Blah.

barbara walters scares me.
gives me creepy-crawlers.
i can't get my rosie fix
per her site troubles.
a city divided,
ro or trump.
no doubt;
i go for Ro.
a wonderful site to me,
but when pissed,
a noise maker.
the wait is on.
plenty of aggrevation,
with some hope.

Murry Damn Christmas, Yall.

Please accept, with no obligation (implied or implicit), my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, nonaddictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted Gregorian calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great (not to imply that the United States is necessarily greater than any other country) and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
Disclaimer: No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced.

Murry Crimmus

Off to Grandmother's house we go.
Let's hope everyone behaves,
so the time can be enjoyed by all.
The search is on, once again.
I hope that she may find me again.
Murry Crimmus to all...
And to all, a goodnight.

Tis the Season.

O Ro
*sigh*
a Butch on a mission.
Tom Seleck all over again.
She "Ripped" Kelly a new one,
and is now trashin the Comb-Over beast.
No yellow swirling around her now.
"bnb" as she says.
Its amazing --
sumin SO tiny
can leave such s HUMONGUS footprint.
Hopefully the Crimmus fever can catch me again.

Say Goodnight, Gracie.

it was meant to be.
Rosie.
BJ.
Anderson.
she knew love.
she knew her Mommy.
but nature's way won.
the lesson?
appreciation.
its all fragile.
love.

Goodnight, Gracie.

Julia Sweeney

found this online @ http://juliasweeney.blogspot.com

Religious Symbolism, A Book I Forgot, Marcel Cairo & a note to Believer Michael:

Once again, I love all the comments. I guess - after turning it over in my mind for a day - that I am thankful that Mulan does not have any references to Jesus at school. Even though I also hate it. Cause I guess I want it both ways. I want to enjoy the myths as myths and I am tired of rejecting the symbols of those myths because some people think they are real.
But leftdog said something wonderful and I think true: Leftdog wrote, "Sure, it's a good story. I understand that, but it needs to be discredited before it can be reclaimed. Think Norse Mythology or any other similar; great stories, but only acceptable now because they have been defanged." Defanged. I like that word in regards to the Christ story. Sheldon said this too -- we need space and time before this story can be indulged in as a good story.
Plus, it's true - Jesus is everywhere, on every church lawn, inside churches, and it's only in the public areas where it's absent - or should be absent. I dream of a day when Jesus is as interesting and weird as Persephone or Eros. And I want that day to be NOW.
Austin Cline: thanks for all your wonderful research and writing. I read everything you linked to at your site. But still, even though I agree that it was the Christians that killed Christmas to a large extent -- how do we account for Europe, who have state sponsored religions and yet seem to be highly non-religious (at least at the moment, and in regards to Christianity.) They seem to be able to slip into secularism without a war with the fundamentalist Christians. Do they ban the creche from the government lawns? I don't know. I'm looking into it.
Maria: thanks for reminding us about Mithra. It's true. And the Mithra story is rawer and I think, better in lots of ways, over the Jesus story. See, Christians are plagiarists! Or, as I heard at a recent Skeptic lecture at Cal Tech, "Ingenuity is simply a matter of masterfully concealing your sources." Or maybe he said "Creativity." In any case, you get the drift.
Norma: I wasn't suggesting that the Jesus story be taught as another way of looking at the world, I like it as one of the myths that is part of our culture. In answer to your question: You are unduly cranky and cantankerous, but that is what I love about you. ONE of the things I love about you. But I don't think you have to be perpetuating fraud to enjoy a Sader meal or a Passover meal or Easter or the story of Jesus being born at Christmas. But I do agree, we aren't there yet. It's weird to enjoy the Jesus birth story amongst a group of people who actually believe that story is true. It feels condescending and wrong, but still, I'm going to do it. I want my daughter to feel what it's like in church on Christmas and the songs and the candles and all the rest. And if my experience last Christmas is an indication (I was told by my fellow pew-mates that they had seen my show and agreed wholeheartedly with my view of Catholicism and God...) I'm not sure that most of the people in that church won't feel just like I do.
Ben Turk: You are absolutely right about Donohue when you wrote: "Donohue's attempt to paint himself as a victim of exclusion by straw-man 'multi-cultural gurus' is an attempt to 1. reaffirm the dominant culture's symbol set. 2. make that dominant culture feel threatened and incite a backlash." And for that alone, I revise what I said. I wish we could have Jesus and the songs, but we can't at the moment. Maybe in my lifetime but probably not.
Boo Hoo...
And now we come to Marcel Cairo. Yes, I agree, our discussions of God on this blog have been childlike in that they are referring to the God that most Abrahamic religions believe in. And i would like to take you seriously, but it is hard when you make statements like you do. You say you believe in the afterlife BECAUSE you are a spiritual medium. What does that mean, exactly? This is what a spiritual medium is to me - a person who takes other people's money by playing on their weaknesses. I think what you must mean is that you feel you have communicated with people who are dead?
What do you say, gang? Should I engage this fellow? I went to look at the research that you mentioned in your blog responses and none of it looked terribly legitimate to me. The thing is this: I have a biological and natural view of the world. My understanding about consciousness, which was opposed to my inclinations - is that it is an evolved adaptation that our species has in order to help us survive and reproduce. Why would that survive death? The whole idea that this organ would survive death, just because I like my brain so much, seems narcissistic and silly. My critical thinking tells me that the chance of the brain having some special otherworldly-function is so highly unlikely that it is not worth pursuing. Do you think animals brains survive death too? What about insects? Anything with a brain? What about people with Alzheimer disease, whose brains have atrophied? Do they have some other brain, their healthier brain, that survives out in the universe after they die and is just hanging in purgatory until they do?

