IMBT Internet Roundup Part 2: Everything Else!

The following is a random selection of awesome things I've seen across the internet recently.  Enjoy.


The animals have been busy gettin' busy over at the LA Zoo.  Prepare for cuteness overload:



See the rest of the images and a little video here.


For my fellow tribe members, especially those of age to go on Birthright, Pilgrimage, actual Jew Camp, or the equivalent, I'm sure you can relate.


This photo collection, from one of my all-time favorite fashion blogs, gofugyourself.com, contains:
a) One of my all-time favorite dresses EVER (it's modern, but looks like Downton Abbey!  It would be gorgeous in any color!  It's so slimming and sexy, yet looks super comfortable!)
b) Prince Harry riding a white horse
c) Prince Harry being cute with a baby
d) Prince Harry kissing a dog
*SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON*


I really want to know what mischievous/delightful thing Amy Pohler was doing right before this photo was taken:



See the rest of the Met Photobombs here.


I share the same birthday as....
***** DRUM-ROLL PLEASE*****
Jason Morgan of "General Hospital"??  BORING.
I was really hoping for Arya Stark, but I would've taken anything from HARRY POTTER, "Full House", or any single-named character such as Snoopy, Alf, or Superman.
Which fictional character shares your birthday?


Lesbihonest, everybody loves Jon Hamm.  And if you don't, a) we're not friends, b) now you will (love him, that is), c) now you ABSOLUTELY WILL, d) now we're friends again - hooray!


From a series called More of the most entertaining, obnoxious, or completely insane notes written to neighbors.:

 


To get slightly political for a second, there are a lot of people I would like to send this open letter to.  Thankfully nobody I know personally, or at least none that I speak to regularly, but certain people who choose to make their extremist political opinions public.  And maybe the state of Arizona.


While we're on the topic of America (not really the best segue for what's coming, but whatevs), get ready to have your MIND BLOWN.


But let's end on a positive note, shall we?  No pun intended there - you'll get what I mean when you watch this this lovely video:

If only LA had live classical music aboard our public transportation.  Or just useful public transportation.


And that's it folks, you have now reached the end of the internet.
jk, jk.
OR AM I?

IMBT Internet Roundup Part 1: Environment & Animal Protection

During my lengthy absence from posting, I came across a number of compelling articles and links concerning our natural world and our animal cohabitants.  The theme is constant:  We must take responsibility for the changes we've incurred on our planet and we must do better going forward.  I agree.

I've shared a few that have really resonated with me below.

For starters, NASA released a photo gallery of images depicting climate change and other human impact on the Earth.  The photos compare the same site over a period of many years and show the effects of ice melt, flooding, deforestation, urban growth, fires, etc.  It's pretty fascinating... and a little bit terrifying.  Here is one example (Muir Glacier in 1941 vs. 2004):



(Both of these images were taken in August, BTW, so this is not a seasonal melt)
Check out the rest of the incredible photos here.

Secondly, I've noticed that certain organizations have been calling in the big guns lately.  And by big guns I mean A-list actors who will narrate videos for them.

This video, which is narrated by Jeff Goldblum, is a fundraising video for Oceana.  Their message is clear:  the gross (and illegal) overfishing needs to end, and they intend to stop it.  They just need support.  The underwater photography is so beautiful, that I recommend taking a look just for that:

If you now feel compelled to contribute, you may do so here.  You can also keep up with Oceana is up to by following them on Facebook here.  I personally believe that the work they're doing is of utmost importance to the survival of our planet's ecosystem.  On a related note, (and I think I may have linked to this before) for more information on which fish to eat, click here.

Alec Baldwin has lent his handsome face and that breathy (?) voice for this video for PETA:

Here's the thing, I'm not a huge PETA fan.  I don't agree with a lot of their tactics - I feel that they often target the wrong person/group and rely too much on sensationalism.  But the fact that this is still going on is revolting, and I'm glad PETA is bringing attention to it.  When I was a kid, visiting the zoos, the circus, and Sea World were all great delights to me.  As I've gotten older, I've come to find such places somewhat depressing, and, sometimes, disturbing.  It saddens me to see animals that are used to roaming continents and oceans being confined to enclosures and tanks.  But even worse is when animals in captivity aren't treated properly.

