Welcome to the Church of the Holy Cabbage. Lettuce pray. ~Author Unknown

If you ever have watched the  Ricky Gervais Show on HBO – then you can kind of understand why I feel that “Lefty” is my “Karl Pilkington” – Oh my GAWD, I just crack myself up – sitting here laughing over my own sick sense of humor.  Her stories have me bursting with tears and laughter!!! And, it all makes me think of Gervais laughing over Karl’s stories… Now add that with DugDug, her long time friend, who is quite a character and story teller too – and I am totally entertained for hours…

♥♥♥Don’t discuss politics or religion at the dinner table♥♥♥

Lefty’s newest tale of childhood ~ her “Catholic” of “Latin Heritage” parents left her, a very young girl, and two younger siblings, for a week at a charismatic  Baptist summer camp while her parents went off sipping on Rumrunners and Pina Coladas on the beautiful white sands of the Bahamas… leaving her and her two brothers to be “saved”… I cannot even explain the cackling, roll on the floor laughter that spews forth from me at the picture of a very young, defiant, and mouthy Lefty and her two innocent, doe-eyed siblings in such a situation!  {by the way, Lefty said I need to write about myself! Told her too bad, she’s my muse}

Wikipedia: Charismatic is an umbrella term used to describe the belief that the gifts (Greek charismata χάρισμα, from charis χάρις, grace) of the Holy Spirit as described in the Christian New Testament are available to contemporary Christians through the filling with or baptism in the Holy Spirit, with-or-without the laying on of hands. These spiritual gifts are believed to be manifest in the form of signs, miracles, and wonders, including, but not limited to, glossolalia (speaking in tongues/languages), interpretation of tongues, prophecy, healing, and discernment of spirits (see, among others, 1 Corinthians 12-14).

Come to find out, DugDug, stayed with his grandmother “MeeMee” in the summertime {say that with a deep, booming, thick Southern drawl} – and his MeeMee would send him to the Charismatic Baptist church’s summer camp (OH my goodness, can it be, Lefty AND DugDug were sent off to the SAME summer camp!!)… The counselors told the impressionable young DugDug, that “he must be saved for you never know when it’s time for the ‘Rapture’ …and you MUST speak to your parents,” they would tell DugDug, “because if they aren’t saved, and Jesus comes for you, your parents won’t be in Heaven with you…and will be forever Damned”. Oh my!! DugDug, horrified, gets back to MeeMee’s house and is immediately on the phone (rotary wall phone)  dialing his parents long distance, this was the 1970s - “MAMA, have you been saved?” – Mama’s response, “Put your MeeMee on the phone!” …. I died laughing, I came back laughing, I still cannot stop laughing… that is ALL his mother ever said!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

So {I’ll write about “me” now – just for Lefty’s piece of mind} thanks to Mom and Dad, I was not scarred for life with thinking that I had to be “saved” and that my family would not be greeting me at the gates of Heaven when I depart this world… or that I was going to Hell in a Bread Basket… I have even raised my son to appreciate everyone’s views – and to make his own decision concerning religion … for me, I am just “spiritual” believing in God and goodness.  I grew up in a culturally mixed family – and I truly believe it makes for a better person –more willing to accept the difference in others.

In my family we spent the High Holidays celebrating over dinners with my Dad’s family, good memories; on Easter, we had egg decorating fun with my Mom and the baskets and egg hunt, Christmas was beautiful, always with getting a tree, and celebrating at home…and my Dad and his Bing Crosby Christmas album  {Makes me teary-eyed – because I miss all of that} Just because we did not go to a temple or church, I still had a good upbringing… I had the best of both worlds… and I learned to be a decent human being. 

 

One last bit for now: For being totally separated from the world of “religion” as a child, in many ways, I find it strange when I travel and find that I love to visit incredible Cathedrals.  I am amazed at the artwork, the stories and the beauty of some of the cathedrals, temples and churches I’ve visited…when I saw the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, painted by Rubens - it made me cry.  I cannot possibly be that much of a heathen to be brought to tears by such a beautiful spiritual piece!  Is it the part of my soul that was once a Catholic in another life?  It’s soul-moving – is it the little angels/cherubs floating her up to God, is it the incredible artistry, I believe it has to be all, plus more…

The Luck of a Birth Place….

