Book Giveaway Carnival: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Tracy over at Bookroom Reviews is hosting a Book Giveaway Carnival this week.

And as a participant, I am giving away my copy of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.

How do you enter this giveaway? It's easy!

1. Comment on this post. You'll earn one entry.

2. Follow this blog, or remind me that you're a follower. You'll earn five additional entries. (But don't post comments five times about this, please).

3. Follow me on Twitter. You'll earn two additional entries.

4. Post this contest on your blog and link back to me. You'll earn three additional entries.

This contest ends at midnight March 7th, 2009. The winner will be announced March 8th here on this blog.

Good luck to all my Kittens!

I can haz some awards!

I'm a little behind in some of the awards posting, so here we go:

First of all, That.Girl has given me two awards. First up is the Honest Scrap Award:

The rules are simple for the Honest Scrap Award: all you have to do is list ten honest things about yourself. Without further ado:

1. I love to wash dishes.

2. I once dyed my hair black--but it was blue-black--and it came out purple. :P

3. I can't stand peas or lima beans.

4. Parts of my back molars don't have any tooth enamel.

5. Twins run in my family. When my mother originally got pregnant with me, her doctor originally thought she was having twins.

6. I'm afraid of snakes.

7. My first pet was a chipmunk that lived in the wall of our house.

8. Prince Charles is my mother's cousin 17 times removed.

9. The New York Times is my favorite newspaper.

10. I enjoy watching infomercials.

That.Girl also bestowed the Sisterhood Award upon me:

Drollgirl has also given out several awards to her peeps. First up, the Lemonade Award:

Next, we have the Kreativ Blogger Award:


And I bestow this award on...all my bloggy friends! Y'all are awesome and deserving and encouraging! You rock!

Sunday Stealing: The Procrastination Tool Meme

1. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
I love diners. Basically any diner will do, but I have a special place in my heart for the Athena Diner in Westport, Connecticut.

2. What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it?
Cheese. Any cheese will do, but I loves me a good brie.

3. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
My wisdom teeth and several other molars.

4. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
My old entertainment center.

5. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Only when I had teeth pulled (see above).

6. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
NO!!! Why would I live my life in worry?

7. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Mrs. Jackman

8. What’s your goal for the year?
To continue to build my nest egg and pay off credit card debts.

9. Last person you hugged?
Mama Cat...I was up at the rents house this weekend.

10. First place you went this morning?
My parents' office to say "good morning."

11. Do you always answer your phone?
No. It depends on what's on the caller ID. Plus, there are some nights where I just don't feel like talking to anyone.

12. It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
My friends and family know better than to text me at that hour of the day.

13. If you could change your eye color what would it be?
I like my brown eyes, merci beaucoup. Hell, Van Morrison even wrote a song about me and my eyes!

14. What’s on your wish list for your birthday?
Weeeeelllllll...since it's this Tuesday, Kittens...seriously, though, my fam gave me a gift certificate to a spa, and nothing can really top that one...unless I met Hugh Jackman face to face.

15. Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Both.

16. Do you have any saved texts?
Yeah...I'm a pack rat when it comes to texting.

17. Ever been in a car wreck?
I've been in a couple of minor accidents, but nothing that's ever taken lives or caused vehicular destruction. Knock wood! (Kitten reaches over and knocks on her desk. Does particle board count as wood?)

18. Do you have an accent?
Not really...I do let an occasional generic New York accent slip through my speech. I say words like "cawfee" and "tawk." Remember, my parents are from Westchester County, New York and North Jersey. I grew up with these accents!

19. What was the last song to make you cry?
I really don't remember.

20. What did you do last night?
Went out on a birthday dinner with the fam, then slept over at the 'rents.

21. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
Yeah...November 2007, when my financial problems came to a head.

22. Current hate right now?
Life's too short to hate.

23. Met someone who changed your life?
Many.

24. How did you bring in the New Year?
At my best friend's house with a group of our peeps!

25. What song represents you?
See #13..."Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.

Clip of the Week: Carol Burnett at Carnegie Hall

Carol Burnett has rarely sung out of character during her career. She has said before that she feels more comfortable singing as someone other than herself.

You're in for a treat, Kittens.

This clip, from the 1962 special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, is one of those rare times where Carol sings as herself.

