BUSTED

We've been pooh-poohing over Angel because she's sick. Poor Angel! QE and I were doing our own thing in the family room last night when we heard fwump--Angel jumped onto the kitchen counters. SHE IS SO BUSTED!!!! We tell her to get down, and what does she do? She proceeds to walk across the entire island, in front of the cooktop, and jumps down at the other end. Ok, we don't want our kitties on the counters because we still like to entertain and feed our guests, and ensure that the food we serve was prepared in a sanitary environment. Seeing pawprints on our shows-everything granite doesn't quite provide the reassurance to guests, oui? But still, I am proud and relieved that Angel is capable of jumping on counters because it means she's not old yet. She just plays helpless and lets us blame Davis for all the paw prints. Such a smart girl.

Her vet visit yesterday set us back over $200 including her prescription kibble. She was still straining this morning so she's now on prednisone too. Angel's relapse has made me realize that our health really is the most important gift. Without our health, who cares about a trip to Vegas, meeting John Rzeznik, knitting, video games, or anything else? Hopefully our little girl will recover soon. Her health and happiness really is my top priority.

Princess Angel

Our resident cutie is not feeling well. She makes multiple visits to the litterbox in a short period of time. We drove to the vet this morning and she cried the whole time. I was prepared to get pulled over for driving erratically and once the officer heard Angel, s/he would understand and let me go on my way. We arrived early, so Angel and I sat in the car. She stopped crying the moment I opened the top door of the carrier to pet her, perfectly content to be in the carrier.

I admit it, I have separation anxiety. Nobody puts Angel in a cage! As the tech took her carrier, I said bye to my princess and told her I loved her. The tech got confused until I clarified that her name was Angel and not Princess. tee hee I forgot to tell Angel to make pee and the sooner she does the sooner she can come home. Oy. Called the vet's office. Angel's stone is still there and her bladder is empty. Please make some pee, little princess!

At 2:00 this morning, I saw Angel sitting outside our bedroom. I scooped her up and placed her on "her" pillow on our bed. She wanted none of it since my pillow is soooo much nicer apparently. I didn't sleep much after she joined us since I was fighting to keep what little pillow I had. She was so soft and warm though. I would gladly sacrifice sleep to have Angel next to me. I find myself doing everything it takes to keep the princess happy. Maybe my sole purpose IS to keep Angel happy. How could it have taken me this long to figure it out??

It's a GIRL!!!!

Ok, so it's not official, but QE and I have started the adoption process to adopt a little girl, 2 years old. Her humans moved into an apt that doesn't allow animals. Halle (Hay-lee) is currently in foster care. In Massachussetts! She's not the most beautiful or regal looking cat, but I have a soft spot for sob stories. QE is already dreading the integration process because it was quite a bit of work to make Angel and Davis get along. And they still aren't friends. They are housemates and don't go for blood everyday, but we were hoping they would be play buddies.

We hope Halle will help Davis expend all of his excess energy and be the ideal playmate. This would leave Princess Angel to be the diva she is and nap to her heart's content.

It's always nice adopting an animal rather than buying a (usually) purebred. There are so many animals who were mistreated through no fault of their own. The sad stories are enough to make me question humanity. But at the same time, there are rescue workers who try to mend broken bones and broken hearts, so there are people who do care. Giving a rescue animal a second chance at a happy life is the least we can do. If nothing else, it hopefully offsets all the other evils in the world and lifts our spirits knowing we are doing a good thing.

Un-Bearable

My latest project is a bear from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I think the book has a lot of patterns that are much more complicated than necessary. For example, my bear is knit in the round on two circular needles. Why is that necessary when dpns are just fine???? I can see if we were knitting a tube top for an elephant that would require more room on a needle, but a toy bear??? It seems like the pattern designer is trying to impress with a more technical approach when a simple and more common method is fine. Why do knitters feel the need to make everything so much more difficult? The fear of being called simple and their patterns easy? Kris Percival is also guilty of creating patterns that are more complex than necessary. Her baby booties comes to mind.

My bear wasn't knit to the pattern's instructions--knitting with two strands of yarn. I used one strand of 100% alpaca that I bought at last year's Sheep and Wool Festival. I also used smaller needles. As such, my bear is much smaller, and cuter imo. It's the perfect size to be a teddy bear to a doll. :)

Orphaned

This will be the first Christmas that I will not spend time with my parents. It hit me hard when Dad called from the airport and said "see you next year!" I don't see my folks every day, so the holidays are definitely "guaranteed" time that we will see them either on the Eve or day of Christmas/New Years. It was rather amusing that Dad and I speculated on whether my soon-to-be sister in law is knocked up. My brother is nesting and talked about baby logistics and he's not even married yet. At a minimum, he has a full-blown case of baby fever.

So no parents this holiday. Maybe they will call. Yes, I think Dad will call because his only wish is for his family to be together. And my brother has to ruin it by living in Germany for what seems like 10 years. Way to go, bro.

It will definitely be a very quiet holiday this year. Just me and QE with our little furry kids.

Storytelling

I miss my kids. Getting the smackdown at work. Life as usual! :)

QE surprised me with a cute ornament that I liked earlier this week. I thought it was cute since it's our first Christmas in our new house and we see lots of birds year-round. In fact, I saw a bluejay last week! He also surprised me with this Merry Trio that is adorable. Ok, so it's a bit menopausal and homely, but still very cute. Angel digs it and Davis has no idea what to make of the singing and bells.

Ripped

Lots been going on, but not much worth mentioning. Working is consuming my life. I ripped my entire picovoli last night. It was made with ggh super merino in a charcoal gray. Loved it. But the yarn has a different guage than the DB cathay, so I sort of knew it may not work. And sure enough, it didn't. Too small methinks. I had invested at least 20 hours into it, but better now than when I was almost done, right?

Our little buddy has been sleeping with us lately. He just hunkers down for the night and stays put. He's so cute. When he finally leaves the bed, I am there to steal his warm spot. Ahhhh...warm. :)

Join my flock

http://www.homemadesimple.com/en_US/dawnsaveswildlife/joinFlockLanding.do?flockID=35766001418205

I think it's neat how rescuers really use Dawn dish detergent to clean up animals after an oil spill and such.

Baby Fever

Babies are sprouting up like little flowers!!! Miss LU gave birth a few weeks ago to a cutie pie Jr. He is adorable. Love his tiny feet and toes. LU sent me a pic of her niece, who is officially the cutest baby ever. PDub is preggers, four women at work have a baby bump, and my brother is talking about spawning. That last item is scary bc he's not even married yet (Dec 28). I'm pretty sure my brother is getting pressure from the futre in-laws because next year is a "good fortune" year to birth a piglet. Year of the Piggy.

Kitty Weekend

This is Angel in her plush pink coat. She doesn't enjoy wearing clothes, but tolerates it. And she looks so cute!!! Yes, I am biased. Davis doesn't know what to make of her in a furry coat. Quite cute how they nose-sniff each other.

We bought the kitties a cat tree yesterday. It was the only Christmas gift on my wish list. QE insists it's the kids' gift and not mine, but the tree was really all I wanted for Christmas. It's quite big (taller than me) but it fit into my little car! And the kids love it. I can't wait for Thanksgiving and sharing turkey with the kitties. Maybe Angel can wear her fancy satin dress. Turkey makes up for the "torture", right?

Plans

Received my roasting pan from Amazon last night. What great service, considering I ordered it just the day before! QE said we should buy our Thanksgiving side dishes so I don't have to stress. Part of me feels like I'm missing out on the stress! :) Now I need to figure which sides to buy and from where. Making my dressing from scratch. Dressing = stuffing that doesn't go in the bird. We're having a happy bird this year--free range, organic, the works.

QE's scarf will be finished tonight. Just a few more rows. GGH Solitaire yarn. Love it. Next project: another picovoli or maybe a sweater for Angel.

Hopefully we will get the kids' cat tree this weekend.

Our real estate property tax bill came. Merry Christmas! Love how the tax man sticks it to ya right before the holidays.

Whirled Peas

Frappie agreed to become the godparents of our current and future kitties should the QE and I meet our untimely deaths. I am relieved to know that our precious allergens will be well cared for. Thanks Frappie!! Yes, it's a bit wacky, but I think we're being responsible by thinking ahead about the care of our animals. I told QE the great news that Frappie (and by default Frappo) agreed to be the godparents to our kids. He goes "we're not having kids" in a what the heck are you talking about tone. So when it comes to real world stuff, I guess we don't have real kids. I AM SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY!!!! :)

We bought Angel another clothing article. It's a plush pink coat with a cream furry collar. She looks divine in it. Davis seemed a bit freaked out by her.

In an uncharacteristic behavior, Princess Pink Coat pooped on the carpet last night. It seemed premeditated and not accidental. Not sure why though. Their boxes were fairly clean. QE thinks it was payback for making her wear the coat. I think it may have been because I was sitting in "her" green chair reading. Unlike her to act out like that though. QE was very mad at her. She hissed when he picked her up. I came to her rescue from Daddy and carried her upstairs. Not like she appreciated my intervention!!!

