thank goodness it's finally... something

fryday frosh freshening flush. not the hugest fan of the way things sloshed around today. went to work. had to leave work to go get the paws dog because someone else slept in. took a helper again because he's huge. he and elbe were still trying to eat each other. got all filthied up and exhausted wrestling the beast in to the office, giving him drugs, and kenneling him up. woof! then started working. spent the lunch break shopping for a glue stick that (after i got back to the office) turned out to be all dried out and useless. so thank goodness for tricia who had some double-sided tape so i could finish making a poster for the calendar contest.
skipped lunch, and thus ate way too many of anja's chocolate chip pecan cookies. the afternoon was tense, punctuated by tension, and interrupted by emergency situations and awkward situations. the last two patients of the day were both after hours emergencies, and one of them didn't make it. so then, after all that, i got to take the big doofus back to paws, where he and elbe resumed trying to eat each other. the best part of the day happened next: horses! i got to stop off at the nan-sea stables for a few minutes of peace and bliss. i met a tennessee walker named daisy and an arab named rain man and breathed easily, probably for the first time today.
then i went back to the office to pick up my teddy and the poster, which i had to deliver to the elks lodge for the clam diggers rod run (tomorrow). talked to a couple of clients there, and discussed a potential home for bella mama. oh, i hope it works out!
made it home and didn't have enough cream cheese for the bagel. one more trip out to the store, and then on to clean up the three (yes, three) piles of cat vomit, and one cat turd that someone (...hobbes?!?...) had so kindly left all over my house.
another plus to today is that i'm listening to the jimmy eat world cd i finally got to replace the one i burned up. there are still so many cds to buy, but it is nice to remember. this cd's place in time is when i had first moved to san diego and played it in the car when i went to hang out with genessy in chula vista, and then played over and over again while commuting to and from work at hollywood video. i do miss san diego. sigh.
and i don't want to put off until tomorrow the things i should do (like dishes) so i'm putting them off by dinking around online instead.

the day started early

days starting early do not generally bode well. it means i am giving up some of my oh-so-precious sleep. today's sleep loss happened because i had agreed to pick up a very large dog from paws and bring him to work so that he could be neutered today. so. i picked up my helper all bright and early, and off we went. only to find that the dog had been fed! (despite large notes requesting that this not happen). see, if a dog has food in its tummy, we can't do anesthesia. so there went a wasted trip, a wasted chunk of scheduling at my office, and a waste of missing out on sleep. i really wish i was allowed to "fire" volunteers who can't/don't read notes or follow instructions. blah! so i started to mellow out by late morning, when our euthanasia appointment showed up. i choked and nearly hurled right there in the lobby. i have never seen a dog in such horrible condition. ever. the poor thing was an absolute skeleton except for one massive tumor or a ham leg. he could barely hobble, but the poor trooper still tried to wag his tail. tried, and it was a pathetic attempt. and it was his loving owner who brought him in. this poor, emotionally distraught man who had allowed his best friend to become so miserable before helping him out. i was torn between hugging and strangling the poor man. so i took the dog. took him and weighed him (he'd lost 40 pounds in a few months) and told him we would make it as quick as possible. and we did. and the poor guy finally isn't hurting any more. and we all choked back our tears and tried to be strong for li'l "butch".
and then i got to deal with the woman who cancelled her dog's spay appointment because she had heard that she could get it done cheaper through a paws voucher. yeah. but see, i'm in charge of issuing paws vouchers, and i don't give them to people who can afford to purchase a purebred puppy and just don't feel like shelling out a few more dollars to ensure she doesn't reproduce. i save 'em for people who take in a mutt off the street and have been saving up to get some vaccines.
and then i got to meet up with a kind foster soul who had poor elbe (former paws dog) dumped on her with the lie that paws refused to take him back. i don't know why the adoptive owners felt like they needed to lie or avoid giving elbe back to people who love him and will find him a new home, but hey. so i got to check him back in to the shelter after work. he has some kennel rage issues and set off the big new dog (who did not get neutered today). so after i set up elbe's kennel, i spent a good 20 minutes wrestling the big guy until he stopped trying to attack his gate. poor idiot. he's just a big galoot who would behave if he had any idea how.
and i gave up counting today the number of people who wanted advice, but not medicine, or wanted medicine but refused an exam (how do we know what medicine is appropriate without the vet examining an animal? my crystal ball is broken).
which reminds me, that, although my cats have broken a total of one glass thing ever (that i can recall) for some reason today was shatter day, and i lost both a drinking glass and a little vase to some kitty shenanigan. there were little shatters all over my counter, sink, floor, chair... and i'm sure i'll find some more as time goes on. wonder what happened.
and i'm sure i forgot some stuff, but i finished my bowl of leftover alfredo, so i'm gonna go to bed now.

