Today I drove through McDonalds for the sole purpose of obtaining a Hello Kitty Happy Meal. Much to my chagrin I received a Tigger happy meal instead. The drive through lady said H.K. was all gone. But only yesterday a coworker of mine came back from dinner with a H.K.H. M! I was crestfallen, to say the least. Worst of all, I'd even been dreaming of getting one. In my dream last night I was jogging though the city towards McD's wearing only a tank top and undies, getting all hot and sweaty and chanting under my breath "hello salt, hello grease." So, my question is: what are the little things that make/wreck your day?

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

Answers

It happened today...I found the most kick ass pair of boots in the world, EVER, and it wasn't until I got home that I realized I'd made a mistake and two 6 and a half boots, both fitting the RIGHT foot. Arrrgh....I gotta go back tomorrow and fix that, but I was planning on wearing 'em tonight...ah well...

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

For the past week I've been trying to care for a baby squirrel that was attacked by a cat and left on our front porch. Took it to the vet, bought the special formula and Pedialyte, did the every-two- hours feeding routine, the whole nine yards. All while trying to reach a licensed wildlife rehabber. Well, yesterday, baby squirrel gave up. He fought hard but didn't have much of a chance to begin with. Today I check my mail and finally get in touch with the rehabber who does take in squirrels (she was really nice, but she'd been on vacation). Very disappointing that I couldn't help him hang on just a tiny bit longer, when he'd have had a shot at someone knowledgable to help him.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2000

Mary Ellen: Aw. That's terrible. But you rock for trying.

I was gonna tell you, Jill, that we got an HK Happy Meal the other day and it was only the boy kitty in a little red car. But then last night we went to another McDonalds and THEY only had Tigger meals. Bastards. (Okay, well, they're not, but...)

On the way home, two of the kids were crying because they didn't get to do something or other on the playscape. (That was the surface reason -- the truth was that they were crying because they were tired.) So Paul and I started pretending to cry just like they were. I screamed and howled and said, "I wanted a Hello Kitty Happy Meal! I WANTED A HELLO KITTY HAPPY MEAL!"

The Baby laughed, but Magic Boy just ignored me and kept crying about going down the slide.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

I did the EXACT same thing. I went to MCD's especially to get a Hello Kitty toy and I got Tigger instead. Hmph. I did get the sticker dispenser, though, which is the most kick ass toy of the whole group so I'm kinda okay about it. But I still wanted the set.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

Y'all are making me so jealous! I ended up with the stuffed Kitty dressed as McDonald's employee and the little wristband with her big white face on it.

Mary Ellen, that is so sad! Sick and stranded animals break my heart. A few nights ago I discovered a mother cat & a bunch of kittens living out of one of the dumpsters at my boyfriend's apartment. I'm so worried about them! There are so many cars and what happens when the truck comes and empties the dumpster? They are feral and run away from me, so I doubt if I could catch them. Even if I could, I'm not sure if it would be the right thing to do. I know of one no-kill shelter but the lady who runs it only rescues kitties whose time have run out at the pound and is overwhelmed anyway. I wouldn't want to take them to the pound to be euthanized either. I fed them tonight, brought 2 cans and dumped them out on the stone ledge by the dumpster. I waited and watched the mama kitty dig in; poor girl is so skinny from nursing. The ones that survive will just grow up and breed and make more sad hungry little babies, but I don't know what else to do.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2000

Feral cats are a tough one. There's one mama cat that takes up residence in my yard every spring to have a litter. I always know because one of my dogs becomes riveted to the fence. She's too smart for the Hav-A-Hart traps, but I did manage to trap a big old beat up tom cat and get him to the pound. He was always a bloody infected mess from constant fighting. Be careful if you do try to trap and transport; feline AIDS, feline infectious peritonitis and feline leukemia are rampant amongst feral cats, so don't let them in close contact with your own pets. If you can trap them the kittens may get adopted, but feral mama probably doesn't have much chance of being a happy pet. You never know, though, both my current cats were former street cats.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2000

Thank you, Mary Ellen! I will have to ask the ladies I know who run the no-kill shelter and see if they have any suggestions, too, or if they'd be willing to take any of the cats. I wouldn't be able to take them to the actual pound, that would feel like a death sentence to me.

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2000

There's this great restaurant in town that we like to go to for Sunday brunch. I've gotten a cappucino there two or three times and it's terrific, so far as cappucinos go. But it tastes good, there's always a ton of thick foam on top, and it's immense - served in a giant yet shapely cup. Except yesterday. We went there for Labor Day brunch and I ordered the cappucino and yeah, it tasted good and the foam was thick and copious, but it came in a regular-sized plain coffee cup. A little disappointment.

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2000