Tuesday, December 27

My Cat is a Genius

Cheese is the best cat ever. I know it is all selfish cat stuff that he is doing, but he apparently likes the same stuff I do, and he has a certain knowledge that is timeless and just makes sense.

I couldn’t sleep last night. I had had a really bad day and by the time I fell into bed around 11:30 I had so much anxiety that I was convinced someone close to me was going to die. That being said, trying to fall asleep was a challenge. I know that animals reduce stress so I called Autumn and she came over and slept in her favorite spot (snuggled up against my neck). I petted her a bit and started to doze off. And then the twitching started (mine, not hers). Every time I got close to slipping off, I would twitch, it would wake me up and I would start the whole worrying process again. I thought maybe I was too hot so I kicked the covers off. The problem with that is that the boys were laying on my legs – Bumpers between my knees and Cheese against my thigh. This meant that they had to move with the covers, or get up and reposition. After having to reposition about 5 times Bumpers finally gave up and left. Cheese, However, walked up the side of my body and plopped his 18 pound, fuzzy, butt right on my side. And he has claws, so he dug in. I am a smart girl and I know at this point, if I thrash around some more, it is going to result in 20 claws embedded in my side because he is trying to hold on, so I lay as still as I could to avoid any bloodletting. That, and the purring, fuzzy, warm weight of nearly 20 pounds holding me down finally relaxed me enough that I fell asleep. I don’t know when he left, but when I woke up this morning he was back in his usual spot being all purry and cute.

I know how much it helped me, but I don’t know if he did it out of kitteh selfishness or maybe he knows something I don’t. Either way, I was able to get to sleep around 2 for a good 5 hours of sleep. Considering everything, I think that is pretty good.

Cheese is getting some chicken with his meal tonight.

Monday, September 26

Going Full Morlock

Ya know, sometimes I feel like a Morlock. You remember the Morlocks - Those troll like creatures that lived underground in the book, The Time Machine by H.G.Wells. And yes, some morning I probably look like one too. Lol.

If you aren’t familiar, In the book by Wells, in the distant future civilization branched into 2 distinct directions. One group headed underground and became hideous, troll like creatures who were regarded with terror. The other group, the Eloi, stayed in the sunshine and were beautiful and cared for and lived a simple life with no worries. The Morlocks ruled the underground by mining and engineering tunnels and mechanized devises (hard work). The Eloi were provided for, swam and played, and didn’t have a care in the world (other than the Morlocks). It was originally thought that the relationship between the Eloi and Morlocks was that of Lord/Servant or perhaps a perfect Communist society. However, it turns out it was more Rancher/Cattle with the Eloi as the beautiful, vacuous cattle.

Which brings me back to the title of this blog…I really feel that in our society today, the educated are regarded as the Morlocks and the beautiful/young people are the Eloi. Those of us with an education work hard, make (mostly) sound decisions, and make things work for the Eloi. The Eloi, on the other hand, stand around being beautiful, not needing their brains, and are completely catered to. Yes I know there are some exceptions to the rule. I know beautiful Morlocks and I also know some ugly Eloi. But what characterizes the Eloi is that they are just fucking ignorant and don’t see a need to better themselves because they get by on the graces of others.

That being said, I have decided to go full Morlock. I have been toying with the idea for about a year now. I am in a good place (hopefully this doesn’t jinx it) now and I feel this is the time to just jump into the underground and embrace my Morlock-ness…I have decided to get my Master’s in Finance and get my CPA. Fortunately, the majority of my friends are Morlocks as well, so they understand the commitment and work it is going to take. When I get overwhelmed (and I always do during finals) I just have to keep reminding myself that it is the Morlocks that ultimately control things…and eventually we eat the Eloi…heh…heh…heh.

