Sunday, September 23, 2007

DEAR MADLIBBIN' PARASAILER: Oh Yah, It's Another One of Those Open Letters

Dear Madlibbin Parasailer:

Hi! How've you been?

It's been quite some time since my readers have heard from you and, honestly, I still have quite a few questions I'd like to ask you before determining if you are, in fact, THE ONE. I hope you don't mind.

So, following are my questions:

1) As you well know, I love animals. I'll stop, drop, and roll in a dress during a work meeting if doing so meant I could save a critter, however large or small (I've been known to save quite a few insects in my time). You are also aware of my awful animal allergies, the medications I live on in order to keep my cat Zanadune, my undying dream of someday adopting two dogs and three cats (I developed a soft spot for cats with special needs during my stint as a volunteer at KittyKind, so I'd be happy to take in the ones that no one else wants), and my vegetarianism.

How do you feel about animals? Did you have pets growing up? Do you have pets now? Do you hope to someday have pets? How do you feel about groups like PETA, the ASPCA, and the WWF?

Please, don't let my position on the issues of animal rights influence your answer.

I look forward to hearing from you dear sir!

Yours,
The Nerddd

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dearest Nerdd,

Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder, or so I've learned in the month-long hiatus from these exchanges we've been having. To answer your first question - I'm been well - working a little harder than usual unfortunately, but such is life in this grand epic city we live in, no? And how have you been (aside from the plant rescues, the baseball drama, your occasional arguments with the BFFs and the successful completion of your biodata (gasp!))?

So you've now turned your attention to my thoughts on animals, no? Allow me to respond with the following:

1. Prior to coming to New York, I was once a biologist, so trust me when I say I have the utmost respect for the natural world. Moreover, having spent some time in grizzly country, I can assure you that I feel nothing but the UTMOST respect for the natural world.

2. I desperately wanted a dog while growing up, in large part because of the deep relationship I had formed with my neighbor's dog, a collie named Hamish with whom I would play soccer after school. When our neighbors moved away, I recall asking my parents if we could get a dog, to which my father, while patting me on the head, responded "But we already have our dog!" Of course, that wasn't really a satisfactory answer, but the truth of the matter is that my parents had already looked into it and had ruled against it because both my sister and myself have allergies. Allergies aside, I would love a dog, although not while living in downtown New York as it would clearly be nothing less than cruel and unusual to care for a dog in these New York sized apartments.

3. I was not the biggest fan of cats while I was younger, but while living in Montreal, I did defacto care for a stray/lost cat that had wandered into my apartment through a hole in my mesh door that had been eaten through by a raccoon (yes yes yes - its Canada after all!). It was towards the end of winter and the cat was scrawny and looked like was on its last legs, so I let it stay, named it Camus (as I thought of the cat as being in exile) and I nursed it for a few months. And frankly, Camus was a delight (well behaved and well tempered)! In any event, spring came, Camus was healthy and literally just left the apartment. It was a sad moment, although I was soon off to New York to work for the summer. Upon my return, the person to whom I had sublet the apartment mentioned how a cat fitting Camus' description had come by once or twice and rapped on the screen door but ran away when they had opened it. I never saw Camus again.

4. I went to college on the west coast, so more than half of the friends I made there are vegan/vegetarian, and in part by their influence, I eat much less meat than I used to (usually a handful of time a week). That said, I am not a vegetarian.

5. To be honest with you, I don't know the nuances of PETA's, ASPCA's or even the WWF's campaigns well enough to often an intelligent opinion on their particular platforms, as I probably just know of their more well publicized campaigns. Certainly, I am in principal supportive of initiatives against any needlessly cruel treatment of animals, although I'm guessing that my view on this is not quite as militant as these organizations on issues that I think required a more compromise-oriented approach. And while I'm impressed that an organization like PETA has taken on fast food and I do think it does some excellent grassroots work, I do think some of their other campaigns may have been in bad taste (i.e. the Holocaust exhibit). Is there any position in particular you were thinking of when you listed these three organizations?

Normally I just redirect your questions to you, but I think through your many many blogposts, we know your position of these issues. That said, we all know the Nerddd is a shoe connaisseur - does the Nerddd own any pair of (gasp) leather shoes?

Yours,
MP

Anonymous said...

FOR GOD'S SAKE WOMAN...*insert my lecture on AIM here*

Anonymous said...

This MP guy is getting pretentious and borning, 'no'?

Yes, yes...start flaming everyone. Just my opinion (and no, I have no conflict of interest. I am not interested in Sabilak)

Terra Shield said...

MP was asked a question, and he answered; very eloquently indeed. Do you think sabila would be interested to ask these questions if she received answers like 'yes', 'no', 'maybe' and 'I don't know'?

SabilaK said...

Thank you Terra.

Anonymous said...

Terra

To be honest, I really don't care whether or not Sabila would/would not be interested in such responses. I was merely voicing my *personal* opinion on the style/content and pretentiousness of said responses.

Anonymous said...

I fancy MP also...

Dear MP,

If it doesn't work out with Sabila, please take a drive to D.C.

*wink*

*that should get her moving on that issue*

Love,

Sabila's really hot DC friend.

Anonymous said...

Sabila's really hot DC friend:

I think I owe you one.

In your debt,
MP

SabilaK said...

Dear DC Girl:

Oh nos! You must leave the madlibbin' parasailers to me, dear!

Thanks for the nudge though.

Anonymous said...

I loved the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) when I was a kid ;-).