i love the christmas season. i love evrything from october until the end of the year. i feel like a kid again. i look forward to putting up my tree and hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law on christmas eve. usually i will have a knots christmas marathon at some point sitting by the tree. this year, with the move and all, i really have not had a chance to do any of that. i plan to make up for it on new year's day, and my tree may stay up until february. it has been known to happen before. this christmas season was just a little bit stressful, with me traveling halfway across the country to get home and my luggage going more places than i did. it just made me realize the most important thing about the holidays: being with the people i love and clean underwear.
here is my year in review:
*3 heathen cats came to live with me (happy 1 year with mommy, madeline!), and my life was forever changed. sleeping through the night has become a thing of the past, but i would not trade these little stinkers for anything.
*long phone calls with missy and walks around the hester neighborhood were the best part of spring.
*morning diet coke runs became a staple of my morning routine.
*went out on a blind date!
*made some wonderful new friends, grew closer to some others, and did a little housecleaning
*saw the following people in person: kevin dobson, richard thomas, michele lee, bill clinton, hillary clinton, bill cosby, larry hagman, and practically the entire cast of dallas. does it get any better than that?
*bought a lounging pool that i lounged in once
*worked from home and then transitioned to cube hell
*finally let my hair start to grow
*gained more self-confidence than i have had in a long time
*went to southfork ranch and developed a dislike for patrick duffy
*said goodbye to ky and headed out to california
*got a tatoo
*got actually drunk for the first time
*took a wonderful vacation to wv and tried to figure out the wonder of the mystery hole capital building
*spent a last bittersweet afternoon with one of my fave people in the world before his passing on 12-23. RIP mr. hicks.
*spent another bittersweet evening with my oldest friend hanging out and staying up late talking like teenagers
*discovered the beauty of having a cat sitter
*threw a b-day party for my cats and discovered that anybody who will come to a party for cats is a keeper
*went on a diet, lost 16 pounds, and then it all went to hell from there
*ripped up carpet in the hester estate
*watched the hester estate slowly transform into a new place
*watched almost the entire series of friends in just a few weeks
*started a new job i love and am good at
*went on a sherwin adventure and promptly got lost on the way to the rental car place
and that's my year in review! here's hoping 2009 will be as fun and full of adventures!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
organized chaos
there is never a dull moment sharing a household with three slightly psychotic cats.
i had the absolute shit scared out of me friday night. i was getting ready to go to winter wonderland with my boss, and i had gone back into the house to get my camera. as i approached the door, i saw an animal scurry away. it was dark, and i could not really make out the face, but it had the appearance of my madeline. my heart almost stopped. i chased the animal through the complex clear down to the pool. it slid under the gate of the pool and disappeared. i could barely breathe from running so fast, and i prayed all the way back to the house that it wasn't one of my cats. it wasn't. when i opened the door, all of three of them were lined up looking at me like wtf? i'm not sure who is more trouble: me or the cats.
madeline has now joined in on the fun. at one point yesterday, all three cats were sleeping deep in the netting underneath my bed. i gave up trying to get them out. when a cat has set its mind to something, there is just no changing it.
i was aroused before 4am this morning by a cat walking on my boob. he decided he was hungry. i try to lay really still when they come around in the mornings looking for food, but it doesn't work. he'll stick his nose all the way up in my face, and somebody was meowing from the hinterlands. they get a little agressive in the mornings. you would think i never fed them.
the house has now made its way to organized chaos. all the boxes are unpacked, and now all that remains is deciding where little odds and ends should go. i think a few more hours, and i am good to go!
it's raining here. i love rain in california. actually, i just love rain period. i am off to finish getting ready for work and head out for my morning diet coke run. happy week before christmas!
i had the absolute shit scared out of me friday night. i was getting ready to go to winter wonderland with my boss, and i had gone back into the house to get my camera. as i approached the door, i saw an animal scurry away. it was dark, and i could not really make out the face, but it had the appearance of my madeline. my heart almost stopped. i chased the animal through the complex clear down to the pool. it slid under the gate of the pool and disappeared. i could barely breathe from running so fast, and i prayed all the way back to the house that it wasn't one of my cats. it wasn't. when i opened the door, all of three of them were lined up looking at me like wtf? i'm not sure who is more trouble: me or the cats.
madeline has now joined in on the fun. at one point yesterday, all three cats were sleeping deep in the netting underneath my bed. i gave up trying to get them out. when a cat has set its mind to something, there is just no changing it.
i was aroused before 4am this morning by a cat walking on my boob. he decided he was hungry. i try to lay really still when they come around in the mornings looking for food, but it doesn't work. he'll stick his nose all the way up in my face, and somebody was meowing from the hinterlands. they get a little agressive in the mornings. you would think i never fed them.
the house has now made its way to organized chaos. all the boxes are unpacked, and now all that remains is deciding where little odds and ends should go. i think a few more hours, and i am good to go!
it's raining here. i love rain in california. actually, i just love rain period. i am off to finish getting ready for work and head out for my morning diet coke run. happy week before christmas!