 

I read articles about the dissent and horrors of the Middle East and other places in the world – and I ponder – Am I really lucky … the draw of the straw for me was the United States of America.  And my thinking is I don’t believe that we are lucky by where our birth takes place, but to whom we are born to… 

I am very proud of who my parents are and I love them very much, though their parents or grandparents made the sacrifice and moved to the United States to make a new beginning, to have the American dream… But, believe me, if the luck of the draw was that I had been born in any other country that wasn’t part of the “free world” – the strength of character my parents possess – they would have brought my brother and I to the “free world” as many of my friends’ parents have done for them.  They would have moved mountains and crossed rivers to provide our little family a comfortable and safe life …

Other Lucky Souls I know:

I have a friend that lives in Israel, and yet he’s Iraqi born – his parents carried him in their arms, and with only the clothes on their backs, across deserts and rough and unlivable terrains/dangerous conditions so that they could “live and be free” to be who and what they are – a nice Jewish family.  He was not lucky on the drawing to where he was born, but he was most certainly lucky to have been born to such a courageous couple!!!  A couple that defied a government and bigotry to give themselves and their son a life of freedom… that friend has grown up as a freeman, has traveled all over the world and is now settled, married and happy in his home in Israel …the way his life should be… and hopefully his children to come.

I have friends from Lebanon…and one story comes to mind: in the 70s I met a girl from Lebanon, and it amazed me when she told me (we were both approx. 8 or 9 yrs old at the time) that her family had to flee for their lives to America…because they were Catholic.  I couldn’t fathom at that age, why would anyone want to kill a Catholic family for being Catholic?  I’d only understood that it was Anti-Semitic behavior and beliefs that were dangerous in the Middle East – not also for Catholics/Christians alike.  As I grew up and met and made more friends that were Lebanese, I learned how dangerous it can be to be “different” in the Middle East  – and how lucky my friends were to have courageous parents to risk anything and everything to get their children out of such places – to start a new life in a free world… whether it be North America, South America, or Europe..etc.  Somewhere where they were not threatened by believing and being different than their neighbors.

The luck of the draw for one dear friend is that she was born to older parents who lived in Cuba.  The living conditions in Cuba are so alien to American standards, it’s not so much being poor, it’s the crazy rules, what you can or cannot buy or have – what is allotted to you… the threat of speaking up for yourself and the dangers of the corrupt government… my friends’ parents were divorced when she was very young, but her father could not fathom his only child living in such conditions – her father and mother knew what life had been like before Castro…before communism … they had not always been so poor…and scared.  Before her father died, when she was 5 yrs old, he paid all he had to get her mother and her to Spain to live with cousins… and then he got them to America…and then he died…but he died knowing that they were safe – in New York City… it brings tears to my eyes to think how lucky she was to have such a man for a father – who didn’t save himself to live in freedom those last years, but selflessly gave everything he had and could to see that his ex-wife and daughter would know freedom!  She is the MOST Gung-Ho American I know – her children have joined the Armed Forces, her patriotism is pretty uplifting!

I “highlight” these certain friends above, but that also doesn’t discount my other friends, friends that live here from other countries, like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Phillipines… so many people …and so many stories ….

SO, what brought this sentiment and LONG post on…. when I read:

“Witnesses described the streets of Tripoli as a war zone. Several residents said they believed that massacres had taken place overnight as forces loyal to Colonel Qaddafi drove through the streets opening fire at will from the backs of pickup trucks”

“They would drive around, and they would start shooting, shooting, shooting,” said one resident reached by telephone. “Then they would drive like bandits, and they would repeat that every hour or so. It was absolute terror until dawn.” – from an article in New York Times.

Everybody should believe in something; I believe I'll have another drink. ~Author Unknown

Elderflower Pear Infused Vodka Martini..... Grey Goose La Poire Vodka, St. Germaine Liqueur, Champagne.... that was the drink of the evening at my place... and a couple of Cosmopolitans .... 

Greek salad with deviled eggs; artichoke-spinach dip with pita chips; and some Garlic Herb soft creamy cheese and flat bread pieces were accompanying the cocktails....

