country_cinderella’s Neighborhood

Thanks savagechickens!

Chickensteaming

Loathe:

• Level of daily work stress
• DAILY work status meetings, through the end of the year
• The office cafeteria has been out of the main course before 1p for 2 days in a row (they're supposed to be stocked till 2p)
  
• It's sooo cold!!
• My home has zero insulation
• The heater is far from my bedroom (so I'm mostly heating the attic crawlspace, then the hall and the living room)
  
• Skritches has insanely odorific poop - drastically out of proportion for her size (in proportion with an elephant)
• Skriches just proved the above statement
• I keep forgetting to put the feather bed on my bed
• Reading erotica when I have no mojo (it all seems lame)
  

• I kicked ass at work so I'm home early enough to post Things on Tuesday
• Making fun of what I anticipate will be totally lame holiday "gifts" for all employees tomorrow (even the group coordinating the event used quotation marks!). Bonus if it's something lame with a company logo which can't be removed! But maybe they'll surprise us and it will actually be nice. Who knows?
• AussieBum (and remembering how C looked in their products)
  
• Resisting the urge to drink every single night of the week (the urge is every night, the resistance is not)
• I remembered to get a depo booster shot today (after my Physical Therapy)
  
• Leno is featuring the winner of The Biggest Loser (so I get to see who won), Danny. He lost 239lbs in 7 months (from over 400 to below 200). Lord, he looks 30 years younger!!
• My heated mattress pad (in this cold, I'd be awake & shivering all night without it. Even on full blast, it took me 2 hours to warm up last night)
• I finally faxed in paperwork to have my FlexBenefits reinstated so I can spend the last $46 before the end of the year
• I'm pretty sure I'll conk out early tonight
• I already turned on the heated mattress pad so the bed should be toasty warm when I get in... wish I think is gonna be right now.
  

I just wanted to say that we serve a truly awesome God.  I feel so unworthy sometimes to call him my "Father" & I am truly sorry that I do not live like I should "24/7" & I know that He is a very forgiving God and has "eyes full of mercy" for His children.  Those of us who know Him personally take comfort in that & know that we can come any time & bow at his feet and worship.  He will put his loving arms about us and draw us to His breast......Thank you, for being my "King of Kings & Lord of Lords, Jesus.  Amen

This past weekend I took some photos of the dogs playing in the snow.  They were like little kids running around.  Haven's happy jumping as she catches a snowball in her mouth.

In the Air

Here Beacon's fetching his Orbee ball and Haven's "attacking" him. 

Attack!

After getting tired and hot from fetching Beacon decided to cool off in the snow. 

Sophisticated Beacon

Andrew took this opportunity to throw snowballs at Beacon.  He'd look up at them as they zeroed in on him.

Watching an Incoming Snowball

Eventually Andrew hit Beacon with a snowball.  He didn't really try to get out of the way and ended up taking it on the side of his face.  I actually got a photo!

Hit by a Snowball

There was also digging in snow piles for the Orbee ball. 

Digging for the Ball

And of course Haven did her exploring, which usually leads to snow on her face.

Snowy Face

On Sunday Andrew built a snowman for Beacon to "attack".  Beacon's very serious about these attacks.  You can watch a video of Beacon taking on the snowman here. 

Starting tonight another storm will hit us.  It'll last until Thursday afternoon or evening!  There will be rain, freezing rain, and snow so things will be a mess.  Eventually we'll get a decent dumping of snow before it's all over. 

Though I guess it was silly to think I'd be able to fall asleep 1 hr after getting home. After a totally shitty work day (9 hrs) and hell commute (1 hr / pouring rain / single car spinout just 3 cars ahead of me). And a totally daily dietary intake of: A turkey panini, scoop of pasta salad, yogurt parfait, bottle of Dr. Pepper and 1/2 cup of coffee. At the very min, I need to be hydrating better.

The cats were stuck inside all day, because of the rain and me not getting home till 10:45p, so it's going to be an early morning - with them crying to go out as soon as the sun is up, if not sooner.

I just had a protein bar and a xanax - hoping the combo will chill my brain out of overdrive; not that I could tell you a single topic its used for obsessive hyperanalysis.

[HUGE WORK RELATED RANT DELETED. Suffice to say I am NOT amused.]

Thank goodness I don't celebrate the holidays (not even giving to charity this year - that's how TOTALLY bah humbug I am!). Thanks to my insane work hours, I couldn't shop for presents if I wanted to. I haven't been in a store in about 2 weeks - so no music/displays to trigger the "holiday spirit". And by the time I get home, everyone's lights are off. Just seems like "whenever" to me.

Not even seeing It's A Wonderful Life changed that. What I ended up noticing was how relevant the movie is to this year - themes of foreclosures, layoffs, closed factories; Mr. Potter = big banks in general; Mr. Potter also = Madoff (when he steals the $8k); old man Gower's son dies from the flu pandemic; etc. I guess I'm Mary Hatch, in the world where George never existed.. where she's an untrusting old maid. Or maybe I'm Ma Bailey at that same time... she looks pretty pissed to have someone ringing her doorbell!!

Anyone else remember SNL's alternate/lost ending to the movie? I think of that all the time.

Moving on....
Physical Therapy at 11a (need to remember to ask for a Depo booster while I'm at the office). Probably followed by a 10 to 12hr work day.$1 says the first 1/2 of that day is spent unproductively waiting for a laser to be free... then the 2nd half will be spent trying to do 10+hrs of work in 5hr or less. Fine when it's my call, and when I think I can do it - but neither of those are currently in play.

