"Suppressing Auto-Mode with Success" or "Baby-Ready Kitties"

I got home from work by 6:15 pm and we made a simple and delicious dinner in less than 20 minutes for our friends and their two AHHDORAHBUL chilun', ages 2 and 5.

[SEMI-RELATED, KINDA LONG TANGENT: Ever since I brought Otis and Owen home in October 2003, the very day they became my boys, I've been preparing them, training them for babies - - No, they're both boys and fixed, I know. I'm talking about MY babies; human babies yet to be born! In order to desensitize the kitties for the abuse a baby will certainly dish out someday, Oattie and Owen's training has entailed all kinds of imposed mauling; touching of the nosies, aggressive tummy and back rubs, grabbing and holding of kitty paws, light tugs on the ears and tail, full on squashing and manhandling of kitty ears, smothering squeezes, long, unrelenting hugs, chasings, touching via human feet (Yes, and by doing so, they will accept the touch of any foot, just like a hand, allowing themselves to be petted by feet!), and loud squealing... I've practiced all this and then some, built up over time in order to reach "The Ultimate State of Baby-readiness": The ability to be held beneath their forelegs with their lower bodies facing forward and left to dangle, as they're carried about in the same position.

Before tonight, I had thought Otis was almost close to graduating as a fully 'baby-ready' kitty, as I can do all the aforementioned, including the ability to carry him around, holding an arm beneath his forelegs, lower body hanging and he's almost totally relaxed, all except for the toes of one paw, stiffly splayed! And Owen, he has come far and beyond what I'd ever possibly hoped for, especially during his latest year-long stint in L.A., living with my honey-man and the angel boy-O! He's like a different kitty!?! He used to be the kitty who'd sit within one foot of you, but get up and walk off if you dared to touch him - - and now? He'll waltz right over and lay directly on top of your feet! Even still, I didn't believe he was ready to even remain in the same room with a baby, yet tonight, I was proved flat wrong! And I am a proud Mama, indeed!

My boys were perfect lil' fuzzy dahrlings! Oattie in particular (not as fast as Owen), put up with squeezing, squealing, and constant chasing from room to room, up and down the stairs, and was even laid on at some point! AND sure enough, he was picked up TWICE by the 2 year old, and carried for at least 10 feet the first time and he did nothing by hang like a rag doll! I was soooo pleased! No hissing, no scratching, no growling; He was PURRFECT! And Owen never even left the room once! He even spread himself out on the kitchen floor amongst 7 pairs of feet and could actually be heard purring!?! My boys are baby-ready! END OF TANGENT]

After dinner, we all went to Sheridan's Frozen Custard for dee-zert (drooling again at the thought of it), and my sister met us there, who later followed us home, with the angel boy-O in her new car, so she could come see the boy-O's finished bedroom (Finally, in that I finally finished it!), and to also see the red, light-weight trench I'd bought for Europe from Nordstrom's Rack (originally $120, on sale for 24 BUCKS!?!), so she could give me her fashion approval and/or disapproval (it's a go! = she liked it).

After my sister left, I then helped the boy-O with his bath and cut his hair and got him to bed by 9pm (kinda late for him)... and since then, while my honey-man's been working in his home-office, I replanted some things in new, bigger pots for the backyard, shot off some work-related emails, and I wrote this... and now, I'm off to take my shower and go to bed and it's just before midnight! Not bad!

It seems I've successfully suppressed my auto-mode!

Cue the High Powered Brit Pop!

As of today, I have 3 full days before I'll fly out with my sister this Thursday morning for London, but as of last Friday, I'd already entered my high-gear auto-mode! This is not good! Auto-mode shouldn't kick in until, like, late tonight or tomorrow!?!

Let me explain: Typical for me, about 2 to 3 days before some major trip or some big event [EXAMPLES of a "Big Event": The angel boy-O's birthday party or any holiday that requires some preparation, like Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving.], I kind of go into this automatic, super hyper, super excited mode of operation that involves many, many errands, lots and lots of cleaning, and very, very little sleep... The latter mention is the not so good part of auto-mode.

For instance, this last Saturday, I stayed up until 6:30 am, Sunday morning, and when I did finally go to sleep at SIX THIRTY AY EM, I only slept until 10 am, and I did NOT take a nap at any point thereafter, still operating in "auto-mode."

Now to be clear here, my auto-mode is NOT the result of any procrastination on my part, nor does it really ever involve the actually necessary, preparative plans for the relevant trip/event: I usually have everything in mind and ready to go, far, far in advance for the upcoming trip/event. In fact, it's often ridiculous, how "in advance" I can consider some things (to a fault), as I'm very much a in-the-future kind of thinker (to a fault), but what happens is I fill in ALL MY TIME in between my necessary trip/event plans AND THEN SOME, simply because I am just soooo freakin' excited, I can't settle down to go to sleep! ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT re: Auto-mode: It is NOT something I try to do = I am just that wired outta my mind with excitement! Like this morning at work, my hands were shaking as I typed my follow-up emails, I had so much energy, and I felt like I could run 'round the block a couple dozen times. The very night before any anticipated trip/event? It's not at all uncommon for me to be unable to sleep at all... so I'll be up all night, and start the trip/event on ZERO sleep, and amazingly, I will be totally fine, on top of things, happy and cheery = A-OKAY, PERFECTLY FINE... until it's allll over and that's when I finally crash and sleep for a full day.

So what did I do until 6:30 am? [BE FOREWARNED: You really should skip this next part!]

Some BACKGROUND INFO: Well, my boys (not Otis & Owen, but my honey-man and the angel boy-O) were camping together an hour away, up at Mt. Charleston for the weekend (a lovely minimum 15-20 degrees cooler than the Vegas Valley), so, jazzed about my trip or not, I had to occupy myself in their absence [Reveal: That was just a feeble attempt to justify what I'm about to share].

