Sunday Morning Randomness

My heart goes out to the people in Chile, in light of the 8.8 (!!!) magnitude earthquake that hit there this morning.  8.8 is HUGE.  The largest I’ve felt was 7.1, later downgraded to 6.9, in October of 1989 in San Francisco, and I seriously thought we might die.  So 8.8?  CRAP.  The difference in initial death estimates between this earthquake and the Haiti earthquake speaks to infrastructure and building code, I think.  Meaning?  Money.  Countries that aren’t dirt poor have a better chance of surviving huge catastrophes than countries that are dirt poor.  Same as it ever was.

Um, what about the trainer who was killed by a killer whale at Sea World?  A killer whale who has killed 3 other people so far?  When will we learn that wild animals are NOT to be trusted, are NOT domesticated, and are NOT evil for their actions, but are NOT safe.  I do not know.  This reminds me of a story I recently told in the comments at another blog, about my sweet dog Samantha.  We got Sam when she was about 3 months old.  We raised her, and she was the most gentle, sweet dog you could ever imagine.  She was my BFF.  She let us hitch her up to a sled and make her pull us.  She let me come into her house and watch while she gave birth, looking up and licking my face in the process.  She was so sweet, we used to joke that she would probably lick a burglar to death before defending us.   Yet.  One time, she got a bad vibe from a TV repairman, and would not let him near me.  She stood between us, and growled at him, until he finally left.  I was 10, and thankful for her doggy instincts and protection.  Another time, we were out in front of our house, her off her leash, and a neighbor came home with her little dog, one that Samantha had played with several times before, with no problem.  This time, Samantha got one look at that dog from across the street, and ran full tilt over there and savaged that poor poodle, putting it in the veterinary hospital and destroying my allowance.  Luckily, that poor dog lived and recovered.  But there is a lesson there.  We can’t even always trust our fellow human beings, so why do we think we can ALWAYS and without question trust an animal?  And if we can’t always trust a domesticated animal, like a dog or a cat or a horse, because they are motivated by instinct above all else, why should we trust wild animals?  And why should we keep wild animals in captivity?  They suffer.  This is not a real life for them.  It is only good for the people who love to come and see them (they are beautiful), and the people who make money off of it.   Not enough of a reason to keep up this practice, in my opinion.

Maya had her braces removed this week.  She. Is. Gorgeous.  I hated paying all of that money, and I’ll croak if she ever takes up ice hockey, but otherwise, money well spent.  They gave her $50 for going 2 years without breaking a band or a wire, which she promptly spent on new clothes, as will any 13 year old girl.  Guessing that $50 was built into my bill.  Sigh.

Genevieve went to the vet recently for a checkup.  The vet said she’s doing as well as can be expected, for a blind dog of almost 12.  She’s so sweet, and has lost so much of her spunk in life.  That sucks.  I wish she weren’t afraid, and would still be playful and fun.  She’s a good girl, though.

Does anyone really care about Tiger Woods anymore? Anyone who isn’t financially invested in Tiger Woods, the brand, that is?  No?  Good.  Me neither.  Not judging him, not judging his marriage or his business or his life.  Who the hell cares.  They’re all idiots, so why bother.

I’m kinda hankering for pancakes lately, but not enough to do anything about it.  Guess I should.

Ted and I went out for a lovely dinner a week or so ago, where I had duck and he had lamb and it just reminded us of how, while the restaurants in our little suburb are better than your average Chile’s or Olive Garden or whatever, they’re not as good as those to be found in a big city.  Going to Berkeley or San Francisco almost always means a much better meal.   Don’t misunderstand.  The meal we had was lovely.  Just that so many that we have are just….OK.  It was like, this meal jogged our memory of the good meals out there that we could be having.  Yum.

We’ve had enough rain here that the farmers in the central valley are going to get 30% of what they’ve requested, vs. 10% that they got last year.  Drought over?  No, not yet.  But better.  I love the rain, so I’m hoping for a few more wet weeks before the official end of rain in April.  So far it’s been good, with enough dry days in between storms, so we don’t have many mudslides.  Life in California, huh?  Gorgeous weather, tempered by fire, earthquake, drought, and mudslides.  I keep hoping to hear of a perfect place out there, but I suspect if someone finds it, I won’t be able to afford the real estate.