And man, she nails it.

I mean, really hits it outta the park.

And I just love the lyrics, too.

The clip's a little grainy, but the sound quality's awesome.

Enjoy...Carol Burnett singing "In the Meantime."

The Bookkitten's iPod playlist: February 28, 2009

I rediscovered this last night as I was looking for tunes to listen to as I blog-hopped during the Virtual Girls Night Out. It turns out it's the second part of a playlist I created two years ago, when school started again. The first part of the playlist was the one I played last night.

Enjoy!

1. "Bubbly," Colbie Caillat
2. "Sunday Morning," Maroon 5
3. "Kodachrome," Paul Simon
4. "Holding Back the Years," Simply Red
5. "Groovin'," the Young Rascals
6. "It's My Life," No Doubt
7. "Welcome Back," John Sebastian
8. "Extraordinary Machine," Fiona Apple
9. "Bittersweet Symphony," the Verve
10. "Living in the U.S.A.," Steve Miller Band
11. "Cecilia," Simon and Garfunkel
12. "Back Here," BB Mak
13. "Keep It Comin' Love," KC and the Sunshine Band
14. "Move Your Feet," Junior Senior
15. "This Love," Maroon 5
16. "Glory Days," Bruce Springsteen
17. "Working on the Highway," Bruce Springsteen

Bad, bad writing

Jenners has recently started a new feature of her blog, Fun and Games with Jenners.This first game has to do with bad writing. The rules are simple: write an introduction to a novel, as poorly as you can.

Here we go! I thought of this one in the car (where I have my best thoughts):

"Sally saw six serpents slithering slowly southward so slowly she saw slimy snails suddenly speed southwest."
--from my first novel, Sally Seahorse and the Seaurchins



Want more bad writing? Click the link above!

Saturday 9: Liar, Liar. Pants on Fire!

1. What is the last "white" lie that you told? I told our choir director I couldn't make practice because I had a dinner meeting. Truthfully, I was going out to dinner with friends.

2. Can you forgive a liar? It depends on what the lie is about. For example, if I had a boyfriend tell me that he wasn't cheating on me, and he was, out the door he goes!

3. Do you tend to exaggerate or underestimate? All the time.

4. Do you hold a grudge? You would think, with my Sicilian heritage, that grudges would be in my blood. They used to be...but I've exorcised them. Life's too short to hold grudges.

5. What's the biggest lie you've ever told? Telling my parents that I was doing well financially, when I wasn't.

6. Are there times that you feel that it is okay to lie? A little white lie every now and then never hurt anyone.

7. Did you ever end a relationship because of lies? Relationships, no. Friendships, yes.

8. Do you think you can tell when someone is lying to you? Yeah...it's all in the eye contact and body language, my friends.

9. Have you been caught lying? Who hasn't?

The Bookkitten's iPod playlist: soundtrack for a VGNO

This was the playlist I listened to during the VGNO tonight:

1. "Jerk It Out," the Caesars
2. "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," Jet
3. "A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix)," Elvis Presley
4. "Superstar," Sheryl Crow
5. "Swingtown," Steve Miller Band
6. "Born to Be My Baby," Bon Jovi
7. "Born to Run," Bruce Springsteen
8. "California," Phantom Planet
9. "Candy Everybody Wants," 10,000 Maniacs
10. "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," Urge Overkill
11. "Hungry Heart," Bruce Springsteen
12. "Human Touch," Bruce Springsteen
13. "If I Had $1,000,000," Barenaked Ladies
14. "Like the Weather," 10,000 Maniacs
15. "Paranoid," Garbage
16. "Scattered Pieces," Domestic Problems
17. "Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond
18. "Sweet Home Alabama," Lynryd Skynryd
19. "We Didn't Start the Fire," Billy Joel
20. "The Rising," Bruce Springsteen
21. "You Shook Me All Night Long," AC/DC
22. "Voices Carry," Til Tuesday

Funny...there was a lot of Jersey in this playlist. In addition to the obvious Springsteen and Bon Jovi, the Barenaked Ladies tune reminded me of when I saw them in concert. It was the summer of 2001, and my best friend and I, along with another mutual friend, went to the PNC Bank Arena--ahem, the Garden State Arts Center--to see them. Vertical Horizon opened.

