Moody Meow

I woke up early, having to finish my deadline, but not with edgy nerves and wound-up energy. The beagles and I cuddled and I allowed myself to wake slowly. The sun wears thick, gray clouds today. The neighbors left for work hours ago, so I listen to the intermittent creaking of their gate. Puck snores. Pip groans in protest as I shift in a more comfortable position. The traffic rolls down 33rd, uninterrupted. And I can hear the trees and squirrels talking over the fan blowing in the window.

The mailman arrived, although the beagles didn’t get up for his arrival. One peice of mail is from the Vet, telling us Puck is overdue for his heartworm, and the other is from Rollins.

I graduated from Rollins last year. I think I still owe the library 53 dollars for a book I swear I turned back in, but found after my move. The letter is from the Bursar’s office:

Greetings from Rollins College Office of the Bursar. A recent internal review revealed that you have a credit balance on your account. This credit was derived from financial aid that was credited to your account but not refunded to you. Enclosed, please find the check for the outstanding credit. Please accept our apologies for the delay.”

MMmm…. kay. So I open the check - it’s for $2,116.09.

I call D.

“How much did you kiss the Blarney Stone this week? Jesus?”

“I think I fellated it.”

Rent is paid. While I do have a jobby job, I won’t get paid for 2 weeks, so things would be tight, but this helps out in ways I can’t say.

My life/luck/karma has turned completly around. And if you are one of my friends from Rollins and graduated the same semester as I did, you may want to give a shout to the Bursar’s Office…. you never know!

I just accepted a job offer working for a company that installs solar panels. The pay is less than I hoped for, although they promised me an increase. The Beaverton company was concerned with my schooling, so I had to nix them, although they seemed like really nice people. Also, they expected overtime. I’m not adverse to overtime, but when it’s an expected practice, I kind of balk a little. My old job did that, and look where that got me. The new company is less than 2 miles from my house, so I will be biking it every day. Seriously, I could walk there if I felt so inclined.

D and I talked a long time about the money and the fact that it could be up to a 3 hour commute from the house in the winter with the Beaverton office. Add overtime, and that’s just not feasible with my schedule. So, I start on Monday, but I honestly think I start on Tuesday. It’s not my dream job, but it’s going to be nice to work for a company that is dedicated to enviornmentalism. And I don’t think I’ll be the only vegetarian there, thank god!

Val ended up staying at the Vet’s all freaking day. While it bothered me at first, the events with the rest of the afternoon kept my fears at bay. I phoned the vet around 3 (I dropped him off around 10) and they said they wanted to keep him a little longer in order to take more ultrasounds. Of course, I thought the worst.

Dr. Roberts called and said the mass is gone, or more importantly, now she doesn’t think there was ever a mass. When a set of blood vessels clumps together, it usually means that the body is feeding nutrients to a mass, which could be cancer. But I took the wait and see approach. We chose to wait 1 month, to see if the diet change and the drugs shrank the mass. Now she thinks the diet change and the drugs healed an exposed burst blood vessel in the bladder. It can look the same as something growing because of the concentration of blood. He doesn’t need surgery. He doesn’t need anything, except to stay on that stinky food she has him on. That’s not going to disappoint him one bit.

And I can stop the drugs now. She thinks they helped with the inflammation.

Oh! And the wormy issue — they used to sell pills to feed to the cat in order to get rid of the worms. Now they have this liquid which you apply on the neck like flea medicine. I can’t tell you how relieved I am. My cat likes to channel Freddie Kruger when you try to put anything near his face, including pills. Although, when D and I tried to apply the stuff, he freaked out and tried to bite me. Poor guy had a rough day, and he tried to suck up 5 minutes later.

While the job prospects really buoyed my mood, knowing my Valentine is okay has kept me on cloud 9 all night. I think the tide is turning on my luck. I really do.

I think I am going to be MIA for most of the week. I have my first deadline for this term on Thursday and I still have a LOT of work to do. The birthday bash was super fun. I had a margarita that I fell in love with - but after 3, I still can’t tell you what was in it. Everyone loved Trebol, and I think we drank our weight in booze.

