Highlights from the 100 Things To Do List

As with our other blog "The Daily Vampire," we are featuring highlights from my 100 Things To Do List, which I actually wrote out last week.

1. (#2) wash car

2. (#14) Look at Craig's List for a cool new job or a good used vinyl record player

3. (#43) Check out Twitter page, even though it's so 2009.

4. (#48) Try to see a dentist

5. (#65) Make late summer reading list (that's the reason for the zombie version of "Pride and Prejudice" image, this is a bit of an in-joke since I've never read a Jane Austen novel).

6. (#77) Try to see a Shakespearean play at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va.

7. (#81) Pretend you are Walt Whitman, and sit under a tree and write a poem.

8. (#90) Look into volunteering for a cause you believe in. (There is actually a no-kill shelter for cats in Raleigh, NC, called Safe Haven, but that's a two-hour drive my zip code of residency!)

9. (#98) Research networking (I think this is actually on everyone's to-do list)

10. (#100) Eat at the new Thai Orchid in Roanoke, Va., perhaps I can find a radical feminist who will agree to pay for my meal to prove the "Father Knows Best" years are really behind us. (I should add that even though I just made fun of radical feminists, I am by no means a Republican. Michele Bachmann has proven that Sylvester Stallone was right when he said: "the cure is worse than the disease," in that god-awful mid-80s action movie "Cobra."

There's a Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh, NC

My adorable little sister and I at times seem like two people who grew up in different sectors of the solar system. When we were in high school (I am four years older), she always studiously did her homework usually on the day it was assigned as soon as she was through watching the NBC soap opera "Santa Barbara" (which starred a then unknown Robin Wright, who later became Robin Wright-Penn).

I, on the other hand, actually thought I could finish some ninth grade earth science homework WHILE watching Villanova's historic upset of Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA men's basketball final. The game really irked me because I was a 'Hoyas fan (as I am today though they aren't my very favorite team) and I loved Georgetown's star player Patrick Ewing. Ironically, earlier today, Georgetown was shockingly upset by Rutgers 71-68! Oh, I don't think I ever completed the earth science homework as I did not perform well in that class.

But, Lale, who is now married and residing out west, and I have many similar interests, including Turkish pop music, wine, coffee, comic strips and cats!

As many of you frequent this blog (all four of you) know I love cats and I am particularly found of my tuxedo cat Gizmo even though he scratched me last night!

I was thus delighted to come across an ad for Safe Haven, a no-kill shelter for cats, in "Independent Weekly," a Raleigh, NC, alternative weekly while I was Christmas shopping in Chapel Hill, NC, in early December.

While researching for this entry, I found out that the shelter is located in the northern part of Raleigh and the organization is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year.

The agency also provides what they call an E-Harmony type service for would-be cat owners by trying to match a cat with the traits that someone might be looking for.

There are in fact three categories for cats, and this is not based on the actual color of the cat as you will notice as you continue reading. These include green cats, which are savvy and adventurous, orange cats which make perfect companions and purple cats which are quiet and seek affection. Gizmo, who is actually a black and white cat, actually fits the orange cat mode as he can't still and he loves going after birds in the front yard, much to our neighbor's shock and horror.

Safe Haven also provides adoption services for cats and kittens as well as foster program. They also have a feline spay and neuter service.

On April 16, Safe Haven will hold its annual fundraiser at the Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh on East Harnett Street.

If you live in the Tri-Cities area and would like to adopt a cat or make a donation, Safe Haven (safehavenforcats.org) can be reached at 919-872-1128