Girl on the Go: Part Deux

*If blogger calves out on me this time prepare for mass exodus from the blog world:  party of Carrie.*

Despite having only one tiny project left on my desk, I still seem to have more things to do in a day than time allows for.  How is this possible? (ahem, naps) Yesterday morning the Chef and I were going over some odds and ends when suddenly we looked at the clock and realized we had somewhere to be in under an hour.  Two words:  not pretty.  As much as I like to comb my hair and think over an outfit, apparently those days are over. Thankfully during closet purge 2011--which may in fact take all of 2011 at the rate I'm going--I came across a couple of my favorite summer staples:  J.Crew sunwashed skirts from what? 5 years ago?  I stocked up on those mothers and basically live in them during the warmer months.  It's not always cute outfit time here at the bird, people.  This is life in motion.

Here's a peek into an average day these days:

Woman has 10 minutes to get ready.  

Slaps on go-to skirt, tank & scans 14 denim jackets while hanging off 

side of bed to look in full length mirror.

 Boyfriend tries not to lose it.

Making a final selection while bf waits outside woman emerges with keys in hand

muttering in annoyed tone, "damn deck, yes you have your keys, needs a cocktail, windy again".

*note to self: stop furrowing brow*

Seizing the day, woman notes bf on side of deck that has been destroyed by derelict no-show

painters (thanks again landlord) and begs him to take a look "at that bloody mess...can you imagine??"

aka can you pleeeeeeeease help me someday *hint hint*?

Exhibit A + a side of exasperated look on woman's face.

No time to dilly dally boyfriend uses his skills to rush woman off the deck.  

This is the look of :  are you trying to avoid helping me?  

You know I know what you're trying to do now don't you??

O-kay fine we can figure it out later. * huge sigh*

Racing down stairs woman says in smug tone, 'If you're in such a hurry why am I in front of you?'

Boyfriend laughs maniacally spotting tear in girlfriend's denim jacket.

What-ever I already knew that. 

Somewhere in Canada girl's mother screams at daughter stepping on backs of sneakers.

Total no-no back in the day.  So liberating to be an adult.  Love you Mom!

Looking up woman sees neighbors are still parking parallel to the garage.  

Wait a second they got married...and the wife wrote this on the side of his vehicle?

Newsflash:  no one wants an ill-mannered guy that can't park.  He's all yours.

*shakes head*

My arm's going numb.  I'm not sure if it's from the carpal tunnel or seeing this nonsense.  Either way I returned late in the afternoon and proceeded to lie on the couch watching Casey Anthony trial coverage for hours before drifting off to nap land.  I could get used to doing nothing...if only it wasn't for the bills. Maybe Nancy Grace needs an assistant.  Dream!!

Eight Dollar Pants

What can I tell you?  It's Sunday night as I type this and my wrist is feeling slightly better.  In fact it's already seizing up and I'm only on sentence number two.  So much for that idea.  Pardon me while I pull myself together for a quick weekend rundown:  slept for hours with windows open and a light breeze blowing, ate pint after pint of raspberries, threw a few more things in the closet purge pile, watched waaaaaaay too much Dateline and am contemplating joining the FBI, and on Friday night seated someone at a table at the Chef's restaurant when everyone else was busy with other customers (where's my tip? hehe). 

Things are going well for him--so far so good as the saying goes.  It's incredibly exciting to watch it all play out from the sidelines.  The crazy start-up hours have left me with a lot of time on my hands and even though there are plenty of things I could be doing *ahem cleaning* somehow I'm just taking a moment to do nothing much.  It feels nice to pause and regroup for the first time in over a year.  Last Sunday I woke up with hours of free time and instead of racing off on an errand rolled down to the flea market to take a gander.  More like a jackpot.  There were so many treasures to be found that day.  What was supposed to be a simple jaunt turned into a 3 hour marathon.  I left with bag filled with 70's vintage gems--amongst them these $8 pants.  Yes I said EIGHT DOLLAR PANTS.  My own little dream come true.

~Outfit details:  Hat-Hat Attack, Vest-H&M, Chambray Blouse-Gap, Belt-Anthropologie,

Pants-Vintage, Sunnies-Target, Bracelet-Brooklyn Thread~

Who ever let these go?  WHO?? I spotted them after pilfering through racks and racks of

crazy ol' 70's dresses and skirts.  Unable to believe my eyes I screamed out, 'HOW MUCH?!?'

while a young Hispanic guy laughed hysterically and said the word 'eight'.  

Unable to contain myself I screamed incredulously, 'EIGHT? EIGHT DOLLARS?,' 

as he nodded wildly.  He had a live one.

'SOLD!!!,' is the final thing I remember hollering while rooting for my wallet.

Somewhere in flea market land the word loco was used a lot that day.

They're the perfect pants for spotting shed snail shells in the dirt.  

Eye of the Tiger.  

For some reason I feel like saying, 'Ahoy Matey' every time I look at this picture.  

Land ahead?

Off to continue resting my wrist and staring at the eight dollar pants.  Let's see how long this can go on for.

TANAMAN HIAS Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia yang tumbuh dengan baik dapat mencapai ketinggian hingga 5 kaki. Tanaman ini tidak tahan dengan suhu udara yan berfluktuasi. Ukurannya yang cukup besar dengan dekorasi daunnya yang indah membuat tanaman ini menjadi favorit. Tanaman yang berukuran besar, biasa digunakan sebagai specimen. Dalam melakukan pemangkasan atau pun perbanyakan dengan tanaman ini harus dilakukan dengan hati-hati, karena tanaman ini membahayakan tenggorokan dan mulut, sehingga setelah memotong tanaman ini harus segera mencuci tangan.

Tipe:

• Dieffenbachia oerstedii, daun hijau dengan tulang daun bagian tengah warna putih.
• D. picta/maculata, daun oval warna daun hijau dengan bintik-bintik warna putih gading.varietas yang ada diantaranya Exotica,Camilla, Marianne dan Rudolph Roehls (hampir seluruh daun berwarna kuning gading).
• D. amoena = Sri rejeki, batang bisa mencapai ketinggian 5 kaki dengan panjang daun mencapai 1,5 kaki. Daun berwarna hijau dengan garis-garis putih.
• D. bansei, warna daun hijau dan kuning.
• D. bowmannii, mempunyai daun yang besar (lebih dari 2 kaki)

Syarat-syarat untuk menjadi peternak handal

Bakat
Setiap orang pasti mempunyai bakat yang berbeda. Ada orang yang punya bakat bertani, beternak, berdagang, menulis, melukis dan lain sebagainya. Bakat atau minat sangat dibutuhkan dalam menekuni suatu bidang pekerjaan terutama dunia ternak. Mengapa? Karena yang diurusi bukanlah jasa atau barang mati melainkan benda hidup yang mudah stress dan lainnya. Dengan modal bakat akan membuat seseorang lebih ulet dan sabar dengan bidang pekerjaan yang ditekuninya.

