Just a Walk in the Park

Wow this week got away from me! I can’t believe it’s Friday already! Other than having a busy work week there was only one other notable thing that happened. I finally got a harness big enough to go around my fat cat Buddy!

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So with harness and leash attached we tried a little afternoon jaunt on the grass in front of the condo. Everything went well except my neighbor’s cat hated Buddy on sight and by extension, me.

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Poor Moochie. He’s my “little Buddy” so I didn’t like him being upset.

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He’s so tiny next to my big guy but they could almost be twins with the black and white markings.

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The first trip outside went so well that we tried it again last night. Buddy was in his element. He really loves it. In fact he was having so much fun that he did not want to come in when the time was up.

He had rolled in the dirt and run down hill and sniffed the plants and flowers but all good things must come to an end and time was up.

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I carried him back up to the front door but put him down to open it. Stubbornly he refused to go in so I picked him up again and lifted him into the entry. Now I had to put him down again to unlock the inside door. To my surprise he trotted right in.

But success was short lived. He plopped himself down next to the stairwell and refused to go any further. I didn’t want to “take him for a drag” because I was afraid the velcro fastener would let go and then the chase would be on so I bent over to pick him up again.

Sometimes I think Buddy is part Rag Doll because he turns into a limp noodle when he doesn’t want you to hold him. And that’s what he did now. As I tried to get my hands under him so he wouldn’t slip  he decided he’d had enough of this man handling.

He chose that moment to grab onto my head with his paws, claws out to get a grip and that’s how I carried him into the unit! As I bent over to release the harness I saw little blood drops fall. He got me good!

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Now if I’m asked who beat me up I can say, my cat!

Farewell South Beach

Well it was my last day in South Beach.  I finally got to spend a little time with my favorite cousin.  Kathy and I had lots of fun growing up but we haven’t seen too much of each other as adults.

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Kathy picked me up in front of my resort and we went in search of someplace to have lunch off the strip finally settling on a little deli style place where we could eat at a table in front.

My afternoon was spent packing up and roaming the strip. I ran into some of the homeless folks that I’d gotten used to meeting on my walks. I was touched and surprised when one grabbed me and hugged me and wished me well.

For my last evening I decided to treat myself to a salad and shrimp cocktail right on Ocean Drive.Shrimp-Cocktail-2-800

The shrimp looked like mini lobster tails and were delicious. I rounded out my healthful meal with one glass of chardonnay. I got sticker shock when I got the bill. After I added the tip it came to $108.00! Wow! I could eat a lot of steak in Boston for that. But it was worth it.

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The next morning my cab ($40.00 including tip) picked me up on time and delivered me to the airport with time to spare.

All too soon I was winging back to the cold northeast but at least my furry roommates would be glad to see me.

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New Tags

I’m so excited. (Believe me it doesn’t take much). I started using custom luggage tags a couple of years ago and they have made spotting my luggage easy and they are great conversation starters.

My first tag was of Rocky. The picture wasn’t great. I was still getting the hang of creating these little gems.

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Then I upgraded to a better picture. Rocky doesn’t look very happy , does he. He hates when I pull the luggage out.

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I’ve got more luggage now so I needed more tags so I’ve added some of Buddy.

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The finished product has my name and cell # so if my luggage does get lost I can be contacted and reunited.

Aren’t they cute. I just love them! Can’t wait to get the new order!

The Soft Kitty Conundrum

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Anyone familiar with the “Big Bang Theory”  has heard Sheldon’s whine “Sing Soft Kitty for me”.

It’s the lullaby that provides comfort when sickness strikes the sitcom.

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The little song may give Sheldon comfort but it is turning into a headache for Warner Bros.

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The song was written in the 1930’s  by Edith Newlin who passed away in 2004. A recent lawsuit by the daughters of the author/composer claims copy-write infringement. The suit maintains that Warner Bros. sought permission in 2007 from Willis Music Co., a company that previously published the lyrics in a book titled “Songs for the Nursery School.” According to Newlin’s daughters, Willis Music Co. authorized the use of lyrics without consultation or permission.

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What I find most interesting is that these heirs didn’t know anything about the song’s use until they ran across a blog entry about the show  while researching their mother’s life.

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How long does a copy-write last  before it becomes public domain anyway??Until 1977 I think these time frames applied:

  • All works published in the U.S. before 1923
  • All works published with a copyright notice from 1923 through 1963 without copyright renewal
  • All works published without a copyright notice from 1923 through 1977
  • All works published without a copyright notice from 1978 through March 1, 1989, and without subsequent registration within 5 years

A whole new set of expiration dates were set by congress in 1977 so who knows if they have a case or not. Can even the collective big brains of the geniuses on BBT figure it out? I’m sure lots of high priced lawyers are racking up the billable hours on this right now.

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In the meantime, I love my Soft Kitty T-shirt. And so do all the folks that stop me on the street to tell me they like it too!

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How about an Amtrak Vacation

My fall vacation finally got here. After a crazy spring, summer and even fall at work I was more than ready for some R & R.

This vacation was something a little different. It was billed as an Amtrak Rail Vacation but I have to admit we did  a lot of flying too. So before I break things down into specific adventures let me give you an overview.

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The trip name is Riverwalk to the French Quarter (Don’t worry, we’re not walking)

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As you may have guessed by the title, this is San Antonio to New Orleans.

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Our trip began in San Antonio Texas where day one was basically our first travel day arriving around 5:30 in San Antonio via Delta Airlines.

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Day 2 was a Grand Tour of the city starting with the Alamo. It was a full day.

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Day 3 was also in San Antonio but it was a free day where we could explore at our leisure.

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It Rained!

Included in the package for San Antonio was 1 dinner voucher. (Hard Rock Cafe)

Day 4 was the train trip arriving in New Orleans around 10 pm. (They sure like their pharmacies in New Orleans)

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Day 5 was in New Orleans starting with a 1/2 day tour of the city. The afternoon was ours to explore on our own.

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Day 6 was also a free day but dinner was at the Court of the Two Sisters with a voucher.

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Day 7 was our travel day back to New York this time with Southwest Airlines.

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We arrived in Albany, NY at about 5:30 pm. I spent the night at my sister’s and drove back to Massachusetts in the morning. I really wasn’t ready for the vacation to end but my fuzzy little fur-babies were glad I was home.Twins 001a

So now that you have the general idea of what this vacation entailed I’ll get down to specifics in the next posts coming up soon.