elegies and such

death, death, and passing. that parting is being sweet sorrow for sure these last few days. patients, family of friends. not so close to me that i'm grieving, but close enough that i'm touched. i feel for those in sorrow now, and i forsee my own sorrow as i recognize the mortality of my loved ones.
be good to people! be considerate of life. don't waste time, effort, or hurt inflicting pain on others, when who knows what they may already battle inside.
one friend just learned about her own cancer. one suddenly had a whole torn in her family by an unexpected passing. one has just lost his loyal friend of the last 12 years, and tells me that he can't bear to go home to an empty house. does paws, he wonders, have another senior cat to whom he can offer some love? another is trying to say goodbye while her sweet, sweet emma has just days left before her kidneys give out. another just survived major surgery only to have heart trouble start up while still in the hospital. another struggles to bring her friend the last few paces so he can collapse in an exam room and we can open the door to end his pain. some tourists call about an injured seagull on the beach. one client opens up to another in my lobby about losing her son in afghanistan. so much pain, and so much easier to bear when shared.
so, a challenge. take some pain. wear part of the burden of someone else, whether you know them, or better if not. what a lift for them, and what an amazing sharing for you. i'm touched, but not grieving, and all of these have some support.
"cause it won't be long, til i'm gonna need somebody to lean on."
rest in peace, those who have gone, and rest in peace, for tonight at least, everyone who is left.

running on the beach

to clarify: when i say "run", i really mean run some, jog some, walk slowly gasping for breath some. i have hopes that the proportions of each activity will change as i progress with more of these "runs". it has been a while since i've run in sand. it's been a while since i was barefoot outdoors, thanks to the cold weather interspersed with ridiculously hot days here and there. today was perfect running weather. cool, cloudy, misty, but not too windy. so while i ran, i focused on not stepping on broken crab shells and whatnot. while i jogged, i noticed the vechicles that were passing me (mostly suvs, the occasional low rider with an insanely loud sub woofer, and one electrical car with bright blue hubcaps). while i walked, i noticed the people i passed (families, people walking dogs, couples with their arms around each other, and one poor tourist whose rental moped kept getting stuck in the soft sand). lots of the vehicles that went by trailed both exhaust and cigarette smoke, so i was grateful for the ocean breeze.
i tried to chase a flock of seagulls, but the darn things kept landing in soft sand, and it took forever to chase them. so they pretty much walked away from me with a few random flutters. i said hello to a few of the people. i tried to help out the lady whose moped fell over while she was pushing it over a sand drift. i felt the mist on my face, my hair, my jacket. i thought about living here, buying a house here, and being a settled part of this place. i like the way i'm thinking.
i also like the fact that i have "magic" muscle relaxing cream with msm at my house so that maybe my calves won't absolutely kill me tomorrow while i try to work.
then i enjoyed my hot shower, ate a whole pan of rhodes white rolls and drank a smoothie.

the birthday boy

balloon is 8 today! my sweet, sweet li'l guy i've had since he was a sickly, scraggly baby kitten is now a senior citizen! doesn't act like it though. we celebrated with tuna and mackerel and now he's napping. in fact, i think all the critters are napping. what's with that? i'd better go join them.

you-nique-ness

someone just called me "special, as in macaroni and cheese crayon special". but i really had to stop and think about that one, because macaroni and cheese is the brightest crayon in the box.
plus, i already know i am unique and special, just like everybody else.

rubmly in the tumbly

so i wasted the japanese food and giant popsicle last night. urg. wonder what set off the pyro-tummy-technics. feeling better now except for allergies and ridiculous heat. it is literally 30 degrees warmer today than it was 2 days ago. i went from jammies under the scrubs and still needing a jacket to goodness i wish i had more fans in the house. and for some reason the heat seems to trigger the pollen and whatnot to come after me... so i went on a kleenex run. made it to the store while sneezing. held the nose while i rushed to where kleenex are kept. tore into a box and (totally uncharictaristically of me) used one before i bought them. although under normal circumstances i consider it rude to, say, open a drink before purchasing, i think the store personnel probably appreciated that i sneezed into the tissue multiple times, instead of all over their store. also, they are out of the reduced price gatorade, and i find it very difficult to pay full price for something i used to get for extremely cheap (32oz for 50 cents!). so i got water.
and i need to go back to work for a bit to catch up on some things, but i can't bear the idea of going out in this heat again, so i'll probably do that this evening. until then - blah! but i did get more of the red-white-and-blue rocketship popsicles.