Thursday, May 6

Anniversary Thoughts

Being married isn't all flowers and chocolates...sometimes it is all clean the house and take the cat to the vet. It's the very small things that nurture love, not the large gestures. When Michael rubs my back in his sleep, it means more to me than if he gave me flowers. When he puts gas in my car, it tells me he is thinking about my comfort and convenience enough to make that extra effort. When I do something for him it isn't about the recognition, it is about the reward of knowing it makes him a little happier.

When we first got married, it was just the two of us, half a country away from anyone we knew - we were a team and it was us against the world. As we got comfortable and grew into who we were, we grew together, sometimes at different paces, but we did it as a team. I have always known that Michael would support me even if he didn't agree with me or my decisions. I have always known that Michael would do anything for me if I asked. He loves me to distraction...still. It is such a powerful, and at the same time, humbling feeling to know and to acknowledge this.

He is the Rocky to my Bullwinkle, the Right to my Left, the Snoopy to my Charlie Brown. Every day that I get to spend time with him is a day well spent. I have never doubted that I adore him and want him to be happy. There were times when I doubted myself - but never Michael. He is as solid, as permanent, and as strong as a mountain (and as stubborn).
Happy Anniversary, Michael.

For the past 23 years you have been my Voice of Reason, my Co-Conspirator, Friend, Lover, Chauffeur, Warmer of the Sheets in winter...and summer, Feeder of the Cats, Comedian, Launderer, and Noise Maker.

Mostly, though...you have been, and continue to be, the love of my life.

Sunday, November 1

OMG!! Shoes!!

OK, yeah...this is kinda true. Oh...FINE!!! YES it is true! I admit it. I love shoes. And yes...this is really how I shop for them. LOL

http://www.cracked.com/funny-2422-shoes/

and after reading the flowchart, I must have the ivory shoes at the top of the page. How adorable are they???

Saturday, October 24

Shake Your Groove Thing...

Omg. I am in full disco mode. I am stuck here in the Magic Chair, I don’t have a kitty on my lap and I just did 2 Nebulizer treatments back to back. One treatment is like a cup of coffee so now I am pretty buzzed and jittery. LOL. My hands are shaking too much for me to cross stitch so I figured I would spew on here until things calmed down a bit.

I am still sick. I don’t have Hamthrax any longer but I am dealing with one of the complications. Because I have asthma my lungs are taking a bit longer to come back from this. I am currently on Prednisone and I was on some pretty heavy duty antibiotics to try and avoid a bacterial infection but I got one anyway. So I have been out of work all week. Ugh. I should be able to get off the steroids by Thanksgiving. I know…really.

We got rain all day today so Michael is actively looking for the leak. He has been in the basement cutting into the walls. I know…really. On the plus side he is getting the mold out of the house. It seems like everything happened this week. We discovered not only the mold but the bees…er…I mean wasps as well.

So now, to recap…leak in the basement = removal of drywall. Ok, I can see that. There are holes in the walls down in the basement…the finished basement…the NICE finished basement. And the water is still trickling in since Michael hasn’t found the source of the leak yet.

Ok, lets ignore the basement and just head to the first floor. Things are fine here. Got a new computer for the desk in the kitchen (it was lonely) so I have been on that quite a bit lately. The kitchen is a mess though. I don’t have the energy to actually clean anything so Michael has been feeding me leftovers and we have been piling everything in the sink. The only problem I have with this process is that I can see the sink from the desk. I think I need to move the monitor juuuusssttt a little…yeah…that’s it. No more dirty dishes. Lol. Mum is coming over tomorrow to do some motherly fussing over me and she will probably do the dishes. I can live with that. I am sick of the first floor…heading up…

Ok, on the Bee floor. Lol. We had the Bee guy come out today in between storm cells. He found our problem and treated the nest. He is coming back Monday and Tuesday to follow up but he is confident that we are done with them. We were getting one or two in the master bathroom from the vent, but we were getting more in the guest bathroom. Today after he sprayed we actually had to close the door to the master bathroom because they just started falling out of the vent! Fortunately the vent is directly over the toilet so they just fell in. Easy clean up. We go in every couple of hours and just flush. Lol there were a couple that were still flying around in there so we just keep the door closed until they die too. I just wish there was a way to get rid of them without killing the poor things.

