Enter the Hymen Store

My Kitchen Smells Like Vomit.... and other tales of living through a remodel

It's true: walk by my kitchen and there is the unmistakable aroma of human bile. Makes me sick. Wanna know why it smells like that? The dudes putting in my new windows accidentally knocked out some of the tiles on the sink backsplash, exposing mortar that smells like ~ you guessed it ~ puke! I never knew! Good thing I didn't have that same tile in my bedroom or I'd really be annoyed ~ got the new bedroom window installed the day before the kitchen one.

I'm also getting a new roof. The roofers were awesome enough to accidentally break one of my ceiling-high windows in the living room..... shattering glass all over my couch. The ceiling in my living room is about a story and a half high and the ceiling in the dining room is regular height, so there are windows lining the wall between the dining room ceiling and the living room ceiling. Five of 'em to be exact. Anyway, I got the couch cleaned of all the shards of glass and the construction foreman came in and vacuumed everywhere. Fast forward to the next day: BAM! The breaking of another window..... Repeat scene from the day before. This was a worse break, though, so I had to throw away my velvet pillows as they had now become velvet-glass pillows.

There's a fine layer of dust everywhere, which is manageable. Plastic is covering most of my windows ~ either covering from the outside or the inside ~ depends on when said window will be replaced.

I no longer have curtains in my bedroom because the sill size has been increased and the blinds that had been there do not fit anymore. What makes this situation all the more awesome is that I have scaffolding right outside my window. Mon-Sat I wake up to Julio and Roberto walking around outside my bedroom window. At least they won't be back until Thursday so I am going to install a makeshift curtain and not worry about these hired peeping Toms. The question is: should I wait until Wednesday so as not to have to compete with the last minute holiday shoppers? Or fend for myself and just get it done today? I'm sure the answer is that I'll do it today..... we'll see.

My spoiled cats used to have their own bedroom as I didn't really use the spare bedroom for much. Now, however, there are holes in the wall and missing panels where a curious kitty could easily dive into and explore. Oooh, so many exposed cables and wires to check out! So, that door remains closed and the cats and I are forced to co-exist in a 1 bedroom place. I know ~ life is tough! Actually, it's not bad. I'd rather them be safe than continue to use a vacant huge room for a couple of cat boxes. This was an easy adjustment.

In all honesty, living through a remodel isn't optimal, but my place is going to be AMAZING when it's finished, so this is proving to be yet another practice of patience. I'm up for it. Deep breath.... (Ouch! Dust in the lungs!) ;)

Did May come early?

I wrote the "Blue skies" post early this morning at 2 am when I couldn't sleep. An hour or so later I feel asleep reciting, "April showers bring May flowers." Interestingly enough, I got an email from my sister today saying that Gertrude bought me flowers and my sister delivered them to my apartment and put them in water for me. Gertrude, sweet Gertrude, bought ME flowers ~ completely out of the blue. That, in and of itself, was so kind and thoughtful that I was moved. The part that was even more amazing: she bought me Gerber(a) Daisies, which are my FAVORITE flowers! She and I have never talked about flowers but this somewhat random 82 year old woman hobbled to the store, decided to buy me flowers and ended up choosing the exact ones that I would have bought myself.

I've only met Gertrude once ~ a month ago. A few days ago she called my mom and told her that she had been thinking a lot about me since we met and wanted to say that there's something special about me that has been drawing her toward me ~ almost magnetically. I'm not trying to sound all hokey, but she did say some pretty deep things to my mom about me, which made us both look quizically at one another. Truly, she and I didn't even talk very much, rather we just sat by one another and enjoyed each other's presence.

The world is an interesting place and I've found that it pays attention when you pause and..... what's the word I'm looking for here? Focus? Connect? Appreciate? Relax? I'm not sure exactly, but I have noticed that presidential style parking spaces and taxi cabs magically appear whenever I've been in need lately......

