Lost Cat Found

A guy that lived in my apartment complex lost his cat, Claude, right before he moved out. Since I moved in back in August, I've seen posters all around the neighborhood with pictures of the cat. And in September, the guy actually showed up at my neighbor's apartment to ask them if they had seen Claude since their cats used to play together. I felt bad because this guy was clearly desperate and really wanted his cat.

Today, I popped home to grab lunch before heading to the Humane Society for volunteering and there on my apartment stairs was the missing cat! I got super excited and immediately went down the mail center to get the phone number off of the missing poster. I called, but it went to voicemail so I gave him as much information as I could and then took a picture, just in case the guy wasn't able to get there before the cat took off.

I checked my phone eagerly throughout the day, confident that the guy would call me and tell me that the cat was found. But no calls. When I finally got home that evening, the cat was gone. And I still didn't hadn't gotten a return call. At that point, I wasn't sure what to think. This guy had been plastering the neighborhood with fliers and seemed like he really wanted to find the cat, but maybe he had given up. Or maybe he had come by, found the cat and was trying to avoid giving me the reward he advertised (which I would have refused anyway). In either case, it seems like my happy dream of reuniting pet and owner isn't going to be.

Pocket Susan Advice: Take care of car maintenance before winter is here! A few items to remember include rotating your tires every 3,000 miles, checking and changing the oil if necessary, refilling the windshield wiper fluid, and replacing the wiper blades. For more car maintenance information, see your mechanic or visit the Texaco website for a quick guide to maintenance.

Taking Travel Turns

I enjoy the fact that my friends are spread out across the country. Admittedly, there is a midwest and southeast concentration, but I do have a few on the west coast and in the southwest. I look forward to traveling around and visiting them. Seeing an old friend and a new part of the country is a great combination. Then I check my bank account balance for a reality check. With the increasing travel prices, it's getting more difficult to casually book a flight and head out to San Francisco.

An added frustration is that some friends are extremely eager to get together as long as you will come to them. My friend recently ran into a girl that she went to college with who now lives an hour or two away. They were not really close in college, more friendly acquaintances and had not stayed in touch in the three years since graduation. The girl was SO excited to see my friend and insisted that they should really get together soon and hang out. When could my friend drive up to see her? My friend told her that it would be difficult for her to drive up any time soon because her work schedule is (legitimately) very hectic, but she would like to get together. The girl accepted this, but rather than suggest that she might drive down instead she told my friend to let her know when she would be able to make it up.

This is a mild example, but hopefully it illustrated my point. What happened to taking turns or meeting half way? I've told some of my friends (and am extending it to you as well) that if they can come up with the funds for a trip to see me, I will pay half of their airfare. Mainly because I know that when it comes to taking travel turns, I am just as guilty.

Pocket Susan Advice: Renew your relationship with the US Postal Service. Yes, I know that email is faster, easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than snail mail, but there is an immeasurable satisfaction in opening your mailbox and seeing an envelope that is hand addressed and not a bill. If you don't think you have the time, try keeping a box of stationery in your desk at work and writing a quick note during your lunch hour or between meetings instead of checking Facebook.

If the South Rises...

I lived in South Carolina for two years during graduate school and although they are becoming rare, you can still come across a guy or two who has a confederate flag sticker on the back of his pick-up truck cab and proudly declares that the South will rise again. And after two years I still have no answers to my questions regarding this issue. If the South rises again...

1. What will the issue be that gets people riled up enough to declare sovereignty? Is sovereignty even the goal? So what is the goal?

2. Which states will be considered "The South"? Just the ones that were before or will they expand to include the southwest as well? Are we still going by the Mason-Dixon line? What about Hawaii?

3. Where will the capital be? The most permanent capital during the war was in Richmond, VA, but the proximity to DC makes that seem like an awkward placement with all the commuters and whatnot.

4. Who will be in charge? Now that Strom is gone, I just don't think the SC senators really have the weight to pull it off. Not to mention a potential lack of interest on their part.

5. What will they do with all of the Yankee transplants? Will we be rounded up and deported?

Pocket Susan Advice: Make use of random rewards programs. All sorts of companies have developed rewards programs to encourage brand loyalty, take for example Coca-Cola's program mycokerewards.com. I am a loyal Diet Coke drinker, but I never really paid attention to the point labels inside the lids or boxes because I thought it was a waste of time. It wasn't until last year when my roommate (who drinks regular Coke and sometimes Sprite) and I realized that we went through a ton of points. I began to collect the points and enter the codes online and have gotten two 1-year magazine subscriptions for free, which saves me about $5 a month. So if you faithfully use one brand or stay in one hotel chain, then it might be worth it to check into their rewards program and get a return on your loyalty.