Lets see, the master shower still doesn’t work on this floor, we have bees in the bathrooms, and I need to paint my study and the guest bathroom. Sigh…this place is falling down around my ears. And the fact that it has all happened (with the exception of the master shower) in the past few weeks is really hysterical. I step back and try to look at it objectively and I just laugh. I think the only reason I don’t really freak out about anything is because other than the mold issue (which is now gone) and the bee issue (which is slowly dying in my toilet) there are no unsanitary or unhealthy issues. They are mostly cosmetic. Drywall is easy to fix after the leak is located. January the master bathroom is being fixed but really that is an inconvenience at this point…we are used to showering in the guest bathroom. After the leak is fixed the hardwood and the French doors are being replaced…again an inconvenience once the water is gone.

I am starting to wonder if I am becoming complacent…once upon a time my house was very important to me. While it is still very important, I am not as freaked about it as I used to be. I used to want it to be the envy of the neighborhood…now I will be happy when it doesn’t have holes in the walls. LOL!! And the holes in the walls don’t bother me that much because Michael can fix them in a day. I am more interested in living in my house than managing it or decorating it. Meh…it is just a matter of priorities.

Anyway, the buzz has worn off and now I can get back to doing some cross stitch. I seem to stitch and stitch and never finish anything…eh…gives me a goal to work towards…oh, and I am still in Disco Mode…since I have been writing I have listened to Donna Summer, Peaches and Herb, The Hues Corporation, the Bee Gees, and KC and the Sunshine Band…all courtesy of Pandora Disco Radio

…Rock on witcha bad self… shake your booty…She’s a Bad Mama Jama…

Monday, October 19

This is Starting to Suck

Okay. I am getting to the point where I am starting to believe in The Anderson Luck again. And It isn't just me...it seems like everyone who comes to our place is affected by it. It is like we are living in The Grudge house. everyone who visits is instantly marked as a recipient of some good ole Anderson Luck. So far this year:

Bathroom still isn't fixed - it is going on 2 years. We originally paid 14K to have it done, to have it done RIGHT will take an additional 20K (I really hate general contractors)...good thing we have two other bathrooms in the house or I would really be bitching about it.

I got a kidney stone on my birthday. When I went to get it taken care of, I caught a virus that turned into an upper respiratory infection. I gave my virus to my mother, and it turned into pneumonia for her.

I was out of work for a week. I have only had this job since February and it is the BEST FREAKIN JOB I have ever had.

I dropped my Ipod and now the glass on the front is broken. I left the plastic cover on it and I think that is the only thing holding the glass in. It still works though so I am going to wait until the holidays so I have a reason to get another one. lol.

We have a leak in the basement now. It is coming in somewhere in the back. We thought it was one of the windows in the kitchen. Michael caulked everything...it still leaks. Now we have to call a handyman/contractor to come out and fix it.

The leak caused mold in the basement...now we have to call a mold company to come out and fix that.

The leak caused water damage to the hardwood floors in the small dining room...now we have to have the floor replaced.

Since we are having the floor replaced, we figured we will just go ahead and replace the back door with a couple of French Doors since I know that as soon as we pull up the floor in there we are going to find all kinds of damage to the door frame (which might actually be causing the leak in the basement).

As of today we have a bee infestation in the ONLY OTHER BATHROOM WITH A SHOWER!!! somewhere the bees are getting inside the bathroom. 2 days ago there were 3, yesterday there were 6 and today there were 9. Tomorrow I expect 12. They are getting in around the window somewhere. I think the top because that is the only place I cant see when I stand on the toilet. with my luck I am thinking that was a dangerous thing to do. I should have either fallen off the toilet and broke my nose, or I should have gotten stung and gone into anaphalactic shock. Luck must have been busy with a neighbor who visited once because it wasn't looking at me at that moment. Since I am sick, I just sighed and closed the bathroom door.

and now I have Hamthrax. and I am going to be out of work for another few days...and we are into the third quarter reporting time. and this is the time that we are required to work overtime to get the shit done. And my boss has pneumonia...and her daughter has the flu.

