Day 30: To all crazy cat ladies

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 30: To all crazy cat ladies

In the past, when someone called me a crazy cat lady, I was somewhat offended. One can have five dogs, four parakeets, a dozen fish, two tortoises or even a snake and nobody will think anything of it. Have more than one cat though and you’re a crazy cat lady.

A little research revealed that rather than being insulted, I should feel flattered. There are a number of famous people who loved cats, so I’m in great company.

Freddy Mercury 

John Travolta

Robert Downy Jr.

Meryl Streep 

               Cameron Diaz

Taylor Swift

And what, if I may ask is so wrong with loving cats? I’m rather fond of dogs too, all animals come to that, but cats are my favorites. They are beautiful, affectionate, clean and self-sufficient.

Cats are also less trouble than dogs. Cats use a litter box, but dogs have to be taken outside. Taking pooch for a walk or to do his business might be pleasant on a warm sunny day, but it’s quite a different story when it’s raining buckets or when the temperature falls to -35 deg C (-31 deg F). 

Not to mention that dogs have to be trained to do their business outside, which can take days or even weeks before the puppy gets it. With kittens you don’t have that problem. Show kitten where the litter box is and you never have to worry again. If a kitten or a cat uses anything other than the litter box, you can bet there is a health problem.

Then there’s the noise. Cats are quiet but dogs bark. We used to have a neighbor who had an Alsatian and the poor dog missed his owner so much during the day (and often night) that he barked and barked while scratching the door. I felt so sorry for the poor animal. Cats aren’t that vocal and even if they are the noise level isn’t as intrusive as a barking dog.

Then there’s the hygiene. Cats are self-cleaning, but dogs have to be washed. Giving a small dog a bath doesn’t seem all that difficult, but I imagine it’s quite a chore to get an unwilling Labrador or Golden Retriever into the bathroom.

As for food … unless you have a teeny tiny dog, feeding a dog is far more expensive than a cat. I can only imagine the amount of food a big dog goes through.

Last but not least, sleeping arrangements. I regularly have two to three cats sleeping on my bed. If this were two to three dogs … well, there wouldn’t be room for me anymore.

So yes, I prefer cats over dogs and I have four of them. If that makes me a crazy cat lady … so be it.

https://bestlifeonline.com/cutest-celebrity-cats/

Day 63: How to fix the economy

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 63: How to fix the economy

Over the past few days, I’ve been spending time with the rich and famous, the very rich. Well, not actually spending time ‘with’ time as much as helping them decide which yacht to rent or buy by way of describing these superyachts. It was an eye-opener, to say the least.

Usually, I’m not interested in yachts. If I can’t afford them, why go to exhibitions where these ships are on display or watch TV shows that feature these things. However, on this occasion a number of writers were required to give a detailed description of several yachts and since the job paid well I decided to join the team.

I just about fell in love with the first ship I did, the Northern Star. On the outside, she’s just about like any other ship, but on the inside ... OMG like I said, it was love at first sight. It didn’t even look like a ship, it looked like a home. A beautiful, tastefully decorated home. Writing about it was a breeze.

The Northern Star

One of the dining rooms

One of the sitting rooms

One of the bedrooms

One of the decks

Unfortunately, I will never have the pleasure of vacationing on such a ship because, while I have no idea how much the Northern Star costs to purchase, even renting her for a week is way out of my budget. Just in case you’re interested, renting the Northern Star will cost you $768,000 per week. Per week!!!

Following the Northern Star, I wrote about several other ships. Also beautifully decorated, but not quite too my taste. Too modern.

And then I came across the Al Salamah, a mega yacht previously owned by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. If you’re interested in buying this ship you better come up with $300 million. For this price, you and 39 of your friends can revel in the lap of luxury and be waited on hand and foot by a crew of 92. 

And then this morning I came across a plea for a donation from a man whose daughter has blood cancer. He is working, but he can’t afford the treatment for his daughter on his salary.

Now isn’t this ironic? On the one hand, there is a man who can spend $300 million dollars on a ship, and several more millionaires who can fork out over $500,000 to spend one week on a yacht. Yet here is a man who can’t afford to keep his daughter alive.

And he is, no doubt, not the only one.

My guess is that there are tons of people who can’t afford the medical care they need. And I’m not just talking about cancer treatment. Here in Canada for instance, medical care is free, but dental, eye care, hearing, and medication must be paid. Thus, lots of people forego going to the dentist, do without glasses, without hearing aids or without medication.

Others have it even worse. The can’t afford housing, warm clothing, or even decent food.

Where it comes to money distribution, the folks who waste their money on million dollar homes, luxury cars, yachts and other outrages expenses should be forced to share their wealth with the less fortunate. And I’m not talking about the poor people in Africa (although they too can do with some help) or those on welfare. I’m talking about the average working class. Folks who go to work every day and still struggle to make ends meet or who barely get by.

Wouldn’t it be nice if those rich wasters were forced to donate an equal amount of money to what they spent on frivolities? If they pay $300 million for a yacht, they should be forced to donate $300 million. If another waste $40 million on a house, he should contribute $40 million to the people fund. If another still spends $2.2 million on a car, $2.2 million should be donated, etc.

