cool

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

More of the same

Another crazy weekend... another trip to PA for more bridesmaid dresses (1 to go, and she knows who she is!), dinner at G&M (YUM!), an outing to C-mart and finally a successful trip to Lowe's, which actually had Matt's desired bathroom furnishings in stock! I spent the last hour and a half ordering my invitations for the wedding.

Now I'm going to collapse on the sofa before doing laundry so I have clothes to make it through the week.

Not as bad as expected...

I just typed out a very thoughtful post about work but Safari shut down and it was gone... so now, in brief...

this week = hell week

we 1) launched a new website and 2) upgraded our database software 3) during audit and 4) a week after our new Exec. Dir. started. (they planned it while I was away at jury duty and couldn't stop them!)

And it all started last night, about an hour before our webmaster and project manager was called to the hospital where his wife was in labor! She's not due for another few weeks, but these things have a way of happening. Luckily for him, he works for a company that likes babies so he was allowed to leave. Many places wouldn't have let him.

So today I spent 3 hours doing installs at a dozen work stations, 2 and a half hours fixing an invoice that worked YESTERDAY (after I spent 2 and a half weeks fixing it), and many many hours talking people through everything being different. There's still a lot that doesn't work, but I was allowed to leave at normal time tonight so I could come back rested tomorrow to work on the rest of it.

We're by no means out of the woods, but really, it hasn't been as bad as I expected.

Back in the driver's seat again

Got my car back first thing this morning. It's been ready since Thursday(!) but I hadn't had a chance to pick it up until today. I told the guy "I hope I won't see you again anytime soon" and he laughed... I think I'm in the repeat customer file now.

I had a letter from the local Toyota dealer last night almost begging me to bring my car in and trade it. They say it's in "high demand" and it's like my duty to surrender it or something. HA. I did check my car on Edmunds.com a few weeks ago and it is supposed to be worth about double what I owe on it... which is good! but I couldn't figure out how to put "two accidents in 6 months" into the calculator. Both were minor, but I can't help but think that diminishes the value somewhat, even though all the damage was repaired to factory specs. So I will keep my "high demand" car for as long as it is driveable. Not like I'd buy a new car in my neighborhood anyway! Nice try Castle.

glad to be home!

As much as I missed home, I think home missed us too! The cats were so glad to see us last night, and have been nothing but clingy since we got home. Lucy has been crying for us tonight every time she finds herself alone... like "where ARE you???" Bill wanted to go outside!

And when I looked out the window this morning, WOW... the flowers popped right up.

When I picked these plants out last year they had small flowers on them. All summer they were just little flowers. But they lived through the winter, and even though we tore some out, that didn't seem to matter because this year they have exploded!

Tasks Accomplished

Another busy wedding planning weekend. Ignore if you hate that sort of thing.
Just updated to help keep me on track!

Thus far I have:

1. Helped Matt pick out clothes for Engagement party. His pants were hemmed within 4 hours! LOVE small towns!
2. Approved and purchased pergola for use as arbor for wedding ceremony
3. Visited Granni in the hospital. She gets to come home on Saturday!
4. Dropped off engagement ring and inherited ring for wedding band design, plus having some other jewelry repaired, all by Saturday. Again, LOVE small towns!
5. Previewed my wedding jewelry that my mom had made for me. It's gorgeous!
6. Visited location for the engagement party. Beautiful old courthouse turned museum.
7. Met with a potential DJ. Total cost? $600! Good old small town!
8. Introduced future in-laws to Texas and to most of my family. Dad grilled yummy steaks and mom took care of everything else.
9. Got a pedicure at the new day spa. Somebody had to try it out before the wedding! Oh, twist my arm!
10. Met another DJ and decided who to hire.
11. Went to tux shop with Matt and picked out all the tuxes and vests.
12. Helped my niece make her bridesmaid dress decision and ordered it. Also ordered L's bridesmaid dress. 2 down, 5 to go.
13. Showed future in-laws wedding location. They loved it.
14. Picked up cake samples from baker and got my hour long sermon.
15. Hair trial at the day spa. Again, twist my arm.
16. Picked up my ring and all my other jewelry at the jewelry store!
17. Engagement party with about 250 guests, maybe more. I shook a lot of hands!
18. Dinner with family after the party and catching up with my friend (and bridesmaid) who drove up from Austin to go to the party!
19. Finally got a chance to relax a bit on Sunday.
20. Ate party leftovers.
21. Visited with Granni at home. She has her 2nd chemo treatment today.