Butt Picking

Just moved into my new office. FINALLY they realize Queen Goo deserves a window office! :) Actually, I moved closer to the team I support. My office is bigger and indeed has a window. Of an alley and adjoining buildings. But it's still a window. It's also much quieter here than where I was. I need to make sure to remember that my blinds are open and digging for green gold is inappropriate. LOL

My Jollies

So, Frappie has observed my disdain for the holidays for quite some time now. After further pondering, I don't think it has to do with the holidays themselves as much as the stress associated with it. Pile on that the last four months are the worst for us financially, and you can understand why I am a Grumpy Goo. Car insurance, life insurance, car property tax, real estate property tax. Isn't that enough to make anybody just a bit cranky??? And then pile on thinking up thoughtful Christmas gifts only to be told it's not good enough? Ah, well.

So we're doing gift cards this year. Simple enough, right? Not if QE is involved. He complicates things without even trying or knowing. I thought Home Depot/Lowes would make a wonderful gift to the MIL since she's redoing her kitchen. QE said it's not a nice gift. WTF??? So now he can deal with his mother while I enjoy the holidays with my kitty cats.

Anxiously Happy

Thanksgiving will be upon us in mere weeks. WHERE HAS 2006 GONE????? I am quite excited about the holidays this year. We decided gifts this year will be gift cards. What a big stress off our shoulders! After knowing people for 10 years, it gets hard to think up imaginative, thoughtful and cool gifts. Gift cards to their favorite places should hopefully be welcomed by all. And if not, they can stick it up their arse. :)

The kids are getting a big cat tree from Santa Claws this year. We will get it from Pet Sage. They recently added a little girl to their family. And she is adorable. She is about six months old, tiny and very soft. Diva is truly the softest kitty ever. So beautiful. I nested right there in the store.

Finally, we decided we will put up a tree this year. We were living with my folks last year, so our tree was in storage. (Yes, we have a fake tree--why kill a tree for our selfish seasonal need???) And the year before that, we learned that Davis likes fake pine needles. He enjoys chewing and eating them. And then puking it back up. The ever-brilliant QE suggested we put the tree in the library where we can enjoy it through the closed glass doors. The kids will go nuts seeing that tempting tree and not being able to explore it. Davis' obsession is worse (and funnier!) than I thought. I had a wreath for the front door. Davis followed me throughout the house, head tilted up the whole time, eyes transfixed on that delish fake pine. I literally could not go more than one step away from him. I had to lock him in the powder room so I could go outside and hang up the wreath. That's our little Buddy!

The Junkie and The Enabler

Stash is good. Stash is love. Stash is bliss. QE is taking me to the yarn store tomorrow! He said he would wear a gray scarf if I made one for him. So we get to pick out yarn. YAY! There is something addictive about fondling beautiful yarn, carefully selecting glorious fibers and taking it home. A junkie buys yarn without knowing the project. Stash is fun. And can get expensive. As a notorious cheapskate, I experience turmoil at seeing all the glorious yarn and unwilling to part with my Washingtons (I never have cash, so me and Benjamin are strangers). Tomorrow, my goal is to buy yarn for QE's scarf and hopefully some sale yarn that will join my stash. QE is already talking about next year's Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. OH YEAH. First week in May. I am psyched already.

Rangers, Chicks, and Loyalty

QE put the kids in their room last night, thinking the doorbell and strangers at the door would scare them. The doorbell rang twice. Once (before I got home) for two young kids, a Power Ranger and a baby chick. The time it rang while I was home was a woman who was trying to get signatures and donations on a petition. Sneaky and conniving, going door to door on Halloween, knowing people would open their doors.

Good thing we didn't buy a lot of candy. I didn't think we'd get many visitors. We live on a hill and away from the center of the community, so from a kid's perspective (at least the smart ones), our street wouldn't be worth the effort. What really surprised me is that most of the homes on our street were fairly dark and unwelcoming. And they're the ones with kids themselves!

I spent all night doing work. When I let the kids out at 9:00, both loyally hung out in the office and kept me company. I went downstairs once for a drink of water and both trailed right behind me. Going back up to continue working, the kitties followed me back up. QE got jealous of my entourage. :) Those kitties are so darn cute and sweet. We really couldn't ask for better kids. Our four-legged children are a true blessing. In fact, I think Davis was a gift from God. A way for Him to let us know He loves us.

We adopted Davis the week before Thanksgiving 2002. He was sick and skinny. Those of you who have met Buddy know he's a big-framed cat. Long, lanky and lean. He weighed less than 10 pounds when we picked him up from the shelter. Crazy! With much love and nourishment, Davis gained some weight and shared Thanksgiving with us. Our new house felt like home with Davis in the family. Fast forward to Christmas 2005...we're living with my folks waiting for our new house to be built. Davis manages to go outside. We spent hours looking for him to no avail. Crying and heartbroken, I finally gave up after 11:00 p.m. Right before I went to bed, he stood outside crying. My boy was back. The best Christmas present ever. God answered my prayers.

Proud Momma!

Everyone thinks their kid is the cutest, smartest, most talented, etc. Well I know for sure that MY kid really is the cutest and she can kick your kid's ass too. :) Here is my princess Angel in the dress we bought her. She was very tolerant of it, despite it being a tad tight in the chest (looks like my girl takes after her momma and has an ample bosom). She did not cry once and just lounged around until I was drowning in guilt, let her out of the dress and showered her with treats. The dress looks really cute on a hanger too. Needless to say, I love Angel for putting up with all of my zany ideas.

Ann vs Jill

I discovered J.Jill recently. Thanks to a coupon in Martha Stewart Living, I decided to check out their website. The clothes are fairly expensive, but no more than Ann Taylor. Jill is owned by Talbots, so the style is more classic and refined than Ann. The best part is that Jill offers fat people friendly clothes too, so I know they don't shun people like me. The clothes are designed to flatter most figures, so I know they didn't design for a size 2 and increase it to make my size.

I ordered a necklace and it wasn't in my box. I called and they promptly shipped out another (already on its way!) That is customer service!

Beggars Can Be Choosers

We eat our meals on the family room coffee table, sitting on the floor. Angel knows when it's meal time and will follow us around. When we finally settle in, say grace and prepare to eat, she will sit next to me and stare. And headbutt quite forcefully. I'm afraid I have spoiled her, trained her, and otherwise positively reinforced that by begging, she may get some of mommy's yummy human food. Most of the time our meals are unfit for kitties since they include spices, onions, or other non-cat-friendly ingredients. That doesn't stop Princess Angel though. She demands to smell, inspect and otherwise see my food only to realize "Ick. I don't want this." I resume eating after my inspection but continue to get harassed because Angel is convinced that my food has changed and she wants some too! Round 2. Show Angel my food, she snubs, I eat. Round 3, repeat. Round 4: mom, I'm still here!!! Beggars CAN be choosers it seems.

Parenthood

It's no secret that I am nesting. QE predicted that I would nest years ago. His theory is that women in their early 30s get baby fever and there's nothing we can do about it. We may not all get preggers, but we will all hanker for a cute sweet-smelling bundle of baby. And given how everyone Frappie knows is either pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or recently birthed, I hear about so-and-so's pregnancy trials and tribulations. That makes me long for a cooing bundle of my own even more. Except that I'm smart enough to know that the last thing we need is a kid in our lives. I am curious about being pregnant. Ok, not really. :) But it would be neat to feel kicking from within my own body. (ahhh! I'm possessed by aliens!!!) We would need a nanny of course. And if we do not adopt, I expect a huge push present from QE for inflicting pain and torture on me. YOU DID THIS TO ME!

So what gives with all this baby talk? (come on, take a guess...) Yup, it has to do with our cats, aka our kids. We have to wipe Angel's girlie area on a regular basis since she can't reach. Last night, upon contact with a baby wipe, I got sprayed. With a black liquid. Luckily, most of it landed on my vanity. But a few drops did hit my arm. EW. I wiped Angel while QE held her, and then let her go. Totally grossed out, QE made liberal use of Lysol to clean up the poo juice. What's weird is that I did not touch Angel's butt, which may have caused an involuntary reflex (that's how momma cats litter box train kittens--momma licks kitten's butt while in the litter box to cause kitten to go potty). The good news is that Angel's girlie area was rather clean, so maybe she is starting to lose weight and can reach a little.

It also confirmed that parenthood isn't for us. More power to all you peeps happy to spawn. Go for it! I will play and love your baby until it decides to expel liquids or solids from any openings. One more thing. My MIL told us on our last visit that QE's nephew (age 6 or 7?) manipulated her. Justin had to go potty and told MIL that he couldn't wipe yet and made her wipe his ass. MIL knew he could take care of himself and chose not to. And his parents confirmed that Justin is fully capable of wiping his own nasty white ass. OMG I would have let him sit there. For hours if necessary.

Fired

My boss got fired yesterday.

Greener Grass

I've been at my current job/employer for six months. And I still miss my old employer, whom I gave eight years of my life. Do I want to go back? Not really. But I still miss my old bosses, the founders of the company. There was a time years ago that I hated them with every ounce of me. Have I matured and now see the err in my ways? Have they changed? Did leaving them open my eyes to how the real world sucks? I don't know. The bottom line is that the guys were good people and more importantly, good managers. Things have changed a lot at the company, including new management, so I am confident I do not wish I worked there. Having the same employer for eight years is bound to cause some heartache I suppose. It's like breaking up from a long-term relationship. It's for the best, but it still causes an emptiness in the heart. For one thing, those bellyaching employees at the company have NO IDEA how good they have it. Everyone has a window office. EXCELLENT benefits where the company paid 80% of insurance premiums with great coverage and a broad network. Casual dress--jeans every day! Were there bad parts to the company? Of course. But those memories tend to fade, leaving only the glory of the good times.