The movie:  Get Low with Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek ... an Independent film set in 1930s about a recluse, Robert Duvall, who comes into town to the Funeral Home (funeral director, Bill Murray) to set up a Funeral Party for himself because he knows he's dying... but he harbors a secret that is the reason he was a recluse for 40 yrs... It was a beautiful film with all that incredible foliage of Tennessee's countryside/mountains, the actors were wonderful... including Bill... but the end just drove me over the edge and ruined it for me... it didn't follow through... a huge chunk - a big question and then the credits... did I miss a scene or conversation to answer that missing piece, maybe - I did have company, I was eating, and I was drinking a Martini... have to watch it again.

Somewhere around 4 a.m. I woke up to my hips feeling stiff, I don't do well sleeping on my couch - guess I'm getting old.... on one end of the couch was a friend sound asleep with her laptop in her lap...dead to the world, at my head where the couch turns into a chaise lounge, was another friend huddled under a huge comforter snoozing away... the lights on, the television still on the Discovery I.D. channel playing all the detective shows we love to watch and fell asleep watching... I got up and stumbled into my bed... my comfortable bed ... woke up and found myself huddled to one side, the rest of my bed taken up by the laundry basket and stacks of folded laundry I had yet to put away... I never even bothered to move that - I was so tired - I am and always have been a 8-10 hour sleep needed person...  I go to sleep when I am tired and when I should and I wake up with a good disposition.. without this good sleep, I'm cranky, I feel sick and run down... but... I must have gotten a good night's sleep - as I was up and cheerful, made us Lattes and served some fabulous Chocolate Roulade pastries ....divine....

Earlier yesterday I was having coffee with one of my closest of friends, then off to do shopping - she got to play with a guy at Sephora by asking him to give her "smoky" eyes... he did a phenomenal job of a "daytime" smoky look, I hope she practices and gets that style down because it was very flattering... I bought some make up, then off to some more girly shopping and walking off with lingerie... and then to what my friend calls the "Candy Store" - Total Wine.  That's where we were able to find the St. Germaine Liqueur ... busy day....

Because then we stopped and picked up some wraps from Pollo Tropical and went and shared them with another darling friend of mine .... sat and chatted for a bit... then on to home to get prepared for my Pajama Party....

Life is good... weekends and fun .... making up for the crappy week and nonsense with work... all that is behind now and we'll see tomorrow what the new week brings - I am thinking it will be more for the positive...

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. ~Thomas Jefferson

I have been doing nothing but work, work, and more work...making Sabrina a dull girl.  I am happy about one thing ~ I've lost over 6 pounds in the past few weeks just from not having time to sit around and do nothing.  I've pushed myself out the door to go grab a quick bite, I made myself go to the grocery store last night (even though I dragged my BFF's child with me to have company - because I miss my own Kid), I have made sure the Wii is out and ready to use now and I've had my friends over, including the BFF's kid... Though there have been nights, like Tuesday where I grab a quick bite to eat (or cook up a microwave steamer bag of plain brown rice and saute up Brussell Sprouts, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and ground pepper till they are browning on the outside and mushy on the inside...Oh My, I think I could live off of this forever!!!).

The story about why work is so consuming...

I have been working as a paralegal for this firm for a long, long time; doing the same job - though occasionally they pull me out of the box and I get to do something new... but, it seems the money is in Short Sales at the moment, so I will be part of a Short Sale closing team.  I get the preliminary paperwork in from the Seller or Seller's Realtor and then begin opening the file and going through a check list of what is necessary to get approval from their lender to be able to accept the contract for less than the payoff on the money owed to Lender... it's interesting, more involved than your usual real estate closing, a lot of contact with people outside my office (box)... but while I am taking on the role of this new job, I am also still doing some of my usual paralegal work too... this is causing me to stay late - last night I did not leave the office until 7:30 p.m. - that's over 2 hours of overtime that I do not get paid for - it's 2 hours of insuring job security in my mind - but - since we have a team member that left at 5:00 O'Clock on the dot and don't get in her way as she leaves this place ~ I really should not have to stay late - if the work was evenly distributed or this person was made to actually be a TEAM PLAYER there'd be NO reason for overtime - which happened to be the big discussion in the big meeting regarding these changes.  Oh well, I am trying to look at this as - who cares about that person, their problem, it's noticed, I'm noticed in a positive light, and not to worry about the negative, just keep on trucking and things will iron themselves out - it will be smooth happy sailing - I really enjoy working with my 2 other team members and that's what counts!!!!!

