So, sorry for all the posts based on stuff from our paper's site, lately. It just gives so much material...

They have a poll on the front page that they change occasionally, based on any Big News in the area or just random crap.

I usually vote in them if I have any sort of real opinion, just because it's there on the front page.

Today's was in reaction to Palin resigning (and dear Lord, why do these things always happen when The Daily Show/The Colbert Report are on break???).

Have a screencap.



*headdesks. repeatedly.*

Yes, I know the day Tennessee turns blue will be the same day the Four Horsepeople show up. And yes, it's mildly heartening that the percentage of "heck no" is still higher.

But that "definitely" is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy (etc) too high. As is the "maybe".

*mutters* I need to get out of this damn state. *eyes people's couches ;)*

ETA: Agh, and it's getting worse. Now just a 2% difference between "no way" and "definitely".

A couple months  ago I adopted a Corgi-Lab mix (Zero)from a shelter.Now he is the love of my life next to the bf :) I really enjoyed seeing all the pics of the pups and i cant wait to see more :)

Anyone bored enough to code this into a live minisite this weekend?

I was playing with StumbleUpon the other night and ran across this post in a blog:

http://www.ordinarycourage.com/my-blog/2009/6/16/this-i-believe-about-basic-dignity.html

[BEGIN QUOTED ARTICLE]

I try not to use this blog space to rant or be preachy. I’m not a fan of ranting or sermons (unless it’s Sunday - and even then it really depends on the sermon).

Think of this as a desperate plea.

Yesterday, while I was trying to enjoy my manicure, I watched in horror as the two women across from me talked on their phones the entire time they were getting their manicures. They employed head nods, eyebrow raises, and finger pointing to instruct the manicurists on things like nail length and polish choices.

I really couldn't believe it.

I’ve had my nails done by the same two women for 10 years. I know their names (their real Vietnamese names), their children’s names, and many of their stories. They know my name, my children’s names, and many of my stories. When I finally made a comment about the women on their cell phones, they both quickly averted their eyes. Finally, in a whisper, Susan said, “They don’t know. Most of them don’t think of us as real people.”

On the way home, I stopped at Barnes & Noble to pick up a magazine. The woman ahead of me in line bought two books, applied for a new “reader card,” and asked to get one book gift wrapped without getting off of her cell phone. She plowed through the entire exchange without making eye contact or directly speaking to the young woman working at the counter. She never acknowledged the presence of the human being across from her.

After leaving Barnes & Noble, I drove through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru to get a Diet Dr. Pepper. Right as I pulled up to the window, my cell phone rang. I wasn’t quite sure, but I thought it might be Charlie’s school calling. I answered it. It wasn’t Charlie’s school – it was someone calling to confirm my hair appointment. I got off the phone as quickly as I could.

In the short time it took me to say, “Yes, I’ll be at my appointment,” the woman in the window and I had finished our soda-for-money transaction. I apologized to her the second I got off of the phone. I said, “I’m so sorry. The phone rang right when I was pulling up and I thought it was my son’s school.”

I must have surprised her because she got huge tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea how humiliating it is sometimes. They don’t even see us.”

I don’t know how it feels for her, but I do know how it feels to be an invisible member of the service industry. It can suck.

I worked my way through undergrad and some of graduate school by waiting tables. I worked in a really nice restaurant that was close to campus and a hot spot for wealthy college kids and their parents (parents who were visiting for the weekend and treating their kids and their kids’ friends to dinner). I was in my late 20’s and praying to finish my bachelor’s degree before I hit 30.

When the customers were kind and respectful, it was OK, but one “waiter as object” moment could tear me apart. Unfortunately, I now see those moments happening all of the time.

I see adults who don’t even look at their waiters when they speak to them. I see parents who let their young children talk down to store clerks. I see people rage and scream at receptionists then treat the bosses/doctors/bankers with the utmost respect.

And, I see the insidious nature of race, class, and privilege playing out in one of the most historically damaging ways possible – the server/served relationship.

Everyone wants to know why customer service has gone to hell in a handbasket.

I want to know why customer behavior has gone to hell in a handbasket.

When we treat people as objects, we dehumanize them. We do something really terrible to their souls and to our own.

Martin Buber, an Austrian-born philosopher, wrote about the differences between an "I-it" relationship and an "I-you" relationship. An "I-it" relationship is basically what we create when we are in transactions with people whom we treat like objects - people who are simply there to serve us or complete a task.

I-you relationships are characterized by human connection and empathy.

I’m not suggesting that we engage in a deep, meaningful relationship with the man who works at the cleaners or the woman who works at the drive-thru, but I am suggesting that we stop dehumanizing people and start looking them in the eye when we speak to them. If we don’t have the energy or time to do that, we should stay at home.

And, for the love of humankind, we need to get off of our damn phones and show some basic respect to the people who are standing in front of us.

Buber wrote, “When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.”

I just don’t think treating each other with basic dignity is asking too much.

[END QUOTED ARTICLE]

I'd add something to it, but I really don't know what I could say that she didn't already.