Blue skies, nothin but blue skies

Today turned out to be an amazing day. I learned that ugly, gray clouds pass by as quickly as they arrived, returning the beautiful, clear, blue sky and the sun shining down on me. And you know what else? That gray cloud passed by on its own ~ without any help from me. So why should a gray cloud ever get me down? It's out of my control and will quickly be gone. I feel the sunshine already!

I also learned that sometimes the annoying piece of sand rubbing against me, pissing me off and filling me with frustration can actually be thanked, because that annoyance will become a pearl that I'll have forever.

The saying goes: April showers bring May flowers. You have to weather the storm to make it through to the other side, and only then are you able to look back and see how far you've come and what horrors you've survived, but guess what? You survived and you're that much more strong, which is the beauty of storms. You've experienced more life and are richer with knowledge. Today I was also reminded that patience is a virtue ~ good things come to those who wait.

Life is beautiful and I'm thankful for today.

Blowin the dust off the ol' blogger page

Five months without writing ~ huh. Don't you hate it when people begin their entries with: It's been a really long time since I last wrote. Or: Sorry I haven't written in so long. Yeah, I hate that, too, so I am not saying that stuff. So I haven't written, no biggie.

I am, however, trying to write more. I've been journaling, but this site doesn't seem the most appropriate for seriously private things...... yet here I am. Nothing really to say..... and saying it anyway.

Thinking about today, it ended up being quite pleasant. That word makes me smile because it reminds me of my former textual relationship with a friend who would write that word as play zen t. Always made me smile. Anyway, it was a pleasant day because I spent time with my mom. We got lost in a bookstore and then she took me to Nordstrom to pick out a pair of dangly earrings for Christmas ~ what a great mom! Oh, and we had a late lunch of crab cakes first. Yup, it's been a good day.

And what to write next..... I had oral surgery a week and a half ago. Hurt like a mother! And it STILL hurts! Then I had to go back in last week so they could finish the damn thing. Honestly, I think I have a high threshhold for pain, but oral pain is a completely different situation. When I was 21 I broke my foot and walked around (rather, limped around) for 4 days before taking the advice of my roommates and getting it x-rayed. Sure enough: broken. This toothache? Worse. Gimme a broken foot any day! OK, not really. I'll settle for no pain if given the option, but this really sucks. I've taken more Aleve, Excedrin, Advil, on and on and on than ever in my life. Can't wait for it to fully heal.

Alright, I know this has been exciting. My mind has been in such a constant and exhausting whirl lately that I'm trying to learn how to quiet it a bit more. Writing helps. Many people have told me I need to meditate.... not sure how, so I got a CD at the bookstore w/my mom today. Think what you want ~ I'm giving it a shot because the peaceful person I was last year is hidden somewhere inside and this should help reconnect with her.

Loves!

It got better

Monday was horrible. The rest of the week has been rad.

I have a case of The Mondays..... And this computer won't let me title this post. Woulda been called, "Ugh."

Sickly Girls Seeks Cure for the Common Cold

In the past year I've had a horrible, debilitating cold at least 7 times. Each one lasts at minimum 10 days. WTF?! I'm so sick of being sick. Why is it that some people catch tons of colds while other people get sick once a decade? What am I doing wrong? Imagine me shaking my fist to the sky, asking the question, "Why me? Why? Why? Why?!" What do I have to do to stay well?

I'm not sitting here feeling sorry for myself, I'm actually wondering what it is I can do to stay well. Anyone? Anyone? All advice, input, suggestions, speculations and gypsy cures are welcome.

Our Little Frogstompers All Grows Up

In clearing out my too-full inbox today, something caught my eye. Simply, the word 'Silverchair.' Below said word was a photo of 3 unrecognizable guys in a very traditional, unoriginal band promo photo configuration. You know the one ~ singer in the front, lookin all tough, and the two other musicians staggered behind him, peeking out from either side ~ same tough looks on their faces.





