mipmup.

newly shorn sheep.

photo credit: me and the little sheep.

the onion volcano.

one of my young nephews had a piano recital over the weekend (and earned a special award, i might brag) and got to pick the location of our dinner afterward. he wanted benihana, a japanese chain restaurant where the chef cooks at your table. apparently, this made quite an impact on him the last time we were there. it just had to be benihana. the reason?

the onion volcano.

the chef stacks up slices of onion on the grill in the shape of an upside-down cone, pours in some water which steams out. and voila! a "volcano" is born. this lasts about 15 seconds.

and what did he want to eat? rice.

i didn't mention it to the chef lest he be offended by my nephew's decisionmaking criterion.

art credit: benihana.

what price?

my mother's dog is very ill and needs to have surgery. the dog is otherwise healthy and quite young. the surgery will cost $2,500. instead of putting her down, my mom has elected to have the surgery but this will be a stretch for her financially.

our friend's dog has cancer. he will be having his leg amputated this week, extending his life for (perhaps) two years. the price? $10,000.

in either case, if our dog were sick, i would have the surgeries. i just can't put a price on the love i feel for our dog.

hair happy.

after nearly 12 months, i got a haircut today. i cut 14 inches off and it's still shoulder length. when my stylist snipped off the inches, his assistant grimaced and cried, "oh! i'd be so emotional right now!" i think she meant "emotional" as in "freaking out." but i've been here before. many years ago, i had about the same length and cut it boy short.

and today i was ready. so i was emotional, yes, in a good way.

it's funny how much my hair affects me. one time, i got a terrible cut that was completely the opposite of what i asked for and sat in the disneyland parking lot crying, refusing to go in because i looked so ugly. and in the last year, without a good cut, each day i had to pull it back into a little quasi-chignon. every day. over and over. for 365 days. this made me tired. it made me feel older. more serious. less carefree. less sexy.

but today my very generous, selfless better half surprised me with an appointment at the fancy shmancy place with the only stylist i trust. we can't really afford it. but he made me go.

and i'm so glad. i feel all flippy. all jennifer garner. all cute.

and my better half clearly knows that my hair is somehow tied to my mental wellbeing as crazy as that sounds. he knows this about me. recognizes it. and cares. and did something about it.

and that has made my day.

is it so wrong to steal?

this and so much more from the haute dog easter parade for charity over at life begins @ thirty.

i totally want to find that dog and doggynap it.

photo credit: jen, life begins @ thirty.

i'll take the flak.

sometimes i get flak for being a peta member.

"they're too extreme."
"their work is not as important because we're talking about animals, not humans."
"how badly do people really treat animals?"

but then i hear a story like this one and my commitment is reaffirmed.

a woman i bumped into this morning had a small female golden, same color as haley (a darker gold than most goldens) and so we began chatting. she said that she adopted the dog from a rescue organization about two months ago. the dog was found tied up to a light post on a very busy street and when they checked her in, she was so filthy that they thought she was a black dog.

the rescuer figured that someone had tied her up so that she would be safe from traffic, but in doing so, she nearly died because she couldn't get to water. who knows how long she had been tied up there to get to that level of dehydration. why didn't the person who tied her up just take her in?

they guessed that she had been wandering for a couple of months since she weighed only 26 pounds. she is a tad bit smaller than haley and haley weighs 65 pounds. there was no collar on her.

once the vet took a look at her, she said that they had bred the dog twice and it looked like they just let her go because of her severe case of hip dysplasia. they just let her go. in the street. in the city.

this dog, like most goldens, has the sweetest, most gentle face. how could someone let her go like that? and even if she didn't, it must take a truly heartless person just to let go like that.

and although her owner said she is afraid of other dogs, she greeted haley warmly and they even played for a bit. her owner said that even though she's well taken care of now, she eats ravenously at each feeding. almost like she's afraid that there won't be another chance.

as luck would have it, the woman who adopted her told her rescuer friend that she'd be interested in adopting a golden. that same day, she found sienna.

the owner says that sienna mostly lays down because of her dysplasia and that she probably doesn't have much longer to live. and the vet estimated that she's only between four- and six-years-old. normally, these dogs live up to 13 or 14.

it is because of stories like this and this that i support peta and all their (yes, sometimes wacky) activities in the promotion of ethical treatment of animals.

