Amanda Blog and Kiss

These two girls nearly made me pee myself laughing.

If you know me at all- even at the slightest acquaintance- you will know that I have a big soft spot in my heart for the animals of the world, and to see them hurt, in trouble, or abused really gets to me. I can’t describe how much it hurts me, and you probably wouldn’t understand at all, but I see an image on TV or in a magazine and it sticks with me for far too long.

Last night we were off our heads and watching TV. We came across something about Morrocco, and it showed the narrow, dusty streets filled with Muslims in robes going to and fro in the marketplace, and coming down a couple of steps was a pack mule. This pack mule was loaded down with animal pelts that nearly reached as high as the ceiling covering the stairs, and as wide as the walls. It must have weighed about as much as the mule itself.

He took one wobbly step down as his master stood behind him urging him on, and in that one step I saw the fatigue that that poor animal must have felt beneath that heavy, heavy load. His eyes were so forlorn and his poor legs were shaking and it hurt me so, so bad to think that his entire life was just about that- being packed up and led back and forth and back and forth and never getting a break in his long miserable life in the oppressive heat of Marrakech and only stopping when he falls down dead with exhaustion one day.

In that one step, my night was ruined, because I can never get an image like that out of my head, and in my head right now are tons of images that I have collected over the years- bears getting their teeth knocked out in Palestine and having fight dogs turned on them for sport, seal cubs with their big, gorgeous eyes and fuzzy little heads watching as men descend on them with clubs, dogs in kennels with only 10 percent of their fur left because the rest has been burned off by abusive owners, monkeys in laboratories, pack horses in Morrocco, fantastic, massive whales being hunted, cows being abused before slaughtered in the abbatoirs, cages filled to the very top with cats to be drowned and skinned for their furs.

All of these images bring me to tears even as I write this and recall them. The pain I feel is unbelievable, but is nothing to what the animals of the world have to go through. And the most horrific thing is that it will never stop. There will always be people who hunt, hurt, and torture. There will always be fur used for fashion. Always products tested on animals. And there is nothing that an animal can do to defend itself against any of these atrocities, because they will always be weaker, and people will always have the tools and the strength to hurt them.

Comments received about this post on MySpace:

From: Glinda the Good Witch of the North

You have articulated this so beautifully, it made me cry. It really did. I know exactly how you feel because I, too, have images I can’t erase from my mind. Sky TV has an RSPCA commercial about the dancing bears of Russian circuses that makes me physically sick when I see it. Their eyes have the same sad, emptiness you describe. The pain I feel for them hurts my heart in an almost physical way, like it literally breaks my heart. I’m waiting to see Oana and Dawn’s comments because I know they’re going to be as moved as I was. Great post, I’d give you more than two kudos if I could. You should find a way to give it more exposure – people need to hear this.

Love, Mom – xoxoxo

From: Dawn

There are alot of us who feel it but few who can put into words so strong. I always feel helpless to do anything or make any difference…. All I can do is hug my babies and know that at least I can keep them safe, let them sleep in my bed and feed them too many treats….but I will always hope to see the day when we all do the right thing! and treat others, not just humans, in the way that we would want to be treated. Mom & I saw a sad story (but with a good ending) about a 6 month old great dane on the news last week. Mom said she wants God to put her in charge of the people who are mean to animals. She is already coming up with their punishments…haha! Love you, miss you. Kiss Lola for me. And if we ever are in Morrocco together, I swear we will find a mule, feed it lots of food and let it free to roam in some grassy field far from the marketplace.

Dave took this video just before we went out, as I was trying to fill out an application for the gym. Watch me try to speak Dutch……and give up after four words!

“Waneer je een van je vriendin habba jubba…..What?….Whatever, I’m ready!”

[gigya width="440" height="420" src="http://v1.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=14m8010&s=1" quality="high" flashvars="gig_lt=1239721663906&gig_pt=1239721959125&gig_g=1&gig_n=wordpress" wmode="tranparent" ]
Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

I think I am being stalked, my every move studied and observed.

For what purpose, I don’t know, but it is both sweet and creepy at the same time.

Some examples:

Before I wake up:

When I am waking Dave up:

While brushing my teeth:

In the shower:

Making breakfast:

Getting ready:

On the toilet:

Entering or leaving the apartment:

On the couch:

At my desk:

Me thinks she needs a better hobby.

Whilst traversing* the Internet, I happened upon the Josh Ritter concert at the Paradiso last month in its entirety- the one that I went to with Dave and Podge. I figured since we were front and center and loud as hell cheering, I would be able to catch a glimpse of myself in the crowd, so I watched the whole thing over again. (It was just as good the second time)

And lo and behold- I saw me! I won’t bore you with every glimpse of me in detail, but if you wanna see me here is the link:

www.joshritter.fabchannel.com

If you watch the song “Snow is Gone” you’ll see a good shot of the three of us after Josh Ritter and his band take a bow and leave the stage. That’s me right there bopping up and down, Podge behind me, and Dave to the right.

Oh…..I suppose if you like Josh Ritter you should watch it because of him, too. Heh. He’s fucking awesome. I nearly left Dave for him that night.

Some of my favorites: “Lillian” (I am also to be seen in that one but thats not why its a favorite), “Hotel Song”, “Jiggs”, “Girl in the War”, “You don’t make it easy, babe” and “Harrisburg”.

*I have always wanted to use “Whilst traversing” in a sentence, but I rarely “traverse” and never say “whilst”. Now seemed to be my only chance ever. Sorry.

(Ed Note: FabChannel is now defunct and all concerts are offline!)

A good friend of our’s, Podge, now lives in Rotterdam, which is about an hour south of Amsterdam. He, Dave, and I all worked together at the Wild Geese in Brussels, and after Dave and I moved to Amsterdam, he moved to Rotterdam to join the Den Haag hurling team.

About a month ago he came to Amsterdam to see us, and we had such a good time that we made a pact to visit eachother at least once a month, either us going to Rotterdam or him coming to Amsterdam, because it was so nice to see a friend who we had a history with. Everyone we have met here are new friends, but with Podge it was different- there wasn’t that “getting to know you, where are you from, what are you doing here” thing, it was just all of us slipping back into our comfort zones with eachother, and to Dave and I that right now is precious.

Last week we saw him again when he came up and we all 3 went to the Josh Ritter concert at the Paradiso. It was Podge’s first concert, and Josh Ritter is one of my favorite singers, so EVERYONE was really excited.

And the concert was probably one of the best I have ever been to in my life. He sang just the right mix of new songs that we have just heard and old songs that we all have a history to, and he was nothing but smiles and laughter and GOOD MUSIC. If you don’t know him, definitely check him out.

Anyway, so after the concert we went out and got hammered and then spent the next day slowly recovering and visiting the Heineken Brewery and just hanging out.

So, next time we will have to go visit him in Rotterdam. We haven’t been able to go there yet because we haven’t had the money- in fact, we haven’t been able to LEAVE AMSTERDAM AT ALL since we got here last year due to the lack of money, but hopefully we will be able to travel soon enough, and then the world is my oyster again.