So... off to work I go now!!!!!!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day....♥♥♥

Happy Valentine's Day.....

A beautiful poem of "love"... a poem I love...

When You Are Old


When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And his his face amid a crowd of stars.

W. B. Yeats (1865-1939)

 

“May flowers always line your path, and sunshine light your day…” Irish Blessing

This morning I could not help but be in a good mood, the sun was out in full force!  We have had one rainy day after another for what seems like forever... gloom and doom.  It's amazing how a blue sky, crisp cool air, and bright rays of sunshine can make life seem just "Grand"!  Even Habibi seemed quite energetic and happy this morning, chasing his imaginary friend all over the house, even seemingly chatting with an imaginary friend.  When I left my home, and walked past the lake there was an incredibly beautiful Heron sitting on the grassy banks... even outside my office window the pond is full of Canadian geese and ducks, and the water is glittering in the sunshine... can't help but smile and appreciate the beauty.

And, while sitting here in my little sunshine world, my mind wanders to: Can you believe the vandals who have caused damage to some of the Egyptian Museum/Gardens and including a few of its incredible artifacts and treasures? It is so sad... these acts of destruction, mayhem and violence against a Museum are not in the name of freedom, politics, but pure ignorance... just my uneducated and simple opinion. That Museum brings money to Egypt in so many ways, how many tourist dollars provide a livelihood to Egyptian families, and what gain is there if they had completely destroyed it, totally burned it down?  NOTHING... Just want to smack the idiots in the head - like their MOTHERS should have done a LONG TIME AGO! (Meanwhile I can understand why Egyptians would like to vote someone new into office, and they deserve that right and freedom, but on another note, they also deserve to have "Liberty" for "ALL" - and I don't believe the "Brotherhood" is going to agree to that either... I might be more compassionate if it was "Brotherhood and Sisterhood")

But, must move back to the sunshine ... This afternoon was spent laughing over a huge bowl of salad and large glasses of Iced Tea with friends ... a short trip to Starbucks... as much absorption of natural rays of light and fresh air!  It was a very pleasant break from the monotony of my job.  We were talking about a few different stand up comedy specials we had seen lately... and that reminds me of Dane Cook, I LOVE Dane Cook, his sick sense of humor does me in... plus I think he's quite "attractive" too!!!

So... to wander off into some of my own personal history ... about 15 yrs. ago, I was walking across the street to my office, I had my lunch bag, my purse, I was dressed to kill in my pretty grey wool pencil skirt, blouse, and high heeled Mary Janes that were in that year, when a pick up truck is coming at me  - I put my hands out as I realized there was nothing I could do - he was going to hit me, and I flew into the air, acrobatics like an Olympic Gymnast that "didn't" get the Gold, all my belongings flying everywhere, the guy got out of the truck and rushed over to help me, and I went "bonkers" - I was so embarrassed, so humiliated, in front of rush hour, downtown traffic I had just performed the worst Double Flip, Aerial Handspring  in history... I told the guy to get away from me or I'd KILL HIM... I was serious... I was delirious.... another guy, a construction worker, stopped, grabbed me up off the street, all my belongings, and carried me to his car, where we waited for the ambulance.... cut it a little shorter, I had some bad bruising - I am made of rubber!!

BUT, to end my post, here's part of the Dane Cook joke that reminds me of that accident:

"...I did try to help this man. As the car was coming towards him, I reached out and I said "EEUUUUUHH!" "EEUUUUUUHH," that's all I could think of to say. There are so many things now in retrospect that I would have loved to have been, like "YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET STRUCK BY A VEHICLE!" I did not have time to say, "You're about to get struck by a vehicle." So I went with "EEUUUUHH," which is like a concerned moan.

That guy gets tagged. Okay, the greatest part of the story: he's in the air, flipping around, and this is how he lands -- on the other side of the car. He comes down perfectly on his feet! Then he jumps in the air and he starts walking around embarrassed. He's trying to play it off like he just didn't get hit by a car! People around him are like, "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" and he's like, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Serious, I'm fine. I'm a little bit hungry, but uhhh, other than that I'm..." "NO YOU SHOULD REALLY SIT DOWN, YOU'RE BLEEDING FROM THE EARS!" "I know, I know that. I do that. Every couple of weeks I empty the blood out of my own head. It's... tradition in my family. Has anyone seen my shoes? I kicked them off in a fit of joy. I love getting struck by vehicles and sometimes I'll kick my shoes off in a fit of joy. I'm fine. I'm just gonna go over here and puke shards of my own pelvis into this bush."