And soooo, what all did I do? Starting Saturday morning, I went to Home Depot, I went to Target, I went to Kmart, I went to Nordstrom's Rack, and I went to Michael's Arts & Crafts, I tried to arrange a silk flower arrangement for my kitchen pot shelves, I washed all the bedsheets, I washed my honey-man's down pillow, I then went to see a girlfriend visiting from out of state from noon-ish until 7 pm, then I measured and hung a couple picture clusters on our walls, I hung my framed set of tulips from The Met, I re-organized everything under our bed, I fixed the lamp shades of our bedroom side table lamps and set 'em up (since I could finally reach the power outlet on the wall behind the head of our bed), I dusted, I shook and vacuumed rugs, I vacuumed the whole house and stairs (the stairs took forever, having to work in slow-motion w/my hernia), I swept the back patio, I trimmed kitty claws, I trimmed my nails and toes, I washed 2 different loads of bathroom towels (reds vs. the green), I washed my synthetic darks, I washed our cotton darks, I washed all the kitchen towels, rags and cloth dinner napkins, I swept, dust-mopped, and wet-mopped, I took a shower and I tried to go to bed and laid there thinking about more stuff to do (around 1 am), I got up 15 minutes later and trimmed my still-wet hair, I washed and ironed the angel boy-O's new bedroom curtains, I reaffixed the glow-in-the-dark stars that had fallen off the boy-O's bedroom ceiling, I spray-glued protective felt on the back of 16 one-square-ft. cork squares to be mounted on the wall beneath the angel boy-O's loft bed, just above his desk (and I would have nailed them up, had it not been 2 am!), I cleaned all the bathrooms (not a vigorous activity when one regularly uses shower spray and cleans with 'Scrub Free Soap Scum Remover' cleaning agent from Arm & Hammer - LOVE THE STUFF! - If you haven't already, find it, buy it and try it!), I re-caulked the annoying drippy spot at the bottom right corner of our shower door, I emptied all 5 trash cans located throughout the house and washed them all out, I found new homes for the original contents of the 6 Sterilite drawers I'd dumped the day before so my honey-man could use them for his office closet, I tried again to go to bed (around 4 am), but got right back up, and collected enough stuff for another bag of Goodwill donations, I polished 4 pairs of black shoes, including my honey-man's beloved cowboy boots, and I did pack everything for Europe except my toiletries, but only after I first tried on all my planned outfits (Yes, I am a big geek, but I had to plan to a 'T' since I'm only taking a 22" carry-on bag for a 2 week trip!)... and when I realized the kitties had quit trying to follow me around the house and the sun was up, well beyond rising, I made myself go to bed at 6:30 am... and I woke up at 8 am and made myself go back to sleep until I woke at 10 am (whew!).

In earlier years ('earlier' meaning my early to mid-twenties - - ahhh, my 20s ~ good riddance!), my going into auto-mode would ensure I'd be sick by the time I was in the midst of my eagerly anticipated trip/event. I think there was at least a 4 to 5-year span during which I was sick every Christmas, on into New Year's Day, but for the last few years, I've learned to better pace myself and to suppress my auto-mode - - NO, really! I have been far worse than this! But right now, with this trip? Starting into auto-mode 6 days before I leave?!? - - sooooo not good. At this point, however, after Saturday's marathon of errands and cleaning (and more errands done on Sunday with my out-of-towner friend), I'm not sure what more I can do between now and Thursday morning... although I do have another list made already!

As for the title of this post, whenever I find myself in auto-mode, I tend to favor Brit Pop (that's young British rock bands, NOT Britney Spears, although she is a secret indulgence of mine) as my background busy-music .

P.S. The only time I had any caffeine that Saturday into Sunday AM was when my friend and I shared a small 3 cup pot of coffee around 5 pm with the cupcakes we'd bought from the Cupcakery! That was it. Otherwise, the high is all natural!

If Price is an Indicator...

With the exception of my newly purchased TARGET wedding dress, if price is any indicator, I have fabulous taste when it comes to shoes!

In an earlier convo on the phone with Wendy, the angel boy-O's delightful mum, we got on the subject of wedding plans and ideas (Wendy is a wonderful idea generator!), and continuing on that topic, once off the phone, I decided to peruse the web for a moment, looking for the bridal shoes I have in mind for myself...

I want Ivory colored 3.5 - 4.0" Mary Jane heels with a button strap and rounded toe (I'm not joking)... Very much like this, but with a button strap (to match the buttons at the back of my dress, duh! - - not that it'd be terribly noticeable) and a titch taller because I don't want to have to hem 5 different layers of bridal dress material to keep it from dragging on the floor...

My very first search result:
Manolo Blahniks for $695

Similar search results:
Christian Louboutin = $710
Miu Miu = $430
Beatrix Ong = $470
Delman = $375
Kate Spade = $295
Cynthia Rowley = $270
Stuart Weitzman = $270

Um, I don't think the bride's shoes should cost more than the wedding dress, eh?

"You got it from where? Are you joking?"

This is just sooooo me (although I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or not, but it's true): My old boss came to my office last week to chew some fat, and told me he'd heard a story that morning on NPR on his way to work and that he just had to tell me about it.

So I got online that same afternoon and placed my order... And upon finally waking up, Monday afternoon, my honey-man told me I should go downstairs to see what had been delivered already...

My wedding dress!!! ~ FROM TARGET!!!

And lemme' tell ya, it's just lovely and it fits me purrrfectly (although the short veil was disappointing and will soon be returned),
AND it cost less than $180, including shipping!

Tonight I may (or not) be given the definite 'yay' or 'nay' when my friend Ry-Ry comes over to see it - - (and to also watch So You Think You Can Dance with me!)