Dukungan keluarga dan masyarakatSangat diperlukan dukungan baik dari pihak keluarga atau masyarakat sekitar. Karena beternak akan menimbulkan polusi berupa bau amoniak yang mengganggu lingkungan sekitar. Jangan asal usaha tanpa memperdulikan lingkungan sekitar sehingga jangan pula disalahkan kalau suatu saat terjadi protes warga sekitar. Di samping itu juga kita perlu meminimalkan agar tidak terjadi hal-hal yang tidak kita inginkan seperti sering kehilangan ternak, ternak diracuni, ternak diganggu yang pada intinya akan merugikan diri kita sendiri.

Modal
Hampir semua sektor usaha membutuhkan modal. Namun untuk memulai beternak itik janganlah kendala modal menjadi penghalang utama. Sekarang sudah banyak bentuk usaha peminjaman modal dalam bentuk kemitraan atau lainnya. Anda bisa mencari informasi tentang model kemitraan itik di sekitar tempat tinggal anda. Tetapi ingat, jangan sekali-kali mencari modal dengan berhutang kepada seseorang atau lembaga yang berbuntut riba. Karena walaupun anda yakin usaha anda nantinya akan berhasil tapi keadaan yang akan datang diluar kehendak kita. Maka untuk lebih hati-hati, apabila telah ada bakat dan keinginan kuat untuk memulai beternak cobalah mencari informasi tentang permodalan.

SDM yang berpengalamanPeternak yang dengan segenap kemampuan usaha dan waktunya akan mempunyai pengalaman yang berbeda dengan peternak yang hanya memikirkan keuntungan belaka. Seorang peternak yang berpengalaman akan mengetahui dengan teliti karakteristik ternak yang dipeliharanya. Apa makanan kesukaannya (palatability), perilaku yang disukai ternak, dan kenyamanan ternak. Dengan memperhatikan kebutuhan ternak dengan seksama diharapkan ternak tersebut mampu menampilkan produksi terbaiknya buat kita dan tentu keuntungan kita akan bertambah.

Sayang dengan ternakJangan anggap hewan itu tidak mempunyai perasaan dan lain sebagainya. Ungkapan yang ada selama ini di masyarakat sepertinya hewan itu hanya mempunyai nafsu. Kalau anda tidak percaya derngan hal ini cobalah membuat suatu percobaan dengan ternak anda. Suatu missal anda yang akan beternak itik, cobalah perlakukan satu kandang itik dengan lemah lembut dan yang satu dengan acuh tak acuh. Kami yakin hasil produksi yang didapat akan sangat nyata berbeda.

Informasi sebelum beternakTidak ada salahnya kalau anda yang punya tekad untuk memulai usaha baru dengan beternak atau apa saja untuk bertanya kepada yang sudah berhasil tentang cara mencapai kesuksesan. Informasi sebelum beternak bisa anda dapatkan baik melalui diskusi atau konsultasi. Tetapi perlu diingat dalam mencari informasi, carilah informasi kepada pihak-pihak yang senang kalau informasi itu kita dapat, jangan salah sasaran. Suatu contoh, anda memutuskan bertanya kepada tetangga anda yang sudah beternak itik bertahun-tahun sedang anda tahu bahwa tetangga anda tidak senang kalau ada peternak baru diwilayahnya. Maka jangan salahkan kalau informasi yang anda peroleh nantinya akan berbalik 180° dari kenyataan. Boro-boro untung yang diharap, rasa kecewa dan kerugianlah yang nantinya akan kita rasakan.*(SPt)

http://sentralternak.com

Sharp Realizations

~image via serena and lily~

I'm having a serious moment here at the bird.  Okay I'm having several.

My parents are big believers in alternative medicine.  It's not that they won't go to the doctor or hospital, but in terms of daily living they are definitely vitamin takers and proponents of overall wellness that comes from non-traditional methods.  When I was in my early twenties I finally allowed them to convince me to see an iridologist.  At the office she put a blown up view of my eye on her computer screen and proceeded to tell me how the different parts of the eye related to different parts of my body, and what deficiencies seemed to be apparent.  It was quite interesting and, remarkably, quite accurate.  She said something that day that has stuck with me ever since:  Listen to your body.

My freaking wrist doing what it's doing with the carpal tunnel is my body screaming at me to slow down.  Easier said than done.  People have to work, right?  In the past 24 to 48 hours all but a couple of projects have managed to miraculously clear from my desk.  It's a weird feeling.  As things have slowed down I've been able to go to bed earlier, rest my wrist (I'm reading your blogs, but trying to keep my wrist still), and actually have some quiet time to just sit with my thoughts.  

The other day while reading Sarah's blog the strangest thing happened:  out of nowhere I experienced a pang of sadness when she talked about surprising her son with tickets to an advanced screening of Cars 2.  Unlike a lot women I've never been one who cared if I had kids.  I mean I like kids just fine and all, but it's never been a priority or even desire to have my own.  I'm more that person who, on any given day, is trying to figure out a way load my bike like so up top and just run away from it all.  You can't imagine how bewildered I was to feel the way I felt reading Sarah's words.  Hmmmmm.  I don't quite know what to say or think about this.  It is absolutely uncharacteristic of me.  And I've just blurted it out to the blog world.  Good thing I don't have thousands of readers.

Now that I've completely freaked myself out I'm going to continue purging my closets (pile of over 10 things so far!) -- and perhaps allow my mind to continue to venture into serious life things in the days ahead.  I'm scaring myself.  I need a nap.  

I'm trying to listen to my body.  

Bagaimana Cara Beternak Kelinci Berorientasi Bisnis

Potensi dan tujuan beternak kelinci :

Penghasil daging, bisa sebagai alternatif untuk memenuhi kebutuhan gizi bagi keluarga. Di antara jenis kelinci penghasi daging adalah : Vlaams, New Zealand, White England dll

Penghasil anakan atau bibit, ditujukan untuk mendapatkan ternak pengganti (replacement stock) dan juga ternak hias. Jenis kelinci yang banyak diminati untuk ternak hias antara lain : angora, lion, dan rex totol

Penghasil bulu dan bahan industri, sebagai contoh adalah kelinci jenis angora. Dalam setahun seekor kelinci angora mampu menghasilkan 100-200 gram wool dengan 4 kali pemotongan. Tetapi di Negara kita belum ada yang mengusahakan.

