Maiden Aunt

Trivia Might Break Your Heart

2012-01-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

If you've been looking forward to a cat-free post, here you go. (However, if you enjoy The Cat's adventures, when the new scratching post arrives there will be details.)

Earlier this week, I got a last-minute invitation from the weekly trivia host to join his team for an annual fundraiser to benefit his former parochial school. I said yes before I had all the details, because I like having an excuse to go out on a Friday night.

Issue #1: It was fifty-some bucks to register (upped because I was signing up late).

Oh well, it's for a good cause.

So I get there on Friday night, and when I go to sign in, I'm told my team is at Table 1.

You know, because they're the returning champions. Oops! I mean five-time champions. Consecutively.

Issue #2: Pressure. Lots of it. I was filling in for someone who had helped them win!?

Well, at least three people from my regular team were there, so I didn't feel completely awkward. But before they arrived, I didn't know anyone else from the team besides the captain. . . and the guy I'd met at the last benefit trivia (see #3 in that post). And of course the captain sat me next to him because we were the "music people."

Now, I don't think I ever gave an update after the whole situation where I was beating myself up for not being available at the pub post-game for that guy. Let's just say that I did ask around, and he did not get very favorable comments when it came to the dating department. I was told that on the rare occasions when he came to the pub to play trivia, he would bring dates that didn't exactly give everyone the warm fuzzies. I definitely was not his type.

So I didn't really give it much stock when I was seated next to him. I thought, Cool, we can chat or whatever. Just have fun. And it was, in the beginning.

Until he leaned over and said, "Since we're the only single people on the team, you've been assigned to take care of me."

When I raised an eyebrow, he added, "Oh, don't worry, it's not like you'll have to carry me out or anything."

I tried to play it off with amusement, like, "So this is what they do to the new people on the team?" but it really did not thrill me. There was alcohol at this event; was there really so much confidence on this team that it was O.K. to get beyond buzzed?

And honestly, as the game went on, he did drink more, and the more he drank, the damper his personality got. He was a drag. He made off-color jokes that I wouldn't make in mixed company if I didn't know them that well. I seriously wondered if he was stoned at one point, because he seemed just spaced out.

That was the beginning of Issue #3: Disappointment. Because in the middle of all that, the game was not going well. Apparently, the strategy that had served the team well in past years was failing. I knew it wasn't my fault, but I felt like a jinx in a way. I also felt bad that my friend the captain would be really sad if we lost.

The final nail in the coffin was the piece-of-cake music round at the end. Then I really felt useless. Much later I would realize I had given several helpful answers that had helped the team achieve a slightly-less-heartbreaking third place, but in the moment, I felt sad and frustrated.

You-know-who, who had been asking me during the game if I was having fun, which I had been. . . until we lost (oh and let me tell you, there was much cheering from the other two dozen teams that the champs went down). So in the middle of all that cheering, he kept asking me, "But did you have fun?" First time, I said yeah. Second time, yeah, I had a lot of fun.

Either I wasn't convincing (full disclosure: I don't have a poker face), or he was just out of it, or he was trying to be a nice guy and console me, but he asked again.

Finally, I said, "I totally had fun, but I don't like to lose, so I feel a little sad, too. I'm a Libra; we're complicated inside."

So yeah, I'm a competitive person and I'm sad when I lose (and sad for my teammates).

At least it gave me a reason not to go back to the pub for a post-game drink with you-know-who.

It sounds weird, but I still have faith that by going out and doing things that I enjoy, I'm bound to meet people, for friends or dating or whatever. I'm meeting people from all different backgrounds, but I don't feel out of place, because finally I'm not being made fun of for knowing something. In fact, my intellect is celebrated--the team captain has told others that I am a "music savant" and I am totally flattered and blushing over that. And loving it.

Except maybe when we lose.

Operation Armchair Shield

2012-01-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

The Cat has declared war on my beautiful armchair.

Early in the morning--you pet owners know, earlier than your alarm and earlier than their breakfast time--the "Pick! Pick! Pick!" of claws on upholstery tears me out of bed so I can shoo someone off back of the armchair.

And then there are those totally random moments where she just can't fight the compulsion to scratch on the side of the chair as she walks by. Or thinks I'm not giving her (perhaps her food bowl?) enough attention.

She's always been pretty good about where she scratches. She likes the sisal post part of her perch (a.k.a. "Scratchie"), and I praise her when she uses it, which is several times a day. Considering that Foster & Smith doesn't make it anymore, maybe it's getting a little old. (This is her second one, actually.) I've been a little lax about the carpet, because it was garbage when I moved in and should've been replaced. I know they're going to replace it when I move out. Those were the only places she scratched. On those rare moments of naughty behavior, I could say, "Show me what a good girl does," and she'd trot over to "Scratchie" and stretch up to it.

Until the armchair business started about a month ago.

I couldn't take it anymore. I'm starting to see some pulls in the upholstery. I've been looking around for a scratching post like "Scratchie," but they're all really pricey and seemingly not tall enough. You can see "Scratchie," as well as The Cat's height, in the photo for this post.

So, I have given up on sisal and am going to try this stand-up cardboard scratcher. She loves the catnip from that company--she gets a pinch of it every morning on her perch--so maybe it will attract her.

Attract her far away from the armchair.

Greetings from Her Royal Squeakiness

2012-01-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Dang it, I lost my voice yesterday.

Most likely it was inevitable, because I had been dealing with the sniffles all week. And then I went to a trivia event Friday night (we kicked butt!), after which I noticed my throat hurt a little. Woke up with no voice Saturday morning, not to mention I was really dragging and had more sniffles than before.

I did use the remedy Amy G suggested ages ago, and I squeaked my way through Mass this morning (pretty bad but everyone was kind and said I sounded all right). But I'm taking the honey-lemon-booze combo again tonight to see if I can break it up for good.

Already took a personal day for tomorrow (day trip with family) so it's just as well I don't have to be at school without a voice!

Aaaah. . . Friday. . .

2012-01-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

First full week at school since before Christmas, and boy, am I tired. I also had some sort of stomach bug or something from last night on, and it did not make for an easy morning to get out the door. I honestly would've bailed if I hadn't needed to give a presentation to an English class. (And naturally they were nuts because they have the day off from school on Monday.)

But hey, I was helpful today. My co-librarian wanted to show different kinds of cheese to go along with the book she was reading to the kindergarten classes, but she wasn't impressed with what was online in terms of both good images and kid-appealing. So I suggested this video gem. Crank the volume. (As a matter of fact, I found the full set of videos at one of the county library branches and put in a request so maybe some of the classes will have a better quality video.)

Still haven't written my thank-you notes for my Christmas gifts, so I'm hoping to knock those out tomorrow. I did manage to convince my friend that she had too much going on tomorrow to go to the movies--her dad had a stroke about a week ago and was moved to the rehab facility today, and then the dryer gave out on her last weekend so she has to wait for the repair people to show up.
Seriously, let's call a time out, get done what needs to get done, and if she's up for the movies Sunday afternoon, we'll go. Her dad's doing all right considering the circumstances, and I know she really has been looking forward to one particular movie. Bless her heart, I talked to her for about an hour tonight and she talked pretty much non-stop about her dad, and I'm not sure if she's done anything for herself really.

Well, it appears Friday is pretty much done. I'm off to get ready for bedtime with The Cat. She probably is already in her little cat bed and I haven't taken the hint!

Calico Power

2012-01-06T22:17:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking it's a love tap on the doggie's nose.

Via Dr. Becker.

Life on Planet Cat

2012-01-05T22:21:00.000-05:00

Life on Planet Cat means. . .

1. The food that was scarfed down yesterday might produce an upturned nose today, and you'll have to try again tomorrow. (The Cat)

2. The same goes for Pill Pockets. Which really sucks because it forces you to use liquid meds and hope it's a "Dinner is yummy!" night. (The Cat)

3. The brand new faux-mink blanket your friends gave you for Christmas is scary to a certain household member. (The "Baby" cat at my parents' house)

He's in feline special education; it took him ten years to learn how to do kitty things
like chase a shoelace and let people scratch his chin.

4. Part of settling down for the night requires that your chest gets walked across several times before the feline form is wedged between you and the edge of the bed closest to the door. (The Cat)

5. The Christmas tree is not a decoration. It is something to lie under, attack and swat off fragile shiny things, and occasionally taste. (Pretty much any cat)

Christmas Week Recap

2012-01-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

First of all, Happy New Year! I do have resolutions I'll be sharing shortly, but here are a few details about Christmas Eve/Day/vacation went. (Annie Coe made the star ornament above, BTW.)

Yes, the Christmas tree did go up.

And yes, The Cat has been treating it like a salad bar from time to time. (I shoo her away and say, "Hmm, wonder why you have intestinal cancer!?" Gotta have a sense of humor about it.)

Well, before Christmas Eve, I had a Christmas faculty/staff luncheon at school after an early dismissal of the students. The food was very good (catered by relatives of a former student, I think), and the pollyanna was fun once it got going. I "stole" some unusual Christmas crackers from someone. It also happened that my name was drawn to take home a centerpiece, an arrangement of roses and pine in a vase.

The Cat tried to eat those, too.

Before Christmas Eve, I did some last-minute shopping. There also was a small christening for my littlest nephew, Bunny. My SIL's parents were in town, and Younger Sister and her BF arrived at the church in time. It was Bunny's real "first time out"--nothing other than hospital, home, and doctor's office for him prior to that. He was totally mellow about it, and while I didn't get much holding time, I didn't mind, because he was just so small and I was just out of school--I never know if I'm harboring school germs and I'd die if I got my godson sick.
What I did mind, however, was my SIL's friend's surprise that it was my first time seeing him in person. Well, excuse me, but I'm not their best friend and neighbor like her. I work 50+ hours a week and couldn't just dash down to the hospital--and again, I'd been worried about bringing some sort of illness from my students, anyway. I've been nearly banned from their house for even mentioning I was over a cold before, so. . . yeah, I just kept my distance and told them to call if they needed help, which they said they didn't. I think the best friends and neighbors were called on second after my parents.
Call me overly sensitive, but I just get tired of being measured by others' presumptive yardsticks.
In any event, I was allowed to come back to the house to have (non-allergy-friendly) cake. It's pretty wild but Middle Nephew #1 (age 6) is obsessed with comic strip hero Calvin and insisted on reading to me from a book he borrowed from the library. He did ask me to explain some expressions to him, like where Calvin's mom says, "Honestly, Calvin, can you manage to stay in the present for more than a few minutes?" I also pointed out to him that the colored pages were published on Sundays and the black-and-white strips appeared one at a time in the daily newspaper. Daily newspapers are a foreign concept to that generation, I'm sure.

Christmas Eve: Baked like crazy all afternoon, enjoying music on my lovely stereo provided by WXPN--including their annual broadcast of "Striking 12"--before dinner at my cousins'. Watching Niece and Middle Nephews scarf down two to three bowls of spaghetti apiece was a great distraction from the lovey-dovey stuff going on between Younger Sister and her BF. (Don't get me wrong--I like them as a couple and I'm happy for Younger Sister. I mean it. It's just really easy to be conscious of one's own solitary condition at this time of year.)
It turned out the unusual Christmas crackers contained prizes like a mini-stapler and a bottle opener. Weird. But they also had the standard corny jokes and crowns. My one cousin managed to rip his crown in half straight out of the cracker, and a college-age friend of the family remarked, "They spelled 'favorite' wrong." Well, it wasn't wrong if you lived in the U.K. I'm surprised she wasn't aware of that spelling variation. What are they teaching college freshmen these days?
When I got home, I had the rebroadcast of the Midnight Mass in Rome, not to mention The Cat, wondering why we weren't turning in, to keep me company as I wrapped all my presents. Went to bed at 1:15 a.m.

Christmas Day: Mass went well and our choir practices paid off. I still wasn't crazy about singing "O Holy Night" as a group, but it sounded good enough.
Went home, packed up my gifts for my parents' house, and changed into something comfortable. Christmas is a pretty casual affair once Mass is over. Had eggs with Mom, Younger Sister, and YSBF. Well, YSBF's on this bodybuilding diet and made a massive eggs/chicken-sausage sandwich. Yikes. Dad was covering the music at a later Mass at another church for their music director, so naturally he walked in the door just as we were finishing. After Dad had his eggs, we did some present-opening. It was actually pretty fun with just the five of us, not feeling rushed or in the middle of chaos.
My Maiden Aunt flew in about an hour later with my great-aunt the elderly nun, deposited Great-Aunt's things, and left. We were all O.K. with that.
Dinner of course got off to a late start because Mom was holding it for Older Brother, who called to say that he was bringing the older four and that they were in the doghouse for not waiting for Mommy and Daddy to get up this morning. . . Mommy and Daddy came downstairs to find presents opened and strewn everywhere. I mean this with a humorous bent: Part of me is not surprised and even a bit amused.
But hey, we all enjoyed our ham (some enjoyed lasagna as well), and we were joined by my first cousins who made the trip from Ohio with their baby daughter. Ohhhh yes, I had baby-holdin' time aplenty. Then the kids opened their presents (temporary ban on presents having been lifted). Oldest Nephew was thrilled to get from me a gift card to an electronic gaming store, as it turned out he had gotten a gaming system from not one but both sets of parents--so much for the books I also gave him!--and Niece loved her kitty pillow (got a wayyy better deal on it elsewhere) even more after she discovered that kitty's colors matched her jacket. (Very important to little girls, you know.) That was a lucky coincidence.
It's hard to me to choose my favorite gift. The photo book that my mom put together was nice, and the lotion Younger Sister gave me is one of my favorite brands. And I have to give YSBF credit for even getting me anything at all. (He gave me a kitten-a-day calendar; I gave him a nice t-shirt. He's kinda gotten too muscle-y for some of his clothes so I figured he'd appreciate that.)

My week of vacation went by in a blur of visiting with relatives, trivia night (we won! Perfect score on the music round!), a doctor's appointment in NJ (followed by shopping at a special supermarket, where I still managed to forget vegan queso dip), and a last-minute invite to dinner with a recently-rediscovered friend at a soon-to-be-open brewpub.

I have one more day of vacation to finish preparing the apartment for some requested fix-ups and doing my thank-you notes. I hope whatever time you had to enjoy Christmas/New Year's was good!

Before the Post-Christmas Post

2011-12-26T23:36:00.000-05:00

A very merry Christmas to all my blogreaders!

I will have photos to post and stories to tell about my weekend soon, but in the meantime, let's talk books. There must be at least one blogreader with a new e-reader or a gift card to a bookstore burning a hole in his/her pocket.

Books I recently finished (all borrowed from the public library):

1. The Puppy That Came for Christmas: A good, medium-length read about a couple who help raise and train pups to help people with disabilities, and receive help in return, dealing with emotional struggles stemming from childhood tragedy (for one of them) and infertility, from the very dogs they train.

2. Forgotten: This is a YA title about a teen whose memory "resets" each day as the result of a trauma that occurred when she was six. (Obviously she and her mother have devised a system to keep her a functional high-schooler.) It was a fairly good page-turner that obviously requires some suspension of disbelief. There are a couple situations that make it more suitable for older teens and up.

Movie I recently borrowed from the library: Christmas in Connecticut, which was a romantic, mistaken-identity comedy featuring the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck. The week before, I managed to get hold of The Shop Around the Corner (Jimmy Stewart) which for me is as much a Christmastime must-see as Miracle on 34th Street.

Books I currently am working on (again, all borrowed from public library):

1. Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies: I can't remember why I wanted to read it, but again it's YA, so probably I'm going to see if it's something that might work for my 7th/8th graders.

2. Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: funny memoir-ish essays by Lisa Scottoline (local author and columnist) and daughter. I've been reading a couple before bed the past few nights because it's nice to go to bed after a few laughs.

3. A Brief History of Montmaray: YA again, probably not acceptable for my school's library (too mature), but--and I'm taking a guess here, so nobody jump down my throat--seems to be that period-piece teen romance-type a la Libba Bray. I'll let you know for sure once I read it.

I'm on the waiting list for The Night Circus (started but had to return because it's got a million holds on it and renewals aren't allowed; it started slow and while I'm not enthralled I do want to know what happens) and Wonderstruck (been watching for coupons to get it cheap for school library).

Sometimes it's a little weird to think of everything I've read in the past year. But there's so much out there to read! How can I resist?

.

Living Room Is ALMOST Clean Enough for Tree

2011-12-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

Maybe surviving a crazy/shortened week of school and a faculty Christmas luncheon (including one wicked pollyanna) was the motivation I needed to clear some space. Or maybe I'm excited that I finally get to meet BunnyBoy tomorrow!

Still remaining on the Christmas to-do list:

*Shop for a few more presents

*Wrap all the presents (which reminds me that I need to wrap a present for the baby before tomorrow's event)

*Make requested foods. Those would be marinated peppers (Dad's request) and meringue wreath cookies (Mom's request).

*Plan outfits for tomorrow (Baby!), Christmas Eve (Dinner!), and Christmas (Mass! Fun at Parents'!)

*Finish cleaning up living room and put up tree.

Exciting times.

Decapitated Jingle Bell Spiders and Other Craft Disasters

2011-12-17T00:30:00.000-05:00

I think for the most part, the primary grade kids did not mind having me as their librarian for a day. But the crafts--oh, the crafts. What a mess.

All the third graders had to do to make their Jingle Bell Spiders (to go with this story) was twist pre-cut pipe cleaners around the "neck" where a large jingle bell (body) and small jingle bell (head) were threaded together. Piece of cake, right? Um, not when twisting causes the thread to break! I had to collect all the separated bells (jingle bell heads will roll!) and do careful leg attachments to their fragile replacements. This so did not happen when my co-librarian made the "model spideys."
That said, once things came together, the kids seemed pretty delighted by their jingle spideys.

First grade--well, I think they just didn't understand what they had to do. Not to mention they were a little fried from their Christmas play performance the night before. We were supposed to read this story and talk about what St. Nicholas really brought the villagers--you know, in the abstract. . . only some kids have a one-track mind at this time of year, and they wrote down what they wanted from Santa. I think my co-librarian is going to crack up when she sees that St. Nick brought a new Kindle (seriously? first grade?) to a completely snowed-in village in Old World Russia.
Not to mention the scissor-happy kids who sliced up their cut-outs and the overzealous gluers who slopped Elmer's everywhere.

Nobody can say I didn't try. But man, am I tired.