P.S. Despite etiquette, my honey-man has seen it already with me in it, and he loved it, and told me it fit perfectly and was quite flattering, and I do believe him,
(he's always honest about what works or not for my figure, bless him),
BUHHT, I could wear a potato sack and he'd still like me!

No, Not 'Femmeral,' but "Femoral"

For the past several months, I've been experiencing a persistent and annoying tenderness... Just a few weeks ago, I had a couple sonograms done (both kinds, if you know what I mean), and it was discovered that my right ovary is strangely "plump," nearly 3 cm wider than the left, and that I have bilateral ovarian cysts, one the size of my thumb, but either gynecological issue was cleared as the possible cause of this particular pain.

Over the past weekend, feeling greater pain than ever before, we discovered something that felt like the side of a small, firm egg-shape protruding from the muscle tissues in the far left area of my lower abdominals (see the lovely diagram I found online?), and whenever the angel boy-O would fiercely hug me about the waist, I wound up bent over and gasping... Sooo, on Monday, I stayed home from work having slept horribly (more like not at all) that Sunday night, and I went to the doctor's office first thing, and upon returning home, I slept from 10:30 am until almost 4 pm, and still went to bed by 9 pm. After work last night, on a 2nd appointment, I went again to the doctor's office and found out I had a temperature of 100.7 (why they didn't catch that on Monday, I don't know - - my honey-man had told me for days that I had felt like a nuclear reactor), and was told I have a femoral hernia and it can only be fixed with surgery... and I leave for London a week from tomorrow.

Thankfully, the hernia -although no fun at all- isn't bad enough to warrant the cancellation of my Europe trip... I can still go, but have to get some blood work done tonight and get a CAT scan before I leave, so I can schedule my surgery for as soon as I'm back.

So until then, no hiking, no running, nor jogging (like I ever go running? ha!), no swimming (our pool opens next week), no yoga (whhaaaah!), no deep bending (no more litter box duty for me! - although it won't be an issue while I'm gone anyhow), no squatting (the alternative to bending - totally litter box duty exempt!), no lifting of anything more than 30 lbs (um, what about my luggage?), no wrestling (on the stairs nor with the boy-O, tickle fighting), and no bedroom play (*sniff, sniff*).

It could be A LOT worse. How about a strangulated hernia? Fun stuff, indeed!

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 11

Because it took less than 3 weeks for him to think and say aloud, "It's only 98 degrees," as if such a temperature measurement indicated it was cool outside.

Foiled Again!

My long-time-had Amish Friendship CAKE starter had recently died a dreadful death, due to my own negligence (sniff, sniff) ... and so, I had made the promise to start fresh and create a new batch of starter...

After 8 days' time, only 2 left to go before I could make some yummy Amish Friendship CAKE with it, my Otis (I didn't actually see him do it, but it had to be Otis!) nibbled the starter's Ziploc bag!?! NEVER EVER have either of the kitties attacked the Amish Friendship CAKE starter, not ever!?!?

And to do so now? When I was trying to start my starter, anew? and with only 2 friggin' days left?

Fooey. Lil' fuzzy bastards.

Must. start. over. AGAIN.

MORE and MORE Cute Fuzzies (as always)!

Needs vs. Wants

A strange thing has happened...

For the first time, we move into a home we own (or well, CORRECTION: a home the bank owns) and we have MORE THAN ENOUGH stuff in it already, but suddenly, there's all these things we didn't have, that we've never ever needed before, that we've happily lived without for years and years, but now? - now we gotta have 'em!?! Since moving in and beginning the process of setting up house, a ridiculously loooong list has emerged; it's a list of items we want for our new home, some that we've [I've] already purchased since moving in and other items we still plan to eventually purchase [SIDE NOTE: The following is more like a record for me than anything else - - oh, except it's shameful too - - like a nice reality check from hell as to how much money one can blow on WHATEVER when you buy a home!?!]:

The Powder Room (my first "It's all Done!" room): Blue lidded trash can, White toilet seat cover, Square blue and green braided rug, White tumbler, White soap dish, Blue plunger (not that it being blue was at all important in my purchase decision) with white cover...

The Angel Boy-O's Bathroom (my 2nd "It's all Done!" room): Green lidded trash can, Striped bathroom rug for tub, Green bathroom rug for sink, Mr. Bubble (a must!), Watermelon no-tears no-tangles shampoo, Johnson & Johnson Baby Body Wash, Small shower caddy, Vinyl shower curtain (and the kitties have already chewed holes into it, where the weights are enclosed in the vinyl), Decorative metal curtain rings, One white bracket shelf for CD stereo...

The Angel Boy-O's Bedroom (nothing done yet, waiting for his arrival THIS SATURDAY!):
PAINT AND MORE PAINT! Blue! Kelly green! Orange! and Purple!
3 red IKEA Lack shelves
Pair of Madras curtains (to be sewn by me)
Curtain rod (actually, I did go ahead and buy that already!)
Custom-sized pull-down, black-out window shade (whatever those are called!)

Master Bathroom: Green bathroom runner rug, Green bathroom shower rug, Cream potty room rug, Cream toilet seat cover, Peachy metal magazine rack (for mah honey-man), Green metal above-toilet storage rack, Small curtain rod, One cream curtain, Pair of green sheer drapes, 6 Red brick bath towels, 2 Red brick hand towels, 4 Soft red hand towels, 6 Red brick washcloths, Dark, lidden basket to hide from sight my misc. make-up I have that I never use, Wall-mounted make-up mirror (all my house-sitting has spoiled me! I wanted one of my own, Dianne!), a 2nd wall loop for my hand towels (the last two items, I haven't hung yet, so this room ain't "It's all Done" just yet)...