Not only would the rich think twice before wasting their money, the economy would benefit from their donations. Do you know how many people live in million dollar mansions, drive luxury cars, and vacation on superyachts ... tons of them. 

With more money to spend, the working class would be able to afford a house/condo, a car, furniture, clothes, groceries, and anything else they might want or need. With more items needed production the economy would go up and unemployment down. Even the crime rate might go down.

Then again, who would oversee such a donation fund? Charitable organizations have notoriously sticky fingers and with millions coming in it’s only a matter of time before someone or several someones would nibble on the fund for their own gain.

Still, fixing the economy this way is a nice thought, isn’t it?

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Why Was the Leaning Tower of Pisa Built

His flaw made him famous

Gleaming in the sunshine in Tuscany, Italy, stands the tower of Pisa.  If the tower had been straight, it would have been just another building, but the fact that he leans at a precarious angle has gained it worldwide attention.  Why was the leaning tower of Pisa built?  It was constructed for a very specific purpose.

Why the tower was built

In the 11 century, the citizens of Pisa were sailors who set out to conquer countries and islands such as Spain, Norway, Britannia, Norway, Mallorca and Ibiza.  The citizens of Florence were their enemies and the sailors wanted to display a sign of their wealth.  A fancy tower seemed just the thing.

Building the tower of Pisa

An architect’s nightmare right from the start.

·       Field of Miracles  was chosen as its location. 

·       Construction was started on August 14, 1173. 

·       After the foundation was laid and three stories were build, the city of Pisa ran out of money and construction was halted. 

·       Unknown to the architect, Field of Miracles used to be a river delta, now filled with sand.  This made the surface unsuitable for heavy buildings.

·       Shortly after the third floor was built, the architect realized that the tower leaned toward to south.  In 1272 counter weights were added to prevent the building from collapsing.

·       In that same year construction was interrupted, Pisa declared war on Florence.  Funds that were assigned to building the tower were now spend on warfare.

·       In 1372 the tower was completed.

·       In 1838, Alessandro Della Gherardesca wanted to show off the detail that went into the base of the tower and ordered a path to be constructed around the tower.  When the workers struck water, the tower began to lean even more.

Specifications of the tower

The brainchild of Bonanno Pisano.

·       While the exterior of the tower is marble, the interior is constructed from lime and lime mortar.  The architect probably didn’t know that the lime is the reason why the tower stood the test of time without breaking or cracking.

·       On the low side, the tower measures 183.27 feet from the ground, on the high site its height is 186.02 feet.

·       At the base of the tower, the walls are 13.42 feet wide, while at the top they are 8.14 feet wide.

·       The tower’s weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons. 

·       Between 1990 and 2001 restoration work was done to straighten the tower.  While the tower used to lean at an angle of 5.5 degrees, this was reduced to 3.99 degrees.

·       Visitors can climb the tower via 196 steps at a price of 20 Euros.

Field of Miracles

Other than the tower of Pisa, the Duomo the Baptistery and the Baptistery of San Giovanni were built on the Field of Miracles. 

·       The latter was built in the 11th century and finished in the 14th century.  

·       Even though the diameter of the Baptistery is 115 feet, the acoustics of the dome are so good that you can whisper on one side and be heard perfectly on the other.  

·       Students fear the baptistery as, according to legend, should they walk around the building they will never get their degree.

Why was the leaning tower of Pisa build?  So the people of Pisa could show off their wealth to the city of Florence.  Which didn’t help them in the end, as they lost the war with Florence and were enslaved.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

The good, the bad and the OMG

In the world of literature, there are famous authors, published writers, self-published works and people who have completed a manuscript or want to write a story, but are too afraid to publish.

It’s hardly surprising.  Writers who tried to publish their work tell horror stories of contacting literary agent after literary agent, only to receive a polite letter of rejection.  One writers admitted that he received so many rejections, that he wallpapered his office with them.

Being an avid reader and book buyer, I have a favorite set of authors.  Whenever I go to the book store, I scan the shelves for their names first, looking if they’ve come out with something new.  I just know if I buy from them I’m guaranteed a good story.

For the longest time I believed this to be true, but now I’m not so sure anymore.

The latest novel of one of my favorite authors was a total let down.  The first chapter dragged on, I thought the story would improve but it didn’t, if anything it got worse.  The story was uninteresting, the characters unsympathetic and the setting as dull as dishwater.  I gave up at page 106.

How was it possible that this writer, whose previous book was an absolute masterpiece of imagination could produce something so bad?  

When I needed something else to read, and couldn’t find anything of my favorites, I took a chance on the debut novel of a new author.  Part of me was interested in the story (having read the synopsis) and another part wanted to find out what it was that had captured a literary agent’s attention to take a chance on the writer.  What made the story unique?

The story was unique alright, unique in crappiness.  With that book I only made it to page 27, before I tossed it aside thinking “How could this have found a publisher?”  Was this what agents were looking for?  Stories so over the top in their ridiculousness that they became laughable?

I wonder how many other people got fooled and bought the book?  I wonder how many will do the same as me and return the book to the store?

I really think there are a lot of self-published authors out there who deserve the attention of the respected publishing houses and I also think that a lot of mainstream authors need to rethink what they’re writing.

It’s not because they’re published by Orion that they’re good; it’s not because someone is self-published that they’re work is inferior.