Wooster takes a bath

Wooster is getting a little more neurotic every day. He’s always liked to eat away from the other cats. He walks to the other side of the front room and waits for you to bring the food bowl over to him. He would probably like to be an only cat, but not in this lifetime, not in this house, not right now, sorry.

After he eats in the morning, he likes to go to the little green rug in the bathroom to groom himself. Today I noticed that he was peeking into the bathtub. He hopped in on his own; if you try to put that cat somewhere, he would rather be any place else. He jumped into the dry bathtub and proceeded to groom himself. He may well be the smartest cat we’ve ever had. He also sings to me when I’m in the shower, but he’s not interested in that much water. Or like I said in the beginning, a very neurotic cat.

Percy and Ccino get their teeth cleaned

Californians have the most beautiful teeth. My dentist said that at least half of his patients have had their teeth whitened. It would be strictly for vanity, but it does look more natural in this gorgeous southern California climate. We do take good care of our teeth and get them cleaned twice a year as recommended. I’ve always had a wonderful experience at the dentist and look forward to the visits.

The same may be said for our cats’ visit to get their teeth cleaned. Our Veterinarian recommended that Cappuccino get some of the tartar cleaned from his teeth. He did not need any extractions. Rather than have him put under ansthesia, we took him to see JoEllen Craglione of Gentle Dental. She visits several San Diego business locations once a month to offer her service. I took Percy and Cappuccino to The Original Paw Pleasers in North Park. Her business card says “No anesthesia, Lotsa love” and, boy is that true. Granted, we have the sweetest little darlings in the world, but JoEllen has a way with cats and dogs which makes it a great experience. The cats remained very calm. They arrived back home and went about their normal day. Time for a(nother) cat nap.

Our dentist asked for the Gentle Dental business card for their two dogs. I find it ironic that the dentist does not clean their dogs’ teeth. Meow.

Parakeet found at All Vegan store

While we were up in Hollywood at the 25th Anniversary PETA Gala, Larry was back in San Diego minding the All Vegan Store. On Sunday afternoon, he went outside to toss something into the trash can. Turning back to the store, he noticed a little parakeet sitting in the shade on the sidewalk. He was able to coax the little bird into the store, where she sat at the desk and sipped a little water from a puddle that Larry poured out.

With the bird safely inside resting, Larry called our neighbor who has four cockatiels. She brought over a cage. The little birdy was very relieved to see the cage and hopped inside. There was a spray of millet that he dove into and also used the water bottle. She then took her to Birdland to get proper parakeet food. It was Birdland’s knowledgable staff who identified the parakeet as a female. We posted “found” signs along Park Boulevard and notices on Craig’s list and SignOnSanDiego, but got no responses.

The little parakeet has a new loving home and she even plans to get the sociable bird another bird friend for the large cage. Now what to name her? There’s stickers in the store that show a little chick and say “I am not a nugget”. How about li’l Nugget? Nah. Percy, one of our cats, wants to say “Yummy”. Nope. She now goes by the name of “Katarina”.

PETA 25th Anniversary gala

As a very generous thank-you for volunteering at the All Vegan store, Joy was a Bronze Food Sponsor and invited us to come join her at the Paramount Pictures studio lot on the New York City stages. I have been anticipating this day for weeks and it’s finally here! As if the gala was not enough, we had a thai massage at Pho-Siam and then brunch at Madeleine Bistro. More on that later, back to the gala.

We met at the Paramount Pictures studio lot and stopped for a picture in front of one of the many entrances. Adrianne and Bill (bookends) helped hand out the delicious Rose City Chocolates at the gala event. Joy (third from left) treated Carolyn, Alyse, me and Allison to an evening of great food and entertainment. Yes, yes, bad grammar, but that’s our order in the picture.

We arrived right when the gates opened at 6:30pm. Good thing, unless you like queues, because others in our party arriving later had to wait over an hour in the airport screening-like security lines. This was the only bottleneck in the whole evening. It was organized very well, probably looked good on paper, but the “arrival gate” was too small for the 2000-plus in attendance.

While waiting in line, I introduced myself to the other alphabetized individuals around me. Low and behold, meet Paul Wenner, inventor of the Gardenburger! The woman next to me was kind enough to take our picture. It was here night out, husband at home with their 4-year-old son.