Fall has Fallen

Doesn't sound quite as good as Spring has Sprung. I was stalked all weekend by a blue-eyed circulation-stopper who has a knack for ensuring I am in the most uncomfortable state possible. The colder weather has certainly triggered the snuggle instinct in Angel. She slept with me all of last night. Her new trick is to hop into bed and step on my hair and pull it to a point of inflicting pain. Once she knows I am awake, she will lay on my hair and scoot as close to my head as possible, with her rump in my face of course. Last night, I decided not to fight her and conceded my pillow to her. I slept on another pillow below hers. Angel spent the whole night on my pillow. It was nice to be reunited after a hot summer where QE and I had the bed to ourselves.

Went dress shopping with Frappie on Saturday. I am proud to say that I picked out the dress she ended up ordering. :) She looked good in all of the gowns.

Mixed Veggies

Picovoli is almost done for the second time. Perfect length. Hopefully it won't stretch too much! We're seeing Frappie again today. Maybe I'll have it done in time to wear it! Zoo pics are finally uploaded. Went to get the kitties' food yesterday and we had a welcoming committee who provided personal recommendations on their favorite foods. One salesguy also showed us which perch and cat tree was his favorite. I loved the personal touch! :) QE said we could get the kids a cat tree for Christmas. Looks like Santa Claws thinks our kids have been good little kitties. After last year's incident with Davis getting lost, I would do and pay anything to keep my precious furry bundles safe and happy. Gotta go finish knitting.

Picovoli Finished, sort of

I finished my shirt/sweater last night. It looks great except it's too short. I think that it turned out exactly like the pattern, but it still hits too high on the hip for my liking. So now I have to un-bind off, rip out the seed stitch hem, and continue knitting in stockinette for a few more rounds. The hem is supposed to be in stockinette too, but the seed stitch looks really nice. :)

I think I will cheat and instead of un-knitting each stitch for five rows, I will use the SnB method and weave a needle into where I want to rip, snip the work loose and rip away until I reach the needle. Much easier I think. It will have to wait until this weekend because it's too much pressure for the train ride. And it will definitely take more than an hour to undo what I want. But I still like my picovoli.

11 Years of Bliss

QE and I celebrated 11 years together on Friday. To humor me, he took me to the zoo. What fun! I will upload pics on Flickr when I get a chance. My boy Tai Shan was in a willow tree sleeping, so I had to find a new best friend. Mei Xiang was sleeping sitting up, with her head resting on a rock, just like kids sleeping in class on their desk. Tian Tian was sleeping in his grotto for a while and moved elsewhere when we went back. Highlights were watching the staff feed a cheetah (daddy of cubs) because he wasn't happy about the change in his diet. They were concerned about how much he was eating, so handfeeding him was the only way to ensure he was eating everything. He was up close too! So awesome. When he was done eating (note that he wasn't FINISHED with his meal, he was just done), he meowed once and walked away. The staff called him and he ignored them. Typical cat! We also saw...meerkats!!!! in the small mammal house. They are the cutest little creatures! QE's little friend was running back and forth like he was on speed or something. A few of them stood on their hind legs. They are just as cute in person as on TV. Furry little faces, cute little feet. There was a momma in the back nursing her cubs. We also saw a momma tiger and her three cubs. Two were napping peacefully while a third kept trying to pounce on mom. He was hilarious. I managed to capture one pounce on video. Mom would be lounging while junior stalked her. His paws were huge, much too big for his body. While we watched the tigers, the staff clanged some metal pans together indoors, signaling meal time. Momma tiger promptly got up and trotted indoors for her meal. Again, so housecat like it was hilarious. We encountered several herds of field tripping kids. OMG There's nothing like the sound of 15+ kids screaming, squealing and running everywhere. We promptly left every time a herd approached. And we always knew when an exhibit had something cool because those shrill voices would pierce the peaceful morning air.

As my sugar daddy, QE bought me a Tai Shan plush doll. He's so cute. And he goes perfectly with the big Mei Xiang plush I bought on our last visit. Maybe that's why QE doesn't take me to the zoo often! One other cool thing was buying ice cream from a vending machine. Some kid asked for ice cream while mom said it was too cold and they weren't selling ice cream. All while QE and I were buying ice cream and watched the cool contraption that stores and dispenses ice cream. Ice cream before 11 a.m. rocks. Especially when all the kids were jealous. HA!

Beary Crazy!

I must be nuts. I am hankering to make another baby bobbi bear. Despite all my grumblings about Latte's bear, I want to make a third. For whom? No idea. WHY? No clue. I enjoyed making everything except the head. Latte's turned out really nice with the alpaca yarn. Having an unstuffed body dangling off my needles is really cute. Oy. NOT a reason to make another! Must keep telling myself that. Seeing how happy Latte was about the bear dissolved all my frustrations. And he does look much cuter with ears and a face. :) Maybe Latte's bear needs his own teddy bear. A smaller one, maybe in a fine chenille or a rustic cotton. I'm thinking a simplified pattern using lightweight yarn. Ooooh!

Picovoli

Making good progress on my Picovoli shirt. I tried it on last night and it seems snug/fitted, so that's a good thing. I was going to do four short rows and ended up ripping it all out because I realized 1) I need more of them 2) I should have inserted my right needle purlwise for all wraps, regardless of if I am knitting or purling. I decided I will do about 12-14 short rows, making it worthwhile (i.e. it will actually make the boob area roomy). But if it's supposed to be fitted, maybe I don't want too much room, lest I have poopie boobage.

It was nice trying it on. Made all my work worthwhile.

Weekend

We are Border Rewards junkies. Specifically, we are BR coupon addicts. Borders sends us coupons weekly and we love using them. So much so that we tend not to buy anything, or save our purchases for a future date, until we have a coupon. Oh dear. Yesterday's purchase was our first non-coupon transaction in months.

Last night, we had dinner with Frappie, Latte, and Mark. Delish. We also met Fluffypants for the first time. She is such a cutie. The coloring on her hind legs really looks like she's wearing pants. And her fur is so soft and fluffy. I especially love how she will lay flat on her back with her paws in the air and snowy white belly exposed. What a cutie pie. Roary was much smaller than I remembered. She's tiny but definitely in charge of the house. She marched around like a security guard while we hung out. Moe is well, Moe. :) He does not seem as pudgy as he looks in pics. Maybe the camera really does add 10 pounds!

I found the perfect book for Latte's bday. It was a gift from my kitties to her. Stuff on My Cat started as a website and has clearly gained popularity. She was cracking up at the pictures, just as I was. Nobody else seemed to enjoy the pictures as much as we did. Old farts don't know funny when they see it. :) We also gave her that stupid bear who tormented me for months. He looks much cuter with a face and ears. Latte seemed to really love him, which is nice. It makes all my torture worthwhile. The head doesn't look as bad when it got a face. Whew.

We got home pretty late last night, after 1 a.m. I gave the kids some kibble in hopes the snack would delay their wakeup call. No such luck. Davis was annoying the crap out of me beginning at 6:30. Fine. I fed them. Except Davis was starving because he snubbed his food. So he was relentless in bugging me. I resorted to closing the bedroom door, which led to scratching sounds on the door. Finally giving up, I got out of bed, opened the door and found our Buddy waiting for me. Oy.

Short Rows

I am working on Picovoli and can't decide if I need short rows. Consensus seems to be that even busty girls may not need it since the shirt seems to fit well. I am using DB Cathay as recommended in the pattern. While others are using the same yarn, there's a good portion of people who used Knit Picks' Shine. Since my obsession with short rows began earlier this week, I have actually noticed how I tug on the front of many of my tops since they seem to ride up. I think I need short rows. The girls want short rows. Now I need to figure out the optimal placement. I probably won't do as many as dicated by my girls--just a few methinks.

One True BFF

The QE and I will be celebrating 11 years together next week. Yup, 11 years. It feels like my life didn't begin until the day I met him. We essentially grew up together, from college kids to "real" adults with a mortgage and full-time jobs. QE is the balance in my life. My sanctuary of peace. From day 1, he has brought this calm to me. Being near him dissolves all my worries, stress, fear, and anxiety. I knew from our first date that he was THE ONE. I didn't want to admit it, but I definitely thought and felt it. His flair for design, color and symmetry still awes me because I suck at those things. He is the best shopping buddy around and is responsible for most of my wardrobe. My QE takes great care of me. I am truly blessed to have him in my life.

Motherhood

My sweet Gemma is a mom. There is a woman who feeds cats in the train parking lot and I ran into her yesterday. She knew about Gemma and said she likes to hang around the train tracks. The woman said Gemma is a mom to three kittens, two boys and a girl. The daughter was hanging around because she was hungry, and she looks just like her mom! Adorable. So my dear Gemma is getting fed. She's obviously not spayed. I'm not sure I like this. Well-nourished cats tend to have larger litters, which obviously defeats the work and purpose of rescues. This woman said she has humane traps but is afraid to use them (other cats will see their friends getting trapped and won't go in). Well, isn't neutering even five cats better than none? I told the woman that I was able to pick up Gemma, so getting her to the vet shouldn't be an issue. And that I would be more than happy to pay for the spay. Gemma's kittens look almost old enough to be parents themselves, so I hope some vet visits will take place amidst all this feeding. It's actually quite irresponsible of that woman to feed the cats. They are learning to depend on humans and losing their hunting instinct. And by feeding them, the kitties are healthy, strong, and robust in their breeding.