How crazy is it that those are the same guys that used to look like this:





??!!!????!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes!!! Those sweet lil boys went from this:





To this:





It's mind-bottling, as Will Ferrell would say. I remember when these guys were in their hay day. They played a sold out show at the Seattle Center Coliseum and my friends opened. I stood right there on the stage with them, behind the amps ~ tucked way over to the side ~ rockin out to their insanely simple, catchy tunes while being amazed by how much everyone in the crowd loved every single note they played. T'was a fun show.... Afterward we decided to go have drinks at the Nitelite and invited the Silverchair boys but they weren't allowed to go with us for two reasons:
1) They weren't 21.
2) Their parents were chaperoning them on the entire tour!
And I don't mean that one mom was there. Nope. ALL their moms were on tour with them! So funny! Here they were living out the rock star dream and they couldn't indulge in any of the excesses!

Aw well, it looks like time and some hard living caught up with them. Gone are the innocent 'I'm-trying-to-look-tough-and-grown-up' appearances, replaced by bruises and crazy facial hair. While I might be slightly repulsed by their new look, I must say that I'm also intrigued and curious about what they're like now. Curious enough to pay to see them play? Prolly not..... But we'll see. ;)

Almost kinda famous

It's happened before that a casting agent wanted me to be an extra in a movie ~ never came to fruition, but it was flattering nonetheless. Last week I was approached and asked to be an extra in a murder mystery movie. I'll be in a crime scene where I will have zero lines. What I'd like to point out, though, is my extensive experience watching CSI:Miami. I'm sure this vast knowledge of crime scenes will lend to my brilliant acting as Girl #1 ~ an acting job done so brilliantly, in fact, that speaking wouldn't have even been necessary had I been given lines. Yeah, it'll be that brilliant!

Another highlight of this foray into film (yes, I'm exaggerating on purpose!) is that my handsome significant other was also asked to be in the movie. Now, he may not have as much CSI:Miami watching experience as I, but the amount of time he's devoted to Law & Order makes my crime scene knowledge pale in comparison (again, exaggerating on purpose ~ cuz we all know I can hold my own!). Anyway.... probably because he's such a good looking guy who exudes intelligence and maturity while commanding the respect of those around him is why he will not just be an average extra. Oh no, not him. He's going to be a Police Man Extra! He gets to wear a cop jacket and hat. While he will not have a speaking part either, I made sure to let the casting people know that he gets to give script approval for our scene. I'm not kidding~ I told them that! Hahahahaha! Of course when I said that, I was kidding.

So I'll keep ya posted about the movie. I don't see us moving to Hollywood quite yet...... OK, I don't see us moving there ever......!

Life is good. Keep on keepin on!

NKOTB

It ain't easy being new at a job. I alternately love it, get frustrated with not knowing everything, question my career move, and then love it again. Mostly I love it. Been learning a ton and am anxiously looking forward to the time when it's all 2nd nature. I can't believe that some company managed to get me, the wiggliest person I know, to sit in an office all day. On top of that, the day just flies by.

The poor cats are the ones negatively affected by this new state of things. I used to be around them 22-24 hours most days, and now..... not as much. Of course I'll get to randomly sprinkle in days when I get to work from home, and my mom comes over all the time to hang out with them, too, so that's good.

I'm also having to build an arsenal of professional work clothes. The last time I did that was over a decade ago! It's been fun.

Tomorrow night McHotterson and I are going on a date. Awwww yeah boyyyyeeeeeeeee!

OK, that's all. Shortandsweet.

Loveandkisses!