The gala was held on the New York City stages. Many New York town houses lined the streets. Many delicious foods were offered by the food sponsors. We strolled around for two hours, sampling the many tasty vegan treats. Fortunately I was born with hollow legs. PlayFood offered delicious raw ice cream made from just cashew nuts, vanilla, and agave nectar (and water). That’s a lot of cashews, so creamy, and ow! head freeze! Maggie Mudd’s from the San Francisco area offered up their hard ice cream. I took Joy’s recommendation and sampled the Coconut Pecan ice cream. Dorell and Carolyn asked for a three-scoop sample. Many eyes rolled skyward as the chocolate, espresso, and pumpkin flavors were so luscious.

The more savory fares were quite extraordinary being that they were not in their own kitchens. Madeleine Bistro, where we were heading the next day for lunch, was easily my favorite. Very complex flavors in their beet tartare appetizer, grilled shitake mushroom skewers, and tacos. They really catered it right by offering many finger foods. Native Foods may have brought their entire restaurant to the Gala. They had table seating available and offered a menu of five full items from their regular menu including the Baja burger and spicy fries.

We were then asked to proceed to the front of the lot to where the stage was set up for the awards presentations. Pamela Anderson and Fred Willard hosted the event which went much like any other awards show you may have seen on TV. Big screen video presentations helped to break up the format. Many big names were not present to receive their awards, but offered video clips expressing their gratitude. Sir Paul McCartney and Morrisey were not able to attend. Andy Dick was very amusing and Jamie Lee Curtis was exceptional. We were then treated to a live performance by Polyphonic Spree and their bouncy hit “Light & Day”.

After the awards show, Sheila E. performed on the back stage. Showing my age, I’m not familiar with any of her work, but I love a live performance on the drums. She engaged the crowd with her heart-pounding tunes. She also held a live “American Idol” by inviting performers up on stage. One woman displayed great vocals! We danced, we tango’d, we ate more desserts.

Joy’s sponsorship of Rose City Chocolates from the All Vegan Store was a big hit. The delicate chocolates were a nice bite-size, but still rich taste. It was great to see chocoholics express their love for this confection.

We didn’t get back to the hotel until 3:30am. The coffee and chocolate kept me going throughout the night and into the next day as I had a fitful night’s sleep. Thank goodness I only needed to muster the energy for a thai massage and brunch. The one-hour Thai massage was the best thing for working on my tight shoulder area. Yes, they apply pressure with their hands, arms, elbows and feet. Like a thai restaurant asking the heat of the dish, you can have your pressure applied soft, medium, or hard. The session ended with a little lazy yoga where they guided you through some heart-opening poses.

At the Bistro, Dorell said that I looked radiant. I felt very blissful, not doubt aided by the beautiful decor and table settings. The food was amazing for that fact that these people worked the gala the night before and only got two hours of rest in between. I sat next to Dorell’s Mom-in-law and we agreed to split two dishes. We also order beignets for the table. More eye-rolling in ecstasy as we sampled these little donuts with a raspberry compote. The French Toast Napoleon was also served with the raspberry fruit compote layered in between, served with home fries, maple syrup, and whipped creme. Too much rich food in the past two days! I wrapped my half of the Madeleine Club to go to bring home to Larry.

Thank you, Larry, for covering the All Vegan Store while we were up enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime event. So many thanks to Joy and all you do to increase awareness, bringing the Last Chance for Animals San Diego information booth to street fairs and other events around San Diego. Volunteers talk to people about how to live cruelty-free, what to eat instead of meat, and other animal rights issues. More on Larry’s adventures next!

Kayaking in Carlsbad

We have never been kayaking since moving to California, so we got together with Kathi and Rob when they suggested Carlsbad Lagoon for kayaking. Larry met Rob at web design and search engine optimization meetings. Kathi is a professional organizer and image consultant. It turned into a beautiful afternoon for kayaking; the marine layer burned off, the sprinkles didn’t amount to anything more, and the sun felt mild and warm.

We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch on a picnic table at the beach of the rental launch. We then piled onto our ocean kayaks. Note, wear your bathing suit because it’s “open-face” and at the very least your paddle will drip a little water onto you and into the seating area. Once we paddled past the WaveRunner jet skiers buzzing around in a big circle, we continued up Aqua Hedionda lagoon. It was higher tide, so we were able to explore the Aqua Hedionda creek in the picture above. It was a very serene trip with Kathi blowing bubbles and little crabs scurrying up the shore.