tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-274345742024-02-06T22:55:53.252-06:00EthicalFetishIndependent, common sense, non-partisan, political viewpoint focusing on individual responsibility, tinged with sarcasm, decidedly Liberalrollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-7552325844134349582009-06-05T12:24:00.003-05:002009-06-05T12:44:58.933-05:00More about workI'm sure some people think I'm exaggerating when I say the people I work for are just not good people. They are stupid, selfish, greedy, petty, and just plain mean. This is what happened on Wednesday:These was a bag of peaches sitting on the counter and one of the delivery drivers asked the wife if he could buy a peach to eat for breakfast. She looked at him and, very derisively said, "Don, he rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-8686932934294379382009-04-30T15:26:00.007-05:002009-04-30T22:57:09.843-05:00Free speech, dog fighting, athletes, gays, and religionToday is my day off and, unlike last week when I actually got something done (built a curing cabinet for my candles), I spent the morning getting all worked up about several issues that really just make me sick to think about.The first involves a case the Supreme Court decided to hear involving a "documentary filmmaker" named Robert Stevens who believes his films about and depicting dog fighting rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-77449015587573269002009-04-16T15:14:00.009-05:002009-04-16T16:01:26.564-05:00Shadow and BlusherThese are my 2 regular feral kitties that come by to eat almost every day. The flame point was already spayed when I trapped her and took her for surgery so they just gave her a Rabies vaccination and tipped her ear. The little black tuxedo was just over a year old when I took her, and she was already pregnant. I call the flame point Blusher and my neighbor named the tuxedo Shadow Cat because rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-11459998773106098122009-04-10T19:10:00.005-05:002009-04-10T19:46:18.940-05:00My first batch of candlesI love this soy wax. This is the first time I've made candles with it, actually the first time I've ever seen it, and it's awesome. I decided to use EcoSoya Advanced, which is a little more expensive, but it's made from American grown organic soybeans that have not been genetically modified (non-GMO). I'm pretty sure most people don't seek out an organic non-GMO wax, but that's the only kind I rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-91763677554050148832009-04-10T18:42:00.008-05:002009-04-10T18:51:58.950-05:00Cheery desktop basketThis was also from Tuesday, for a woman starting a new job. Her mother ordered a basket arrangement, so I decided to use a flat one without handles that she could use for something else when the flowers are gone.I used Sunflowers (obviously!), purple Stock, peach Spray Roses, orange Asiatic Lilies, and Boronia with a little Leather Leaf fern and seeded Eucalyptus.rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-27165082056227322282009-04-10T18:02:00.005-05:002009-04-10T18:29:37.837-05:00Another masterpiece by my bossShe caught me taking the pictures, too. I blatantly lied and said I love Daffodils and wanted to put it on my facebook page. I do like Daffodils a little, but I don't really like the color yellow. There is another variety that is a pale yellow, almost ivory, with an orange-ish center that I like better than the plain yellow.The photo on the left is the front, the other is the back. The sad thingrollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-6708307046899353172009-04-10T17:26:00.004-05:002009-04-10T17:49:51.992-05:00Green and white weekI made two arrangements this week that I liked. Both were for funerals, although the style and color scheme would be appropriate for a wedding as well.The one on the left was made on Tuesday. I used 2 large white Hydrangea, 4 small green Hydrangea, white Stock, Bells of Ireland, Curly Willow, and Springerii. This one is totally representative of my personal design style. I like well balanced, rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-26489414745712780162009-03-27T13:46:00.006-05:002009-04-04T19:47:36.761-05:00Good news on the garden frontLast week I decided to plant some seeds in regular soil. I was pleasantly surprised to find sprouts in the basil pot already. I noticed them on Monday, but they seemed a little too small to show up in a photo. Yesterday they had really taken off and I snapped this picture today. So far, I can't see anything happening in the other pots, but I'm hopeful.I also changed the hydroponic set up. The rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-43427764947219199452009-03-27T13:13:00.004-05:002009-03-27T13:43:26.189-05:00TuckerAs