Reaching the End of a Crazy Week

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

I've been enjoying the psychological roller-coaster of having to call in to the federal court juror system every night since Tuesday to see if I had to go into the city. (When I say "enjoying," I mean "not sleeping; being stressed out.") Contingency plans for a substitute, all the other stuff going on at school you're trying to get in before Christmas vacation next week, kids whacked out on sugarplums. . . and a co-librarian with a family emergency. Great timing.

I could have been out from Wednesday on, but instead I kept getting the "don't report tomorrow but call in again after 5 to see if you need to go the next day" message--it was just hard not knowing from one day to the next where I was going to be.

So, no court for me. (I wonder if I'll ever serve on a jury.) No sub for me. . . but I will be subbing for my co-librarian tomorrow.

I'll let you know how it goes reading and doing crafts with the little ones.

The crafts part scares me more than anything else!

Some Things That Are Way More Interesting Than I Am Right Now

2011-12-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

This cat's got 26 toes (a.k.a. polydactyly). And he seems like a cat with a nice temperament.

Oh, and guess who came home yesterday.

Lecturing Deer in the Road and Other Weird Chores

2011-12-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

I've been going at a pretty fast pace at school, partly because school is closed today and tomorrow, and also partly because there's all this other pressure--like the kickoff of a major reading group thing across the grade levels (can we say, "team drama"?) and the possibility that I will have jury duty three days next week (and maybe beyond). Oh, and my co-librarian's dad is having surgery next week, too, so she's going to be out.

Today was a chore day. Make the phone calls, take out the trash and recycling, get the dishwasher run, try to get The Cat to eat. (Yeah, as of yesterday, The Cat has been picking at her food. She seems as if she wants to eat, but food tastes bad to her or something. The vet did say that steroids sometimes alter tastes. Maybe I should make her a salad.)

Tonight, I dropped my car off for an oil change and a look-see at that pesky starter problem (which happened twice today but fortunately not before Mass). Mom offered me the use of her car (you know, the man-magnet station wagon with the baby seats in the back) and I ran a few errands. Decided to take the back roads home, and sure enough--three deer in the road!

Deer 1 hightailed it to the other side.

Deer 2 slowed down but eventually ambled across.

Deer 3 stood in the middle like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Guess who got a lecture from me? Eventually Deer 3 decided to run for the other side as a car approached from the opposite way.

Never a dull moment around here!

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to helping my mom sort out her digital camera problem--and at this point I'd rather the camera be broken than the memory card unreadable, because she took photos at my Pop-Pop's 90th b-day party--and picking out a Christmas tree for my parents' house.

More about that b-day party, books I'm reading, and maybe a new photo of baby nephew, soon.

So, Where Did I Leave Off?

2011-12-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, nursing the tail end of a cold that I probably got from Younger Sister. (She never brings me anything good from DC unless it's my birthday.)

Let's get back up to speed.

Thanksgiving: My mood was inexplicably awful, my maiden aunt came and talked nonstop the entire time--and I'm pretty sure she stole the other half of the one measly beer I was trying to enjoy--but the two new people I met, my uncle's friend (girlfriend, but I think he can't say it), and Younger Sister's boyfriend (she couldn't say it when she introduced him, either!), were really great.
We're almost afraid to say how much we like Younger Sister's boyfriend. He is British--in fact he's her second boyfriend with U.K. roots, but the first one we've met. There's a lot of good-natured-ness about his personality (not surprisingly, one of his jobs is coaching high school students) that I think makes him a good match for Younger Sister. . . so he can take what Younger Sister dishes out. He's not too bad at giving it right back to her, either. With a smile, of course. And he didn't seem to mind all the cats--even dangled a string for one or two for a little playtime.

Friday afternoon, I got my hair cut. I don't know what my hairdresser did or said, but she snapped me out of my bad mood. Must get her really nice Christmas present.

Friday night, the three of us saw "The Muppets." Hilarious but you definitely can hear Bret McKenzie's style in the music. There was a cute little girl standing rapt in the aisle right next to us for the second half of it. And afterwards I got to explain to a couple of older people in the row behind us who Jason Segel was. Among other things. Me, my favorite part (that I can mention without spoiling it) was the appearance of Wayne and Wanda. Seriously, at some points I was laughing so hard I was wiping tears from my eyes.

Saturday night, I cantored the vigil Mass, which was the first one using the new translation, at my side parish. I was worried I was going to screw up, but it went fine. The parish had been well prepared, and that was really helpful.

Sunday, however, my car refused to start for several tries--until after I called my dad and he dispatched my mom to come pick me up with five minutes to Mass at my main church. I think either the starter or the safety lock on the steering wheel is going. Out of the dozens of times I start my car in a week, it happens once, and always when I need to get going!
Needless to say, I was a little flustered by the time I got to Mass. I wouldn't have gone, except the more people they had to sing the new music, the better.

The weekend was over way too fast! And I don't think I need to see pie again for a while.

And I actually didn't get many points on Seraphic's Thanksgiving Game for Singles. Just the one for Younger Sister's boyfriend. And maybe one for when my uncle (the one who brought the lady-friend) kept asking me if things were going O.K. for me. In spite of my having said "Yes," each time. Really, I'm O.K. O.K. enough, anyway.

I leave you with this to ponder: Coca-Cola drinkers unhappy because Polar Bear cans look too much like Diet Coke cans.

Revised Thanksgiving Shopping List

2011-11-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

Originally, my shopping list was "Posterboard, cat food, and beer." Awesome, right?

Well, errands ran a bit late this morning, and I ran out of steam (read: needed lunch) before I got to picking up the beer.

And that turned out to be O.K., because when I checked in with my parents, it turned out that the conversation we'd had the other night that ended in my dad's tossing off a slightly irritated, "It makes no sense for you to get it, because [Older Brother] can get it from work!" somehow made him actually ask Older Brother to do so. . . only no one mentioned that part to me until I happened to comment today that I'd planned to get the beer after dinner, because I needed to put gas in the car, too.

I guess I got what mattered most, then.

New steroids shot = Super appetite (and even catnaps make her hungry)

School, Kitty, Bedtime

2011-11-17T22:41:00.000-05:00

School: I spent the morning hanging up art projects, then wound up missing the show in the afternoon because after I taught my afternoon sixth-grade class, a seventh-grader came in for help with a Social Studies project. And then I got sidetracked with other things to do.

Actually, it was kinda nice to be able to get things done with nobody in my hair for an hour. Besides, there's an encore tomorrow.

Kitty: The Cat had a check-up with the vet today, because she has been me-yowling every morning, and earlier with every passing morning to the point where I am just plain tired. . . and I think time was up on her steroid injection. She's been fussy about food and had the barfing episode last week. It turns out she did lose about a quarter of a pound.
We've been trying to extend the times between injections, but she seems set on about five weeks. Oh well, we do what we can for as long as we can to keep her comfortable.
I'm pretty sure she was a second away from biting the doctor tonight. (Whereas before she was Cute Timid Kitten at the vet, now she is Super Cranky Cat.)
It turned out that the other two cat patients at the same time as The Cat also were hyperthyroid kitties. Two tabbies, actually. I chatted with the one tabby owner about medication and I mentioned that while I used pills and Pill Pockets, I knew someone (Rob) who had success with the ear-application stuff. (She said her cat would run the minute she put on the rubber glove; The Cat was the same way with the chemo.)
Oh, and the key to post-vet-visit forgiveness? Baked Chicken.
And we shall see if The Cat lets me sleep past 4 a.m. in the next few days. . . otherwise, I will have to adopt this as my lifestyle and make coffee at 4 a.m. to keep her company while she eats her breakfast. And go to bed at 9:30.

Bedtime: Well, you did read the School and the Kitty sections, didn't you? This gal is tired. Good thing tomorrow's Friday.

A Somewhat Quieter Saturday

2011-11-12T22:32:00.000-05:00

I dunno, I just feel as if I've been running all week. Maybe it was just my brain on overload. Or that darn clock change. That just throws everything off.

Last night, I stopped by my parents' house to see everybody and see what the plans were for getting the kids back home for normalcy's sake (and giving my parents a breather). I also was bringing my mom my copy of the WSJ--I guess she can do the crossword when she's up for it--and a couple of videos from my library that I thought the kids might like, in case they'd gone through everything my parents had by then.

They were watching The Brave Little Toaster when I came in. (My word! Is that really 20+ years old? The appliances must have been mystifying to these tykes.) Well, Middle Nephew #1 was. Niece was roaming somewhat wearily and Middle Nephew #2 (also tired) was raving punchily. He was excitedly telling me the name of the baby; most endearingly, he referred to his new brother as "our baby." Too cute.

After that, I went to the gym, came home, had the other half of my dinner, watched "The Soup," and promptly conked out thereafter. I'd had no idea I was that tired, but man, I was way mad I missed the "DC Cupcakes" wedding episode. I'll have to catch it when it re-airs this week.

Speaking of this week, I will be teaching a total of two classes. That's right: TWO. (O.K., also helping out with seventh grade's research one morning.) One class got bumped by the Thanksgiving Mass, and then three more (all my fourth graders) got bumped by practice for and presentation of a special show towards the end of the week. I'm so bummed I don't get to read them Thank You, Sarah, as is my tradition before Thanksgiving. But what can I do?

Get other stuff done, I guess. I've got grades to get in before the rapidly approaching end of the trimester and a librarian visit to plan (which is actually pretty exciting and I hope the kids will think it is, too).

Now I'm off to do some more mellowing out. Today I heard that Bunny doesn't need his oxygen tube anymore, so I think a celebratory glass of wine is in order.

Grade My Day

2011-11-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

5:45 a.m. Cat puke. Post-breakfast.

7:55 a.m. Made it to school on time.

8:05 a.m. Was pulled into meeting in assistant principal's office over bizarre claim by a student that a woman pretending to be a library volunteer took her book purchasing money Monday morning. . . which was impossible because no such woman existed. Not to mention we had no volunteers that day and despite student's allegations our secretary was indeed present in the library at the time it supposedly happened. So weird and I hope it just fades away or the kid finally admits she lied. I just want the book sale to go away for 11-1/2 months, now.

8:20 a.m. Read e-mail from parent contesting demerit slip for student's failure to take care of overdue fines after four notices to do so. Concessions were made, but in the end I will get what I want--this kid has to give me a plan detailing what the kid will do for the rest of the year to make sure account is on the straight and narrow. I'd rather rehabilitate than discipline where possible.

10:30 a.m. The students I taught how to do research last year did pretty well on their research for a history assignment.

2 p.m. Fire drill that shot my lesson plans for my only class of the day. Complete with little girl who was obsessively anticipating it and opting to keep whining as a response to anyone's attempts to reassure her (in spite of her repeated begging for reassurance). And thanks to an event next week, I won't see this class again until after Thanksgiving.

2:30 p.m. Mom forwarded a new photo of Bunny. So cute.

2:35 p.m. Read note from yet another parent contesting child's overdue fines because they were on vacation. Realized that this issue was from a month and remained unresolved ago because said parent took it upon herself to e-mail the library secretary instead of me. . . and library secretary felt she had authority to respond instead of referring matter to me. Renewed annoyance over the whole thing.

7:00 p.m. Spontaneous, uninitiated (by me) Cat snuggling.

8:00 p.m. Discovered giant hole under the arm of my Sting concert t-shirt. Granted, it's something like 15 years old and too big, but still. *sob* Am now wondering if hole was present when I wore it to work out at the gym about two weeks ago. *YIKES*

8:55 p.m. Discovered delicates bag's zipper gave out in washer, and stockings were knotted around everything else. Took me a good ten minutes to untangle, carefully.

10:00 p.m. Cat did not sneak out and tear down the hallway (as is her usual M.O.) when I came back with laundry from the dryer. Good kitty.

Right now: folding laundry and watching Top Chef. Still need to load and run the dishwasher. Bed's a ways off.

Long day--long week. Can I make it to Friday???

Random Things from Today

2011-11-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

I taught two of my sixth-grade classes today. There's no chalkboard, so I put my notes/assignments up on PowerPoint slides using my laptop and a projector. Then I was showing them a citation website to help them with their science projects. As I'm typing in the address, I hear a student declare,

"You type really fast!"

Without missing a beat, I replied, "That's because I've been doing it for a long time." No need to tell the class about my previous (working) life. I don't think they'd understand.

I never think about how fast I type. A long time ago, I was tested at something like 72 wpm but I think it's in the upper 70s to low 80s now. (And we all know what happened to Lappy's keys.) But it's kind of funny to see something I don't think about, be fascinating to the kids.

Hey, there's a proposed bill to "make fraudulent maple syrup selling a felony." I do love maple syrup. The REAL stuff.

My parents took the kids to the hospital for a visit today. The kids couldn't see the baby, but while they visited with Mommy and Daddy, "the grown-ups" (as my parents like to call themselves) were allowed to go see him. Mom said Bunny was stomping his feet on the edge of his bed--probably itchy to get out of there and away from the tubes and monitors and that nurse who keeps coming around to draw blood like a clockwork mosquito.

When everybody got back to my parents', Niece received some help completing a school assignment. (School was closed for elections but Niece and Middle Nephew #1 are going tomorrow.) Niece needed to do some sort of collage of family pictures, so Mom just scanned and/or printed some that she had. Niece insisted on including the family cat, however, so Mom--not having a photo of their tabby--had to improvise.

She had Niece color a photo of one of my parents' cats.

My family is nothing if not creative and resourceful.

The Maiden Aunt's Little Bunny. . .

2011-11-07T23:24:00.000-05:00

. . . BOY.

Yeah, he's got a slightly funny name, as per his parents' M.O.--although familiar, because somehow Older Brother forgot one of our cousins' boys has the same name. Oh well, it's all good.

I went to bed around 10 p.m., not having heard anything since my mom relayed that message about induction. (I later found out my mom had tried calling and e-mailing me while I was getting ready for bed, because she hadn't heard anything, either.) It was just so nerve-wracking, but I was worn out and had to sleep. So off to bed I went, with my cell phone on my nightstand. I don't normally do that in case a wrong number or an errant text comes up in the middle of the night.

And of course, a text alert wakes me up at about 1:00 a.m. It's Older Brother, messaging both me and Younger Sister (I think, because he said "Dear Aunties") to tell us our new little nephew was born at about 10:30 p.m., and promising photos. He probably had no idea what time it was at that point! (Two words: failed induction. And two more: inevitable c-section.)

Now, Bunny's a little small, being so early, and he's having some help with his breathing, but don't let that fool you: He is just a shade under FIVE POUNDS. Apparently the nurses have given him a nickname alluding to his size, because he is the "big guy" of the NICU. (Like, seriously, if he'd gone to his alleged due date, he probably would've been a butterball.)

Right before I left work this morning, I checked my home e-mail, and sure enough, there was a photo. (If you're sensitive or easily freaked out by medical stuff, you might want to page past it.)

He's got a nice head of hair, don'tcha think?

They're saying he might have to stay three weeks in the hospital, but I'd really love to have him home for Thanksgiving. You know, so we can pass him around more times than a bowl of stuffing. I forwarded the photo up to my work laptop, so he's my background photo now, and I asked our Religious Ed coordinator to announce him as a prayer intention. I figure 500 people "praying him home" might work.

The kiddos are excited about their little brother, but they seem a bit homesick from being at my parents' and not seeing Mommy and Daddy for so long. . . and now we have no idea how long that's going to go on. I hope not long, for their sake and for my parents'. It's exhausting, and Mom had to miss book club tonight. I am going to try to steal her away for the gym tomorrow.

I, too, while a happy auntie, am quite tired. But totally eager to meet this little one.

Definitely Something

2011-11-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

The doctors decided to induce labor--which I find odd, because my previous two nephews arrived via C-section (car accident precaution for first one, failed induction for very late second one) and also because I would think high blood pressure would not be a fan of labor. But what do I know?

So there should be a new arrival later today. My parents probably have the kiddos for another day at least (Older Brother's going to get them excused from school), and Oldest Nephew I think will be staying with his dad, who will get him to school.

Of course, my SIL's parents are not able to come right now--mother's got bronchitis. It's always something. (Seriously. Last time around, she came around the time of the supposed due date and then left because she got tired of waiting--so Easter weekend, my parents had their hands full.) And it's always my parents. So far the kids are doing all right, but of course they were left to pack their own bags (seriously? kids under 7 know what to bring?) and the cats are all freaked out because they want to be left alone and the kids are a little rough with them. Everyone's a little out of sorts.

I did help keep Youngest Nephew occupied during Mass while the other guys drew pictures, and then I took Niece to go pick out bagels for brunch. (Hey, she knows what everyone likes.) They ate like champions and hopefully after a bit of playing/helping my dad rake leaves, they'll all take a nap. I think they need it. I know my parents do!

We're all excited, nervous, tired, and praying a lot that everyone comes through O.K.

Might Be Something. . . Might Be Nothing

2011-11-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

I thought it a little odd when I phoned my parents at about 8:45 to ask Mom about a cake I had in the oven that wouldn't bake (seriously, it was still soupy in the middle after 30 minutes; I think the temperature was misprinted in the recipe) and no one answered. Then again, Dad tends to ignore the call waiting if he's on the phone, and then he forgets to check messages afterwards. I needed to make a decision about the cake, so I didn't bother to leave a message.

About an hour later, my dad called me. Apparently his main goal was to talk to me about tomorrow's responsorial psalm for Mass, but he led with, "We've got the three little ones here because [SIL] went to the hospital earlier today."

Yikes.

She's had to monitor her blood pressure during each pregnancy, and it seems the readings were too high today, so she had to go in. On top of that, she's had problems with her back for a few weeks now, which is why she missed my cousin's wedding. That probably did not help things.

Supposedly the baby is due in January, but for whatever reason my SIL is notorious for having wrong due dates. The baby sounds developed enough to be O.K. with an early arrival if need be, but let's hope things go as well as possible. The kiddos seem to be doing all right at my parents' so far, but it's been only half a day. If it doesn't have to get dragged out a long time for the family's sake, that would be very good.

I'd be grateful for any prayers you can spare for my SIL and the little one.

I Know They Want to Be Taken Seriously. . .

2011-11-04T22:55:00.000-04:00

. . . but I just can't help snickering when they use the term "Bronies": Hey, Bro, That's My Little Pony!

BlogReaders Ask, I Answer: Question #5

2011-10-28T23:57:00.000-04:00

And now for the fifth and final night of questions and answers! Last but not least, Dave E. asks:

It sounds like you are really good at knowledge/quiz games. Do you do crosswords and word puzzles too? What other games, table or digital, do you like to play?

Um, I don't know about the "really good at" part with knowledge/quiz games, but I just like to play and see how much I know (or don't know).