Master Bedroom: Pair of green panel drapes, Pair of long cream sheer drapes, Pair of camel sheer drapes, Pair of brass leaf pull-backs, Brass leaf curtain rod, Pair of curtain rods, 2 spiral light bulbs, an additional 'tall hamper' for the closet

The Kitchen: 2 sets of yellow tiered cafe curtains, Pair of curtain rods, Fabric to re-cover kitchen chairs, Poppy design bowl, platter and small serving dish, 3 decorative metal hanging plate racks, Pair of wooden plate stands, Pair of metal plate stands, Cup hanging hooks, 4 'helper' pantry shelves, Dust mop, Red silicon sink mat, Silicon sink divider, Dishwasher detergent, Clorox Sanitizing Spray

Yet to be purchased: 2-3 barstools, Refinish kitchen table and chairs, New chair padding so I can re-cover the kitchen chairs

The Living Room: has been bought yet, but a BIG 'wish list' item for my honey-man = a 42" flat screen wall-mounted HDTV... on the list of our priorities, from A to Z, this is a 'Z' item.

Yet to be purchased: Window coverings in general - - we have none and have no clue what kind we want, Large basket for blankets, a 2nd cracked glass touch lamp to replace the one I broke last year when I moved out of my apartment.

The Miscellaneous: Laundry drying rack (like the one my sister has, that I'd been coveting for months), Back-of-Door canvas shoe rack, Carbon monoxide detector...

The Backyard: We haven't bought anything yet, except a really mean lookin', totally kick-butt grill cleaning metal bristle-brushy thingy...

Yet to be purchased: Anything green that grows in the ground!?!, One white basque (Thank you for the spelling, Kati!) climbing rose, One sterling rosebush, One yellow rosebush, One flaming peach rosebush, ummmm, anything remotely green that grows in the ground?!?, a drip system so we can keep alive the green stuff we hope to someday plant, Copper fire bowl with stand, Curved bench that matches the fire bowl, Umbrella table with 4 chairs and an umbrella, Install pavers in the NW corner on which the aforementioned, desired umbrella table would be placed...

HELP. CAN'T STOP. HELP.

His Stuff v. Her Stuff - - The Battle Begins!

Wednesday night, when my honey-man returned to Vegas to stay, for the first time ever, we found ourselves trying to deal with the unpacking of my honey-man's stuff. At first, in his office, we were well focused (although he fought the inevitable, as to the inevitable placement of his desk). Moving downstairs though, the battle of 'His Stuff versus Her Stuff' began, as we tried to determine how to arrange our shared living space - -

OH and lucky for us, I happened to be in a generally foul, hormonally possessed mood, and my honey-man? Well, he was demonstrating his most loving ability to maintain his infinite patience whenever I'm feeling hormonal in the 'bad,' unwelcome way. Bless him.

The issue: What the hell should we do with his beloved couch.

I want it to sit at an angle. He wants it square against the wall.
The possible result of either positioning, well, I won't get into that.

Anyhow, while hashing it out, at one point I had looked away from him and as I turned round to face him again, he was writing the word 'NO' in the air, knowing this was what I was about to tell him in response to his latest suggestion. The comedy of the moment became very clear... and the next day, I giggled throughout the day, recounting how and for how long we had bickered. I just keep seeing him with his face all stern and pouty, writing the word 'NO' in the air...

It was great fun!

"Payin' Out the Big Bucks!" or more appropriately, "Dealing with Decisions"

Our first mortgage payment is due next week and I've prepared my autopay settings for it to be automatically paid via my bank account each month. Who knew this would be so exciting?!?

Not ever, have I paid more than $500/month for my living space, and now, split between the two of us, I'll be paying $805... and I am sooo pleased! Our mortgage payment minus the home owner's assoc. fee and property tax is only $1405/month?!! I SO LOVE IT!

oh, and One more thing:
MY HONEY-MAN WILL BE HERE WITH HIS MOVING TRUCK TOMORROW!?!?
(semi-freaked out scream)

About THAT...
First of all, to get it out of the way, the semi-freaked out scream comes from the fact that my honey-man and I, we have never shared an address, let alone same-city addresses! For nearly 3 years now, our relationship has been based on his weekly commute to Vegas from L.A., and the frequency of my available 3-5 day 'weekends' spent in L.A... but I'm sure we'll be fine (although it's sure fun to joke about it!).

More seriously: Lots of different people have been asking me if I'm excited about my honey-man's move to Vegas, and I've gotten the general impression that most are quite disappointed with my response, in that most don't think I'm nearly half as excited as they think I should be. Some have flat out said so. In these exchanges, more often than not, I've found that I had remind people where we were when we first started out and where we were only 3 months ago: When I met my honey-man, I knew it then, I would have to move to Los Angeles, and once my MPA was done, I tried soooo hard to find a good job in L.A. so I could move there, so that we could avoid all this!!! And this then leads into my having to re-explain what it is I had been trying so hard to avoid: My honey-man's move to Vegas means that although he'll have much more time in his work week and far, far more stability, my honey-man will no longer have the kind of readily available, daily face-to-face access to his sweet son that he has so enjoyed for the last 3 and a half years = it is this glaring loss to come that causes such great pain.

As of tomorrow, we're entering the great unknown; we have no idea how this will all feel for us all, once the reality of this life-changing move sets in and some time has passed.

I told my honey-man today that I've been having a really diffiult time getting jazzed and a difficult time accepting my own good forture [no job change for me, our new home, us living in the same place, finally], regardless of any recent cheery blog posts re: my kitchen's yellow cafe-style drapes. For several weeks now, other than the day we had moved my stuff out of storage (I was literally jumping up and down that day), I've been unable to be really be happy without feeling guilty about it.