I so, so, so hate cell phones for the way we just completely get ignored when people are on them. Though, we at least know that people on their cell phones aren't secret shoppers.

And I just... gah. I've always tried to make a point to be nice to waiters and cashiers and so on, even before I did any retail work, but especially now. Because as much as I try not to let the bad customers get to me, it still does. And yeah, I could write a novel on this, and I probably will make a giant post of bitching, some day, but. For now I just wanted to post that article.

A sneak peek at Troy High, in my Southern accent. Special guest appearance!



Need an unbiased look at Troy High? Click here for a review from Library Lounge Lizard!

Your party music for the day is the song my fifty-some year old aunt requested at the wedding the other night so she could dance: "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas. You're never too old for some Boom Boom Pow.

(I was going to put up a video of me dancing the Thriller for you guys, but I've hurt both of my ankles and it's painful just to walk so I can't attempt to dance right now.)

Here are our July Birthdays!
Check out the birthday pups pictures in the directory. And also please let me know if my information is incorrect.


July Birthdays

erin0610's Bella - 7/2/05 [4]
Carlin - 7/10/08 [1]
Cody - 7/29/06 [3]
Foomin - 7/8/06 [3]
Guinness - 7/4/06 [3]
Hamlet - 7/12
Harvey - 7/24/05 [4]
Kali - 7/7/07 [2]
Korby - 7/31/02 [7]
Laci - 7/20/08 [1]
Mickey - 7/20/04 [5]
Mitch - 7/20/03 [6]
Puck - 7/11/07 [2]
Quinn - 7/29/02 [7]
Rigby - 7/30/07 [2]
Skye - 7/19/03 [6]
Stewart - 7/2/00 [9]
Tauri - 7/29/06 [3]
Tesla - 7/21
Tucker - 7/3/06 [3]
Turbo - 7/3/07 [2]
magnoliafly
ohthecuteness
lemmingpie
somethingpoetic

If you would like your pup added to the directory, just fill out the poll!

Over 500,000 hits on Book View Cafe last month! Whoo-hoo! We're also within cheering distance of 1000 registered members. When the counter hits four figures, we're gonna party. (One of the door prizes is a story by moi. Shhhhh. You didn't hear that yet.)

My stories are in the top 25 for hits for the month. Thanks to everybody from here who made that happen. :)

I'm new. I joined via the recommendation of a cool person in dog_lovers. But enough about me, I am boring. I'm here to introduce my little bud named Beaker.

( Cut for pics! )

Anywho, sorry for the super long post. And also sorry for the quality of some of the pics. I tend to take a TON of shots of Beaker with my cell phone, and when we're inside the quality doesn't turn out so great. Hopefully I'll get some better shots soon.

There's a new story up at Book View Cafe. This one is totally off the wall. I wrote it for Resnick as a sequel to "Them Old Hyannis Blues." It's sort of appropriate for the Fourth.

At least I think so.

*throws confetti*

*lets loose a thousand balloons*

Welcome to my blog party! We're partying throughout the month of July. Today I've relaunched my website shananorris.com with a whole new look, so if you're reading this through Livejournal you can pop over there to take a look! Also, the Troy High page has been expanded to give more details about my version of the retelling and also includes links to different websites with more information on the events and people involved in the Trojan War.

Here's the first bit of trivia I've released about Troy High:

It's obvious where Troy High got its name, but the name of the other high school in the story, Lacede High, was also inspired by Ancient Greece: Sparta was referred to by the ancient Greeks as Lacedaemon. According to Greek mythology, Lacedaemon was a son of Zeus and married Sparta. He named his country after himself and the capital after his wife. Lacedaemon is now the name of a province in the Greek prefecture Laconia, where the ancient site of Sparta lies. From Lacedaemon, I created the school name of Lacede High School, home of the Spartans.

There will be a video sneak peek at Troy High posted tomorrow, so check back for that!

Now, since this is a party, we're going to dance. As a tribute and because it's one of those songs that I absolutely cannot resist dancing to, we're kicking off with Thriller!



(It's just the dance part because all of the full version videos have disabled embedding. But you can go here to see the full video.)

Just wanted to say hello...been a few months or so since we posted on here.
Biscuit does NOT like the 100+ degree heat here in Dallas right now.
He hardly goes outside now.
He isn't scared of the thunder itself, but HATES water/rain/getting wet. NICE.
Fun bath times and walks when it is drizzling.

He's gotten BIG...Not gigantic! Here are a few pictures taken early one morning at the dog park down the street...It's really nice, just a few blocks from home and fenced in.
It's his favorite place!





Yes- his tongue is enormously long still!! LOL

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

I just got home after completing the carefully constructed drive to rescue the No Name Corgi, I couldn't be more pleased :) She was a dream to ride with! I'm so very happy for her that she is safe from euthanasia and going to find her forever home. Here are some pictures from my leg of the trip, for those who are interested.

( Dogs awaaayyyyyyy.... )

Starts tomorrow!