Fate works in mysterious ways.  Just after this item posted, I found out my husband’s cat
has to get his leg amputated.  We
can barely afford the limb removal (thanks, Visa, you are everywhere I need to
be!) so I don’t think we will be stem-celling the kitty.

At some point late Monday afternoon, the dog went on a
rampage and went after the poor cat. The culprit was Elvis, not Mercy.  As I mentioned before, she’s simply too
lazy to go on any sort of rampage.

I don’t entirely understand why this happens, since the cat
and dog can be in the same room together, sniff each other and basically hang
out with out a problem.  But
sometimes when the cat feels like Elvis has him cornered, the fight-or-flight
instinct gets stuck on flight and the cat decides to run.  Elvis is part greyhound so when he sees
a small furry thing run, he gives chase. 
This time, he caught hold and did some serious damage—an exposed
fracture, which is at serious risk for infection, which leads us to the
amputation.

So, fight-or-flight responses are not the best reactions in
certain situations, for kitties and humans alike.  They certainly cannot be avoided in threatening situations,
but the panic that sets in during any time of stress (a really high pressure
job, for example) creates total havoc on your nervous system. When the response
is triggered, it basically shuts your body down with the exception your
hormones.  So hormone levels spike
(an acne culprit) while your immune system (a bacteria and acne fighter) slows
to a crawl, leading to stress induced acne (not to mention some potentially
serious health problems).  So
taking a few minutes to decompress will save your skin and enhance the quality
of your life.

Unfortunately, a hot bath does not work as a stress remedy
for me.  Once in the tub, I start
thinking, hmm, maybe I should shave my legs, or check out this new soap, or
maybe I should mask my hair while I all wet, all of which kind of defeats the
purpose.

So I have a bottle of Clary Sage essential oil on my desk,
which I sniff when I get that out-of-my-mind feeling. Clary Sage cuts down on anxiety and
helps the mind relax. If it has been a prolonged stressful day, I’ll add a few
drops to an essential oil diffuser and let it run as I fall asleep.  I also found the oil to be particularly
useful during some raging bouts of PMS—the soothing scent of the sage saved my
husband from having any of his appendages amputated.

According to Cosmetics Design, the Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky is cashing in on the celebrity fragrance trend with his own scent, Zhirinovsky for Men.

The article also touches on concerns about backlash over celebrity-endorsed scents, a trend which sent the fragrance market booming over the past decade or so. It quotes Euromonitor senior analyst Diana Dodson saying, “It can be risky to rely on a celebrity’s image, too easily tarnished by today’s ubiquitous media.”

Irony noted.