Author Archives: Jen

About Jen

Jen isn't quite sure when she lost her mind, but it is probably documented here on Meditatio. She blogs because the world needs her snark at all hours of the night... and she probably can't sleep anyway.

Going to the V-E-T

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I start work next Tuesday so I’ve been trying to get my life in order.Â? I saw my doc yesterday regarding my bloodwork and this morning, I took the eldest three of my Awesome Pawsome to the v-e-t.Â? (Freya is sitting next to me so I need to spell these things out.)

I cleaned their carriers yesterday and put fresh blankets in for linings.Â? Cullen got his kitten blanket, Finian got a soft blue one, and Edda got a couple fleece pillowcases.Â? I stored them in the guestroom and planned to just get the three up onto the 2nd floor so that I didn’t have to go under beds to get them or move furniture.

Well… I got Finian crated first and it was the normal challenge with him.Â? He fought tooth and claw and was headbutting the crate door as I was closing it.Â? Then… the HOWLING began, which unfortunately tipped Cullen off to something he wouldn’t like.Â? Mr. Stripes (Cullen) was fairly easy to get into his crate and the Edda Puss went in without a problem.

Well… we had a three-part harmony of HOWLING going on as we drove to the vet.Â? About 10 miles into the drive, someone used their carrier as a commode (we found out later that it was Edda) so we also had that smell to contend with.Â? We got there and the vet had us bring them in one at a time.Â? He wanted to start with the dirty carrier cat (which I thought was Cullen as he’s done this before) so we brought Cullen in.Â? He did not want to come out so we took his carrier apart (removed the screws holding it together) and lifted the top off.Â? His weight ended up being 13 lbs (meaning that FREYA is heavier — we might want to talk D-I-E-T for her) and he either smooshed up into my right armpit or the vet tech’s left armpit.Â? (We had a tech who loved up my babies which was good.)Â? He had to have his ears cleaned of lots of wax which was unpleasant for him and made want to scratch them.Â? (One of his hind paws was thumping.)Â? He behaved like a perfect gentleman for his shots and when we finished, we put him on the bottom half of his carrier and he curled up in a ball in the back while we screwed the top back on.

Next was Edda (I sniffed carriers and hers was the dirty one) so we got her in and I got her out so the vet tech could go clean up the lining as well as the carrier.Â? (We were most appreciative.)Â? She did NOT like the cold table so after we got her weighed (a hair over 9 lbs — she’s a petite little one), I held her while the vet cleaned her ears and gave her shots.Â? She just melted in my arms and was chill as long as I or the vet were holding her.Â? She was VERY happy to get back into her carrier.

Last was Finian who was an inert fluffy pillow the whole time.Â? He did have to have his ears cleaned but was chill about it and even sat still to be weighed (11ish lbs).Â? We didn’t try to pull him out of the carrier — his has a lid that snaps off so we just snapped it off, something that was VASTLY easier than dealing with the screws.Â? He had the beginnings of an abcess on his chin which the vet had to scrape off, causing Mr. Fluffybutt to hiss.Â? He also had his teeth checked (another hissing fit) and had his teeth pronounced excellent.Â? He behaved himself for his shots and was a good boy in every other regard.

The bill ended up being about $35 per cat (we apparently were only charged for the vaccinations — SCORE!) and after getting everyone loaded into the car, we did some brief errands (I ran in while Jon stayed with the babies) and then picked up my car which was having the oil pan fixed.Â? I got them home and they BOLTED from their carriers.Â? (They had been mostly quiet on the way home except for some conversation from Edda who was watching her surroundings and then the HOWLS when we got near the parsonage.

So far, everyone is doing OK.Â? Freya was happy to have some quiet time while her siblings were at the vet and while they’re quieter, nobody seems to be too sick from their shots.Â? I just gave tummy rubs to the studly beastlings on the bed and I’ll go snuggle with the Edda when I finish this post.

What’s Wrong With This Picture???

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I finally got around to watching one of the “God’s Warriors” specials that I DVR’ed last month.Â? It was the Christian one and I found it horribly lacking in spectrum when referring to evangelical Christianity.Â? For one, it showed mostly Jerry Falwell and his minions who are trying to re-structure the Supreme Court.Â? To her benefit, Christiane Amanpour *DID* interview Jimmy Carter who *IS* one of the most visible Christians today and who has done immeasurably more out of office than in.

