Comments for Assorted Nonsense

Comment on Heather Mallick vs Robert Fulford vs Margaret Atwood vs Joe Mahoney by Grondzilla

Grondzilla — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:48:12 +0000

Talk about your tempest in a teapot. So Fullford wasn’t particularly taken with this story and perhaps confesses certain issues with where Atwood may be coming from, his review isn’t particularly harsh or strident. It’s just sort of ‘meh’. When you end your review with the line “Now they can, and the rest of us can wonder at this curious appearance of nostalgia in our cleverest and most surprising author,” it’s not exactly what you’d call an indictment. My reaction is an equally impassioned ‘meh’.

Comment on Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays by mai-ling

mai-ling — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:14:02 +0000

I haven’t watched it past episode 4.
it’s hard to find episodes online when
the CBC website doesn’t allow us USer’s
to view the episodes.

It’s on my to-do-list for sure.

But what I saw, I like it a lot.
So far, everything I have seen/heard
Matt do, I’ve enjoyed.

Maybe I’m just as biased also.

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Marcia

Marcia — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:07:09 +0000

So sorry for your loss, hugs to you all. As a fellow animal enthusiast and having looked into the eyes of the various “furfamily” members both Lynda and I were raised with. (And continue to live with) I choose to believe the bond they have with us is not so very complex. We love them and care for them, they love us and enslave us. Vet offices are stressful and they would rather be with us. So when Brandy passed with you by her side, that is where she would rather have been. You did your best for her, for 14 years she was your fur child. She had daily love and attention, a soft warm place to sleep, and companionship. We should all be so blessed. Some discomfort near her passing does not eliminate the years of happiness she had as part of your family. Our furry friends are capable of love, and Brandy knew what is was to be loved.

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Tim

Tim — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:07:02 +0000

Very, very sorry for your loss, Joe. Your moving blog speaks volumes about the depth of your character and compassion.

Comment on A Murmuration of Swallows by Mireille

Mireille — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:29:38 +0000

beautiful. Thank you for posting this Joe. Wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Joe Mahoney

Joe Mahoney — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:25:32 +0000

Don’t worry Mom, no hard feelings towards my grandfather. As you suggest he was just coming from a different place.

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Mom

Mom — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:35:55 +0000

So sorry to hear about Brandy. She was a lovely cat. I am not really a cat person although we had several cats and I always missed their presence when they were gone. They are great company and one day I may have to get another one to keep me company. Sorry about my dad’s lack of compassion but in those days they had to control the cats somehow and after all he was a farmer and used to butchering cattle all his life. He did love his dogs and in his later years liked nothing better than to pet his house cats. We always had “barn cats’ who controlled the mice population in the barns and then the house cats who were more pets.
I hope you have Chloe with you for many many more years..

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Joe Mahoney

Joe Mahoney — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:20:51 +0000

Thanks Grondzilla. I should clarify that it wasn’t my vet friends who offered the extras, it was the Emergency Animal Hospital I took Brandy to at the end.

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Grondzilla

Grondzilla — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:29:55 +0000

I think that moving anywhere past the idea that one shares their lives with other living breathing creatures that all have value is not about sentiment but about compassion. I’m sorry to say that I would have to be of the opinion that your dear old grandpa is/was the fool to think anything along the lines of ‘it’s just a cat’. Once they are in our lives it is our obligation to treat them with as much respect and consideration as any other member of our collective families.

Without more details I’d also be of a mind to re-evaluate your ‘friends’ if their vet practice includes such a callous display during what is a pretty damned tough time for most people. I imagine that the cost of vet services is something that we could no doubt discuss the pros and cons of (or their relationship to what the market will bear), but the idea that they *bundle* their care of your critters with ‘memorial’ extras just jumps the living hell out of the shark. Although to be blunt I can see this attitude happening in a society that has a good percentage of A-holes who treat their pets as little more than living bits of furniture.

p.s. Sorry to hear about your sad news. Just the fact of your heartache (and consternation) make it obvious that you gave more than a damn.

Comment on Eulogy for a Cat by Joe Mahoney

Joe Mahoney — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:16:42 +0000

Thanks Frances. I was never fond of cats until I had Brandy and Chloe. I’m actually more of a dog person. As I mention above we also have a Golden Retriever, Maxwell, who (I also feel compelled to tell you) is absolutely awesome. So awesome that he may soon be promoted to a Platinum Retriever. He’s also trained to within an inch of his life, which makes him infinitely more palatable to have underfoot.