

Profesora Cordova went on to explain that felines and canines have been sniffing one another's rear ends for centuries: "The whole process of the initial meeting between canines, for example, is to gather information regarding one another. The best way to do this is to smell one another's glands and to find out important things such as where the other has been, what food has been ingested, and what age the canine is." She went on to add that humans do not possess the necessary olfactory nerve endings to make such valid conclusions about one another by examining rear ends.

I informed the professor that I did not even have Ms. Stallone smell my rear end. I told her of how I had sent a picture of my furry bottom to the kind lady and how she had written me a very nice letter. Without warning, Profesora Cordova bent me over, took a whiff of my butt, and said, "You're completely selfish, a glutton to the very end. You whine continuously when you do not get your way. You tend to overgroom yourself and," she took another whiff before continuing, "you no longer enjoy sleeping with your human pet on the bed."

I almost cried, but I held back by tears. Her words cut me to the core, but I thanked the professor for her time and quietly left. I had always thought my ass was the greatest, but thanks to that mean-spirited chihuahua, I knew differently. Perhaps I had been too wanting, too demanding. Perhaps I had overstepped my bounds at home. Perhaps I had never known how to love.

Or perhaps the whole thing was just bullshit.

It smelled like it at least.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

We interrupt this scheduled scavenger hunt for the following...

So apparently I'm about to divulge what is known in some parts as "T.M.I.", but quite frankly, I don't care. It's my blog, and I tell it like it is. Why cut corners? I leave the nuances of navigating social norms to the homo sapiens.

The human pet ate a baby poo burrito and got violently ill this evening.

By "baby poo burrito", I mean a suspicious, liquefied brown blend of bean and cheese which resembled the mushed and mashed mixture mother birds surely concoct when they chew and process food only to regurgitate it back to their young.

And by "violently", I mean doubled-over, arms wrapped around midsection, solidly working on the gag reflex because, by all means, let's not get crazy and puke in the living room even though certain puppies who shall remain nameless still have accidents involving poop and pee in that very area, and we're so beyond that so instead, let's just run back and forth to the bathroom until we've completed the third installment of the Ironman Challenge.

I'm sure you get the picture.

If not, let me know, and I will have Ares draw you a rendition, dear reader.

The human pet will double up her search for tomorrow. With any luck, she will have regained her normal, neurotic self.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #7

Cheysuli and Gemini asked for my human pet to find a red, two-door car on her walk. Well, that didn't seem to pose too much of a problem:


Thank you for participating in the scavenger hunt, Cheysuli and Gemini!

Have an item you would like to suggest my human pet search for on her walks? Just click on the picture in the sidebar!

It's raining!

Monday, July 06, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #6

Ruby Bleu asked for my human pet to find a playing card along her walk. To make sure they had a fighting chance, I let Ares get a good whiff of some cards:


Despite my help, though, neither the human pet nor Ares found any cards while on their walk.

One dollar will be donated to Laney in support of her goal to be Mutt Strut Poster Pooch 2010 on your behalf, Ruby!

Have a suggestion for what my pet should be looking for? You can leave it here.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #4 and #5

Kaze, Latte, and Chase asked my human pet to find the largest flower she could find. Well, considering there's a drought happening here in Houston, Texas, this was no small request. The human pet did manage to find a few homo sapiens interested in using their water on lawn care:




Mack asked for my human pet to find another puppy on her walks, but unfortunately, finding puppies strolling about the neighborhood was even more of a challenge than locating flowers.

Thank you for participating Kaze, Latte, and Chase!

One dollar will be donated to Laney in her pursuit of Mutt Strut Poster Pooch 2010 on your behalf, Mack!

Have a suggestion for what my human pet should be looking for on her walks? You can leave it here.

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Celebrate the 4th by Commenting

My Pennsylvania friend, Khyra, is drumming up support for a special pooch named Kade. Kade is one of many animals being aided by The Last Resort Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in West Milford, New Jersey. At the moment, Kade is in need of some surgery, but the organization is lacking in greenbacks.

I can hear you saying it now: "Who isn't lacking in greenbacks these days, Zeus?"

True, but you can do your part by stopping by Khyra's today and wishing her a happy fourth of July. For every comment Khyra receives until Sunday evening, she will donate one dollar towards Kade's surgery costs. It's a terrific way to celebrate the holiday by sharing in some special fireworks of the charitable kind!

Friday, July 03, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #3

Mishkat asked for the human pet to find some money on the ground. Ares looked low...


...while the human pet looked high, but they did not find any money.

One dollar will be donated to Laney in support of her pursuit for Mutt Strut Poster Pooch 2010 on your behalf, Mishkat!

Have a suggestion for what my human pet should be looking for? Share it here!

Ares' Journal: Nal kliping















Special note from the human pet: Ares is fine! We both need to just calm down and take it slow with the nail clippings.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #2

Parker asked for my human pet to find a fire hydrant. Well, that wasn't too hard:


Thank you for participating in the scavenger hunt, Parker!

Have something in mind for my human pet to find? You can make your suggestion here.

To some of my followers...

I tried to visit you today
but something always gets in the way.
Multiple windows appear,
Blank pages increasing my fear.

Occasionally, I stop by
and can't believe my eyes.
I see only your sidebar,
no posts from you, superstar.

Other times, when I hit your link,
I stop and begin to think:
Will I be able to comment today
since the screen is frozen to my dismay?

So if you have not seen me,
please listen to my plea:
It's not you, it's me.
iExplorer sucks, see?

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Scavenger Hunt #1

Cliff and Olivia suggested my human pet find a cute cat in a window. Instead...




...she found a dog in a fence.

One dollar will be donated to Laney in support of Mutt Strut 2010 on your behalf, Cliff and Olivia!

Have a suggestion for what my human pet should look for? You can do so here.

Four-o-dark in the morning

I'm so annoyed with my human pet right now.

Readers, it's four-o-dark in the morning. I knew she had to get up early to administer some test to some children on some campus, but really? Four-o-dark in the morning? Is that even necessary?

While I know certain felines enjoy waking up at this unholy hour, I do not. I sleep straight to my designated time of six-thirty every morning. I don't handle adjustments or changes to my schedule well.

So hungry. So annoyed. The soft glow of this computer monitor makes me feel so comfy. If only I could just lay my head down on the keyboard and fall...asleep...yawn...








P.S. Thank you to everyone who made suggestions for Scavenger Hunt 2009! Please tell others about stopping by to make suggestions. Expect the first hunt late this afternoon.