Shaker Pets

Shaker dani_alexis requested another Shaker Pets thread, since we haven't done one in a looooooooong time. The reason we haven't done one in so long is because it used to create an enormous amount of work for me to sort through the emails and format and upload the images, etc. But now we can attach images to comments—yay!

To post an image or video of your pet, just copy and paste the URL into comments. And it would be very nice for our visually impaired readers, and/or readers who can't view images/video, if you included a description of whatever you post.

Below, one of my fave vids celebrating the Furry Residents of Shakes Manor.


[Also at Daily Motion here.]
Video Description: Clips of all four furry residents of Shakes Manor being super cute and cuddly, set to Ronan Keating's version of "When You Say Nothing at All." Highlights include Sophie leaping up onto a chair to greet me as I walk into the office (0:15), which she does all the time and is sooooooo cute, and Dudz sticking his nose into the crevice of my arm (2:30), which he loves to do, as well as give me a muzzle-nuzzle in the hollow where my shoulder meets my neck. There is also much adorbz snuggling with Tils and Livs, as well as the totes zen licking of peanut butter from a spoon. At least until someone comes to the door!

Breaking News

Pets are awesome (with requisite caveats about being a person who enjoys the company of animals here):

Lots of research has indicated that having a dog or a cat can help people live happier, healthier lives. But it's been unclear whether there really is a cause-and-effect relationship between pet ownership and better physical and mental health. Now, new research indicates that the benefits of having a canine or feline companion are real and broad.

A team of psychologists from Miami University and St. Louis University conducted a series of studies aimed at trying to tease out the benefits of pet ownership.

"Although there is correlational evidence that pets may help individuals facing significant life stressors, little is known about the well-being benefits of patterns for everyday people," they wrote in a paper published online this week by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

...The researchers found that, in fact, there were lots of differences [between pet owners and people who do not own pets], with pet owners faring much better overall. For example, pet owners tended to be less lonely, have higher self-esteem, get more exercise, be more extroverted and were less fearful about getting close to other people.

..."In summary, pets can serve as important sources of social support, providing many positive psychological and physical benefits for their owners," the researchers wrote.

The most unbalanced and unhappy I ever felt in my life was my first few years of college, when I was living in dorms in which I was not allowed to own a pet. There were many reasons that my emotional equilibrium was off during that time, but I remember frequently wishing, so desperately, that I could have a pet. I grew up with animals, cats and dogs and horses and turtles and rabbits and birds, and the first opportunity I got to have animals as an adult, once I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment, I adopted my beloved Jimmy, and I have lived with animals ever since.

I am, without a doubt, a person whose life is better because of the animals with whom I share it.



*goes to the treat drawer*

wildflowers (by pennylaner)

I FUCKING LOVE JEDWARD

Reflection (by Alan Cotter)

““A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.””

- James Joyce

The original census returns for 1861 and 1871 were destroyed shortly after the censuses were taken....

Well, I’m back from making an ass of myself in other countries. Regular updates will return next week (no promises).

Old Boats (by Corey Leopold)

wildflowers (by pennylaner)

Hair

Fuckin’ epic day with my bro all planned out. We got this. We got this good.

Splitscreen: A Love Story

Parisian dreams.

Driving is always a good decision at 3am. Off to Le Baron to make out with greek god model. 

De Triomphe de l’Arc

@hugo / 2009

Paris Menswear day 5 
via http://streetfsn.blogspot.com/

Paris Menswear day 5 
via http://streetfsn.blogspot.com/

Hair

Every second of this 12 minute video makes me want to run in a circle crying.  Easily my favorite performance of the new stuff.

lemme show ya what ya missin, paradise

The destinations of our 2013 cruise on the brand spanking new Carnival Breeze to the southern Caribbean…

#1…Grand Turk

#2…La Romana, Dominican Republic

#3…Curacao

#4…Aruba

Are you excited? I certainly am…All these beautiful places and I get to go to them!!!

lemme show ya what ya missin, paradise

"I know about art and love, if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being."

“I know about art and love, if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being.”

- Toulouse, Moulin Rouge (2004)

Ariba Aruba

So today I went on a safari type thing. No, it wasn’t a safari where you see giraffes, rhinos, and things like that. I will tell you about it, so simmer down.

This morning I woke up ~6:45. I went to breakfast. I exchanged my used towel for a new one. I took a bus to the touring place.

I ARRIVED. Everyone cheered [in my mind].

Then we departed on a jeep safari deal. I actually had in my mind that we were going to see ancient caves and a natural pool, but that’s not what went down.

We went off-roading to see the California Lighthouse, Aruba’s only lighthouse. It was built shortly after the last ship sunk on the coast of Aruba. You see, what had happened was…

Once upon a time in Aruba, there was no lighthouse, so apparently it was kind of hard to see this 19.6 mile long, 6.1 mile wide island. A ship was approaching… the sailors were getting furked up and totally DIDN’T SEE THE ISLAND COMING, so they crashed into it and sank their ship. After that the Arubans said, “Damn, we should build a lighthouse and name it after the sunken ship, The California. And then hundreds of years later an almighty fool by the name of Kates will come see it and all will be well.”

So then we continued this off-roading adventure to the next stop, the Catholic Church called Alto Vista. It was a tiny ass lil thing, but it was the first church on the island. They were selling souvenirs outside of it, obviously, and I bought a bracelet similar to one I purchased while in Rome but ultimately broke/lost. 

Then we jumped back in the jeep and off-roaded to see a natural bridge! It was very nice. It was called Baby Bridge, which was pretty cute. I stood on the rocks surrounding it, and waves splashed upon my face and dirtied up my sunglasses. It was a beautiful moment.