Bella Karma

karma is beautiful.
simply beautiful.
check this out:
8:30 a.m.- b'fast with cheryl & her mom @ ihop.
10- OC Tech.
i had 4 things to do there:
a) go to the buy back book thingy. they bought back my English book, but not my History book. I was missing the CD that originated with the book, so it was no good to them.
b) turn in stafford loan application for books for spring semester.
c) and get a form for SCVR filled out. they were gonna try to help with my books.
d) and get my fall semester transcript for VR
my Cheryl caught a very BIG mistake in the Financial Aid office.
a 7 thousand dollar mistake, to be exact.
Financial Aid doubled my yearly income,
thus, the reason the Pell Grant & the Lottery failed to pay for my books Fall semester.
Now, OC Tech owes ME money & my books are paid in full,
with some leftover to pay for my school supplies.
Cheryl & I both cried in that office!
Then, I took my History book to my advisor.
I told her since I got my christmas early,
I wanted to give back.
I told her to donate my book to a student who needed it.
She said it'd be more efficient to donate to the Liberry.
Bc then it'd serve more than one student.
Then Cheryl & I went to Cola to finish our Crimmus shopping.
We went to Red Lobster for their Seafood.
I ate the shit up like an Ethopian kid on a PB&J.
Karma:
How sweet it is to be loved by you!!

A Lil Bit of Faith

what is wrong with me?
i know exactly what i want for Crimmus
and now that my prospects of getting that thing i want aren't so hopeful now.
i'm disappointed by anothers' wealth.
how shallow can i be?
my Bob.
i mean, i know i'll get what i want eventually.
now it seems it may be january or february.
i wont know until Crimmus Day.
i have been waiting and waiting...
its just one tiny thing...literally.
and i know,
i've gotta let go of the material things bc all things are temporary.
we have one go round on this Earth,
and there is nobody alive who can provide sound PROOF there is an other worldly existance.
the more i contemplate of the whole religion thing, the more i wonder.
if the Bible is SO concrete,
why have people fought non-stop about it for centuries?
if there is a God,
why then did He give humans cancers?
if He preaches love to all,
why all the hate,
and why am i going to Hell because i love a woman?
does that mean He is a hypocrite?
how is Bush going to Heaven,
but i go to Hell?
how does God defend that?
how did God come about?
i mean, if God made the world,
and made us,
who made him?
does he too have MADE IN CHINA stamped on his under side?
is God friends with Allah,
Buddha,
Santa,
or that Scientology guy?
who'd be the good guy when comparing God & Allah?
i mean really...
i'm not slamming anybody, anything, or nothin.
i'm genuinely curious.
if God was a Jew,
and He made us all,
then wtf was He doing with Hitler?
why did God make Earth different from Heaven?
why do we have to be tested to get into Heaven?
is Earth Heaven itself?
or is Earth just a snow globe paper weight sittin on God's desk?
and what if, hypothetically,
Mary was the chalice?
does that mean the present day living descendent of Jesus gets through this world scott-free?
she/he can be a gay wiccan murderer and still go to Heaven post Earth existence?
and really, how'd Moses part that water?
how'd all those animals fit on one boat?
i can see a teacup Yorkie sittin next to a great white shark sayin,
"so yea. i'm excited about this whole shindig, how bout you?"
eh.
i dunno.
nobody does, i think.
i mean don't get me wrong,
people do BELIEVE in their FAITH.
and that's cool.
but its not fact.
some would say that's all we got.
i suppose i'm just trying to find that Faith i can Believe in without question.
as for now, i'll just have a lil bit of faith that i get my Crimmus wish.
thats enough for tonight.
peace out, yall.

