Curses

So today on my lunch break I run to a store to pick up a few things. It includes a cheap pair of jeans, a coupla bottles of wine (it's the weekend and one was only 5$, plus today is payday!) and some 75% off Christmas candy that might as well just call itself 'Peppermint Bark' (it calls itself peppermint squares, btw). I get out to the car, punch the button on my fob for the trunk, toss everything in, slam the trunk lid, and realize - just as the trunk lid closes - that my keys were also one of the things that got tossed in the trunk.

Arrghhhhh!

Call the cousin, who fortunately has his cell phone turned on, and who also fortunately has nothing else going on. He grabs my spare set of keys and drives to where I am to bring me the keys so I can open the trunk and retrieve my main keys. (Thank you, Gary!) Do I feel stupid?? Duh! I have never done this before - well, once about 20 years ago I locked the keys in my old station wagon, but fortunately I hadn't locked the rear door, so just crawled in and got the keys. No such luck with this car. Walked around the parking lot for a while, but Cuz showed up with spare keys about 20 minutes later. Not a total loss - handed off the wine I'd just purchased and he took it home to put in the fridge so it was chilled by the time I got home after work.

The funniest thing is - tried to call work about six times and let them know what happened, but couldn't get through. When I finally got back to work (30 minutes late) no one had even noticed. When you work in a cube, are you ever really missed???

And now totally off the subject - here's a picture of some trees that were decorated for Christmas by a large company I refuse to name. The trees are still adorned and I was finally able to get pictures of them last night. May it brighten your night!

Happy Cat New Year!!

Boy! A new year! I could get really excited about all the possibilities in store for a new year, but staff person hauled me off to the vet again today. It wasn't as bad as last time...we got there and she stayed right there with me while they poked and prodded me (I don't even want to tell you where they prodded me!) and then stuck me 3 TIMES and then stuck this thing in my mouth and squirted in that obnoxious yellow stuff. I showed them though - I spit most of it back out. Some went on staff person, but the guy said I had swallowed enough so they let me be. I sure didn't want to go in that stupid carrier at the house, but when all that was over I was more than happy to scoot back inside. Then we came home. I'm a little under the weather (those sticky things make me kinda groggy), but have spent most of the day sleeping. If it goes like it usually goes, tomorrow morning I'll be zooming around the house again.

All the decorations are down and there are boxes everywhere. The living room looks just like it did before Christmas, but there's boxes and boxes of stuff she's going to haul back up to the attic - back to normal at my house.

Last night was kinda fun - staff person went to a 'party' and was really silly when she came in. She had this thing on her head that said "Happy New Year" and it had this long feather in it. She was talking to the guy staying in the front room and laughing about something that happened...I zoned out after she said "It was SO much fun." That's all I really needed to hear. I'm glad she's getting some quality fun time.

It's been a good holiday season; lots of new things to see, sleep on, walk on, sit on, and puke on. (Did I mention I puked on one of the wrapped thingies under the tree?? My proudest moment - I hit it dead on!) Hope all my four legged friends out there had as much fun as I did. If I could blow hard on that thing staff person brought back last night that rolls out and honks, I would - so Happy New Year everyone!!!

Christmas Past

Christmas is over. Seems like we spend half the year getting ready for it and then the one day just flies by. Hallmark starts with their ornament premier in July; other stores are in Christmas mode by September, and then - poof! - in 24 hours it's over. I've already started pulling the bins down from the attic so I can pack up the decorations; normally I would wait until closer to New Year's, but this having a job thing is really cramping my clean up schedule. See, my mom drilled it into me that you never carry over celebrations of the old year into the new - very bad luck she said. I think she was just tired of all the 'stuff' in her house and wanted to get it clean, but I'm not about to chance any more bad luck. It seems my luck might have begun to change just a bit, so far be it from me to screw things up now! I know it's just a superstitious thing she instilled in me, but when I think back about 10 years ago when I didn't have a chance to get everything down, and what happened the next year...well. I'm not chancing it again.