"nobody would abuse a bichon"

a woman walked into my office yesterday and stated that she wished to make a complaint. i asked her what her complaint was. she said that she was angry someone from my office had called animal control on her, and that she wanted the vet to know she was angry about it. i told her i was the one who called, and that i got the vet's consent to do so after (two weeks ago) she had told us that her dog had "a broken leg" but that she refused to do anything for its care besides giving it aspirin (which we strongly advised against because it is very bad for dogs). she stated that we should know better because her dog is a bichon and "nobody would abuse a bichon". i said that was totally untrue. she then shared with us that she had to give up her own drinking habit to take care of her dog. we wondered how she was "taking care of" her dog without seeking medical attention for the broken leg. she admitted that she didn't know for sure if the leg was broken or not because she did not have it x-rayed. i told her that was why we called animal control - we were told an animal was in pain, and nothing was being done for the fact besides, basically, poisoning the dog with aspirin. she fumed that she would "not come back here". i told her that was fine, and she left.
so then later that evening, while i was out walking teddy and the oh-so-adorable fraidy cat lab april, we were interrupted by loud barking. specifically by a heeler mix whose owner was also struggling to control two other dogs. she dropped two leashes, and the heeler attacked teddy right in front of my house. i've never kicked a dog on purpose before, but i let that little guy have it. he still kept trying to get teddy, while teddy kept trying to evade him. in the meantime, april tried to run, slipped her collar, and took off. and i still had this little bastard heeler trying to eat my teddy. so i went after him. i barked and snarled and yelled at him and finally stomped on his leash so i could drag him back to his owner. all this while, the other loose dog (probably a 90 pound shaggy mutt) was halfheartedly trying to get in on the action. i had to yell and swing at him a couple of times before he backed off. if i hadn't had to run after april, this would be the time when i would have had some choice words to the owner about, among other things, not controlling a vicious dog. but i had to run after april. a black dog, at night, tearing around in fear, in the vicinity of the "main drag" in town. i was terrified that she'd be hit by a car and i'd have to call her owner (also, since the cowboy left, there is no vet in town until monday). but oh, she is as good as gold and just ran to the office and waited at the door, hoping to be let in. what a smart doggie! and oh, the relief! so by the time we got back to my house, the bad dog, owner, and other two dogs had disappeared. i guess that's a good thing, since it was more important to get the scared dogs inside than to yell at some random stranger. i hope they walk a different route from now on.
not that i didn't have some good things happen yesterday. i had japanese-ish food again (tempura veggies this time, and no fortune cookie). i had a giant popsicle. i got to laugh my guts out when, as the vet in bluejeans was eating lunch at the pirates cove, some of the ladies at the bar asked out loud if that was the eye candy all us girls had been talking about. then one of the ladies decided her cat must be sick. then they started telling the vet dirty jokes. he took it all very well.
the weather was awesome yesterday, and it's even better today. blue skies, warm air, not much wind. smell of the ocean. ahhhhhh.
and i should probably go start some laundry.

vet in bluejeans

so i mentioned that our relief vet was a cowboy... he really wore the boots to work. and jeans. and a great attitude. we had a pretty good workday, followed by most of us heading over to the pirates cove for some fried foods (etc.).
tricia brought a couple of the babies to work (the left behind kitten and big foster brother grey). our intern will be adopting them, and taking them back up to seabeck at the end of her internship. the little squirt is "terribly cute". and the two kittens together (one about twice the size of the other)... soooooo adorable.
also today, we managed to get a foster home for chester, a little mixed-breed dog who's been stopping by to say hi on his daily walks. his mom had to give him up due to a family situation, and suddenly a foster home fell into our laps (thanks to michelle). and i finally got ahold of the person we want to end up as his adoptive mom. and she's interested. so tomorrow i get to coordinate getting them together to meet. oh i hope this works!

still no word

i know i've mentioned in this blog before how i chafe under the thumb of limbo. and i'm still waiting to hear from the bank what my house budget is. waiting...
in the meantime, i've been trying to keep busy: went to town, cooked real japanese food for the first time in, probably, at least a couple of years, had a play date with teddy and another dog (she's coming over for a sleepover party this weekend). speaking of dogs, there is only one lonely dog at the paws shelter right now. poor tank just wants to be a good boy, but he is still young and has a hard time restraining his impulses, plus he's a very big boy. so today we worked on not jumping up on people and going where he is told to go without having to be dragged. someday he will be the awesomest dog, if people will just keep working with him. and he's such a handsome boy too...
which (for some reason) reminds me that, while my boss is out of town the next couple of days, our relief vet is a recently relocated cowboy from montana. appointments are open: go ahead and call the office in the morning! (remember to bring your pet).
and, since i'm mentioning work stuff, there is a pet photo calendar contest going on here as a fundraiser for my romania trip and other world vets stuff. photo entries are $5, and votes are $1 each. the pet with the most votes will be our cover model, and the 12 runners-up will be featured in our 2011 "beauties of the beach" calendar. we hope this to be the first annual event. so if you want to contribute to the worldwide spay/neuter effort, but don't live locally or don't have a pet, just vote for the cutest face on the website! easy as pie. mmmmmm. pie.
maybe i'm not so stuffed from the yakisoba after all...