Please, I beg of you...do not come visit me...you might not survive. I think the only reason Michael and I do is because we are now conditioned to tolerate the Anderson Luck. The only reason we don't move everything out and strike a match is because the Insurance will probably figure out what happened.

Saturday, October 10

Only Me...

Okay, so it is official…Autumn is afraid of the dark. Yeah, I know she is a cat…and yeah I know cats are nocturnal. Look, it isn’t my doing, I just figured it out. Though I must say, since I gave her the night light things are much better.

The first night I had Autumn it was just her and I in my parents room. My parents like it really dark so once the lights are out it is very disorienting. Well, I had been reading and Autumn was laying up against me purring. Shortly after I turned out the light she started hissing and growling. I turned the light on to see what she was doing and she instantly started purring. I turned the light back off and the growling and hissing started again. We went through this about 4 times before I finally just gave up, turned the light on low and we both went to sleep.

Fast forward 3 years later and suddenly, in the middle of the night, Autumn starts attacking the other cats sleeping on the bed. Well, cats screaming, growling, and hissing all through the house is not a pleasant way to wake up. In fact, there is no pleasant way to wake up at 3 in the morning. This happens for about a week…every single night. We start taking notes and trying to figure this out. It seemed like when a cat jumped on the bed to sleep with us it would startle Autumn. She would then go into Fight or Flight Mode and she is definitely a Fight kitty. So whatever kitty startled her would get the crap beat out of it. As soon as the beating was over Autumn would stroll back into the room – tail up and purring. By this time Michael and I would be up trying to restore peace to the house and the lights would be on.

After about 4 straight nights of this I called the vet. She said to bring her in to have her vision and hearing checked. If those were fine, then we might want to look into kitty Prozac to get her through this episode. As soon as she started talking about medicating her I started thinking about Feliway. Feliway is herbal and is supposed to calm the cats. It works great. There are 2 ways to administer it: 1) as a spray around the area the pet spends most time in, or 2) as a plug in (like Glade). I immediately went to Petsmart and got both. I put 2 plug ins in the room and sprayed it around like it was Poverty Repellant. LOL. That night we went to bed and waited for the midnight screaming marathon around the house.

Around 3 in the morning the screaming and growling and hissing and spitting started up again. Again we got up and tried to restore peace in the house. Again Autumn comes strolling in purring and with her tail up. Michael commented on the immediate change in her and then I realized that she doesn’t beat the other cats during the day. In fact, during the day everyone is friendly and nice…it was only happening at night with all the lights out. Holy Shit! My cat was afraid of the dark. I immediately plugged in a digital clock that shines blue and all was fine. We haven’t had any screaming or midnight beatings since.

We also figured that it started last week because we finally put away the rolling air conditioner. I like to sleep in the cold and during the summer it costs a mint to do that. So Michael and I compromised and keep the house at 72 degrees day and night. But we also have a portable air conditioner that we run at night to get the bedroom down to 65 degrees. We close the door most of the way so the cats can still get in and out, and when we get up in the morning we turn off the portable AC. Why is the portable AC important? Because it has a bright blue power light that illuminates the room when it is on. Not too bright but enough that a kitty could see everything. With the blue clock plugged in it too illuminates the room enough for a kitty to see.

It has been a week now and there has been no getting up in the middle of the night to restore peace or rescue a kitty. The other kitties are starting to come back to the bedroom to sleep. So far Bumpers is the first, but when I woke up this morning Cheese was laying next to me and purring so hard he was squeaking. Things are getting back to normal…though with us we don’t know how long that is going to last.