Saturday

Ever been so tired you could cry for no reason? That's me right now. I got back to Seattle late last night, didn't sleep terribly well (what's new?!) and have been on the go today. Here's a little story that recaps my sensitive state right now: Mark, his parents and I hailed a cab. I told him where to go and said to straighten the cab out so he could go straight~ he heard me and said OK. Mark got in the front seat and told the cab driver where to go (because he hadn't heard me give him an address/directions), at which point the cab driver said, "OK, so I'm going to turn right and go around." Um.... yeah. So we went about 8 blocks out of our way and got stuck in tourist traffic. I finally said something and the cab driver was an ass. Then when I got back to my car, I burst into tears. Good lord! I need a nap. I also need a magic genie to come and clean my apartment while I sleep because Mark's parents want to see my place. I'm a mess!

Time for a quickie

I've been remiss in posting~ totes busy, ya know. I'm in LA gettin all smart n stuff at my new job. Oh, that wasn't proper English......

Recap: Working so much, dreaming about working, working, working, talking about work, working, thinking about work, drinking Red Bulls, working, working.... that's about all I've been focused on. I logged a few hours and miles running last week, which was great. I have the start of a healthy tan to show for it~ complete with AWESOME tank top strap marks on my shoulders. Went to Portland with Nikki and shopped til we about dropped. Life is good but I do miss my Boo Zoo Croo at home.

I'm reading an oddly disturbing and wonderful book called Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (of The Virgin Suicides fame), which sucks me in every night. This and movie marathons with my sweetie have been the only things successfully freeing me from my CSI:Miami addiction. (Jake~ I pass that torch to you! You're welcome.)

Celebrity sightings have been at an all time low. I rode the plane with Jerry O'Connell~ who I wouldn't have even noticed, but people were subtly freaking out around me. THEY were hard to miss! I will say this: dude travelled in center-seat coach with a uniformed pilot seated on either side of him, which I found surprising for a soon-to-be Mr. Rebecca Romijn, but it also makes me like him.

Got a coupla more days here in SoCal before launching into the weekend. Kind of a big one (though I'm not worried) ~ Mark and I are introducing his parents to my mom. I've made a list of topics we feel are appropriate to discuss and a longer list of ones which we dare not speak. Yes, I'm kidding! It's going to be a gay ol' time~ WIIIILLLLLLMA!

Curious Juice

Upon returning home from the store, I settled down in my usual spot on the couch with a large glass of carrot juice and a southwest chicken salad in a huge bowl. Montreal repeated unsuccessful attempts at putting her head into the salad before she noticed the tall glass filled with an odd colored liquid. She slithered up to the glass and put her nose slowly, slowly, slowly toward the juice until ~oops!~ she touched it. Backing away, she licked her face. Hmmmm...... Unlike anything she'd sampled before, I don't think she knew what to make of this weird stuff we humans call carrot juice. It must have tasted quite pleasing, for she went back for a second taste. And then a third. And a forth. She sat back on her haunches to survey the glass from a different perspective when a drop of the juice fell from her face and onto the table. It's impossible to know what was running through her walnut-sized brain at that point, but it must have been utter confusion that this orange stuff could just throw droplets of itself around the glass! She studied the drop for a second longer before jumping to the floor, where 2 more drops fell from her face. Intrigued and puzzled, Montreal glanced from drop to drop and then bolted far, far away~ never to return to the carrot juice again. The end.

Favorite new product of the day

I just found this at the grocery store





It tastes great! The one I got doesn't have honey, but it's still sooooo good. Plus, it's Beaver brand, and well...... yeah, I don't need to say any more. Try it! Eat the Beaver cranberry mustard!

Instasing

I used to take care of a little girl who couldn't say the word 'interesting.'

Got a call this morning from a travel agent looking to interview me for a position. In our short conversation, we clicked and I got a good feeling about him. Might be a nice part-time gig..... who knows?

Just read my horoscope and wanted to remember it:
Change is in the air, dear Gemini. Whether it is a dramatic change of faith or a major shift in your life's goals, prepare yourself for a profound transformation. This change is likely due to the fact that you now have more freedom to do what you want, when you want. Perhaps a financial windfall has made this possible? Whatever the cause, take care to choose your new path with care as it does not loop back and offer the opportunity to return to your old lifestyle.