"peta believes that animals deserve the most basic rights—consideration of their own best interests regardless of whether they are useful to humans. like you, they are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their own lives; therefore, they are not ours to use—for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation, or for any other reason."

what to do if you see an abandoned dog.

photo credit: me.

it's all about me ii.

thanks for the inspiration, kane.

1. what year was the best year of your life?
hard to say, but 1992, 1993 and 2001 were very good for very different reasons.

2. one animal or insect that noah should have left off the ark?
birds. all of them except penguins. they're cute and don't fly in your face.

3. do you make a wish before blowing out your birthday candles?
of course!

4. do you generally open your bills on the day that you receive them?
no.

5. how many pillows are on your bed?
four sleepy ones, two therapeutic neck ones recommended by my acupuncturist and four decorative ones.

6. favorite ice cream flavor?
any fruit sorbet, especially mango.

7. what is the most dominate color in your wardrobe?
black.

8. have you ever seen a ghost?
yes, when i was very young. my grandmother was sitting in our living room right after she died.

9. would you rather go to a carnival or circus?
a cirque du soleill, not one with animals as they are quite cruel.

10. favorite meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
dinner.

11. your favorite fictional animal?
unicorn. so hokey, but it's a holdover from childhood.

12. have you ever flown first-class?
yes. it was the best thing ever.

13. would you go on a reality show?
nevah!

14. are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
pessimistic. but trying to change.

15. pancakes or waffles?
before eliminating eggs and dairy, waffles.

16. if you could own a home anywhere in the world, where would it be?
tough one. hawai'i, italy, new mexico, africa strike me as good spots.

17. your favorite soup of the day?
anything made with vegetarian stock. a rare find.

18. what site is a must see for all visitors to your city?
celebrities.

19. can you recommend a good restaurant in your city?
no. we're kind of in a culinary wasteland in my specific city.

20. you go to the zoo; what is the one animal that you want to see?
giraffes.

21. potatoes, rice, or pasta; which is your favorite?
potatoes.

22. what is the best movie that you've seen this year?
haven't seen a great one yet.

23. one of your favorite books when you were a child?
"island of the blue dolphins" by scott o'dell. i really wanted to be the main character so badly.

24. what in your life are you most grateful for?
my better half.

25. you are home alone and use the bathroom; do you close the door?
sometimes.

26. what is your favorite small appliance?
my tangerine kitchenaid.

27. salty snacks or sweet treats?
salty snacks. my faves are pringles, pik-nik and sesame sticks from trader joe's.

28. are you usually a little early, a little late, or right on time?
it depends on the occasion, but usually a little late.

29. what is the most daring thing that you have ever done?
i'm not sure if i've done anything daring.

30. have you ever met someone famous? if yes, name one.
bruno kirby at some academy of motion picture arts and sciences shindig.

31. what was one of your favorite games as a child?
candyland. i wanted to eat everything.

32. at what age have you looked your best?
19.

33. one person that never fails to make you laugh?
my better half and friend stacy.

34. what was the first music that you ever bought?
"business as usual" by men at work. i thought i was so cool.

35. if you could change one thing about your family life when you were a child, what would it be?
having my dad around more.

36. what is the one thing that you cook that always receives compliments?
marinara sauce and dessert.

37. from what news source do you receive the bulk of your news?
various internet sources, including cnn, salon and local news sites.

38. in the last calendar year, how many people have you told that you love them?
nine.

39. who received your first kiss?
brian t.