Sebagai bahan percobaan medis atau hewan laboratorium

Sedikit kami singgung tentang panca usaha peternakan :

Panca usaha peternakan

1. Penggunaan bibit unggul

2. perkandangan yang memenuhi syarat

3. pemberian ransum yang tepat (kwantitas dan kualitas)

4. Pencegahan penyakit

5. Pemasaran hasil atau produk

Kiat-kiat memilih kelinci yang baik :

- Pergerakan lincah dan aktif

- Mempunyai nafsu makan yang tinggi

- Performance tubuh seimbang (besar kepala dengan panjang tubuh dll)

- Bermata bulat bercahaya, selaput matanya bersih, mempunyai pandangan yang tajam dan cerah

- Telinganya lebar dan panjang minimal 10 cm

- Bagian-bagian yang berlubang (hidung, mulut, telinga, dubur) terlihat bersih

- Berkaki normal (terlihat kuat, kokoh dan berkuku pendek)

berbadan bulat, berdada lebar, padat dan singset

- Berbulu bersih, licin, halus, mengkilat dan rata

- Ekornya terlihat kecil, tumbuh lurus ke atas dan tampak menempel ke punggung serta bentuknya tidak miring

- tanda lain untuk induk betina adalah mempunyai cukup bulu untuk membuat sarang beranak, mempunyai pinggang yang lebar dan jumlah putting susu paling sedikit 8

Perkandangan

Lokasi :

- sinar matahari yang masuk cukup

- bersuhu sejuk, berkisar antara 15-20°C

- mempunyai ventilasi yang baik untuk pergerakan udara

- tempatnya kering

- lingkungannya tenang dan tak jauh dari rumah, karena berhubungan dengan keamanan ternak

- diusahakan disekitar kandang terdapat naungan

Kandang

- Bahan murah, awet, dan mudah di dapat

- Mampu melindungi ternak dari cuaca buruk

- Mempunyai tempat pembuangan kotoran

- Lantai kandang dapat dibuat dari kawat, bambu dan kayu

- Ukuran kandang bisa flexible, bisa dipakai patokan ukuran pxlxt : 90×60x60 cm, sarang beranak berukuran pxlxt : 40×30x30 cm

Makanan

Makanan kelinci yang baik adalah yang terdiri dari sayuran hijauan, biji-bijian, dan makanan penguat (konsentrat). Makanan hijauan yang diberikan antara lain semacam rumput lapangan, limbah sayuran seperti kangkung, selada air, daun bunga kol, daun wortel, wortel, dan lain-lain. Sayuran hijau yang akan diberikan pada kelinci ini kalau bisa telah dilayukan dan jangan dalam keadaan segar. Proses pelayuan selain untuk mempertinggi kadar serat kasar, juga untuk menghilangkan getah atau racun yang dapat menimbulkan kejang-kejang atau mencret. Biji-bijian bisa berupa jagung yang digiling halus (hanya untuk campuran konsentrat), konsentrat : polard (kulit gandum), dedak halus, ampas tahu (terbatas).

Jadwal pemberian pakan :

Hijauan dengan jumlah sedikit diberikan sekitar pukul 07.00 atau 08.00 pagi setelah kandang dibersihkan terlebih dulu, kemudian pada pukul 10.00 pagi diberikan konsentrat, dan pada pukul 15.00 diberikan hijauan lagi tapi dalam jumlah yang banyak

Jumlah pakan yang diberikan

Konsentrat untuk Induk bunting sekitar 1 ons/hari, dan untuk induk menyusui : 1,5-2 ons/hari, sedang hijauan diberikan secara bebas. Konversi pakan yang bagus adalah 3:1

Pencegahan penyakit

Penyakit kelinci yang sering timbul adalah kudis (scabies), mencret dan perut kembung. Untuk kudis anda bisa mengobatinya dengan vormectin yang bisa kita beli di poultry shoup terdekat. Mencret disebabkan pola makan yang salah atau makanan yang diberikan sudah basi hijauan banyak mengandung air sedikit serat. Untuk penyakit perut kembung bisa dicegah dengan tidak memberikan pakan yang masih basah atau kandungan airnya cukup tinggi. Cara mengobatinya adalah dengan pemberian obat sulfa seperti norit atau minyak adas.

Pemasaran hasil atau produk

Produk atau hasil dari beternak kelinci adalah sebagai berikut :

1. Daging/karkas

2. Anakan/bibit

3. Bulu/kulit

4. Penelitian

5. Kotoran

Beberapa kiat untuk mendapatkan keuntungan berlebih dari beternak kelinci, mohon maaf, untuk yang satu ini hanya anda bisa dapatkan pada waktu training. Meskipun training gratis tapi tapi banyak yang menganggapnya remeh. Maka kami telah berikan 6 tips beternak kelinci yang berorientasi bisnis. Di antara tips yang telah kami berikan adalah bagaimana kiat untuk mendapatkan kualitas karkas daging yang bagus, bagaimana menciptakan produk unggulan, bagaimana trik menjual produk, tips dalam membeli kelinci, dan tips tentang reproduksi kelinci. Anda bisa mendapatkan trik dan tips tersebut pada peserta yang mengikuti training tersebut.

Pesan kami, jangan remehkan waktu dan ilmu. Kami sampaikan terimakasih kepada peserta yang telah rela meluangkan waktunya untuk mengikuti acara ini dan semoga kita dapat mengambil manfaat*(SPt)

http://sentralternak.com

Ow Ow Ow Ow Red Pants Ow Ow Ow

To be clear I'm ow'ing over my freaking carpal tunnel'd right wrist.  It's gotten so bad that at one point today my hand and arm were numb from fingertips to part way up my shoulder.  I'm trying not to whine, but I don't think I'm being very successful.  Sigh


It hurrrrrrts like a biznatch.

That being said I have to cut this mother short so I can work today which, coincidentally, involves mad amounts of typing at times.  How can this thing heal without downtime? Can cats be trained to type?  I wonder if they require a salary and/or mandatory breaks under CA state law?  Things to ponder while my brain continues trying to regenerate after last night's bachelorette.  When I got up this morning I was so disoriented I couldn't remember what day it was.  No jokes.  Good thing my brother called during which time my 18 month old nephew sang a few words from Justin Bieber's 'Baby'.  To be exact he sang out 'Baby, baby, baby woooo'.  I almost passed out laughing.

Enough rambling.  Let's cut to the pants.  I've had these things sitting in a bag by my desk for a month during which time I've toyed with cutting them to wear cropped and frayed, or just hemming in general.  The thought of returning them has crossed my mind more than once too...I mean how much will I really wear red pants?  On Sunday I bit the bullet and threw them on for a Father's day dinner with friends.  It's official:  they're keepers (the pants and my friends).