much as I complain about this shop, it does have one redeeming quality. Tucker is a Ragdoll, given to the owners as a gift. He had a seizure, so the breeder decided not to sell him. He is about a year and a half old now and was finally neutered last week. Hopefully he will stop spraying all over the store now.I know a lot about cats, but not much about Ragdolls. I have to say, this is the rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-85599338172091253032009-03-27T12:34:00.008-05:002009-04-30T23:14:54.795-05:00Rotten grapesTake a look at this. I don't know how well you can see it, but those are rotten grapes. For the past couple of weeks one of the coolers at work has been smelling like rotten fruit. On Wednesday, the owner of the shop pulled these grapes off the bunch and sent the rest to a customer in a fruit basket.To make matters even worse, he made it Tuesday night and heat sealed it, locking the ethylene gas rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-5997713220768303842009-03-22T22:05:00.003-05:002009-03-22T22:21:21.037-05:00Early onset Alzheimers?I was reminded today just how ditsy I am sometimes. I went to the grocery store this afternoon. I usually try to go pretty early thinking it will be less crowded, but I got side-tracked doing something else. I *think* I got everything I went there for; I should probably start making a list due to the advanced age and all. I was pleasantly surprised at the short lines and was even thinking on the rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-5180230722058996212009-03-22T20:08:00.004-05:002009-03-22T20:43:10.010-05:00Garden progress - week 3, or is it 4?I'm getting a little impatient with the progress of the hydroponic seedlings. Today I decided to plant some spinach, arugula, basil, and lavender in soil in regular terra cotta pots. Since the fish have bumped the plastic tray so many times, now I have not only mixed rows, I'm not sure if some of the rooters even have seeds in them anymore. I'm afraid the instability and floating sideways is rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-64354274971846794192009-03-19T16:22:00.000-05:002009-03-19T16:22:43.262-05:00THE LITTLE DOG REPORT: A True Fight for the Little Dogs!THE LITTLE DOG REPORT: A True Fight for the Little Dogs! Rep. Senfronia Thompson (Houston TX-D) has introduced HB 3180, also known as the "Puppy mill Bill". It will require commercial dog (and cat) breeding facilities to meet minimum standards of care and housing of their animals.rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-25518416850862547222009-03-17T20:38:00.008-05:002009-03-17T21:12:05.140-05:00Happy Paddy DayIt should come as no surprise that the shop where I work ordered some green dyed Carnations for St. Patrick's Day. That's some of them on the right. These were dyed by putting green dye into a bucket, cutting the bottom of white Carnation stems and placing them into the dye. It is absorbed up through the stem where it leaves pigment deposits. You can't really see it, but these almost looked like rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-87373972082951822012009-03-09T21:42:00.003-05:002009-03-09T21:53:21.258-05:00Cat grass grows fastWhen I went on my seed buying spree a couple of weeks ago for the hydroponic garden I also planted some in dirt. One says "Cat Grass (Oats)" on the package, so I guess that's what it is. It also says it should take 3-8 days to emerge, but I just planted this 5 days ago.I've planted it before and it grows, the cats nibble and destroy it, then it dies off. I only planted about 1/3 of the package rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-7081384815053203872009-03-06T15:58:00.003-06:002009-03-06T16:22:52.504-06:00Rush Limbaugh at CPACWell, I finally got a chance to sit down a watch the speech from last week on CSPAN. It's pretty long and I'm actually listening while writing this. My initial reaction: propaganda, pure and simple. These are the ones who purport to believe in what's good for the country?This is the same guy who said he wants Obama to fail in the second to the last sentence on his transcript from January 16. It rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-48961904969239096572009-03-05T12:21:00.005-06:002009-03-05T12:39:24.097-06:00Garden progress - 1 weekThe sprouts from last week are a little bigger, but I'm not seeing much anywhere besides the mixed Japanese greens.The fish managed to tip the tray and some of the Rapid Rooters fell out. They ate them. That's my guess anyway because there are 8 missing. Since they float and they're not on the top, that's the only thing I can think of. There