Ten years ago when I chose my first Kitten, Owen, I was on a shopping trip at the mall in Peterborough, I saw a little kitten, fell in love and bought it.  Not planned, no idea what I was getting into.  At 21 and in my first apartment it really seemed like a good idea. 

My Owen had so much spunk, he just wanted to play, day and night.  He would bite my toe’s, I could never sleep.    So my friends suggested getting him his own kitten.  After not much thought and limited funds, I went to the Peterborough Humane Society to just check things out and see, I had no intention to get another kitten. 

But then this little grey paw darted out of a cage and grabbed my sweater, it wouldn’t let go.  I found the owner of the paw to be a little 3 month old grey kitten that was really cute but so scrawny.  After detaching his claws from my sweater I opened up the cage and picked the little guy up, he immediately reattached himself to me.  He would not let me look at another cat or put him down.  He picked me I was his Mommy, what choice did I have but to adopt him? 

There were many surprises when got him home, first was the immediate connection between my new addition and Owen, they were best friends and off playing within minutes of meeting.  Then there was his need for food, he would meow at his bowl, if he could see the bottom, for more food.  Basically saying MORE!!! Because of this, I named him Oliver, for Oliver Twist. Little Oliver was so smart, he knew his name within a day, and would come running when called.  He would jump up on your lap or any surface you patted.  The best surprise was that his attachment to me didn’t end when I brought him home, he always wanted to be near me, and touching me.  If he couldn’t be in my lap, he would sit beside me touching my leg.  His favourite sleeping spot for his whole life was the crook of my neck.  If Oliver couldn’t be with me, he wanted to be with his brother Owen, they would squish themselves into a tiny cat bed, even though they both had their own.  

We were a very happy threesome, but there were some scary moments.  Oliver had a way of getting to the strangest places, he would always try to get up so high, well until the big fall.  Oliver was sleeping on the ledge above my stairs, he was hanging half off all comfortable, he twitched in his sleep, upset his balance and fell the 12 feet to the ground.  The whole incident seemed to happen in slow motion, I screamed, he landed on his feet and just ran away.  I was shaking for a good hour, and Olie hid for hours.  He never when up that high again. 

Another fright was when the little monkey got out of the house.  It was Halloween, and Oliver was 3, he got outside, and I didn’t notice.  I went down into the basement to read a book, when I looked up and there was a cat in my window, I actually said, “that cat looks just like Oliver,” Duh – it was Oliver tapping on the window to be let in.  Such a smart little guy.  My mind was racing with all the what-if’s for days.

Oliver was so friendly and made all visitors to our home feel so welcome. he was so out going and loving, he made so many people fall in love with him.  Especially me. 

My favourite Oliver behaviour occurred every morning.  He would wait until he saw my eyes open and then begin nudging me with his cold we nose.  He wanted to be stroked, or let under the covers, or for me to get up and follow him to his half full food bowl to add more kibble. 

This November Olie started sneezing and not cuddling each morning.  His “cold” got progressively worse.  He had two rounds of antibiotics, but my poor little guy was not getting any better.  One day while wiping his nose he scratched his eye, causing it to swell up to the size of a golf ball.  This caused him so much pain, even with medicine to treat his eye, it wouldn’t heal.  Through all the treatment, eye drops 8 times a day, and pills, he was so happy, loving and still wanted to play. 

He was so unwell, I brought him to Windsor to be seen by our families long time vet, Dr. Fetherston.  As sick and weak as he was, little Oliver still greeted his Doctor, and was such a friendly boy.  His blood was tested, and he was found to be in kidney and liver failure.  Nothing could be done.  Oliver was going to die, it was just a matter of when.  I made the horrible decision to euthanize  him.  Olie was in so much pain, he wasn’t eating, and he hadn’t purred for over a week. Dr. Fetherston was so kind to us.  My wonderful little Oliver died in my arms on December 30, 2008.

I am so thankful that I was given nine wonderful years with Oliver.  Owen and I miss him so much, but I know that his wonderful spirit will always be with us.  A soul that beautiful just doesn’t disappear.

I am not one for change, when I find something I like, I stick to it.   I loved my first cruise on The ms Rotterdam, Holland America Line’s flag ship.  It was my perfect fit, no need to ever try a different cruise line again.  That is until my second cruise on the Costa Atlantic

 

For the first half of my second cruise it was a challenge not to compare the ships.   They really are not the same product;  both are excellent, but designed to be completely different experiences.  The Atlantic is more of a good time ship, always something fun to do.  Rotterdam, for me at least, is more relaxing, restful, and classic. 