~Pants-J Brand Skinny Twill, James Perse-Tank, J.Crew-Heels (3 years ago?), 

Brandy & Melville-Fringe Bag, Anthro-Sunnies~

~PANYC-Studded Wrap, American Eagle-Friendship, Motif 56-Braided Bracelets
Melinda Maria-Link Oxidized Ring, Free People-Necklace (5 years ago?)~
Admission:  I stepped foot in AE on Friday night and went nuts in the bracelets.  Buy one/get one free.
I have nothing to say for myself.  I swore I'd never give them money again after
they ripped 1000's of hearts out by closing Martin+Osa.  The price tag made me do it?
Shameless

Once I put the pants on I remembered every reason I drove into the middle of nowheresville
late one Friday night on freeways I'd never even heard of before just to get the last pair.
In the fitting room I jumped up and down with glee.  I have no problem admitting that.

Should I cut them off?
And yes I realize these pictures are redundant, but the other one reallllly
showed the belt I got for $9 at the flea market and later spotted for $140.  
I'm so glad I'm newborn cheapskate--I'd have missed out on so many good things!!

This is the 'oh yes we do have enough pictures I'm done' look.
Nothing's worse than having a couple of cars circle the block repeatedly to stare.
Awkward

Okay is anyone else having issues with blogger inserting extra spaces between paragraphs?  I just don't understand how to make it stop.  Anyone?  Anyone??

The Bachelorette: What the Hell Was That?

I'm sitting here dumbfounded.  I honestly don't know what I'm going to write.

Ashley's a duh  head.  Okay there's a start.  Pull up a chair and let's discuss.

Other immediate thoughts:
1. Every one of them is too good for her.
2. Have all these guys been on the past couple weeks??  I swear there are 3 I've never seen before.
3. My mind is numb.
4. Ashley deserves Bentley.
5. Who even PUT a pair of pink shorts in that boxing layout??
6. Nervous giggles are for 2nd graders *ahem Ashley*
7. William is rat b*stard.
8. Buh-bye William!
9. Can Ashley think for herself?
10. Can Ashley think?
11. Does Ashley know what pants are?
12. Is there not a wardrobe stylist attached to this show?
13. Is Chris Harrison in love with Ashley??
14. Pills please.  Ben F can share his with me.
15. I thought those b*tches at ABC told me Bentley was this week?? I have to watch this mess AGAIN NEXT WEEK??
16. I really don't know if I can do it.  My head's aching and I feel like I ate garbage.

Welp, here's how I'd sum up tonight:  BUZZKILL.

The show opens and it's over before it starts.  Ryan goes off on how exciting it is to be flying around all over the world looking for love, quickly adding "following Ashley".  Tell on yourself much?  Off they go to Chiang Mai where Nick states he wants to take the relationship to the next level.  Um Nick, have I seen you before?  More importantly does Ashley know you're on the show?  You better dye your hair and curl it or you're out the door.  You don't look anything like Bentley.   Speaking of Ashley here she comes in one of Bentley's old shirts belted at the waist.  You know, the one she pilfered from his bag as he tried to shake her from his leg as he ran out the door.  Why me?  Once again Ashley makes zero sense as she's clearly miserable yet states if things keep going the way they have been this could be a very happy ending for her...she's medicated.

Next thing you know Chris Harrison pops into the man pad announcing the the date rundown.

• A one-on-one
• A group date
• A dreaded two-on one date where one of them gets sent packing.

Men become women and begin quaking over who's going to get the dreaded two-on-one.  I want to slap all of them and scream, "she doesn't like any of you fools!!" Instead I try desperately to fast forward a show that is only just being recorded.  Help me


First up we have Ben F.

*Notice I can't even be bothered to seek out appropriately sized images.  

That's how exasperated I am right now.* 

Date summary:  zzzzzzzzz.  I almost fell asleep 3x. Here's what I remember:  Ashley rolls in wearing some atrocious pink top and a white skirt that does not cover her rear end.  No it did not.  All the men go ga-ga over her chemistry with Ben F.  Little do they know she's in love with his hair because it reminds her of Bentley.  Ben/Bentley--don't tell me you didn't catch that correlation.  He wants to build on the foundation of love.  I see he's wearing Crocs and zone out.  I come to and they're cruising the market.  Her butt's hanging out keeping watch on what's to the rear.  I'm embarrassed for America.  They stand outside an ancient temple, the camera pans up her skirt.  Thankfully she's in the distance.  They sit on the bench, the camera crew can't film the side of her leg because her uncovered *ss is quite literally on the bench seeing has her skirt is too short to cover it.  Despite her sacrilegious skirt at the temple she claims they cannot kiss because they are on sacred ground.  Instead they kiss mentally.  SOS.    I come to and they're on part two of the date.  Hold the phone:  she's wearing pants.  He says something about being an emotional zombie last year.  I concur on the zombie part.  She says he's saying all the right things and for the first time in a long time (you know since yesterday when she almost sucked JP's face off on the beach in front of everyone) she's feeling hopeful.  I'm feeling the need to check myself  into a mental hospital.

Date Two:  The Group Date

That's how we're going to sum it up.

Ashley's planned a day of Muay Thai which is essentially kickboxing + regular boxing + b*tch slapping to the death.  After some practice with professionals it is apparent that Ames is going down.  Between Harvard and Yale he's never even had time to fight, much less scrap around in a ring with a bunch of meatheads who want to prove themselves to someone who couldn't give a rip about a single one of them.  She's taken the liberty to lay out gear for them...one of these outfits is pink and Ames, of course, gets it.  After being taken in an open air taxi to a ring in the middle of town square, Ames can be seen frantically searching for his credit cards and/or the trap door to escape back to the Hamptons.  Everyone's paired off to take their turn fighting each other as Ashley squeals on the side claiming she doesn't like it.  Line of the night award goes to Lucas:  "You're the one who set up the date".  Gotta love those oil patch kids.  I'll skip the details because who cares about boxing.  Bottom line:  Ames gets thumped in the head several times by Ryan the desperate lunatic and moments later is whooshed away by Medivac to the emergency room.  

Ashley's really scared right now...so scared she doesn't accompany Ames to hospital despite the fact that he has clearly had his bell rung (no pun intended). She has no time.  She needs to speed this thing up and get it over with:  Is Bentley back yet??  Two seconds later we flash forward to the evening/cocktail party gathering of the date.  Ashley arrives in her black t-shirt, hair flapping in the wind.  She hopes Ames is there so it doesn't ruin the mood.  Self-absorbed much?  Ryan the beater proceeds to show her all the damage Ames did to him...uh Ames was a set of flailing arms and legs.  He didn't connect once thereby proving that Ryan beat himself up in his room to further himself in the race to Ashley giving him the hand and sending him home.  Blah blah blah Ames shows up with a concussion.  It's actually sad.   Blake whines about something and gets a rose.   End scene.