I do the occasional crossword--the one at the back of some fluff magazine my mom brought me when I was in the hospital helped me keep my sanity--but my mom is the Crossword Queen. She does several each weekend. (O.K., sometimes she asks me for help if she's stumped by some mythology or Shakespeare or pop culture question, and sometimes I figure out the theme before she does.) The senior lady who lived next door to us when I was growing up always did the crossword in the Philadelphia Inquirer, every day. I think it kept her mind sharp well into her 80s. So I do feel influenced by them both.

Speaking of weekend puzzles, I drive myself crazy every week trying to figure out those "visual" word puzzles that are in the dinky Parade thingy that comes with the newspaper. I always manage to get three out of four. Four for four is super rare.

One thing that my family normally does when Younger Sister comes for a visit is play Scrabble, but with my cousin's wedding taking up most of the weekend and Younger Sister's itchiness to get on the road (missing the boyfriend much?) no game this time. Probably there will be one come Thanksgiving.

What other games do I like?

Online: I've played Solitaire 13 on Yahoo Games (Mom got me into that), and some of the word games on there.
Computer: Occasionally I fire up Hearts. There's something wickedly enjoyable about dumping the Queen of Spades on another player.
Table/other: Well, I'm not that coordinated, but I think air hockey is a lot of fun. Pinball, too. Also pool (now that I've figured out I can sit on the edge to reach some shots). When I was a kid, Older Brother got something called Pivot Pool (ours was from the mid-'80s, mind you) that was for the tabletop (no sticks)--it was fun to play, but absolutely hysterical when Younger Sister's cat got obsessed with chasing the balls and shoving them into the pockets. I still miss that cat; she had such a fun personality. Not to mention she'd let us put hats on her from our Hot Looks dolls as she slept on the pile of doll clothes.
We also have seen a revival of Uno playing in the family since Middle Nephew got interested in numbers and wanted to play. Mom wanted the old design of the cards (I think they went almost completely wordless recently) so I had to flex my eBay scouring muscles.

I probably am forgetting something, but that's a pretty good list as is, isn't it?

I hope you had as much fun asking the questions and reading the answers as I did reading the questions and providing the answers!

And now. . . Drawing!

I have put each Blogreader/questioner's name onto a square paper from my memo cube (equal sizes) and folded them up. They're all in a pillowcase (a la the velvet bag of buttons from the show I cannot mention because the outcome this week was absurd). The Cat woke up in time to serve as the judge to make sure this is fair.

. . . I'm shaking up the pillowcase to mix up the papers. . .

. . . I'm drawing one paper out. . .

. . . I unfold it and see--Rob is our winner! Congrats to Rob; please e-mail me an address to send you a little prize.

Thank you all for playing! Let's do it again in another 90-something posts!

BlogReaders Ask, I Answer: Question #4

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Here I am, having worked from 8 a.m. to about 9 p.m. tonight (including working through lunch and teaching three consecutive classes in the afternoon), and I've got answers for you.

Tonight's question comes from Rob:

Whose motorcycle in the picture? How fast did you go?

For those of you not sure to which picture Rob is referring, it's the photo on the right side of this blog, above the "About Me" section. And yes, that is yours truly on the motorcycle.

This picture was given to me by my Aunt B. (Mom's SIL), who had been cleaning out her photo collection, I guess. So I think it's a pretty solid assumption that the bike belongs to Aunt B.'s husband, my Uncle S. (one of Mom's younger brothers). But I think all of my uncles had bikes at the time. Sometimes they would take trips where they would stop in to visit family along the way. North Jersey was and sort of still is Home Base, but Uncle S. & Aunt B., if they were married by the time this photo was taken (late '70s is my guess so in that case, no), had settled not far from Albany--and then my family and some other relatives were in Philly.

I'm pretty sure, however, that this photo was taken at my grandparents' in North Jersey, but that's because the greenery in the background does not look like my parents' front yard. My mom's theory is that I am wearing a dress because it might be Younger Sister's christening (and here I thought it was just to assert my femininity while being totally bad-ass at the same time), which would have to be at our home. I can't seem to locate the hard copy of this photo to check the date printed on the back (and Lord knows my relatives were notorious for waiting forever to get their film developed anyway--remember those days?), so I am not exactly sure how old I am in the picture. I'd guess nursery school or kindergarten-age.

That said, we are in the midst of putting together some sort of get-together to celebrate my Pop-Pop's 90th birthday very soon, so maybe I can ask Uncle S. and Aunt A. more about the photo and do an update here. I did lose the scan of this photo when Lappy the Laptop died, so the upload to this blog is actually all I have at the moment! I have to figure out where I stashed the hard copy.

So, how fast did I go on my uncle's bike? Considering the fact that I am not wearing a helmet and my 99.99% certainty that my mom was around there somewhere. . . there was no way I was allowed to take the bike out for a spin! Even in the teeny-weeny town where my grandparents lived!

I probably just wanted to get on the bike because they let Older Brother do it.

The fifth and final question will be from Dave E. And then there will be the all-important drawing of the winner's name!

BlogReaders Ask, I Answer: Question #3

2011-10-26T23:30:00.000-04:00

O.K., Day 3 of answering questions. I hope you're enjoying reading these as much as I am writing them! So much to think about.

Tonight's question comes from CCR (and perhaps a cat or two):

Do you have a recurring dream? Good or bad.

Ohhhh yes. I definitely do.

It's missing the school bus.

That's right, even two degrees post high school, I still occasionally dream that I'm halfway down the street to the bus stop, and I can see the bus is driving away.

Translation? I'd say it's an anxiety dream. There's also a variation where I'm late for an exam.

The late-for-an-exam one often is set in this one building in the college I'd transferred to in my junior year. I think the college just kept adding onto the building so it became practically a maze. So occasionally--but not in a good while, I think--I find my dreaming self wandering around that hall, trying to find my class.

I know. Definitely not as interesting as this one. Or this one (uh, "rawr"?).

Next up: a question from Rob

Brief Book Talk

2011-10-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

Just finished The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer.

I couldn't put it down. If you are into Scrabble, you might find enjoy this story about several twelve-year-olds from different backgrounds who prepare to play in a national youth Scrabble tournament. Not much angst--although there is a slight ethical dilemma going on--and not much smoochy stuff. The tournament takes place in Florida, which somewhat explains the crazy cover.

But a lot about Scrabble, and a little about the joy and pain of being in middle school and dealing with family.

I predict this might end up on the Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award nominees list, if not elsewhere. Heck, I might nominate it.

(I borrowed it from my library, so you might be able to as well.)

BlogReaders Ask, I Answer: Question #2

2011-10-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Tonight's question comes from Sara:

What was your proudest moment? The thing that you would want emblazoned on a t-shirt?

The first thing that comes to mind is my graduate degree. Man, I worked hard for that, and my long-time blogreaders know it. I earned a fellowship, but it required me to go full time, and I was working my day job simultaneously. Commencement was less of a "Thank God it's over" moment and more of a "Woo-hoo! I made it, and I'm gonna enjoy this!" moment. Plus I met my buddy Pam through school and that is a very good thing.

Runners-up would be. . .

1. "I used to be really heavy but I took charge of my health" (Considering I'm a little above where I'd like to be, weight-wise, I don't feel totally on the level with this right now. I know, I'm too hard on myself.)

2. "My nephews and niece are crazy about me." When Niece was just a toddler, she pointed at the door after I went to pick up dinner and asked her mom where I went. Being an auntie is like being a rock star, and I swear there's very little you have to do, other than give 'em your full attention. And maybe the occasional fake tattoo.

Yup, that's about it. But maybe someday it'll be that published novel. Maybe.

Next up: CCR's question

BlogReaders Ask, I Answer: Question #1

2011-10-24T22:18:00.000-04:00

I guess I should say, Questioner #1, because I got a set of three questions from Angela Noelle. Let's dive in:

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

I'd have to say that in recent times, my favorite tradition is something I made up--only that's not why I like it so much. The original idea behind it was to keep Oldest Nephew occupied back where there was pretty much just Oldest Nephew (and maybe Niece as a wee baby but my memory's a bit fuzzy on that detail). Anyway, there wasn't really anybody else around his age at our family get-togethers.

I've talked about this tradition before: the Polaroid Project. Briefly, I became the owner of a Polaroid camera one summer after a crazy photo scavenger hunt took place at my old corporate job, in place of the usual company picnic. They raffled off the cameras after the whole ridiculous thing was over. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but when Thanksgiving started looming on the horizon, I thought, "Why not play 'reporter'?" It was hands-on and got people to talk. All I needed was some posterboard, scotch tape, and markers.

The response from my family was amazing. Mom let us tape up the posters in the dining room. Everyone read each others' answers and laughed. I'm pretty sure my mom has kept most or all of them as a record of who attended, not to mention her grandchildren's handiwork. Because, you see, now Niece, Middle Nephew, and Youngest Nephew (who got a new set of washable crayons this past project) want to be involved, too. Even if Middle Nephew gripes about getting his picture taken at first. I've added in glitter markers and seasonal stickers to the materials. . . not to mention a Polaroid printer for my digital camera, after Polaroid stopped making film for my camera.

This event isn't limited to Thanksgiving or Christmas--as I found out one time when Oldest Nephew asked where the camera was at Christmas (silly me, I thought they'd be too into presents)--but we try to do it at Easter as well, when there's a big gathering of the family.

Hey, maybe one day there will be Polaroid posters at my wedding.

Is working as a librarian what you expected it to be like or very different?

O.K., this definitely isn't a yes-or-no question.

I'd have to say that of the things I was prepared to expect--for example, working with young people, reading and making recommendations, materials selection, working with teachers, working within a budget--I pretty much got what I expected there.

I don't think I expected things like writing a ton of lesson plans, grading assignments, dealing with red tape and/or restrictions on many occasions, non-supportive parents (some, not all), and just plain being exhausted and frustrated so often. Just this past month, I had to throw out two weeks of lesson plans to accommodate a special project for November (Library takes the first leg of it).

I thought I'd have my summers off to write, too, but that seems to be a very distant possibility at this point in time.

But mainly, I did not expect how long I'd have to pay my dues (or how long I will be paying them). I thought I'd fall into this more easily, but I still have that "What am I doing? Where am I going?" feeling more often than not. But I'm pretty sure I'd feel that no matter where I was.

If you could pass one law that everyone had to follow, what would it be?

Oh, wow, good one. I often lament that discretion is dead--a lot of it comes down to realizing you're not the only person in the world and what you do affects others, looking out for the little guy--so I guess what I'd say is Be Considerate.

Maybe we could talk more quietly into our cell phones, or better yet wait to have that discussion about the relative who's getting on our nerves until we get in the car or get home.
Maybe we could pick up your trash instead of thinking someone else will do it. Maybe it's not even our trash--but we just take pride in your environment.
Maybe we go back to the old driving textbook idea of "Defensive Driving" instead of Offensive Driving.
Maybe we can't stand people of a certain religion/political view. . . but we realize that they are human, too, with families and needs.
Maybe we just start saying "please" and "thank you" more often, especially when nobody expects to hear it.

As "social" as we've gotten with social media, we tend to be more isolated and more impatient than ever. It's time we show our machines what they're missing.

Next up: Sara's question

Declarations

2011-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

1. I am still here. . .

2. My cousin's wedding was pretty good. I got a couple compliments on my dress, but more on my singing at the ceremony, which went very well, considering. . .

3. Dad and I picked the gospel acclamation at the last minute, and I've been fighting the sniffles all week--blame my co-librarian's rug rats, whom I've heard coughing before they even come through the library door--requiring a Friday night trip over the river to the NJ chiropractor for an adjustment to kill my sore throat. . .

4. The sore throat's gone, but today I wasn't able to breathe much through my nose at all, except when it's running (like right now). . .

5. I gotta crash early tonight, because tomorrow I will be fully immersed in Outside Book Sale garbage in the library for the next two weeks (no space in the library to hold classes, cashiering, arguing over procedure with the rest of the library staff or some other drama, at least one 16-hour day, etc.). . .

6. That said, I have not forgotten your questions, and in order to give myself something to look forward to each day, I will answer one question a night this week (with a name-drawing at the end for prizes).

7. Oh, and The Cat told me to tell you she's doing well. Aside from the fact that it's getting cold out and she wants the heat turned on in the building so she can sleep in her happy place. (Now with updated curtains! And chunkier- Oops, I mean fluffier calico!)

That's all for tonight. I have to go write elsewhere--inspiration has struck on an area of my novel that needed a rewrite. Off to the notebook.

Making Progress

2011-10-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

The good news is that at last, the new laptop and the old printer decided that they could work together. So now I've got your questions printed off and am ready to start responding.

The bad news is that because I had to go do last-minute shopping for a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding (good news #2: I did find one), and I have to grade some assignments in order to have enough grades to upload progress reports tomorrow (ugh), I haven't gotten a chance to sit down to answer questions yet.

So sorry for the delay! But let me tell you about the dress.

[Hear that? That was the sound of my male readership's clicking over to ESPN.com or something else manly.]

I didn't mean to wait so long to look for a dress. I secretly was hoping something would magically appear in my closet that fit and was appropriate, but the more I looked through my closet, the more I realized that I had summer dresses and Christmas dresses, and nothing in between. Not to mention that most of the dresses in my closet aren't fitting that well because I've just started back on an exercise regimen, carefully, after getting knocked flat last year.

It's that weird time of year where stores are full of Summer dresses on clearance, don't have much in the way of Fall dresses (who needs a dress for Fall? Just wear tights and a sweater with your Summer dress, right? Um, no!), and aren't quite ready to roll out the holiday dresses--which are too over the top for a Fall wedding, anyway. At least one that's not black tie optional.

When you're a short woman, there isn't much out there for you, dress-wise, unless your budget is unlimited. Mine was a hopeful $40 but a more realistic $75.) If you're a short woman who's not a stick, you're even worse off. I tried some petite dresses; I tried some regular dresses. We almost had something with this turquoise dress, but it was a size too small, and even if we'd found the right size, it would have needed extensive tailoring to fit shorty me. However, Mom found a cool wrap-style jacket in cream/gold/black print that will look nice with a black skirt she already has. We tried to get the salesclerk to look for the dress I liked in either petite or another size, but I think she was not exactly proficient in searching. She did redeem herself by giving us a "shopping pass" that gave us 20% off, even regular-priced items (like Mom's jacket). So that was Score #1.

At the outset, I had said I might consider the Juniors department, because they tend to have homecoming dresses, but I had no idea how many shiny and tacky options we'd have to wade through. Even when my mom pointed to a leopard-printed dress hanging on the wall, I hesitated. Still, I'd said I would be open-minded, so I said I'd try it on. There were no Mediums, so she grabbed a Large and a Small. Juniors' sizes tend to run smaller than misses' and it seemed pointless to bring the Small. . . but I'm glad she got it.

After we sneaked over to the adjacent department's fitting room (Intimates) because there was no waiting and more air conditioning--seriously, how can the Juniors' fitting room seem so huge on the outside but be disappointingly cramped inside?--I tried on the handful of dresses we'd picked out, saving the leopard dress for last. The Large of the leopard dress was. . . not bad. Not super, because it seemed big in the shoulders and a little too full in the skirt, but it was not horrible, to my surprise. It actually had sleeves, which was a plus. It is like this dress (by the same maker) only in the leopard print and with a rounded neckline--small gold "studs" at the neckline, too. I had to take a chance and try the Small.

It looked even better. I still felt a little ambivalent because I don't wear a lot of prints, let alone a print all over, but the longer I wore it, the more comfortable I felt. And with the 20% off justification, I went for it. $47 and change (O.K., O.K., plus a little more for something to wear under it) and I was all set.

Now I just need to figure out jewelry and makeup. I picked a fun dress because I'm going to have fun and not feel weird that I am among the "last of the unmarrieds" in the family. It's just a small detail on a big day.

Plus I am going to sing the heck out of the wedding music, and there won't be anything else for anyone to consider!

Why Did the Deer Hop Inside a Cell Phone Store?

2011-10-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

I suspect he was attempting to make a "booty call." Gotta love mating season. Deer sprints through Chester Co. Sprint store | 6abc.com

(Yes, this was The Big Story on the news that day.)

Don't forget to get your question in!

The Seven Seas (C's) Tell Me It's Giveaway Time!

2011-10-09T23:23:00.000-04:00

My previous post was my 700th post!!! Wow, that's a big number for little old me.

You regular readers (the whole handful of ya) know what that milestone means: It's time for Ask Kate P (Nearly) Anything!

Yes, you can ask me (nearly) anything--anything relating to me or about me or anything I've talked about on this blog, or whatever. The usual rules of decency and confidentiality apply (e.g. no asking me stuff like what my real name is, or where I live/work, or what I am wearing--ew!) appy.

From now until Thursday 11:59 p.m. (Eastern), you the blogreaders can post a question here in the combox or e-mail a question to me (see sidebar for address). Anything relating to me or about me or anything I've talked about on this blog, or whatever. The usual rules of decency and confidentiality (e.g. no asking me stuff like what my real name is, or where I live, or what am I wearing--ew!) apply.

I will answer every question over (most likely) a couple of posts. Asking a question (or two or three) will get you a raffle entry into a giveaway for a surprise treat!

Past Q & A sessions:

June 2010

November 2009

November 2008

June 2008

Have at me!

Auntie Kate P's Day Out with The Niece

2011-10-09T22:04:00.000-04:00

By the end of this past week, I'd had enough of bad news and brick walls and the word "No."

Because the Library gets all the newspapers, I got hold of a little "weekend info" insert in one of the local papers and caught sight of an arts/crafts festival going on in Philly. . . and a light bulb went off. The Niece loves arts and crafts! And she has been going to first grade for a month now and making a smashing success of it--which means she doesn't get to hang with the grandparents one day a week like her little brothers anymore. She needed some attention. And maybe a little "girl time."

Her parents said yes, and I borrowed the booster seat from my parents' station wagon, and off we went. The weather was spectacular, so the festival was super-crowded. But Niece waited patiently in line for her face-painting (happy dolphin leaping over a wave), held my hand as we navigated a sea of people, and enjoyed the sights. We even played in the park a bit and people-watched as we shared a soda on curbside seats.

On the way to dinner, Niece conked out (good thing the booster seat has a cushioned neck rest). I'll admit, when we arrived at the restaurant and she was still asleep, I wasn't sure what to do. This sort of thing isn't in the aunt handbook. So I turned off the car and let her sleep for a few more minutes as I sent some texts. Including a photo of her asleep to her parents. Then I figured we both needed to eat--and, uh, not loiter in the parking lot--so I got out and opened the door on her side. She was groggy for a minute, but then once she realized she was getting dinner and ice cream, she was good to go.