The party ended up at the casa. Now, the hallmark of a good night is that I don’t remember part of it. And ladies and gents, I don’t remember going to bed at all. The last thing I remember was drinking my wine, sitting on the porch. My BIL smuggled some wine back from South America for me, one being a bottle called “Gato Negro” —and I fucking drank it but was too intoxicated to remember why I liked it. I also apparently bought the Rent soundtrack for some reason while I was blitzed. Oh well, now D can listen to me sing Seasons of Love over and over and over again.

The vineyard was amazing. D and Manderpants and I had a blast tasting the estate wines, talking to the people who owned the place, and I found a Chardonnay I actually liked. Because Amanda and I are total dorks, we joined the wine club. Huzzah! And I bought quite a bit of their wine. It’s going to be saved for special occasions, because I’m good like that.

The presents I got were amazing. Mom bought me a necklace, and gave me some casssshhh to help out. She hates giving us money, but I promised her I would buy something nice with it —- so I bought wine. She appreciated it. Amandapants bought me a cool purple plant, and we are going to take a class together at New Space in the fall - her treat. I can’t wait! Chris bought me wine and these really cute bowls (picture forthcoming)…. I think my friends think I’m a lush ! Ahhh… gotta love being a wino.

We got some bad news about the car. D noticed that our tires are shot…and I mean undrivable. So we are carless until we can get some new tires put on the damn thing. Can I just tell you, I will be really happy when July is over with. This month sucked sooooo hard. But, on a good note, I gotta lot of booze.

I hope your week goes well. To my Seton Hill kids - write on!

I’ve had some hiccups with friends recently. I’m either excluded from the important things, or some get on their high horses, hurt my feelings, and the blame the whole situation on me. Now, shit happens. I totally get that. But I’m more than a little tired of fighting with people. My mantra is “life’s too short to read shitty books” and that’s applicable to my entire life.  It’s time to move on. There are ties to a past that I need to cut fully, unresolved feelings that I really need to get over. The darkness doesn’t effect anyone but me.

One thing I find interesting, as more of a general comment, is that when I go back and look at the archives, I still self-edit. I didn’t get fully into how hurt and pissed I was when Natalia left me in Gainseville, nor the misery that ensued when I found out indirectly via Myspace that A got married, nor how the Dogfather’s distance turned into total silence. Those things really effected me. They still do. Those events laid the groundwork for the current issue(s), and how I will ultimately handle them. And again, I will try to figure out what I did wrong. But sometimes people don’t do anything wrong. Could I have been a better person, a better friend? Shit, yes. We all can, but I don’t think I’m to blame this time. With others, absolutly. I’ve paid my karma debt…. this one ain’t on me. But again….it’s time to move on.

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D and I are going to spend the 4th, on the river with a bajillion other folks. I love blues. I wanted to go to a Blues bar when I was in Chicago a few years ago, but never had the chance. But the blues found me in Portland, and I plan to have a mighty fine time.

Let this be a warning…I’m on my “I can’t fucking stand self-important Christians who tread on hypocritical moral high ground” soapbox… Why? Because it’s pre-coffee time, I forgot my breakfast and I pissed at the world that I had to get out of bed this morning.

Only someone who is painfully idiotic or completly unaware would hand me a card that had “congrats to your new spawnling - it was a present from god” or some such shite on it, and actually expect me to sign it. Getting preggers isn’t that much of a miracle, at least not in my mind. It doesn’t take intelligence, and for many it’s not even a choice. For this mother it was, and so I signed the card, but the person who handed me the card irks me daily, and she, with her bible-loving heart, picked the fucking thing. No one in the office is religious, only this woman. Even the new mom is not a church goer, and I felt very uncomfortable signing a card that indicated something in which I don’t belive.

And the fucking thing was pink.

Someone please, just stab me in the eyeballs with the broad end of an umbrella.

—- Post Lunch —

Lunch: the rest of my morning coffee, funky pasta with vodka cream sauce, and some Depeche Mode. I almost like humans again.

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My birthday isn’t for another few months. July 24th, if you were curious. I’ve had parties, dinners, gatherings at the house, but this year we are going for different. Why ? Because we don’t have AC and I will need the fucking breeze.

Instead of having the party at my house, I want to go on a dinner cruise.  My BIL will be back from his trip, and I will have had 1 solid month home from school. Lex’s kids are going to be dispersed throughout the country with relatives, and she can dump Monkey off with a neighbor. I love Monkey, I really do. She’s restored my faith in children, but there are no kids on this trip. And I am giving notice to all now, because it is a little pricey - 68 per person. But just consider that my b-day present and come along!