The Dueling Death Date--whose gonna get the rose??

  The Roaster 

                     vs. 

                          Mr. Flash Mob

William's had his man claws out ever since this date was announced.  Off they go paddling Ashley down the river and William's p*ssed!  He's paddling in front while she sits closer to back where Ben C.'s paddling.  He's doing all the weeeeerk.  *Except the little Thai man wading down river next to you is guiding your raft in the water because neither of you can paddle worth sh*t*.  Pardon my French.  Within moments of docking William wants a moment of Ashley's time.  He doesn't want to throw Ben under the bus, but you know Ashley Ben's been telling everyone he can't wait for this to be over and he's gonna get busy internet dating once back at home.  Oh.hell.no.he.did.not.just.pull.this.  Oh yes he did.  She, of course, takes the bait and cuts the date short snipping Ben on the spot without giving him a chance to defend himself.  She's on her broom tonight folks.  By this time Ben is equally, if not more, disgusted with her and sails off.  Moment's later it's night time.  Ashley's wearing a short pink spandex t-shirt and no pants as she and William sit down to dinner.  Moments later she ruthlessly snips him too, takes her broom and sweeps his sorry behind into the van with barely a bye bye muttered in her baby voice.  William calls himself a bunch of names as he speeds off--admitting he's a loser, a child, and wants to go to bed and never wake up.  Hope ABC has PTSD counseling for these people.  This guy has serious issues...and to think he was her favorite at one point.  Big shocker.

Back at the ranch Ashley's insecurities are rearing their ugly head yet again.  She's a raging lunatic.  Out she stomps in yet another t-shirt and some cheesy stripper heels blabbing on about how not everyone is going to love her, but they need to be real.  FAIL Ashley FAIL.  Newsflash Ashley:  men do not find massive unjustified insecurity to be attractive.  At this point all remaining look at each other with the crazy eyes knowing she's missed her afternoon pills.  She fakes a few conversations with Ryan the cuckoo bird, Nick the fuzz mop who she all but told was going to be sent packing, and JP who she clams to like but, of course, dun dun dun---can't stop thinking about Bentley.  

At this point I glance up and there are 12 minutes left.  Where the hell is Bentley?? Chris Harrison promised me Bentley this week.  How is she supposed to do a rose ceremony PLUS have a massive breakdown in just over 10 minutes.  I've been robbed!!  She and Chris sit down to have a have a heart to heart dot dot dot about Bentley.  Harrison looks like he's falling in love with her.  I see it with my own two eyes--that guy looks like he's under the Ashley spell.  Those $5 boxes of wine are wreaking havoc everywhere in Bachelorette land!!  Once again she's going on about her intuition (which is non-existent), her connection with Bentley (also coincidentally non-existent) and how she "just doesn't know what's going to happen".  No duh lady.  I'll tell you what's going to happen:  I'm going to lose my mind and rip my hair out watching you make a bumbling a** of yourself on national television!! Flash forward and Nick gets snipped.  He's devastated despite having pretty much been told point blank to bugger off just moments earlier.  Apparently intuition is dead everywhere because he was pretty sure they were falling in love even though he's only talked with her for two seconds once before when he got out of the limo two weeks ago.  What on earth?

Next stop:  Hong Kong and the return of Bentley.  How much you want to bet they drag that out until the second to last show?  I really and truly might be over this sniveling mess otherwise known as Ashley.  She doesn't know if she's going to end up with anyone and that just scares her.  Why??  Ya came in with no one anyway, you're seeing the world in the fanciest way possible, and you're showing a massive audience your lack of pants collection on a weekly basis.  Can someone cancel this show?? I want a new bachelorette.  I want a drink.  I want my mom.  *whimper*

New Day/New Way

It's become increasingly obvious that if I want to get any outfit pictures done for this blog I'm going to have to be prepared at all times.  That's like telling a 4 year old on a roadtrip to 'hold it' until the next rest stop.  Uh, yeah--probably not going to happen so have to plan in advance for accidents.  There I was on Saturday morning fresh off a night of Dateline, 20/20 and Nancy Grace Casey Anthony updates...sheer bliss.  The last thing I wanted to do was hop out of bed and coordinate for a picture.  The only thing on my mind was sleeeeeeeeep.  You know, in order to avoid having to purge my closet any further.

Enjoying the silence I began mentally planning posts for the upcoming week when it hit me:  I had none.  Up out of the bed I hopped.  After glancing out the window to see miracle of all miracles - the SUN shining (seriously it's been in the 60's for a month) - I popped the closet open and stared down a skirt I've been hankering to wear ever since spring supposedly sprung.  At approximately a half past I'm not quite ready yet the Chef rang me to say he was ready.  Cut to scene and there I was zipping off down PCH in hot pursuit of wherever he was--ever tried coordinating locations by cell phone?  Um, I don't advise.

Me:  'You're where?'
Him:  'Well where are you?
Me:  'Who cares where I am? I'm driving toward you, aren't I?!"
Him:  'I'm parked on the side of the road at xyz'
Me:  'I have no clue where that is, ya know.'
Him:  'Where are you?'
Me: 'Haven't we already been over this?  Fine.  I'm at ab and cd.'
Him:  'Look up the road and to your right.  I'm on the side of the road'

....he says as I zip on by, surrounded by traffic, unable to stop.  Oy vey people.

Fortunately we were able to find some open field thing that looked like the middle of nowhere.  Totally reminded me of the desert.  Palm Springs?  Is that you calling?  Hope to see you soon.  Love, Carrie.

~Jacket--Forever21 (10yrs ago), Tanks--Gap, Skirt--Mes Demoiselles, Shoes--Matt Bernson, 

Necklace--Melinda Maria, Sunnies--Anthro, Bag--Brandy & Melville~

Note the No Stopping Any Time sign.  As an avid nerd and follower of the law, signs like this

breed fear and guilt in me.  If the sign says NO then why are we stopping here??

What if the Poliiiiiice come?? *cue carrie breaking into a sweat*

Look into my eyes.  What do you see?  You see him calmly taking a photo while I nervously

glance down the road to see if the black and whites are coming to haul us to the clanker.

Serious moment:  skirt.  

Skirt, skirt, skirt infinity.  

Total score at 75% off at Calypso.  *tears*

Do you check their sales?? Must.do.