I still love Gemma. Maybe if I open my car door they will all pile into my car for a trip to the vet. :) "Come on kittens! This lady is taking us to the vet!"

Diamond in the Rough

I was waiting at the train station as usual, before daybreak. As I was knitting, I thought I heard an unusual sound. Hm, no matter. Back to knitting. Next thing I know, there's something furry rubbing against my legs and a loud "ra-ow!". Sitting before me was a black and white kitty with green eyes. Raow! We started talking. What are you doing here? Raow! Shouldn't you be afraid of humans? Not all humans are nice, you know. Raow! Raow! I put my knitting in my bag and my bag on the ground. She immediately went to my bag, got on her hind legs and peeked in my bag. My, aren't we brave and outgoing. I brought salmon for lunch and thought maybe she smelled it. I shared a bit of my salmon, some crackers and some cheese with her. Gem wasn't interested in any of it. All she wanted was attention. She kept raowing and rubbing against everyone, in hopes of getting attention and affection. Some mean woman goes Ugh, I hate cats. So I did kissy noises and sure enough, Gem came. She comes when called!!!! Our kids don't even do that!!! I told Gem again that she needs to be careful. She is so outgoing and trusting. I am concerned for her well-being and safety. Hopefully people who don't like cats will ignore her and not kick her or anything. I picked her up. Yup, she let me pick her up. As QE eagerly pointed out, "someone" we've been with for almost four years still won't let us pick him up. Gem looked right into my eyes and headbutted me endlessly. She showed us her belly. White belly with black markings. She was relentless in her affection. Train was coming. I scooped her up again and carried her to a grassy patch where I gave her a few last words about being careful and I hope to see her again. She sat there as the train arrived and people boarded. I kept looking back at her and she sat there, watching. One guy got off the train and headed towards her (the bike rack) and she immediately tried to befriend him. As much as I could see, he ignored her. I really hope someone takes her in. She's too friendly and outgoing to be exposed to all the evils of the world. QE said we can't keep her. She has cute little white paws, black legs, and I think an extra finger on her paw. Adorable. I will happily sponsor Gem and get her initial vet stuff done if someone would give her a loving home. She's such a sweetie. Gem the lovebug. I can't stop thinking about her and her little raow. Maybe if she's there tonight I'll bring her home. It has to be fate, right?

Take this J-O-B

So the other day at work, I was on the phone with my beloved QE. Blah blah, chit chat.

ME: Guess what?
QE: What's that honey?
ME (excitedly yelling): The Mega Employment comes out this Sunday!!!!

HR is across from my office. Their office goes quiet. Ooops! LOL

Our pudding is 9 years and 1 week old today. She's a cranky old coot, but still purrs when I hold her. I love to hold her over my shoulder like a baby and rest my head on her shoulder. She smells so nice and is so soft. The world is a-okay when I nestle into her shoulder. sigh. :)

Apple of My Eye

Mini me, you complete me.

I haven't had much time to tinker around with the mini, and it's taking a while to adjust to new settings and methods of doing things. It's so darn cute though!

Angel had a good birthday, I think. QE said he sang Happy Birthday to her during the day. He went to the store looking for mini cupcakes but none were to be found. Instead, he picked up the next best thing, Oreos. After dinner, we called her downstairs to the main level by rustling the Oreo package and as she sloooowly came down the stairs, we sang to her again. Unimpressed, Angel made it very clear that it was her birthday and she wanted some Oreos already! We gave her crumbled cookies and she probably ate the equivalent of a quarter of a chocolate wafer.

Happy Birthday Angel!

Oh my pretty blue eyed girl
You are my little choux
I love your pretty head
And your snowy belly
Your beautiful voice
And sassy attitude
You are the perfect package

Happy birthday, my precious princess!

September 1. What a great day. My first Cabbage Patch Kid's bday was September 1 too. Everyone who knows us knows that our furry kids consume our lives and hearts. Our worlds revolve around them. Angel was my first love. My first furry friend. And boy did she train me! Despite her cattitude, she's a wonderful little girl. Her momma cat must have been a great girl herself to have taught our sweet Angel how to be a good kittycat. It seems like only yesterday that we met Angel at an animal rescue adoption fair. She was crying relentlessly in her carrier until her foster mom took her out to meet the world. Those blue eyes and meezer voice captivated everyone there. We were there to see another cat but couldn't take our eyes or attention off Angel (how could we, with all the crying?!). QE fell in love with her "cute paws". Yes, that was the deciding factor--cute paws. Every day I celebrate Angel in our lives. She is an absolute delight and has such a colorful purrsonality. I can't believe our little princess is 9! May she live a long and happy life.

Excitement Everywhere

Well, Frappie got engaged over the weekend. It sounds weird just SAYING that! How exciting though! I had a feeling it was going to happen when she said they were taking a long weekend. I knew about the ring for at least a few weeks, and it was hard to keep it a secret, so I avoided all talk about love, relationships, marriage, etc. at any cost. :) I knew I wouldn't actually SAY anything to Frappie, but why torture myself when I was already busting at the seams, right?

Fantasy football is about to start! The league was established, and most of our crew has already signed up. The format changed again, and I'm not too keen about it, but football is back!!!! QE was laughing at me for several weeks because I was getting pissy at how long it took for the site to get its act together. I mean, how long does it take to activate the season, people?! Geez. :)

Lastly, I'm still reveling in last weekend's concert. I should have screamed more.

Afterglow

Yes, I am still enjoying the afterglow from our concert. I had a really good time with QE. Even though he kept his arms folded and crossed through much of the Goo's show. Ah, reminds me of Vegas... :)

We had lunch at Mike's American on Sunday. As expected, the food was delish. Excellent service too. All was good til we saw something nobody wants to see in a restaurant. (good thing it was after we finished our meals!) We promptly told our server, who told someone else (floor manager?). The guy came by to apologize and offered to seat us elsewhere. No matter, we just wanted them to know about the situation. Then, the big cheese manager came, apologized again, comped our meal, and asked us to provide contact info so HQ could contact us. Holy cow. We really didn't expect anything, not even dessert, so a free meal was nuts. I guess that's why GAR is such a kickass awesome chain--they hire the best in the business and go out of their way to ensure customer satisfaction. We really just wanted to let them know. End of story.

My only wish is that they would diversify their menu selections from one restaurant to the next. Places like Silverado and Sweetwater Tavern (more rustic, steakhouse themed imo) shouldn't have the same food as Carlyle, their flagship. And Coastal Flats should focus more on seafood. The food is consistently awesome, regardless of the restaurant. May they live long and prosper.

I WANNA WAKE UP WHERE YOU ARE

What a weekend! The concert was awesome, even beyond my expectations. Since we didn't have the excitement build-up that comes from buying tickets months in advance, the anticipation and exhilaration was compacted into mere hours. Eliot Morris opened the night and was quite good. Adam D. of the Crows came out, looking rather frumpy, and introduced Eliot as a good friend, hope we like him, etc. We thought that was a nice touch. Eliot worked hard at the concert--he was at a merchandise booth signing CDs for people who purchased his album. Really nice guy. Totally approachable, seemed humbled by the experience. I hope he does well in his career.

The Goo Goo Dolls were fantastic. The attandance seemed to sway more towards older people vs the young teeny boppers. As such, all the old farts had no idea what the Goos were performing except the popular Iris, Name, and Slide. What a disgrace. They should have been sitting on the lawn drinking their pretentious chardonnays or something. I was the only one--ONLY ONE--jumping, screaming, and singing. Sigh...the life of a Goo fan is a lonely one. :)

My beloved QE's face lit up when the Counting Crows went on stage. It was really cool to see my hubby enjoying himself. Adam is funny as anything! "ok, this next song is f'n depressing, but I hope you love it anyway" or "wait, I have the wrong chord" or stalling because the guitarist wasn't ready. Or making us sing Happy Bday to Dan because we didn't participate the first time, and threatened to make us sing it again.

Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows. What an awesome billing. QE and I both got to see our favorite bands, the only band we'd want to see live.

I'll Stay With You

Walls will fall before we do...take my hand...

Tomorrow is the Goo Goo Dolls/Counting Crows concert. I love the Goos, QE loves the Crows...what could be better right? I've been lamenting about how it's at the po dunk Nissan Pavilion. Well, now I finally understand why Em procrastinates and is late everywhere. Apparently it gets rewarded with section 101 seats!!!! Yup. We didn't pay to join either band's fan club, so we couldn't participate in the internet presale. Knowing that, it wasn't worth my effort to get crappy seats, and definitely not lawn! So I've been trying to justify why we didn't, SHOULDN'T, go to the concert. I decided to look at what seats were available just for kicks. A few days ago, best available seats were in section 301. It's Friday, during the 4 PM hour that I decided to look again. Well whadda ya know...section 101!!!! Ok, so it's not front row, but not to shabby, eh? Called the dear hubby with the exciting news. "Honey, I told you I'd take you" note that he didn't say Yeah! Let's go! Good score on the tix! See, my dear QE hates crowds, hates concerts, and hates how the Crows artistically alter (i.e. butcher) their songs during concerts. But he's taking me anyway. Sigh. That is true love, my friends. Now I just hope that my precious Goos are the headlining act and not the loser Crows. :) QE has only been to one other Goo concert and he vowed it would be the last. This one will be the last. I promise.