 

In the end I realized the significant differences came down to a few areas, the primary one was Holland America’s Frank “the Port Lecturer” Buckingham.  Frank really made my holiday experience special while on the Rotterdam. 

 

Every port Frank would give a lecture, you didn’t have to attend in person, because they were played on a loop on HAL TV, I would listen to the information on the next day’s port every night before bed.  His information was so thorough, it was often heard on shore excursions “but Port Lecture Frank said…” if there was a discrepancy between his information and the tour guides.

 

I was lucky enough to be with his group on a Shore Excursion in St. Petersburg to the Yusupov Palace.  Rasputin was murdered here, and Franks description of the events was more accurate and engaging then the tour guides.  It was one of the best nights of the cruise. 

 

October 17, 2008

I have been in Tuscany for the past two days.  First Stop Pisa, saw the tower, still leaning.  Second stop, Florence.  Everything is so beautiful.  Naples and Sicily had me jaded about Italy, but Tuscany turned it all around.  

 

Things I wasn’t expecting:

 

1.   The bus couldn’t stop in front of our hotel, street to small.  We had to haul our luggage 150m down a small laneway, to the lovely 16^th century Hotel Paris.  The trek was worth it, the hotel is beautiful, but the beds were crap, and in addition to carry the luggage down the lane, we had to haul it up the stairs, to the 5^th floor.  I did learn something from this, PACK LESS!

 

2.   The highlight of my visit to Florence was to be a viewing of Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’Accademia.  But when our group arrived there today at 8:15am we couldn’t get in, the staff was on strike.  I have heard of the Italian wildcat strikes at airports but a cultural attraction?  There wasn’t even a picket line to spit at! 

 

3.   Italian time – I sort of understood about Italian time from being on the Italian Cruise line, Costa, nothing really started when it should.  Today, after the disappointment of the strike, our group went on to the next items on our “to see” list.  Nothing opened when it was supposed to, and when they get did get around too opening, if you asked about the delay – they would say “not New York, slow down, relax.”  Okay then, I guess these people didn’t realize I only had 23 hours to see their amazing city. 

 

4.   Gypsy Pan Handlers and North African Counterfeit Street Sellers.  The North African’s were especially bad in Pisa. From what I gather these two groups of people are not welcome in Italy, and therefore can’t get real jobs.  As a result, they turn to illegal activities.  While I did not like being harassed, I was totally impressed by the Polizia.  In Pisa, when they walked down the street, the North African’s grabbed their merchandise and ran away.  Today in an outdoor market in Florence I was being swarmed by Gypsy’s. Well in charged the Polizia and they sent them away, if that wasn’t enough, they were really nice (and cute) and informed me that Gypsy’s don’t just beg, they pick pocket too, so watch my bag. Talk about service! I say send Toronto’s Mayor, David Miller, to Florence to see how things should be done.

 

More things I wasn’t expecting, but Loved:

 

1.   Florence and Pisa were so clean and welcoming.  The attractions were maintained to look as close to the original as possible.  The citizens were also happy we were there.  Signage and information was geared to aid tourist in navigating the city, again, David Miller, take note.

 

2.   Florence was set up for electric vehicles.  Charging stations all over the place.  Even the postman drove an electric three-wheeled car. 

 

3.   There is home delivery for fresh pasta, just like the milk man from bygone times. (BTW the pasta delivery vehicle was electric).

 

4.   Five Geleteria’s on every block!  Oh man Chocolate Gelato. 

 

5.   The countryside was just like in the movies, I thought it was too good to be true, but I am happy to be wrong.

 

Very good visit, but I need to go back, for at least a week, and take in the sights using Italian time.

October 11, 2008

It really is never easy being me.  No matter what I do or where I go, something inevitably goes wrong.  Typically, I give people permission to laugh at my traveling misfortunes.  On this trip, there have been 2 such circumstances, feel free to laugh, or just shake your head.  But please, while reading, cross your fingers in hopes that nothing else can go wrong on this trip.

My feet have been swollen for 8 days; Elephant feet, no joke.  I would post a picture but it is really just too embarrassing.   At the ships pharmacy they gave me this anti-inflammatory gel, no smell, and only 6 Euros, same product with an English label and an odd smell requires, in Canada, a prescription and $80.  I used it for 3 days with slight improvement.  But today, in Cyprus, I walked all over the place and through this amazing “magical healing river” to a waterfall.  When I got back to my cabin and took off my stinky shoes, my feet were back to normal.