In other news....
The kitties are all doing well. Boo has been trying to be friendly but she's too busy growling at everyone to join us. She's still "pooping inappropriately". She might do better if I'd change the litter boxes but I haven't had time (at least not while the temps were warm enough to dump the used litter outdoors).

Moshi, Skritches and Espressa are all currently sleeping on the bed (where I am now). I wish I had a camera in here last night - Skritches was being tooo cute.. curled up & covering her eyes like the light bothered her (she's blind!); then sticking her tongue out while having a dream. We're getting better at reading each others cues... when she wants petting; when I want to give it; etc.

Spoke too soon. Espressa woke up and is currently doing "clacky mouth" (where she smacks her lips REALLY loudly), which means she wants me to pet her.

I might have a kitty, or opossum, or raccoon taking shelter from the rain/cold in my garage... something set off the motion light around 1am tonight. Speaking of which: Haven't heard noises from under the house in over a week. Yay!

More rain is expected Thurs thru Sun. I'm thinking about canceling my Sat plans (9a cooking class in LA), even if it means no refund ($75). And that probably means the Tamale Fest,.. the OUTDOOR tamale fest, which already looks like it's going to suck (rescheduled; not much PR; lack of participants; photos from prior years look pretty sad), will not be the place to be seen either. That night is the Daisy Lane Parade. If it rains, but isn't too cold, I'll still go... ditto for cold but no rain. But combo? Oh hell no, I'll stay home!

Spring plans are starting to pop up and look like they'll conflict and/or simply be too hard to work out with 4 cats. Let alone that I don't know if I can leave the kitties for 3 days (Miss Exotic World convention - early June?), I don't know if I'll be up for pole dancing as soon as April (Jamilla DeVille teaching in Vegas), and now CirqueCon has announced that their 2010 event is 3 Cirque shows in New York, and previewing the newest show at Cirque Headquarters in Montrea, sometime in April/May. I realllly want to go to CirqueCon but that's 4 days, plus travel, and maybe addons. The timing is bad, it will cost a fortune, and I'm back to issues of cat care. I wouldn't worry about any of this so early but some of the CirqueCon special events are going on sale soon and only for a few days... so it's commit or miss out. I hate pressure.

I'm gonna try sleeping again. "If I fall asleep right now, I'll still get 6.5 hours of sleep...." (cats crying to go out, come back in & go back out not included)

I took this idea from the Digital Photography School.  It should be a fun quest.  Take photos of your shoes and have some fun.  Here is the article from the Digital Photography School website http://digital-photography-school.com/shoes-weekend-photography-challenge. 

Put your shoes in unusual places or show your shoes going somewhere.  Photograph them in color, b & w, neon, up-side-down, sideways, on - off, in the closet, on the floor, in the car, on top of the house.  Have some fun with this one.

All photos must be taken during this Quest and taken by you.  Size and amount of photos is up to you.

It's our first significant rain fall. That means a year of baked in oil is now on the surface, on the water, making hydroplaning even more probable.

I just checked Sigalert and there are currently 5 solo spinouts, in various stages of clearing, on my drive to work.

And it's COLD.

I wanna go back to my nice, warm, plushy bed. Good luck getting me to pull a 12 hr shift today... HA!!

Serves as my reminder to choose fear's opposite

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

“This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.”

Started at 3p at the home of Curt & Mark, which is the consummate party home. I've raved about it before - outdoor full bar, pool & patio, gazillion beautiful rooms. I love their place. The food was catered and I ate about a gabillion proscuitto wrapped dates (cheese & almond centers). There were also chicken meatballs with cranberry, orange & jalapeno; cucumber slices with crab; baked parm cheese (so it becomes a cracker) with ceasar salad; little toast slices with ??? and roast beef; romaine lettuce with cream cheese & cranberry; and a full bar. Niiiiice!

The next stop was Nino's Restaurant, a mere 1/2 mile away. Some people drove but, feeling that half the point of a progressive is walking to each stop, I trotted over. What a mistake. About 1/2 way in to the walk, my knees started snapping & popping and I considered giving up. I made it to the restaurant but that was it for my knees. We got 2 drink tickets each. I asked for prosecco (italian champagne) and the staff said, "we don't have that brand", so I went with amaretto sours. YUM!!

I scored a ride back to the 3rd house, Brad & Brad's, where desserts were featured. I sampled every chocolate petit four (turned out the designs had nothing to do with the flavors... and that I don't like "honey" flavored white chocolate) and ice cream; thought of Laurie when I saw large red velvet cake; and decided I really need to buy Brad & Brad some premium coffee because whatever they're using is icky bitter (beggers can be choosers!).

The party was going till 9 but I was burned out by 8. Some old drag queen (who kept insisting he was "38"... maybe in DOG years... he was at least 60 in human years) had been abandoned by her group (they decided to leave, she decided to stay) and was clearly planning to hit me up for a ride. So, I ditched her. Just as well because the 2 block walk back to my car nearly had me in tears from pain... in both my knees and lower back. Damn, my body sucks!! (Earl had a good time making fun of me... and after I helped him try to hook up with someone... the nerve!!)

So I'm home early and sober. And, other than the Brian Setzer concert (and maybe a theater viewing of A Christmas Story), my holiday "celebrating" is done.

"They" say we're getting a rain storm tomorrow, a day off, then 2 or 3 more days. I hope so - we need it.

Ah, crap, I just caught Skritches eating the wishbone from the chicken I ate last weekend. Gotta go.