Aloalo Returns... And More!

Yulysta: We are very excited to welcome our friend Aloalo back into the Squishable Quintet!

Aloalo: Thank you very much. I'm honored to be here with all of you.

Peanut Butter: Tell us about your vacation, Aloalo.

A: I have to say it was quite lovely to spend time with Holly's fiance in the midwest. The trip from Maine to Missouri was pretty long but the flight from Missouri to New York was quite nice.

Lily: We hear Holly got sick while she was with her fiance, is that true?

A: Yes, she was terribly ill with what looked like a severe case of the flu. Her fiance took very good care of her and she is almost 100% today.

Julius: Yeah, we still hear her hacking from time to time.

PB: Aloalo will be joining us from now on for our Squishable posts but unfortunately will not be with us for our Costa Rica trip, unless something changes.

L: Why not? That's awful! We have to take him along, he's part of the team!

Y: I agree with you Lily, but the truth is because Aloalo's so large it's difficult to travel with him.

J: Well then how did Holly get here with him?

Y:  She set him on her lap during the flights but with her other carry-ons it was hard. Plus Holly wasn't feeling that well still.

A: I don't mind. In fact, it might be good for me to inform all of you on news that we're having here in the States.

L: I still don't think it's fair. You're one of us!

PB: We know and he still might go but it may not be practical to take him.

L: Aw.

Y: Anyhoo, that's all we have for tod-

J: Wow, that was short.

L: Yeah, I was having fun!

PB: Guys, Holly would like to say a few things. We'll have more to talk about another time.

J: Fine.

L: I guess I understand. I'm going to think of something exciting to share for next time!

A: I very much enjoyed introducing myself. I hope everyone stays healthy.

PB: Yes, everyone enjoy a nice mug of tea or hot chocolate!

Y: Bye, everyone!

J, L, & A: Bye!


So as it was mentioned above, I got extremely sick last Sunday afternoon when I was with my fiance. Body aches, headache, fever, eventually leading into a cough and some congestion. Not really sure what happened but I feel better now and I'm very happy to have Aloalo with me!

The previous blog post mentioned the newest member of my personal family and that is my kitty. I had mentioned her name being "Sagira" but that didn't stick to her because it was so harsh sounding. After going through a series of names, the longest being "Layla" (pronounced in Arabic as 'LIE-lah') which lasted for a week or so, I feel as though I've settled on a new name: "Colette" ('ko-LET'). I had been trying to do some research on names and for some reason naming her became a problem for me. I usually try to name animals based on how they look or where they come from but it didn't work with her. During my research on names, I came across Colette, which is a shortened version of the French name "Nicolette" and means "necklace" or "victory of the people." I like these meanings for her for two reasons" 1) the markings on her chest almost connect in the form of a necklace and 2) I feel as though there is some victory in her story.

Something else I've discovered is that although she has tabby markings, I'm fairly certain she contains at least a portion of the "Ocicat" cat breed. (Check out the Cats 101: Ocicat video clip from Animal Planet!) My grandma and I both noticed that her markings were very unique for a tabby and that's when I discovered she had almost spots on her instead of stripes. She fits the personality and marking description except she DOES like to be held and enjoys sitting on my lap and she is considerably smaller than the size they say most Ocicats are. In any case, I love her and she's doing fairly well; she had a bit of a "litter box" issue which cleared up and now she is having a runny eye. Giving eye drops to a cat is about as fun as jumping out of a plane... without a parachute.

In other news, Costa Rica preparations are underway and things look good for that. Stay tuned!

There is one thing I wanted to rant- I mean talk about fairly briefly to clear up some issues that people may have on the matter. Note: I am not providing any research or anything to back up what I'm saying. The reason is that most of this information is becoming common knowledge PLUS I'm trying to simplify this as much as possible.

Organic food is NOT more NUTRITIOUS than conventional food. (Necessarily.)

I'm pretty irritated at people who are against organic because they think it's hogwash. The purpose of eating organic is not because people think they are getting more out of their food necessarily, it's the fact that we're not consuming toxic pesticides, artificial flavorings, HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup), artificial dyes, artificial preservatives, etc. If you take Cheez-Its, then take the equivalent organic version, you will notice for one that it tastes better and secondly that you should feel full a bit faster and not as sick afterward. The reason for this is that per square piece, the organic version will not contain things that have no nutritional value ("fillers") and your stomach and body will not have an issue trying to figure out what it's eating. (We were not designed to take in Red #40. Our livers are amazing but it doesn't mean we should abuse it.) Technically, the organic Cheez-It will be "more nutritious" in the sense that it doesn't contain fillers/chemicals and what it does contain is more complete foods compared to the conventional brand where you'll be consuming ingredients that you've never heard of.

Okay, what about produce? Take a conventional apple, then compare it to an organic apple. Taste is definitely better, no doubt. But... what else? Nutritionally it's pretty much the same since the food itself isn't altered (yet, don't even get me started on GMO's), but there is more of a reason to eat organic. We're not consuming pesticides, which can damage our body, but another factor to consider is not just ourselves and our bodies, but the environment. Less pesticide usage means cleaner soils, which means less emissions and happier Earth. Simple as that. So before you go and judge someone who is spending slightly more money on keeping themselves and the Earth healthy, think about all the money you've poured into the fast-food industry, what exactly you're eating, and how much car exhaust you've poured into the air getting that food.

Ponder this: Why are we always so concerned about the food our infants consume, but when they get older we feel it's okay for them to start eating junk food? Here's a painfully true joke I read in the ninth-grade: "My mother always told me to finish my food because there are children starving in Africa. Thanks, Mom. The children in Africa are still starving and now the children in America are obese."

Okay that's enough of that for today. Christmas is coming up! Give $20 to a charity of your choice this year! (And please don't forget to give some change to the Salvation Army!)

¡Buenos Noches!