~Bracelets (from top to bottom):  Motif 56, PANYC studded leather wrap, Bluma Project blue~

Here I am on the verge of a breakdown waiting for some authority figure to jump out and holler 

that he's got us on tape and we're going down.  Who's gonna make the food then, huh Chef?!?

hehe. little dramatic over here at the bird sometimes.

Anyway this was Saturday complete with disheveled hair and a side of wind.  I've got a confession:  I hit the jackpot so hard at the flea market on Sunday.  $8 pants.  EIGHT DOLLAR PANTS.  Now if I can only find someone to take a picture of me wearing them...

An Appalachian Sandhill Crane

We get a lot of telephone calls about birds at Bird Watcher's Digest, as you might expect. People call in with all kinds of questions (I found a baby bird, what do I DO? There's a weird bird at my feeder! What is it? How do I attract more Kirtland's warblers to my bird feeder? What are the Baltimore Orioles going to do about their horrible relief pitching?).

And we get lots of calls with bird sightings. Some of these calls are about birds returning in spring (hummingbirds, for example) or arriving in fall (juncos). In fact for years I got an annual call from a woman up the Ohio River to let me know she'd seen "the first robin of spring." This seemed to give her such satisfaction that I did not have the heart to tell her that American robins often spend the entire winter here in southeastern Ohio.

Every so often we get a call about a strange bird and it turns out to be an awesome sighting. Back in the early 1990s we got a call from a non-birding acquaintance who had seen "a large white pelican-like bird" up at Newell's Run. Sure enough, she'd found Washington County's first-ever (or at least the first-ever recorded) American white pelican. We've gotten calls about rufous hummingbirds, peregrine falcons, tundra swans, black terns, bald eagles, and even earlier this spring—a Bullock's oriole. Some of these sightings are more unusual than others and for some odd cosmic/karmic reason a lot of them come in when I'm away on a trip.

I've never been much of a rarity chaser—oh there were a few years when I lived in new York City when my friends Bob, David, Starr, and I chased quite a few vagrants around the East. But we missed a lot of them and I kind of lost my taste for the chase. Now that I own some land of my own (80 wooded acres in southeastern Ohio) the list I most love to add a bird to is our property list (currently hovering somewhere around 186 species).

Still there are some sightings that you've just GOT to check out. This was the case yesterday when the phone rang and a longtime Washington County resident told my mom that she had a weird bird that was hugely tall and she was "pretty sure it wasn't a great blue heron." My mom talked her through a few possibilities and they came to the conclusion that it was probably a sandhill crane. My mom told me about this bird about 4 pm and handed me the directions to the farm field where the bird had been seen. Daughter Phoebe was working with me at the office and I was entangled in a few projects, so we could not break away until 6:15 pm to go after the bird.

At 6:15 pm yesterday, as we were leaving the BWD offices, a big thunderstorm was arriving. We found the farm, picked up Donna, the woman who reported the bird, and went looking. Rain, rising mist, and imminent nightfall all conspired to keep the bird from our view for about 45 minutes as we drove along a cart path through a neighbor's corn and barley field. No joy. We turned around and started back toward the main road. Donna and the neighboring farmer had seen the bird that same day and the day before, so I had a hunch it might still be around.

As we drove back out the path, I stopped the van and told Donna and Phoebe that I wanted to climb to a high point in the field to scan the one section we'd been unable to see from the path. I did this and scanned, finding nothing. As I turned to go, two small birds flew up from an adjacent field that was contour planted in alfalfa. They turned out to be eastern meadowlarks, but as I followed their flight path with my (crummy) office binocs, a large gray and rust bird came into view!

SANDHILL CRANE! My first-ever sandhill in Ohio! I looked back down the hill and gave the gals the thumbs up. The crane was feeding and preening leisurely. And then it called once, which gave me goose flesh! Such a wild-sounding bird!

Sandhill cranes have bred in northwestern Ohio in one or two places for a few years. And they migrate over Ohio in spring and fall, though I believe their path takes them farther to the west than our corner of the Buckeye State. I've dreamed of adding this species to our farm property list, and as the eastern population (nesting in Michigan and to the north and west) expands, perhaps my chances at this are increasing.

[A disturbing side note: Kentucky and Tennessee have recently tried to establish hunting seasons on sandhill cranes. Tennessee has put a two-year moratorium on the hunt. Kentucky pushed the hunt through hastily. You can read more about this whole issue on Vickie Henderson's blog here and on Julie Zickefoose's blog here. I'm not anti-hunting, but I DO feel there are some species we should not hunt because they are so special, so wonderful, so inspiring to see. And sandhill cranes are among the most inspiring of all creatures.]

Having spotted the lone sandhill, I knew I needed to spread the word among my birding pals. It was too late in the day to get them out immediately, so we made plans to return early today (Friday, June 17).

Steve, Shila, Cheryl, Sage, Julie, and I met at the Berg Church in the dewy sunshine and started scanning. We drove back to the spot I'd seen the bird last night and walked up the hill. Halfway along, Julie blurted "It's calling! I can hear it!" Sure enough, just as we crested the hill, Steve spotted the crane foraging in a strip of still-standing barley. Not a single one of us had grabbed our cameras as we got out of the vehicles! Major bummer!


The sandhill noticed us and walked off, then flew slowly, calling, to the far end of the complex of fields. We relocated ourselves and then re-located the bird and were able to get long, satisfying looks.

We watched the crane, making notes about its red crown, its rusty gray body feathers, its apparent lack of leg bands. It seemed perfectly healthy, which was good.

Members of the Whipple Bird Club flash the club's hand sign to celebrate the sandhill crane sighting.

Since it was a life bird for a few of our group, we celebrated with a Life Bird Wiggle. This was an amazing bird to see in southeastern Ohio in mid-June. And all thanks to a phone call from a kind, curious acquaintance. Thanks Donna!

Pink Pants and My Wrist Fell Off

I've been quiet on the blogger front this week for a couple reasons:  the Chef opened his restaurant and it's been a bit of a crazy (yet exciting) time, and I have the worst case of carpal tunnel ever.  That bachelorette recap took so much wind out of the ol' wrist I was actually feeling a little sick after typing it up--and not from the show itself.  Or wait a second...

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me.  As coincidence would have it I've got an outfit post at the end of the week for the first time in a long time.  Big shout out to my friend Kelly for pitching in with these pictures late Sunday afternoon before we indulged in copious amounts of Mexican food at our fave place!  Interesting note: we took these things in no time flat leading me to believe maybe it's easier to take outfit pics with girls?  Thoughts?  I guess we shall see going forward.  Prepare to see Kelly and Carrie passed out laughing somewhere near you.