We had a lovely dinner conversation about mixing colors (did I mention she loves art?) and she demonstrated her knowledge of Katy Perry's "Firework" (accompanied by hand motions). She ate all the hard-boiled eggs out of my salad and a mountain of fries, washed down with two (2!) chocolate milks. I think she might have eaten one chicken finger but it seemed a perfunctory gesture. And she went with the flow when the waitress informed her the soft-serve machine was out of order, happily devouring a green (mint) "monster" sundae.

Sure, she later might mention to her parents that we took a little detour on the way to dinner (i.e. Auntie got disoriented with the street closures for the festival and needed to call her dad for directions) but I think she probably will say she had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

And even though I was delighted to be asked to be the godmother of the new baby today, even if new baby is a niece, The Niece always will be number one for "girl time."

A good start to the week. In spite of having a faculty in-service and not a day off tomorrow.

It's Just Not Letting Up!

2011-10-04T23:13:00.000-04:00

So in addition to the funeral for one of our teachers yesterday (Monday), another teacher's mother passed away, so tomorrow (Wednesday) I am subbing for one of the middle school teachers who will be going to that funeral. Fortunately, I have only one regularly scheduled class on Wednesdays, at least for now, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Still, we all definitely are out of sorts this week. We're doing the best we can, but I think everyone's drained at this point.

I hope we've reached the end of the bad news for now!

Hit the Road, September--You're Full of Bad News

2011-09-29T22:20:00.000-04:00

There's not much of an update to the "dating advice" segment of the previous post, but I'll do what I can when I can in the near future.

What's going on right now is that on Monday, for the first time ever in my life, I will be attending the funeral of a co-worker.

Over the summer, we'd gotten an e-mail from the principal about one of the primary grade level teachers, but just that she was undergoing treatment. Then as the new school year was approaching, we were advised that a substitute would be covering her class for the time being. We sent cards and flowers, and I think some of the staff who were very close to her tried to visit her in the hospital, although a time came when they said she was not up for visitors. Then yesterday morning a staff meeting/update was called, although I missed it because the notification was sent to our school accounts the prior evening, and I wound up logging in late because I was doing my new morning duty of monitoring the girls' locker room (W/Th/F). But I got the idea: things were not good with her.

(As a side note, after the meeting someone tossed off the comment that "She's giving up." Seriously? I don't care how positive your mental attitude--I mean, it helps, but--how could anyone divine whether a particular person's cancer at that point in time is "beatable"? It's a horrible reality at this point in our medical/scientific advances that we can't cure all cancer. It just took a dear friend of the family; it took my late friend J. I would never cast either of them as people who just give up, so it must have been bad. Thank God they are no longer suffering.)

When I got in from grocery shopping last night, she was on my mind, so I called Mom and just told her what was going on and how sad I felt. Even though I had not known this teacher for long, she had such a warm, bright (but even-tempered) personality that she just felt like an old friend. I enjoyed the times we wound up sitting next to each other at in-services and the like, and when she would come to our group exercise class last Spring.

So when the administrators pulled all the faculty out of our weekly school-wide meeting this morning to meet in the library, we all knew what was coming. We cried and passed around the boxes of tissues and consoled each other. Then we talked about telling the students. Ugh, such an awful feeling. I think everybody went through the rest of the day just feeling drained--sad in our own right, and then sad upon witnessing the children's grief. The sixth graders as a whole took it pretty hard, between their status as the first class she taught years ago and their ability to comprehend the situation more solidly than the younger grades.

Obviously, school will be closed so the faculty (and I guess some students) can attend her funeral on Monday. In the meantime, school is continuing its plans for a big weekend (major sports events, student Mass), kicking off with a pep rally tomorrow (yeah, not my fave anyway, and now so not in the mood). Maybe that will be good for the kids, to carry on regardless.

We're supposed to dress in school colors tomorrow, but all I feel like is blue.

I'll Boil It Down to What You Need to Know

2011-09-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

1. The Cat seemed to eat a little more dinner today, after a slight tweaking that I thought she did not like yesterday: I swapped out the Fancy Feast tuna for Weruva Mack and Jack (I know, it looks totally gross, which obviously ups the feline interest factor, as does the stinky-ness). Also, I heated everything up (double stink) and omitted the (litterbox helper) medicine. She ate more, so I am hoping she got all her hyperthyroid meds in tonight.
I think she has missed enough of her evening dose to the point where now she's bouncing off the walls and crying and keeping me awake, so I hope her renewed interest in dinner continues. I've been stressing over it--probably more than I should be, although the scratches on my legs suggest I'm right to be stressed--so it would be nice for both of us to see her a little more settled, if possible.

2. Something's up with the library's secretary. I don't know if it's outside stress (her mom's been sick) or what, but her attitude stinks and there's some weird passive-aggressive game going on with practically every single thing that comes up. We are adjusting some things that go on in the library, and she seems to try to take every opportunity to put jobs that she used to do back on me. Some of it goes like this: "Well, your predecessor used to do that. I just did it last year to help out." Or: "Since you're doing x, maybe you should do y and z." And then she's clicking around on the computer at her real estate stuff which she shouldn't even be logging into while she's at school, so I guess she needed to free herself up to do that. But hey, she's been getting away with it for years. I don't know if anyone wants to put up with the fuss she's gonna make if we call her on any of this stuff.
Things could get worse before they get better.

3. Finally, I might need your advice about something sort of dating-related. (Now don't get too excited, because it could go nowhere.)
I did go to the previously mentioned trivia night fundraiser, which was really fun (except for the one team member who showed up freshly soused and obnoxious from Philly's Oktoberfest). There were a couple of people on this team that I had not met before--one was a friend of my trivia host friend who invited me.
So the newly met person. . . seems a little older than me but not drastically so, kinda reminded me of a younger (more sober) Sam Axe from Burn Notice. . . but get this: he also is considered a "music guru" and has been on a game show. Just like me!

I think I screwed up, though: I couldn't go to the bar afterwards, because (a) I was tired because The Cat wouldn't let me sleep in Saturday morning, and (b) I had to be able to get out of bed the following morning to sing for church. Oh yeah, and (c) I was out of money. So while I did not mention The Cat (lest I appear the crazy cat lady) or being short on funds, I did mention singing. And while I'm saying this to the guy and telling him it was fun playing trivia with him as I say goodbye, this woman who had come to our table earlier to share beer marched up and introduced herself to him (not me) with her Twitter handle and that she was so-and-so's friend. She sounded a little drunk and more than a little interested in him. And of course she was going to the bar to hang out with everyone else.

So I might have missed out.

Is there any way to salvage this?

What could I say to my trivia host friend when I see him Tuesday night, to find out some info (like I don't even know if his friend is available)? Without embarrassing myself? And possibly drop a hint I'm interested? Again, without embarrassing myself? (Even though I am pretty much the only single person left on my team?)

Ideas?

Alive and Breathing

2011-09-22T23:17:00.000-04:00

Almost two full weeks of school down. There's kind of a special event day going on tomorrow. I kind of remember it from last year, but this year I am required to sing in front of everybody for the liturgical part--and I have mixed feelings about apparently being on the hook all the time now--but all the teachers get lunch so I guess I can't complain. I'm in the mood for tuna fish so I hope that's one of the sandwiches.

Speaking of tuna, The Cat has decided to be picky about supper, which IS tuna because it's supposed to disguise the fish-flavored medicine. Still doing the whole litterbox-watching thing, too, but I've almost made peace with the idea that her plumbing just isn't going to go like clockwork every day. I also got her a heated bed. . . just in time for the weather to get warm and rainy around here. Oh well, maybe next week it will be more appealing.

In spite of being crazy-busy with school (did I mention that I have a meeting--grrrr--at 3 on Friday? Who DOES that!?) this week, I did carve out time for trivia, and our team did win. We could have done a little better, but we were missing some people and Mr. Insistent overruled my (correct) answer on a classical music question. But a win's a win, and by some strange coincidence, I was introduced to someone from another team who happened to be friends with our family friend who passed away last week. She had met my dad a while ago when our friend was in the hospital and everyone was coming in for visits. There was a moment of attempted recruiting but I said maybe sometime when no one else from my team can make it. I just like playing.

Speaking of which, I was invited by our trivia host to be on his team for a fundraising trivia night on Saturday along with other peeps from my team, so that should be fun.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my former corporate employer has been sold, and I'm checking around for details. It is a little weird to think that if I worked there still I'd be finding myself sacked in September for the second time in my life. Guess I can't question my career decisions completely, at least not at the moment.

Well, I am beat, so I'd better get myself in order for tomorrow and get myself and The Cat tucked in for the night.

Survived the First Full Week of School

2011-09-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I've been so scarce. Late days, meetings, taking care of everything when I get home--including a cat that seems to be having food/potty issues again--and just when I thought I was going down the shore for a family reunion tomorrow, I will be attending the funeral of a family friend instead. Not entirely unexpected, as she had been sick a long time, but it still sucks. She was a straight-talking Irish gal (is there any other kind?) who often welcomed us over after church and made a fuss over me as if she were my grandmother. I'll never forget the time not long after The Ex broke up with me that he came to church with his new girlfriend in tow and the first words out of this friend's mouth were, "She's so homely!" (Well, she was, but it would have sounded vindictive had I said it. Coming from her, it was the real deal.)

As for school, well, my students seem a bit less crazy than last year's crop, but the fourth graders were slightly needy. Like third graders still, I guess. And the sixth graders while a bit unsure of what they're doing seem fairly engaged--not to mention there seems to be less conflict among them--so that's a good thing. The only thing that's really getting to me is the pile-up of things not related directly to my classes. Paperwork, for example. Some I have to fill out and some I have to create entirely from scratch. On short notice, no less. I don't know when they expect us to get it all done, honestly, and this is where my mind starts to drift into, "This is why you didn't want to teach in the first place. . ." But it's my job, and it buys the cat food, so there you go.

I think if I can grab a moment to recharge my batteries a bit this weekend, it will help put this week to bed and prepare me for the coming week.

And I can't believe how much I want The Cat to take care of business in the litterbox.

Three Little Things That Made Me Happy Today

2011-09-09T22:31:00.000-04:00

My car has made it to 96,000 miles. (Two years ago, I wasn't too sure it was gonna make it.)

Got my first paycheck of the school year.

A couple of my former fourth graders (now fifth graders) saw me in the hallway and were a little bummed when they suddenly realized they don't have a regularly scheduled weekly class with me this year. (They'll still see me each week to get their books, but still, that's sweet.)

Hectic weekend ahead of me, but at least it will keep me out of trouble. I think.

Not That I Believe in Omens. . .

2011-09-08T21:50:00.000-04:00

. . . but the road flooding forced our first day of school to be canceled.

Sadly, the decision was not made until 7 a.m., and many staff had decided to hit the road early in order to make it there on time. I had the hair dryer on and therefore missed the automated phone call announcement. It wasn't until about 15-20 minutes later when I was trying to figure out how to get out of my apartment community's main driveway through two lanes of backed-up traffic (going in the opposite direction) that I got a heads-up cell phone call from my co-librarian. She was already there.

They made the right decision, though, because the buses weren't getting anywhere, many roads were closed, and honestly I am not sure how far I could have gotten in, say, an hour, if at all. Even yesterday morning when it was raining, a few places on my route had water pooling on them. It's a waste of gas sitting in stopped traffic forever, and the increased chance of a car accident never thrills me, and especially after two trips to the vet in the last two weeks.

There were kids from my apartments who were just waiting around forever for their bus. Many schools decided to delay opening two hours, but we had a half-day schedule for the students, so two hours would have cut the day down to practically nothing. Even our after-school workshop was postponed, because an outside speaker was supposed to come from who-knows-where.

So after my co-librarian called, I turned around, parked my car, and went back inside. I checked the phone message when I got inside, and then I put the TV on to see where all the disasters were. It was a mess out there. Then, under the influence of the grey weather and the rare daytime dose of my diverticulitis meds (as in "may cause drowsiness"), I fell asleep for about an hour.

I think I needed that.

Being home also afforded me the opportunity to call tech support for my stereo, and I am happy to announce that I can get sound from all components now! It turned out I had to disconnect each cable and then give them all a good hard shove into each jack. Silly me, I thought I had to be gentle with electronics. Now all I need is to put on the antenna to get the tuner going, and then I'll be set.

In other good news, The Cat finally "took care of business" after over 36 hours of waiting since her unpleasant trip to the vet. Without going into detail, I saw the same, um, content the doctor said she produced. So I guess the medicine is working. I'm just finding that I can't put the entire dose into her food--too noticeable. But it did get results. She seems perkier and more herself tonight. In fact, she's giving herself a full bath on the floor in front of the TV right now, so I'm starting to wonder if she's got a hot date later or something. (BTW, about the metal stitches--Mom did a little researching on her own. . . so proud. . . stainless steel stitches can be used for better results. Also, they are a permanent indicator of a spayed status, which I guess is useful if a cat shows up at the vet with no medical history.)

Tomorrow probably will be chaotic, but at least it will be Friday.

Here's What I Learned Today

2011-09-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

1. The Cat still has metal stitches left in her from when she got spayed about 13-1/2 years ago. (X-ray taught me that. It's a good thing this vet wasn't the one that performed the procedure all those years ago, because I would've been furious.)

2. Cats can get enemas. (It was a choice between that or trying to sneak a whole bunch of medicine into her that might or might not work to get her to "go". . . she hasn't gone in almost a week.)

3. While you shouldn't drink your urine, if you're healthy it is sterile and that might be useful for something. (Via Wired magazine, which I read at a coffee shop while I waited for #2. Um, literally and figuratively, I guess.)

I missed trivia (bummer) because I'm keeping an eye on The Cat post-sedation. Which basically amounts to making note of when she moves to the next part of the apartment to go into loaf formation and stare into space. (BTW that is so not what the doctor said she'd being doing; he said she'd be restless and keep me up all night. Well, the night is still young.) I hope that once the sedation wears off, she'll feel a bit better. Not to mention that she'll forgive me for dragging her out in the rain.

I just have a feeling this is going to be a long week, but I'm hoping that The Cat drama ends here before the school drama picks up.

Stereo Update: Still a Work in Progress

2011-09-03T23:58:00.000-04:00

After spending the last couple nights out because Youngest Sister and Youngest First Cousin have been in town (they both left this morning), I declared today a "do whatever" day. I didn't get out of bed (officially) until almost 9:30 and spent the rest of the morning drinking coffee and reading a book for the fun of it--meaning it wasn't for school or book club. O.K., it's probably chick lit, but there's nothing wrong with that.

It has been on my list to get the speakers hooked up to the receiver, a step which hopefully would be the last thing to get the music back on in my home. Music I actually can hear even if I'm not in the same room and actually sounds good.

The thing was, I was a little afraid of messing up the wiring or damaging. . . I don't know, something. And the whole thing with the laptop has been another thing to shake my confidence a bit. But after dinner I just decided to give it a try and just follow the instructions that the tech support guy gave me.

However, the cutting part was difficult, and the stripping part didn't really work, so after a good half hour of frustration, I called Mom and I asked if I was doing something wrong. I mean, I have stripped wires before, but it was a long time ago for a school project. So she encouraged me not to quit and just go down to the home improvement store (actually she said pick one, because there are two within practically the same driving distance of here) to see if someone had any suggestions.

So off I went with my paper bag that held one of the speaker wires and the wire cutters that allegedly also could strip wire. Once I got to the store, I headed to the electrical department, and when I walked by the one aisle where the tools are, there was an employee advising two men about installing an outdoor-type outlet. He sounded as if he really knew his stuff, so I waited quietly. After a few minutes, he noticed me and excused himself from the men to give them a chance to discuss their options. I explained the situation and showed him what I was dealing with. Basically he said the cutters I had were not going to get the job done. He had a wire stripper in his set of tools, and demonstrated exactly what I had been trying to accomplish. So I bought the same model, and $8 (plus tax) and by about 9:00 p.m., I had speakers connected.

I plugged everything into the surge protector and flipped it on. Powered everything up and tried out the CD player.

No sound.

I tried the cassette deck.

No sound from that, either.

O.K., let's try the tuner. Oh, and what's this "Speaker A" button? Maybe I'll push that, too.

Well, I've got static, so that's something. I think I was supposed to connect an antenna. Oops.

I did manage to coax sound out of the cassette deck, but it was in one speaker only.

Finally, I dug out my iPod and plugged that into the dock. I chose the playlist I made for the last time I took the train down to see Younger Sister. The first song is "Wanna Feel New" by Wanderlust, a band no longer in existence today but one I have seen play live, back in the '90s when I started going to concerts with my late friend J. There's also some weird family connection to one of the band members that I didn't know about until after I'd seen them and mentioned the concert to my parents.

The opening chords poured out of both speakers.

Success!

And the perfect song, too, because I had planned that the first song played in its entirety be one that had some connection to J.

So, while I still will have to place a call to tech support to figure out what happened with the other components, at the very least I've got some awesome sounds going from the limited library of the iPod.

And it sounds wonderful.

Crawling to the Weekend

2011-09-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been scarce--faculty meetings, in-service, and a whole mess of, well, mess at school. In fact, I'm going in tomorrow for a few hours. Gonna try to get in and out before holiday weekend traffic gets crazy. On top of that, something annoying is going on with my left eye. It's just irritated. I've tried replacing contacts (twice--this morning's new one was cracked) and allergy drops. No idea but am really hoping it's not pinkeye. It's not super-red or anything so I guess that's all right. Maybe sleep will help.

But right now, as soon as I publish this post, I'm gonna go change into jeans and meet up with Younger Sister and Youngest First Cousin, both of whom are in town for just a few days. Youngest First Cousin called to razz me about not having seen him yet because he came all the way from Mexico City (via Ohio where he saw his new niece).

It'll be good to blow off some steam.

The Cat Made Me Do Lotsa Laundry

2011-08-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure The Cat can read the calendar on the fridge. I write all our appointments on that calendar, and yesterday morning had me wondering if she did see "11a Vet" written in the Monday square. At 10:15, after I'd just finished drying my hair, I walked into the bedroom and smelled something awful.

The bed, which I'd made that morning, was all rumpled up, but I didn't really see anything obvious. Once I straightened out the blanket completely, I saw the huge puddle.

WHIZ! She took a giant whiz on my bed!

Highly unusual. Also, super awesome because it soaked all the way down through the mattress pad into the fluffy pillow-top thing I had under the mattress pad. Ugh. It was the only time I found myself wishing I'd found a giant poo instead.

