Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

Animal Welfare League Seeks Your Help

From a public service ad in today’s Kuwait Times:

Summer is upon us and with this time of year comes the seasonal abandonment of dogs and cats all over Kuwait. As we rush to bring these animals to safety, we need your help in doing so. In addition to having many wonderful dogs and cats up for adoption, we are always in need of shelter volunteers, foster homes, and donations from our wish list:

Wish list:

Clorox
Canned Dog and Cat food
Dog and Cat toys
Tide
String Cheese
Peanut Butter
Frozen Chicken
Large Capacity Garbage Bags
Extra Large capacity Washer / Dryer

Animal Friends League of Kuwait
“Saving One Animal at a Time”

TEL: 700-1622
Email: info@animalfriendskuwait.org
Website: http://www.animalfriendskuwait.org

July 25, 2008 Posted by | Community, Cross Cultural, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Pets, Relationships, Social Issues | 2 Comments

Cat Quotes (Only for Cat People!)

Cat Quotes:

“Managing senior programmers is like herding cats.” –Dave Platt

“Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss
on your computer.” –Bruce Graham

“There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.” –Unknown

“Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never
forgotten this.” –Anonymous

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled
through snow.” –Jeff Valdez

“In a cat’s eye, all things belong to cats.” –English proverb

“As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.” –Ellen Perry Berkeley

“One cat just leads to another.” –Ernest Hemingway

“Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you
later.” –Mary Bly

“Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many
ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.”
–Joseph Wood Krutch

“People that hate cats, will come back as mice in their next life.”
–Faith Resnick

“There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned
by cats.” –Anonymous

“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is
infinitely superior.” –Hippolyte Taine

“No heaven will not ever Heaven be; Unless my cats are there to welcome
me.” –Unknown

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and
cats.” –Albert Schweitzer

“The cat has too much spirit to have no heart.” –Ernest Menaul

“Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.”

“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” –Colette

“Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they
have many other fine qualities as well.” –Missy Dizick

“You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange
cats.” –Colonial American proverb

“Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for
what you want.” –Joseph Wood Krutch

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“I got rid of my husband. The cat was allergic.”

“My husband said it was him or the cat… I miss him sometimes.”

“Cats aren’t clean, they’re just covered with cat spit.

>>^,,^^,,^^,,^^,,^<

Cats don’t like being baptized.

A cat is always on the wrong side of the door.

A cat will always sit on whatever you’re trying to read.

A cat’s purr: The most effective stress medicine known.

Cats are quite good at domesticating humans.

Anything not nailed down is a cat toy.

Cats know Mom’s black suede gloves are giant tarantulas that need to be
killed.

Cats must attack their human’s shoelaces when they are tying them.

Cats must crawl into the dishwasher when it is full of clean dishes.

It’s always darkest before you step on the cat.

Cats must rub against your legs while you’re carrying two bags of
grocieries.

You’re not a real person until you’re ignored by a cat.

July 16, 2008 Posted by | Cross Cultural, Family Issues, Humor, Living Conditions, Pets, Relationships | 6 Comments

Saving the Day

Wednesday morning, a million things to do, major projects, and I can’t think of a thing to write. I’ve scanned all the news, nothing I find that interesting/ shocking/ worth sharing.

I can Has Cheeseburger saves the day. I really had to stop, I laughed so hard at several:

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more cat pictures

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more cat pictures

July 9, 2008 Posted by | Humor, Pets | | 8 Comments

The Qatteri Cat’s Five Under Five

As told to me by the Qatteri Cat:

1. The sound of Dad’s key in the door when he comes home.

2. Tuna water

3. Sleeping on my back in the last remaining spot of sunshine

4. Cat mint! Cat grass! Catnip!

5. Snuggling up to Mom on a cold winter day.

June 30, 2008 Posted by | ExPat Life, Family Issues, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Pets, Relationships, Tag | 6 Comments

Grin for the Day

I am still scurrying around, catching up, trying to get life back to normal, but this morning I took a moment to catch up with I Can Has Cheeseburgers, and I found this. I hope it makes you LOL, as it did me:

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more cat pictures

Followed by this one, which makes my heart sing:

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more cat pictures

June 29, 2008 Posted by | Blogging, Family Issues, Humor, Pets | 4 Comments

Qatteri Cat’s Lazy Summer Days

The Qatteri Cat sends his greetings and wants you to know he is doing fine, just kicking back and enjoying the hot summer sun. He has a couple favorite places, near windows, where he can watch the world go by. He steps down to nibble a little grass from time to time, or to go get a bite to eat, or sip a little water (especially after AdventureMan has showered, he says that is the BEST!), but he is just taking life easy right now.

June 12, 2008 Posted by | ExPat Life, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Pets, Qatteri Cat, Relationships | 13 Comments

LOL Cat for Today

This one had me howling – it even looks like the Qatteri Cat, who thinks he wants to be outside . . . probably for the same reason. Poor QC vaguely remembers a time when he lived outside. He doesn’t remember the bad parts. 😦

Kuwait isn’t a good place for a cat who lives outside.

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more cat pictures

May 7, 2008 Posted by | Community, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Humor, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Pets | 8 Comments

Sunrise and Splotches

It’s a teeny bit hazy this morning, but the sun rose bright over the water, there is just a tiny bit of ripple on the otherwise glassy surface of the Gulf (cleverly sidestepping whether it is the “Arabian” Gulf or the “Persian” Gulf).

It is a mere 86°F / 30°C at 0730 and not expected to break 100°F.