And today, thinking about all this and my developed sense of guilt, I realized something: If I don't let it go, and I allow it to overshadow everything that is going well in my life, IT WILL ALL BE A BIG, FAT WASTE - - and THAT would NOT help any of us, especially the angel boy-O.

On the 'Trail 90' Again

Last week, my friend Daly and her lovin' hubby helped me move my Trail 90 from my uncle's garage to our new home with their pick-up truck.

Daly took these pictures of our it-is-so-not-goin'-anywhere tie-down job!

Thanks for the pictures, grrl! ~ And thanks again for helping me out! You too, Johnny!!!

Have I told you that you so rock, Daly? Have I?

My Dearest Amish Friendship CAKE (not bread) Starter...

Wherever you now may be right now, traveling along the putrid sewer lines of the greater Las Vegas Valley Water District, I cannot tell you how very sorry I am to have failed you after nearly 7 long years of sweetest friendship, since your creation in early 2001.

I swear to you, my only thoughts had been for your safety! I left you behind only to allow you to remain cool and comfortable while I had to move into my new home and then wait a week+ for the purchase of our new refridgerator. I was going to come back for you this very week - - I was, I swear - - but sadly, returning to you one day too late... I'm so full of the deepest regrets, that I had not come back for you sooner. I imagine you may have felt abandoned, poor thing - - I will never forgive myself!

And for you to die at the hands of one who didn't even realize you were much, much more than a merely smelly, goopy paste? And to be sent down the drain of a kitchen sink?!? Oh, the loss! All that remains is your storage container that had once housed you so securely for so long (now bursting into tears).

Please forgive me, my lost Amish Friendship CAKE! Starter... please, oh please...

I promise to create a brand new batch of starter this very week and to do so in your memory, to be dedicated to you, to honor your 7 long years' worth of delightful Amish Friendship CAKE creations, and for all those who were able to enjoy your sweet and flavorful contributions, month after month.

Once you manage to clear the LVVWD treatment center, may you rest in peace.

My "I Hit a Cow" Story: Part VII

Well, some news on my "I Hit a Cow" story: Although liability was turned over in the cow owner's favor [Meaning, I was the one found at fault for hitting the broadside of a solid black cow that was out loose on a public '65 mph limit' state highway at night - - although neither insurance co., neither mine nor his, found me guilty of driving negligence], his insurance policy is written to pay for medical bills, regardless... and so, SEVEN MONTHS LATER, I'm getting reimbursed for the medical bills I'd paid... the first check came this week! Only 6 more to go!

"Update on the Yapper" or "Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 10"

Now, I could go on and on explaining how it was real hot over the past weekend, and so the Yapper had been taken indoors and what all I thought about that... yada, yada, yada - - but come Monday and last night, the Yapper was back at it, and well, the basic gist is this: I did nothing about it; I'm a big, fat chicken!

My honey-man will be here this coming weekend with his Los Angeles-loaded moving truck and before he heads back to L.A. for his final apartment check out, he'll be the one paying the Yapper's parents a visit and he volunteered to do it (BLESS HIM!), as long as I can wait until then... Um, yeah - I'll wait! Thanks, baby!

On 'Being a Good Neighbor'

Living in a townhouse that's basically a large structure with three different, separate contained units, consequently, we're living very next to our next-door neighbors. Generally, this is all very fine with me, especially considering there's a 6-inch airspace between all our shared walls that manages to make eavesdropping virtually impossible (unless you're really tearing it up, I suppose, although I haven't yet been able to hear a single vocal peep from anyone!). In fact, so far the only thing I've been able to hear through those walls has been the guy in the 2-bedroom unit entering his interior stairs from his 1-car garage, occasionally running up those stairs like an elephant! Oh, and I think he may have dropped a rather large piece of furniture or something big and heavy last week... Otherwise, I totally forget we're sharing walls with anyone.

So where's the big 'but' here?

Well, the other unit that's located to our east with a backyard situated right next to ours, they happen to have an old, white poodle-ish lap-size doggie, whom they leave outside in their backyard, tethered beside a pet carrier kennel - - and this doggie is a yapper! I mean, he's the yapper of yappers, barking 2 and 3 times for every timed second! NO JOKE! And you better believe it, cuz yesterday, I had tried to lay down for a cat nap, and instead, I wound up timing it! Having now spent a solid 2 weeks living in my new diggs, hearing this same dog just last night, barking beyond 1 am into the 2am hour, it is officially official:

I cannot handle
the neighbor's *!@?#!* barking dog
any longer.

Facts to Note: 1) It is probably safe to assume, for the obvious reasons, that these neighbors put their dog outside because they don't want it inside... 2) However, I can't know for sure why they don't want him inside... If they put him outside because they don't like him barking indoors, I can't know that's the case, seeing we have that fabulous 6-inch airspace between all our shared interior walls, unable to hear if he's barking, if and when he's ever taken indoors! 3) Moreover, the dog does bark when outside, throughout the day and night and with little reprieve; and 4) I do know that the owners DO know this dog is yapper - -

Background Info: Their first day in their new place, all moved in, they had a small gathering of friends and family and they'd fired up their BBQ grill in the backyard. Over our shared backyard wall, I talked with them briefly and welcomed them as my new neighbors. In response to my approach, the dog, who I'd already heard barking intermittently, well, he went freakin' nuts!!! - - Two early 20-something boys, who spoke English, excused the frantic yapping with this comment: "He's just old." I then laughed, made a friendly statement directed toward the disturbed doggie, and told them their food smelled really good, and then told them I'd see them later and went back inside... and the barking continued, along with this intermittent shouting: ¡Cállate la boca! Translation: Shut your mouth.

