Saint or Sinner?

I'm a news junkie. I admit it. iGoogle is my home page, complete with ABC News, MSNBC, Fox News and CNN. (OK, I also have People and E Online in there too.)

Being a news junkie, I stay up late to watch not only my local news, but Nightline on ABC. Tonight was an intriguing report on infidelity and monogamy. There were some holy rollers on there, but there were also a few people that believe that we, as humans, are not wired to be monogamous.

I've been with the same man for almost 18 years, and then of course there's my husband. HA! Only kidding! My husband and I have been together for almost 18 years, and married for almost 15 years. In that time, I have always been faithful in body. But in mind and spirit? I've lusted, I've had crushes, but have never and would never act on them.

Which brings me to the point of the Nightline episode... Is it a sin to be lustful towards someone else if you are in a committed relationship? Does that make you a sinner or still a saint?

We've all heard the term, "Emotional Affair". But is it really an affair if you are not physically bound to the other person? Some would argue that emotional affairs are twice as damaging as a physical affair, and with good reason. If it was just about sex, then you can pretty much figure out what is wrong in the relationship. But if a partner is seeking an emotional attachment outside the confines of your relationship, then the soul and heart are crushed by the dead weight of the hurt in the mind. Repairing that relationship is an uphill battle.

I remember going through Pre Cana with my now husband. For those of you non-Catholics, Pre Cana is the Catholic program for marriage preparation. In Pre Cana, we discussed shared wants, philosophies, even birth control. But we never discussed the possibility of developing a relationship with someone of the opposite sex that could be deemed as a sin. Strange.

So, are you a saint or a sinner? Take the poll on ABC News and find out. Click HERE to start the poll. And when you are done, only share the results with your partner if you turn out to be a Saint like me ;)

Why Cats and Men are alike but we prefer cats

My entire life, I've been surrounded by cats. From our family cats, to the cats out at the barn where I rode and trained horses. Always purring, always there for a hug... you get the picture. I have two cats now, 14 year old full sisters, but as different as night and day. One of our cats is very friendly, a little dopey and just your basic lazy-ass cat. The other cat - the one who has attached herself to me - is quite finicky and rather bitchy. (Gee, I wonder why she likes me?)

I was thinking the other night that cats and men have a lot in common. Let me list the similarities:

~ They both purr when you pet them.
~ They will seek you out when they are hungry.
~ Thankfully, they usually bathe themselves.
~ They will stand at the door and howl when they want to go out with their friends.
~ When they are angry at you, they both will yell and sometimes hiss at you.

Now, the reasons we women prefer cats over men:

~ When you pet them, they ONLY purr.
~ They actually like to snuggle in bed with you.
~ They pretty much leave you alone.
~ They never argue with you.
~ They sit patiently when you talk to them and unload on them, and never interrupt.

I'm sure I could think of another five thousand reasons why cats are preferred by women, but as you can see by the spattering of items listed above, this is absolute proof as to why there are so many cats in a household that also includes a woman.

The Donkey, The Curling Iron & The Berries

We had our last, blow-out camping trip of the year over Labor Day Weekend. The sun was shining, it was warm, and our campground was a blast! The kidlets found other kids their own age, and all was good! Then came the donkey, or I should say, donkeys.

Our campground featured a barn with llamas, shetland ponies and donkeys. Cute, right? Fun for the kids, right? And it was... until one of the donkeys started braying in the middle of the night... for three straight nights! Now, I have never heard a donkey in heat, or one that is seriously maimed, but that's what it sounded like! I swear, if grunting was involved in the braying, I would think that in a few months there would be little donkeys running around!

Then there was the curling iron. Each morning when I went into the bathroom to wash my face, there was this woman there, blow drying the wet counter (and she told her daughter not to put anything down on that wet, disgusting counter) and curling her hair. Her face was already painted like some toddler that goe into her mom's make-up. This was every morning!!!! Does this woman not realize that it's called CAMPING?!?!?!? No one cares what your hair and face look like! Nine out of ten times, you're not ever going to see these people again! Are there still women that VAIN out there? Seriously?

But the highlight of the weekend was after we got home and realized that the pretty berry tree we had the camper and van parked under was shedding berries. And the birds that were eating the berries, were also crapping the berries onto the camper and the van. My nice white camper and nice white van looked like someone was executed at point blank range in front of them! And I don't know how much you know about berry-soaked bird crap, but it's like trying to get cement off of a leaf! I finally resorted to the trusty power-washer.

Phew! All in all, it was a good time, and we will be returning to that fabulous campground, but next time, I'm going to request a site under a nice fir tree. And I'm going to be sure that there are no divas in the bathroom, and I'll be sure to bring with the ear plugs!