8:02 PM A competitive shocker

"I'm not competitive, when I see something that belongs to me, I just go get it."

I have never thought of myself as a competitive person. Beating someone at a game has never been something that I HAD to do to make myself happy. In fact, in my brief stint in the one sport I've ever participated in for my whole life, rowing, the races were the Worst part of the sport for me. I hated them. I hated competing with my fellow singers for Choir competitions as well. I remember the last one of my Choir career, I flat out skipped because I didn't care.

However, there is something in this Hollywood Stock Exchange that brings out a competitive crazy person. The quote above is something I Actually said about myself in regards to my desire to climb the ladder to the top of my league. I was shocked.

I finally added the newest members of the league to my listing. They've been playing for a while, I just didn't have then on my listing. Well, now there's two more people in my way for being top dog. I was only one step away, now I'm 3.

All I have to say to those two extra folks in my way is, "Bring It On!"

8:08 PM Photos from Vigil for Burma

I've been sitting on these images for a while now. I just hadn't had a chance to download them to see if I had anything worth posting. I took very few photos because it was very windy and once the wind stopped the light was gone. But here are the best of the crop and, to me, the most meaningful.


These candles represent the rally for Democracy on 8/8/1988 and each year up to the 8/8/2008 anniversary.


And this is a vigil candle lit by a demostrator in rememberance.

8:07 PM Vigil for Burma

I'm no where Near well read on this topic, so please excuse me for not speaking about it at length.

Since the tsunami in Myanmar, the world is beginning to get the picture that Burma's government is not exactly on the level for human rights.

On August 8th, there is a Global Day of Action for Burma. According to the Dallas Feminists Meetup Group, the Vigil for Burma will be held at 7pm on Friday Aug 8, 2008 at Dallas City Hall Plaza, 1500 Marilla St.

There are activities going on all over the US and in other countries, so if this particular issue is close to your heart, join the world in making a stand.

7:58 PM Did I really just say that?

A moment ago I uttered words that I would think are sure fire DEATH to a Foodie's tastebud needs. I actually said, "I love my Steamer!"

WHAT????

I love food. I mean LOVE it! If I knew I could feel attractive at 400 lbs, I'd give in to all abandon and eat my way through the day every day. An entire bag of Doritos would be devoured at least once per day as well as I'd indulge in fried goodness daily. Mmmm, and Ice Cream...

But since I do Not have the metabolism of a mouse, I try my best to eat as rediculously healthy as possible for lunch at work so I can then have more of a cushion for what I eat for dinner. And one of the ways I eat healthy at work is to steam a variety of things for lunch each day.

Currently, my steaming repatoire consists of salmon, frozen veggies and brown rice. There's not much diversity there. But I have to say that it's rather good and oddly satisfying. And CHEAP!

I buy my spices at the 99 cent store in my neighborhood. And I buy my rice in bulk. And veggies are only about $2 per bag of mixed veggies, so $4 gets me through two weeks. Salmon can also be pretty cheap as well depending on what time of year it is. I buy the packaged large filat and then cut it down to little 2oz pieces per day and freeze it to take to work as needed. Chicken would be even cheaper than salmon. The steamer itself was only about $25. Since I've had it for over a year now I'd say it's paid for itself many times over by now.

And the best part? I don't have to prepare my lunch every day before I come to work. My supplies are already here in the freezer or in my personal cabinet. I only have to remember to put the ingredients in the steamer an hour (for the brown rice then put the fish and veggies in at 30 min) ahead of lunch. And that's not so hard.

So as much as I hate to say that I am in love with my steamer, it is a fact that I have to admit to. Not only does it provide me with healthful low calorie meals, but it also allows me to eat pretty cheaply. Plus the clean up is a Snap as long as you are simply steaming items as opposed to cooking meals in it.

Here's a list of steamers from Amazon.com to get a person started:

Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer



Black & Decker Divided Food Steamer
This is the one I have



Rival RC61 6-Cup Rice Cooker with Steaming Basket
And you can also always steam in your rice cooker

7:50 PM Jenny the Elephant

All of Dallas's animal folk are abuzz with the latest drama unfolding around the Dallas Zoo. Jenny the Elephant is being transferred to a safari park in Mexico. There are blogs everywhere promoting letters to be sent to the Mayor and City Hall as well as petitions and a big rally is scheduled for Sunday.