So it's Monday and we have a 3 hour drive to Dallas to catch our plane, but first I have to gather all my stuff and make a quick trip back to get the guest book. It will be interesting to see exactly how many people were there. I know that not everyone signed it, but most did. I will say, I finally, now, see the point of guest books. I didn't before, but when my mom told me how many people she knew were coming I thought it would be nice to have a record of who was there because there was no way I could remember.

I'm going home with a few tasks still on the table, but I think they will be handled quickly.

1. Order wedding invitations with mom's credit card. She wrote down the number for me and I promised to ONLY use it for this purpose.
2. Get spreadsheet data from my mom for all the people she has on her invitation list. We got a few wedding gifts already and I need addresses for the thank you notes.

Long distance wedding planning isn't easy, but it's nice that when I get home, I don't have to do most of this stuff on my own time. I can do it all at once. Of course, when I do get home, all work hell breaks loose. I think I need a vacation before then! ;-)

On the road again... I just can't wait to get on the road again...

Off into the wild blue yonder!

Or something like that.

I'm frantically packing, but here's a post I wrote in November and never finished until now. In the spirit of the journey...



I went to college six hours away from home. In Texas, that’s a long drive, but not unheard of, and yes, I was still in-state. In the Northeast, people look at me crazy when I say that. It’s a whole different perspective. I didn’t go home that often, maybe every couple of months or so, and holidays of course. It was always a big production to go home. I had to gather all my laundry, for one thing, and that could take a while. It always seemed to take longer than it should to pack my car considering it was usually only a 3 day trip. Yes, 12 hours of driving for 3 days. No big thing. I also had to find somebody to feed my fish, unless it was a holiday. On holidays, he went home with me. He was a pretty good traveler actually. Anyway, it eventually occurred to me that I never got more than 6 hours of sleep the night before a trip home… it was 6 hours of sleep and then a 6 hour drive. No wonder I was damn near comatose when I finally turned left into my parents’ neighborhood.

After college, I moved to DC. Suddenly my trips home dwindled to almost never… twice a year if I was lucky. Between the high cost of airfare and the hassle of the trip, I just didn’t do it very often. I did notice that the sleep thing remained though… it’s much harder to leave home now that I actually bother to do my laundry before I go home, preferring to travel with clean clothes now. I also have to do all that adult stuff like take out the trash, load the dishwasher, water the plants…. Now that we have a catsitter I also try to pick up a little bit so I don’t look like a complete slob. I am, of course, and she probably knows that, but it’s more the appearance I’m going for than reality. By the time I leave the house I realize why I don’t do it very often.

Well, now I’m planning a wedding. In my hometown. It sounded easy at first, and in a way, it is much easier than trying to do it all by myself. My mom is lining up all the appointments and such and is doing most of the research on vendors. Whew, big headache relieved. Yeah, but now I’m at the beginning of our first weekend of whirlwind wedding planning. As I type this I’m sitting in the Hertz lounge in DFW, waiting for Matt’s plane to arrive. Then we have a 3 hour drive home. See, I told you it was hard.

I’ve been thinking about this trip for a couple of months now, but somehow I wasn’t really ready for it as I started to pack. The majority of my two (yes, two) suitcases is wedding planning related. The clothes are secondary. This is the first time I’ll have a chance to show my mom what I’ve been thinking about, what I want to do, what I’ve found. So the big-ass binder is there (thanks Jen!) and all the “have the wedding of your dreams” books too. It’s freakin’ heavy!

