while going through several sites today, i just couldn’t resist swiping a couple of pictures from CuteOverload.

they’re funny, sure, but there was something about these guys that reached out to me. maybe it’s because i’m a bit swamped with work these days and i just wanted to see if other creatures were also feeling the “pinch” of having to work hard for your next meal harharhar.

ladies, don’t despair. there’s a hot mechanic in town, and with his magic hands he’ll soon have your engine running purr-fectly.

doggie digger in action — hey mate, can you dig this?

or maybe, i just seriously need a little inter-species pick-me-up moment to lighten up after all the horrible events that have occurred this week.

back when i first decided to go back to freelancing, i had this half-formed idea that things would be different — as in i would have more time to go anywhere i want, whenever i want. hah! big, hairy deal.

these days, i no longer have to hurry to be at a certain place at a certain time, of course, yet my routine has essentially remained the the same. the bulk of my time is still spent on work. (yes, those deadlines! ugh.) and there’s only so much you can do even if you have resources and the willingness to do certain things.

anyways, these past few weeks i’ve done a few things that i would have hard-pressed to do if i hadn’t made the switch. one of them was watching my favorite stage musical (Cats!) with a bunch of friends. for some reason though, my largely fluid schedule has made me appreciate my past regimented routine, especially those parts that i like best. like the time we had our company outing at Momarco Resort a couple of years ago.

well, it wasn’t exactly an exemplary vacation spot, and the customer service wasn’t all that great either. still, it felt like one of the things that one would actually care to remember when you have all the time in the world. i still have the pictures at any rate, so i guess that helps.

now that i’m back in the topsy-turvy, unpredictable world of freelancing, i become more aware of the things that i used to take for granted when i was still deep in the grips of regular employment. things like routine, employee perks, and health insurance rates, for instance.

i guess some things only become obvious as you grow older and appreciate things that didn’t seem that important a couple of years earlier. these days, issues like life savings, CNN health, insurance, etc., seem very relevant (it’s probably because i’ve fallen sick several times these past few months). so, now, whenever i hear somebody talk about job security, group health insurance quote, and retirement benefits, my ears just perk up and my attention lingers.

maybe it’s a sign that of the times (economic slowdown and uncertain future). or maybe, it’s just a sign that i’ve matured a bit more in these past couple of years.

recession. gulf oil spill. wikileaks. uncertainty. there just seems to be no shortage of reasons to feel discouraged these days. and, unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few weeks, you know that you really need to search long and hard to find something genuinely uplifting to make your day easier to handle.

so it’s sort of a nice surprise when you hear about groups like Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), which has apparently been organizing activities such as car donation charities to raise funds for U.S. vets who had served in Vietnam. basically, what the group does is promote the concept of car donation — wherein people can donate various types of vehicles, which will later be sold to generate funds for its charity programs. What makes the whole thing even sweeter is that, if you decide to go through with your car donation Illinois State Council Car Donation program, it’s actually tax-deductible.

apparently this has been going on for more than 25 years already. this kind of makes me feel a bit better, particularly now that things are getting a bit rough in Afghanistan.