Let's Talk About Pancakes

I wrote about pancakes, here, last year. That post is extremely popular, with lookie loos because, it seems, the picture I used is very appetizing. Today, I thought I would give them something else to look at. Pancakes, not as beautifully perfect, but mine nonetheless.


This morning, I decided to make pumpkin pancakes.

They turned out very good! :) I also made caramelized bananas to go on top. Yum!


Now I would like to know, do you like pancakes? If so, do you have a special type you like to eat?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eat, Rest, and Be Well! Enjoy the day with family and friends.

So...

today, inside my office it's about a billion degrees below zero. Well ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it's really damn cold. To make matters worse, my boss has a thing against space heaters! I'm thinking that in order to get through the winter, without freezing, I may have to bend the rules a bit.

How about you? Is it cold where you are--working, or otherwise?


Picture by Selva

Musical Monday

This is the title track off the new Guns N' Roses album. Give it a chance, although it's certainly a different sound from the original band, it's pretty good!

Now-- tell me what you think, and also what you've been listening to lately! :)

Thinking About Getting/Giving a New Dog? Read This First

To the right is Angel -- she was recently adopted through Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption, one of my local rescue agencies.

This time of year, many will consider bringing a new dog into their home. The purpose of this post is to urge prospective dog owners to research the store and/or breeder their new pet is coming from. It is important to make sure that puppy mills are not the source of these dogs. Rescue agencies and shelters are a much better option, as there are so many orphaned dogs that need homes.

I would like to bring your attention to this video by the Humane Society (Unfortunately, I can't embed it in this post,but please take a look.)

It brings to light an 8 month investigation of the popular pet store Petland. It seems that the puppies they sell come mostly from puppy mills.

The more stores like this that are supported, the longer puppy mills can and will stay in business.

So, when buying your new puppy please do some research,and boycott anyplace that uses a puppy mill as a source. Look up a shelter in your area -- there are many more dogs like Angel that need a home.

This Weekend I'm:

1. Going to a book signing for Glenn Beck's new book The Christmas Sweater.

2. Buying the new Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy , and getting my free Dr. Pepper!

3. Watching 24!


What are you doing this weekend? I would love to know! Happy Friday!

Some Good News for a Change

I've barely seen this story around, so I thought I would share it with you. It's always nice to hear some good news for a change. With all of the negative stuff that is going on out there it's important to remember that there is lots of good going on as well. I just wish the media would share it with us more often. But, I digress....

(The picture to the right is of a plush kidney:) this and other plush guts can be purchased here.)

Now for the story.

A Kansas man receives a new kidney, and a love blooms in the process.

How awesome is this:

It's a big decision, and a sacrifice more people are making. The number of people willing to donate a kidney has spiked in the last five years. New procedures can make the donation less invasive and shorten the healing time. One Kansas man met his donor in one of the most unlikely of places.

It was a busy day at the pharmacy in one McPherson grocery store. The pharmacy is short-staffed, and its manager, Julie Wallace, was preparing to be gone for eight weeks.

That's because just 18 hours later, Wallace donated one of her kidneys to a customer.

"He had been in a lot with a lot of medications and a lot of problems," said Wallace.

And somewhere in between filling prescriptions, Wallace fell in love.

"I think she kind of felt sorry for me a little bit," said kidney transplant patient Justin Lister. He's the man on the other side of the pharmacy counter. He received Wallace's kidney.

"She told me if ever needed something to give her a call," he said.

Lister suffers from IGA Nephropathy, a disease that leads to kidney failure. Four times a day, every day for more than a year, he underwent dialysis.

"You can't go out and hang out with your friends like you used to because you're stuck at home. Then you're driving to the hospital by yourself. It's real crummy," Lister said.

Lister's name was far down on the donor list because he's only been on it for a year, and others with greater need get a kidney first.

"From the moment I met him that I knew if there was something I could do to make his life better, I would do it," said Wallace.

But the odds of her qualifying to donate were slim, and the chances her tissue matching Lister's were even smaller. Blood types must be compatible, then cross-matching checks if the recipient's antibodies will attack the donor's cells.