I went to bed at midnight, realizing, as I set my alarm for 4 am (OH yeah) that my sleep before a trip thing has actually gotten worse! Six hours is manageable. Six hours is what I get more nights than I care to think about and still get up and go to work. But four hours? Why did I do this to myself? I actually popped up at 4, finished packing, and fed the very confused cats. The catsitter won’t get there until tomorrow evening… boy will they be hungry by then! (kibble is in place for backup, they’ll live) I was able to park my car at BWI rail thanks to my MARC ticket, all was set, no worries.

Then Matt called. He missed his plane by 1 minute. Something about security. We decided to travel separately so he could use miles on another airline that he hates. Originally we timed it so we’d arrive within 20 minutes of each other. And that’s probably why it didn’t work. He’d been rerouted and would be two hours late. I exhaled and rescheduled our afternoon appointment.

Then I went through security. You know that whole liquid ban? Well, I remembered it, but when I researched the guidelines I thought it said “GALLON bag”. It doesn’t, apparently. It’s a quart sized bag. MUCH smaller. Four quarts in a gallon, after all. The TSA lady was very nasty about it and dumped all my toiletries into a bin for sorting. I was allowed to keep anything medical regardless of size, thankfully. She got a quart bag and told me to pick what I wanted. Well, obviously I wanted all of it or why else would I have packed it. It was like being on a game show… how much will fit into the bag? I didn’t like this game show. I picked my makeup and toothpaste first just because those things are important to me. Then my perfume because it’s too expensive to leave behind. Much of my reasoning was based on the price of the item as well as how hard it was to replace, though the toothpaste was like a gut reaction thing. It didn’t cost much, I don’t know why I had to have it since my parents have toothpaste, but whatever. By the time she had “filled” the bag (I could have packed it MUCH tighter) most of my hair stuff was still in the bin. Freakin’ bitch. Doesn’t she understand I have engagement pictures tomorrow??? But whatever, at least I was stopped from blowing up the plane with styling cream and shampoo.

(My TSA rant is long and drawn out, even more so than this story already, so I’ll save it for another time.)

By the time this agony was over, I boarded my very full flight and proceeded to wait for about an hour before we could take off. I have no idea why. About an hour outside of Dallas, there was a medical emergency on the plane and they asked for doctors. Nobody came forward. Nurses? Nobody. Then I guess they realized somebody was lying because they got somebody out of his seat to help. Aren’t doctors required to render aid? Like when you see an accident… you’re supposed to stop and help! They got out the oxygen and defibrillator and I’m still not quite sure what happened. I was kind of hoping we’d make an emergency landing because we were almost directly over my hometown by that point and maybe they’d let me get off.

We landed in Dallas and were asked not to get up yet so that the paramedics could quickly get on the plane. Fine, of course, everybody agreed on that. Then they announced that there were several servicemen returning from Iraq and could we let them get off first. Of course, sure, we understood. We clapped for them as they ran off the plane towards home. Please, I’m sure you’re in a much much bigger hurry than I am. That part actually felt good. And again, I wasn’t actually in a hurry as all I had to do was wait for Matt.

Of course, by the time all this hullabaloo was over, it as 10:45 and the restaurant I found in the terminal stopped serving breakfast at 10:30. Ugh, no pancakes for me! I ordered a chicken quesadilla and watched the paramedics leave the plane without anybody. Wonder what happened to the patient?

So now I’m in the Hertz lounge. Matt has finally landed, thanks to getting on an earlier flight than he was supposed to, but I’m still waiting for him to arrive in the rental car center, which is about a 10 minute bus ride from DFW. Then we have a 3 hour drive to my parents’ house, but luckily our first appointment has been rescheduled to 9 am tomorrow. After which, we will get back in the car and drive 5 hours north to see our photographer for our engagement shots. Now that I’m thinking about it, I wish I’d flown us straight there instead.