True Love?

QE told me that the kids were in a constant state of unrest last night. They usually settle into one room on the main level of the house and lounge there until we go upstairs for bed. Last night, both Angel and Davis went from room to room, never settling in anywhere. QE thinks it's because they missed me and were looking for me. Sigh. Maybe they do love me after all.

Homesick

I miss my kids. I am mentally and physically drained from work. Churning out proposals less than a week apart is starting to wear on me, and we still have two to go! I left the house at 5:40 this morning. Most people aren't even out of bed at that time. Thankfully Davis cooperated and ate his breakfast with minimal fuss. He won't eat unless I sit with him in his room. Angel won't eat canned food until she knows there's no chance of getting kibble. She started sleeping with us again, so it's nice to wake up in the middle of the night and being able reach for her soft little feet. Buddy misses boobie time but I never sit still long enough for him to lay on me. Maybe tonight. I don't know how parents juggle family and work. Although most get to duck out early or work from home, a priviledge us non-parents don't have without getting grief from bosses or coworkers. Maybe not having kids means we don't have a real family.

Our New Arrival

QE and I would like to take a moment to welcome the newest addition to our family. We couldn't have asked for a cuter fellow. Yes, our mini mac arrived today, earlier than scheduled. QE says it's tiny, even smaller than our computer speakers (those JBL ghost looking things). I will post pics of our new cutie soon.

I Need a Baby

Babies are so cute and so soft. And they smell so good when they are clean. Newborns weigh next to nothing. It's a total miracle how something so precious is derived from two cells. What could possibly define perfection like a baby? A baby with knitted booties. I need babies to knit for. I want to knit cute booties, jumpers and hats. I want to dress babies in tiny little sweaters. I need a baby. Or two. Or ten.

Losing Everything

I took Friday off from work to spend some quality time with the QE. We did a day trip to Atlantic City. The drive wasn't too bad. Parked at the Taj Mahal. $10 for parking because we didn't have their stupid club card prior to entering. I would have pimped out my info and gotten a card once we arrived, but nooooo....Trump's other casino allowed us to show the card and pay upon exit. No wonder that ass is a gazillionaire. We spent the whole day at Taj. I wouldn't say NEVER again, but ACY is like the Wal-Mart of casinos--I'd rather not go. It was smelly, smoky, and full of old people, many with canes, walkers, wheelchairs, a few oxygen tanks. Good to know our Medicare checks are being put to good use. Now I know why I get taxed on my hard earned dollars--so these crusty old people can gamble it all away.
We ate at Hard Rock Cafe. Service was good but the food was only ok. In all, I lost $80. QE won $50+ on $10. $80 doesn't sound like a lot, but that tightwad Trump did not let me win very frequently. I don't need to profit from the trip, but one "win" every 20 slot pulls would have been enough positive reinforcement for me to keep playing. I lost $20 in about 20 minutes. On the penny slots. Betting $.03 per pull. That's ridiculous.

I went to Jenny's baby shower on Saturday. I have never seen so many kids in one place. WTF. What's with these kid factories???? I befriended twin one-year old girls. They both took a liking to me. As I was ready to leave, she wanted me to hold her, so I did. I tried to explain I needed to go bye-bye and she responded by plopping her head on my shoulder and snuggling into me. Speaking to kids is very similar to speaking to cats. That cutesy wootsey voice is what gets their attention. So these girls are one-year old. And became a big sister that very morning. Mom gave birth to another baby girl. So she now has twin babies AND a newborn. That husband should pay for doing that to the poor woman! Jenny made out with lots of loot. The baby can go at least a few months of wearing new clothes without ever duplicating outfits.

The highlight of our weekend was our hard drive frying. I turned on the computer to get directions to Jenny's shower and it wouldn't boot. Tried five times. QE used the recovery disks and had to reinstall Office, our internet SW and everything else. He lost all of his school work. And we lost all of our digital pictures. In addition to cat pics (which didn't bother me too much since we can always take more pics of our cuties), we lost our house photos. All the weekly trips and pictures of our house as it was getting built is gone. I have some of the nicer pics in Yahoo and Flickr, but I lost at least half of my pics. And the ones published aren't the full sized pics. We are very upset about losing our photos.

Personality Disorder

I took the Myers-Briggs test as part of a work training thing. I've taken it once before, in high school, but forgot my results. I am ISFJ. Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging. The F is barely registering, at a 6 on a 30 point scale. I thought I would be Thinking (logical) instead. I think I was a T in high school. I knew I was an introvert who liked the facts (sensing) and structure (judging). I was the only introvert in the session! That's what I get for working in my company's industry I suppose. But all the J's agreed that if it's not in our plans, we'd rather not do something spur of the moment. And because we're all planners, it drives us crazy when people are late. We planned everything to time perfectly! :)

The Metro ride in was interesting this morning. The whole train was empty and we started to wonder why. Too good to be true!!! The moment we stepped into the cars, we knew. No AC. And in addition to no air conditioning, it felt like the train was baking in the sun all day (even though it was morning). So the train is literally empty. I decide to tough it out and took a seat. Had to get to work on time and all. What do you know...some white chick decides to sit next to me. I turn around and see at least 10 rows, not seats, ROWS that were vacant. And this stupid white girl has to sit next to me. WTF. I wanted to smack the white out of her. Geesh, QE, control your people! hahahah!

It's Natural!

This is from Frappie. So weird, yet so darn cool and fascinating. So weird!!!!

http://shop.kissochbajs.com/shopfront.asp

I can always count on Frappie to share unusual and offbeat stuff. :) Thanks Frappie!

Mixed Veggies

Angel has taken a liking to our shower. Every morning, we have the same ritual: she gets into the shower stall, I pour a few cups of water in the stall, and she sits there watching the water trickle down the drain as I brush my teeth. I have a hard time getting her out of the shower (read: she won't budge) so I resort to turning on the shower a tiny bit so drops of water drip out of the showerhead. Only then will Angel leave her sanctuary and with a catitude of indignation. She scurries back into the shower after I get out and lingers in there.

We met up with Dad yesterday and had pho. Yum. Dad took us to a different place, a shop that Mom doesn't like. They were skimpy on the beef, but the noodles and soup had a better flavor. Dad then took us to Great Wall, a new Asian supermarket in Merrifield. It was nice. Clean, big, bright, and everyone was much nicer than at those Korean markets. We left Great Wall without any bruises, evil stares or rude snorts like we get at those Korean joints. Wonder who will get my money... There were lots of live animals and critters there, including a bin of frogs. Yikes. Poor little froggies. I swear they looked sad and scared, huddled together in a corner, unflinching when someone tapped on the case. There's something barbaric about condemning a fellow Earth inhabitant to death so you can eat him. I am not a vegetarian, but I am seriously considering becoming one. Animal death seems less real when I see a package of animal flesh without a face. To pick out one fish, frog, or lobster. To PICK HIM OUT as if to say, "yep, that's the one who will die for me" just seems cruel. Dad was proud to point out the fish (live tilapia) he usually buys when he cooks for us. While it's always delish, all I felt was guilt for eating one of their relatives. It didn't seem that the store cared for the critters (it would eat into the profit margin), so I assumed that the animals weren't fed and certainly weren't in an ideal holding tank. What a way to die. Hungry, scared, and in a dirty pen shared with your fellow prisoners, just waiting for some human to pick you out so you can die and show up on tonight's menu. How does that differ from the fish filets, steaks, and chicken breasts that I eat? I don't know. Those animals died for me too. But I didn't meet them, see their faces, and select the one who would be sentenced to death. Oh. I also found out that while "normal" cows get stunned prior to getting killed, kosher cows get their throats slit by a Jewish rabbi while it is still alive and conscious. And apparently the cow doesn't die immediately. The reporter said that the cows are visibly upset and in pain (duh) as blood drains out of their throat. Seriously, this is enough to make me want to become vegetarian. In addition to sparing the animals and clearing my conscience, it's probably a healthier way of living. No hormone-fed animals, no making the animals become cannibals. When turkeys die at the farm (per Dirty Jobs, about 30 die daily at the farm), they are ground up and mixed back into the turkey's feed. EW. No making vegetarians (cows) eat meat by products--which is one way mad cow disease is spread. Those hormones are probably what contributes to our chunky state of being and children reaching puberty at an earlier age. While ages 12-14 used to be the norm, now kids as early as age 9 or 10 hit puberty. These poor kids don't even know what's going on with their bodies!!! The reality is, I don't think I will stop eating animal flesh. But I will and should make an effort to consume animals that were treated nicely at the farm.

We also met up with QE's brother, the baby's momma, and son. The son J is six going on seven. Holy crap, where has time gone???? It seemed like just two years ago that J was a baby and peed on me as I held his newborn ass! He's cute. And loud. And active. His energy is endless. He seems smart enough and is quite articulate. No baby talk, no baby voice. I can't stand that. If you're potty trained, you're old enough to quit the cutesy wootsy baby talk voice. Not being around kids, I was surprised that I never had to say "what did he just say?" to his parents because I couldn't understand him. He has the creamiest, smoothest skin despite being so active. I expected to see scrapes and scars on his arms and whatnot, but even his little hands were perfectly creamy white with a hint of healthy pink.