It could have been the river that fixed my feet, and that is what I want to believe, makes for a better story, but I figure the medication received from the previous night’s incident, probably helped. So with that thought, here is the inevitable allergic reaction story: 

I have been doing so well, cruise day one, I went to the Maiter’d and outlined all my allergies.  The serving staff have been amazing, “Miss I cannot serve to you this soup, it would make for you sick,” and so on. 

One thing I didn’t avoid was European Pop.  It’s made with real sugar not high fructose corn syrup, much more enjoyable.  The EU standard for food ensures that natural ingredients are used in products designed for consumption, whenever possible.  My favourite Pop is Orange Fanta, not too sweet, natural orange flavour, etc.  In Scandinavia and the UK, Orange Fanta is only slightly orange; but in Germany, France, Italy etc they make it more vibrant orange.  How to do that with these new regulations?  Carrot Concentrate of course, and since the cans are all in German and French, I didn’t notice (even though there is a big section on the front of the can identifying what makes it orange). 

After the first can I started feeling a cold (so I thought) coming on, I took some cold and sinus stuff and carried on.  These meds contains an antihistamine which suppressed the allergic reaction.   The sicker I felt, the more orange soda I drank, my throat was getting so sore.  Last night I fell asleep early and forgot my cold meds, within 3 hours, I woke up because I couldn’t swallow, at all.  Scary realization, allergic reaction occurring. A reaction to what? Perhaps some crazy Egyptian bug or from the local lunch, who knows; but I needed help, immediately.  I downed 2 Benadryl, and went to the Infirmary.  They were fantastic, 500 Euros, 1 IV steroid, and a shot in the ass later, all better.   And, new procedure to add to my list, IV inserted on a ship during rolling seas, it only took 6 tries. 

Lesson learned – read labels carefully especially when they are written in foreign languages, or better still, drink water (bottled water).

Never a dull moment! Maybe I should rename my blog “My tour of international medical facilities.”

October 7, 2008
 
Naples, Italy – POMPEII

I have wanted to visit Pompeii since Grade 11 Ancient History Class when I was 15 years old.  It was worth the wait.  Totally amazing!  I could have spent all day visiting this Roman City, instead I had 2 hours. 

There were so many highlights; I saw the Forum, Temple of Apollo, the casts of the victims and so on.  In addition to the standard sights and information, our guide taught us about Eros, which is, in essence, Roman dedication to erotic pleasure. The following is a brief summary of what I learnt:

Pompeii was a port town and had many foreign visitors.  Brothel’s in an attempt maximize their business and satisfy their foreign clientele would make finding and using their establishment as simple as possible.

A person seeking such pleasure in Pompeii, as in most Roman towns would follow the phallus “arrows” to the local brothel.   Another phallus standing erect above the door brothel door informed would be patrons that they have arrived in the right location.  The Brothel matron would greet all customers at the door and assist them with their selections. 

A “menu” drawn on walls aided the clients in selecting their individual pleasure. Once the customer had selected their style, they proceeded to choose a partner from a line up (both male and female were available), they were then permitted to use one of the brothels many rooms, which was equipped with a stone bed.  Archaeologists believe these beds were covered with skins or moss to make them more comfortable. 

Customers were charged based the partner and style chosen along with the time spent indulging.

Fascinating really, the naughty side of  Roman Empire.

Savona: October 6, 2008

So I’m now officially on vacation, I have relaxed and am slowly forgetting about the outside world.  Though, I’m still taking my crazy foreign construction practices pictures for later posts.

Before I left I voted, typical experience with really slow older ladies and their rulers, but did my duty.  And for the final day in Canada before the election I wore my Stephen Harper, Conservative Pin at the airport.  Must say it didn’t go over well. Whatever, on October 14th, we will be the ones laughing.

While it’s still early days into my vacation I do have some things to reflect on, keep in mind I’m on a ship that caters to Europeans.  So here goes:

Amazing Things:

• Air Canada landed early into Zurich, so I had the chance to buy my favourite gummie bears.  Way to Go AC.
• Camel Smoking lounges in the Zurich Airport, there was a guy in there giving out samples. If I wasn’t in a hurry I would have stopped by.
• Flying over the Alps is breathtaking.
• Italy isn’t flat, I’m an idiot and I didn’t think it would be this mountainous, it’s so beautiful.
• My new Sigg (made in Switzerland) aluminum bottle holds carbonated beverages, which means I can add mineral water to my smuggled on board grapefruit vodka, and no one knows what I’m drinking.
• Writing this, and all my trip, blog posts on the top deck of the ship, under the moon and stars, on a clear warm night.