hellooooo, monday

see, i was not kidding about the giant monster potatoes (next to a normal-sized mug for reference):
headache, headache, headache, and a sore throat to boot! bless excedrin, gatorade, and anja with her shoulder muscle loosening skills, for reduction of the headache. wish i could say bless something for reduction of the darn sore throat. blah.

on the up-note, i got my bumper stickers from cafe press today: "can't feed them, don't breed them" and "please don't litter, spay or neuter your critters" also a couple of army ones (just for fun).

also on the up-note, the new color printer has arrived at my office. now i just need time to set it up. maybe tomorrow?

again also on the up-note, i have just placed a giant monster potato in the oven for future consumption.

didn't blog yesterday

should have. i did just about everything else yesterday: laundry, dishes, walking the dog, eating an entire 6-pack of bagels in less than 24 hours, vacuuming, repairing the vacuum, feeding animals, scooping cat litter, oh, and then it was 11am so i had to start getting ready for the open house at work. so i got all showered and dressed up and headed on over across the street. a huge thanks to my coworkers who had updated my poster with a photo of teddy instead of the ex (i don't have a printer right now).
so then i set up the x-ray machine and took my first ever x-ray all by myself. it was awesome: the teddy bear had "eaten" a binder clip! several open house attendees were amused by this. the ocean shores pirates provided us some snack trays, and sleeping bear studio brought us punch. the cake was purchased at safeway: chocolate with raspberry filling and some cool congratulatory decoration on top.
attendance was great. we were busy the whole time and gave lots of tours. four of the six kittens tricia's been fostering have found tentative homes from attendees. many people took flyers about the pet photo contest (www.OSAHPetPhotos.blogspot.com) and we got a few world vets donations. all in all a successful couple of hours. very tiring though.
and bless miss betty if she didn't stop by the open house with something else i needed to sign for the prequal. i should find out my price range in a few days, and then i'm giving the realtor a call.

friday of less-than-blissfulness

ok, so i can't get that house. the bank says that, due to the condition of the house (lack of working bathroom, etc.) it would require a construction loan, which would, in turn, require at least 20% down. whoopsie! no usda rural on that one. so i have to find a house that is ready for move-in. which means less bang for the buck since those fixer-uppers are such awesome deals.
and, as opposed to finishing work on time and running either to the bank or the outlet store before they closed, we were held up by an emergency surgery and trying to clean up for the open house since both assistants and the intern were busy with surgery prep and whatnot. i got to finally take off at about 7:30, only to be called back in about 45 minutes later. the dog is doing ok though.
and darn it all if i didn't just decide that i deserve more bagels for all that. so i ran down to the store, and now my toaster has been in use again. mmmmmm - high point of the day!
and i'm still coughing. oddly enough, this morning, so was teddy. so he spent the day at home stealing more cat food (yesterday's dog food is still in his dish). so we'll have to work on that. the cats were all upset and yowly when i got home since their food silo thingy was empty.
did i mention that hobbes has decided 5:30 am is a great time for me to wake up?

more bagels, please!

for michelle's birthday, my boss and i decided to have a bagel breakfast. so i bought bagels (blueberry and everything) and cream cheese (strawberry and tomato/basil). so i had these items at my house overnight with the bagel toaster. it was torturous. i was oh so close to just opening the darn things and apologizing in the morning, but with willpower, and going to bed early, i was able to pull through. so the next morning was epic, fabulous, delicious, and just plain yum. so was later that afternoon. so was this morning. it seems that i shall be purchasing more bagels and bringing the toaster back home. oh, the goodness!
also, i've been volunteered to join a cardboard boat contest at the paddle the shores event on september 19th. a team of four people from my office will be given a supply of cardboard, 3 rolls of tape, and 1 hour to construct a boat. then one silly schmuck from the team (this will probably be me) gets to paddle the boat in a race against other silly schmucks. i've offered to wear my donkey hat for the occasion. after all, how many opportunities does one get in which wearing a donkey hat is not the silliest of the activities in which one is participating?