Happy Holidays

wassup, peeps?!
i got my final grades...
*drum roll please*
straight A's!!
i got a 90 in my history class!!
damn it!!
today i picked up our Crimmus pictures from Olan Mills
mighty spiffy, if i do say so myself.
i'm getting into the Crimmus spirit.
kinda odd, i must say.
shurl doesn't hafta work
*thank Bob*
compromise
bnb Rosie says
(breath & believe)
maybe a miracle will happen
and no egg shells will crunch
and a whole family at a table.
oh- i must say,
being catholic...
it must take an immense amount of self rationalization.
sinning, repenting, and letting go w/o second thought.
ah yes.
happy holidays, my friends.
happy holiday to all.

I am an American.

Hola, peeps!!
Okay, so I got a 94 on my Argumentative Paper for English!
I'll post my Semester grades when I get them.
Here's my paper,...Enjoy!!

When English settlers boarded the Mayflower, they had one thought in mind -- to live in a land of peace, hope, and opportunity. A land where they were free to live, work, and, most of all, practice their religion without fear of persecution. They blazed new territory not only by establishing what we now call the United States of America, but by founding a government based on freedom. It is curious, though, that almost four centuries later, Americans are faced again with the denial of their rights as humans -- the right to marry. Depriving Americans of their civil rights for gay marriage goes beyond a preconceived notion of fear, politics, religion, or discrimination; it is a deliberate, methodical, contradictory injustice of those same laws that provide all Americans with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
America's denying gays and lesbians the right to marry is the latest in a long history of individuals' denial of basic civil rights. Adolf Hitler removed the most basic civil right -- the right to live. He gave his all to wipe out an entire race of people based on their religious beliefs and physical appearance. In another era, Africans were kidnapped, brought to America, and sold into a humiliating life of servitude. Though they kept their right to live, they had no other rights to voice or recognition. It took a civil war and Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to rid this country of the institution of slavery. However, African-Americans were still denied civil rights until a century later when radical leaders took a stance to allow them, once and for all, the rights promised to them in the United States Constitution.
Yet another example of provincial civil rights restrictions was the Women’s Rights Movement, which came about in 1848 because American women were being deprived of many civil rights: job and educational opportunities, legal power and status, and, of course, the right to vote, just to name a few. It was not until 1920 that the right to vote was actually awarded to them.
Wrongs have been made right since these instances have long passed. Only the one movement of gay and lesbian civil rights is still on the front line in our homeland. South Carolina attorney-at-law Fart Face (*the name has been changed for blog purposes*) is cited to have said, “There are civil rights that accompany the institution of marriage…There is no way you can deny in any rational manner [these] civil rights. Because of the cultural accent of the word marriage…Marriage in our minds unquestionably means it is between a man and a woman, you can’t deny that….but marriage does not automatically mean these civil rights.”
Heterosexual married couples often enjoy the bonus additives of marriage, taking for granted that not all couples get the right to experience those same benefits. For example, if one member of a same-sex couple is rushed to the emergency room, the hospital has the legal right to withhold any and all personal information concerning the health of the patient from his or her partner, anxiously awaiting any news. In addition, if one member of a same-sex couple dies, the family of the deceased has legal rights to his or her property. The legal definition of property is “not only money and other tangible things of value, but also includes any intangible right considered as a source or element of income or wealth.” Unfortunately, this very example has, in many instances, lead to numerous bitter custody battles over children.