D and I went on a dinner cruise while we were in Florida. It was hot, but I remember hearing the ospreys and the birds screaching in the night air. And there were fireworks for some reason. It felt lovely, meandering on a lazy river, surrounded by strangers who wanted the same thing as we did - to stop for an evening and take stock of what’s really important ——— life preservers.

Yes, I know, I will be on open water. I think it will be okay. As soon as it feels like we are getting to where I know I have NO chance of swimming to shore, either because of Jaws,  a rabies infected Shamu or just because I’m not young and I can’t swim as far as I used to …well then I get nervous. So rivers are mostly okay. If I am in a big boat.

Kayaking - hell no.

Dinner cruise - why yes, that would be lovely.

And that’s enough rambling for one day.

That was the first thing I thought this morning when I woke up. How vile? How nasty? How could I smell or taste anything beyond that stench? How in the fuck am I going to get through residency without smoking? But my friend from work is quitting and I am trying to be supportive. And I’m tired of not sleeping with D because I snore (which is equal parts smoking and my weight gain), or not sleeping at all because I smoke. And now, I’m quitting again. Chris is taking some drug. So is Lex (come June 1), and so was my Mom. I’m the only one out of the bunch that doesn’t have insurance. But I do have this near-crippling sense of competition. Not with the women in my life, but with the cyclists I see on the road. I can’t ride fast if I’m still smoking. And if you’ve ever seen a casual cyclist, they don’t haul ass, they putter. I got smoked by a chick in flip-flops puttering down the road, and it still pisses me off. So, she’s a part of the reason I’m not going to smoke anymore. That, and it would be nice to see if my food tastes as good as I think it does.

And now to the weekend recap.

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• He’s home. After 7 days of running around the neighborhood, we got the call. He’s skinnier, whiney, and smells funny, but my cat is home. Surprisingly, Voodoo is not happy. He keeps hissing at Valentine. I wish I spoke cat.
• After 7 days of sleeping in the living room because I was so congested and snoring, feeling achey, running a fever, sneezing so hard it made my eyeballs hurt, I am finally feeling better. I’ve spent this time on the couch, in a fetal position. That means I am way behind on my work for school, but…..shit people. Be glad you didn’t feel like I did.
• I went to bed @ 8 the other night, just so you get an idea.
• Work did not go well today. I will go into that later, with a password.
• Now, it’s time to play ketchup.

And thanks to all of you who sent happy vibes, text messages, prayers, and asked for advice. It may not have seemed like it…but it means a lot.

So, I’ve been in a huge funk, been sick, been less than my 100%. But today is the first day of the new year, and I spent it wearing my new necklace, recovering from too much wine and conversation, and cooking my favorite meal. The clouds and cold reminded me why I love this place. The people here are brilliantly colored, like tropical birds. And they soar and preen in the oddest places. And it doesn’t matter how cold it is or how the wind tears at your bones — there will always be a very cute girl in a very cute skirt with the coolest boots. It almost makes me wish I wore leather.

I realize there’s a lot to catch you up on. But I’m not going to. X-mas was great at Lex’s house. My family is amazing. Apparently my father is eager to contact me. I find the cycle interesting — as my relationship with papa-san, the stepfather that never really ended up being my dad, ends — the sperm-donor, my daddy, wants back in. I am willing to see that through, although cautiously. I’ve wounded a lot of people in my time. I hope those wounds healed.

I head to Seton Hill on Thursday, on a red-eye, and I will be gone to school for 7 days. I’m hoping that this will help me move forward. I’ve been stuck in neutral for too long.

I hope you didn’t make resolutions….it’s easier just to change your mind.

And on that note….my onions are burning. Blessed Be

*doin happy dance*

A placement company that I’ve been watching just e-mailed me for an interview. They want to place me permanently and one of the jobs was for a Jr. Tech Support/admin position. Dude — that’s essentially what I was doing before!! WHOSE YOUR DADDY!?!?!?

*note: I’ve been manic for 2 days…so pardon the overabundance of excitement*

I go in on Monday.