I Love New York

Well, not exactly. My flight on US Airways was great. I even got on an earlier flight home. New York itself was ok. I didn't spend much time there. Can't understand a thing the cabbies say and they drive so darn fast! The roads (lanes) seem narrower than ours--a few times I thought we were going to get hit because the cars are so close to each other. The buildings are huge and beautiful. But from the street level, everything is so dull and rundown looking. Pedestrians clearly own the road and cross during "Don't Walk" and jaywalk like they want to get run over. I also witnessed a major honking fest when a few cars blocked the intersection. I saw the Waldorf Astoria. Again, it looked dingy and not the dreamy heaven I expected. I would be interested in going back and exploring NY, but maybe with a "tour guide" friend who could lead us to interesting stuff. Someone who could show us what may strike our fancy and not necessarily what they like. QE and I are all about the food. Yum. Food.

I am a ho

I got pimped out by my company to attend a loser half-day meeting in NYC. Not related to anything I do, but they need someone to represent. What a crock. The meeting starts at 8:30. Which means I'll be on the 6 a.m. flight and I will be leaving the house in the middle of the night. It's great for all the fatcats who fly up the night before and whatnot, but that's not my style. All this crap for a HALF DAY meeting. How much is this going to cost our stockholders? Way too much. There will be 30-50 people there, and assuming half need to travel...plus our labor costs and loss in productivity and...yeah. You want networking too? Here, I'll shove my business card up your ass. How's that for networking?

Despite being the company ho, QE has 99 problems but hopefully I ain't one.

Grilling Guru

There's something about starting a fire and cooking your food over an open flame that's really cool. QE bought Cowboy Charcoal (aka hippie charcoal) that looked like blackened pieces of wood instead of the chemically treated briquets used by most people. It's supposed to be easier to start, last longer, burn hotter, etc. The best part was that our food didn't have that off taste to it. The fire was hard to start thanks to a breeze that swept through every time I lit a match. And we didn't have that charcoal chimney thing. It took a long time to get the flame going, but that was due to me not using enough hippie charcoal I think. When it did get going, the coals looked beautiful. The highlight of my grilling was the corn husks catching fire, despite me soaking the corn for an hour. Hilarious. "My corn is on fire! My corn is on fire!"

Yay Me!

YAY! It's Friday! The wonderful QE made me a quad iced americano with no extra water. SO FREAKIN GOOD. What I want to know is how a desk monkey can make a kickass awesome coffee but baristas, people who make coffee for a living, can't. I still love Starbucks, but the DC stores run around like idiots in the morning. You're lucky if you get the drink in the size you ordered.

Last night, Davis snuggled on me again. He clearly misses spending time with me. It's not like I've been away or anything, but I guess he needs his bonding time. My legs were propped up on pillows while sitting on the sofa. He came over to lay on me. How cute. Then he managed to position himself so that he mimicked the V shape of my body and legs. It was perfect for him to nestle his head right between my boobs and on my chest. He looked like a newborn laying on the chest of whoever was holding the baby. He started to sleep this way while drooling and purring. I was so touched by the way he looked that I stopped reading the newspaper just to look at him. He loves to climb high on my chest despite me sitting up. Davis definitely knows how to charm me. My little baby will never grow up to be a toddler or kid. How perfect. Too bad my baby will nip and chomp at me too. :)

Brain Vomit

Aye. First of all, I want to know how people, companies, ANYONE can in good conscience make a bad cup of coffee. Although I am a coffee snob and only appreciate the beauty of Starbucks, I will drink other stuff if necessary. I like frou frou flavors too. But just because the coffee is flavored doesn't mean it has to taste like brown water. Where's the body and texture???

I was thinking of braving the heat for a cup of glorious Starbucks earlier this week, and grabbing a snack too. Nerd that I am, I had to look at the nutrition info for their pastries. Holy crap. Nothing had less than 13 grams of fat and/or 400 calories. For those numbers, I can eat a bag of peanut M&Ms! And I sure did! Dang they were good too. My peanut M&M addiction is worse than any other...one pack every day (ok, averages to one pack a day since I had two on Monday and won't have any today) probably offsets all the exercising I've been doing. Who knew I still had ab muscles???

The boucle yarn I am using for the bunny blanket is driving me nuts. It looks so nice, but I hate boucle. It's hard to knit because I can't see clearly what I am doing. So I end up ripping rows more frequently than I should for such an easy project.

I woke up to see Buddy curled up under the bedroom window on my side of the bed. He was tucked between the wall and my nightstand. He's so cute. He seems sad lately, but I don't know why. I need to pay more attention to him. I have a 10% off everything coupon for Petco and want to buy the kids a bigger perch thing. Evil dad says no, they don't need any more furniture since everything we have is their furniture.

Looking forward to firing up the barbie this weekend. We finally got a Weber charcoal grill. Gas grills are for wimps.

Bunny Love

What a weekend. Nothing exciting happened, but I had fun anyway. I spoke to Jenny, and bought lots of stuff for her baby shower. It was so fun buying stuff off their registry. Apparently Frankie scanned everything in every aisle when Jenny wasn't looking. How awesome. My favorite item was a pink bunny in a white bathrobe and white bunny slippers. So cute. I think I may keep him for myself! :) I finished Latte's bear, sort of. I'm starting to hate that thing. It called for three skeins of yarn. Fine. I used slightly smaller needles, so the bear should have been a bit smaller than the pattern. So why did I run out of yarn??? I have enough to attach the ears, but that's it. There's still a hole in the crotch and I need to define the neck. I will have to get another skein to finish it up, assuming the same dye lot is still available. Not exactly thrilled at spending yet another $6 just for a yard of yarn. What a crock. And his stupid head looks really big. The pattern tormented me once, so I don't know why I decided to make it again. Argh. I am now focusing on a bunny blanket buddy pattern by Lion Brand yarn. It's one of those baby blankets with a doll head so it's a quasi doll-blanket mutant. It's for Jenny's baby girl. Have I said how excited I am she's having a girl???

My New Doggie and Money

We have come to discover that Davis is part dog. Ever loyal, he is the only one that is guaranteed to greet me at the door. Angel will slowly mosey over if she feels like it. QE will come eventually, depending on what he was doing before I got home. But Davis, he's always there. I walk in the door, and his gray face is peeking from the dining room, waiting for his head rubs.

Our little boy managed to catch a fly and proceeded to eat it, then spit it out. Gross. I'm impressed he caught a fly though. He needs more room to run around. I guess that's why he likes the basement. I really want to quit my job and just spend time with the kids. Why couldn't I have a rich dead relative who gave me some of their wealth? Why didn't I marry some millionaire's son? Or maybe, we should quit paying taxes that subsidize all the bums out there. That would mean a bigger paycheck, which means I don't need to work so much to get the same take home pay.

QE says I am unsympathetic. No, I understand some people hit rough times. Great, we'll help you out. That's what makes America so great, right? But the lifelong welfare recipients, the Medicare/Medicaid assistance to immigrants who have never worked a day in the US don't deserve government subsidies. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-immigrant. I am anti-moochers. Citizen or immigrant, if you don't work and contribute to society and taxes, you have no right receiving benefits from the system. And these old people now who drain our system...knowing that I will never get Medicare but I have to dump all my money into the system just pisses me off. These people have taken way more than they ever put in. Does grandma really need to take 10 medications for her heart, blood pressure, kidney, liver, cholesterol, big toe, and every other ailment? How about reducing sodium, fat and sugar intake, eh???? Does grandpa really need Viagra? Dude, if ya can't get it up, it must mean your body can't handle it. Thanks to his recreational activities, he needs to take heart and blood pressure meds because the Viagra-induced excitement leads to difficulty breathing. WTF.

Commentators

QE saved himself by posting one comment. I want to see more commenting, but for now, he is safe. Because I only have one sibling, I am allowing Simon a one-time only grace period. This is the kind picture. Next time, I will not be so kind.

In other news, well, there is no other news. I got invited to Jenny's baby shower, so that's neat. She's having a girl. My favorite band, Goo Goo Dolls, will be here for a concert in August. I am not going because it's at Nissan and in addition to hating their crappy wannabe cars, it's in BFE and not worth the hassle. Plus the nasty August heat and humidity isn't making me want to go. Besides, the Crapping Crows are supposedly the headlining act. It's mostly the heat and location though. We thought about going to see them in Hershey, PA, but Hershey Hotel is like $400+/night. WTF. It's HERSHEY! I'll take Vegas any time.

Finance Goo

Helped QE with his finance "quiz" last night. It was more like a full blown exam. Instructor said it wasn't timed and the system wouldn't kick him out unless he was idle (i.e. didn't answer any questions) for 90 minutes. Well, the system submitted his "quiz" after 90 minutes. He got a 40. Yup. 40. As part of this "quiz", he had to submit his backup work in excel, so the instructor could award partial credit. QE spent quite a while structuring his spreadsheet, copying questions/answers (multiple choice), which left him less time to actually take the test. So after he got his score, we continued to solve the problems. Hopefully the instructor will review the backup spreadsheet and see that QE could have completed the test if given the time. He gets full blown panic attacks during these weekly tests, and I must say I would too. Of course, it would help a lot if QE knew that the debt ratio was liabilities/assets and not the other way around. Copying formulas down correctly would do wonders in getting the right answer. His other 'flaw' was instead of linking to the given information, he would type it in, which leads to more room for errors and typos, especially if one is already freaking out and panicking. And rather than using trial and error to get the answers for ratios, the Goal Seek function in excel would simplify things. The less typing and the more formulas/links he uses, the less likely there will be mistakes. He sort of listened to me. Maybe next week he will follow my advice more.