At first, I didn't even want to get involved because Concerned Citizens for Jenny looked to be getting involved with PETA. If there's any one organization that will make me second guess an animal rights movement, it's PETA. I find their extreme tactics to be far over reaching what is called for and they often are far too aggressive. But I was invited to the rally on Sunday by a neighbor and before I declined, I decided I ought to actually start reading what people were saying about the facility she was destined for in Mexico.

There seems to be three points in the "No, Not Mexico" argument.

1. Mexico is not governed by the US Dept of Agriculture and thus their animals are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act.

2. Where she will be housed is only 4.9 acres and will possibly be subdivided into a smaller area to keep her and her African Elephant companion separated from the Asian Elephants because there are concerns that the two kinds of Elephants do not get along and they can also have issues with diseases. The sanctuary in Tennessee which has offered a space for Jenny has much more in free-roaming acreage which is closer to a natural habitat.

3. Africam Safari is a zoo which is navigated by cars to get from one exhibit to another. Where this may not be such a big issue for some animals, Jenny is said to be sensitive to noises and has exhibited aggressive behavior in the past as well as self-destructive behavior leading to the Dallas Zoo medicating her to alter her behavior.

The Dallas Zoo is taking up for Africam Safari and are not only saying that the facility is experienced in handling problem elephants like Jenny, but they're saying that they chose the facility because it was accredited with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and the sanctuaries they considered were not. They stand by the assertion that they will not ever send an animal to a facility which is not AZA accredited. They also state that The Elephant Sanctuary does not have a 24 hour veterinary staff as Africam does and that lack of 24 hour vet care is an issue for them. And finally, they say that The Elephant Sanctuary did not offer Jenny a place until After they had committed to sending her to Africam. And they've posted a letter of support from renowned former Zoo Director and TV personality Jack Hannah.

So what do I think? Well, honestly, without making a trip to both facilities myself to check them out, I can't say without a shadow of a doubt that Africam is a terrible choice. But I can say that the third point I listed above "against" Africam is pretty much THE reason I've finally decided to go ahead and attend the protest rally. I worry most about the noise being a factor in Jenny's unhappiness. And I wonder why on earth The Dallas Zoo has insisted on digging their heels in on this one without even acting like they are considering a better option.

I don't know for sure if Margaret Morin's assertions against the Dallas Zoo are on point or if she's letting emotions on the issue get the best of the whole picture, but if I am to believe the assertions she has made, it sounds to me like what is more important to the Dallas Zoo is politics, power, and dollar signs. What should be important to them is where Jenny will have the most space to roam. That also has contributed to my decision to attend the rally.

And lastly, as much as I Really Hate to say it, something that a spokesperson for PETA said caught my eye too. Jennifer O'Conner said to the Observer , "I wanted to point out The Elephant Sanctuary is not a zoo, and AZA accreditation does not apply. The Elephant Sanctuary is accredited by The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS)." Honestly, that little tidbit of information right there equals if not trumps the AZA accreditation argument as a sanctuary is geared more towards making the animal's stay there as comfortable and happy as humanly and monetarily possible whereas a Zoo's primary focus is to draw people into the park for an exhibit. The GOOD Zoos then participate in endangered species work helping to stabilize shrinking numbers of at risk species, but those are special zoos and certainly not the norm.

But Jack Hanna says it's a Good Idea!

Yeah, well, Jack Hanna's also a TV personality, not a zoologist, or even a biologist. His behavior with animals on TV has always made me cringe. He is sometimes careless with animals in the name of entertainment. Just because he brought a dilapidated zoo back from the brink doesn't mean he's the end all be all of animal welfare. He's a Business student. Good business students figure out how to do stuff like that.

I don't think this is a case where there will be deliberate mistreatment of Jenny should she actually go to Africam Safari. I think this is a case where the Dallas Zoo failed to think out of the box and got angry and hard headed when someone called them on the issue. That's not fair to the Elephant. If you are a person who is inclined to feel Jenny should go to The Elephant Sanctuary instead of Africam Safari, the rally for her is on Sunday, July 27th from 1pm - 2pm on the lawn at the front entrance of the Dallas Zoo. And it doesn't end there. Diplomatic letters need to be sent to Mayor Tom Leppert.