So I pulled everything all the way off the bed and threw it into the bathroom, rounded up the kitty, and off we went to the vet. One of us (not me) was meowing all the way.

She did her usual resistance shtick, and the doctor wound up examining her as she crouched in the cat carrier. Lots of hissing but she was too confined to take a swipe at him.

The cause for her deliberate "miss" of the litterbox might be an infection, because (as I learned) the steroids tend to lower her immunity. They of course tried to take a urine sample, which was unsuccessful because, well, gee, I think a giant whiz an hour before might mean there's nothing left. I warned them! Oh, but the joke was on me because they wanted me to attempt an at-home collection. Um, have you met my cat? Do you think locking her up for 30 minutes in a room with a bowl of water and a litter pan with non-absorbent litter will produce a sample?

More likely to produce mass destruction, I say.

Adding to The Cat's vet visit experience, a gentleman who brought in a very tiny and very sick chihuahua spoke Spanish to The Cat. (He said, "Que pasa, gatita?" which translates to, "What's up, little kitty?") Normally, she is intrigued when people speak other languages to her. My late friend J used to speak a little Japanese to her, and one time she stared quizzically at a friend who spoke German to her as she hid behind the sofa. Yesterday, however, she was not having a good day, and she hissed at this poor guy. He said he still loved cats, anyway, and told me about his cat.

When I got home, I let The Cat out of her carrier and did a complete cleaning of her litterbox in case that was an issue for her. Then I hauled all the laundry over to my parents'. I made the most of the washer wait time by picking up cat food and a $4 litterbox for my, uh, "collection" plan. I didn't get home until after 7 because Oldest Nephew was visiting (Mom took him shopping for school clothes) and I was invited to stay for dinner, where I made myself useful by helping unload the dishwasher and mixing up G&Ts for the adults.

Today, I tried swapping out The Cat's litterbox for the $4 decoy plus fake-litter (throwing trash bags across the bed for insurance), but for the most part, she has been sleeping through the day. She did get a new steroid shot yesterday, so I think that has knocked her for a bit of a loop.

I'm a little worried she'll be anxious that I'm gone a lot of the day tomorrow and Thursday for faculty meetings, but, as I tell her, the job buys the cat food. She might still be sleepy tomorrow, anyway.

And I'll just have to try the Folgers (litterbox) switch again tomorrow.

.

Power's on. Building's Standing. Very Tired.

2011-08-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

Shortly after I finally got to bed (after 1 a.m.), I woke up around 2 a.m. What's that weird whirring noise? I asked myself after a minute.

It was the building's fire alarm. I sat up. At this point in the night, the rain was heavy and steady. Did I really need to leave the building? And haul The Cat out in the rain? Where would we go? The Cat, who was on "her side" of the bed, opened her eyes and looked at me sleepily.

As I contemplated, several emergency vehicles pulled up in front of the building, including a fire truck. I walked up to my door and felt it. It wasn't hot. I didn't hear anything in the hallway. The alarm is blaring the whole time still, but I figured if I opened the door, it would frighten The Cat and make it impossible for me to find her if I needed to stuff her in a carrier. So I decided I would start to get dressed and wait for a knock at the door or some other indication that we had to get out.

I watched through my bedroom window blinds as a few emergency personnel went in and out of the building while the alarm continued to blast. It sounded like angry bagpipes at 500 dB. Finally, at about 2:20-2:25, the alarm stopped. Tried to restart a couple times, and then was quiet for good. All the vehicles left except for the fire chief's and the fire truck (which moved over to park directly in front of the building). Of course, I did not feel completely ready to go back to bed until all the rescue people left, so I waited another 20 minutes for that to happen. God bless 'em, they were out in probably the worst point of the storm. Which might have been why the alarm sounded, but who knows? I hope we don't get a scolding from management (via memo) for not evacuating the building, but at the time it made little sense to do so.

Not me! I went back to sleep until The Cat got me up, usual early time, for meds and breakfast. Tried to go back to sleep, but she kept crying every hour on the hour. Out of sorts, I guess. Kind of how I felt for the rest of the day! I did go out in the early evening for a walk around the community--saw a fence smashed in by a fallen tree behind one of the other buildings--and then I ventured into one of the adjacent neighborhoods. Everything looked pretty good, actually; people were walking their dogs and putting out their trash cans for collection tomorrow. I think I saw maybe one rug out for the trash so maybe somebody did get some flooding. Mom and Dad said they got a little water in their basement but it wasn't anything the sump pump and the wet vac couldn't handle.

I called them to check in on them (and to get Mom's help with a crossword puzzle I couldn't quite finish), and they reported that Older Brother also called to check on them and let them know his family was O.K. I texted Younger Sister last night (casual conversation but really I was making sure she was O.K.) and Sara was kind enough to check up on me. Very kind, actually, because she had been dealing with managing four kitties in a tornado warning! So while it is scary to be riding out the storm as a singleton, having the cell phone around was a big help.

Bottom line: Good riddance to Irene, hooray for our emergency response people, and now on to even scarier things. Like a trip to the vet and faculty meetings.

.

Still Here!

2011-08-28T00:32:00.000-04:00

Made it to Mass, which was very crowded. A couple of people came up to me afterwards and told me I did a good job singing. It later occurred to me that those were people who don't normally attend the vigil Mass and had not heard me sing before! Good for them that they decided to come out tonight; I don't think anyone's going anywhere tomorrow.

Ate dinner at Mom and Dad's, made coffee, and then noticed the rain was getting heavier once 7:00 came around. So I headed home, which took about five minutes because there was practically no one in my direction on the road and all of the traffic lights were green.

Our second tornado warning just expired--and I admit it, I had been sitting in the bathroom with the "terrorist radio" tuned to KYW for a while. I was reading a book to get my mind off things, such as questions about the sturdiness of this building and word that a tornado might have touched down near where Older Brother & Family live.

The Cat slept atop the cabinets for the most part, demanded food around 11:15, and then went back up to the cabinets after she ate.

I'm a little too keyed up to sleep. The leak is definitely happening under the A/C in the dining room. I put a plastic cup under it about 90 minutes ago and it's halfway full. I think I will have to graduate to a bowl if and when I want to get some sleep. It's too low to the floor to wedge the only bucket I have under there.

Overall, this sucks. The only thing that would suck more is for the power and/or internet to go out, or people got hurt, or something landed on my car (knock on wood for all of the above).

I think I'll go take out my contact lenses while there's still power and then see (with my hot librarian glasses) if there's anything non-news-y on TV. And try to relax.

Hurricane Preparedness Checklist, Maiden Aunt Edition

2011-08-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

The always helpful and funny sibs at Coalition of the Swilling provided a handy post for things to get and do to prepare for the arrival of a hurricane. Being a renter and the sole (human) resident of my home--not to mention hopeful that the 'burbs where I am are far enough outside Philly to be on the "tropical storm" side of the warnings--I have different things to do. So here's what I did to prepare:

* Cleaned off patio chairs and brought inside so they don't blow away (or through my neighbors' windows). It was already on my list before the management slid a memo under the door stating (paraphrased but just as all-caps shout-y) "GET ANYTHING THAT COULD FLY AWAY OFF YOUR PATIO/BALCONY." Also, "get water, charge your cell phone, keep your fridge closed if the power goes off, etc."
Side note: First casualty of the hurricane occurred when a rough edge on one of the chairs sliced my knuckle as I was cleaning. I'll live.

* Got cat litter. (Because if kitty ain't happy, I'm trapped indoors with statement stink bombs.) I also got a couple cans of tuna (for people) and a couple bottles of water. However, there was a huge traffic snarl as the result of some random unexplained road closure near the store, and I drank almost all of one water bottle. I guess I'll just refill it and stash it in the fridge.

* Dropped off Friday's Wall Street Journal to Mom (so she can enjoy doing the crossword) and mooched some paper towels. We kind of have communal bulk buying--they have the cellar storage I don't for mass quantities of paper products. I already mooched a few AAA batteries for one of my flashlights last night. I also chatted with all the cats and debated two kinds of laptops with Mom.

* Bought a laptop. Yeah, I took the plunge. There was one I tried out (not at that price) last week at another store, and it showed up in another store's ad with a way better price and offers on Office 2010 and antivirus. I had to buy it this week to get the deals. (Even the manager had to look at the ad I brought so everything was rung up correctly.)

Poor ol' Lappy must've been some sort of fluke, because I didn't have to deal with battery failure or anything like that. I think I had a virus once and it didn't wipe anything out, fortunately. It never occurred to me that sort of thing could happen. Ignorance truly is bliss!

Now I'm not taking any chances; it's a whole new ballgame after five years. So add on the two year protection and the setup service (I figured it was worth it, because I don't know Windows7 well enough to pull off useless trial stuff and the like), the antivirus (which after rebates will be free, yay), and I have sticker shock. But I got what I needed.
Or at least I'll have it tomorrow morning when it's ready.

Left to do: pray a Rosary that the stupid leak under the dining room A/C (which only appears when it rains really hard and sideways) is minimal. Oh, and also that nobody gets hurt, either.

Have a safe weekend, everyone.

Putting a Positive Spin on Today

2011-08-24T21:02:00.000-04:00

As much as I hate attending mandatory workshops, at least a few good things came out of it.

* Gas was 10-12 cents/gallon cheaper out there (granted, it was almost 30 miles from home, but still) and I needed it badly.

* Hung out with with the also-hired-last-year gym teacher. Nice guy. Super young. We also found our new Spanish teacher after a while. (Not interested in hanging with us. Cool, whatever, we're strangers.)

* I always manage to exchange contact info with at least one nice person. This time it was a woman who will be serving as a school's part-time pseudo-librarian. It's unfortunate that a school would need to cut a librarian from its budget, but Lord only knows what non-negotiable it helped keep.

* Free coffee in the morning!

* This one is The Cat's: I forgot again today to call the vet back about scheduling a follow-up visit for The Cat.

She's actually been doing fairly well. I would not be surprised if they cut back her thyroid meds a bit, however, because she's been sleeping a lot more. She has been eating well, and the digestive incidents have been few (knock on wood).

In fact, as some chicken was baking in the oven this evening, she was sitting in loaf formation in the middle of the living room floor, purring to herself.

You gotta enjoy those little things in life.

That said, another workshop tomorrow. . .

Didn't Feel a Thing.

2011-08-23T15:56:00.000-04:00

I did not know there'd been an earthquake in D.C. that was felt in Philly until my mom called my cell and asked me to text Younger Sister to see if she was O.K. Mom couldn't get her on the phone. I think all the cell signals were probably jammed, but in any event, as I saw in my e-mail when I got home a few minutes ago, she e-mailed the family a couple minutes after I sent the text. She said she's fine, and as far as she can tell, nothing fell off the shelves!

I'd been out running errands, and I can't tell if I was still in transit at the time or had just entered the store where I was when Mom called me about 10-15 minutes later, but either way, I was surprised when she told me they felt it at my parents' house.

When I went to the next store for The Cat's food, the cashier said they felt it and the signs that are suspended from the ceiling swayed a little. That store is in the same shopping center, only at the opposite end from where I was before.

Hmmmm. If I indeed was in the first store when things were shaking, then maybe it's a shock-proof building.

Or maybe I was distracted by all the shiny lip glosses.

Younger Sister's Cat Tries a New Hairdo

2011-08-22T22:38:00.000-04:00

So while Mom, Younger Sister and I are hanging out in the living room, waiting for Dad to come back from the gym to take Younger Sister to the train, Younger Sister's cat comes sashaying around all our legs. She's a feisty orange cat who likes to clown around, and she's always in an extremely good mood when Younger Sister is home for a visit.

I reach down to pet her back, and I find her fur is kind of clumped together and sticking up in the middle.

Mom: Oh, you know a certain little boy [a.k.a. Middle Nephew] can't walk by any of the cats without petting them. He's always got something on his hands, too.

Me: (to cat) You've got kind of a mohawk in the middle of your back.

Y.S.: It's a faux-hawk.

Me: More like a fur-hawk.

Mom walked to the back door, and the cat enthusiastically followed her, thinking Mom was going to let her out. This cat is always begging to go out, and if she didn't do things like squeeze under the fence to frolic in the yard of the Police Headquarters, maybe she'd actually be allowed out. Coincidentally, the cats' brushes happen to hang on hooks by the back door.

Double disappointment registered on the cat's fuzzy face as Mom sat the cat on her lap and brushed out the fur-hawk.

After that unpleasantness, however, Younger Sister, to whom this goofy orange cat owes her life, took pity on the kitty and let her out on a little walk with the little-used harness and leash.

Ah, happy endings.

2011-08-22T18:15:00.000-04:00

Woke up with the phrase "two wrongs don't make a right" on my mind. I was trying to get out the door to meet a friend going to my acupuncturist for the first time, but of course I had to check my e-mail.

Mom read my post (yeah, I don't think I mentioned that she found the blog a while ago--I did warn her this is my place to speak freely about anything), and sent me an e-mail saying I embarrassed her. There's something else I won't mention but it's always the hit below the belt I get whenever I mention anything older than recent history. It strikes me as not true, but maybe I'm just coming across wrong. It happens. Too often.

I think she misread the post as my saying bad things about her ("helpful to a fault" and "does too much" don't really sound defamatory in my book), but really I was saying the worst things about myself and just recounting the lousy thing that happened. (She did agree she was tired.)
It's all a big misunderstanding. I felt horrible she was upset, and I cried through almost my entire acupuncture treatment (which of course when I told Mom that, she told me that was a silly thing to do. . . and that, my friends, is the difference between her and me).

The truth is, I want my parents to look at me and say, "We raised a functioning adult," but I worry they don't, because I can barely support myself or do things for them now that I'm older (and so are they). I don't have any kids, and I worry when my mom gets all stressed out and exhausted with my brother's kids that by the time I do (might) have kids, there won't be anything left.

That doesn't give me the right to get impatient with her, though.

So, I apologized. I gave her the Karen Carpenter CD that I found the other day for her (one of her fave songs is on it). The kiddos went with my dad to take Younger Sister to the train station, so Mom got a few minutes of peace (I think).

Later, I got a phone call from Mom: the kiddos have been enjoying the bubble wands I brought over, and Niece, who finally got her birthday present from me today, has been playing with her doll all afternoon. (We've been trying for a while to teach Niece the importance of brushing her hair to keep away the tangles and I thought this particular doll might help.)

It feels good to do something right at last.

At least, until my SIL puts out a hit on me for giving Niece a (gasp!) Barbie.

. . . And One More Thing I Did Not Have Planned for the Weekend

2011-08-21T22:58:00.000-04:00

I thought I was doing a good turn by giving everyone a ride to the bridal shower, but after a tension-creating departure in the middle of a heavy downpour, it turns out I suck, Younger Sister is annoyed with me, and Mom is. . . something. Something that makes me simultaneously sad, weary, and angry.

I don't know what it is that driving with family makes me doubt my ability to drive (although three separate sets of driving lessons and two attempts at my license which I finally obtained at 19, followed by years of criticism, might say something about the whole experience in the first place), but add to that Younger Sister's interference (to which I say how dare she because she removed herself from experiencing the family on a regular basis long ago) and Mom's willingness to help to a fault, and it's just a big ol' mess.

Hell, you might even agree I'm the bad guy because you operate on the belief that says you never, ever say anything sharp to a parent. And that's fine, you can think I failed at being a good daughter, because I'd probably agree that I failed, to some degree.

I failed at being the daughter who still needed a parent to tell her what to do in the car. My own car that I've been driving for nine years without an accident (caused by me). So yeah, I got mad, and maybe that's my injured pride talking, but you know what? I'm the only one who gets that from her. From anyone. I don't know what I have to do to get anybody in my family to have any faith in me and let me be a grown-up--I fear nothing will be enough to free me of this pitied, helpless reputation. (Well, maybe getting married, but it shouldn't have to be that way.)

But let me pose this: she failed at being the mother who lets her adult daughter take care of her. She's still in supermom mode, because she's been dealing with Niece and Middle Nephew all week (day and night) and is just tired. Today was just pushing things right over the edge on which they've sat for a while, so I got the full force of whatever bad stuff she was feeling. And she's not good at negative feelings--she was the one who always told me how easy it was to turn off or change my feelings, because (a) she didn't want me to feel bad, ever--and oh, it's always kind parenting to invalidate your child's feelings, but that's another topic for another day; and (b) she probably had to do the same thing to cope with a big chaotic family that moved around a lot.

On top of that, I'm sure she has no awareness that every time I drive her somewhere, her foot is constantly doing the "invisible passenger brake pedal" thing.

So in summary: I feel bad I offended Mom and apparently broke whatever dam that was. I also feel bad that I can't get her to understand that she can take a break from trying to take care of everybody in sight. I despise whatever it is in me that shakes my confidence when I'm driving with other people in the car. But I maintain that I did the best I could in the midst of a tense situation, and while I can't force Younger Sister or Mom to put themselves in my shoes for a moment, I sure wish they would and stop being so frigging hard on me.

I do a bang-up job of that on my own.

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go cry myself to sleep while wondering if Mom's ever going to speak to me again.

Because I Didn't Have Enough to Do This Weekend

2011-08-19T22:47:00.000-04:00

(Admin's note: On this borrowed laptop, I had to use Chrome to blog. I think everything looks weird, especially the font sizes and line spacing. If things are unreadable, please tell me!)

Singing for a wedding Saturday? Yup.

Singing for Mass Saturday? That, too.

Younger Sister in town? Yeah.

Bridal shower Sunday? Check.

Got wire cutter and second set of clips for new stereo speakers? Ready!

Filling out juror questionnaire for district court!?

AAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!

With my luck, I'll be stuck in a week-long trial in Philly for the first week of school. Any other time of year. . .

Maiden Moments with the Nearly 90yo Grandfather

2011-08-15T22:14:00.000-04:00

I got to see my grandfather last weekend. He'll be 90 later this year, he's got diabetes, a cane, and almost complete deafness not helped much by hearing aids. (Being a retired engineer, he has a habit of fiddling with things he shouldn't; odds are pretty good the hearing aids fell victim to that habit.)

Of course, he makes a fuss over his middle granddaughter--that's right, even as a grandchild, I am squarely in the middle, story of my life--and how lovely I am, etc., etc.

The follow-up to that is always, "How come no fella has come along and claimed you, huh?"

Usually, I can deflect the question with, "Oh, Pop-Pop, you know, I'm busy, it just hasn't happened yet, blah blah blah. . ."