Soooo, when it's so blantantly obvious to me that this dog is a nuisance (and sadly, neglected), and yet they don't seem to care, I haven't wanted to confront my new neighbors about their dog's incessant barking... Instead, today, I sought to contact my Home Owner's Association, hoping to let them do the dirty work. Just 15 minutes ago, I'd gotten a return call from my HOA and was told all I had to do was fax over a written complaint...

But first, I called my honey-man to tell him I was emailing some things to him regarding his new business license and "...oh, and I got a hold of the HOA to deal with the yapper... and all I have to do is..."

I knew how he'd respond: He sooo called me on it! Immediately, I grumbled and pleaded... "I don't want to try dealing with people who obviously don't care" - yada, yada, yada... I even tried throwing out this totally lame-O cop-out argument: "But they don't speak English! How can I even talk to them?"

Going through the HOA is the coward's way... I need to instead be a good neighbor and give them the chance to choose to do something about it. My honey-man totally nailed me when he asked me this: "If a neighbor has a problem with you, would you want them to just report you without talking with you first?"

* sigh *

It may take me until Sunday to muster enough courage to tactfully confront them - - Wish me luck this weekend!

Owen's New Favorite Perch

Dressin' dah Windows

Behold, our kitchen window...
(plus a 9 dollar table cloth to match!)

It's my very first window treatment installation!

My sister came over last Monday night to help me put this thing up (before then, I'd had it on tension rods and it looked okay, but this is much better), and we also worked on the master bedroom's blasted windows (to be revealed later, when I have the sheer drapes adjusted and when there isn't so much clutter in the shot, although this kitchen shot is hardly pristine... And we also looked for fabric with which I could cover the seats of our six semi-ugly (also given to us for FREE) dining table chairs we have (only 2 shown above).

Already, They're Rulers of the Roost!

My Owen (see 'Mr. Lazer-Beams' on the left?) and my Otis (the lil' meatloaf on the right) are in Vegas now, after living with my honey-man in L.A. for the past year! It is sooooo wonderful to have them back with me ~
An they're having SO MUCH FUN in in their new gy-normous pad!

The picture above was taken last Thursday: I suspect that keeping 'em outta the kitchen, off the counters and the dining table may pose as quite the challenge - - what do you think?

Otis, demonstrating his wiley ways ~

Typical Owen behavior... already!
As of tonight, they've been in their new diggs for a week.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 9

He serves as an excellent reality check ~

Whenever my mind (the irrational and insecure side) is running away with me, enlarging some incident to the brink of an unproductive meltdown, he very quickly, yet very gently, helps me back to reality and assures without patronizing that all will be well... and if I ever get defensive, he always calls me on it.

It's so nice.
Yum.

"2Nite, 2Nite! Gunna Buy Me a Fridge, 2Nite!"

After work last Wednesday night, before my honey-man was to leave for L.A. the next morning, we went shopping for my first major home appliance purchase ever - 'major' is in like, hundreds of dollars here, not some toaster oven or a mere hand mixer. Yup, I needed to buy both a fridge and a gas dryer (but I'm most thrilled about the refridgerator purchase!).

Yes, I've been in my new place for over a week now without a refrigerator, and consequently, I have a new found deep appreciation for our ability to regularly access and consume a variety of fresh foods... For the past week+, I've been living on graham crackers, peanut butter, oatmeal and apples, bananas and cans of soup. Of course, it could have been worse. If I weren't working so many extra hours at work the past 2 weeks, I'd probably have been able to get more creative than that, but anyhow, there's an upside to this: Although not surprising, I've lost weight in the last week! This may be because none of the staple foods I've been eating are the kind I'd be apt to want more and more of, nor have I had much time to even remember to eat...

I digress.

At Home Depot that night, at one point towards the end of our 'choosing this one versus that one,' I was literally jumping up and down, overly excited about my pending appliances purchase - - Funny to see how 'growing up' does strange, unexpected things to a person.

Anyhow, by tomorrow afternoon, I'll be able to buy milk and keep it cold, and I'll also be able to do a few dozen loads of laundry! YAY!

You Live Where Now?

Welcome to my new home!
This is the inward view from our front door!

And d'is mah kitchen!

And this, I just thought this was funny ~ the In-SINK-erator?!?

Here's the west end of the living room, opposite the kitchen with lots of soft light from the northern exposure. (This part is supposed to be the dining room, but we're going to use it as a general living space).

And here's the view downward from the stairs into the east end of our living room...

Purty nyce, eh?

There's also a kitchen eating area and pantry and a laundry room and 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a backyard and a 2-car garage - yada, yada, yada - but all those areas are now absolutely buried in boxes and moving-in crap and cannot be photographed at this time! ...Well, on second thought, maybe later tonight so I can remember what we started with in terms of unpacking mayhem!

Early this morning, after spending my first night sleeping in my new place, IN THE DARK, I went through my list of utilities companies I must call to set up ASAP, to avoid any other service disconnections (whoops!)... Turns out all of them were scheduled to continue until May 8th, EXCEPT the power. Should be all good now.

Plans for tonight: Set up the master bedroom!

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 8

Simply put, he makes me laugh and a lot.

Last Wednesday night, we'd gone to RC Willey to price appliances and to generally peruse what all is out there. For over an hour, we were laughing and rolling our eyes, critiquing this and that and making all sorts of faces (and at times, even dancing) throughout our visit.
It was so much fun together!

The best was when we were trying out the mattresses, rolling together from side to side, testing how well we'd be able to do our 'rotisserie'...

P.S. That thing on his face is a round,
totally bizarre, leathery fringed pillow!

The GRAND Tally for My 2007 MS Walk

$2,714!!!
(I'm speechless)

CORRECTION:

$155 more today (4/25/07), which brings the grand total to

$2,869.51!?!

For My Lovely MS Walk Sponsors: A big, fat THANK YOU!