mishmash of a day

betty at the bank is awesome. just wanted to start with that. she took what i gave her, pointed out that my end-shredded w-2s are "... uhhh, pretty"(fluffs edges), and told me she'd see what she could do about getting me a loan. in the meantime, while i was waiting to talk to her, the other 3 ladies at the bank all greeted me and asked how i was doing and chit-chatted... i love living in a small town! i love living a block away from the bank and even closer to my office. i love that i can walk to the grocery store (regular or liquidation) or mcdonalds or la chica taqueria and that people at all of these places know who i am. i love that random people all over town stop and say hi to me and tell me what's going on in their lives.
and since i'm talking about things i love, let's shift to things that are amusing in an ironic sort of way... after going to all the trouble to have someone else deliver my packet of paperwork goodies to my office so that he wouldn't have to see me, someone forgot to sign the check he wrote out for his share of the tax adjustment. so now i wonder, should i mail it and risk it getting tossed out, or should i just show up at his work with the check?
and is it really worth it for a hundred bucks?
of course it is (insert wicked chuckle).
today also saw the weigh-ins of tricia's latest batch of foster kittens, and the verdict is: all but two are big enough for the snip-snip! so we scheduled them for tomorrow, and then they can be adopted out, and poor, long-suffering mama cat and ginger the dog (not to mention tricia) will finally get some rest. little scallywags!
which reminds me: pending that they're feeling up to it, the kittens will be on display at the clinic's open house this saturday from 1-3pm. snacks provided by the pirates. punch provided by sleeping bear studio. random promotional items provided by bayer animal health. and i think we're getting a cake from safeway. oh yeah, there will also be some clinic tours and whatnot (it's not all about the food).
also, paws shift was very light today as there was one big dog and one puppy, both healthy, clean, and fairly well behaved. feeding and cleaning up after them only took about 10 minutes. if only the cat crew had it so easy. i feel for them, but i really can't stay in the cat building longer than a few minutes - not an maintain my breathing status. so i'm not much help.
and finally (last but not least) happy birthday michelle! only another hour or so until she's really 40 years old, folks! that's right, the blonde bombshell at my office is a 40 year old grandma! and all decked out in new scrubs too! thanks to her best bud joanne, we had a party down at cadillac jacks this afternoon, and boy howdy did the free drink tokens pile up. that michelle is one popular gal! thank goodness the bar kitchen was closed, or i'd have been in some trouble. i've been doing so well with eating at least semi-healthy-ish, but oh i have a weakness for fried foods... bless whoever brought the veggie tray. bless you bless you bless you!

more stuff happens...

hobbes decided that i didn't actually need that toilet paper on the roll.
then someone vomitted right next to the pile, and someone (not sure if this was the same kitty or not) moved the pile of tp over, to cover the vomit. someone also pooped about a foot away from the litterbox, and someone (else?) missed the edge of the box and peed on the floor. yep. multiple cat bodily functions and lots of toilet paper all over my floor. at least they kept the mess in the bathroom this time.

so this morning, i was busy with some random task at my desk in the back office, when the receptionist brought me a manilla envelope that had just been dropped off for me by someone she didn't know. the envelope contained, of all things: my w-2s!

it seems that the irs chose now of all times to review my 2008 taxes (the year for which i need the w-2s). they found an error in my math and sent a letter/bill for the difference to the old address. so the ex got it. and didn't want to pay it all himself. voila! so he sent me, via someone else my staff don't know, the letter, the -w-2s, and a check for part of the amount owed. so now i don't have to contact him (which is great, since in his last hissy fit he asked me not to) and i only have to pay a few bucks in exchange for getting the papers i need.

and i have never once had reason before to thank the irs.

in other news, teddy spent his second night in a row scratching all night, even after being given benadryl, so today he got a steroid shot that usually helps a lot with itchy dogs.

and i got to get up early again this morning to go to paws to help catch a ferocious angry kitty. for some reason the really angry paws kitties haven't been too tough to scruff so far (knock on wood). this one was hissing as soon as i walked in the room, but when i held a net out towards her, she backed right into me. yay! one more cat spayed. only several million left to go...

and a client whose pet had to be seen on emergency last weekend (one of the ones i didn't have to help with) brought my boss a thank you cake today! three layers of white cake, lemon and raspberry filling, frosting roses on top... ahhhhhhh. fabulous way to end the workday.