We’ll be making this trip again at Christmas, then I’m coming back alone in February, then we’ll be back again in April. Then again in July. And then not again until time for the wedding.

I'm tired

I'm tired of working so freaking late. I'm tired of getting home even later. I'm tired of not getting enough sleep and not having enough time to get things done. I'm just plain tired.

But I won't really have a break for a while.

On Wednesday we leave for Texas, getting to Dallas around 8:45 pm and then driving 3 hours to my parents' house. We have some appointments, some errands, and a big engagement party on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, but I hope I get some rest before then. My dress is too pretty for me to have bags under my eyes.

And I better not get sick this time. Two days after I get back we go live with our new website and database upgrade, and I STILL can't get the invoices to work!

A little photographic evidence

Here's what Geico saw this morning... total estimate was a little over $1500 for my car. Not so bad really... it was less than last time and I think it looks a lot worse than that accident. My bumper peeled off pretty neatly though, really.

For perspective:

Up close and personal:

Anyway, I repeat, I'm ok. I'm a little sore and quite stiff, but probably because I worked 9 hours yesterday on top of the soreness. The people in the other car now say they are injured, of course. Take some advil and suck it up! You refused the ambulance! But anyway... it's ok, I have enough coverage... I just double-checked. I'm just annoyed about the ideas of my rates going up.

But thanks to those who weighed in with the "I hit my own house" stories! Danielle and Amy... you really did make me feel better about only hitting a crappy Oldsmobile!

The pile gets deeper...

That pile of emotional shit I'm standing in, that is.

la la la.... "I just crashed my car again... now I'm going to Dizz Knee Land...."

yep, DaDa had it right. A trip to Disney (or Diz Knee) would be good right about now. Instead I rode the green line into DC after Matt dropped me off at Greenbelt Metro... after he followed me to the Collision Center where I dropped off my car, sans bumper, to be repaired... After I got blinded by the sun and smashed into a car while turning left.

It wasn't really sans bumper. The bumper was in the trunk. Well, most of it anyway.

For the record, I'm fine. I'm sore, but I'm fine. And so was she, and her passenger. Luckily she'd just dropped her daughter off at her sister's house. Whew!

As for the rest of the shit in my life, it pretty much boils down to

1. Dead cat & fighting remaining cats
2. Sick Grandmother (Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer! GRRR! Poor Granni!)
3. emotional turmoil from 1 & 2
4. Logistical turmoil from 1 & 2
5. Emotional turmoil surrounding the wedding and #2.
6. General emotional turmoil
7. Still recovering from being so sick
8. Stupid freaking car accident
9. Financial turmoil from #1, #7, and #8
10. Temporary end of telecommuting due to work projects
11. Work projects including major database upgrade and launch of new website
12. Work projects happening days after I return from yet another rapid wedding planning weekend
13. Stress over Rapid wedding planning weekend AND #12.
14. Feeling like I have to be dependent again because of #8.
15. Lack of freedom for undetermined amount of time due to #8.
16. Freaking out over first at-fault accident since I was 16, thanks to #8.
17. Feeling more on the verge of meltdown than I was last night when I actually melted down, even before #8 had occurred, because the list was already so freaking long.
18. And today is 2 months until I turn 30. YAY.

ok, that's it for now. Back to the grind.

My other revelation from jury duty

At lunchtime yesterday I walked around downtown Baltimore for a while. I felt so completely out of place! I've been working in downtown DC for almost 8 years now and I had no idea that downtown Baltimore would feel so different. I think I've felt more at home on the streets of NYC. I love my side of town, but there's just something so, well, off about the downtown area. And even though I was in jeans and a sweater, I felt more "dressed up" than the people around me. Possibly because I was near the courthouse, but I don't know... I just felt so... "DC".

