Saturday, October 27, 2007

A Fond Goodbye to my Blackie, the Best Cat Ever


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My furry little soulmate, Blackie died yesterday, peacefully in his sleep. He was here at home with me at his side. Wondering where the heck their buddy went are his two cat buddies, Fluffy (longhaired black) and Beau (longhaired white). My feline family is grieving the loss of a larger-than-life cat, who travelled with me to foreign countries, across the United States and was a seasoned food connoisseur. He was the light of my life, and saw me through boyfriends and a husband. His loyalty continued throughout it all.

During his rapid health decline, I did everything in my power to make him as comfortable and at peace. His little body just closed down as he slept next to me. I am sick with grief but am comforted with the fact that he's no longer dealing with the hyperthyroidism that eventually killed him. He'd lived well with it for a long time, but within a ten hour period, his health suddenly declined and he died. He loved everyone, and everyone loved him. This cat knew how to live, love and to eat..and eat. Rest in peace, my sweet Black.

Here is an article about my beautiful Blackie, detailing his life further:

http://www.authspot.com/Short-Stories/The-Adventures-of-Blackie-The-Traveling-Cat.45813


Thursday, October 11, 2007

Preparing for Upcoming Holiday Shopping


Proud Arabian Horse print, framed
$39.99


Parrots of the World Calendar 2008
$8.99


I'm readying my website, Two Purring Cats Design Studio, for the upcoming holiday shopping season. It's a big job, but a fun escape from talking on the phones for my day job. I'm adding products to my inventory, and the site has doubled since last year. The opening page for my site is at:

http://www.cafepress.com/twopurringcats



See more cards here:

All Occasion
http://www.cafepress.com/twopurringcats/1635247

Holiday
http://www.cafepress.com/twopurringcats/1635236

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Life is Precious, so Don't Take it for Granted


A few days ago, my cousin George died of a brain aneurysm. He was watching TV with his wife, Karen, and felt nauseous. As she drove him to the nearby hospital, he died. One minute he was there; one minute later, he was gone. He was only 51 years old, leaving two grown kids (Alexis and Mike) and his precious grandchildren along with the rest of us family. Like his father, John, who died fairly young himself; George was hard-working, salt-of-the-earth and always smiling.
It hit me hard because in recent times, George emailed me frequently to tell me about how happy he was, with his wife and kids, how his siblings were doing and chat about life in general. He was telling me how his family would celebrate Thanksgiving, and was very optimistic-as usual-about his life. My aunt/his mother, Evelyn had died earlier in the year, and the family had already had their fair share of tragedy. And now, the loss of the oldest of seven siblings. The rock, the guy that everyone knew and liked. It truly leaves me speechless.


Though I don't know the details of his diagnosis, I knew someone else in my past who also died young of an aneurysm. She was a doctor, and her parents were both doctors of a local baseball team in my hometown. She just died suddenly, leaving a husband and children behind. Even a medical professional had no forewarning, so that blew my mind how hard to predict these fatal conditions are.


This horrible experience has truly opened my eyes about life, and how fragile it is. Even big, strong guys like George can pass on at a young age. He was so full of life, of optimism and love for his family. Life isn't fair, but it's the only one we have (well, as far as I know, anyways). Every day I talk to people on the phone, who have severe illness, disability or other problems. It has shown me how daily inconviences like burning dinner, a flat tire or breaking a high-heel isn't important in the grand scheme of things. Instead of grumbling about these things, focusing in the positive improves our outlook on life. We have lungs that work, hearts that beat, and people that love us. It's our responsibility to make our lives as full and pleasant as possible, since it can all be gone in an instant.


So, rest in peace, cousin George. Your short life was a complete and total success because you made it that way, and now we mourn your tragic loss. I'll miss your emailed updates on your family, and the email jokes we sent back and forth. I'm sure you're up in heaven, with your mom and dad. You may be physically gone, but none of us will ever forget you. Your love and kindness carries on with your children and grandchildren. Knowing you was a true honor for us all.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Looking for Free Ways to Supplement my Income


The day job is nearly history by now. I am relying more and more on my art business and article writing to pay everyday bills. So far, so good. Some business like to toy with their kill before they eat it, and that is what my employer seems to be doing. They are downsizing and finding fault with everyone, while making job standards harder, to weed us out and get us to quit. This way, they don't have to pay Unemployment. Well, I fight it all the way but see the writing on the wall, so I just do my artwork, promote my business and check the internet for other ways to supplement my income without having to buy anything. It's amazing how many scams are out there, but I'm savvy about it. It is hard to find good, paying sites but they are out there.




Ad Sense

AdSense by Google is another one that gives you a few cents here and there automatically into your Paypal account every month, if anyone clicks on the Google ads you put on your webpage. Google walks you through it, and Blogger makes it easier by making it an option here. Check it out, there's ways to make more money using it, but I haven't figured it all out yet. If you take the time to know it well, let me know and explain it to me. For now, I make a few dollars a month using it.


Helium.com


This site will publish your articles and pay you royalties, the amount depends on how good your articles are. The more popular ones make more money, in other words. It's worth trying, and you make a little cash along the way. It's kind of fun, actually. I've had a few articles I've written pay me, so it's worth submitting. And, you can take those articles and submit them to other sites too, they don't limit usage of it, and you own the rights.


These are just a few that I've found so far, and the more good ones I encounter, the more cash that gets deposited into my account automatically without me dealing with it further. I want to create a passive income on the side, so I can focus fully on my real work, which is art (illustration).