40. the single most important quality in a mate?
loyalty.

41. what do you value most in a relationship?
companionship.

42. do you believe that you have a soulmate? if yes, have you already met?
yes and yes.

43. do you consider yourself well organized?
not particularly, although other people see me that way.

44. on average, how many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror?
five.

45. did you ever make a prank phone call?
yep. we loved to call kentucky fried chicken and ask, "how big are your breasts?" so dumb.

46. what one quality do you seek in a friend?
support.

47. have you ever killed an animal?
yes. a fish or two when i was little. i've made up for it now though. i'm a no meat/no dairy/no eggs person.

48. when you were 12 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
a writer.

49. do you believe in a afterlife?
yes.

50. what would you like to accomplish with the remaining years of your life?
something/anything that makes a difference.

someone needs your help.

i was very touched by this article about the plight of afghan women, so i wrote to the author asking what i could do to help. she referred me to the head of the afghan center in kabul. i emailed him the same question and i was pretty surprised by his response.

he said in a bcc email that while he was "glad to see it in print [he was] afraid of its consequences" for the woman that was featured. he continued, "if relatives see this article it could be very bad for her so i certainly don't want to see her name exposed further at this time. all these things would be taken negatively and most like result in her being married off immediately."

how easy it is to forget that we live in a land of free press and free everything else.

he followed-up this morning stating that the situation has deteriorated and included a plea for donations to get this woman and her brother, also forced to be engaged, to the united states. first, they would go to pakistan and live as refugees.

to this end, i'm asking for donations to see if we can help them escape. i've checked everything out and this seems on the up-and-up, even if this has to be done on the qt.

if you would like to donate to the cause, please email me at mipmup at hotmail dot com and i'll send you the strings of emails and the address for donations.

sip some strawberries.

it's strawberry time here in southern california and for the last three weeks, i see those delicious strawberries at the farmers' market and wonder how we'll eat them all. so i don't buy 'em.

but flipping through my favorite magazine, organic style, today i found a recipe for strawberry lemonade that i've adapted. i'm going to get those strawberries next time i go!

strawberry lemonade
serves 7 cups

2 c strawberries
6 c cold water
1/2 c sugar
1 c fresh lemon juice (from 6 lemons)

1. combine the strawberries, 1 cup water, and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds (optional). combine in a tall pitcher with lemon juice and remaining 5 cups water.

2. add additional sugar, if desired, and serve over ice.

photo credit: organic style.

oh no.

prince upset by ben affleck's swearing
"the daily dish." san francisco chronicle. april 16, 2004.

pop superstar prince walked out of a screening of ben affleck's new movie "jersey girl" -- because he didn't like the swearing in it.

the pop superstar -- famous for his risque lyrics -- hates to hear profanity since becoming a jehovah's witness and has dropped the more controversial songs from his current hits tour.

he says, "we walked out [of 'jersey girl'] after an hour. guess that's what happens when the potty mouth don't work for you anymore."

prince, who once appeared naked on the cover of his lovesexy album, is also urging his peers to use the janet jackson breast-baring scandal as a mark that such shockers should be a thing of the past.

he adds, "after janet, we've gone too far. we've pushed the envelope off the table and forgotten there was a table."

"jersey girl" director kevin smith isn't too concerned with prince's criticism.

he jokes, "i'm cool with him not liking 'jersey girl.' i f-- hated his album crystal ball, so now we're even."

---

this from an "artiste" with an oeuvre that includes songs such as:
"erotic city"
"d.m.s.r." (dance music sex romance)
"gett off"
"cream"
"do me baby"
"sexy m.f." (doesn't stand for mighty fine)
"feel u up"
"jack u off"
"private joy"

and those are just the titles. i won't even go into the lyrics. prince is my all-time fave, but c'mon. lighten up, stop proselytizing. and sing your best songs dammit. even those naughty ones. that's how we all fell in love with you in the first place.