So here's the thing... after I'm vested (July) and after the wedding (October), I'm going to start on the new job search because I just can't continue the whole DC commute thing much longer. It's just way too exhausting and expensive. I'd like my evenings back. I thought I wanted to work in downtown Baltimore, but now I'm just not so sure. Things would be different, of course, when I find a job and develop a relationship with the neighborhood and my new co-workers, but I'm not that social of a person at the office... I usually like having lunch by myself most days. It gives me some quiet time during the day. In DC that feels like the most natural thing in the world, and I can't remember when it didn't feel normal. In Baltimore, I don't know...

I'm just nervous I suppose. Change and all that. Even though I've had 3 different jobs in DC, 2 of them have been on L Street. The other was only a couple of metro stops away. I adjusted to living in Baltimore well enough, but I still had the "normalcy" of my 9-5 world. Changing work environments will be the final step in this whole relocation process. And I'm surprised that I'm so terrified.

Of course, I don't have to work downtown... I'd love to work in Canton... the commute would totally rock. Anything on this side of the water would be better than downtown. But then, I'm already up against the challenge of trying to find an IT job that doesn't require weekends or evenings, a dramatic pay cut, or a security clearance. Yes, I would be clearable, it would just take a long time. I don't know if I could stand working in the suburbs... I'd still have a long commute, though shorter, I suppose, than what I do now. I like having things close by. That's the good thing about the city. Not once have I ever had to say "Do you want to have lunch at Applebee's?" Shudder....

So this year holds even more change for me, I guess. Hopefully I can find something this fall and end my commute before the next winter, even if it terrifies me.

Ah, Balto jury duty...

It wasn't remotely as bad as I thought it would be.

The courthouse seemed pretty well set up to deal with that many jurors and they had multiple places to sit. They even had wireless internet, so I was able to get some last bits of work done before they called me in. Jurors get 50% off lunch at the Afghan Kabob House, which was wonderful, by the way. I'm totally going back there. And surprisingly, the day was pretty efficient.

I was juror # 38 and thus in the first group to be called. That's what happens when your last name is toward the beginning of the alphabet! I was one of only about 8 people that did not stand up when they asked if anybody had been "a victim of a crime, or charged and convicted of a crime, or had a family member that was." That part was kind of sad, as the 80 jurors filed up to tell the judge their stories. And as far as people who worked for prisons and police departments, etc... the only one that really made us all turn around was the middle-aged lady that said "I'm an FBI agent." Yeah, she was dismissed rapidly! So since I didn't respond to any of the judge's questions, I was the first juror ruled "acceptable" to both sides and got seat #1, which of course made me "Madam Forewoman"... but I didn't know that until the end of the trial.

The trial was interesting but in a pathetic way. The defendant was charged with 2nd Degree Assualt and Attempted Robbery, which are little charges... but we later found out he had 2 prior drug convictions, so it would have been his third strike. The state just could not prove their case at all and the attorney was animated, condescending and a bit shrill. She REALLY bothered me. The defense attorney was impressive, and I was surprised to find out later that he was a public defender. I was sure he was a high-paid hired attorney because he really knew his stuff.

Here's what happened... Around 4 am on a Sunday morning, a white man walked into a gas station to buy some coffee before getting on a bus to his job. He said he heard people arguing in the store and he tried to walk around them, but as he exited the store, he was pulled back in by someone, slammed against the glass wall, and then somebody started throwing punches at his head while somebody else went through his pockets. A cop saw it from his patrol car as he drove down the street, pulled in, and when he saw somebody run out of the store, he chased him on foot for 4 blocks. He sort of lost sight of him in the alleys for a bit each time he made a turn but eventually another cop pulled up and caught him. The victim was not able to identify him, nothing was taken from his pockets, and despite his bleeding ear, he got on a bus to work. The defendant went to central booking. There were more than a few holes in the cop's story... like his original report described the guy in a white tank top, but the mug shot taken at central booking, with no time to change, showed him in a white t-shirt. That one really bothered the jury. Also, the cop didn't go into the gas station until after he arrested the guy, he just chased the guy that was running from the scene without any additional information.

