Things on my mind...Boxer musings.

OK, I have to say, I have a lot on my mind these days. No one thing is really enough for a whole blog but, still, lots to chat about.

First, for those of you who are curious, Zspa should be open around November 15th. Yeah, a month and a half late but, who's counting. John has a meeting tomorrow to start advertising. Very exciting. I can't wait to see the place. Granted I plan to keep my visits to a minimum as I am bath adverse but it's nice to know that if the need arises I won't have to stand in line. Geez, I hope I won't have to stand in line.

Second, did anyone keep up with the whole "salmonella in eggs" thing that struck over the summer? It's hard to fathom that over half a BILLION eggs were recalled and thousands of people got very, very sick. Now I bring this up because of some little conversations I've heard in the store. Zane + Zara's carries a lot of Merrick products. I mean A LOT! We tend to gravitate to the, oh I don't know, stranger things they offer: pig snouts, hoofs, tendons, etc. I think John and Russell choose some of the stuff for shear shock value but, who argues with success? Every now and then we'll have someone turn their noses up at the Merrick displays and grumble that they would never buy a Merrick product because they've had a recall. OK, it's true, this summer Merrick did recall one of their treats. The odd thing is that they did it before anyone got sick. Contrast that with the summer egg debacle which saw half a billion eggs recalled AFTER people started dropping like flies. Before is good, after is bad. Now, what I find most amusing is that no one I know has stopped buying eggs for their family. People still bake, scramble and souffle. Yet, when faced with a proactive recall of pet snacks, where no one was actually harmed, people will boycott the offending company. You will happily sacrifice your children to the egg Gods but, protect your dogs to the extreme. I have to say, I'm impressed. This is why Soylent Green was made of people and not dogs. Crackers made of people was believable. Crackers made of dogs would never have found a market. I love humans!

Now let's touch on morality. I think this is referred to as a "blind item." Why do humans insist on lying? You never hear of a dog or cat lying. It is just not in our nature. Say what you will about temperament but, with a dog or cat, what you see is what you get. Humans, though, you are a complex bunch. Your actions are often disguised by your words. You'll do something for whatever reason and then deny doing it or, when asked, offer a different reason for why you did it. Why is this? Take Natura Pet Foods for example. We all know they were sold to Proctor and Gamble. We also know that many stores decided to take Natura products off their shelves because of said sale. What I don't get is the people who find it necessary to fabricate a reason for doing so. "They've changed the formulas." "They've decided to send production to China." "They've started to use ground up cat carcasses." Why the fear of saying, "Because I wanted too." Why the lies? It's like the guy from NPR that said when he sees someone in Muslim garments on an airplane he gets a little nervous. I doubt he is the only person in the US who has those thoughts...he just expressed them. And I have to give him credit, he owned them. I'm a firm believer that it is only through an honest exchange of ideas where meaningful progress can be made. John has always said that he'd rather deal with someone who was honest in their dislike of gays than one who smiled to his face and then stabbed him in the back. What's the phrase? Love the sinner, hate the sin. What a vile bunch of puke. How about this idea: take today and make an effort to undo a lie you've told...or a rumor you've passed on as fact. Reach out and correct a wrong. Teach yourself a lesson so that you might think twice before repeating the behavior. It might do you some good and you might end up being a slightly better human. All dogs go to heaven, you humans have work to do.

What else is on my mind these days? Can you believe the holiday season is so close? The end of October is just around the corner. Let's take a moment and give some thought to those of us who are less fortunate. I know money is tight but, how about we make a collective agreement to help someone in need during this holiday season. There are so many good things that can be done with such little effort. Zane + Zara's wants to help and we reached out to some of our good friends for assistance. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and this blog for some really cool ideas on how to help those most in need. I'd venture a guess in a week or so the love will be spreading. Take care, Zane.