Happy birthday, Jbrizzle!

Sounds like you're having a good birthday week~ hooray! You deserve it.

Well, I should be working on a marketing proposal and getting some bands for a concert, but thought I'd waste a little time 'round these parts.

First, the Lil Kitten That Could is fully healed! Yay!!! Her pooper is even better than before, thanks to the skilled hands of her anal surgeon. Photos upon request. OK, that was a joke, but I must let you know, dear readers, than 2 people asked for pictures of Montreal's broken booty prior to surgery. Ew! I didn't take any~ sorry to disappoint.

Second, look how horrible Jessica Simpson looks!





I mean, I've never been a fan, but I do have to admit that she mostly dresses well. So what's up with this train wreck of an outfit? Too many no-no's to even begin a commentary, so I'll leave it alone.

How much do I love Denise Richards? Soooooo much! She was a model in that fashion show I went to in LA and looked awesome. She's so rad. The thing I like most about this pic is her bag, though. Ky-vit? (For those of you not in the Amateur Lovers world of the mid-90's that my friends and I still live it, that means: Can I have it? You know, just said really fast.)






While unable to fall asleep a few days ago, I googled my full name and did an image search. This is 1 of the 6 images that came up:





I have no idea why that would come up~ I'd never seen it before, though I really like it.

Alright, that's about all for now regarding my meaningless ramblings. I'll be back on Monday with some silly stories, I'm sure.

That's the news and I am outta here.

Boneheads!

CBS should be ashamed of themselves:

Keach Hagey: If you're thinking that Don Imus will never resurrect his tattered career, don't bet against him. Look at the curious case of Mike Barnicle during last week's Imus saga. When Imus was merely suspended, CBS's boneheaded first move was to tap Barnicle to fill in. A longtime Imus guest, friend, and joke-lifter, Barnicle made headlines as recently as 2004 for mocking a black woman on the air.

She likey

Danielle with the belt buckle I bought her....






I miss my mischievous friend!!!!!
I love you, D!

3.8

You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you. When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love! You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Dove Evolution

Sucked into the Stars

I'll admit it~ I'm completely addicted to Dancing with the Stars. Here are my favorite 2 couples:








I like Billy Ray so much because you can tell he's way out of his element, though he's trying his hardest~ you can see him counting the beats and he's a horrible dancer. But there's something about him that I adore and I hope he's in the competition for a couple more weeks.

As for Apolo~ he's so rad! He got the first perfect score. Whoo hoo! Uh, yeah~ I shouldn't know this stuff, yet I do.









Montreal got her stitches out today. She still needs to be watched, though. I'm so glad she's recovering.

Peep the earrings I want:






Thank you and good night!

Bye bye, Sweetie

I just received this email from Nikki, which was titled, 'bunny funeral':

"Well...Sweetie was found dead today at the tender age of somewhere around a year. Plus or minus a month or two. Probably mocked God sometime recently, and he smote her.

So sad though. Annalies is absolutely devastated. We've already been on CL looking for Sweetie's placeholder in The Hutch. We had a nice burial in the backyard, and the three of us all said something nice about her. Annalies barely choked out the words. Trevor told her it was okay. "All things die Annalies. Even you." That somehow didn't cheer her up much."

An email that well written deserved to be published.

Poor, poor Snowflake lost her sister...... They're going to a bunny farm this evening to look for the perfect new hoppy companion.

I WANT MY MONEY, BITCH!

This is brilliant~ Pearl commands respect.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I always love these days. Some of my favorite birthdays were on a Friday the 13th. Awwwww yeah, baby! It's like that! Hahahaha! I'm not superstitious, though these days tend to be good for me.