So the defendant said that he went to the store alone to buy some cigarettes, got hit himself by one of the guys in the store who tried to take them from him, ran from that guy, who came after him, and was later knocked down by the cop that he didn't know was chasing him. The guy that hit him? Wearing a white tank top. So what I think may have happened is the cop started out chasing the right guy but ended up catching the wrong one. And while it's true that the defendant probably lied about some of the details, I don't think the cop had his story straight either.

It all comes down to reasonable doubt, and 11 of us had a reasonable doubt about his guilt. After about an hour of deliberations, the 12th guy finally changed his vote because it was after 6 and he wanted to go home. Yes, it really does work that way. So as Madam Forewoman I got to read "Not Guilty" to both charges. The thing is, the guy will probably do something else to get his third strike, but this isn't the reason he needed to go to prison. After I got home, we looked him up on case search and the original charge was attempted armed robbery, which was not what we were deciding. There was also some sort of note about "request for a chemist" so he may have had a gun on him, but it was not part of the trial at all. It could have been a much different trial, but it was a very weak case and the state did a bad job on it.

There's something interesting about serving on a jury. Whatever your preconceived notions are, you have to set them aside to look at the evidence in the case. When I walked into the court room and saw a black man with locks, it didn't seem all that impossible that he was guilty of whatever they were charging him with, but when I actually listened to the case, it didn't seem all that impossible that he was innocent either. Living in Baltimore for just over a year and a half, I've had my fair share (for a white woman) of dealings with cops that don't seem to be very good at their jobs. It was not hard at all to look at the actions of this particular officer and say "hmm... what did he have to prove? Can he really tell one black man from another? How well can he see from his vehicle?" etc... In the end, I'm kind of surprised that it was so easy for us to rule not guilty. Matt was really surprised when I explained it to him. And I have no doubt the guy will find himself in prison again eventually, but at least this time, the system worked relatively well.

This was my fourth case to sit on, and since I'm only 29, I imagine that I'll be an expert in juries by the time I'm old enough to get out of it based on age. I need to work on being more "objectionable" I suppose.

Something to look forward to

I'm going to jury duty in the morning. Jury Duty in Baltimore City. Woo hoo! I'll report back soon.

If it should be

I'm not one to push poems on others, but this was sent to me and I think it bears repeating for everyone that is ever in the position of deciding their pet's fate. It really helped me come to peace with my decision and I want to share. I don't know who the author is, so if you do, please let me know.



If It Should Be

If it should be that I grow weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.

You will be sad, I understand,
Don't let your grief then stay your hand,
For this day more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.

We've had so many happy years,
What is to come can hold no fears,
You'd not want me to suffer so,
The time has come, please let me go.

Take me where my needs they'll tend,
And please stay with me til the end,
I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.

Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I've been saved.
Please do not grieve, it must be you
Who has this painful thing to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years,
Don't let your heart hold back its tears.

He's gone

Max breathed his last breath on my hand and with that last great exhalation, he was gone. He purred right up to the first shot. They had to do a butterfly because his veins were so thin from his illness.

The vet was wonderfully supportive and thoughtful. They ushered us right into the exam room the second we walked in and took care of the bill beforehand in the exam room so we wouldn't have to wait at the desk. They made a plaster cast of his front paw prints so we'd have something to hold in our hands to remember him by. They were truly amazing in helping us handle this.

Our funeral director (yes, he's actually called that) met us there and talked to us beforehand. He met Max, talked to the vet, and was waiting to take him after we'd said goodbye. As much as I was dismayed that we had to cremate him and couldn't just bury him in the backyard like we do in Texas, at least it was easy to hand him over and not have to go home and dig a hole while crying.

The world lost a great cat today, and there is a hole in our house and our hearts, but we'll always have the memories of our beloved unflappable Max.