For example, in 2004 in Maine, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) saw the victory of C.E.W. v. D.E.W. “GLAD, along with Maine co-counsel, won the right to seek full parental rights and responsibilities for a non-biological lesbian mother in Maine whose former partner, the child's biological mother, was seeking to terminate any legal relationship between our client and the child the women have raised together. Maine's highest court ruled unanimously that a de facto parent, one who has a parent-child relationship on the basis of conduct rather than merely on a biological or adoptive relationship, has equal footing to seek parental rights and responsibilities." The subject concerning children with gay and lesbian parents is an issue that bravely stomps on uncharted grounds that few states are willing to walk. Adoption is a matter that is screaming and cannot be ignored. Does this government believe that a child is better off being raised within the foster system rather than in a loving home with gay and lesbian parents? This undoubtedly affects the welfare of the children at stake. This is a complete and undeniable prejudice against the gays and lesbians who wish to be active in and enrich our society.
Another specific case of sexual discrimination occurred in New York in 1990. “When a New York man died he left the bulk of his estate to a former partner. His partner at the time he died sued as ‘surviving spouse,’ under New York inheritance law. In the Matter of Estate of Cooper the court concluded that only a lawfully recognized husband or wife qualifies as a ‘surviving spouse.’ Further, it stated that ‘persons of the same sex have no constitutional rights to enter unto a marriage with each other.’”
In a 2001 Massachusetts case, Ayer v. Sommi & Keller, GLAD entered yet another struggle concerning rights that heterosexuals take for granted. This case stated that “domestic violence laws protect gay, lesbian, and bisexual people as well as heterosexuals.” This should never have even been in question. This is a painfully obvious example of the fundamental human rights once denied to gays and lesbians alike.
Patients have also denied treatment by doctors due to their sexual orientation. One such incident occurred in Massachusetts. It brought about the 1999 case, Gagne v. Holyoke Health Center and Dr. George Abraham. “GLAD won a favorable settlement on behalf of Erica Gagne, who was denied treatment by Dr. Abraham of the Holyoke Health Center after she identified herself as a lesbian. Ms. Gagne, who went to the health center seeking a second opinion about the cause of abdominal pain she experienced, was berated by Dr. Abraham, and was told, ‘when we engage in unnatural acts, we are punished by God.’ She claimed she was then refused treatment.” As undeniably absurd as this may seem, this example can be compared to the oppression of Blacks when they were shamefully required to sit on the back of the bus and when segregation was asserted within the public school system.
Communities often shun gay and lesbian families. One such case was in New Hampshire in 2002. In Rose v. YMCA of Nashua, “GLAD intervened on behalf of a lesbian couple and their family in New Hampshire who were denied a family membership rate at the YMCA in Nashua, winning an agreement from the YMCA to revisit their policy and to extend a family membership to our clients." Victims of Ku Klux Klan hazing could probably sympathize with this outcast couple. Nobody deserves to be ostracized in this kind of deliberate, methodical, and heinous manner.
Perhaps the most recent case, Lewis v. Harris, in New Jersey in 2006, is a major promise of a future with no discrimination toward any couples, gay or straight. “The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to receive the same state benefits, protections and obligations as opposite-sex married couples.”
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said, “The New Jersey decision only involves the protection and benefits of civil marriage — not religious ceremonies. This case does not affect religious institutions’ freedom to decide if they want to honor and recognize same-sex unions.” The silver lining of the New Jersey case gives hope to same sex couples nationwide to believe that the promise of a better future is within their grasp. Giving voice to the civil rights of same sex couples is no different than Lincoln’s giving voice to the enslaved African-Americans.