Here's my horoscope for today:
You've been juggling career, romance, and creative interests for the past year, dear Gemini, and this is apt to continue. However, you might find yourself building a new career, perhaps in addition to the one you have now, that involves writing or speaking. You're also apt to develop a vigorous interest in building health, and could make a powerful effort to change your diet and exercise habits. Good luck with it all!
Oddly accurate..... but I won't expound upon the specifics right now.

Anyhoo, Montreal is much better today. She's back to soaking her tinsel balls in her water bowl~ for some reason she LOVES to do that. The funny thing is that the balls look the same wet as they do when they're dry, so it's typically a surprise to pick up a heavy, drenched ball when she drops it at your feet. They sure do throw better than the dry ones, though...... One day, maybe~ just maybe, when the littlest one is all healed, my world will get bigger again and my life won't be as cat-centric as it is now. Just a thought.

I'm looking forward to a great weekend with my beau and our newest Arrested Development DVDs~ such a brilliant show!





And a spin class or two....








Later!

Montreal is so Elizabethan

Here are some pics of Montreal freshly home from the vet. These were taken only a few minutes after her full night at the emergency clinic, which was immediately followed by an hour-long visit to her regular vet. As you can see, she's a cheerful cat and doesn't let anything keep her from playing w/her ball.











She also doesn't let something like a huge collar keep her from being mischievous!





She's mastered making sure to stretch her leg muscles while sleeping~ now that's multi-tasking!




Yup, she's a good one!

Sometimes kitty butts just fall right out

I had no idea it was possible. Perhaps Montreal's fell out as a means of getting her back for the horrible fumes she makes it emit. At any rate, it fell out Monday night and Mark and I rushed her to the emergency vet clinic. A sleepless night followed, several status report calls were made, followed by a 7 am pick up which lead to a visit to her regular vet. Couple hours later we were all home and poor Montreal was able to get a bit of sleep~ even though she donned an Elizabethan collar.

Not to make this too long, it's been a traumatic couple of days filled with painful meows and too many visits to the vet (averaging almost 2 visits/day). The good news is that we rounded a corner tonight and the little one is feeling much, much better. I even took her collar off for a few hours to let her play her favorite game: fetch the tinsel ball.

I have some cute pics of her playing with a ball while wearing her collar, which I'll upload tomorrow.

To all of you who kept her in your thoughts: thank you so much! This little kitty means the world to me, Mark and Cleveland. She's our Littlest Boo!

Littlest Boo

Our cute kitten got sick tonight. Very sick. I'll spare you the details, but it requires her having some surgery and spending the night at the emergency vet clinic. She'll be ok, we're told.... Totally miss her, though. In an effort to show you her cuteness so you can keep her in your good thoughts, I thought I'd share some photos.












And this series of pictures cracks me up. Cleveland was laying there, minding his own business and she plopped down on him. Then she got hyper, attacked him, got put back in line and resumed cuddling. I laugh everytime I see these.
























Anyhoo, please keep her in your good thoughts. She's the sweetest thing and has been a wonderful addition to our little family~ and she's so great for Cleveland.

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny hates you. And you. And you.

The Easter Bunny Hates You

Add to My Profile | More Videos







The Easter Bunny may hate you, but I don't. I hope your day is a great one!

Stalkers

Two days ago, a woman was murdered by her stalker. She was a University of Washington employee and the murderer shot her in her office, then turned the gun on himself and took his life. Hearing about this story makes me shiver.... The fear this woman must have felt, not only at that moment, but in all the time leading up to the horrible event. One article I read said she had moved several times, changed all of her contact information and even worked from home for over a month just so he wouldn't be able to find her. And, of course, she had a restraining order.

This story conjured up terrible memories of when I was a University of Washington student and had a stalker. It's true. The guy followed me from 1992-1994. Apparently, he saw me on campus and was able to get my name and other information. He eventually broke into my apartment (more than once), stole some of my artwork and more....., and the worst: he was in my fucking apartment when I came home from work one night! Talk about a nightmare coming true. This man called my apartment nonstop, called my parents, called my place of work and also followed me to these places. He was always sneaky, though~ not obvious.