Before we get to the dish let me say I am seeing so much 80's resurgence it's left me winded at times.  I lived through that time period and definitely embraced fashion to the fullest.  When I saw these pink chambray pants in Madewell I tried them on a whim, took them off, had the sales associate beg me to put them back on, did so, came out and was hit by a wave of "you have to get those!!" by customers and employees alike.  Um, okay?  Peer pressure made me do it.  There's a new one.  These days I spend an incredible amount of time thinking about Pretty in Pink for some reason.  It's on my list for this weekend.  I wonder if these are a rendition of something I saw on there?

~Madewell-City Slouch Trousers & Tank, J.Crew-Denim Jacket, Cynthia Vincent-Wedges, 

Foley+Corinna-Mid-City Tote, Tom Ford-Sunnies, Bhati Beads~

These are so against the grain of anything I would normally wear, but somehow when I put

them on I could just see them with Converse running shoes and a simple tank, right?
They're lady man pants!  I even love the bit of wrinkle from the chambray.  
New fave pants.  Confession:  Wore them 3x this week.

Tried them with these for a night out (seen here and here); classic summer faves.  

Even though summer seems to have forgotten us again this year...*cough* 60 degree days *cough*.

Most accurate display of their true color...they're kinda like chameleon pants!

And finally...I need a haircut.  Which is akin to saying tomorrow will be 98 degrees 

- Southern California is not the home of the good haircut. Easier said than done.

On that lovely note me and my lady man pants are off.  My wrist is whistling dixie (not even sure what that means, but just love the way it sounds) and I've got a heap of laundry calling my name.  Thrilling

The Bachelorette: Intuition is Dead

Oh, and I'm a hypocrite.  A hypocrite who almost cut her finger off in the shower and has now come to realize the value of the pinky finger, but a hypocrite nonetheless.  I swore that ABC wouldn't get the better of me, but the Chef's back at work and when the bachelorette (can't even be bothered to capitalize it) trainwreck came a callin' I caved *hangs head*.  Even worse?  I dvr'd that mother to watch Tuesday night.  Confessional over and out.

Let's begin with a brief summary of immediate thoughts/reactions:

1. Ohhhhhh gawwwwd she's still bawling over Bentley? (cue eyes and ears bleeding)
2. Does Ashley ever wear pants?
3. Does Ashley realize Bentley is gone?
4. What exactly is a "man claw"?
5. Where are my pills?
6. Ashley is barely clothed for her meeting with the Thai date planner. *dies inside*
7. These men behave like women.
8. Will she ever stop blathering on about Bentley? help me
9. Constantine is an advocate for the word 'like'.
10. Ashley has arrived to the group date in a mesh covered bikini.  Hooker.
11.  OMG this fool is going to tell her date she's still thinking about Bentley.  Is this over yet?
12. Ames seems like quite an intelligent man.  Why is he on this show?
13. Does Ashley know the meaning of the word "intuition"?
14. I wonder if Ashley will kick Chris Harrison in the nuts after seeing what a fool he's making of her.
15.  Better question...(dot dot dot annoyballs) I wonder if she even realizes it??

The show opens and within three minutes she's back on the short bus bawling over Bentley -- at this point I begin yawning because it's telltale...his a** will be back within two weeks.  Why on earth has no one told this fool Ashley that Bentley can't stand her? One word:  ratings.

Next up Harrison strolls into the boypad mumbling something along the lines of 'you all must know how serious she is by now.' When were they supposed to catch that - before or after the flashmob date she planned revealing her dance aspirations? Um, Chris Harrison everyone knows she's not serious seeing as she's been clinging to a hairball Bentley up until this point and blatantly bawling her eyes out ever since his departure.  They just want their free trip.  Hand it over.

Cut to scene and Ashley's in Phuket wearing some barely there top and shorts. I blocked out the rest cringing at what the poor Thai lady must have thought of American women based on the mess otherwise known as half-naked Ashley.  Clearly ABC has some deal with Phuket to provide aid, etc. however they send a representative with next to no clothing to be the main face *cringe*.  Blah blah blah and we're at the men's accommodations where they try to one up each other like cats in a bag over who's kissed her and who hasn't.  Oh wait. Imagine that?  Everyone has, except Ames and a couple other guys who haven't gotten more than 2 seconds of nervous glance airtime.  I gagged a little at this point and hit FF on the dvr.  Do these men not realize they're all basically kissing each other?  Pride is dead.

First lucky date:

In a word: noooooooooooooooooooooooo.  Or is that like?  He seems to be a nice guy, she seems to be bored to tears.  Oh wait, she gives him a rose.  Of course she did.  His hair reminds her of Bentley.  She can't stop thinking about him and wonders if she should tell Constantine her feelings.  That's all I remember about this one because I slept through it--I was just following Ashley's lead.  To sum up:  Like.  He said it about 50 times.  Poor thing.  Casualty of bachelorette filler rose--easier to heartlessly badger and then snip the poor guy whose wife passed away. 


Next it's the Group Date aka the place where men shamelessly backstab each other like women over some broad who doesn't like any of them anyway.  Or so she says seeing as she can't stop thinking about Bentley.  Except when she's getting her magical kissing in with JP who is hands down the best kisser, but two seconds later she's back on the Bentley violin playing right into the script of his return.  So predictable.  I sum the Group date up with men bickering and this:

Ashley in her mesh with JP in the rain making out wildly on the beach less than 50 feet away from all the other guys, but less than 3 ft away from the cameras.  10 minutes later she rips off her mesh and goes frolicking into a pool with all the men racing behind her as she splashes around.  Awkward.  Earlier they also did some wonderful charity work for a Children's orphanage called Baan San Fan and some other guy who looks like Constantine got a rose.  Theme:  she's tossing roses at anyone who has hair like Bentley or kisses like him.  shakes head.


Final date:  Ames or as I like to call him, "SHOCKER HOW DID THIS GEM GET ON THE SHOW?"

At first I thought he looked a little cuckoo, but this guy is off the hook.  He is smart, reeks of an Ivy League education, well-spoken, thoughtful, confident yet not overly secure, and what on earth is he getting caught up in this for? *might be a red flag* He is, at this point, the most well-mannered of the bunch and the most well-rounded.  If she doesn't pick him she's nuts.  JP's my gut choice.  I bet it's him--he would be much more inclined to go along with her Hollywood aspirations without any push back.  Ames is a Portfolio Manager so he is not moving to LA to do a flashmob.  Is flashmob one word or two?  By the way--best date ever.  Kayaking through those tunnels? Wow.  Chris Harrison should be giving us all a trip to Phuket for sitting through the Bentley diatribes.  