7:49 PM Now this is just Cool!

I have several friends now that have become biking enthusiasts. I'm not referring to motorcycles or dirt bikes, I'm talking plain old peddle your self down the street bikes. This excitement amongst my friends started about 2 years ago, right as gas started getting crazy, but just before people started Needing to ride their bikes to cut down on expenses.

One of these friends of mine was determined to talk me into the bike enthusiasm bandwagon. I resisted whole heartedly for a while. Until gas started Really cutting into my living expenses to a point where I was refusing to go anywhere lest I waste gas. And then I wrecked my car two months ago. That was the clincher.

I now have a little bike. It's nothing special. I bought it at Target. And now I find myself riding instead of driving to my friends' houses just down the way. I much prefer to ride if the weather is nice, I've noticed. The only thing I'm missing is the ability to take my dog with me. I have a 70 lb elderly catahoula leopard dog. she's arthritic and out of shape. She needs a ride.

In my looking around for a way to involve my sweet girl in the new outdoor fun, I came across a neat little gadget. As someone who Loves gadgets, I think I Need one of these.

It's a little bike trailer called a DoggyRide. I mean, how cool is that?

And just to increase the Cool factor, it can take a pretty good beating as well. There's a guy who is trekking across America right now with his dog using one of those things! You should check out his blog, Tour de Dog, it's really interesting to see where he's been via the photos he posts. And his dog, Chiva, is So excited to be there with him on his adventure! He's doing the whole tour for a good cause too. He's raising awareness for the needs of animal shelters. That's something else I can get behind!

8:18 PM Silly things people buy

Last week on Good Morning America a teaser was shown for some piece they were doing on shopping smart. And in the teaser, they showed a person walking out of a grocery store with a flat full of bottled water.

My first gut reaction to the image as presented along with the "saving money" strategy was, "water is free." I actually stood there brushing my teeth thinking about how silly it was to be complaining about the price of providing oneself with the basic needs of life and yet to be Purchasing something that is readily available out of the tap with no extra charge other than a person's regular water bill.

And then I remembered one of the places where I went to college. I have never tasted water so nasty in my life. It was absolutely unpalatable. But I couldn't always afford to buy gallon jugs of water all the time because I was a college student with no job. What I did instead was purchase a luxury item that was the smartest buy of my college career. I bought a Brita filtration pitcher. Upfront, the purchase hurt my teeny budget, but once I made that initial purchase, I was able to utilize the free water that was available to me from my dorm kitchen sink. And I only had to change the $7 filter once per semester. Buying water jugs was a $2-$3 per week expense.

Now people don't even bother with the gallon jugs anymore. Everyone much prefers the convenience of an individual bottle to carry around. But whereas a gallon was around $1, those little bottles which hold a fraction of the same liquid are also $1. People are spending probably 3-4 times as much on convenience.

Now that our society is focused on "going green" I hope that the bottled water fashion will lull to a stand still. Not only is it an unnecessary expense when times are lean, but it's also bad for the environment to throw all of those bottles in the landfills.

So if you need good tasting water combined with the convenience of an individual travel bottle, here's a few links that will not only help you out with taste, but will also keep your drink looking fashion forward.

Kleen Kanteen - Made of the same stainless steel as is used in food, dairy, and brewery preparation, it is purported to be Toxin-Free and won't leech Anything into your beverage. They've just upgraded their line to include some cute colors so your Kleen Kanteen can be a personal statement.

SIGG - Aluminum bottles with a ton of design options to satisfy your quirky style. Although this product is made of aluminum, they guarantee that the liner will NOT leech anything into your drink. The ingredients are not available for the lining, so be aware that you have no way of seeing exactly what is in that lining. Use your judgment on how careful you want to be about what you store your water in. They do promise that they are BPA-free.

CamelBak - This product comes from the company who originated the water hydration systems you see many bikers and various other athletes using. They changed the make-up to their plastic bottles to be BPA Free.

Brita - This was my first water filtration pitcher. I still keep one in my office.

Pur - Another filtration system. I actually prefer the taste from this version, but I think that's just a personal thing and not anything scientific.