I filed a police report~ it's listed as first degree burglary and stalking. Since then, I've changed my hair, job, car, residence and will never be listed in any phone book ever again.

People that stalk are not sane. This is an understatement, of course. But, to them, they think their actions are justified. My guy undoubtedly thought he was in love with me. What? He knew where I lived, what I looked like and where I went to school. Is that love? Should be obvious.

Crazy people are all around us. When I moved into my new apartment, another tenant ran up to me and introduced himself. He pointed out the colors of my car (red with white) and then showed me that his car is white. He was planning on painting green racing stripes along the side of his car, but now that he saw mine, he thought it might be "fun" to have the inverse pattern as mine. Sure enough, over the weekend Dude put a red stripe on his car. Does that mean he's a stalker? No. Does it mean he's clinically insane and I should move? Difficult to say...., but probably not~ though I'm certainly paying attention.

MySpace is a wonderful arena for stalkings of all kinds. Shortly after I created my profile, men wrote me saying that I seemed like the kind of girl they'd like to get to know and date. They knew this from my profile. What had I written on that profile? Nothing. I had written nothing. And by nothing, I mean that I hadn't written any words..... Yet, they felt they must know enough about me to ask me out. (Never mind the fact that I had made sure NOT to include "Dating" as a reason why I was on MySpace.)

Even now, with blog ramblings, photos and comments that span one full year, the persona I have on MySpace is an online persona~ a little, tiny part of my life that doesn't get too personal. After all these years of being (knock on wood) stalker-free, I am still very guarded about what I chose to share with any onlookers.

All this is to say that I've deleted any blog entries that actually give insight into my real life. This space will be silly musings, more in line with what I used to post on Chris's page: meaningless, light hearted and fun..... A momentary escape from the crazy world we live in.

Blades of Glory

I LOVED it! I loved every minute of the movie and I can't wait to see it again! Yes, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder were great, but Will Arnett and Amy Poehler added so much. It wasn't one of those movies that is funny at first and then drags and then is funny again. Nope, this one was entertaining all the way through.








Plus, it's always so much fun to hang out with Gina and Kelsey~ I haven't done that enough now that we're living in the same city. We all saw it together, then grabbed overpriced drinks and appetizers at the Fox Grill (ew~ save your time and money and DON'T go there!). Having it be the 4 of us made it worth it, though.





And now we're home..... catching up with some people on the phone, emailing, blogging and watching Bewitched. Lazy Sunday. Loved it!

Evolution of Dance

One of my favorite famous viral videos. I rediscovered it last night and showed it to Mark for the first time.


My allergies are SOOOOO bad right now! I've been coughing like an emphysema patient, which really grosses me out. Eeeewwy! Taking Claritin every 12 hours, but I don't like the way it makes me feel. My run was pretty weak yesterday~ ugh! Don't get me wrong, I still managed to get out there for 35 minutes, it just wasn't as strong as earlier in the week. Can't wait to be rid of these horrible allergies. (Hee hee~ side note: I had Mark convinced that I was allergic to him due to his horrible cigarette smoking habit. This became disproved one day when I went into a sneezing fit while talking to him on the phone.)

Can't wait to see Blades of Glory. Totally looking forward to that! Jon Heder's blonde curled hair makes me laugh without him even needing to say anything.









Alright, the kitten just dropped a stink bomb, one of her specialties, so now I'm forced to evacuate the area. Lates!

Doopy-Doo

I'll admit it~ I have a bit too much time on my hands today. Sure, there are things I could be doing, but I've obviously chosen "wasting time online" as my primary focus right now. So look at this new pic of Courtney Hole! Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that I saw a photo of her on the red carpet, spilling out of her foil dress? I've been looking everywhere trying to find that pic, no such luck as of now. Anyway:





She looks pretty beat up. Yuck.