Fart Face does not believe that all cultural benefits hinge on religious marriages. She states that the economics of scale are proof of that. Simply put, it is more efficient for two people to share than it is for one to sustain alone. In a household, if two people shared the monthly expenses, money is leftover to help fuel the economy. The community also benefits from marital cultural benefits. People are more willing to do for others than they are for themselves. This means that people who are in a relationship are better people in general, thus providing more stability for the community and economy.
She goes on to list more pragmatic benefits to couples. Health benefits, which are a relatively new phenomenon which began after World War II, are extended to the spouse in opposite sex couples. This is not an innate right of marriage. Health benefits are offered by employers to entice potential employees to work for their company. This is called market force. Because of market forces, over half of the Fortune 500 companies offer health benefits to same sex couples.
“If you look at the laws which treat people differently than non-married people,” she says, “you’ll find very little in those laws that have anything to do with religious basis of marriage or children.
“Married couples get automatic rights in and amongst their auto insurance policies that you can’t tap into unless you’re married.” Married couples also have automatic rights to go to family court and to legally define their families.
Summing up her statement, Fart Face says, “How did the fact that the tax codes treat married couples differently than unmarried couples have anything to do with this tradition? …How does that have bedrock in the traditional concept of marriage?”
As a lesbian, I find the infringement of my civil rights inexcusable and down-right discretionary against my human rights. What gives the government the right to decree my relationship with my partner invisible in the eyes of the law? What will it take for the government to recognize the basic human right to choose who we wish to spend our lives with? We are foolishly naive to easily forget our country’s heartache over the losses of such civic rights icons as JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. How much more heartache would it take for the government to see the injustice of their laws? Hearts ached and bled everywhere when Al-Qaeda leveled the Twin Towers. Bush couldn’t start the war fast enough. That lit the fire to get action started. Who was in those towers? Americans. Who are Americans? People who sought out the land of freedom for a promise of a better tomorrow. Straight, gay, lesbian, Caucasians, Blacks…Americans. What gets my goat is these self-righteous religious leaders who scream bloody murder when it comes to gay and lesbian rights. They seem to suddenly forget who is supposed to do all the judging.
People need to get mad. Get mad at our President. Get mad at our political leaders. How is any change supposed to occur when the political leaders themselves are hypocritical, homophobic bigots? We live in a society where majority vote rules. How does that protect the rights of minorities? Something, somewhere, somehow needs to change. People are too afraid of their peers, their church, and their government to get out and make any kind of relative point on this subject.
So, whether the government, religious, or political leaders agree or disagree on the true legal definition of marriage, one thing is blatantly clear: the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans are clearly being violated. That fact will not go away, nor will it ever be ignored until justice is served for those Americans whose flag is still red, white, and blue. This is not about homophobia, political or religious views. This is simply about civil rights.
The slaves brought from Africa, the Jewish in the concentration camps, and the women in the 19th century were all considered second-class citizens. It is now the 21st century, progress has been made, and yet, we still have second-class citizens. I stand tall and proud when I say, “I love a woman whom I wish to spend the rest of my life. And excuse me, Mr. President, I am no second-class citizen; I am an American.” Most of all, perhaps the president needs a refresher on his historic American icons. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words ring the truth deep into the souls of all Americans fighting for civil rights: “One day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.’”