Food to Soothe the Soul....

No wonder I battle and struggle with my weight... when it's pouring cats and dogs outside, I am stuck inside the office .. sitting... drive home... sitting... go home and then get a wild hair to bake... I've been baking bread - there's nothing more comforting than fresh, piping hot bread.  I tried English Muffin Bread, and in order to control my eating - I had a slice when it came out of the oven, and then I turned around and packaged it up and brought to the office and told everyone - have at it!  It's gone.....

I spent 20 minutes standing in front of the open fridge area at the grocer's where they had smoked salmon.... going through the Nova and Lox packages to see which package did not have any "brown" areas - it must be completely clean of flaws or I can't eat it... I have had such a craving for smoked salmon... so for lunch today I had a Ray's Multigrain Bagel toasted, schmear of cream cheese, and then topped with my perfect Nova... gobbled it up... I'm happy, content... tonight - I am bringing home fresh, free range chicken eggs from a friends' house... her husband loves his chickens... she says they have dozens and dozens of eggs collected in a special fridge in their garage every week - so I bought a carton to see how they are - an omelet with tomatoes, red onion, and smoked salmon tonight and some toasted whole wheat pita bread.... I think this will end the smoked salmon craving.  Is it home sickness for those wonderful bagels on a Sunday morning, the one's my dad brought home, the cream cheese and lox... {{sigh}}... or am I low on Omega-3s....

Another craving, but one that goes unfed - sauteed Calamari.. fried calamari, anywhere - but sauteed like up North on Linguini... nothing like it... chunks of garlic in the sauce... I just know after cleaning and preparing the "calamari" - I'd never eat it again.... I've finally gotten over the chicken issue... If I cleaned chicken and there were veins or cartlidge and guts still left here and there, I couldn't eat it... then I got the kitchen shears and started cutting all the "contaminated" parts and leaving a lot of waste behind so I could eat the chicken ... now... I'm much better - I can just clip off the garbage stuff and enjoy the chicken without another thought... so slimy squid ... won't work well with me...

Comfort food... Good Memories.... my family in old t-shirts, at the table, with towels, eating my dad's Lobster Spaghetti... we'd make a mess - it was wonderful... I amaze myself with my ability to get every little microscopic piece of meat out of a lobster... no piece is too small to hide from my taste buds....
 good memories of us being messy, laughing and talking over dinner... I love my family, and I miss them very much....

Tequila!

This past week was eventful - went to an evening out with a huge group of Realtors.  We all met at this new place that opened up that has a movie theater, sports bars, bowling alley, private banquet rooms, theater for musical venues, dance floor with live entertainment, huge state of the art game room that you would expect to have been imported from Tokyo.... it's a really fun place!!!  A few too many tequila shots passed around.. but all in all, it was fun.

Did Happy Hour again at Mitchell's Seafood Market, this time I had a Martini made with some kind of Lychee juice mixed in... refreshing; shared appetizers for dinner.... and then home and straight to bed. 

But, then the weekend rolled in and I did NOTHING - well, I did chores that HAD to be done, but then I watched Winter Bone (I thought it was very good, but depressing and I personally don't believe it stands a chance to win next to The Kings Speech).... though the movie made me think of where I once lived, in Southern Illinois... it had a bit of that Ozarky feel.  We were very close to Missouri... in a small place called Raccoon Township (says enough); and I was pregnant and stuck living in such poverty - not a way of life I ever expected for myself.  I was a bit scared of the strange family that live across the road from us - they announced their arrival with hoots and hollers from their truck as they sped down their dirt drive, their dogs howling from the wooded area that protected and hid the actual house.  I never saw the house, never saw the people, honestly, I imagine they were quite right out of "Deliverance".... no, they were right out of "Winter Bone".... How happy I was to get away from there!  We moved into a 2 bedroom apartment in Jacksonville, Florida - rent paid for 3 months up front because of a move-in special; my ex-husband had started working for a large alarm company; and I was able to stay home for a little bit with my baby son.... No more poverty... EVEN when I was going through the divorce, could barely make ends meet, and was POOR, I never had to live as I did when we were in Illinois... The last time I was in that area, I drove past the old house we lived in - it was boarded up, vacant, just rotting away.... it should have been bulldozed when we left it those many, many years ago.  Mice, Termites, Wasps, you name it... it was pretty nasty... on top of the broken water pipes from a winter's freeze...sinking foundation... the house was awful!!!!