"I said to the transplant team, 'you know, I wish I could donate. I would really like to but we're not the right blood type.' Well, they typed us anyway and come to find out we are the right type," she said.

"'We're perfect for each other,' she would say, 'I bet our kidneys are perfect,'" Lister said.

Packing for the hospital, Lister readied a barrage of medication he'll continue after the transplant.

"I'm used to the hospitals, but I'm nervous about how big of an operation it is," he said.

Still, he says he'd rather be tied to these pill bottles than a dialysis machine.

The operation took about six hours. For surgeons, Wallace's part was easy. It is Lister who concerned surgeons. Despite rigorous testing and medication, his body could have still rejected the organ.

Dr. Charles Shield performed the transplant, and checked on the healthy couple.

"Any live donor, even if it's a total mismatch, is better than the best deceased donor," said Dr. Shield.

Kidneys from a living donor are always healthier. They must be free of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

"Fifty plus percent of the people that start the live donor workup get turned down because we find something that's wrong," Shields said.

Patients who receive a kidney from living donors have about an 80 percent survival rate after five years. Compare that to 67 percent of those who receive a kidney from a deceased donor.

So thanks to Wallace, the odds are good for Lister.

"It doesn't seem like it's real because I've been looking forward to this day for the past year," said Lister.

A day that would not have happened, if Wallace hadn't gone beyond the pharmacy counter to do more than just fill a prescription.

"No question, in my mind, that I would do it again," said Wallace.

There is no compensation for donating a kidney, but the recipient's insurance covers medical expenses for donating. Recovery time for donors takes between two and six weeks.

The Butterfly Award and Blogroll Updates

Thank you to Vixen for giving me this lovely Butterfly Award. Go visit her here; you will be glad you did! Again, I'm not playing by the rules because I'm allowing everyone on my blogroll to pick this one up. If you're on there you fit the criteria for this award!

Now for some new additions to my blogroll. Check these guys out! In no particular order:

Altjiranga Mitjina
Fleur de Aleta
The Fun House
French Fancy
Real Live Lesbian

America's Wild Horses

First a quick update--My computer, glasses, and camera are all doing much better. *crossing fingers, and knocking on wood* As for my motivation, we shall see in the coming weeks.

Now on to something more important:

This issue came to my attention today! Basically, from what I understand, a proposal under consideration by the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program may result in the death of at least 33,000 wild horses. It seems that their land was taken away, so they are being held in captivity. The horses are healthy, and are breeding more frequently. So in turn, I guess some would like to sentence these beautiful creatures to death. Please read the press release below from The Cloud Foundation. Then please contact your representatives, here--it's easy, and tell them to do something quick before these wonderful animals lose their lives.

Press Release from the Cloud Foundation. November 11, 2008
For immediate release

A proposal under consideration by the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program could result in the death of 33,000 wild horses the Bureau has removed from public lands and placed in holding facilities. Citing a “budget crisis” the BLM says they can no longer afford to feed the animals they have rounded up and are considering euthanizing them.

“This solution to a crisis of their own making is unacceptable and unthinkably cruel,” stated Ginger Kathrens, Director of The Cloud Foundation, named in honor the wild stallion, Cloud, whom she has documented for PBS’s Nature series since his birth in 1995.

The Bureau of Land Management has reduced the population of wild horses on American public lands by 40% since 2000 according to the recently released Government Accounting Office report. Because of the massive scope of round-ups over the past eight years, the BLM now has over 33,100 wild horses in holding, and the costs for feeding the animals are literally eating up their budget. The BLM currently spends a projected 74% of their taxpayer-funded budget to hold wild horses that have been removed from public lands.

The reason BLM often gives for the massive round ups is a lack of forage on the range. “What a cruel irony,” Kathrens states. “The BLM has led the public to believe that round ups are necessary because the horses might die of starvation on the range. All you have to do is look at the pictures at these round ups. The horses are in great shape, but now may die, not because of a lack of food on the range, but because of BLM mismangement.”