If you now feel compelled to support PETA you may do so here.  You can also take action on their campaigns here.

And finally, I just wanted to quickly mention that the LA Super Adoption I volunteered at a few weeks ago was a huge success!  The grand total of adopted/rescued animals was 361 - hooray!  And while this might seem counter-intuitive, I DIDN'T come home with another animal (I was really close to adopting a 3 month old red pittie-basenji mix puppy) so that's good news for my cat and my roommates and my stress level.

IMBT Birthday Shoutout: Tina Fey!!

If Tina was Jewish instead of Greek/German/Scottish and had grown up in Cleveland instead of Philly we would've been best friends.  I just know it.  Nevermind the 13 year age difference.  OK, so she would've been my babysitter and I would've been all "yay, it's you, I like you, I'll behave for you" and then some years later she would've been like "hey, you're that kid I used to babysit - let's be best friends now."

I could write oodles about everything I love about Tina and MEAN GIRLS and "30 Rock" and "SNL" and Bossypants and DATE NIGHT etc., but it's all been said before.

Instead I will share one personal anecdote:

The very first HBO Golden Globes party I worked was in January 2009 at Circa 55/Trader Vic's at the Beverly Hilton.  As usual, the party was set up both indoors and out, surrounding the hotel pool.  In some years they've drained the pool and put furniture in it, others they've covered it with plexiglass, but this year they just put some pretty floating things in it and otherwise left it alone.  During a break I called my mom from my cell phone to tell her about all the celebs I had seen.  As we chatted, and I tried to make my way through the throngs of party guests, I suddenly found myself right next to the edge of the pool.  I turned around and teetered on my high heels as I almost (literally) bumped into a very handsome male actor.  I said into the phone:

"Ohmigod Mom, I almost just had the choice of falling into the pool or feeling up Jon Hamm*."

(*OK, it wasn't Jon Hamm, it was someone way less exciting, but he WAS at the party so let's pretend.)

Anyway, I then heard a soft laugh/giggle and as I looked up there was Tina Fey.  Smiling.  At me.  AND LAUGHING AT SOMETHING I SAID.

Best. Moment. Ever.
The end.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!!


ps. I'm back!  Did you miss me? ;-)

Special Needs Pet Owner: My New Best Title

If you come to this blog regularly you may have noticed that it's been a while since I last posted.  You may recall that my cat Aslan, who I wrote about and posted photos of here, had been having some health issues recently.  Figuring out what's been going on with him has taken all of my energy over the last few weeks, and I've honestly been too drained and distracted to write.

For those who are interested, it turns out that his kidneys are failing, or, in vet-speak, has Chronic Renal Failure (CRF).  The journey of how we got here is too exhausting for me to retell at the moment.  Suffice it to say I've spent A LOT of money, cried A LOT of tears, and am just starting to come to terms with the fact that Aslan is now, officially, a special needs cat.

Up until recently, a bowl of yummy food, a clean box, and a few toys were all it took to keep him happy.  This came out to about $450 a year.

Now he's on special kidney food, pills for high blood pressure, fish oil supplements and craziest of all - fluids which I have to give him by needle under his skin every night.  All this plus the extra vet visits and tests, and the extra litter (we're going through it twice as fast), is going to put me out about $2800 annually.

It's completely worth it of course - he is essentially my child, and I will do anything I can to ensure his quality of life is as good as it can be.  I'll just have to make some adjustments to my spending habits.  I'm actually not a huge spender in general, but I will just need to be extra frugal whenever possible.  Friends have come and gone in my life, but Aslan has been my constant companion for the last six and a half years.  The least I can do in return is take the best possible care of him.

I hope to get some new posts up soon.  I have lots of fun, interesting, silly, and heartwarming stuff to share with you.  But first I need to get settled into my new routine with Azzie-Pants.  He was a total champ when I gave him his fluids last night - it was my first time doing it without a vet tech assisting and I was so nervous.  But he barely flinched and I can already tell that it's making a difference.  Thank goodness.

In the meantime, if you care to send good thoughts our way, we'll gladly take them!  And for anyone curious about what happens when you give a cat fluids, see below:

image source: octopodadventures.com

:-)