Although I haven't yet reached my goal... CORRECTION!!! In just 3 hours since I'd first posted this massive Thank You listing (11:09 a.m.), not only have I met my 2007 Las Vegas MS Walk fund-raising goal, we've exceeded it by $469 dollars and I am soooo very happy, I've been tearing up about every 5 minutes since I first received my email notice from the Nat'l Multiple Sclerosis Society, announcing that I'd met my fund-raising goal!!!! YAY!

Some More Drippy Honesty (since I've just admitted I'm a total cry baby sap n' a half!): I was working in my office when I received my email notice nearly an hour ago, and I screamed, shrieking loud enough for everyone on my floor to hear me, and I did so REPEATEDLY!

I gotta offer lots of gushing-ALLLL- OVER- YOU-with-truly-heartfelt-gratitude 'Thank You's' to all my most awesome MS Walk sponsors, who've helped me thus far (UPDATED on 5/11/07 to reflect all the lovelies who gave donations for my MS Walk!):

Dan Allen, Annette Amdal, Bryan Andrews, Mark & Mary Ashcraft, Leslie Baldwin, Barbara & Richard Ballingham, Andrew Bell, Mark Bennington, Jonelle Cachuela, Jackie Camp, Michelle Carro, Rolanda Chung, Daly & John Costanza, Ed Crossman, Shelan Davis, Bob Dippner, Kashmir Dixon, Robyn Donaldson, Eric Drachman, Sherri & Garrett Draper, Carla Eagleton, Samantha French & Mike Weller, Peter Garbett, Roni Glover, Melissa Halls, Lindsey Harrington, Pam Havig, Lois Heaton, Chris Heavey, Russ Hurlburt, Cliff & Dannie Johnson, Sharon Jones-Forrester, Elizabeth & Darrell Kahre, Jane & Michael Karwoski, Bob Koettel, Chris Korose, Ryan Larsen, Brian Lech, Andrew Leman, Pat Loosbroock, Liz Marave, Pascal Marcotte, Rebecca Marcotte, Aaronell Matta, Steph Morris, Duane Neillson, Mary Potter, Suzanne & Jason Poulsen, Mary Jane Powell, Carol Randall, Martina, Jennifer & Roger Rennels, Mark Schwartz, Jenna Silverman, Rachel Simmons, Southwest Auto Glass Co., Randall Stiles, Kristine Stone (Yes! a fellow blogger!), Stephanie Stowman, Susan Summers, Michael Sy, Rebecca Thomas, Don & Leslie Trottier (THREE donations between the 2 of 'em!?!), Kati Trottier (my very first sponsor, yay!), Jen Vecchio, Diane Villa, Carolina Villar-Mendez, Cortney Warren, The Gwen Weiss Family (my 2nd most generous sponsor!), and Wayne Weiten (my most generous sponsor, Hallelujah!)

YOU ALL SO ROCK! THANK YOU AGAIN!

And if you're NOT on my list?

Fear not! It's not too late!

Go visit my MS webpage right here, right now!

MS Update!

Okay ~ it's my last full day to receive donations for tomorrow MS Walk, and I'm happy to say that I'm much closer to my fundraising goal than I was just yesterday, for sure, but we're still not there yet!

I still need help! I need YOUR help!
Puhleeeeeeze?

Help me out and in turn, you'll be helping my dearest gal pal, Poppy Johnston, and helping everyone else who must deal with the uncertainty MS causes in so many lives... You're donation will do some good, guaranteed! It'd be something you can absolutely feel good about, 100% ~ and I promise, you'll have some fabulous karma comin' atcha! Pronto!

I have only $365 left to go

to make my goal of $2,000,

but I absolutely cannot do it without your help!

Please? ~ Visit my MS webpage and make an online donation right now, easy as pie! It'd be a great start to your weekend!

And thank you to all those who've pledged
their donations thus far!

I cannot express how touched and pleased I am with all those listed amongst my sponsorship! THANK YOU!

The Fundraising Countdown is on...the MS WALK is this Saturday!?!

Alrighty, between now and this next early Saturday morning, by 7:30 a.m. [SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: Speaking of 'early,' working as a member of the MS Walk Committee, I gotta spend this Friday night doing preliminary set up for the walk from 6pm until midnight!?! and then, Saturday morning, I have to be there by 5 AM for final set up. No one can say I don't love my Popstar! END OF TANGENT], I've got to drum up $520 to meet my $2,000 fundraising goal for this year's MS Walk - - and I am soooooo close, but not quite there with little time left!

Soooo, if you haven't done so already, be an absolute dearie and pledge a donation, and in turn, there will be some uber good karma comin' atcha for it! And, of course, I'll be forever grateful to you for your help and support! REMEMBER: Every single dollar counts! NO amount is too little, not ever!

To donate online, use my MS webpage!
You can also use this link:
http://tinyurl.com/35nnxm

~ And here's the entire webpage address in case:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/
plus the next line...
TR?px=1989971&pg=personal&fr_id=2980

And if you don't want to use your personal email contact info., please, please, please use mine and I'll happily email your donation receipt to you, if you'll be sure to email me and let me know yours:

annejelynn at yahoo dot com
OR
annejelynn at gmail dot com

ANNNND
If you don't want to submit your donation online (although it's very secure), but ya do wanna give, you can either send me an email or look via the NMSS Nevada Chapter's Home Page for instructions as to how you can mail in a donation! Just let me know ~

For a more personal glimpse into the life story of someone who's dealt with MS her entire life, see my adorable friend, Melissa's own MS webpage right here.

Walking Through the Motions

Not all too long ago, we had had NO idea what the hell we were gunna do... and in a matter of one month's time, our direction has been entirely rerouted in the opposite direction of this last two years' worth of hopes, quite literally speaking, like, directionally speaking.

Wait, so what does that mean?

