how true...

"The pleasure you get out of life is equal to the attitude you put into it" -- Anonymous

my sushi...

so I'm odd...a little off in the head...a skosh insane...

my friend and I got Betta fish...hers is spoiled - in a nice 7-gallon bowfront fishtank, while mine is in, literally, a fish bowl...but I'm going to get mine a nice home shortly...and of course, right now, I'm taking care of her fish at my apartment because...well, I'm not sure why...

but on with the story - she was trying to figure out what to name her fish - and somehow she ended up with "Barack" after Presidential hopeful Barack Obama...I told her that I would never intentionally harm a living creature, so in retaliation, I first thought to name mine McCain, but then I had an even better thought - "Ralphie" in honor of Ralph Nader...perfect to counter her "Barack," don't you think?

that was short-lived though...she finally ended up with "Buddah" and decided to make her fishtank a model of peace and tranquility...

not to be outdone, obviously, I decided on "Sushi" for my fish...yes, yes...technically, to be correct, I should have named him "Sashimi," but "Sushi" sounded cooler...and not so cruel...

that's my story - hope you enjoyed - and I really do like sushi and sashimi...

finally! a birthday present presents itself!

Well, I would expect any "normal" kid's response to "what do you want for you birthday" to be something like "a monkey" or "a race car" or "a new bike"...not "socks"!

After harassing my friends' child one more time, trying to painfully extract an acceptable (in my mind) birthday present for a 9-year-old, I finally suggested a hamster - well, apparently he had one and didn't take very good care of it. Maybe a hour later, after much banter with him and his mother, suddenly a pet rat was the answer - not my answer, but they are pretty smart critters and make good pets - you just have to get past the whole rat part...so I figured as long as his parents were ok with it, it might be an option.

So off we go to the pet store to research the needs and costs - though I'm still leaning toward a simple Betta and bowl! For a whole starter kit and baby rat, the total damage was right around $100 - yeah, for a $5 rat! Again, leaning toward the fish! but this poor boy had his heart set on a rat...so the deal is to put the rat on hold and discuss this with his parents - if they agree, then he can have it...

of course mom says "well, maybe" and dad says "hell no!" so the compromise is that he can't have the rat until he proves he is responsible...so he gets a fish tank and fish - not the Betta and bowl, but a full-blown 2 1/2 gallon with filter and all the bells and whistles (it even has pirate decals! and it won't break the bank at a whopping $30) The deal is, if he can take care of the tank and keep the fish alive, he can get the pet rat for Christmas - aren't I such the nice "auntie"?

Not that I don't want to spend the money, particularly on a non-family member - it's just that I don't want to spend that kind of money and have the poor animal not taken care of properly. Yes, I know - fish are animals too, but they are a little easier to care for than an animal that should be handled everyday and whose cage should be cleaned out every week...that's one of my biggest pet peeves - haha, no pun intended - people that get pets and then don't take of them...the animals don't deserve that! You should be serious about the responsibilities of a pet before taking one into your home...

overall, it seems like a fair deal - and it gives him something to look forward to at Christmas...a challenge and a goal...

what to get a 9-year-old for his birthday?

that's my dilemma...my friends' son has turned 9 years old and I have no clue what to get him for a birthday present...

of course I ask his mother and the first thing out of her mouth is "socks" - what?!?!? I'm not going to give the child socks! the next suggestion was shirts - so I thought ok, that might be cool - but then she said, no plain white polos to wear for school...again, what? I'm not getting him his school uniform shirts for a birthday present...I think my friend has lost her marbles!

so then, me being the smart person I am, I asked him what he wanted...his answer "an indestructible car" of course I told him they don't make those - and I must note that this is the child that DEMOLISHES toys within minutes of opening the package! So his other choices were a remote control car (which after a moment, I remembered that's what I gave him for his birthday last year, and he destroyed after a day!) or candy - "just give me candy" that's what he said! I don't know that I have ever had a child ask for candy for a birthday present!

so I'm back to square one - what to get him for that dang birthday present! I guess I'm left to wander the toy aisles aimlessly until something catches my eye...

Got some free time on September 14th?

So as most of you that read my blog know, besides being very sporadic with my posts, that one of the "volunteer" things I do is help out my friend's Italian deli...well, if you have some free time on Sunday, September 14th between 2-7pm, maybe you could join us at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary, NC for a charitable event with loads of food! And of course, Ferlo's Alimentari (my friend's deli) will be there! It's a fundraiser to support the new Children's Hospital that is being built. So buy a ticket and come out and enjoy some local restuarants' cuisine while supporting a good cause!

The event is called "Dish It Up" and is sponsored by WakeMed and their "Just For Kids Kampaign." We hope to see you there!

Dish It Up! '08