I think the thing that irritated me most was the failure of everyone shown to understand that the Gospel and bringing about the kingdom doesn’t involve getting one political party to dominate the government.Â? I know that Jesus wasn’t about all that and that the Son of God does not belong to either major political party.Â? Instead, I think Jesus would have been all about the work of groups like International Justice Mission,Â? ModestNeeds.Org, Kiva, and Lutheran World Relief.Â? In fact, the social justice plank of the Democrats’ platform resembles more of what Jesus wanted.

How do I know that Jesus wouldn’t have been rarin’ to go for the morals and the changing of the court?Â? Because that’s not what He fought for in his lifetime.Â? He healed the sick, cured the lame, and gave the outcast some standing.Â? Oh yes… let’s not forget that the Israelites were exiled back in the day because they focused on being so perfectly right while ignoring the commands to take care of the widow and orphan.

It just makes me sick to see people like James Dobson railing about the immorality of this country while ignoring the fact that there are people starving and dying in the world.Â? Why didn’t we hear massive pleas from all the talking heads to contribute to aid funds for the earthquakes in Peru?Â? Is it because they’re all poor and not on the radar of Dr. Dobson and others in the “moral majority”?Â? What is so freaking moral about a bunch of men who ignore the sick and dying in order to pontificate about what they believe???

Jesus, please save me from some of your followers!

Football

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Bad Michigan!Â? Bad!Â? App State should have been a joke instead of a rival!!!

The only one of MY teams to win this week was the University of Washington. Go Huskies!Â? (They kicked the crap out of Syracuse.)

Albertsons is EEEEEVVVVIIILLLLLL!!!

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When I was shopping today, the lane I was in for checking out had the fresh French bread next to it… and the bakery people were inviting people to feeeeeel the warm bread not to mention the smell wafting about.

Evil carb dealers!!!

(And of course, I had to get some and have a couple pieces when I got home because it was still warm.Â? And I missed the call from the nurse regarding my bloodwork which was probably not good and means that I’ll get a “get your butt down here” summons tomorrow.Â? Well… that or yelled at for eating the French bread.)

Who’s Next?

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Now that Gonzo is gone, next on the to-do list is Dick Cheney.Â? Better yet… let’s get both Bush and Cheney out.Â? Impeach the shrub and get Cheney for giving Haliburton all the contracts in the Middle East.Â? (Isn’t it a crime when there’s no fair bid?)

What?Â? Comments don’t work?Â? I wonder why.

Why Is This Surprising?

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Telegraph.Co.UK: Mother Teresa’s diary reveals her crisis of faith

Refer to title for question. The management thanks you.

Seriously… she was a broken human being like the rest of us, born into sin and baptized into the death of Christ, which was her redemption. Unlike many of us, she chose willlingly to work among those who were forgotten, fulfilling Matthew 25:34-40. For that reason, she should be canonized — she lived a life in service to others and it’s an example of AMAZING spiritual fruit that should be considered and emulated inasmuch as is possible by her brothers and sisters in Christ.

There’s a quote that Jan Karon used in Patches of Godlight that sticks out:

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

I don’t believe in purgatory or the power of the cult of the saints — I believe that I am saved by grace through faith. This means that I accept that I am a broken, sinful human being who cannot come to God through my own understanding, but instead am enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Yes, I’m paraphrasing the answer to the question about the Third Article of the Creed in the Small Catechism. I *am* Lutheran after all, even if I am pondering becoming Antiochian Orthodox or returning to being an Anglican.)Â? I also believe that saints don’t have magical powers — they were people who did amazing things with the talents given to them by the Lord and said things were done in the name of bringing about the Kingdom of God.Â? That is why they are saints.Â? All of us have that potential but not many can make the sacrifice to give up what we have in this world to bring about the next.

It’s going to be interesting to see what the Vatican does with this startling revelation.Â? Hopefully,Â? whoever is involved in the beatification procedure (the terminology escapes me at the moment) willÂ? see that this is part of what made her human.Â? What she chose to do (i.e. living her life in the service of Christ regardless of her doubts) is what makes her holy and perhaps worthy of being canonized as a saint.