And they guy I spoke with on the phone heard my dogs (who decided to go apeshit over nothing), and said he brings his dogs into work and that I could meet his puppy on Monday!

I GOT AN INTERVIEW!!!

Mmm okay… Ineed to get off this cloud and get back to work.

The tide is turning….I can feel it

So, I’m taking a break from scrambling my brain and I came across this article about having a green christmas. D and I don’t celebrate Xxxmas, at least not in the traditional way. I’m soooo not christian, and D is .. well he’s D. I decided that I do want lights this year. They seem cheerful to me, and because it gets dark here so freaking early, I have more time to gaze and admire the look of them. Lights I can do. A tree? Hell no. But presents are always welcome.

I snarkily laughed at this article in USA today. Gotta love the echo-chamber nature of conservative blogs. I’ve read a few that were written with intelligence and insight, that searched the meaning of the conservative movement. In general, those blogs offered ideas that almost made sense to me. Hate mongers line both sides of the isle, and people who parrot the party lines. I just wish poeple would stand and listen for a moment, all people, to make sure they aren’t being taken advantage of by their political persuasions .

I always thought this was a bad idea. But that’s just me.

It dawned on me a few days ago that I won’t be able to visit my sister until Xxxmas. We can’t afford the cost of the trip, especially now that I-5 is closed right, smack dab in the middle of my normal route. Those storms last week really did a doozy. For my readers in Florida, imagine if you lived on the coast and 95 was closed. — now imagine that between Lauderdale and Miami. It’s a bitch. The detour they planned out takes you 200 miles out of the way. A 2 - 2.5 hour trip will now take 5. Ouch. It kind of bums me out though. I want to go up or have her come down here, but that’s just not feasible right now. I think I’m pmsing or something.

It’s back to work for me.

I fucked up with school in a big way, so I’m digging myself out of the muck and mire and trying to get back on track. It’s hard right now. I thought not being in Florida for my first holiday would be a breeze, but I kind of miss driving on the 408 as the sun sets, bitching about the fact that its still hot in November. It just feels really strange to be me right now. We are isolated. Without jobs (more on that later), we have buried oursevles deep in this experieince, but it’s not working out as we wished. I don’t regret leaving Florida. Being stuck on a hamster-wheel of mediocrity for almost a decade really helped spurr this forward motion we have now. But I feel stuck again. That will change.

We got some great news this week. D just took a 1 month contract from Nike for some work. We are so freaking broke right now, it’s not even funny, so this is a great break for us. It’s just contract work, and a limited term at that, but it’s something and it will keep us in tofu and heat for one more month. After that, it’s back to the grind of finding jobs. As for me, I’m blanketing Portland with my resume, but nothing’s come of it yet. As many times as I’ve rewritten it, I thought I would have a bite by now, but it’s all for nothing. I’m hopeful some of the recent positions I applied for will pan out. Gotta keep the chin up, that’s all we can do.

It snowed on Saturday!. Yeah, it was for 5 minutes, and nothing stuck on the ground — but I live somewhere it snows! How freaking awesome is that? Mt. Hood is blanketed by the snow now. I wish we had the money to go skiing (and the car — Vader won’t make it up the mountain without snow tires) , but that’s for next year.

We saw the Golden Compass on Saturday. I will just tell you that I loved it, and I haven’t read the books. D didn’t care for it and he’s read the books. He said the movies lacked the depth of the novels, and that we were spoiled by Peter Jackson’s interpretations of the LOTR novels . I didn’t care. I had a lot of “holy shit that was cool” moments, and I left the theatre happy. They played the Narnia preview - I hated the first movie. I won’t see the second.

So, I’m still cat-sitting. Bax and Margo are in my very lovely basement, chillin out with the fluffy pillows and blankets and every single cat toy in my house. They are here because Bax was taking out his anger at Amandapants on her clothing and peeing on her bed. We thought the basement would be easier for them. They’ve been there before, when Amanada moved to Portland, and because it’s not their home territiory, I didn’t think they would be as apt to show their displeasure. I was wrong. I went downstairs yesterday morning. Both a shoe box and my empty laundry basket had piss in them. Then I woke up this morning to find Valentine pissing in my sink! WTF? It’s nearly kitty death time.