a morning of events and kittens at walmart

to preface: i know better than to post date a check. really. but i didn't know what else to do. i had to have my rent in renton by the first, and i get paid on the first. so i post dated. and i mailed the check on tusday or wednesday... somehow they cashed it yesterday and overdrafted my checking account. even though the check is dated for tomorrow. i went down to my bank and talked to the ladies there. it seems that, although banks are not supposed to cash post dated checks, if the teller running the transaction doesn't notice, they can push it through anyway. so i'm minus a couple hundred dollars until my paycheck goes through. and i had planned to purchase cat food today, as i had to go to aberdeen anyway. well, no go on that. so i called the "phone" number that the foreclosure people had provided me, and that turned out to be a fax machine. so then i emailed them. i said i plan to write my next rent check for my normal rent minus the amount of overdraft fee, since that is their fault. i told them i'm trying to get a home loan right now, and if their incompetence ruins that for me, i will be beyond furious, and then they will have some problems. so we'll see what happens there. aaargh!!
so then i went to aberdeen. i went to grocery outlet because i knew i could write a check there. so i got my cat food, got my frozen fruit for smoothies, and got a bunch of plastic shopping bags so that i now have something in which to scoop kitty litter. so then i went to walmart anyway, since they have public restroom facilities. and there was a guy with two boys giving away "free kittens"! at first i walked on by. then i went back and (stupidly) tried to educate these people. i explained that if they took the kittens to paws instead of just handing them to random strangers, then the kittens would be well cared for, as opposed to being dumped when the random strangers decided they didn't want a free kitten after all. the guy's counter argument was "yeah, but people don't want to pay the $35 to get a kitten at paws." also, he claimed that the kid who was handing out the kittens screened "pretty well" to make sure the kittens went to good homes. at this point i walked away and began making some phone calls. after i confirmed with the aberdeen paws that i could bring the kittens to them, i went back to the guy, and asked if i could please have the kittens so that i could take them to paws. he said that he had to call his wife and ask her because she wouldn't like that. ASSHOLE! they're fine with handing them to random walmart shoppers, but he needs permission to give them to a rescue organization!!! i was floored, but i waited while he got her to reluctantly agree. then they handed me kittens. i asked if the basket they'd been sitting in came with them. he said no, and walked away. so i asked a walmart employee for help, and he was able to find me a cardboard box. then i took the kittens to paws. so now they are safe, and are guaranteed healthcare and screening for their new homes. and i am amazed at the level of stupidity and lack of concern that people can attain. sometimes i am so ashamed to be human, but then i meet someone like val at paws, and i'm proud to be one of 'em again. a million thanks to everyone who goes out of their way for rescue. you are wonderful.

stuck in my head

d'you ever get something stuck in your mind - just plastered in there? someone posted a youtube link to a song on facebook. it's called airplanes. so that link did 3 things to me:
1) i listened to the song about 50 times. can't help it. it's stuck in my head, and it goes through my head over and over again when i'm not listening, so i might as well just play the thing.
2) it reminded me that i love paramore. their cd was one of the many that burned up in my car, and i just hadn't replaced them all yet. so i looked up some paramore. and there is a song i hadn't heard before called decode. so i love that song too. and the music video has clips from the movie twilight in it. guess they wrote it for the soundtrack or something. and i've consciously avoided twilight for a long time. several reasons. i generally try to avoid fads. i've never been into vampire movies. i'm just jealous that stephanie myers is getting so much from writing out a dream, when i've had a couple of frikking awesome dreams that would make great book and movie series if i would just sit down and write them (and then find a good publisher and all that). so i'm kind of mad at myself about that... yet another reason to avoid twilight. but the scenes got me hooked. now i know i want to watch. and that means i'll have to read. and that means i'm sunk. and who likes to admit that? so i have mixed feelings about this song.
3) the third thing about the original song is that it's a rap, which reminded me that i haven't listened to rap for a while, having avoided that for a while too. so i revisited some good ol' marshall mathers. and he's still really good, but i'm not used to that much profanity any more. it actually got irritating, how much was in there. i'm sure it's possible to express feelings without using four letter words. so mixed feelings about that too.
and all because liz posted a song she likes.
facebook is an incredible thing.

got two out of five w-2s...

and i'm waiting for the other 3. waiting. golly, that gets annoying!
so in the meantime, i just ate a bowl of cereal, and hobbes reminded me, insistently, how very, very much he likes cereal milk. also that he is super cute, and did i mention that he really, really likes cereal milk... so after i was done, i know a lucky kitty who got to drink all the cereal milk he wanted.
i suppose i should blog about how the hearing went. the courthouse was old and more church-like than i had expected. i arrived ridiculously early, and sat alone in the courtroom for a good 20 minutes before anyone else came in. an older woman sat near me and we talked - just small talk, but keeping each other from going crazy in those last minutes of waiting. we joked about the lawyers, talked about how far we both lived from the courthouse, stuff like that. and then the judge came in. someone forgot to say "all rise" so it took a minute for people to stand up. but i think he forgave us, since he started right away calling people up to hand their final paperwork to his assistant. as he got the papers, he'd skim through them and either sign off, or embarrass the petitioner by pointing out what they didn't have and that they'd have to come back next week. i was the seventh or so, and even though i'd checked everything about seventy times, i was still nervous. but he signed mine, and then said i could go downstairs if i needed a copy. done. and now i'm single again. i walked outside into the sunshine and didn't know how to feel. how many years i spent in a different life than i have now... i walked to my car and started the long drive home.
by the time i got back i was excited enough to swing by work and squeal with the girls a little bit. then i came home, and fell asleep while i was trying to decide where to go party. so i had a super long really deep nap, and oh boy did it feel good!
so good in fact, that i'm tempted to go have another one. right now.

bursting into song!