The cat got a cat tower for Christmas. It was on clearance at Costco, and I've never seen one that cheaply before, so I just did a minor splurge and got it for her. After I get the tree down, which is in the middle of the front window, and the cat tower goes in front of the window, I think she will like it better than she currently does. She likes to take naps in the top part of it, and she loves to look out the front window, so am hoping it becomes her new favorite place. We'll see....she pretty much has her own opinions about what she likes...and doesn't. Right now her 'favorite' place is on my bed - so much so she's created a divot in the mattress.

I got some nice things from family and friends for Christmas. There's always one thing that stands out, and this year that honor goes to my nephew and his girlfriend. They went in together and purchased me a...uh...um...certificate I guess you could call it, to set up a website for the book! I'm super excited about it, but have no earthly idea how to do it. (Crap. Saying that makes me feel so dang OLD.) After the new year, I will see what it involves and get it going. I'm thinking about finding someone to do some pencil sketches of the major characters and have those, along with brief descriptions, on the site. Any other suggestions anyone?

The new job is improving, although I seriously thought about quitting a couple of weeks ago. I've never quit a job in my life except to move to another state. Long story, but let's just say my knowledge was being wasted hand-addressing reminder cards 8 hours a day. My position has been clarified, and I've begun some training that's made a huge difference. I'm going to hang on for a while and see what happens.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and your plans for New Year's include seeing the old year out and new year in with champagne and maybe some fireworks! Be sure and have some ready cash in your pocket - yet another old family superstition - when you walk back into your house for the first time of the new year, if you have cash in your pocket, you'll always have cash in your pocket for the next year. I've done it forever; have never been completely dead broke, never lost any house, almost always got bills paid (although sometimes there was some 'creative financing' involved) and lately have always managed to feed the cat (she has a medical condition and requires some expensive food...). Proof positive - it must work!

Attic stuff

Huh. Well, staff person went up into the attic and brought down all those boxes and bins that come down once a year. She put up this tree-thingy in the living room (after she moved all the furniture around) and put lights and little dangly things on it. That reminded me that last year I knocked a bunch of them off, so, yeah, guess it's that time of the year again. The house looks...different, ya know? It's nice though. I like all the lights and stuff scattered around. She even put this long, stringy green thing with lights in the bathroom. She called it a garland. Whatever.


Here's the dining room table. I mean, doesn't this look like I can totally destroy it? Yeah, I thought so too. I'm trying to be good though. We'll see how long it lasts...

She hasn't been around much lately. She gets up early and leaves early and doesn't come back until the sun's almost down. Don't tell her, but I miss her. I don't get to go outside near enough now. I've been sleeping on her bed the last few nights, 'cos it just seems like I don't get to be around her much anymore. I know it's because she finally got a job, but, well, I miss her. She did tell me she can now afford to keep me in kibble, so I guess it's a good thing. Sigh.

No other news from here. I'm contemplating whether to bring the tree-thingy down (I've done it before - check with her!). She's got it blocked in pretty well this year, so I may leave it alone. I guess it depends on whether or not I get the perfect opportunity 'cos I have to get in it and up it before it'll tumble over.

Happy decorating!

A job....sorta

Well, friends and commiserators, I have a job! Well, sorta. I began a temporary job last Monday with the State Attorney General's office. I'm working through a temp agency, so am making next to nothing, but next to nothing is so much better than nothing! As last week was a holiday week, I only worked 2-1/2 days, so don't have a really clear picture of the job yet. I spent my first day with training videos and quizzes. The next day and the half day on Wednesday was spent putting a large mailing together, so was pretty comfortable with that. I guess as I get more involved I'll be learning more. So far I like the people who work there and it's a long term temp job with an extension option; there's a small chance it will become a permanent position as well. Although I realize how long I've been out of the work force, it still came as a bit of surprise that every day when I got home I was totally exhausted. It's going to take some time to get back in the swing of things apparently. I know I don't sound overly excited, but this is a temporary position, with an agency that's messed me over before. I AM excited, and hope it works out really well. Just keep your fingers crossed!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm still eating turkey leftovers, which is okay with me. It was a nice, peaceful day and I hope everyone else enjoyed the same.