Now, obviously he's in the later years of his life, and I'm sure part of it is the diabetes and part of it is just age, but he seems to be, in addition to more forgetful, even less inhibited in his speech than usual (which trust me was free enough already). So then he goes on to ask me, "Tell me, was there ever a fella you said 'No' to when you should've said 'Yes'?"

I was a bit stunned, but I guess I shouldn't have been. I also felt ashamed for some reason, as if I actually had been guilty of, I don't know and maybe I'm taking the wrong angle, attracting some nice guy and just turning him down for dates or whatever. I've really only avoided being asked out by one person, and that was because I felt zero attraction to him.

But I felt somewhat lousy at being asked that question. As if I had screwed up a chance at something good a long time ago, and now I'm paying the price with impending spinsterhood.

I don't think so, really, deep down. Am I a late bloomer? Yes. Am I introverted and a bit socially anxious? Absolutely. Yet trumping all of that: Do I believe, fun as it is not sometimes, that things are the way they are in accordance with the Lord's plans for me?

Yeah, I do.

Oh, and I also believe God has a HUGE sense of humor in that Pop-Pop later that afternoon also was a bit too free in speaking with me. . . about his first time.

With his late second wife.

Who was his secretary that he married about a year and a half after my grandmother passed away, so you have an idea of the speed with which I steered the conversation in another direction.

Later, while we were starting to get dinner started, my uncle was making daiquiris and asked if I wanted one. I told him I'd start with one and he needed to keep them coming. Everybody had a good laugh when I explained why (sparing them the actual details), I think my aunt and uncle, as well as my mom, have all been subjected to far too many "details" by Pop-Pop at some time or another.

Well, God gave me a Pop-Pop who's crazy about me--crazy enough to tell me too much, but that's O.K., because God also made booze for just such an occasion.

And He also managed to find a nice husband for my aunt when I'm sure some people considered her "older." They've been married almost 15 years now, and on top of being a good husband and uncle, he knows how to make a good mixed drink.

In the end, I got what I needed.

I guess that's what it always will come down to, eventually.

I Have to Laugh. . .

2011-08-15T12:33:00.001-04:00

. . . at how much I'm spinning my wheels, trying to get anything done around here.

(If I didn't, I'd cry out of frustration. Or punch the wall. And then I wouldn't get my security deposit back. That would be bad.)

R.I.P. Lappy the Laptop (2006? - 2011)

2011-08-10T21:45:00.003-04:00

Lappy apparently did not like going without use while I was away, because when I had it on yesterday and I left the room for a minute to get something, it went dark and never woke up again. The efforts to resuscitate it by both me and the local computer guy were unsuccessful. Granted, a laptop that's five (maybe six? It was a floor model) years old and took nightly poundings for two and a half years of grad school is bound to go sometime, I guess. I just wish I'd had more of a warning.

And maybe some less sucky timing.

I've got faculty back-to-school info e-mail to read, side jobs to investigate, vet insurance claims to check. At least my parents kindly loaned me their laptop (they have a desktop but it's surprisingly difficult to have one computer in a house with two semi-retired people) so I can research my options to replace Lappy.

The other thing that sucks about the timing is that I've already paid for vet bills (ka-ching!), car A/C repairs twice (ka-ching! ka-ching!), and bridal/baby shower gifts (ka- well, we got good deals on those, so no real complaints there).

This is the Summer of Extreme Expenses.

That said, Lappy was a good little workhorse and we had a lot of good years together.

So, how's your week going?

Off for a Few Days

2011-08-04T23:02:00.002-04:00

Gonna visit some people I like, clear my head.

No, the stereo isn't fully assembled yet. But the tape deck showed up today, and into the cabinet it went. Pretty good fit, but when I return I have to look in my odd collection of wires to see if anything there will connect it to the receiver.

A friend is feeding The Cat, and while I am nervous about leaving The Cat, when my friend came to visit this morning, The Cat came out from her hiding place after a while and sashayed right up for a pet! No hissing or swiping. That little moment between them was a much-needed reassurance.

But I think I'll still get a meowy scolding when I walk in the door.

At Least I Reconnected the TV Right. . .

2011-08-03T22:28:00.003-04:00

Things That Went Wrong:

1. New TV stand is actually multi-purpose modular cabinet--meaning there are no holes at the back for equipment wires. Thanks for not mentioning that, NotMoby IKEA Guy.

2. New TV stand's doors go almost all the way to the floor; hence, they drag on the carpet.

3. Hardware store #1 talked me out of getting the wood piece I wanted cut so that I could put the TV stand on a little platform to raise it out of the carpet. This very well could have happened in part because I had a bad headache and had no idea what I was saying, but still, I talk with my hands. (Good thing they got only $2 and change outta me.)

4. The Cat had an, um, accident on my bed. The kind I could smell the minute I walked in the door.

5. By then, the water was shut off in the building, because they're working on the plumbing. (It's really not fun to clean up. . . stuff. . . and not be able to wash your hands afterwards.)

Things That Went Right (or at Least Better):

1. Mom said she'd help me out with the wood cutting problem.

2. Hardware store #2 understood what Mom said. It also helps that Mom is very stubborn and won't let up until she gets what she wants.

3. I now know how to use a drill. Not very well, but at the very least to get some ugly but fortunately obscured wiring holes in the back of a TV stand.

4. Everything fit through the drilled holes--and it's much easier to have someone on the other side to help as you're routing a bunch of cables through a cabinet.

5. We did not drop the TV, and so far I am able to watch TV. (I'm nervous that I hooked the DVD player up wrong again, but I don't feel like testing it tonight.)

6. The old tv-stand-turned-stereo-cabinet is in the right place now.

7. The Cat's liquid hyperthyroid meds arrived (cutely addressed to "Cat [The Cat] P"!) and she ate all her dinner with little to no suspicion that something was mixed into it. Which is good news for the person who will be feeding her while I am away this weekend, and a relief to me.

I think I will sleep really well tonight!

I Declare August "Retro-Reading Month"

2011-08-01T21:40:00.004-04:00

Were you ever struck by a passing mention or a situation that reminded you of something you read, and it made you want to go back and read it again? That happened to me today.

Maybe it's that Mercury Retrograde's starting to creep in, or maybe it's that the arrival of August heralds the end of summer vacation, or maybe I have some weird sentimentality coming on, but in any case, I am feeling the need to go back and re-read something.

Specifically, because I saw Amanda Hesser on Rocco's Dinner Party while I was watching it today, I recalled her book, Cooking for Mr. Latte (don't ask me how, as it's been years since I first read it, says the Font of Useless Information). And I have decided that somewhere between or simultaneously with My Life in Pink and Green, Ship Breaker, the one book I forgot was assigned as "Summer Reading" for faculty, and the book I don't want to read for book club, I will re-read Cooking for Mr. Latte. I did an online request for it at my branch of the library earlier today.

So, if you would like to join me in a retro-read this month--anything you want to re-read--please do! You can share the title in the combox and/or post on your own blog (linking here of course).

Happy Re-reading!

Assembly. . . or Not

2011-07-31T19:44:00.003-04:00

I've got a half-finished cabinet lying on its side in the middle of my living room. I think the current TV stand is laughing at it. Or at me.

Everything ground to a halt because while I remembered to borrow Dad's power screwdriver (which the instructions keep "telling" me I can't use--stupid slash-mark picture...), I forgot to borrow the level. (I think this article is getting it wrong with that caption on the photo at the top.)

The other complication? Well, I decided to vacuum before I started putting furniture together, and silly me, I thought The Cat was securely ensconced in the pots and pans cabinet and wouldn't notice. Out of sight, out of mind. Nooooo, she made a bee-line for the top of the fridge, and when that was not comforting enough for her, she tried to make a break for it.

At which point she jumped down onto the counter and her back legs went out from under her. Yeah, ever since she started getting steroid shots, her one back leg has been a little unsteady for a few days after she gets a new shot. But both legs seemed affected this time. She had kind of an odd expression on her face, too. I switched off the vacuum but she was already scrambling across the kitchen floor--I don't know why she does that; once when she was woozy after anaesthesia, she kept trying to walk. She's so darn stubborn and has a one-track mind, I guess.

Finally she stopped when she got to the other side of a stereo box in the living room. Her head was wobbling as if she were dizzy. If her mission was to freak me out, she succeeded. I figured she wasn't going anywhere, so I quickly put the vacuum back in the closet, and when I came back to the living room, she already had tucked herself behind the patio door curtains with a look that said, "What? Nothing to see here."

I'm hoping she just got herself all stressed out over the vacuum, and combined with her still-overactive thyroid, she just had a little fit. It didn't look like a seizure. But this is all I need--I just talked to my friend today about catsitting while I take a quick trip to see my grandfather this week. I don't want to be reluctant to leave her for fear she'll get stressed out over my absence and have another fit.

Of course, I'm also mad at her now, because she spit out her afternoon pill. She has been pretty much unreceptive to taking a second dose of her medicine--I dunno, maybe she's more starving at 4 a.m. and will eat anything--and I've had enough. I'll call the vet tomorrow and see about getting a liquid form of her meds to mix into her food. She has got to calm the heck down.

Because if kitty ain't calm, ain't nobody calm around here.

Resolved

2011-07-29T21:50:00.002-04:00

The CD changer definitely is 18" D, and rather wide, but I guess it would have to be to hold a tray for six CDs.

Oh, I've had a fun time disconnecting the old stereo and speakers ("The rest is silence," its final words) and removing the unit from the bottom of the TV stand. And then I did a bit of dusting and shuffling the DVD/VCR over to try the CD changer in the old stereo's place. The bad news that it definitely is too deep; however, the good news is that its rear feet are far in enough from the back edge that I can push the unit farther back without compromising its stability. I hope. The even better news that I took a good look and remembered that the panel covering the back of the TV stand actually consists of two pieces--horizontal!!!--which will permit me to take off the bottom panel entirely. I guess if I wanted, I could attach a piece of fabric like a dust ruffle to the remaining top panel.

I think I'm headed in the right direction. I also got an e-mail from the nice older dude who sold his cassette deck to me; it got shipped today. Hooray.

Tomorrow's mission is to pick up the new TV stand and keep cleaning up so I can do the furniture switcheroo. Oh, and cantor the vigil Mass in the middle of that, of course.

But make no mistake: I am on a mission!

Where Am I Gonna Put This Stereo? Part II

2011-07-28T23:51:00.004-04:00

We have cousins visiting from out west, and a bunch of "the girls" (two of my cousins who are sisters, and their SIL who is one of the visiting people, and my mom and I) met up for lunch this afternoon. Mom had to pick me up because my whiz kid mechanic found the evil leaky A/C hose and was installing its evilly expensive replacement in my car at the time. After lunch (good tuna wrap and *meh* steak fries for me) was over, Mom dropped me off to pick up my car, and after I cried the whole way home about the cost (not really but I did tell myself it's better than buying a new car), lo and behold there was the big box o' speakers in the vestibule. So I dragged that in along with a shoe order that finally arrived, as well as a leftover half a tuna wrap.

Fed a very interested Cat a taste of the tuna filling, got my things together for my little summer job, and off I went in my air-conditioned-once-more car.

The book discussion and craft--and I tell you the craft is always the part I worry about--went over well. We had little memo books that we personalized with collages from magazine cut-outs. I had gone through all my magazines yesterday and pulled out any, er, inappropriate articles or ads, and also put together a model one. I think I'm going to use it; I like it. I'll have to take a picture and show you.

There was one girl dragging her feet and goofing off (literally running with scissors and that was the last straw for me), and I don't know why, because she's usually pretty enthusiastic. Sometimes I think the kids come right from day camps and are tired. But at least for once it wasn't the "noodge," as I call her. You know the type--they don't listen, they always have something to say about everything, they like to push the envelope.

She was pretty good today, and the first one to give me a hug at the end, because it's our last meeting. Awwww.

On top of that, the bookstore person in charge of things said she'd be happy to be a reference for me. So, even though fixing my car's A/C pretty much wiped out what I made from this job and then some, I feel as if in a way I broke even.

After that, I headed over to IKEA with the idea of looking at the stand I was considering for the stereo. I even stopped at another place on the way, but nothing was quite right and it was all way outside of my budget, anyway. When I got to IKEA, I saw that the stand under consideration was definitely out, because when I slid open the glass door on the display model, I saw two tempered glass shelves slumped on top of each other, having fallen off the skimpy pegs intended to keep them up. No dice.

Also, after looking around at everything else they had to offer, it hit me: none of them were deep enough to accommodate the 6-CD changer. All these TV stands were for slimmer TVs that people own nowadays. The specs I scribbled down for the equipment said I needed 18" for the CD changer, and nothing was deeper than 15". There was a (Not-Moby-looking) salesperson at one end of the department, but he had been helping a middle-aged couple for quite a while. I figured I'd give him five more minutes, and I walked around a bit more.

Then it hit me: maybe I was approaching this wrong. Maybe I could poach the TV cabinet I already have and love (busted left door hinge and all) for the stereo, and now that I have a "slimmer" TV myself, I could put it on a new smaller stand. I had just come around to that when the salesperson became available, so I discussed it all with him. He showed me an option that still had glass--I love being able to use the remote on stuff that's stowed away--only it's just in the middle. This shelving with these doors. I think the high gloss finish looks cool. Plus it's about $40 cheaper than what I'd come to check out.

The question was, could I fit the CD changer in the old stand? I had to go home and measure, so the nice salesperson printed me a list to take with me. Oh, the drama: The old stand is about 16-1/2" deep. However, I opened the box and measured the CD changer and the measurements are smaller than 18". Hmmmmm.

I already have the back of the stand pulled out a bit because I had to get the old stereo's wiring through for power and speakers, so I am debating an attempt to put it in the same place and/or cut out the back entirely to accommodate it, as long as the feet are flat on the bottom of the stand to keep it stable.

Think it would work?

It's Not Fox in Socks in That Box

2011-07-27T19:24:00.003-04:00

Oh, my.

I placed the order for my stereo components yesterday afternoon, and while I was excited about the free shipping I honestly expected the typical free shipping--slowest option.

So imagine my delighted shock when I got home from running errands and went to check my mailbox in the vestibule.

Helloooo, TWO GIANT BOXES!!!

It was a little rough getting them in the door and pushing/pulling them across the lobby floor (too much friction on laminated wood!), but once I hit the hallway carpet, things went much more smoothly down to my door. Naturally, The Cat was a little startled by the large brown square things shoving their way into the apartment, but once they stopped moving she came up to sniff them. She'll be playing in the boxes once they're emptied, I'm sure.

. . . Um, where did I plan to put this new stereo? I think the schmancy new surge protector recommended by the Crutchfield advisor needs to go on its own outlet and not where I have the current stereo--which is one plug, sharing the surge protector for the TV, modem, cable box, and DVD player.

So that means it goes on another wall in my living room, and factoring in the bookshelves I can't move, it looks as if the china cabinet will have to be moved. (Good thing it has wheels.) The Cat won't like that, because she sleeps under it and snuggles against the wall when she's feeling lousy (like earlier today). Oh, but I need a stereo cabinet of sorts, too--maybe this TV stand with legs will make both me and The Cat happy. I guess that means I'm going to have to shop for that and assemble it before I can get the stereo connected.

But wait! I just looked at the "Your order has been shipped!" e-mail again, and there are more than two tracking numbers assigned. There is a third box scheduled for delivery by the end of the day tomorrow (Thursday). I guess I don't have all of it, anyway. Additionally, the cassette deck I bought on eBay won't be coming until the beginning of next week.

Stay tuned, because there will be more stereo stories for sure.

About that Cranky Kitty

2011-07-26T23:42:00.003-04:00

Probably because The Cat had me up at 4, 5, and 6 a.m., I slept through the phone ringing when the vet called with her test results at 8:30.

Her doctor left a message saying that her thyroid numbers are still too high. (That might explain why she's continuing to bounce off the walls and yowl all morning.) He upped her meds to twice a day. Also, he did not like that her white blood count is on the low side. He wants to keep an eye on that as well.

So I guess we'll be heading back there in a few weeks to get a re-test. Fun times.

At least we weren't having infernal heat Monday morning. I actually had been begging The Cat all last week during the heat wave not to take a turn for the worse, because I didn't want to drag her out in 100-degree weather. Oh, and apparently we also lucked out because I discovered that the car's A/C was not cold today when I went to run errands. Again. I'm guessing it's a leak the mechanic couldn't find last time because it was the first time fixing the freon. (Just when I was feeling all grateful that they'd fixed the A/C and installed my "new" car stereo.) I called them and they can't take me until Thursday morning. I made them promise to take me first thing, because I have my last summer reading group for my little summer job that afternoon.

Which means I get to go shopping for craft supplies with the "2-55" model of air conditioning.

You know: Put down 2 windows and drive 55.

(That's an old joke my senior neighbor lady told me when I was a kid.)

I have a feeling that I might be the cranky kitty riding in the car tomorrow.

Gone Shopping

2011-07-25T21:13:00.002-04:00

No major post tonight, because I am looking at stereo components. I just feel it's time to do it. My problem (every Libra's problem, I suspect) is that there are too many choices.

Either tomorrow or Wednesday, I will have an update about The Cat. She had a scheduled trip to the vet this morning--in retrospect, I realize 10 a.m. is squarely in the middle of her a.m. naptime, so no wonder she was mighty cranky--mostly to re-check her thyroid now that she has resumed taking her medicine, and also to give her a new steroid shot. (She's conked out atop the kitchen cabinets right now after having paid a brief visit to nuzzle the laptop and get a chin-scratching.

So we'll see if we get to keep our current routine or if we have to make changes.

In the meantime, I'm picking out electronics.

The Birthday Cat

2011-07-22T14:37:00.005-04:00

The Cat turned 14 today, and she told me--in between naps and bites of tuna--that she has a few birthday wishes:

1. Never to see the vet again. I told her sorry, not gonna happen. . . and in fact the office manager wished her a happy birthday when she called to confirm Monday's appointment! She'll probably get another steroid shot, which has helped a lot, and she's been pretty good about taking her thyroid meds (at around 5 in the morning from her half-asleep human).

2. Keep the tuna coming. The main goal is to keep The Cat eating, and if possible, eating grain-free and limited-ingredient proteins for her sensitive stomach. I can't seem to wean her off Fancy Feast, but we've come to a compromise where she eats B.G. Tuna topped with Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys Shredded Yellowfin Tuna. Supposedly the green bits in the Elegant Medleys are "garden greens." Huh.

3. Get her "fluff" back. Her shorn belly has been regrowing for the past nearly three months, and while it is getting harder to tell she ever was shaved, I can still tell she's still missing that little extra fluffy something.