He loves his new cedar pillow from Tractor Supply. When he crawls INTO it, its kinda like "Where's Waldo." 

How sad does he look? Kinda reminds me of a pup at the SPCA waiting for adoption. 

Aww, how CUTE?! 

Harley looks like he's in love... 

My wife, so elegantly digging for gold. 

I LOVE MY MAWMAW!! 

A Full Moon On Thanksgiving

way-el...
thanksgiving was interesting.
the fleas,
no chloe,
boo in all her glory,
bubba,
the *WONDERFUL & polite* neighbors,
my grandma trying to moon my camera
and then trying to lure Cheryl into joining her...
over all
it was superb.
i'm so lucky!!
our wonderful future baby daddy came for a visit.
long horns & this is it was plenty of fun.
crimmus time is upon us.
God help us, everyone.

RIP, Chloe Caulkins, '99-'06

cheryl woke me today with the news of Chloe's death.
one of my boys left a message on my machine that would make even the most cold hearted one cry.
mom took her to the vet thurs.
vet had to give her a supository for nausia.
two back to back insulin shots for her diabetes.
(we didnt know she had it.)
and recommended mom put her down.
mom, doing THE most kind hearted thing i've EVER seen her do,
said that it was not her decision.
the dog she hated was the family dog,
so it was the family's decision.
(mom didnt hate her. she only said that when Chloe peed everywhere & even then it wasnt Chloe's fault, it was the cushings.)
they brought her home.
the boys were in bed by 9:15,
mom, steve, & Chloe in bed by 9:30.
they began talking to Chloe when she began breathing really hard.
after a few intermitten gasps for air,
Chloe left us by 10.
she was 7.
though they say 8.
she had this little bouncy ball she loved.
she'd be OCDish about keeping it IN her food bowl.
LoL.
i can't believe i'm crying this much.
she was SOOOO small when we got her.
I picked her out after BEGGING my Mom for a WHOLE summer for a dog.
we got her the day before my senior year started.
i took her to liz's new house to show her to her & her family.
Chloe politely peed on their brand new carpet.
i'm gonna miss her.
i've been upset all day.
the kids, made a tombstone
and had a memorial service today for her.
i wish i coulda been there.
but i know, she's chasing all the mailmen she wants to now.
and even barking,...
a real bark.

goodbye Chloe... i love you.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

when the clock changed to 6:45,
being the worried wife that i am,
i called Bella to see if she'd arrived at her work yet.
she hadn't arrived;
she was fighting the traffic.
she was aggrevated.
Charleston is just becoming so over crowded.
It is a sad day when a native Carolinian
is no longer fond of Charleston.
It has lost its grace, its appeal.
Her personality died a slow death
with the birth of over priced, presumptuous corporations.
Charleston used to be sultry.
it was the South's perfume,
enticing charming Southerners and awed, well mannered tourists, alike.
Charleston was like Dixie Carter,
an elegant, beautiful, intellegent, sexy, sincere woman.
Don't be fooled,
the woman i speak of is a disguised lioness
who knows how to gain any of her desires by hurling forth her Southern charm at her prey,
the unsuspecting zebra of the safari.
she was a Southern Belle.
Southern Belles have long since disappeared like the Dinosauers.
Now, your plastic, blonde haired Barbies have a way of making you feel beneath them,
as they drive away in their SUVs their Daddies paid for.
Our Belles have been degraded and down graded to countless inebriated college girls
who flash their breasts to Girls Gone Wild for free beer and a t-shirt.
Trust fund babies have walked away, hand-in-hand,
with the Charleston that South Carolinians were once proud of.
It is a sad day indeed when one realizes the magic of the south is in fact,
Gone With the Wind.

Be Glad We Live in America...

Chinese Hide Dogs to Escape Crackdown
By AUDRA ANG, AP
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/chinese-hide-dogs-to-escape-crackdown/20061115133909990016?ncid=NWS00010000000001