were 14 empty spots that were filled with a Rooter the rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-38143306139809718892009-03-05T02:23:00.006-06:002009-03-05T02:32:55.035-06:00Tulips, Gerbera Daisies, Irises, and a LilyTulips, Gerbera Daisies, Irises, and a Lily in a tempered and glazed terra cotta cube. There's also white Stock on the back that's easier to see in the view from the top. There are 2 stems of Springerii to soften the focus. The framework is a quarter stem of Curly Willow bent into a knot, echoed above the water line by a single branch tied into a small knot. Another example of a design my bosses rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-7650981831628876882009-03-04T22:25:00.009-06:002009-03-04T23:53:47.953-06:00Dendrobian Orchids, Curly Willow, and 3 GardeniasI like the picture quality of the camera on my Blackberry. This is a very nice photo of 20 Dendrobian Orchids, Curly Willow, and 3 Gardenias in a tall hand blown glass rectangle vase. The customer (in New York) requested a photo of their order. I originally stood one of the black foam mats that we stand on against the counter as a backdrop. It fell over and landed on the arrangement, knocking rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-36053032528101598302009-03-02T22:15:00.012-06:002009-03-17T21:22:20.794-05:00No title, just a rant about workI work for 2 of the stupidest people I've met in my entire life. Considering how many people that actually is, that's saying a lot. Every day I'm amazed by yet another completely baffling experience at this place.Today, flowers were delivered in the morning. There were about 10 boxes. I had finished all the orders and went over and started processing the new flowers. Processing basically consistsrollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-27442909165317125682009-02-28T23:34:00.006-06:002009-03-01T08:16:49.936-06:00My first hydroponic gardening attemptI've been having a big problem with excessive algae in my fish pond for the last few years (global warming?). I've read numerous article, talked to people at garden shops, added plants (most died, the fish ate the others, 3 remain), added algae eaters (they froze and didn't eat enough of it), added salt, changed the water every 3 days for a month, and probably some other things I can't think of rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-180639368744980932009-02-28T23:16:00.006-06:002009-03-01T00:34:54.554-06:002-28-2009 Austin TX Petland protestLots of new people showed up at the protest today. We had 10-12 students from the UT SETA chapter. Also, four representatives from the PETA2 campus tour were in town, heard about our protest and came out on their day off! They'll be in Ft Worth next week, so if you're doing a protest, let them know on peta2.com. Maybe they'll join you, too. Go Veg!There was a little excitement when 3 of the rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-81984231614112606702009-02-25T20:04:00.008-06:002009-03-05T02:40:11.549-06:00Some of the many reasons I hate my jobI work at a very old-fashioned flower shop. They have computers, but only use them with the proprietary FTD and Teleflora software. No internet. This is a big problem because a lot of orders come from their website.Here's how it works: A customer goes to the website and looks through the photos of arrangements provided to every FTD or Teleflora member shop and orders an arrangement. The order rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-14842788842514523892009-02-22T17:58:00.008-06:002009-03-05T02:40:53.360-06:00Sunday is baking daySome people may believe that people who don't eat meat or animal products are more interested in a healthy meal than something that tastes good. Let me dispel that notion right now. If you've grabbed a vegetarian meal from the frozen food aisle in your local grocery store, you may have gotten that idea. I'm thinking of one brand in particular. I won't name them, because some people may actually rollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27434574.post-2588628328311274102009-02-22T11:43:00.007-06:002009-02-22T17:54:16.870-06:00Farfalle with sun dried tomatoes and BasilI was told the picture of my cat food is gross, so I took a picture of my dinner last night. It was so good I'm thinking of having it again today.1 cup garden farfalle or your favorite pasta1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes1 clove garlic1 tbs olive oil1 tbs balsamic vinegarBasil (as much as you like - I like a lot)ground peppercorn (again as much as you like)ground chili pepper (as much as you like)Cookrollerbuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12935603734077666440noreply@blogger.com2