These tests are actually kind of neat. I enjoy working on the problems with QE. It's sort of like marital therapy. We're solving problems as a team. He's not stupid by any standard. He just panics and then loses all sensibility. If he calms down, he knows how to think things through and can get the right answers. The grunting, slamming, and profanity does nothing except scare the cats and further fluster him. Again though, he waited for over 80 minutes before asking me for help. This is a master's program. Certainly the problems aren't going to be plug-and-chug, where they give you the formula you need and all the elements of the formula. They expect students to take things a few steps further, and possibly research things, before being able to solve the problems. QE doesn't seem to accept that. Last night's quiz was way easier than my CMA exam, for sure. At least his was open book. Math isn't his forte, so I am proud of him. Heck, for a guy who doesn't know how to balance a checkbook, taking a graduate finance class must be like me trying to be a size 2. Impossible.

Motherhood

It's official. I am not ready for motherhood. EVER. I was snuggling with Angel earlier despite her protests. I finally let her go and watched tv. I smelled something weird but faint. Couldn't figure it out. Finally, I saw a small blotch of brown cream on my sleeve. Yup. Angel's poop. She had a gooey cling-on on her fur, I think. So I then carried her into the bathroom and had to clean her up. How freakin' nasty. At least it didn't stink. Davis is the stink bomb dropper.

Honey, LOOK!

QE decided to stir things up yesterday evening by pointing out a groundhog in our yard. He's standing in our tub while I was leaning on his vanity. We looked, we scrutinized, and immediately I said it's not one of my cuties. Yes it is, he insists, it's too big to be a squirrel! Is it a rat??? Our little visitor was standing on his hind legs, so it was hard to tell. Finally Mr. Furry decides to move and sure enough, it was a squirrel. Mr. Squirrel didn't look pleased to be called fat by QE. Rude indeed, Mr. Squirrel!

Prairie Dogs

As a cat-mom and now rural-esque resident, it's pretty clear that I love animals. Some would say I love animals too much. Because of our area's more woodsy environment, we have lots of cool "neighbors". Deer being super-awsome cool to watch. I see lots of cool birds I've never seen before, include one that was yellow and black. I also see cute little groundhogs. They define cute like no other little critter. They live on a golf course by my house. And I loooove seeing them on my drive home from work. I asked a question on a chat recently and got the following answer.

Groundhog alert! Groundhog alert! In the last three years the golf course has trapped 250 groundhogs (for that is what they are). They are taken over to the other side of I-95 and released. "We give them a 50-50 chance if they want to come back," said xxxx, the golf course's head of maintenance. (I guess that means they have to brave the interstate.)
So now you know!

I can't decide how I feel about that. What if they leave their families behind on the golf course? I wonder if they do go back though. They are adorable regardless. As I gaze across the course, I see little brown lumps scattered throughout. They have the cutest faces too.

Yes, Deer

As I was un/loading the dishwasher yesterday in the early evening, I noticed some greenery outside moving too briskly to be wind. Looking out the kitchn window, I see a deer chomping on a big bush-like plant that had leaves similar to ferns and bamboo. It was a boy deer with antlers! He looked bigger and more muscular than the girls. His antlers weren't huge but a good size, and they looked furry/fuzzy! I watched him for a while and he got on his hind legs to reach the plant. Looking around, I noticed MORE deer! As I continued to look, it became a find-the-deer game. In total, I saw four boys and one girl. I've only seen girls prior to this, so seeing a boy was rather neat. I waved at them and they seemed to see me, but they didn't react. The bucks' tails seem to be longer than the doe's. Now if only we can get them to eat our weeds.

Fraidy Cat

Davis is now very timid and skittish. He's doing ok with me but still a bit weary. He purrs for me and will seek my attention. Davis will run and hide from QE though. Apparently he spent most of the afternoon/evening under our bed until I got home from work. He hid under the bed again when QE was vacuuming their room. The cats usually scatter when the vac is on, but hiding under the bed never happened. So we went to bed with Davis still under our bed. And he was under our bed again this morning when he realized QE was awake and fixing their breakfast. QE insists he didn't do anything mean or cruel to Davis, so we're not sure why Davis is so freaked out by QE. Davis has always been a momma's boy and a bit flipped out by dad, but dad also has a habit of tumbling down the stairs like a herd of elephants, so I would be startled to wake from nap that way too. Our poor boy is very sensitive and he must have been traumatized by yesterday's events. He will come around I'm sure. I don't even want to think what would happen if I was no longer in Davis' life. His heart would probably break since he has bonded with me to tightly.

The good news is that my beloved blanket does not smell. Go figure! I sopped up as much pee as I could then doused the blanket with Nature's Miracle. We moved the blanket to the spare bedroom in hopes it would catch some sun. Sure enough, the smell is gone. Ok, not 100%, but I had to sniff really hard several times before I picked up the faint smell. So last night, I applied more Nature's Miracle and worked it into the down. I will let it air out for another few days before I use it.

May go shopping this weekend. I got pimped out for a trip to NYC but I don't want to go. Especially if Frappie won't go with me. Latte's bear is almost done. The head is really big. I have to say, my least favorite part of a project is stuffing the item. It always turns out uneven or lumpy. Bear still needs two arms, two ears, and a face. I'm hooked on a Hello Kitty party planning game for GBA. Bought it for less than $9! My primary goal this weekend is to bond with the cats. They both seem a bit weary and neglected since I've been playing Hello Kitty for the past two nights. Davis is a good boy. I hope he understands why it's not ok to pee on stuff. I don't regret adopting him because I know he would have died otherwise. And despite what he does, his life is still precious, just as all lives are. We're all born with a mommy and daddy, regardless of our species, and we were all nurtured by someone at some point in our lives.

No Buddy of Mine

I was sleeping when Davis decided to pee on my blanket. While I was sleeping and USING the blanket. Yup, my new down comforter. I was livid. QE brought him upstairs and I made him smell his pee while yelling at him. He looked scared. I feel bad now. I went into his room, sat down and didn't say anything. I just looked at him. To make nice, Davis started to purr very loudly, showed me his belly, rubbed against me, and looked at me. After a few minutes, I finally spoke in my angry voice. He cowered in the corner still purring and giving me sad eyes (think PussNBoots in Shrek). I then made nice, gave him a few head rubs to reassure him and left. QE decided to put him in the other bathroom, so that's where Davis is right now. QE said it's so Davis can think about what he did.

What You Shea?

Major coup yesterday. BOGO at Bath and Body Works, a store I NEVER go into! Their stuff smells nice, but don't work any better than stuff by drugstore brands. So, my big win...they had old True Blue stuff on sale because they revamped the packaging. I found TWO(!) pure shea butters after much digging. I think I yelped in glee actually. So it was buy one get one free. I got 7 ounces of pure shea butter for $17.50. Can life get better than that???? The one I have been lusting after is from L'Occitane. I couldn't bring myself to spend $36 for a tin of shea butter though.

Happy Independence Day!

As promised, here is a picture of Simon, who has not visited my blog in over a week. QE received the same threat and has been reading my blog but not commenting. Hm. We'll see if we can change that. :)

I bought Blue Sky Alpaca yarn for Latte's bear. Because the yarn Frappie and I chose was 100% alpaca, I had to use three skeins, knitting two strands at once. Natural Medium Tan. It is so soft and lush. I am having a very hard time knitting it and knowing I won't get to keep it. Because I have learned a lot thanks to the Stitch N Bitch Handbook, the bear looks much nicer than the one I made for myself. Here is Kate completed. QE and I think she still looks like Piglet because of her colors. She's not perfect, but cute nonetheless. Maybe I will sell her.

In addition to the yummy yarn I bought for Latte's project, I also bought some soft and fuzzy baby yarn for a pregger friend. Just need to find a simple pattern for a sweater or overalls and get her approval before I proceed. Maybe she's not into knitted goods. Or maybe she won't want to dress her baby girl in blue. As a first-time mom, I know I would be a momzilla over my baby.

The kids are doing fine. Davis loves to sit on my lap when I am knitting. I usually stop knitting so he can quit batting and chewing on my yarn. But even that's not enough--he wants my undivided attention. If I am reading or watching tv, he will climb further up on me to my chest, look me straight in the eyes, and put a paw on me. "Hey mom, pay attention to me." Angel is still her same old self. I swear she is the cutest cat ever. Those blue eyes hypnotize me to do whatever she wants.

No plans for today. We didn't have any luck getting the Weber grill we want. It's special order at Home Depot. Why would a $150 grill be special order???? So, we have a $25 Lowe's card for buying a ceiling fan. We were going to use that and the AmEx gift cards from Frappie to buy our coveted trash can. Except that I still can't bring myself to spend that kind of money for a freakin' trash can. It would be minimal cash outlay for us, but the opportunity cost is still there. Those gift cards could be spent on something else instead.

Strings and Sticks

Kate is almost done. She still looks like Piglet to me. One of her arms isn't as tightly knit so her fluffinstuff peeks through. She was fun to knit, but not challenging. I can't decide if I want to make the Baby Bobbi Bear (Blue Sky Alpaca) again. That was challenging. And it's rather expensive to make a $10+ bear. I guess I'm just cheap. Although, I do sleep with Ted (my pink bear). Last night, I couldn't find Ted, so hubby had to get out of bed, turn on the lights, and help me find Ted. It's almost my nightly ritual now. Hilarious.