I'll keep you updated on the new job... ☺

Busted!

Well, I told you about my few little excursions over the fence. Staff person has decided, and tells me quite frequently now, that I cannot be trusted. So, no matter how much I whine, no matter how utterly pathetic I am when I pick up my little stuffed mouse and wander around the house with it in my mouth making these eerie, freakishly loud noises...she ignores me. Especially in the mornings. I finally give up and go take a nap somewhere, then sometime mid-morning she gets a book and calls me and we go out and I've got, like, 30 minutes of outside time. PLUS, if I go hide somewhere she can't see me (like in the bushes so I could catch that thing with feathers! More later on that!) she gets up and walks around until she finds me. Very frustrating, especially when I'm in huntress mode.

Now, about the thing with feathers! I've been trying to catch one for years but they're just so darn fast; not to mention they fly and I don't. So, I was hiding in this bush over on the side of the yard, and staff person went inside to refill her water glass. A buncha those feathered things landed on this thing hanging up she keeps seed in, and when staff person walked back out, they all flew off - including one who flew straight INTO THE BUSH I WAS HIDING IN! I jumped up and caught that sucker! Staff person came running over and tried to grab me, but I ran up on the deck and was 'this close' to disappearing under a chair. She caught me though, and hauled me out by my back legs. I was so surprised she caught me, I dropped the dang thing and it flew away. I was crushed. My first feathered thing catch and she wouldn't even let me keep it!

Oh, last Saturday my staff person got up and unwrapped some things so I could have the cool crinkly paper. One thing was this...I don't know...THING...that she eventually took out in the back yard to dig up that viney stuff she calls 'plaguey Asian Jasmine'. Anyway, it had all this colored paper wrapped around it and she untaped each end and pulled out what was inside and put the paper on the floor - so now it's like this long paper tube-y thing. You know us cats and our curiosity; I crawled inside of it. I heard staff person and the guy who stays in the front bedroom just laughing hysterically...then she shows me this. Probably not my best angle, but hey - it IS a picture of me!

Halloween excitement

Halloween has come and gone, the weather has finally turned 'Fall'-y and now the holidays are looming. The most exciting thing to happen Halloween night was a high speed chase with a truck and the police that sped by my front door, not once, but THREE times. The first pass was the truck and one police car - I was asleep, but the truck was loud and the tires were squealing as he turned the two corners by my house. It woke me up and my first thought was, "That idiot's going to lose control of his truck and hit my house!" As my bedroom is right next to the street, I jumped up and ran. He kept his truck upright , so then I went to look out the window and saw the first police car go zooming by with lights and sirens. Several of the neighbors wound up out in their yards ("Everybody move back - here he comes again!"). Next he came flying by for a second pass with two police cars behind him; the final pass there were 6. They finally got him stopped about 10 blocks away but by then there were 11 police cars, a road with spikes in it, and both a damaged truck and police car. Turns out the guy had some outstanding warrants, so wonder what kind of trouble he's in now, hmmm?? Didn't the possibility he was making it worse for himself even occur to him? Then again, I'm guessing idiots don't really contemplate things like that.

It's chilly and wet in my part of the state, and soup has been the best thing to consume the last two days. That and hot tea. It is Texas, so I'm sure by next week we'll be back in the 80's.

No other news. The insurance guy I think has finally faded out of the picture. My last email note to him was answered, but nothing mentioned about the position. Looks like I'll be sending cards only for Christmas again this year. Still very grateful to have managed to retain my house and put kibble in the cat bowl...I know things could be much worse.