"i've got no strings
to hold me down
to make me fret, or make me frown
i had strings,
but now i'm free
there are no strings on me!

i've got no strings
so i have fun
i'm not tied up to anyone
they've got strings
but you can see
there are no strings on me!"

wheee!

random ramblings

so i'm here at the laptop, listening to the twister soundtrack, got snoozing kitties spread around the room. the kids moved back in today so teddy got his workout. he's crashed out over in the corner. i just finished one of my red-white-and-blue rocketship popsicles (only have one left!), and the laundry is working its way through...
i just read the book the daily coyote, and, while i can't condone the practice of taking wild animals and raising them in human households, the story of a coyote pup learning to live with an eccentric writer/photographer kind of grabbed me. the photos more than the writing. the opening section of the book describes how the author (shreve stockton) fell in love with wyoming on sight. from her photos, i can understand why. anyway, the book is connected to a website: www.dailycoyote.net. so you can check it out for yourself. i think i like it, but there are so many things i'd comment at if i was in a feisty mood... either way, call it an art piece or something.
so then i went and read some garfield to balance it out.
can't wait for the hearing tomorrow. i'm gonna be free! not that the marriage was all horribly restrictive or whatever, just that it fell apart and it's over, and once i couldn't take it any more and moved out, then i had to sit around in limbo for 3 months after filing paperwork. i don't know why the state of washington makes people do that, but it's sure annoying to be "in process". i want to decide, do, and be done. so, here's to tomorrow, and being done.

more house

as promised, here are some shots of the house. first, from the driveway:
these are the horse head pillars and the entryway (can you kind of see the rock wall in there?):

this is the fireplace/heat stove from the inside. i love the ceiling, and the arched doorways, and the tile floor:

that's about where it stops being awesome. the rest of it needs more work than i originally thought. like, there's not a toilet in the main bathroom... stuff like that. there is still some carpet that needs to be torn out, but i bet it could be replaced with pergo or something else relatively inexpensive. the potential though! there are 4 bedrooms (rooms with closets) all in the left(south) wing of the house. there is also one bathroom and two additional small rooms (cat/dog or storage rooms, maybe) on that side. the other wing has the dining room (red tile floor!) kitchen (needs some work) den, another bathroom, and the double garage.

all in all, tons of space, would definitely keep me busy for a long time, and would need a tiny bit of work done before i could even move in. also needs some appliances. i noticed a refrigerator, and i think there's a stove, but i that's it. so i need to find out if this usda rural housing thing loans out extra funds for putting in appliances and plumbing fixtures.

harley weekend

this weekend is hog heaven, or something like that. it's the one weekend a year when every harley rider is invited out to a convention of sorts in ocean shores. they ride around noisily, hang out at local bars, ride around noisily, wear leather, shop at local stores, ride around noisily... i'm sure it's exciting to motorcycle enthusiasts. and i understand the appeal of being with a large group of people who have common interests (san diego comic con, anyone?). even though motorcycles aren't an interest i share, i thought i should at least check it out. so i went on down to the convention center parking lot, where there are booths upon booths of leather, fringy, fleeced, accessorized with bandanas and helmets. then there were food booths. i doubted that i, as a vegetarian, would find anything appealing at a biker convention. wrong! there was a booth labeled "thai food". the menu listed pad thai, yakisoba, and fried rice, among other things. well, being the sucker that i am, i went for some yakisoba. yeah. i did that. it was edible, but it wasn't yakisoba, not by a long shot. it was only after i'd spent my 9 bucks on a plate of greasy noodles that i noticed the roasted corn booth, and the place that sold deep fried snicker bars. urk. that's a heart attack on a stick! however, at this point it was cold and misty, and i'd had enough of the leather and trying not to cough, so i walked home.

i found my house

now i just need to purchase it. which means i need to be approved for a loan, which means i need to submit copies of w-2s, which someone has refused to give me. which means that i've emailed all 5 employers and requested copies. let's hope they don't take very long.
then i can get my loan, and then i can get my house!

the outside doesn't look like much - siding that needs to be pressure washed. but, oh, the inside! the last owner was almost done with a renovation, and it's beautiful! ok, so the cupboards aren't all attached to the wall yet, and there is some drywall that needs to be hung. then of course, there's painting to be done. but the focal point of the entire house is an amazing slate stone fireplace and chimney. the floors are red tile or stone (almost no carpet). there is a 2-car garage. there is a "cat bathroom". there is almost 1/2 acre of gorgeous lawn with magnolias here and there. the house is a u-shape with the entrance in the inner center. the wings are bedrooms and garage, and between them there's a wall, with horse heads on the gateposts.
next time i go out there, i will take a camera.
it's perfect.
like i said, now i just have to purchase it.