Thank you to Eastern Animal Hospital and Beloved Pet Cremation for your help and support in this difficult time. And thank you to all our friends, family and bloggers who have helped us know we're not alone. We truly appreciate your thoughts and wishes.

It's time

Max woke us up at a little after three this morning screaming in pain and vomiting. He won't eat, he's very limp, and he's telling us he's ready to say goodbye. I made the appointment for 7 tonight, and I'm home today so he won't have to be alone on his last day. I just called the crematory to have someone meet us at the vet and take possession soon after we've said goodbye. It hurts so much, even though we've known it was coming. His rallying sort of mislead us a bit, I think, but in the end, the cancer won.

Goodbye Max. We love you and miss you so much.

I think I'm alive again!

This past weekend marks the first time I left the house on both Saturday and Sunday since probably early February. It also marks the first Saturday out of the house in over 6 weeks! Amazing, eh? It was a busy weekend considering I'm still trying to take it slow.

Saturday Matt hosted a neighborhood board meeting in our living room, so I escaped to Lancaster with one of my bridesmaids to hunt for her dress. They all get to pick their own dresses, which is easier on me, but requires more work on their part. She is happy with the dress she picked though, so it was worth the trip. More importantly, we went to Sonic! TWICE! Sonic Drive-In is one of those places you can't fully appreciate until it is yanked from your life by a long-distance move! I miss the slushes and the shakes and the TOTS! So as my traveling companion had never been before, I took it upon myself to educate her in all things Sonic. She was thrilled with her slush and loved the food, so I considered it a job well done. She did have a hard time getting her car close enough to the order box though and had to move it twice to push the big red button. It was cute actually.

Beyond Sonic and dress shopping, we went to the outlets and I bought a coffee table at the Bombay outlet. It's a little tall, since it was labeled "tv stand" but I liked it, it wasn't huge, and it was only $149! It makes our living room look so cozy now! And we finally have someplace to put all the freakin' remotes! So exciting!

On Sunday we finally made it out to a friend's house to see their new baby. He's adorable and it was fun to hold a sleeping baby, but as soon as he started to fuss I handed him back. As we drove home we both said "I don't know that I'll ever want one of those." Luckily we agree on this, but as his group of college friends all start breeding, it's kind of weird to not want to. They don't give us a hard time about it, yet, but we're becoming more and more aware of how much we don't want children and how unusual that is. I'm at the point in my life where I do have to start thinking about the "clock" but there's not a single bone in my body that thought "I want one" while I was holding the baby. I am a sucker for kittens and puppies though. At least they don't have to go to college.

It was also strange for me to see all the blooming trees and bushes! I know it's April... I'm aware that it's time for spring... but having been out of society for the few weeks of pneumonia, I feel like it's too early... like I missed something. I'm having a hard time adjusting to it. Still, happy it's spring.

Kitties are doing ok... Max is still rallying and hanging in there. I ordered a heated cat bed for him today so he can snooze in warmth. He's been chasing the patches of sun around the living room, so I thought he might like it. He better, considering the price! All the stress of his illness has brought his feline herpes out of suppression and he's sneezing and blowing his nose... and he gave it to Bill! Bill was the only cat without it, and now his eye is all gunky and squinty. Poor Bill. They're all getting Lysine shoved down their throats now. If you ever have to deal with feline herpes, Lysine is the only thing that sends the virus back into suppression. Just an FYI. I know way more about Feline Herpes than I should have to!

So now I feel a little bit more like I'm back in the land of the living. It feels good.

The fire department has a point

You know how they tell you to change your smoke detector batteries when you change your clocks? Well, it's not such a bad idea... and not just so your house won't burn down. It's so you won't have to figure out which one of the 7 smoke alarms in your house is chirping, while at the same time trying to remember where you put the 9 volt batteries you bought from the last time you replaced them. If only my battery organizer held more than one 9 volt.

Must find them before bed time.