That was a great summer. I'll have to blog about that someday...

Virtual GNO: Karate chopping edition

Welcome, Kittens, to another fun-filled edition of the Virtual Girls' Night Out, hosted by Ann over at Ann Again...and again.

Anyhoo, for those of you who are new here, feel free to stay awhile and explore. I'll kick off the festivities with the fun party game that Ann posted. It comes from Kat over at Sassy Irish Lassie. In this party game, you design a subtitle for your Virtual GNO post. I'm putting my selections in bold, with the great, final reveal at the end.

Here's how it works:

1. Pick the month you were born.
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

2. Pick the day (number) you were born on.
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbour
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19------ - a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an iPod
29-------a surfer
30-------a homeless guy
31-------a llama

3. What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- In my car
2 --------- On your car
3 ----------- In a hole
4 ----------- Under your bed
5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle
6 --------- sliding down a hill
7 --------- in an elevator
8---------- at the dinner table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

4. Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White---------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red-----------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself

And now...drumroll please...the final reveal:

"I karate chopped a phone sliding down a hill because I'm cool like that."

Interesting...

Anyhoo, thanks for stopping by. I'll be paying y'all a visit now!

Friday Fill-Ins: February 27, 2009

Wanna play along? Click here!

1. I'm loud, I'm proud, I love being Sicilian.

2. Why do I have short, curly dark hair and not long, straight blonde hair? Oh that's right, I'm Sicilian. Duh!

3. How does this life work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put extra-hold gel or mousse on my short, curly dark Sicilian hair.

5. I consider myself lucky because I have a great job, great family, great friends, and overall, a great life!

6. One day we’ll see if an afterlife really exists (I sure hope so).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to participating in Ann's Virtual GNO, tomorrow my plans include sleeping in and Sunday, I want to continue reading The Pillars of the Earth!

Happy Friday, Kittens!

What Kind of a Reader Are You?

Found this quiz over at Jenners' place. Here are my results. I think they speak for themselves!

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Booking Through Thursday: February 26, 2009

Welcome, Kittens, to my first edition of Booking Through Thursday.

It's a quick little meme that I found through Kristi.

Here are this week's questions (all, of course, related to books, hence the name):

Hardcover? Or paperback? Whatever I can get my hands on either first or cheapest, depending how badly I want the book.

Illustrations? Or just text? Usually just text. I like to use my imagination when I read, especially when it comes to nonfiction.

First editions? Or you don’t care? Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care.

Signed by the author? Or not? See above response.

See how quick that was? I'm adding this to my reader...

A plug for my friend Yaya

Kittens, I need your help!

Meet my friend Yaya.

The guy in her button is her hubby, Josh. Click on the button to go directly to her blog.

Why am I directing you here, Kittens? Well, Yaya and Josh are going through the adoption process, and it is tres expensive. Yaya's having a little fundraiser over at her place to help pay for the funds that come with adopting a child. You'll find out a lot more information when you go visit her.

Here's a little bit of her story: Yaya's been struggling with infertility. She has had several miscarriages. She is determined to fulfill her dream of parenthood. Yaya's very open about her struggles, and her blog is one of the most honest I read every day. You feel every single emotion with her. You begin to hope with her, dream with her, cry with her. I admire Yaya for her candor and humor as she and her hubby go through this journey.

Yaya is also a very loyal friend. She was one of my first followers and always showers comment love upon me and her fellow bloggers. I always break into a smile when I see that Yaya's left a comment on my Gmail.

I know a lot of you already read Yaya's blog, but if you don't, please go visit and read her story! It's at points both heartbreaking and humorous, but is always a great read!

So please send Yaya your love and give her a hand! If you can't donate, leave her a comment of support!

Thursday Thunks: February 26, 2009

Welcome, Kittens, to another episode of Thursday Thunks!

1. What kind of dryer sheets do you use?

I don't use dryer sheets. I use Method fabric softener.

2. How many times a week do you eat out/order in?

Once a week, usually.

3. What did you do the night of your high school graduation?

I went to a party that the school held.

4. So Octomom is rumored to have been offered a million bucks to do a porno. Would you do it for a million?

I wish everyone would leave Octomom alone. I'm not answering this one.

