Gina's RantSpot

This is one of the worst days of my life. Ellie, my cat, was euthanized today. I knew that her condition, Chronic Renal Failure, was worsening, but this morning, it was so bad that she could barely walk, and she was almost too weak to step into her litter box, which is never a good sign. She ate, but then again, the one thing that Ellie has always had is a voracious appetite, so I expected her to always eat, against all odds.

I called the vet for an emergency appointment and, just as I suspected, they couldn't do anything for her. The vet, Dr. Gaspar, was phenomenal. She reassured me, and insisted that I had done everything that I could and had made the right decision. She had great bedside manner, and even kept me from being less of a basket-case, which was a pretty hard job. Dr. Gaspar administered the shot, which was an overdose of anesthesia. Ellie went peacefully, with me petting her, and telling her how much I loved her. She's being cremated, and I opted to have her ashes returned to me.

The second worst part of the day was returning home with an empty cat carrier. There was evidence of Ellie and her illness -- a fluid bag and needles for her subcutaneous fluid treatments, her favorite catnip toy, 1/2 bottle of medication. Phoebe, my younger cat, was waiting for me at the door. Although they weren't the best of friends, I'm sure she can sense that Ellie's never coming back, and will miss her presence. More urgently for her, however, is tending to my sadness. She hasn't let me out of her sight since I've been home, and is making sure that I never have an empty lap.

A good friend keeps telling me that it will get better. I really hope he's right.

Thanks for listening.

I'm a sucker for a good news blurb, and my is this a good one (courtesy of Netscape):

"Toilet Brush Warning: Do Not Use For...
...personal hygiene. Yes, this is a real warning on a real toilet brush label, and the (duh!) admonition has won the top spot in the 8th annual contest for the wackiest consumer warning label of the year sponsored by the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch. The goal of the contest is "to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products." Entries are submitted by alert consumers who can win $500 for a first-place prize."

Are there really people out there who would use a toilet brush to brush . . . well . . . something other than a toilet? And as if that weren't enough:

"Second place: Label on a children's scooter that cautions: 'This product moves when used.'

Third place: Warning on a digital thermometer that advises: "Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally."


I've come to the conclusion that laws and warnings are written taking into account what the dumbest person will do. Unfortunately, these dumb people are also extremely litigious (probably because they don't know quite how mentally challenged they are).

For example, there's probably a person out there, somewhere, who used a thermometer orally after trying it in the 'dirty back road,' became infected (or something), and decided that it was appropriate to sue the thermometer company.

It's a scary world!

Snow, glorious snow!

So, this morning, I had the pleasure of shoveling snow and icing my walk. And then, as I reached the 4-way stop on my corner, I was nearly hit by a cop -- a detective driving a Crown Victoria who made the executive decision to ignore the stop sign.

Is it just me, or are cops potentially THE worst drivers on the road? If you ever want to be hit and killed, position yourself directly in front of, next to, or perpendicular to the path of a policeman. I'll be the first to admit that my brakes aren't the best, so anyone who decides to leap in front of my car during sketchy weather conditions is really asking for a dent or a broken limb.

Because I'm the antagonist, I pulled up next to him at the following stoplight (which he, miraculously obeyed), and informed him, with an angry hand signal, that he blew through the stopsign. I'm sure he was overtaken by my audacity, as was I.

On another front, my cat's health is taking a turn for the worse, which I can't even elaborate on, but it's always on my mind.

And what? No more porn comments?! C'mon you guys. I know you have opinions. Let's hear 'em!

Here's an exciting topic . . . I got into a conversation with a male friend whose girlfriend was upset to have unearthed his collection of adult films. She was offended and insisted that he get rid of them immediately, otherwise their relationship would be in jeopardy. He loves his collection and doesn't know what to do.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with a few blue movies. Everyone has their thing, right? I would be taken aback if an entire wall or arsenal were dedicated to porn, and he boasted of his collection of 135 episodes "Naked Humping Asses."

So, in the name of column research, I'm just a little curious . . . if you're a man, and you have a few of these films, do you think your girlfriend/wife would be upset if she knew -- or do you watch them together? Women . . . what's your take? Are you mortified or secretly delighted? Are the presence of adult movies a deal breaker? Of course, all responses -- if mentioned -- will be anonymous.

Happy New Year!

I know . . . I've been slacking on the blog, but I haven't had anything extremely insightful to say, and I've always been taught to shut the hell up unless I had anything meaningful to talk about. Arguably, I should talk a lot less than I do! :-)

I hope everyone had a safe and happy NYE celebration. I was at a wild, raucous party, which resulted in aching feet, and a dress that was saturated with the contents of at least 5 glasses belonging to people who didn't need more to drink anyway. This is why I refer to New Year's Eve as amateur night. People who can't hold their liquor drink WAY more than they would on a normal night, and decide that driving is a good idea. Fortunately the roads were clear and traffic was thankfully uneventful.

What did you guys do?