Yesterday, AdventureMan and I had a late lunch, noticing as we entered and left the restaurant how beautiful the weather is – even though it is hotting up, it was comfortable enough outside, still bearable, even enjoyable. Not for much longer (sigh!)

Until I can get my rain-splotched windows cleaned, I will have the splotches you see . . . I can’t open the windows to shoot out for fear the Qatteri Cat will jump out!

May 4, 2008 Posted by | ExPat Life, Family Issues, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Pets, sunrise series, Weather | 2 Comments

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

This is another one of those books I picked up on the last day of my last travels in the US. I had been through the Barnes and Noble nearby several times, picked this up and looked at is at least a dozen times, then put it down, just not that interested. On the last day, who knows why, I bought it and stuck it in my outer pocket of my suitcase. Maybe it was the only thing I could see that would fit, I don’t know. I had rejected it so many times before.

It hasn’t even been on my night stand, the books I really really intend to read. It has been on a shelf of books I will read someday when I don’t have anything else to do. Every now and then, it caught my eye. The Zanzibar Chest was on the same shelf. . . and that turned out to be a pretty good book. So recently, after I had read some books I had to read but were a little dry, and a couple books I wanted to read which were a little light, I grabbed Water for Elephants.

That was day before yesterday. I couldn’t put it down. I had a whole list of things to get done yesterday, but once I started Water for Elephants, I was lost, totally immersed in the tawdry world of circuses, bound in the magic of the illusion and performances, mesmerized by what goes on behind the scenes to make the spectacular possible.

The main character loses his parents in a totally unnecessary car accident just as he is about to take his final exams in Veterinary Science, at Cornell University. (You might think I am throwing in too much useless detail here, but it matters.) Stunned by the triple loss of both his parents, and the discovery that they had hocked everything to the bank to fund his education, he blanks on his exams and hits the road, ending up with a second rate circus.

What is so amazing about this author is that once you start reading, you are THERE.

The above mentioned Zanzibar Chest keeps you hooked by it’s painfullness, but for both AdventureMan and myself, we never liked the author, we found him a little full of himself. It doesn’t take away from the Zanzibar Chest being a worthy read, and unforgettable read.

Water for Elephants, on the other hand, has a hero you love to love. In a world of strict boundaries, a heirarchical social structure, he manages to cross all the boundaries. He truly loves the animals, and in one scene, that love just radiates, emanates, it illuminates the book from the inside, and makes you feel light and crazy with that same sort of love, love of the whole of creation. Jakob is loyal to his friends, and loyal even to his enemies, he is sacrificial in his loyalty, and, in the end, he is vastly and abundantly rewarded for his good character.

There is something for everyone, just like a circus. Like a circus, too, it has illusions, it distracts with one hand while the trick is performed with another, there is sensuality, there is sexuality, there are photos from old circuses. There are things which could offend just about every sensibility; there is kindness, there is cruelty, justice and injustice and cosmic justice. Sometimes you just have to suspend judgement and go with the read. This is one of those books.

I would say this is one of the finest reading experiences I have had for a long time. Brava, Sara Gruen. Worth every penny.

I’ve told AdventureMan as soon as he finishes The Zanzibar Chest, he has to start Water for Elephants. I can hardly wait. It’s that good.

You can find Water for Elephants in paperback at Amazon.com for $8.37 + shipping.

May 2, 2008 Posted by | Books, Character, Community, Cross Cultural, Cultural, Entertainment, Family Issues, Fiction, Friends & Friendship, Interconnected, Living Conditions, Marketing, Mating Behavior, Music, Pets, Poetry/Literature, Uncategorized, Zanzibar | , | 15 Comments

Qatteri Cat’s Great Adventure

This morning, as AdventureMan left for work, I was busy reading incoming e-mails and didn’t jump up immediately to lock the door behind him. The Qatteri Cat, as usual, was crying – he hates it when “The Fun Guy” leaves, and he got his baby and cried by the door for a while. Then – I heard a dreaded sound.

We hear it sometimes during the night. The Qatteri Cat is one smart cat – he has learned how to jump up high enough to hit the door handle on his way down, and his weight is enough to open the door. He jumped. I’m up and running, but it is too late, the door is open and the Qatteri Cat is out.

Other people with long-haired cats will know what I am talking about here – you don’t get dressed until you are just ready to leave, and you keep your clothes in closets that stay shut, so you don’t have long cat hair clinging to you as you go about your daily errands. So as I run to the door, I am rapidly calculating whether I can run outside and round up the Qatteri Cat, or whether I have to get dressed first.

It is still early. My Kuwaiti neighbor probably isn’t up, and if his maid sees me, I can claim she was delusional, that I would never be outside in my nightgown. If I get dressed first, the Qatteri Cat could disappear! So out I run, chasing the Qatteri Cat who thinks this is one GREAT game, Mom chasing him. He is making that little “Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh” sound that cats make when they see birds, or something else irresistable.

I chase him and cut him off, forcing him in a circle and back to the door. He resists, but he also knows when I am serious, I am SERIOUS (it has to do with cat “time-outs” in a room with just his food and litter box, and short term withdrawal of affection) so he reluctantly complies.

Now, he is sulking. He has his baby. He isn’t crying, he has ME in time-out, he has withdrawn his affection, I spoiled his fun. Even though the door is now locked, he tries every now and then, remembering there was a time when it opened.

April 28, 2008 Posted by | Adventure, Cross Cultural, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Pets, Relationships | 6 Comments