So we are going to visit the Knit Happens tomorrow!!!! We have to get the kitties' food at PetSage, so we will be in the area. I need a haircut. Those are my only plans for the holiday weekend. QE (aka Hubby) is trying to get me to play Resident Evil with him. Um, no. What part of "I'm scared" doesn't he understand?! Besides, he needs to be studying for his final anyway.

We decided Davis is half dog and half cat. He comes when called, he greets me at the door, and he follows me around. Meanwhile, princess Angel has been subjected to my regular "wipings" since she can't reach. I think--no, I KNOW--she's lost some fur 'down there' thanks to me. Yikes. But the wipes clean her effectively and I try to be gentle. It's better than her getting crusty and dirty, right? QE says she's strong (he has to hold her down). And she will sometimes cry and protest, but after she jumps off my vanity, she will sit and wait outside the bathroom door. She knows she gets treats for suffering through and has come to expect the treats. Last night, I walked out of the bathroom and she led me into the hallway. She stopped mid-way to wait for me to catch up. Once I reached the hallway, she started proceeding to their bedroom and waited for her goodies. What a smart girl.

Moon Over My Spammy

So all of a sudden one of my email accounts is receiving spam. It's the same one that I used to register for this blog. Coincidence? I don't know. But I've have the account for at over a year, probably more like three years (I have no sense of time). And during the whole time, I never got spam. Now, I get spam daily!!!! I never pimp out this account, so I don't know what gives. Grrrr.

What's Up Pussycat?

Finally, 24 hours without rain! I was still slightly late to work, thanks to the train running at restricted speeds. Just trying to focus on the weekend at this point. Hubby mentioned maybe having a quaint barbecue just for the two of us. That means buying a grill. In theory, it sounds great. But I don't know how often we would use it since we are lazy. :) I received the down comforter I bought to replace the one Davis ruined. Wow. It's heavier than the one I had! I still miss my old one though. It had clumps in all the right places.

Kate the Cat is almost done. I'll post pictures soon. I think I'm going to start on a baby sweater. Not sure for who exactly, but I'm sure it will find a nice home. We have to get cat food this weekend, so I think a trip to Knit Happens is in order. I can't wait! See, I love to buy yarn in theory. But when it comes time to go shopping, I am too cheap to spend money on yarn. And it's hard for me to mentally justify getting yarn when I don't even know what I'm going to make with it! Knitting in a group is fun. I need to meet up with Frappie and Latte so we can knit together. I loved Latte's knitting machine! Her Fun Fur arm warmer made me want one too.

We have booze left over from last weekend's dinner with Frappie. Poor me, I need to finish it. My non-drinking hubby takes a tiny sip of everything I drink now. We started with wine and now upgraded to liquor. He always finds the yummiest wines even though he's never tasted wine. So I made him try the wines he picked to see if the descriptions matched what he expected. Earlier this week, I had a Hypnotiq cocktail (single serve bottle) and he took a sip. He said it tasted better than wine. Then we pretended to be drunk together. :)

Entourage

So I am working from home today due to the weather and I seem to have two bodyguards. Angel and Davis are following me everywhere I go. She's following me because she hopes I'm going to her room and feeding her kibble. Davis follows me because he's just clingy like that. It's so sweet. He has been tucked into a corner all morning, just napping while I work. And last night during the storm, he chose to snuggle on my lap instead of hiding in the pantry.

So Frappie and Simon want me to make them baby booties. Easy. I'm looking for a challenge, like a baby overall jumper or maybe a sweater. If only I knew of a baby with parents who want knitted clothes! I guess I also need to make sure the clothes will fit said baby in the appropriate months.

Frappie thinks I can sell my goodies. That would be most awesome. I certainly wouldn't get rich doing it, but hopefully I could at least feed my habit.

Experiment: Simon

So now that Simon is reading my blog, and I want to encourage him to, I think we will try a new experiment. Every week, a photo of Simon gets posted on my blog if he does not read or comment on it prior to my secret deadline. And while the pics won't be super embarassing, they won't be perfect GlamourShots either. Hm...the first one I want to post is where he slept over at our house and is smothered in pillows. Hahahaha!

Mere Cat

I love Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. And it turns out Davis does too!!! We snuggled on the sofa together last night and watched the show together. He only watched about 10 minutes because the thunderstorms came, but he was very focused on the show. He is so cute when he's watching tv. He spent lots of time hiding in the pantry (his safe area) thanks to the storms. He slept in the pantry at least one night.

So Frappie and her peeps came over Saturday night. I think they had a good time. I certainly did. She makes a killer sangria. Who knew? Our knitting lessons weren't as successful as I had hoped. I don't think I'm a very good teacher. Frappie and Latte (her daughter) learned to cast on and knit. Both seemed to learn how to cast on, but knitting proved difficult. I thought Latte was going to get it because she was so good at casting on! She would knit when I was watching but when I focused on Frappie, Latte would show me one big jumble as her accomplishment. Oh well. We'll have to meet up for more lessons. I'm happy Latte is excited about knitting. Hopefully I can be a good teacher to her.

Nesting

Ok, not really. But these baby booties are enough to at least trigger the nesting instinct. They are for a pregnant friend. Better her than me! It's a girl, due in August I think. How exciting. These were made from a Morehouse pattern, in 3-strand by Morehouse. So easy to make, and a very quick knit.

New Project

I haven't knitted all week. Now that I'm feeling better, my next project will be Kate. I haven't decided on her colors yet, and I surely don't have the yarn called for. This substituting yarn business is rather annoying. I'm just not into gauge and yarn weight! But Kate is cute, so I may go buy her yarn. Even though I have lots of yarn at home. All so pretty...

Must be Love

This morning, Davis decided to pee on my down comforter. This is my treasured blanket that we received as a wedding gift. It's one of those $350 ones that we would never buy for ourselves. And he pees on it. Why? Because the litter boxes were too dirty. Hubby doesn't think it's the boxes, but it is. Every time the boxes are too dirty, Davis will act up and pee inappropriately. I am still seething and to some extent, take it personally. Davis and I have both been sick and I took Monday off. We spent the day snuggling, napping and bonding. So for him to pee on my bedding is just rude. And he knew exactly what he was doing! So I don't know if my blanket can be saved, but I will try. Nature's Miracle can only do so much, and I imagine it would take several treatments to get the smell out. But through it all, I still love that gray cat. Darn it all! I'm still mad but I would never take it out on him. I guess that's what love is all about.

Sick

So I'm sick. It started with a sore throat yesterday. I woke up feeling fine, then bam! I took naps all weekend, which I never do. So, sore throat, sneezing, some congestion. Could be allergies but I doubt it. Sinus infection? Cold? I don't know. I'm exhausted though. So I'm thinking infection. And while I'm not dying or anything, it is wearing me out enough that I don't even WANT to knit! Yeah, it must be serious, eh?

The hubby got an XBox 360. He can finally leave me alone and quit talking about it! My attitude is "buy whatever you want, just stop talking to me about it". Most guys think this makes me a good wife. I just want my sanity. I told sugar baby that he could not open his new system until he gets at least a B on a test. So what does he do? He grunts, cusses and throws a fit while taking his exam. This is how he asked for my help:

him: F! UGH! F! F!
me: What's wrong, honey?
him: I need your help! (angrily)

Like I was supposed to know that based on his fits of anger and frustration. Funny though. So I help him and he manages to get an 85. Not bad, given it's timed and only 20 questions. So now, he's setting up his new toy. The rule is that for every game he buys, I get to buy the same value of yarn. Oh yeah. I will have a nice yarn collection in the next few weeks!

Special to Me

Here's an introduction to what's most important in my life. Yes, they are cats. Yes, I am allergic. No, I don't care about my allergies. Angel is my blue-eyed beauty. She answers to Pudding, among other names. She knows what "kibble" and "treats" are. She hates having her picture taken (like mom!) Davis is our little boy. He answers to Buddy and a few other derivations of his name. He's a lean, agile machine. He loves going to the basement and will whine every morning until we let him downstairs. Forget his own bedroom, he stakes claim on the whole basement!

This Week's Accomplishments

So, this week has been Techno Week for me. Yes, I am still reveling in the fact that **I** of all people have a blog! But aside from that, I learned how to create and use pivot tables in Excel. It's so easy that I can't believe I was so intimidated by it!

I also finished a knitting project this week. It was a Morehouse Farm pattern for a pouch/purse type of thing. I used Blue Sky's 50/50 alpaca silk yarn and it turned out lovely. For this project, I learned how to make buttonholes. I will post pics later. Maybe on my Flickr site, once I figure out how to do that. :)

I also purchased Stitch N Bitch Handbook last weekend, which has excellent how-tos on all the cool knitting techniques. The author is a feminist and has her PhD from Yale. Very cool chick. www.knithappens.com

And a shameless plug for one of my new favorite yarn pushers--Jannette's Rare Yarns on ebay. She's in the UK, has lots of Turbo Addi needles and Debbie Bliss yarns (among others). I ordered last Friday and received my stuff yesterday!!! Good prices, charmingly sweet woman, and I love her store. I bought needles of course, and Debbie Bliss pure silk yarn in turquoise. Delish.

June 9, 2006

Welcome. Obviously technology has managed to invade our lives if me of all people have succumbed to a blog. Frappucina must be having a heart attack right about now, since I am the most anti-technology person she knows.

Hopefully this will be entertaining for you.