Okay, now that I’m caught up on stuff, I eagerly await the arrival of miss C and Amanapants so that my crew gets back in town.Have a great Tuesday.

I’m quite down, so let me start off apoligizing for the tone of this post. It’s kind of shitty that i’ve not blogged daily, and when I do, it’s one full of unecessary sadness, but that’s the way of my life right now. Let’s just blame it on the holidaze.  Since the birth of my birthdaughter, and the end of my childhood, I’ve had problems with the end of the calender year. I’ve idealized the thanksgivings and Christmases of my youth. I hoped to live up to those shiny images in my heart and mind, but I think it was just a pale shadow of what was…. or at least of what I remember.

That’s not to say it was a failure. We cooked 3 different proteins to satisfy the 3 different types of eaters. D and I obviously had tofurkey. Mom made a turkey and a roast. Then there were smashed taters and all the other side stuff. Although this kitchen is much larger, I still found myself dancing around hot pots and beagles. And because I woke up later than I intended, we started cooking much later than we should have. Lex and I took a quick trip to the grocery store, and returned with those last minute items that we forgot in our initial shopping spree. Lex brought the family silver, and extra dishes. Amandapants’ casseroles were a hit. All day, the TV blared with football coverage, and D and I occasionally hid in the room.  C&B came later with home made pumpkin pie and banana bread. The pie was divine. I heard the bread was good, although my nephews and huzzie ate it for breakfast the following day, so I never got to try it. With dinner done, the booze began to flow, as it always does with my family.

Littlebro became a very drunk pirate, we all talked about family and goofy shit, and Lex and I ended up going to bed somewhere around 5:30 in the morning. Surprisingly, I felt fine the next day. I drank a lot of water. It’s a good thing. And hanging out with the fam for the rest of the weekend made me really happy, although my Mom was in a funk the entire time. She’s weeks into quitting smoking, and I think that those of us in the family that still smoke make it harder on her.  She promised to spend some time with me, but ended up getting frustrated and wanted to head back to Tacoma earlier. Even in Tacoma, she seemed distant. I am very well aware of the load on her plate — my grandmother’s continually failing health, and imminent divorce, issues with money, etc. I always think that I can make her relax and enjoy her time at our house, but she never seemed to get a chance to let her hair down. That, and she re-injured her knee just standing up, so she was in pain for most of her trip.

Saying goodbye didn’t really hit me until I got home from Tacoma. Then I sat in the house, it was quiet, and I wanted to cry. I can attribute this to little sleep, a lot of alcohol consumption, and no moving my tushie. It’s going to take time for me to right myself, but for now, it kind of sucks. I always want more time, more laughter, more… peace. But there’s something that always gets in the way. Real life doesn’t stop or stand still for those moments when I need time to connect….and now I realize I’m just rambling.

I’m overwhelmed with school stuff, and the pressing financial issues that are coming to a head now. Because D and I haven’t worked since we moved, we are almost out of money. That means no more trips to here and there, no more booze, pinching every penny because finding a job here is harder than I first anticipated.  I am hoping some of my attempts pan out soon, but if they don’t… well I don’t want to think about that.

It’s feeling like winter right now. The weather people are talking about snow and ice outside of Portland proper. I bought a scarf and gloves. This is true fall/winter weather, and I am loving it, when I leave the house. I even keep my hair down most of the time…it’s still strange having a full head of hair.

Amandapants’ cats are downstairs right now. She’s gone again, so I get to be kitty-aunt. They have a lot of room to lay about, but they are sticking to the little chair/tent I constructed so they have some place to hide. My goal is to keep them calm, to keep Baxter distracted so he doesn’t piss on anything, and to make this time away from their house as comfy as possible. They aren’t up to playing or coming out for treats, but I’m working on that. It isn’t helping that my cats keep sitting right by the door. They know someone is down there.

Tonight, the plan is to medicate myself to sleep, get up at a good hour (see: before 11), run, and get all of my school work finished. I’ll be scarce for the next couple of days. Solitude and rebalancing take time. So, have a happy week.

and I promise the next post will be full of cheer….

Hope you had a good deadturkeyday..

It’s been a crazy few days. Amandapants came back from her trip, only to find that her pissed off kitties pissed on her pillows. We spent the next few hours doing laundry. Then we went to dinner. It didn’t sit well with her, but she said she enjoyed the place I felt bad.