BEIJING (Nov. 16) - Elaine Loke is shutting down her dog boutique and will spirit her golden retrievers Hippy and Bally out of Beijing to escape the city's sweeping anti-rabies campaign.
Dog owners like Loke have been scrambling to hide their pets in the face of a new crackdown which allows only one dog per household and bans breeds taller than 14 inches. Fears have been fueled by graphic Internet pictures and witnesses who say police are beating to death strays and dogs that run afoul of regulations.
"I can't believe this is happening," said Loke, 33, who keeps the curtains in her first-floor apartment drawn to ward off prying neighbors and walks her dogs in an underground parking lot. "It's so stressful. In the morning, I hear dogs barking and people talking outside my home and I think the police are coming."
The pressure is so bad that Loke is returning to her native Hong Kong and closing a business she has had for two years.
In China, dogs have long been seen as a source of meat as much as companionship. But the current crackdown has touched a nerve in the rapidly modernizing capital, especially among its burgeoning middle class.
"What kind of rules are these? I don't expect everybody to love animals. But I do want to have my rights to keep pets," said Clare Xiao, an account manager at an advertising company. She sent her larger Brittany to a kennel run by a friend and kept her Pekinese, a stray she found on the street.
"What the government is doing is just disappointing, cold and emotionless," said Xiao.
Many of the prohibitions have been on the books since 2003, but only sporadically enforced. The city of 13 million people has 1 million dogs, half of them unregistered, according to state media.
A sharp increase in rabies cases nationwide has prompted the renewed vigilance. Only 3 percent of China's dogs are vaccinated against rabies and the disease is nearly always fatal in humans once symptoms develop, though it can be warded off by a series of expensive and painful injections.
Officials have extended the 2003 rules to cover not only Beijing's center but some outlying areas. The clampdown, announced Nov. 6, gave owners until Thursday to comply or the dogs would be seized and the owners fined.
One owner Zhu Qiao has moved three times since 2001 to find areas where her black-and-white dog, Gou Gou, could be raised safely and within the law.
"He's part of my life, he's my friend and family," said Zhu, 30, a television producer. "If you want to impose a law, you have to get the opinion of dog owners and experts. You can't just take them away."
"I can't move again. There's no option but to hide him and if he gets taken, I'll go with him."
Another owner had his Labrador retriever taken away Wednesday because she was too big.
"She is a very amicable dog. She never barked," said the owner, a businessman who would give only his surname Yang. "If they don't allow me to raise her here, I will find another place. I will get her back."
Witness accounts and photos on the Internet have shown dogs being captured in nets and pummeled with wooden and metal sticks. But authorities have vowed to carry out a "strict but civilized" campaign that police hoped would not anger dog owners, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
"I have never heard of dogs being culled after they were caught by police. Dogs are a man's best friend and we treat them as friends, even when we have to lock them up for the sake of public security," Xinhua quoted a Ministry of Public Security official, Bao Suixian, as saying.
Many owners have sent their dogs to kennels outside the city. Some are handing them over to friends and family.
Joyce Wang gave one of her dogs to her sister and is keeping Ding Ding, her fox terrier, close by her side. She said she had heard that the government was offering $25 to people who reported on rule-breaking dog owners.
"I'm scared and worried. Now I don't take him outside during the day," Wang said. "Even in the evening, we will take a detour if we see people in the compound we live in."

NM To Say...

the leaves are everywhere.
when in the yard, its
*crinkle, crinkle, crunch*
thanksgiving with my family.
should be fun.
if all behave.
worried about harley though.
the hannah/aunt gaye/jeff thing.
but it should be okay.
shurl made an appointment at Olan Mills to have our pic taken with Harley.
that is super cool.
i've always wanted to do that, but never have had the chance.
nm to say.
so, peace, love, 'n happy farting.

its real.

i got a 94 on my third History exam,
bringing my average to a 90,
which is an 'A'.
This means now,
i have straight A's.
HOT DAMN!!
HOW ABOUT THAT?!
Mawmaw said when i get my good grades,
she gets happy,
because she feels like she's getting them too.
WoW!!
that's a real sense of accomplishment!!
Bella's only got a week left at MUSC.
*WooT*
i get her for a week,
then she starts in Cola.
YAY!!
i'm getting eager to go home for Thanksgiving.
hopefully, everybody will behave.
i'm also getting antsy for Crimmus to get here...
ARG.
jeeze, louise,
i am tired!!
i used to dream of this.
of a time of harmony.
no hurt.
no pain.
no numbness.
love.
an abundance of love.
a place where i belonged.
a place that accepted me.
a me that accepted me.
the run of the mill,
everyday kind of love,
to borrow Rascal Flatts' lyrics.
no longer am i the girl at others' beckon call,
nor am i the one who hurt just to feel,
i am happy.
i appreciate life,
my life.
i am so bob damn unbelievably appreciative of every damn thing in my life.
i wanted to be happy.
i wished on all my dreams,
falling stars,
and fairytales...
i wished to be happy.
but this -- my life...
is better than any fairytale i've ever read.
its real.
its real.
when i open my eyes from my slumber,
she is there.
Harley is there.
and i am still in our home.
in our life.

Dorothy: Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and - oh, Auntie Em - there's no place like home!

Wizard of Oz: A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.

What? I didn't quite hear ya... 

LoL, aww!! Thas the Momma's Boy!! 