5. If your child was born with an extra finger or toe, would you have it surgically removed?

Only if it significantly affected his/her way of living.

6. What was the last movie you saw?

I honestly have no idea. I haven't been to the cinema in five or six years. I hate going to the movies...I'll blog about that some other time.

7. I wanna buy you a dozen roses, what color should they be?

Peach colored. I hate red roses!

8. You are walking across the street, you are not quite half way when a speeding car comes... you have to run to get out of its way, which direction do you run?

In the opposite direction of the car! Or whatever direction that'll let me get out of the way!

9. Tell us about a time when you were invited over somewhere and had the most awful time.

I was invited to a friend's birthday party my freshman year of high school. I didn't know anyone else at the party except for my friend. I was very shy when I was in high school, and that made it much harder for me.

10. You open your front door and there is a box with a puppy in it... what do you do?

Take it to the Humane Society. The cats wouldn't get along with it. Besides, I already have the maximum number of pets that my condo association will permit me to have.

Writers Workshop: Alphabet Soup

This week, Mama Kat is offering these five writing prompts:

1.) For your birthday a sibling has decided to have the first six months of your blog printed and bound. Write a forward for the book.

2.) Write a 26-line poem using all the letters of the alphabet, where the first line starts with the letter "A," the second "B," the third "C," etc., culminating with the final line starting with "Z."(writersdigest.com)

3.) Start your story with, "In retrospect, I wouldn't say it was my best idea." And end it with, "And that's how I attempted to make this world a better place.(writersdigest.com)

4.) What would the truth have done? Write about a time when honesty was NOT the best policy.(writingfix.com)

5.) What made your childhood bearable? Write about it.(writingfix.com)

Well, I immediately nixed choice #1. I know that Sister Kitten would rawther write the forward, and she always surprises me with what she writes about. I know I could get really creative with choice #3, but I am sleep deprived right now and don't have the energy to think much. Choices #4 and 5 would lead to something schmaltzy, and I'm not in the mood for schmaltz tonight.

The alphabet poem did sound like fun, though, and I'm gonna give that a try...here goes...

Another day, another dollar,
But I really want to hollar,
Can I take this great day off?

Don't tell me that I'm whining,
Even though I'm really pining
For change--perhaps a new coif?

Gotta be grateful these days
Have a job with decent wage,
I know I'm very lucky.

Just the other week,
Karma seemed real bleak,
Layoff--that would be sucky.

My boss gave us the news,
No job cuts--we said "Phew!"
Onto brighter days.

Please forgive this author,
Quite frankly, it's a bother
Rhyming leaves me hazed.

So in conclusion I
Think think that I will try
Undoing all my rhymes.

Very quickly I realize
Why I can't apologize
EXcept these aren't the times.

You see, I have to finish what I started.
Zing! I'm done--I'm now departed.

I thought the rhymes would be catchy, but I'll be honest with you--this was very difficult! Once I start to rhyme, I can't stop. It was hard enough coming up with the letters of the alphabet!!

On a side note: Jenners, this'll be my entry for your bad writing game.

At least I got something outta the deal.

36 Random Things Meme

Thanks to NurseExec for this one.


1. Do you like bleu cheese?
You have no idea how much I love the stuff. I eat it straight outta the container.

2. Have you ever smoked?
No. Never have. I'm asthmatic, and both my parents smoked when I was a kid, so the thought of lighting up disgusted me. Actually, everyone in my immediate and extended family smoked.

3. Do you own a gun?
Nope.

4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite?
Cherry. Ironic, since I don't like real cherries.

5. What job would you like to do other than your own?
I'd love to be a journalist.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
Yuck.

7. Favorite Christmas movie?
Who doesn't love A Christmas Story?

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Black coffee.

9. Can you do push ups?
Only the modified ones.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
My 3-stone aquamarine ring. It's my birthstone.

11. Favorite hobby?
Reading

12. Do you have A. D. D.?
Nope.

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts?
Nope.

14. Middle name?
Ann

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
I need sleep, I need sleep, I need sleep.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink.
Coffee, tea, wine

17. Current worry?
I've got several.

18. Current hate right now?
Life's too short to hate.

19. Favorite place to be?
At home with my cats.

20. How did you ring in the new year?
At my best friend's house with a group of friends.

21. Name three people who will complete this:
Whoever wants to.

22. Do you own slippers?
I love my slippers.

23. What color shirt are you wearing?
Tiffany blue turtleneck sweater.

24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
I prefer cotton.