Lex, due to come to help me with the sewing machine again on Saturday, slept till 4 on , when she finally woke up, she threw (and I giggle at that image) the kids in the pimpmobile, and hauled ass down here. Meanwhile, Amandapants finished laundry. But on Saturday I think we finally solidified the menu for Thanksgiving. Lex and Amanda are working around the menu with me. This whole thing is  big deal to me. I live to entertain. Besides, D and I went to his familys’ house every year, and then we hung out with friends. This time around,  we are in a new city without that circle we used to have. It feels good to have the family here. My only concern is that my brother in law is allerigc to cats. I’m going to be vaccuuming the shit out of my house.

I printed out my novel (I’m working on it) and Amanda was here.

“Is that it?”

“What?”

“Your novel?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I just got goosebumps”

It’s hard to think about everything I need to do to this thing, but I’m still working on it.

Lex decided against going to Colorado for Xxxxmas. What does that mean? We are heading up to Tacoma (with Amanda in tow) to do the HappyJesusDay with them. Hopefully my family will come, at least my Mom. She’s hoping papasan will show up, but I doubt he will if he knows I’m going to be there. Then again, he may surprise me, because he loves his grandson more than almost anyone. I’m not sweating it though. I’ll be happy to be near the fam again.

D and I may have some great news in the coming weeks. Cross your fingers and your toes for us.

My nephews played Ratchet and Clank on my PS3. I have an egg timer. They can only play for an hour, but let me tell you, they had a good-ass time with that hour.

It  stopped raining. After I make dinner, I think I am due for a good run.

Now, It’s time to make salsa!

I owe that bitch a beer, and a hug when she gets back. She’s going to be in Cleveland until tomorrow, and when she gets home, we are going to a bar she found (it’s not like there aren’t a million here), and we will celebrate. Her cats have missed her terribly. I have too. We have had our spats, butted heads, and been ready to throw things at each other — but she is like family to me. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving when she’s going to be right in the middle of the maddness with our family. It all works.

I’ve run 2 days in a row now. Taking responsibility for my illness is hard most of the time. I want to just take a pill, and then feel better. Not having insurance, a job, or money kind of kills that possibility. The solution is moving my ass. I’m not running fast, or elegantly, but my  heart rate rises and I can feel my muscles moving. It’s good stuff. D walks the dogs the opposite route through the park. They are good running partners, but they are easily distracted, so they often yank my arms off. The new game is called “hunt for mommy.” D lets them off the lead and they run up to all the runners looking for me. If Pip sees me, he hauls ass. I should take a video or something, because he can REALLY run. What’s amazing is that he can jump high enough to hit D’s shoulder, and he does it just for fun. I love my doggies.  If you know anything about me at all, you know that I love Ein dogs.  There are several that frequent the park. No matter how hard I’m running, or how out of breath I am, I laugh and smile each time I see my beagles, or the Corgis. They simply make me happy.

This is where I stop being a total slacker and I get back into the groove of everyday writing. I almost applied to write for Portland Metroblogging, but I thought it would be silly. I can’t get myself to write every day right now, so why add another stress when I have a shitload of stuff to do for school?

The Halloween Party - My sister and Amanadapants did my hair, put my makeup on, and cursed the gods because I look cute when I’m trying to dress up as preggers white trash. I’m still trying to figure that out. Was that really a compliment, or were they just being nice because I was wearing a mu-mu, and a girl needs all the love she can get in that kind of outfit. Amanda was a man —- the best part — her freaking chest hair. She has the pictures. When she gets back from traveling for work, I will share. Overall we had fun. Lex and D and I stayed up till almost 4 in the morning, giggling while we smoked in the fireplace and recalling the days of our past. It was small, and a good starter-party for the coming years. I can’t wait till next year.

Writing for school - I am plodding through some reviews and critiques. I already have a list of books I want/need/lust for after we get jobs. When I wrote the reviews of the books I read for the semester on my other site, the author of one of the books responded. I love the internet. I’ve got a lot of work to do (what’s new?) but I think I can manage it.