4. Death to the chipmunks! (I told her it's not really polite to use your wishes that way, but they really do get on her nerves when they pop up on the patio, whereupon she starts seeing red and chirping trash talk at them. She even let a robin who was poking around for worms in the grass have it the other day. He looked a little dumbfounded.)

5. She also wanted to wish a happy birthday to two others celebrating birthdays today: Fiona at Little Lioness and Baby Kitty at Confessions of a Plate Addict (a fave stop of our friend PammyPam)!

Because the current temperature outside according to the Weather Channel is 100 (feels like 112!) and the A/C is doing its best to cool the apartment to a budgeted 76-77, The Cat has flopped herself atop the fridge (that would be the freezer, I guess) to catch the breeze from the ceiling fan.

She's a good kitty and I hope she has some good times as a 14-year-old. And of course some fun and slightly mischievous times as well.

"Wash the dishes, hooman!"
But I can't--you're on my dishwashing towel!

We Lost Tonight, But YOU Can Win! (GIVEAWAY) (Updated)

2011-07-19T23:20:00.009-04:00

(Any other takers??? There's a new post coming shortly so don't miss out!)

I heard that last week's trivia night (that I missed because I was at choir practice) was rough on the team. They totally got smoked. So I came in ready for redemption tonight. . . and all I can say is, I hate Switzerland. Two questions about Switzerland, and we got them both wrong. Oh, I had the right answer in my head for the first one, but I was outnumbered so I figured I had to be wrong, because geography is not one of my strengths.

It was a heartbreaker at the end of the night--first, second, and third place separated by a point each. We had nine out of ten right on the music round (my "ringer" round--seriously, teammates said, "It's all on you!"), and we still had our point-doubler option to use, so if we'd gotten all ten right we would've tied for first. Dammit. Stupid Katy Perry contraction title. I'm finding it harder to know exact titles of songs that come out these days because I'm not seeing them in print. I gotta watch more VH1 or something. I've actually been trying to watch "Jump Start" (before they get to the Morning Buzz) weekday mornings while I'm drinking my coffee, but my tolerance for both inane/crass videos and annoying songs (especially the country crossovers or rap) just isn't high enough to keep it on for long.

Still, I walked out with a t-shirt on my arm, because we got the most right on the last round. (Go figure.) It's the same tee I won last go-around, and I also have on hand several unclaimed keychain bottle openers and can cozies that were piled into my arms from two weeks ago.

So I'm giving them away this week! Put in a comment with your first and second choices, and then I'll divvy things up and let you know so you can send me an e-mail with your mailing address (which will not be shared or used for any other purpose except maybe a Christmas card).

BTW, they all have beer brand logos, if that might be a concern. Or it might be a plus, I don't know.

Your Choices:

Two (2) Can Cozies, black foam with white print, with the logo that pretty much looks like this (only there are mountains in the background).

Four (4) keyring bottle openers, black with silver print, simpler logo but same brand as can cozies. Lightweight plastic. (one claimed by Dave E.)

One (1) t-shirt, heather gray with blue and white printing of this brand (it might be a rare promo tee, because I can't find images of the particular logo anywhere), size XL, 90% cotton/10% poly. I can attest that these make nice sleepshirts (even if I can fit three of me in 'em). (Claimed by Sara)

First come, first served--and if I don't get a whole lot of responses, you might get extras. No judgment about your drinking habits if you respond. This stuff makes great gifts, too, so if you have a special person in your life who might enjoy it--or maybe someone who might go easier on you if you hand him/her a present--go ahead and ask.

Seriously, you are helping the de-cluttering situation by taking these lovely things off my hands.

A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes???

2011-07-18T21:25:00.004-04:00

Every so often on this li'l blog, the subject of being single comes up. (You know, the "Maiden" part of being a "Maiden Aunt.") I try not to bemoan being single but instead talk about both the ups and downs of the single life, as well as my hopes for (and, uh, eventual progress towards) marriage.

I figured the dream I had yesterday morning was a cue to bring up the subject.

At the beginning of my dream, it seemed to be the morning of my wedding (!) and I needed to put on my dress. I look up at rows of people seated in what looks like a balcony, and I'm searching for my sister, to get her assistance. I'm asking out loud for my sister. She's not there.

So I give up and go inside what is supposed to be my parents' house (for purposes of the dream), and my mom is sitting in front of the TV, smoking a cigarette. (IRL, she does smoke, so that's not weird.) She says something like she'll help me as soon as she's done, but she's not exactly springing out of the armchair. I'm watching the time tick by on a clock: 9:00, 9:10, 9:15. . . Doesn't anybody care that I have to be somewhere? And where's my sister?

And then the whole dress situation is weird. I find myself debating what kind of dress to wear to dinner that night because I'm meeting the groom's parents then. Uh, I haven't met them yet? And I'm having dinner with them the same day as the wedding?

The other thing I can't explain is that I am really, really, really thirsty. I keep thinking it and saying it, and I can't seem to get anything to drink or any relief. It feels so awful that it just overwhelms me.

I woke up at that point. I had to get ready for church.

I've been interested in dream interpretation since my teens, so naturally I was wondering what, if anything, it all meant. There's a dream dictionary I look at every once in a while, and so I looked up a few key terms: Wedding, Thirst, and Sister.

Hmmm.

Granted, church yesterday was kind of a big deal, because like last year there was a special Mass and I had to sing, so. . . maybe the whole wedding thing was my "anxiety" about singing (and what I was going to wear, because eyes would be on me).

The other stuff? Well, I have been missing Younger Sister quite a bit lately. I haven't seen her in a few months, and in the past week or so, other than a few e-mails we haven't talked much. The good news is that today I happened to be dropping off some things at my parents' when she called Mom to ask about what to give Dad for his upcoming birthday. Mom handed the phone to me to confer, and then when Mom had the phone again we all had a good laugh about possible appropriate fitness magazines for Dad ("Silver Fitness"? I suggested).

And the thirst? I don't know. "To dream that you are thirsty, symbolizes an unmet need. There is an emotional void in your life. Or you may be seeking for some inspiration, motivation or just an extra push." Possible on all three counts, I suppose. There's a lot of loneliness in my life still. I'm struggling with my writing--dying to do more of it beyond note-taking, but hard to devote the time.

The final part--where I need an extra push--is that I am determined to get my apartment completely cleaned up and de-cluttered so that I can get that new stereo I've wanted for a long time now. I made a good dent this weekend, but it has been frustrating not to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With all the job searching, new job stuff, cat illness stuff. . . I've been treading clutter-water for way too long now.

I know, it didn't happen overnight, so it's not going to get better overnight, either. (Unless elves come around.) I just wish I knew how to take care of it faster.

Same thing with the loneliness, I guess.

I Might Lose Librarian Street Cred for This

2011-07-15T20:55:00.002-04:00

Total amount of pages of Harry Potter read:

uh, 20?

I think?

BEFORE YOU HAVE AT ME, please let me try to explain.

Every time I pick up a book, something happens.

The first time, I started reading and got through those 20 pages or whatever, and my dad, who was going on a business trip, asked if he could borrow it. Because my parents had just given me the set of the first three books for Christmas, I felt I had an obligation to lend it to him. (I know; you probably can HAVE AT ME for that, too.)

He hogged the book and did not give it back to me until he was finished! He did redeem himself by bringing me the fourth book from England (and I hear it's very cool to have a British copy). However, by then, I was in the middle of a ton of other things and couldn't pick it up.

Second attempt: I think this was in 2008. My cousins (the ones who accompanied me to California last Fall) invited me to spend a few days with them at the shore. I always bring things to read--especially because I'm not a good sleeper away from home--so I grabbed what I thought was the first book and put it in my suitcase. When I pulled it out and started looking for where I left off. . . nothing looked familiar. I looked at the cover. It was the second book!

After that? Well. . . other books have taken priority. Things for school. Things I needed to review and consider adding to collections. Book club.

Reading Harry Potter just has not happened for me. Yet.

My English professor and former advisor when I was an undergrad said while we were studying Proust that she knew someone who dreamed of booking a hotel room for a weekend, unplugging the phone, putting up the "Do Not Disturb' sign, and reading all of Proust's books.

Maybe I should do something similar.

And I know some of you are thinking that if I really wanted to read them, I would.

But I am telling you, I am afraid of what will happen next time I try to crack the first book.

It's as if the universe does not want me to read the series.

Let's Talk BOOKS, People.

2011-07-12T17:04:00.004-04:00

Anything to keep from thinking about the hot weather--oh, and did I mention that the A/C in my car stopped working Sunday morning? It's always fun to find out on your way to church. (You know, 'cause you really shouldn't swear. GOSH!)

Here are a few titles I have read recently, outside of stuff for the book club. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but you've been warned.

1. 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
Funny story: I follow the author on Twitter, and I like her quirky humor. It turns out she is from Philly and had a book signing in the area for her newest book. . . and of course it was on the one Saturday out of the month I had to sing. So I called when I got out of church, and I asked if she'd still be there 45 minutes from then (the time it would take me to get there). They said probably not, so I asked if they could have her sign a book for me. They asked me if a paperback was O.K., and while I didn't understand the question entirely, I said Fine. Because they were doing me a favor.
When I got to the bookstore the following day, and the nice cashier retrieved the book from the back office, I realized the paperback was of the previous book. I have no idea why they did that, unless maybe they figured it was not a guaranteed sale and they did not want a personalized hardcover book they couldn't resell.
So, I bought both books. (Very crafty, bookstore people.) But hey, I got a teacher discount, so they were 20% off (as mentioned previously, two books for $22.03). And the author wrote me a funny note about being on Twitter, so that was cool.

Summary: In the first book, Ginny, a thoughtful but somewhat mousy teen from New Jersey, receives a mysterious package from her beloved but recently deceased artsy aunt. In it are thirteen letters that send her on an adventure through Europe that teaches her a great deal about not only her aunt but also herself. The sequel focuses on getting to that last envelope.

My thoughts: Overall, I liked them, although the premise of the sequel was a little thin for me, so I'd have to say the first one is definitely better. But in both I enjoyed the descriptions of Europe and the places Ginny visited, as well, as the intertwining of ideas about art. I found them easy to read and hard to put down.
Yes, it's YA fiction. Yes, as usual, the author shows her penchant for connecting teen girls with older guys--I don't get it, but it did not bother me as much in this series as the other one I've read, mostly because the main character, Ginny, is 17 in the first book and 18 in the sequel. And there really was nothing offensive in it--even a few cautionary moments about traveling in foreign countries. So if you like this genre, these would be up your alley.

2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Summary: Again, this is YA fiction, but just barely. It's a raw, often brutal, fictional portayal of one family's struggle to survive when Stalin deported many Lithuanians to the outskirts of Russia, and they ended up in Siberia. Not a easy read--or in my case, an easy listen, as I did it in the car on audiobook.

My thoughts: I recommend it and I think it will win awards (as it is on a number of lists already). It was tough to listen to, and I found the ending a little abrupt, but overall it was a real page-turner (well, I was hanging on every word as I listened). I related to the main character Lina's artistic abilities and vision--she draws, in secret, many of the atrocities she witnesses.
In short, it's as close to a present-day Hunger Games as you could get, and a good deal of what transpires in the story really did happen.

3. When Martha's Away by Bruce Ingman
Summary: I was inspired to borrow this from the library by Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a great childrens' book illustration blog, a while ago. This hilarious children's story is narrated by Lionel the cat, who reveals what he does when his owner, Martha, leaves the house. His activities include long-distance phoning his cousin, cooking his own lunch, and inviting kitty friends over for fun things like a piano concert.

Best page: "I play with your toys. Audrey from across the road comes over quite often to play doctor." (Illustration: a white cat with a red medical kit in her teeth trots over a crosswalk. Illustration opposite page: Audrey the cat wears a stethoscope and listens to Lionel's heart.)
What were you thinking?

I always joke with The Cat when I get home that she had all her cat friends over for poker while I was gone. Use your kid (or borrow someone else's kid) so you have an excuse to read this and have a good laugh.

Currently, I am reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. It's a look at how the internet has changed reading, including a look back at how the printing press changed reading, too. It seems to be a collection of essays, although in sequence. I'm about a third of the way through. . . and I just realized it's due back on the 18th and I'm out of renewals (stupid interlibrary loan limits). So I guess I'd better pick up the pace on it. It's a little heady, so I'm not really able to just pick it up and put it down a few minutes here and there. But it's interesting stuff.

On the YA side, I am reading Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith. I did not expect to get so into it, because it is centered around teen boys on a California ranch, but it is really well written and has real heart. It's not that fast-paced, but the chapters are on the shorter side and full of detail and action. I keep thinking to myself, This is like the next step up for kids who read Gary Paulsen, if that means anything to you.

As a bonus middle-grade offering, I am listening to Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor, which I found on some book list somewhere that I can't remember. I don't like the actor reading the book, because for some reason she seems to have a Southern accent in spite of the fact that the family moved from Ohio to upstate New York. It's not a Midwestern accent; I know what that sounds like. But I like the tone of the story and its gentle but honest look at a kid who although dealing with divorce, an irresponsible mom, a learning disability, and the onset of adolescence, never loses her ability to just be a decent, very likeable kid.

After these, I will be working my way down the summer reading list for school, starting with seventh going into eighth grade. Probably too ambitious at this point in the summer, but I'm going to give it a try. On top of that, I was tipped off by CCR that Heartless is out, so I ordered that from the bookstore that runs my little summer job and probably will be waiting for me (with teacher discount!) Thursday.

Feel free to share what you're reading, or if any of these titles have grabbed your interest!

Kitty Resumes Her "Hyper" Meds

2011-07-09T13:27:00.005-04:00

After the constant meowing and pawing and racing around, and all sorts of mayhem. . .

"For the hundredth time, Cat, there's no gateway to an alternate universe in there!"

Peek-a-boo!

. . . I decided it was time to ask the vet about putting The Cat back on her hyperthyroid meds.

Seriously, she fell out of bed--with the bed--at about 3:00 this morning. I heard a crash and sat up in bed, and when I didn't see any furniture fallen over (and my hamper had fallen over the morning before), I got up and looked for the cat.

I found her in the space between my dresser and the wall, wedged behind a box, and she looked shocked. I don't know how she did it. I mean, a few times before, she has taken a running leap onto the dresser where the bed is, and skidded it off the dresser, but I kind of think either she woke up with a start and fell over, or she got up on the wrong side of the bed (for real). After I lifted her out and set her on my bed, she ran off immediately, so she was not hurt. Thank God. But I am tired.

Checking out a thousand-legger on the ceiling at bedtime last night.
Her bed's in the background.

The vet called around 9:15 and gave me the go-ahead. He's happy the steroids seem to be working still, so if they continue to hold up, then I don't have to haul the fuzzball back in for tests for another two weeks.

Which gives her more time to hunt thousand-leggers (ew).

50% Humidity. Ahhhhhh.

2011-07-09T12:44:00.003-04:00

I'm almost squarely between two towns, so I averaged out the humidity readings for both, and it's around 50%. After the swampiness of the last couple days--not to mention the downpours yesterday afternoon--today's weather is heavenly. Granted, it could be a little bit cooler, but the breeze is nice and I've got the sliding patio door open. That buys me a little time before I have to put on the A/C. I feel as if I've had it on almost continuously. . . not looking forward to the utility bill on all that.

So, right now I'm finishing my iced coffee. I bought it on the way home from the podiatrist and then I brewed a cup of decaf and dumped that in. (Sorry to offend any coffee purists, but I don't like my coffee all that sweet.)

[Oh, look--the power just went out. And then on. And then off again. And then on. I hope it stays on because I kinda need a modem to publish this.]

Yeah, so I went to the podiatrist. I was concerned about how badly I've been wrecking my feet since I started working in schools. I mean, they hurt every day at the end of the day when I was in school. And they just don't look as. . . pretty. . . as they used to. (O.K., you got me--I'm vain about my feet. When you don't have a model's body, you play up the good things you do have. I have beautiful eyes and pretty nice hair. But the feet are starting to go.)

I probably would not have gone to a podiatrist, except that I knew a former neighbor is one and her whole family is really nice. I used to watch her and her sisters twirl batons on the front lawn to practice for their high school drill team. (Is is obvious I have always wanted an older sister? I think my first "dream older sister" was Marie Osmond back in the days of Donny & Marie. I'm not kidding.) Anyway, the doc has a private practice and was able to fit me in this week. She just came back from a trip where she and her husband took their teenage sons to see some places in the Mediterranean. Sounded cool. She's very invested in their education and feels strongly that travel is a great way to learn.

Foot advice: Well, I definitely have been hard on my feet. I need to work in lower heels and put cushions for the ball of my foot in the fronts of my shoes. She mentioned some shoe brands that might be more comfortable, as well as the FootSmart catalog (which recently started coming in the mail for some strange reason) for the cushions. It all costs money, but honestly, I want to prevent crippling myself for as long as possible, if I can.

I guess in a way we also were catching up a bit (how are your parents, etc.), so of course she asked if I was seeing anyone. Then she shared the story of how she met her husband (introduced by mutual friend) at 30, and married at 31. I said, hey, if you know anybody nice. . . she asked me if it was O.K. if she used my phone number on file to give me a buzz if she thought of anyone. That was sweet.

It also was very sweet of her that she didn't charge me. Her feeling was that she didn't have to do anything other than give a bit of advice--probably a nice break from looking at elderly people's feet and trimming nails and stuff (seriously, I don't know any people other than seniors who go to podiatrists).

So far this month, I've gotten free rye bread (the girl at Whole Foods accidentally chopped off the back end of the loaf she was slicing) and free foot advice.

I guess I should put the money I saved toward stuff for my aching feet.

A Few Quick Bullets

2011-07-07T14:21:00.003-04:00

1. Nothing says "Summer" like chef's salad for lunch. It also says, "It's too hot to cook," and "Here's to the end of the heat wave tomorrow." Of course, chef's salad is dictated by what's in the fridge at the time: Boston lettuce, leftover tomato, a couple hard-boiled eggs, a piece of deli turkey (purchased to entice The Cat but sometimes she shares), light honey-mustard dressing. Yum.

2. The Cat is O.K. She was a bit weird over the weekend--fussy, crying, pullling the door mat back under the door (demanding to go out in the hallway). One suspected cause of the weirdness was that there were a lot of firecrackers and fireworks being set off, every night from Thursday through Independence Day. My community has a courtyard out front. . . right across from my apartment because I'm towards the middle.
The other thing I'm wondering about is the possible return of her hyperthyroid. She's been off the medication because she got the steroid shot, and that was a few weeks ago. Gotta call the vet about that; that might mean yet another road trip with kitty cries from the back of the car.
In the meantime, I think I'm going to pick up a catnip toy for her at the pet supply store near my summer job.