Bizarre Things:

• Europeans shrink wrap their luggage – Why?
• This cruise has a British (managecake) buffet where they deep fried scrambled eggs, *shudder.*
• There are way too many hairy backs on this ship.
• There are way too many men in Nut Hugger swim suits on this ship.
• Announcements in 6 languages are really annoying.
• Italian men feeling up women’s asses in public, I seriously thought that was a serotype.
• If the British and Germans (really anyone not British) don’t get along, why gear the same cruise to both those markets?
• Is standing in line just a North American concept?
• Because I’m of mixed race the cruise staff really has an issue figuring out what language to speak to me in.  The bizarre thing is how the heck do they know with everyone else? White really isn’t all the same it would seem.

Those are my observations to date, I’m sure there will be more in the 12 days to come.   But since internet is 1 euro for 2 minutes I’ve decided to write a few posts and upload them every few days, so you will have to wait a while to hear about them.

Alas no picture for day 3. Most of the day I forgot I was wearing my Stephen Harper, Conservative button.

 

Only one incident while I was in the Eaton’s Centre paying for my new TSA approved luggage locks.   A nicely dressed guy with really good hair, shouted at me from across the store, “What has that A-Hole done for me other then lie since he was elected?”  I replied, “Saved you 2% on your current purchase,” then grabbed my debit card and my purchases and left.

 

Perhaps I just don’t notice the nasty looks anymore.  It could be that no one cares about me being an “out Conservative” because the Prime Minister’s strong leadership and concrete solutions for Canada are winning support.  Or perhaps Stephen Harper’s sweater vest, charming smile, along with the strong leadership are winning Canadian hearts.  Fantastic either way.

Day 2 – I’ve stepped things up some.  In addition to my button I have added a Stephen Harper, Conservative official desktop wallpaper to my work computer.   I like it; he’s a pretty handsome Prime Minister, some eye candy to brighten my stressful day.

 

My boss thinks I’m a nutter; but didn’t make me take it down, as long as I don’t proselytize for Harper in the office.  I can live with that. 

 

I got a few strange looks from my co-workers when they came by my desk.  Some people asked some policy questions and were generally interested.  I kept to my word and just directed them to convservative.ca or their local candidate for more information. 

 

I will say by the end of a day of mooning over the picture I was jealous of Laureen Harper.  The PM is just so cool and dreamy; did you see him playing Beatles music on the piano?

 

Hopefully my mission to be out about my passion for the Conservatives and Stephen Harper will get us a few votes on October 14^th; if not, it sure is nice not to be in the closet about my beliefs.  

 

I officially have a Crush on Harper. 

So 1 day down, so far so good.  Granted I did spend the majority of my day on Bay Street where people were looking at the Stock Numbers and not my Stephen Harper, Conservative button. 

 

In the office one co-worker said that “I didn’t seem the Conservative type.” Not really sure if that’s a slam or a compliment.  Whatever. 

 

Walking to the GO Train tonight I did get yelled at by a construction worker, “F**K Harper.”  But I’m chalking that up to union rhetoric.   

For over a decade being a Tory in public has been risky. There were occasions in university when I was manning the Campus PC table on club and group day and had things thrown at me.  Over the years of election time canvassing I’ve been chased away from doors for my political views.  When installing lawn signs voters driving by have yelled obscenities at me, the bad experiences go on and on.

 

But the strangest thing happened this weekend as I was coming home from the Stephen Harper rally in Ajax-Pickering on the GO train; I was carrying a Harper Lolly-Pop sign, and no one said anything negative.  No nasty looks or rude comments.  Just the opposite occurred; people smiled at me, and said “we are going to win.”  A GO worker asked if I was at the rally, and wanted to know if I had a picture to show him. 

 

I guess this is what polling somewhere between 36 and 40 percent, with support in cities rising feels like. I really like it, it’s making me giddy. 

 

With that in mind I have decided to try something new.  I have never been brave enough to this before without a group.  I will wear my Stephen Harper, Conservative button all week.  Let’s see what happens.