Thanksgiving -  My family is coming to the house for a nice dinner of tofurkey and roasted animal flesh. I’m not eating any of their fleshy stuff, but I’m going to make them ALL try the tofurkey. It’s a must in my house. I’m very excited. My Mom’s never seen this place, and my little brother needs to fall in love with Portland so I can get him to move here. That’s a part of their visit, although he’s not aware yet that his sisters are going to be beating him down with the idea of moving away from Colorado. With the demise of my parents’ marriage, I honestly think it would be best if he got the hell out of dodge. Granted, Mom would be alone in Colorado, but it’s not that far from here to there. Mom and littlebro are flying into Seattle to meet up with Lex and her family. Then they are driving down the Wednesday before thanksgiving, and then they will spend the night here. But it gets more and more exicitng. Lex and I met a couple when we went to Colorado in August (remember the trip to “save” my brother?). They were staying at the B&B and we  ended up hanging out with them all night, exchanging numbers, and promising to hook up again. They travel a lot, and coincidentally they were at the B&B  the other night. Normally they come to Portland (they live in Houston) for  Thanksgiving. She’s got family here, but they planned on staying @ home because her family is going out of town. They are very tight with Mom, so when Mom told them she was coming to Portland, they decided to come anyway. So, Angel and Chris will be another addition to the insanity at my house. As it stands now we will have: Me, D, Mom, Lex + 5, littlebro, Amandapants, Angel and Chris. It’s going to be madness, and fun. I’ve got “that” kitchen where everyone can hang out. I’m going to try to set up the basement for the spawnlings (oh yes — ALL three of them) so they can play without being bothered. I really can’t wait.  (that was very incoherent, but I’m too lazy to edit right now…so hush)

Cat Sitting - Amandapants is out of town for her new job. I’m watching her kitties. Poor Bax is seriously depressed. I think he misses her. She’s going to be back in two weeks, and when she is home, I think I am going to ground her to her house. Her kitties miss her. But I do love going to her apartment. It’s cute.

I’ve got a creature community in my back yard now. My squirrel feeder is feeding not only the two species of squirrels, but finches, this small black and white bird and a wierd kind of bluejay/raven thing that’s freaking huge. It’s also attracted the neighbor’s cat. The freaking thing is stalking all my little animal friends, so I send Pip out after his/her ass. Pip LOVES to chase things. It makes him happy, so now he sits on the gold chair and stares out the back window, waiting for that stupid cat.

Oh, and I beat Ratchet and Clank. I love that game.

Now I’m off to make enchiladas. More semi-interesting crap tomorrow.

I have a place to hang my birdfeeder. With evergreens and a porch, Cat helped us with our new home. The porch is lined with tile, the kitchen has an island big enough for my salsa disasters and cooking fiascoes. There’s a bus stop outside my front door, and our property is lined with sidewalks. Yes, we have a corner lot! It’s in a lovely area of Portland, and has enough room for us and our dreams. Did I mention the basement? Yes - there is a full basement with cable wired, so D can have a huge office for himself. The whole house has been redone, and I have a porch. Did I mention how much I love that kitchen? White doesn’t make me scream with that place. Warm colors abound, and yes, I think that room is actually orange. I hope the porch is as purple as it looks. I’ve always wanted a purple house.

This is where I sing the praises of Cat and Alexis. There’s nothing more invaluable than the love and friendship shared by sisters, both blood and soul. You can’t ever understand, and I will never be able to express fully my gratefulness. Thank you seems shallow, and I will pay you back feels underwhelming. Alexis braved the axe murderer house for us. Cat, well she got the open house. It’s up to you to decide which was the more harrowing of the two. Regardless, they are ever welcome to my home.

It’s begun, my loves.

The ad follows. (and it has a dishwasher!! Those of you who know my husband know how wonderful this modern addition is!)

Very Cute 2b 1 ba home in Killingsworth. New appliances, Washer/Dryer, Fridge, Stove, microwave, dishwasher, Counter tops and more! Bus stop right in front of house! 10 mins from Lloyd Center. 10mins from AirPort! and 15 mins away from the University! Move in READY! LARGE backyard and detached garage. Hardwood flooring through out the house, Carpet in bedrooms.”

I shall sing a song for you via the all powerful internets, because my singing voice is crap and I have a migrane and I don’t want to make it worse, Yes my singing voice is THAT bad.

Okay, I’m not really singing, but the sentiment is there!

Have a great birthday Cat!