3. In my little summer job news, I covered two Tuesday classes for another teacher--little kids, kindergarteners and first graders. She planned the crafts already and had the supplies there for me. Because it was the day after July 4th, some kids didn't show. I had four kids in each group, and while the first group was fine, the second was kind of a disaster. The craft didn't exactly work (using markers to decorate wiffleballs--the marker didn't stick) and the kids were, well, kinda nutty. The other teacher had brought in a bat to play baseball, but there was no way I was handing these kids a bat. They'd beat me to a pulp and then take to the cars in the parking lot.
But hey, I made $90 (other teacher makes more than I do!), which is nice to have since I just got invitations to one cousin's baby shower and another cousin's fiancee's bridal shower. (Easy come, easy go.)
Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but between the goofy kids and and the heat (we meet outside), it was nice to get to trivia (albeit late) and talk to some sane people. And have a Guinness. Oh, and kick butt. We won!

4. My July 4th weekend was pretty O.K. Went to the casino with the parents on Friday to see fireworks. They were awesome. Even more awesome: I got carded! That's twice in about a month! This time, security ran my license through the machine and it came out legit. Good to know; it's fairly new because I renewed it at my last birthday.
Saturday, I had lunch with a friend and we ventured into a huge used bookstore. HUGE.
Sunday, I went to a picnic at the new house of a childhood friend I don't see all that often. First grilled hot dog of the summer! Oh, and the house is very nice, so I'm happy for her and her husband and their little boy. I also saw one of my sister's friends, and it turns out her husband went to the school where I work. He got a kick out of knowing which of his teachers are still there.
Monday, I went to the local parade and then to my cousin's house for the annual picnic. Not as many people came this time, but it was fun seeing my great-aunt and some cousins from out of town. My two second cousins who are siblings both graduated from high school. The brother has Down Syndrome and is a regular firecracker--he loved my red Phillies tee, and told me he has a girlfriend (cute!). The sister is very artsy and crazy about horses, so I told her about Sara's horse and she told me about her latest riding adventure. Oh, and I had another grilled hot dog, natch.

Well, I gotta go get ready to hit the road for my summer reading group. We're talking about Bad Kitty Gets a Bath today. They are going to design their own pet bubble bath, on a drawing page I modified from the Bad Kitty website. (Yes, you can click where you want Bad Kitty to scratch on the furniture! Try it!)
I can't wait to see what the girls in the group come up with.

I've been doing a bunch of reading, so I hope to get a books post up soon. Gather your books so you can share, too!

My Little Summer Job

2011-06-29T22:06:00.002-04:00

Well, I got a little summer job for the next few weeks. I am leading a kids' summer reading book group (second and third graders) run by an independent bookstore. I co-led it on short notice last week with a store employee who was filling in if the store could not find any one to lead it. A good group, all girls, worked out pretty well. It's a drive from where I live, but it's not bad. I pay tolls, but at least I get paid in cash. So that's where I'll be on Thursdays through the end of July.

The reading list was already set--one of the perks is that I got the books for free, yay--and I gotta say, I was not fond of this week's selection. (Maybe it's because I'm not a nine year old boy.) It's a seemingly lame attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Captain Underpants series. It has all of the gross elements but none of the cleverness.

But that's just the story--I thought the illustrations were great. Here's the illustrator's blog post about it. Check out the rest of his stuff; he's a little twisted. I enjoyed all the little details and personality he puts into his art, though.

My group is composed entirely of girls, so I guess I'll find out whether they loved it or were just as grossed out as I was.

It's an Audio/Video Kind of Day

2011-06-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

I never should have looked at the Target ad tacked up on the bulletin board before I went inside.

No, sir, I should've just walked in, gone straight back to the storage bins (needed just one more to stash my winter clothes away), then on to the cleaning products aisle for Lysol, dinky marketplace for The Cat's beloved turkey slices, and finally checkout and straight back out the door.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World for $5.99?

Despicable Me for $9.99?

Resistance was futile. Those are the two movies that made me laugh the hardest in the past several months. It's like buying medicine. For my soul.

Oh, and there was a Spin Magazine must-hear special-edition mag/CD sampler thingy for $4.99. Not thrilled that one CD has Mumford & Sons (sorry, Lindsay, but--blehhhhh); however, Matt & Kim cancels that out. Kind of ridiculous that I got it, considering the CD tray on my stereo died, but I actually have two CD players in the bedroom--one is on my clock/radio/CD player (obviously) and one is the "boombox" I later acquired when my mom found still in its packaging while cleaning out a closet. So at least I can listen to something cool while I'm packing away my sweaters. And the sooner I clean this place up, the sooner I move that new stereo in. That's the deal I've made with myself.

Finally, for your enjoyment (I hope), Yellowcard Covers Katy Perry. I have always liked Yellowcard--"Ocean Avenue" is one of my faves--and besides that, I am a sucker for strings.

"The Guy's a Chicken, I Tell Ya--a Giant Chicken!"

2011-06-26T13:20:00.003-04:00

For Tracey, who has found her latest must-have, I present Chicken Boo.

The Heat's Making Me Cranky

2011-06-22T20:30:00.004-04:00

For the record, I am against censorship with the understanding that with the freedom to say what one wants comes the responsibility to watch what one says--in other words, be appropriate for your audience, and think before you speak. (I guess the word in a nutshell is "self-censorship.")

I have a compilation CD that came from a Mountain Dew tour giveaway in the late '90s. (The one nice attorney in the firm where I worked had a winning cap on his soda bottle and gave it to me.) On the track listing, there's a word missing from the title of an Old 97's song. It's just blank. "_________ (or a Heart Attack)". Good thing there's a subtitle there.

You know what it's about?

The speaker's CAT has run away, so he's going to leave the back door open so the cat can walk back in anytime.

Hence, it's open to anything or anybody else who wants to walk in the door and do God knows what. The missing word is "Murder," but nooooo, you can't use that word. Seems a little weird.

The reason I bring this up is that I watched with great amusement as Foster the People visited VH1 yesterday morning, and their video for the song I blogged about recently was shown. I was excited--it's my jam! Wait a minute--why are the vocals dropping out?

I really don't understand the reasoning behind music censorship, for the radio and TV. Someone can sing about having had too much to drink even though underage kids are listening, but the words "murder," "gun," and the like get "erased" for videos.

Heck, they used to drop out the phrase "G*d-d**n you" in Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta" years ago, but I noticed that stopped in the past year or so. Yet, Panic! At the Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" radio version is missing the "God" but not the "d**n." Huh?

I am sure that part of the "gun/bullet" bleeping is Columbine fallout. Remember "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus? There's a line where the speaker describes (derides) the boyfriend of the girl he likes: "Her boyfriend's a d**k/And he. . ." You don't hear the end of the song on the radio or on this compilation (which I own; never watched the show), but it's "And he brings a gun to school." Nope, can't say that. Never mind that the speaker already has established that the guy is a JERK and everybody thinks this girl shouldn't go out with him. Context is nothing.

That's right. Context is nothing, and that might be why Foster the People ended up with a music video of people surfing and the band playing their instruments. With the words "gun" and bullet" dropped out of every chorus.

What a waste.

And I guess I just find the whole editing inconsistency annoying.

"Buy a Lottery Ticket? Bet on Horses?"

2011-06-20T23:15:00.004-04:00

That was Younger Sister's response after I sent her a text message reporting on today's (belated) Father's Day trip to the local casino:

Me: Not only did I get CARDED but I also am 50 bucks up!

YS: That's a good day!

Me: Yeah, I don't know what to do next...

Hence her response. The weird thing is, I had the number 2203 come up twice last Sunday--once at the bookstore where I got my autographed copies of Maureen Johnson's books (ooh, I didn't tell that story yet, either) and then right next door at the pet food place. So maybe I will try a lottery ticket with those numbers. (For fun! "Benefits Older Pennsylvanians," ya know.) However, I searched and found that the following day it came up boxed (3220) on the midday drawing, so maybe the moment passed already! Oh well.

My real finale for the day was to go to Book Club. I'll be reporting on that in the next day or so over at my other blog, but as a teaser: I wound up having to return to the hostess's house a few minutes after getting back to my parents' for post-club coffee and analysis.

Strange days for me lately.

Kitty Status

2011-06-17T11:33:00.005-04:00

I wasn't trying to freak anybody out with the way I ended the previous post; my real intention was to keep the cat posting separate--I know there are people who, nice as they are, just don't care to read about cats or pets or whatever. (I hope they're not here to read about my dating life.)

So, on to the cat update:

Tuesday night, I got home and smelled the sick everywhere. She got what I call "scary sick" for the first time in about a month and a half. Worse than that, she was lying in one of her "I don't feel well" spots, a new one pictured below. Basically, I had sealed off the air conditioner for the winter, and come Spring the chintzy frame had come off with the tarp I'd taped to it. The Cat thinks it's her hideout because I have a towel on the floor over a trash bag to soak up the leaks when it rains. (Yeah, I have got to clean this place up so I can demand that whole mess can get fixed.)

I know. She looks so sad.

Anyway, there she was, lying on the towel, drooling and whimpering. Yeah, I was terrified. I started to clean up the mess (bedspread, living room rug) and tried to get her to take a little water off my fingertip (which usually works). She refused, so I went back to cleaning up. She moved over to the other "I don't feel well" spot, which is a purr pad I have on the floor in the adjacent corner of the living room near her perch by the patio door. She looked miserable.

I figured there was no point in rushing her to the animal hospital; that would just upset her even more. So I settled in on the sofa and watched the repeat of the night's White Collar (because the usual time is during trivia). I fell asleep for a few minutes towards the end, so when I woke up I decided I just had to get ready for bed. She was still in the same spot and still did not look good. Well, actually, she looked just fine, beautiful and fluffy, except for the fact that she was flat as a pancake. She didn't come in the bathroom and sit on the toilet while I got ready as per our usual routine. She did not come to bed--neither in the bed nor in her bed on top of my dresser--when I started to settle in. That made me cry like crazy.

So after going through a ton of tissues, I made a deal with myself that if I didn't fall asleep after an hour, I would go sleep in the living room. An hour later, I put a pillow and a blanket on the living room floor, talked to The Cat, and put my head down with my hand near her. She responded by moving to the far end of the purr pad, so I took the hint to let her be and got up. But I just couldn't leave her, so I slept on the sofa. After a few fitful hours of sleep, I woke up and saw she was still there, so I convinced myself it was O.K. to go to bed and sleep a little more.

Wednesday morning, I woke up and realized The Cat did not get me up for breakfast. I'm having a hard time recalling exactly where she was, but I think she had moved back to her hideout by the AC. It was 8:45 and I was convinced the vet wasn't open yet, but I figured I'd call anyway to get the hours from the recorded greeting on answering machine. To my surprise, the receptionist answered, so I told her the situation. The doctor was in an appointment; did I want to bring The Cat in or wait for a return call. I said I'd rather see what he thinks before hauling her in--if it was even worth hauling her in. So I waited around and picked at my breakfast for a few hours. I called Mom and cried a bit.

It was 1:00 and I was half-dressed when the vet called me. I explained what happened, and we reopened the case for the steroid shot option I had panned on Monday's visit, where I'd brought her in because she wasn't eating and refused to take her meds. (After a shot of fluids and a shot to calm her stomach, she did eat when she got home Monday--and then went right back to baseline Tuesday morning.) He pretty much confirmed my thought that the steroids were what had been keeping her "plumbing" stabilized, and added that she might have been having a reaction to going off them so abruptly.

So I brought her in--she complained really loudly the whole way there, so she definitely did not feel well--and she got the steroid shot and another shot of fluids, after which the vet tech brought her back to me in the carrier with the advisement, "She's a little grumpy." O rly? I did find that putting the Oldies station on the radio in the car seemed to make her calmer on the ride home.
The vet also recommended that I try a higher protein brand of cat food like Evo that might be easier on her digestion. Failing that, if she's really not eating, then I might need to give her the appetite stimulant again, even though it made her absolutely bonkers last time (see #1 here). I didn't talk about it, but she did get whacked out, like, very meow-y and restless.

Thursday, she woke me for breakfast. What a relief. Which was short-lived, because she took a couple licks and walked away from the plate. And let me tell you, it really depressed me when she had absolutely no response to the bacon I made yesterday afternoon. She did not move at all from her AC fort, not when I had raw bacon out (which usually gets her up on the counter and all insulted when I shove her right off). I crumbled a little into a saucer and left it in her usual eating place in the kitchen, but when I got home from a last-minute haircut appointment, I found the plate untouched.
Still, she snuggled with me on the sofa last night, and she got ready for bed with me in the bathroom, and slept on "her side" of the bed. That made me feel a little better. She was purring and nuzzling me, a bit restlessly, though, so I read aloud to her from the book I've been reading to distract myself, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. Coincidentally, I was at a point where the main character sees a lady in Rome feed all these cats at the Coliseum! I think The Cat enjoyed it.

Today, The Cat did not get me up for breakfast. Bummer. (Also a little scary because I'm a little worried I'm going to find her somewhere. . . you know.) However, she greeted me with a "Chirrup" when I walked into the living room. The weird thing is, she asks for food, but she licks a tiny bit and walks away. I convince myself that it counts as eating nonetheless. Even weirder was that at one point as I'm getting more coffee, she followed me into the kitchen, and I'm thinking, How can you beg me for food when your breakfast is right there? I'm out of cat food flavors you want to eat!
Don't ask me how the brainstorm hit, but I thought I would try the turkey lunchmeat again. She got up on the counter and devoured pieces. I noticed she was a little unsteady on her feet and I don't like that, but at least she was eating.

She proceeded to eat the bacon crumbles off the saucer on the counter. I had forgotten to toss them last night before I went to bed! I'm sure my mouth was hanging open in shock.

Obviously, I'm not crazy about giving her high-sodium people food, but at least she ate something. And she did take a few licks of turkey flavor cat food later, so maybe that evened things out.

That said, she's had another unsteady-on-her-feet moment when she tried to jump up on the counter again, and her back legs seemed to go out from under her and she fell. She was so embarrassed she crawled inside an empty box I had on the floor. Now she's sleeping in her safe spot, the cabinet with the pots and pans, so maybe that will make her forget all about that.

This was yesterday, but you get the idea. Also: GRUMPY.

I just got off the phone with the vet, and they are thinking the unsteadiness could be the steroids kicking in again, and advised me to keep an eye on her. The doctor who usually treats her will not be in until Monday, so I am figuring on just continuing to monitor her this weekend.

This afternoon, I am going to see about the food and also get her a non-glass water dish for the bathroom. The vet said that cats usually do not like having water near their food, and that I should have another water bowl somewhere else in any event. (Not an easy feat when I have wall-to-wall carpet everywhere and not by choice. Some days I really hate where I live.)

Well, whaddya know. The Cat just came out from the cabinet, yawned, and then got up on the counter to get to her sleeping spot on the fridge.

I haven't seen her up there in days.

I think it's because I put the Oldies station on the stereo.

(If you are still reading this long post, you must really love cats. Or like me. Thank you.)

The Good News First

2011-06-16T17:58:00.003-04:00

The good news from Tuesday was that only one team's worth of people showed up, so I didn't have to choose which team to join, which was the problem from last week.

Also, proving once again that I am a font of useless knowledge, I got a bit pushy during the theme round: Cartoon Characters and their Voices. There we were with ten pictures of cartoon characters and a bank of names (no celebrity cameos here), so it was a matching challenge.

Another team member and I put our heads together and in no time we had eight of them settled. (My Mtv fave Daria was there, so I felt useful.) I suspect our friend Nightfly will get a kick out of the next part.

It all came down to Yogi--the old school bear--and Bender.

There were two unused names in the bank. We asked if anyone had any thoughts on the matter, but everyone else pretty much said they'd go with our judgment. My teammate, who had the pen, wrote the names in one way, and it just didn't sit right with me.

Now, I usually don't speak up if something looks wrong and I can't provide a reason I think it's wrong. There have been quite a few times where I just felt something was a different answer and it turned out to be right, but I couldn't have argued for it. In this case, though, I thought I just might have a reason.

You don't get a lot of time during each round, and sometimes the longer you take, the more likely (1) you'll talk yourself out of the right answer, and (2) another team could pick up on what you're talking about. So I had to make the argument quickly.

"Daws Butler is a name I've seen around for a long time. I really think he's Yogi," I ventured, albeit a little timidly.

A couple other teammates also joined in the discussion, and I just added that I'd seen the name in a lot of places, and I just thought the answers should be the other way around. We're always hesitant to change things once they're written down; usually, it's best to go with your first answer.

Then I got bold. "It'll be my head if it's wrong." So everyone else shrugged and the names got changed. It was a risky move, but I really felt strongly about it.

And it paid off. The host came over to the bar to refresh his drink, and we handed him our answer sheet. "Are these right?"

He scanned it and said, "Yeah, it looks right. Granted, I'm saying this without my answer key in front of me, but I think they're all right." Yogi Bear is voiced by Daws Butler and Bender is voiced by John DiMaggio. (Warning: Bender clip contains vulgarity.)

Perfect round--which means we get a little prize like a t-shirt. I think we might have tied with another team, but we picked the number closer to the one the host was thinking.

The team handed the shirt to me.

We got just one wrong in the next and final round (what, all those Creed songs sound alike in snippet form), so we wound up winning the whole game.

I didn't have to get up early the following morning, so I stayed after a bit to talk to my teammates. Two of them are a couple who just put in an offer on a house. I'm excited for them.

When I got home, though, the second I opened the door I knew something was wrong.

And Again, More Later

2011-06-15T17:38:00.003-04:00

But first I think I need another short nap. One wasn't enough after last night, when I arrived home from trivia and thought it was The End.

It wasn't.

But I hardly slept last night and had the joy of taking a second trip to the vet in a week this afternoon.

At the moment, I think The Cat has the right idea--she is sleeping atop the kitchen cabinets (sans glowering) for the first time in days (so hooray for normal-ness)--and I am going to have a lie-down on the sofa.

More later when I can keep my eyes open.

Arrrgh.

2011-06-14T10:54:00.002-04:00

Cat doesn't want to eat or take her meds.

I might or might not have to choose what team to be on at trivia tonight.

I have something like a hundred phone calls to make about jobs and household stuff.

School's over but I keep having bad dreams about it. (I'm hoping that's the cough medicine for the cold I can't seem to shake.)

I'm going to go for a walk in the park. More later.