25. Can you whistle?
Not really.

26. Where are you now?
In my office.

27. Would you be a pirate?
Nope. Don't wanna get caught by the authorities.

28. What songs do you sing in the shower?
I don't sing in the shower.

29. Favorite girl’s Name?
Alice Anne

30. Favorite boy’s name?
Peter William

31. What is in your pocket right now?
Nada.

32. Last thing that made you laugh?
Someone telling me the old "Pete and Re-Pete went out on a boat" joke in a cockney accent.

33. What vehicle do you drive?
2002 Kia

34. Worst injury you’ve ever had?
I've never been seriously injured, thank God.

35. Do you love where you live?
Connecticut's not such a bad state, but I'm not totally, madly in love with it.

36. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Two, one in the living room, and one in the bedroom.

Updates: Critters and Kitten

Hello, Kittens!

First of all, thanks to everyone for their words of reassurance and advice after I posted about the butter-eating dog. The poor pup still has the runs, and is now on a diet of wet dog food, rice, kibble, and Maalox. Strawberry-flavored Maalox. In one bowl. It's a lovely-smelling concoction.

I'm here at my friend's house tonight, once again. She has a relative who just was admitted to hospice, and she's staying over there tonight. I offered to take care of the animals if she needed it. So tonight, I'm sleeping over with the pups and cat. I'm administering the Butter Eater a dose of Maalox and wet food at 9 PM.

And here's an update from me...thanks to everyone for their suggestions for celebrating my birthday next week. I'll respond to everyone's comments soon; I've only had time tonight to visit one or two blogs. I haven't been home much since Sunday. I'll play catch-up with everyone later this week. I have a couple of post-dated entries that you'll see in the next few days, though.

I will be back, and soon!

2009 Oscars highlights

Dedicated to Yaya, who needed something funny to brighten her day.

In case you missed it, here are three fantabulous clips from last night's Oscars.

We start off with the opening number--my favorite part of the ceremony. I heart Hugh Jackman. But you already knew that, Kittens.



We follow with a bit featuring Seth Rogan and James Franco in their Pineapple Express personas. Freakin' hilarious.



Finally, we finish with a musical number featuring Hugh Jackman, Beyonce, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Dominic Cooper, and Amanda Seyfried.



On a side note, I think Hugh Jackman should have a Vegas revue. Or better yet, have a revue at one of our casinos here. Yeahhhh...

About my faith, part two

This past December, I wrote this post about my faith journey. Here is the link; rather than me retell the whole story again, you can click on it to learn more.

But in this post, I'm going to tell you more about my particular church, why I like it, and the people who shape it.

One of the reasons why I like being a Unitarian Universalist is that no two services are alike. Take this month's services, for example. We began the month of February with a service led by our Covenant of UU Pagans, the "Winter Cross Quarter Fire Festival." This was the service on which I based my "Perspective" post. The following week, we had another lay-led service based on the concept of truth. How do we know what's true? What determines the truth, and why? I participated in last week's service, titled "One Singular Sensation," a service devoted to spirituality and the place single people have in society. I may post my sermon up on the blog, if anyone's interested.

Unitarian Universalism doesn't have a creed, but has its base in Judeo-Christian religious traditions. Basically, it's dedicated to developing and promoting "the inherent worth and dignity in every human being". This is what I love most about my faith, that every human being is valued, regardless of race, color, creed, or sexual orientation.

There are so many people from different backgrounds that attend my church. In addition to the Covenant of UU Pagans, we have atheists, agnostics, humanists, former Catholics, and former Episcopalians at my church. Everyone contributes to the church, and everyone's contributions are welcomed.

Just as important as the diversity of services is to me, the feeling of community I receive from the church is wonderfully enriching. I have made so many new friends in the church. It's a small enough community that if anything happens to anyone, either good or bad, we all rally around for support. We had, for example, a special collection for a family whose mother was fighting breast cancer. We collected over $1200 for this family; an astounding amount, given these tough economic times.