Yall know Bobo, off of the PetSmart commercial? The one where the cashier has to run the Doxie over the scanner, because he won't let go of the toy? Well THIS is what Harley did to Bobo, LoL. Notice, he even got the squeaker!! 

Here's the culprit... 

What, Ma?! 

Aw!! (Scary eyes though!!) 

Disapointment.

britney's divorcing k-fed.
rumsfield resigned.
SC voters banned gay marriage.
i dunno why i held out the slightest chance of hope.
anyways,
i am scared of my exam tomorrow.
nm to say.
an air of disappointment looms over SC.

Tears-O-Joy

i dunno what my deal is today.
i'm all emotional.
and not like PMS emotional.
just emotional.
i watched a rather profound lifetime movie tonight.
was it profound or was i emotional and resorted to a lifetime movie?
the movie was WHY I WORE LIPSTICK TO MY MASTECTOMY.
i was in awe.
i also couldn't help but to think of Mrs B & Mrs M.
then on EXTREME HOME MAKEOVERS,
this lil girl named Siera was born with a hole in her heart.
She has had 4 Open Heart surgeries.
i dunno what's wrong with me,
i've been tearing up on and off all night.
and i'mma tell yall what,
my damn biological clock is ticking.
and LOUDLY.
damn.
enough already.
i get the point!!
when i think of all the work that'll hafta go into preparing and making this happen...
TEDIOUS!!
first step,
peds cardiologist input,
arguing with the family,
doing the deed (not literally, mind you, but ya get my drift),
garsh, i've gotta stop there or i'mma get over whelmed and start tearing up again.
anyways,
i've gtg take a frikkin math test tomorrow
*oh joy*
walmart afterwards
and then sonic.
thanksgiving is coming up.
its my favorite time of the year.
family and friends.
i gotta stop or i'll find some other song or lifetime moment to think of and cry at.
yall take care.
peace.

My Wish

This song touched me deeply.
This goes out to those who reside within my heart.

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big
____________________________________

Update...

wow. it has been a while since i've written.
well let's see,
what has happened?
i threw my back out, for starters.
oyi,
that was HORRIBLE!!
my independence was taken away from me.
My wonderful Wife waited on me hand and foot.
she was amazing.
she IS amazing.
we went home to florence
and had a good visit.
we didn't get to stay the night with Mawmaw.
she wasn't feeling well
and my back would not have allowed me to sleep on the pull out.
the twins had fun with my camcorder.
i helped them with their science projects.
it was wierd, yet perfect:
all 4 of us kids doing school work together.
it was right.
i have noticed an oddity,
when did my step dad become an asshole?
not the man i recall.
liz came for a visit.
mom watched ANOTHER horrid movie.
yesterday cheryl & i took harley to cola to petsmarts.
on the way,
we saw all the fires on 26.
has to be an arsonist.
i say two of em.
all fires cept one were by frontage roads.
harley did very well in petsmarts.
very well mannered.
his new Clemson collar has him looking mighty handsome.
we got him a sports jersey to match his collar,
although they didn't have any Clemson shirts available.
i went to the school today to speak with my advisor.
3 classes next semester:
english 102, sociology 101, & some math class.
i hafta go take a placement test on monday to find out which math class i need to be placed in.
on halloween,
shurl & her momma got dressed up and went to the kids' house.
they were sick with a virus and couldnt go trick or treatin,
so shurl & her momma wanted to bring halloween to them.
it went well.
i absolutely,
100%,
LOVE my life.

Rett with Milky way. How cute is that, I ask you?! 

Bella with Bud, the sweet fire dog of Jamison's FD. 

How can my Bella be SO fugly?! 

Shurl's Momma, Lil Miss Pretty, and Shurl 

This, is my Bella. ACHK. Thats some SCARY shit, isnt it?! 

Shurl's Momma LOVES Halloween 

Its Halloween...OH, the HUMILIATION!! 

I am Harley, hear me roar... 

Oh God, help me!! ...Anyone? I shall kill you, you eveil woman!! 

Bitch. 

Aw!! HOW FRIKKIN CUTE IS THIS?! 

"I was country, when country wasn't coooool..." 

"On a country road"...James Taylor, anyone?