Then we continued to the natural pool. This off-roading was intense! It was really fun though. I liked this off-roading part better than actually going to the natural pool. Once we arrived, we had to hike down 85 steps. It was not that bad. We put on our snorkeling masks and water shoes. I was super grossed out by this ‘natural pool’. There were a ton of creepo fish in it. There were also crabs all over the rocks. As I was snorkeling around, something got in one of my eyes and my contact became extremely irritated. I thought I was going to lose it.

BUT I DIDN’T. Happy to have a reason to leave the natural pool, I jumped out and went to pour fresh water on my contact. I put it back in my eye. All was well. I wandered around by myself for a bit. I pretended I was a captain. No one saw.

Then we headed back to the tour center or whatever you want to call it and took a bus back to the resort. That was the end of our adventure today.

Photo

If you have ever seen my previous photo, I am sure you know what they are imitating. Will you imitate the statue if you were there?

love is in many colors

This was taken during the Anlaw Hu festival and these kids are at the base of the stage just hanging out. Their elders came up to the edge to take a bow, that’s when I got this shot.

Those of you who followed my trip there may recall that the area is very poor and the majority are farmers. For some of the girls, marriage comes as early as 12 when their parents find them a husband in exchange for a dowry of P10,000 - P20,000 (approx $200 - $400 USD).

Swag around the world. Germany to South Korea.

All of this happend, more or less.

Urian - Dresden Burnt My Feathers (Original)

Suspicious skies

The rain runs free with the blusterous weather

It might be cause i lied

That bitter wind so burnt my feathers

And I can fly no more, inside this breaking core

And I can fly no more, appart my wings it tore

Oblivion’s wise

It drunkens all our senses

And gray scale lights

They leave us all defenseless

And I can fly no more

Ilustration: “Fire Sky” by Michael Longhofer

All of this happend, more or less.

Photo

Lily Allen ~ Out & about / Paris ( june 2011 )

Sometimes I like to wear the Eiffel Tower as a hat. 

My cousin and I at Solidays Festival in Paris

wishing  I could be with you, to share the view. We could falling in love

Plastik Völkerfreundschaft in Dresden (by keid*)

Urian - Dresden Burnt My Feathers (Original)

Suspicious sky

The rain runs free with the blusterous weather

It might be cause i lied

That bitter wind so burnt my feathers

And I can fly no more, inside this breaking core

And I can fly no more, appart my wings it tore

Oblivion’s wise

It drunkens all our senses at night

And gray scale lights

They bury us over seas without rights

And I can fly no more

Plastik Völkerfreundschaft in Dresden (by keid*)

On Symbolism

[The Brooklyn Bridge]

I took this picture while I, Mother of the Year candidate that I am, let my daughter play in the East River (she's fine). I like the picture so much, a few months back I made it my computer wallpaper.

This morning, I was staring at my monitor, thinking about Albany, and it struck me. If the New York State Senate approves gay marriage, same-sex couples will be allowed to marry in New York. I'm slow on the uptake, sometimes.

Now, not to overlook the fact that millions of folks live Upstate or on Long Island, but New York City is pretty special. CENTER OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE special.

I grew up hating New York, because as every child of the Midwest knows, everybody in New York City is the villain from a 1980s movie. Also: Yankees suuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Having actually spent time in The City at this point in my life, I now know that exactly one of those two assertions is incorrect.

I've now met tons of ex-New Yorkers. I've learned from their [TW for ableist language. video opens at link] culture, or more to the point, cultures. It's definitely made me a better person.

I've learned to accept that the dominant culture in the US doesn't seem to fully appreciate fly-over land. Whatever, assholes. That just leaves more corn for us. (And if you think the Midwest is all corn, permit me to remind you: Yankees suuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.)

Having lived abroad, I'm pretty aware that the United States is actually comprised of two states: New York and San Angeles. It's struck me that most folks seem to have very strong feelings, one way or another, about those states.

And honestly, New York (which as far as most of the planet is concerned is a city attached to some vestigial wilderness) is the most American part of America. I don't mean that in a good way, or a bad way. It's just that New York is legendary as this Triangle Shirtwaist-Bodega-Coney Island-Gordon Gecko-Harlem Renaissance kinda place.

When I think of the original thirteen colonies, I recall New England as being run by Jesus types-- not the fun Jesus-types, mind you, but the boring-ass Stephen King kind. Virginia talked a good game, but I'm not so sure they ever wanted to be American in the first place. And as much as I love Pennsylvania, it's precisely the sort of cheap knockoff that you'd buy from some guy on Canal Street.

In other words, in the eyes of the world, New York is the United States. Sure, that's a colossal misconception, but when you consider the number of US residents whose ancestors called New York home at some point, I can think of more outlandish statements.

Sooner or later, gay couples in New York City, the densely populated expanse the world so often conflates with a state and a nation, will be allowed to marry.

As important as marriage equality is, it also has its own symbolic qualities. It is not the endgame in the struggle for universal human rights.

Marriage equality in New York, is, however, a big step in the right direction. Consider the alternative. What does the lack of equality in New York OF ALL PLACES say to the world about the US as a country?

UPDATE: Hells. Yeah.

Yesterday Toulouse sunset !

Love is not dead.

Yesterday Toulouse sunset !

Dramatic Dusk at Rügen, Germany by Xindaan on Flickr.

Nur ein Dorf.

But a village.

Die Frauenkirche in Dresden

Me in Frankfurt!

O.M.G.

A costumed woman stays in a park during the annual Wave Gotik music festival on June 11, 2011 in Leipzig, Germany.

Neue Rathaus, Munich, Germany. April 2011.

“We’ve got open arms…



“… for broken hearts…”

“… like yours, my boy…”

“… come home again.”

Dramatic Dusk at Rügen, Germany by Xindaan on Flickr.