219:The Show

I wrote a press release this morning for an upcoming art show to benefit Atlanta's homeless pets. AARF, the rescue that Douglas belongs to is having an art auction to raise funds for foster animals and for their spay and neuter program. "219" is for the 219 pets that are euthanized in Atlanta every day. To give you an idea of how many this is, Chicago only euthanizes 54 a day and that are only around 400 a year in San Fransisco.

For more information, visit the 219 page at AARF's web site.

Ultra Lime

We've spent the past two days painting Paul's office. After much deliberation, we decided on a lime green color. His office furniture is black and grey, so I wanted something that coordinates with that. He let me pick the color, which is a huge responsibility, and last night, I was kind of questioning it, but this morning after it's dried, I feel really good about it. It's also "inspired" by an old chair that one of our neighbors threw out and we snatched up. Yes, we're those kind of people.

But seriously, would you leave that on the curb? It makes me want to go knock on their door and ask to look through their house. We already have a set of 6 white tulip chairs that we purchased from our friend Leah. They belonged to her grandmother and she couldn't use them and had them in storage. We use them with our dining room table. I think we're at our quota for tulip chairs, but man, I love them. So beautiful.

I have several ideas for "art" on the cheap cheap for his office. He collects comic books, so I was thinking of framing some of them in black frames and putting them up. I looked up comic book frames and they are kind of pricey at $20 each, so I'll have to find an alternate solution if I go with this. He also has a collection of old toys- think 80s Transformer action figures- and I thought it would be cute to put some of those up on shelves. I also want to get some graphic black and white curtains for in there, but that might have to wait a while until the budget allows it (like when I get a job).

Oh, do I have a blog? I almost forgot.

Things have been really really slow. Strange how not having a job makes you a sort of hermit. I've been doing some good freelance work, but I am at the point where I actually miss having a real job. While the idea of wearing more than pajamas on a daily basis seems a little daunting right now, the thought of going to work where there are people to interact with seems exciting. Also, one of my freelance jobs has somewhat bolstered my confidence and I miss the feeling of a job well done.

I've signed up with a temp agency and I'm still working the substitute system which is very very complicated, so hopefully I'll be out of the house doing something soon.

On the positive side, I am achieving record scores on Facebook games. Eh... maybe that's not so positive.

CVS Deal Alert!

I was running low on three things today- toilet paper, laundry detergent and toothpaste, so I went to cvs.com and checked out my local flyer for deals and they had one custom made for my situation.

I got four tubes of toothpaste, two bottles of detergent and (this is the best part!) 9 rolls of toilet paper because they were out of the 6 packs.  The detergent and the toothpaste were already a good price and the toilet paper was just a bonus!  According to my receipt, I spent $23.48 and saved $18.49.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  

New items at the store!

Okay, so funny story.  The day before we left to go to the mountains, my husband had taken off of work, so we went out to lunch and then hit up the thrift store nearby.  It's a miracle that I have a husband who likes junking as much, if not more, than me.  He will often bring me home items to sell, like this:

So, we're at the thrift store and the junk gods are smiling on us.  Our cart is filling up.  Filling up to the point that we had to do several rounds of eliminations before reaching the checkout, but still ended up snatching up an old polaroid camera on our way out the door.  Especially fun for my husband was that someone had donated a huge collection of comic books.  Paul said, "Somebody's mom is a total b*#ch!"  So, he spent most of the approximate two hours that we spent in there going through old comic books, picking up some valuable items and some purely nostalgic ones.  You won't see those for sale though, because according to Paul, "Those comics are our retirement!"  In any case, at one point we're huddled together in the back of the store between the desk lamps and records (we also picked up Suzanne Vega- Suzanne Vega, Billy Joel- The Stranger, Cowboy Junkies and Culture Club on vinyl) and this woman comes up to me and asks me how much the Pyrex Verde covered divided casserole dish I have in my cart is.

So, I tell her.  And she says that she was just wondering because she collects that pattern.  Ever the shrewd, but socially awkward business woman, I reply, "Oh really.  You want to offer me more for it?"  She kind of rolled her eyes and walked away.

After that episode, Paul informed me of how poorly I handled it, telling me that I should have offered to let her have it and shared my site with her, hoping for a new customer.  He's right.  But, wow, it's gorgeous, right?  

All these items and more for sale at Bad White Trash Memories.

Starving

When I was in high school, instead of eating lunch, my friends and I would sing, to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"-

Starve, starve, starve yourself

Starve until you die

If you don't eat, then you'll be thin

and find yourself a guy!

I know.  We needed therapy.  

As of yesterday, I have embarked on a new eating plan where I count my calories.  It's tedious, but I honestly didn't realize how many calories I was consuming before.  I had a vague notion of "too many," but I'm just realizing how many too many.  

Coming Down From the Mountain

Got back in town last night after a weekend trip with the family to the lovely Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I managed to avoid the tourist traps and enjoyed a fabulous weekend in a remote cabin in the mountains. I didn't particularly need a vacation, since I'm currently unemployed, but it was relaxing and rejuvenating nonetheless.

The dogs stayed with fabulous AARF board member Renee and seemed to have had a great time. She said that they were "perfect gentlemen." Makes a mother proud. Although I missed them terribly.

While in Pigeon Forge, my family went to see Magic Beyond Belief which I boycotted because of their use of wild animals solely for entertainment, something that I am strongly opposed to. In this case particularly, because they had a white tiger. My sister said that they talked some about how tigers were endangered, but I'm betting that they didn't mention the truth about white tigers. Click here to learn more about how white tigers are bred and the horrible deformities that result.



It's a sad sad plight and I urge you to also boycott any exploitation of these beautiful animals. That said, any reputable zoo would not participate in the breeding of white tigers and it is not permitted by the tiger species survival plan (SSP). If your zoo has a white tiger, it is almost certainly not participating in these breeding practices, but instead trying to provide a natural habitat for an animal that has been rescued. This problem is not with zoos, it is with private owners like magicians and circuses. I encourage you to support your local zoo, which does for more for wild animal conservation than you probably realize. Check to see if your zoo if accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). If so, it's a safe bet that it's breeding practices are ethical.