Feeling sore from lifting weights yesterday. It's the lunges that kill me~ I can handle weights and push ups and running. Which reminds me~ I need to go for a run right now.

Oh, first~ why do some big, black ants have wings and others don't?

Casino Royale

It sucked.
That's officially the first James Bond movie that I didn't like. Well, it would be more accurate to say: the first 2 hours of the movie sucked, but the last 20 minutes were cool. Yeah~ 2 hours 20 minutes! The nerve of those filmmakers! I want those 2 hours of my life back.......

Training Update

I can feel a difference while running~ my endurance is increasing and I feel stronger. My body is starting to firm up and I can see a bit of a difference in the mirror. Between last Thursday morning and today I've lost 2.5 pounds! Yee haw! Progress like that makes it easier for me to continue to make good choices and run run run!

Hot digitty dog

A man and a dog are both in the road. Do I swerve to miss the dog or do I swerve to miss the man? Without hesitation: the dog.... For sure I'd swerve to miss the dog. Can't help it, I just tend to like animals more than I like people. I mean, my friends are my family and they mean the world to me, but animals are just something else. Can't live without 'em. Anyhoo, a somewhat hidden link on the MSN homepage caught my eye today~ it was silly pictures of dogs. Here are my favorite 2 with their captions.

They had me at: Looks like an apple. Tastes like a grape.

I'm always surprised when I fall victim to someone's marketing. I mean, I've studied marketing for over 15 years and know what I'm doing, so when I buy something solely based on the marketing, I take note. This is the new item that totally got me yesterday: Grāpple.

The packaging:
Sweet Grāpple Brand
Say "Grape-L"™
"Looks like an apple. Tastes like a grape."™

So I bought a package of 4. They look like red apples, smell like grape juice, have the consistency of apples, taste mostly like apples and have a sweet concord grape after taste. Weird. They're good, but I'm not sure how I feel about this weird hybrid fruit (not that I'll let my package of 4 go to waste!). Let me know if any of you try them and what you think!

Good Thing She's Pretty, Cuz She Sure Ain't Smart!

It's been almost exactly 2 weeks since Mark & I excitedly adopted our sweet Montreal kitty. (*BTW: we had a conversation about it, and just like we never call Cleveland anything other than Cleveland, Montreal, too, will not have a shortened nick name. Nope, she's definitely a Montreal. So far the only other name we call her is Montreal Mon Amie ~ which makes us both laugh.)

Anyway, every evening we all sit on the couch and she curls up between us, purring loudly from a position that has her body equally distributed on both of us. This comes only after she spends a couple hours terrorizing us, Cleveland, all her toys, things that aren't toys (placemats, iPod accessories, pens, etc), and especially, our shoe laces. Last Friday, we were doing our relaxing on the couch, wasting time before going out, when we both had to admit to ourselves and to each other that Montreal is not very smart. Being the proud parents that we are, admitting this did not come easy.

We probably each made this discovery within the first 24 hours of having her, but tried to blame it on "new surroundings" rather than "very limited mental capacity." She does things like: forgets where her food is, forgets where her water is, runs forward while looking to the side ~ therefore tripping on her litter box and falling into it..... Incidentally, it is at that point that she now knows (again) where her (stationary) litter box is. Oh boy. The good thing is that she hasn't had an accident yet and she also hasn't withered away to a malnourished, dehydrated ball of fur. I just have to show her a few times a day where these things are and remind her. I like to think that it's catching on.

What isn't catching on: that she has a name. We could call her anything and it wouldn't make a difference. She has no concept that she is named. We have as much success speaking to her as we do not speaking to her, in terms of getting her to 'come here' or whatever. We're not giving up, though.....

While there is no Sylvan Learning Center for Cats and Kittens, we'll do our best to keep her learnin' real good. Hahaha!

Here are some cute pics during her first week with us.... It might look like she's always with Mark, but that's because I'm camera happy.

















Thanks for stoppin by!