Wild horse advocates have long contended that the BLM has bowed to pressure from livestock permittees who want public lands for cattle grazing and not for wild horses or other wild life. Now oil and gas development further threatens the few remaining wild horses. Only about 25% of wild horse herds are currently large enough to be considered genetically viable.

The National BLM Advisory Board for the Wild Horse and Burro Program will hold a meeting on Monday, November 17th in Reno, Nevada and will discuss the BLM euthanasia plan. The public is encouraged to attend and share their comments.

“This board is stacked against wild horses,” says Carol Walker, equine photographer and author of Wild Hoofbeats. “It is possible that they will condone euthanasia for healthy wild horses that belong to the American people,”

Over 19 million acres originally designated for wild horse use are currently empty of horses. The Cloud Foundation recommends the return of healthy wild horses to these ranges wherever possible. “Without immediate action to stop the BLM from continuing to mismanage wild horses, America may lose its mustangs forever,” Kathrens concludes.

The Cloud Foundation, Inc.
107 South 7th St
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
719-633-3842 (office)
719-332-7829 cell, use 11/12 through 11/17
info@thecloudfoundation.org
taurusproductions@mail.com, use 11/12 through 11/17

Wild horse footage and photos available for media use upon request

Update: Madeleine Pickens, wife of T. Boon Pickens, is arranging to adopt most or all of the horses that are kept in the holding pens. Which is upwards of 30,000! What an amazing woman. Read more here.

Remember that the remaining horses still need our help to keep them safe, and free.

So, The Song From the New Apple iPhone 3G Ads...

is very good! It's called You Me and The Bourgeoisie by the Submarines.

Here I am with all the pleasures of the first world
Laid out before me who am I to breakdown?

Everyday I wake up,
I choose Love
I choose Light
And I try, it's too easy just to fall apart

Oh my baby don't be so distressed
Were done with politesse
It's time to be so brutally honest about
The way we know long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings

And here we are in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?

Everyday we wake up
We choose Love
We choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart

Plastic Bottles
Imported Water
Cars we drive wherever we want to
Clothes we buy it's sweatshop labor
Drugs from corporate enablers
We're not living the Good life
Unless we're fighting the Good fight
You and Me just trying to get it right

In the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?

Everyday we wake up
We choose Love
We choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart

Love can free us from all excess
From our deepest debts
Cause when our hearts are full we need much less

Yea i know we long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings

But Here we are in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?

Here we are in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?

Everyday we wake up
We choose Love
We choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart

Everyday we wake up
We choose Love
We choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart



Happy Friday!

I'm Taking a Break

I'm taking a small blogging break. It'll probably be about a week or so. I have a broken computer, broken camera, and as of about five minutes ago--a broken pair of glasses. :( Plus,I haven't had a lot of motivation lately, so I'm hoping that this hiatus will help with that too. I'm going to try to keep up with all of your blogs, but if you don't see me around for a bit you'll know why.

Wordless Wednesday (History is Made)

Today is the Day America

Today, make use of your right to vote! Be part of the process, and make yourself heard. And remember that we may not all agree when it comes to politics. However, we are all Americans and no matter which candidate wins today, or in the future --it's the PEOPLE (not one man/women) that make this country great.


Picture from here.

Musical Monday

Alanis does quite a good job of summing it up.

"You Learn" Alanis Morissette

A Couple of Tags

First--The Pink Sisterhood. I was tagged by Lala and Vixen on this one. As you know, last month was breast cancer awareness month. I'm a little late, but this is always an important topic. Breast cancer has affected nearly everyone in someway. Please go to The Breast Cancer Site and click everyday. It helps women who can't afford to get a mammogram to get one for free. Early detection is very important. I'm tagging all my readers with The Pink Sisterhood.



Next there is Lori, who has tagged me with the 7 random things meme. I'm not feeling very interesting right now. So go over and check out her list, and, while your at it, visit her everyday this month because she is participating in NaBloPoMo!
Again, all readers are welcome to do this meme.