Now for the best part of the night.  The clincher >>> Chris asks Ashley if she's over Bentley yet?
Somebody keep me from gouging my own eyes out.  Really Chris, REALLY?? How much more can we take?  Just spill it already! You're bringing him back next week. Yawwwwwn.  

Ashley's response (paraphrased): I'm not over him, our connection was so great, I was certain he was The One (there she goes with that again), my intuition says there's something more there.

Pause and reflect.  Now pray tell dear Ashley where on earth has your mighty intuition been up until this point?  Can someone please tell this child she doesn't have any intuition?? If she did she would know Bentley was a pig.  She would know not to get hung up on someone she's been warned about.  She would have the gut feeling he was a liar and that he, essentially, cannot stand her.  Intuition my foot!!  I laughed out loud.  She's out to lunch.  And not with her intuition.

Moments later I then wept as she relentlessly swept poor West out the door without so much as a heartfelt goodbye after badgering him about his readiness for a relationship after the death of his wife.  Not only is Ashley on my nerves, I think this experience has gone to her head despite her constant claims of insecurity.

Stay tuned for next week when Bentley returns.  Yes it was the "big reveal" at the end of the show and am I the only one who thought she was totally faking when they told her he was back in the hotel?? She knew it--my intuition told me.

Where Are the Police When You Need Them?

The blog's gone off the tracks people.  I was all set to confess my sins of watching the Bachelorette again tonight when all hell broke loose.

I'll get to the recap later today, but have to take a rabbit trail for a moment to tell you about the mayhem that occurred outside my house last night.  I know what you're thinking, "Oh lawdy not the neighbors again".  Oh no.  Not the ones downstairs and not the metal heads, but this time the fake rapper and his girlfriend.  Here's how it all went down.  Note:  Usually I wouldn't bring this up, but I think attention should be brought to violence.  Especially violence against women.

There I was all prepped with blanket, a bowl of cherries and the DVR when I heard the following:

"EFF (the full word, but for the sake of blog semi-cleanliness I'll just use eff) you Gary! Get the eff out my house b*tch.  I mean it GET OUT." bang clank slam bang clank slam bang clank slam "I MEAN IT GARY OUT NOW!!" What on earth has happened to my neighborhood? "You mf, this, that and the other thing.  Get away from me Gary!! Do not come near me, just GET OUT NOW! I am tired of you calling me names and threatening me.  I'm a professional, I'm too good for this.  I'm up here and you're down there--this has to stop once and for all." 

At this point I get up to look out the window into Pat's yard (those little attached bungalows) to find the chronic smoking neighbors in a full on brawl.  She's throwing his stuff out the door and he's hauling it back in.  Rinse and repeat.  Until he assumes position in the doorway and turns the tables on her.  She can't get back in.  This is the same nasty guy who was trying to rap to the death metal of the other neighbors when I had the whiteout and ripped them all a new one.  I knew he was a hitter.  Don't ask me how I knew, I just did.  Cut to scene and he shoves her out the door locking her out, lifts the blinds and refuses to leave HER HOUSE.  She's scared of him and you can tell.  I watched him shove her and threaten her.  This ended in me calling 911, her leaving and HIM calling 911 to cover his own tracks.

I called the Police three times tonight.  She would leave and come back and this maniac would not let her into her own home.  He would throw things at her out the window and she would leave.  The police would come and he would lie to them blaming her.  It's so telltale it's revolting and you think they would recognize the pattern by now, right??  One time he met the Police in the street and they didn't even get out of their car.  He was going off so loudly I could hear with just a window open in my house...yet they still just drove away and left him alone.  IN HER HOME.  On the 3rd visit they finally went to the door and he proceeded to holler about how she on antidepressants, has anger management issues (pot/kettle), how she got mad because he was playing a song(?), and that he tried to "calm her down", but she just left.  Oh yeah and "I don't live here.  It's not my place.  I don't have a job--well I actually I'm a martial arts teacher (ahem beater) but should have a job this week."  He tells everyone and their mother that he's a martial arts teacher--including the mailman.  I overheard him again the other day higher than a kite in the backyard.  I mean how many of his own statements--which are basic admissions to guilt-- in addition to his yelling, screaming and puffs of marijuana smoke should have had this guy in the back of the car hauled in for questioning and possible charges on domestic violence??  Finally I called the Police again to explain what was really going on from the point of view of a sane neighbor who had been witnessing this all evening and you know what the 911 operator said to me--wait for it:

"It seems to us based on his account that she's the problem.  We only have his account and he's the only one sticking around to give it."  Pause for a moment and absorb this.

What in the hell was this guy talking about?  They had/have my account - a front row witness.  A sober person --and one of several neighbors who called on her behalf.  If she would have slowed down I would have yanked her into my house.

This 911 operator proceeded to tell me that even though the guy doesn't live there because he's been staying there they consider it his home and won't remove him.  Even better? They believe him--because he's the one who has stayed to talk to them.  I just lost it.  What kind of rationale is that?  The guilty sick bastards always stay around.  Scott Peterson much?  This guy next door is a name caller, a pusher, a shover, a drug abusing, out of control individual who is now squatting in the home of the woman he abuses and the 911 operator thinks this same guy is in the right.  Someone pass me an antidepressant.

Here is where our system is broken.  Here is where women end up dead after calling 911 so many times and having zero protection from the law.  When is this ever going to change? How many bodies will it take?  This 911 operator was clearly discriminating against the female and siding with the male.  He called HER out of control.  HER.  I could barely contain myself when I responded, "Sir with all due respect this woman is terrified of this man when he gets angry and she should be.  I have overheard him berate her with the most profane language in the six weeks they have lived here.  I have watched him smoke massive amounts of marijuana in the yard daily.  I have witnessed him harass a 72 year old woman and her husband to such an extent they no longer sit in their own yard. I have heard her ask him not to push her, to get his hands off of her.  And now tonight I watched him forcefully remove her from her home and you're telling me because she is scared to stay and talk to you for fear of what this man will do to her she is in the wrong and he is in the right.  Am I understanding you correctly?"

And this person responded...yes.

As a survivor of domestic violence I am disgusted that nothing has changed in the past 15 years.  Nothing.  I can only hope she has a car to sleep in or else she's on the street tonight while that sick bastard sleeps in her bed.  What is wrong with this picture?  If  you are brave enough to discuss it I want to know if you have ever experienced the same problems getting the Police to help out in a domestic violence situation.  It is appalling the way they repeatedly side with the abuser.  And if you don't want to say anything that's okay too.


We will resume regular Bachelorette trash talk later this afternoon.