Ughhh... Memory Lane isn't always a pleasant trip.... so .... on to the present now....

There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat. ~Tay Hohoff

Just recently I had been thinking about my Persian girl, Abigail, and how I miss her ... she was a gentle, quiet and sweet little fluffy girl.  I bought her for my son, on his 4th birthday.  I let him pick her out of the litter of kittens. I sat at the home of the breeder having this fantastic little boy Persian, all black with a white mustache sitting on my lap purring, and all these precious little fur balls running around, but my son picks out the beauty of all, the uppity, shy girl that the breeder nicknamed "Princess".  She was my first Persian.  That uppity little girl stole our hearts forever - if my son hurt himself or cried for any reason, Abigail was right there beside him, rubbing and meowing and seemingly consoling him... if she was ready to be petted, she'd come sit down next to you, and softly pat your arm until you paid attention to her.  If you opened a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, well, don't you dare NOT share... I just remember waking up in the morning to her pretty face looking at me, and her grooming me - she'd wash my hands and then groom my nails, pulling and chewing on them till they were clean enough for her liking.  When she got to be old, and feeble minded, she'd entertain us with a burst of crazy energy, she'd fly around the house sliding on the tile floor, up and down the stair case, until she pooped out... like she thought she was a kitten once more (Kitty Dementia).  She'd wake up and seemingly forget where she was, and then howl until we called her name... hearing our voices quieted her... she'd run to whoever called her - sit beside them ...like she was scared you would disappear again.  Abigail had her faults, I couldn't own a piece of wooden furniture without her going to town with her claws.  She would not scratch anything but wood, and if she got upset or fussy, she'd go to the corner of the baseboards of my house and scratch, scratch and scratch... furiously, AND stare you down as she did it, like "I'll show you!"... she had Poly-cystic Kidney disease that is a genetic problem with Persians - her breeder should never have been allowed to breed Persians!  Luckily for our Abigail, I spent a lot of money over her lifetime making sure she ate food that kept her Ph-Balance in her kidneys and bladders at a safe level, but when she turned 14 yrs old, she started to grow a tumor around her kidney area  - and we eventually had to take her out of her misery and put her to sleep.  To have to make that decision is the hardest thing ... but seeing her suffer so much, her eyes all glazed over in pain, having to be kept in a small room where she wouldn't be able to ruin anything with the bloody urine that she couldn't control... something that was caused from the disease that was killing her... I couldn't bear her suffering.  I had just lost my beloved greyhound two months before to bone cancer, age 14 yrs. old too.  Life is tough - hard - and sad - especially when it comes to pets who love you unconditionally, who always depend on you and never cause you harm... like they are your perpetual baby to care for ... through to their golden years and illnesses. 

I didn't want a pet after I lost Abigail.  I was "done" - losing two precious loves of my life within two months had hurt me deeply.  I'd lost the Happy Dancer (my greyhound), that loving sweet beauty who greeted me with a happy dance every day when I came home... Also, I didn't have that flat smushy - angry looking face waiting for me... so that's when I started looking at Persian kittens... the breeder (a responsible one that was recommended) I chose had already sold her litter I had heard about - I left her my phone number - and in 2009, this day - Habibi was born.... no other kittens were born, just him... within 8 weeks (earlier than the breeder ever lets her kittens leave) I received a call from the breeder asking if I could get him early... I was going to pick up my new baby, sight unseen, to be mine forever... and when I walked into her little cattery, there was this angry looking little cottonball fluff with a raccoon mask staring at me from a little kitty gymnasium... I fell in love!  He fit in the palm of my hand... seems the little monster was a bully, and the brand new litter was his to pounce and be mean to - He's a ferocious ball of fluff!!!  And I sport my Habibi-Battlescars with pride!!!