Anipals!

These are the kittens a friend of mine brought to me this past October. I fell in love with them and had them at my house over night. I woke up and considered keeping all three. In the end, my own laziness and fear of commitment prevented me from keeping any of them. I gave all three back to her and apologized.

But time goes on. And people grow.

And, lucky for me, I have an understanding friend who puts up with me. I recently told her I decided I wanted an animal again and this time I would keep it. I almost got a mini dachshund a couple months ago but I'm really not home enough to devote the proper attention to a dog. Seeing as cats are more self-sufficient, I will purrrrrsue that route. I'm so excited. It's going to be a fun new responsibility and also a new companion of course. Taking care of another living creature, aside from myself, will be a fun new challenge for me.

Do you have any animals? If not, I suggest you think about getting one. I would recommend first going to a local shelter because those are the animals who really need your help. After that perhaps an independent pet rescuer. I'm not such a breeder fan nor am I a puppy store fan. Not at all! If I had millions of dollars I would just go around to flea markets or puppy stores and buy the puppies because there are about 10 in each cage I see. It's so sad. The owners don't deserve money, but the animals don't deserve to be in the cages.

In my humble opinion, here is the pet rundown:

• Dogs: The coolest! They can read you like a book. They are always on your side. They sleep with you. Eat with you. Judge men for you. (When I lived with my brother's mini dachshund she was only nice to the guys I liked. It was so awesome!) Exercise with you. BUT You need to give them attention. Take them for walks. Play with them. Hang out with them. Take them places. Take them outside for bathrrom breaks. This pet probably isn't good for someone who works a lot.
• Cats: My second favorite. More self-sufficient. Some will cuddle but not all. Some prefer to be left alone. They don't mind their alone time. You can get a litter box and not worry about taking them outside. You don't have to walk them. Good for someone who might work more than she should.
• Fish: Kind of boring in my opinion. Fun to watch though. They don't require you to be home but you can't cuddle with them. So if you're looking to fill an emotional void, I say stay away from fish. If however you just want to watch them swim around and interact with each other, go for it. They are interesting creatures and they have little personalities just like dogs and cats. I miss little Steve Martin (indirectly named for his character Gil in Parenthood).

Okay, those are the only pets I've ever had so I can't give firsthand accounts for any others.

In closing, if you do not have time to devote to a pet, please do not get one just to fill a void! It is bad for the animal. You can always just go to a local lake, park or zoo and watch animals. In Orlando there are swans, birds, other people's dogs and occasionally chicks at Lake Eola. I snapped this photo on my lunch break one afternoon. How cute is this?!

And no matter where you live, I'm sure you can find a park, zoo, beach or perhaps even your own yard. Just observe. Stop and take a moment to appreciate the beauty around you. There is so much life that we just take for granted.

For more animal photos, I suggest this blog.

Music is the love of my life. I always make themed CDs and I find it helps me get through my days to have CDs for every mood and every situation that may arise. My love for music reaches far across many genres, so hopefully as I write this blog I can help you discover some great music that you may have never heard.

If you are unhappy at the moment, try listening to some happy songs such as:

• "Don't Worry, Be Happy," by Bobby McFerrin
• "Live Before You Die," by Social Distortion
• "Oh How Happy," by The Jackson 5
• "It's A Beautiful Morning," by The Rascals
• "Here Comes The Sun," by The Beatles
• "Happy Street," by Diesel Boy
• "Come Out Fighting," by The Vandals
• "All Or Nothing (Live Your Dreams)," by Athena Cage
• "Young At Heart," by Frank Sinatra
• "Powder Your Face With Sunshine," by Dean Martin
• "I Will Survive," by Gloria Gaynor
• "Three Little Birds," by Bob Marley
• "What A Wonderful World," by Louis Armstrong
• "I Hope You Dance," by Lee Ann Womack
• "I'm Into Something Good," by Herman's Hermits
• "Over The Rainbow," by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
• "You're My Best Friend," by Queen
• "Make Someone Happy," by Jimmy Durante
• "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," by Wham
• "Take On Me," by A-Ha
• "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree," Tony Orlando & Dawn
  
• "Margaritaville," by Jimmy Buffett
• "Manhattan," by Ella Fitzgerald
• "Sunday In New York," by Bobby Darin
• "New York State Of Mind," by Billy Joel
• "What's Going On," by Marvin Gaye
• "Dock Of The Bay," by Otis Redding
• "Little Saint Nick," by John Denver & The Muppets (I play this one year-round!)
  

*When I say "by" I mean "sung by" not always written by...

Of course that list could go on forever, so I will stop now. One person I forgot to mention though: Raffi. He's always good for some uplifting tunes aboot happy lighthearted subjects.

Okay. I am done. Try listening to some of those. They always make me feel good!