popsicle run

i finished my last prune pop today, and the throat demanded more coldness. so ensued a popsicle run and, now i've got some ridiculous colorful things in my freezer, and in my tummy. we got some all over the kids too, but they've been cleaned off now.
and, due to escalating email wars, it's been granted that i shall take ownership of all 4 cats, instead of just 2. someone couldn't commit to picking a date by which he would take them and so he capitulated and they're mine, all mine. bwaayaahahahahaaha. which backfired a little bit, since he wants me to take neil too. now don't get me wrong, i love neil, but he's just not my dog. he knows whose dog he is, and is a total daddy's boy. my argument is that it wouldn't be fair to deprive him of that. his argument is well i can't take care of him. my rebuttal: can't, or won't? and we're still on that fence. leaning this way though. so i'll have four cats and two dogs, one of which is bionic, and the other that bites people.
and i'm looking for a place to move where i can keep 'em all. the loan thing is going to take longer than anticipated because, when i packed up to move out, i didn't think to dig up and pack the last 2 years' w-2s. stink!
also, i am still coughing, coughing, coughing, and i have to go pick up paws pups for surgery tomorrow before work. hope the theraflu helps!

teddy the bionic dog

today became pick on teddy day when a no-show made time for him to be x-rayed again. and his darned leg is not healing. the bones are not growing together. the metal hardware is holding it in place, but irritating the heck out of poor teddy, and he is infected again.

so now he's back on his antibiotics, and on thursday, we are going to take off the hardware. it was definitely worth a try, but the experiment did not go off as i had hoped, and we at the office are all pretty bummed about it. teddy was just happy to get off the x-ray table. what a trooper!

fixing paws pups

the newest batch of paws puppies are named for space missions (cassini, luna, and such). they're all black lab crosses, and practically impossible to tell apart. for a while they had numbers written on them, but the marker didn't survive their pre-surgery baths they got yesterday. and the volunteer who brought them in, bless his heart, had no idea which was who. not a problem, except that we have to keep medical records, and we've already started charts on these pups, so we have to match the right pup to the right paper. that was a nice bit of detective teamwork.
and we got them all sorted out and fixed in time to get a real lunch break. yay - mac'n'stuff again!

the un-monday

there was a surprising lack of drama at the office today. despite a walk-in early in the day, and a routine exam turning into full on x-rays and whatnot, everything flowed really smoothly. we got a little bit behind, but everyone was understanding. we caught up without any no-shows. our clients were all pleasant, even the ones we thought wouldn't be. i got to speak in "ivanna" and expound upon the ongoing georgian/ossetian conflict. and my lunch break was long enough to come home and make mac'n'cheese. so where's the catch? it's monday after all!
ok, i'm still sick, but a tiny bit better (i think) than i was yesterday.
and i got my realtor! a very good client, who i was thinking i should ask for help in my home search, came in today to purchase dog food... and the rest is history. he said that working in foreclosures is a pain, but he'll do it. yay! now i have to go talk to betty at the bank on wednesday and really get this ball rolling!
seriously - catch?

missed the morning

yay - i fell asleep! and stayed there. woke up to a headache and more coughing, but hey, at least there was some temporary relief in there. then hobbes was freaking out and getting the midnight crazies in early afternoon, so i snapped a leash on and we went for a kitty walk. just around the building, but that's usually enough stimualtion to get him to shut up for a while. and it seems like it worked. so there's laundry going, and i washed enough dishes to eat curry and drink mango smoothie. i need to do the rest, but urg. just scooping out the cat box was enough effort to get me wheezing.

so, to keep this from being just a whiney, woe is me, post, here are those awesome red flowers (mixed in with blackberry blossoms) that i mentioned earlier, followed by ripening huckleberries:

pros/cons of insomnia

i noticed in the last year, while my insomnia was pretty much under control, that i got a lot less done in each day - probably because each "day" was a few hours shorter. but they were so much more comfortable days! i think it's just being sick that's making me unable to sleep again this week. i've not been this fevery this long in years. i worked multiple jobs and made more money back when i didn't sleep. and while i was busy making money, i wasn't busy spending it, so that worked out pretty well too. i burned up lots of energy jittering around all night, so i got to eat more without worrying too much about it. plus, the super padded resume from all the extra working looks nice.
the cons, well, they're pretty much all physical. tiredness, dark circles, day-after headaches, slap-happy silliness (that one can be a pro too, in the proper context). i used to get dehydrated and get stress ulcers from lying around at night trying to sleep and worrying about stuff.
was/is the discomfort worth it? probably not. i love sleep. i love that my bedroom is just that, a room with a bed in it. no tv, no books, no nothing. just me and snoozing. i love lying down with that drowsy feeling - and knowing that it will work this time! that i'll stay relaxed and ahhhhhh. it is awesome.
so i guess that means, please don't wake me up in the morning, so that i can catch up from being up tonight.