My favorite part of the service is "Joys and Concerns". It's a short part of the service, usually about five or ten minutes, where we share what's going on in our lives, both good and bad. We request prayers, for example, for people who are fighting illnesses, for pregnant women, or for good karma for job interviews. That's how wide it can range. Joys and Concerns helps me bond with my fellow parishoners, and brings us all much closer.

We don't have too many rituals in the church, but the ones that we do have are very interesting. Our church year runs from September to June, same as the school calendar does. At our first formal service of the year, in September, we have what's called "Water Ingathering". Every member of the congregation brings in a water sample from somewhere special to them. We pour all of our water samples into a bowl, and our minister takes it home with her, boils it, and filters it. This water is used for celebrations throughout the year, such as child dedications (our version of baptism).

So...in a nutshell, that's the story of my faith. If you have any more questions for me, pass 'em along!

P.S. You may have seen me mention a blogger known as PeaceBang in my posts. She's a UU minister at a congregation in Norwell, Massachusetts and is an absolute riot. Go over to her blog, which is on my blogroll, when you get the chance. PeaceBang rocks!

Freakout Mode: Critter sitting edition

I just returned to my home after a week of housesitting for my friend's dogs and cat. The other day, I composed a post which asked the question: "How far would you go to save your pet?"

Well, Kittens, I had a panic yesterday. Let me tell you all about it...

I had to bake for Coffee Hour at church today. I took two sticks of butter out to soften on the counter. I was in the den, which is adjacent to the kitchen, when I heard a thump on the floor, along with some lip-licking sounds that only a dog could make.

Well, can you guess what happened?

I ran into the kitchen and found the yellow lab, face inside the package of butter, licking her lips as I discover that she ate one of the sticks, wrapper and all.

Key words: wrapper and all.

Now I know how to take care of a dog, how to feed it, give it meds, walk it, let it relieve itself, etc. However, when it comes to canine emergencies, I am woefully inexperienced. I went online and I called two emergency vets to get their opinions. They assured me she would pass everything, but that she would have diarrhea.

Well, I took the dog out shortly afterwards, and sure enough, she did have the runs. I took her out again an hour later and she had a second episode.

I fed her dinner. She ate it all, albeit more slowly than usual.

I originally had plans to go dancing last night, but I abandoned them in order to keep an eye on the dog. I was so freaked out by this I posted this message on my Facebook status:

"Kitten is freaking out because one of the dogs she's housesitting for ate a stick of butter--wrapper and all--and hasn't passed the wrapper yet."

Within minutes, friends chimed in with their advice, links to websites, and consolation. Give it time, they said. It's paper, and it's only butter, the dog will pass everything.

The dog ended up sleeping verrry soundly till 11 PM, when I took her and her sibling out one last time before I went to bed.

I went up to bed, fell asleep during SNL, and was soon slumbering very deeply. The cat snuggled up to me, and life was good.

Then, at 1:30, I heard yelps and whining.

The yellow lab was at the foot of the stairs, wide awake and begging to go out.

In my sleepytime fog, I let both dogs out, and watched for ten minutes as the yellow lab hurriedly paced the lawn to find the perfect spot to poo. And poo she did--it was solidifying, but not by much. (Sorry if you're eating while reading this.)

So the dogs came in and I returned to bed--only to be awakened once again at 5:30 for breakfast. I fed the trio and returned to bed again, where I stayed till the alarm went off at 6:45. I hit the snooze until 7:30, then got myself up, let the dogs out again, and set off to finally bake that cake I was supposed to have baked last night.

As I drove up to church with my goodies, I kept freaking out. This is what happens when I am in Freakout Mode. I worry obsessively, and my thoughts keep spinning round and round and round. It really dampered my mood; with that and the fatigue I had from lack of sleep, I was pretty jolly indeed.

The dogs' owner called me during services. (Not to worry, I put my cell on vibrate). She had arrived back in Connecticut, but had to go visit someone, so she wouldn't be returning to the house right away. I called her on the way back to her house.

She asked if things were OK.

I told her about the butter incident.

She started laughing like hell.

I mean, she was hysterical.

"The dog will be fine," she said. "Similar things have happened before! Not to worry."

Well, I was reassured. However, before I left, while the dog did have another bowel movement, she still hadn't passed the damn wrapper.

All this agita over a stick of butter.

At least she didn't eat the cake.