IT MEANS THIS: I won't be moving to Los Angeles, after all. Instead, so that my honey-man can continue his much loved work in Vegas, minus his weekly 10-12 hour commute from L.A. to Vegas and back again, by Memorial Day weekend, he will move from L.A. to Las Vegas.

Yup, a TOTAL switch from our original plans - - from south on I-15, to northbound.

Of course, there's a great number of seriously deep and complicated issues to deal with surrounding this decision - - Geesh, what a gagging understatement that is! Moreover, for now, I will not go into all those issues, because right now I'm feeling something very real, something very new, something legitimate, and rather intense...

Today, I had my first "walk-through"... By April 30th, I may have a new address, and today, I got to walk through it, scrutinize it and lay some claim to it, and today, in my heart and my mind's eye, I got to see us all in it, all of us together, and it made me happy.

Yes, I had my very first walk-through this morning at 11AM. It took 2 and a half hours, and today, I am now, officially, excited about our decision.

From New York to Paris

I stole this from Random & Odd (Kristine!) ~ and it's too good! ~ Just check it out!

–Go to Google.com

–Click on Maps

–Click the "Get Directions" tab

–And Type in from New York, New York

–To Paris, France

–Then Click the "Get Directions" button...

–And read line # 23.

An Excellent Point: Media Controls our Perspective re: Working Moms in the U.S.

Anyone who shares my concern (and my anger) about the dreadful lack of support encountered by working mothers in the U.S., you should read this tight lil' piece written by Alice Bradley from AlphaMom.com:

"It's time for a cease fire"

Hoppy Eastour Bonny!

Happy Easter to all!

and Here's how I spent my morning...

Fuzzy to mah Left, Fuzzy to mah Right

Otis on my left...

...and Owen on my right

It HAD to get done! or else!

One of the cutie chickies who used to work for me had come by the office this morning to ask for some help. She was wearing dark sunglasses and explained she had the worst hangover and felt sooo tired from last night's festivities with a visiting out-of-town friend... I explained I was also very tired, having stayed up until 1 AM... quilting!

How about that contrast, eh?

Yeah. I'm quite the party girl.

My aunt Radeane, who has soooo graciously and fervently worked as my realtor and our head cheerleader in helping us secure new diggs in Las Vegas (who successfully fought for $10K from the seller towards closing costs with buydown to secure a 6% interest rate for a 30-yr fixed home loan), she has a new grand baby who will be blessed this coming Sunday, so I had to finish the binding on the baby blanket we'd made for the lil' guy's big day, and I HAD TO GET IT DONE before I left town this afternoon... or I'd face her rath, had I not finished it ~ hence, I was up handquilting until 1 AM to get 'er done. Can you imagine?

"Oh, Radeane, I know you've been running yourself ragged these past few weeks, but that baby blanket for your grandson's baby blessing? yeah, I just got too tired."

Oh and did you read already? I got an OH MY HOLY GOOD GRACIOUS $500 donation just yesterday for my MS WALK fundraising efforts!

Go visit my MS webpage right now!

Holy Whoa! ~That's Alotta Dough!

For each online-issued donation I'm given for my MS Walk this year, I receive an immediate email notice. The only one received today thus far, I opened and scrolled down to see the usual, as in what I always want to know when I receive a donation notice: 1) from who, and 2) for how much - - [SIDE NOTE: That's what fundraising is about, right? = dah money! = Raising funds for a good cause!] And today's email notice? OH MY GOODNESS - - It's an all time fundraising record ~ the largest single donation I've ever received:

Five hundred of the green stuff!

Yes, that's $500 from one sponsor - - and I'm beside myself as to how I can possibly thank him for such an enormously generous donation! When I read the email notice, I shreiked and sat there in my office absolutely dumbfounded for about 10 minutes or more. $500 is a quarter of my entire fundraising goal, ya know?!? That's a lot!

With $500 now thrown into the 2007 Las Vegas MS Walk sponsorship pot, my fundraising total has reached $785, so we're almost half-way towards my ultimate goal of $2,000! Soooo, let's keep it goin'! Help me get there, people! Only $1,215 left to go!

If you haven't done so already, go visit my MS webpage and help us fight MS - help us find a cure!

Posts, Unpublished

Here are some of the titles of several unpublished post drafts [with translations], all of which were written between the months of December '06 and February '07, soon to be trashed:

"Olympic Bitching" [Written early December '06: With explosive fury and frustration, raging on and on over the seeming fact that we'd been unable to achieve any of the goals we'd set for 2006.]

"Seeking Professional Help" [Written late December '06: Made plans to see a therapist to determine how to best handle our life circumstances.]

"Feelings of Deep Failure" [Written early January '07: Eight months later and nearly 100 formal L.A. job applications, and not one job offer = "No one wants me" = "What the hell is wrong with me?" = "I'm a failure" = big time yo-yo depression = an abismal sense of worth = severely damaged confidence = feeling inadequate.]

"Feeeling Sooo Forlornnn" [Written late January '07: My L.A. job search is put on hold and my honey-man tells me that he thinks we'll know what we'll be doing by February's end; I have difficulty (major understatement) mustering much faith.]

"I Surrender" [Written early February '07: I give up trying to determine what to do next and resign myself to living strictly in the 'now,' surrendering myself to my circumstances.]


And then, post-"I Surrender," my preoccupations become minor (with the exception of my missing purse)... and this one really should have been posted, but I'd forgotten it:

"What a Waste" [Written late February '07: Wanting to offer a gesture of gratitude, I brought in Starbucks coffee for my new assistant, and managed to spill an entire 'grande' caramel macchiato in a 5-story building's elevator, all down its button panel, and the front and sleeves of my expensive, fancy-schmancy light pink terry zip sweater that my stepmum had bought me.]