Friday, December 12, 2008
in memory of gatsby
the cat's have defiled god's bed.
for those of you who have never had the pleasure of sleeping in it, god's bed may be the greatest thing ever. it is big and warm and filled with pillows and just perfect for me to be the lazy schlub i am. i hold this bed in great honor and esteem. it was one of the things i was most looking forward to being delivered when my furniture arrived. i heard a scratching around the general area of god's bed the other night. i assumed the cats were sharpening their claws on the mattress and made a mental note to do something about it when i was a little more awake. as i was getting ready to leave the next morning, i did a quick head count and noticed i was missing a cat. i looked under the bed (which is usually where he would be hanging out) and noticed part of the netting covering the box springs was sagging all the way to the ground. i thought that was a little odd. i went off hunting and still no cat. i came back into my room and, looked under the bed again. i now noticed the sagging netting of the bed was moving. that damn cat had chewed a hole large enough for a cat to slide his body in and out of and was now snuggling deep inside, and he wasn't coming out. i had to shake the bag of treats for him to come running. damn fucker cats. all i could do was laugh because it was just all so ridiculous and funny at the same time.
the house still is not unpacked, and frankly, i am getting sick and tired of looking at this mess. my goal is to be completely done this weekend. i have so much damn stuff. i knew i had a lot, but i have more even than i thought i did. i am sad to say some of the china has not survived the move. so far, i have found four broken wine glasses. i have not unpacked the rest of it so i am just holding my breath. i have worried about this china for so long that i have finally come to the decision that what happens just happens. it is just stuff. if the "big one" ever hits california, or if i open the boxes and more china is destroyed, i will just have to deal with it. i think the most important things in life are to be happy and be useful. i still have to say it did hurt to see that broken china.
i love my new job. i am still on orientation so i am driving almost an hour to work every day. it's a nice drive. there is this moment wheni round the corner and the pacific ocean and the entire pismo beach coastline comes into view. by the time i am coming home in the afternoons, the sun is starting to set. it is just breathtaking. i still squeal every morning when i cross the santa barbara county line. it's just awesome. i think job will be challenging and busy, but i need a little bit of that in my life. i am just excited.
my brother and sister-in-law lost their oldest cat gatsby this past week. this is the second cat they have lost this year. gatsby would have been 19 in january. he had an acute bout of pancreatitis, and the vet just could not pull him through. it's just sad. gatsby was the original "fucker cat". he wore his rhinestone "f" around his neck with pride. he had certainly earned the reputation. the first time we ever saw gatsby, my mom was loving on him, and she must have touched him someplace that did not please him. she instantly got a hiss. he took off running across the buffet that now sits in my dining room. all of his life, he remained a flight risk (he loved the bushes next door) and slept in a cradle in the hall. he scared the shit out of me last year when i was looking for him and discovered him upside down under the pillows of the bed. my brother just sounds so sad. that cat will really me missed. unless you love cats as mush as we do, you just can't understand how woven into your lives they become. once they are gone, i can imagine it is just like losing any other member of your family. they just bring so much joy that i think that anybody who does not have a cat is just missing out.
speaking of cats, there is one on my bed right now craving attention. i get to do scheduling and intake today by myself so i am excited about that (it's the simple pleasures). my boss and i are going to winter wonderland tonight. i am told there is going to be actual snow there. snow in this part of california! should be fun. i am not leaving this house again until my house is unpacked. except maybe for a diet coke run. or some chinese. or maybe a drive up the coast. i suck.
for those of you who have never had the pleasure of sleeping in it, god's bed may be the greatest thing ever. it is big and warm and filled with pillows and just perfect for me to be the lazy schlub i am. i hold this bed in great honor and esteem. it was one of the things i was most looking forward to being delivered when my furniture arrived. i heard a scratching around the general area of god's bed the other night. i assumed the cats were sharpening their claws on the mattress and made a mental note to do something about it when i was a little more awake. as i was getting ready to leave the next morning, i did a quick head count and noticed i was missing a cat. i looked under the bed (which is usually where he would be hanging out) and noticed part of the netting covering the box springs was sagging all the way to the ground. i thought that was a little odd. i went off hunting and still no cat. i came back into my room and, looked under the bed again. i now noticed the sagging netting of the bed was moving. that damn cat had chewed a hole large enough for a cat to slide his body in and out of and was now snuggling deep inside, and he wasn't coming out. i had to shake the bag of treats for him to come running. damn fucker cats. all i could do was laugh because it was just all so ridiculous and funny at the same time.
the house still is not unpacked, and frankly, i am getting sick and tired of looking at this mess. my goal is to be completely done this weekend. i have so much damn stuff. i knew i had a lot, but i have more even than i thought i did. i am sad to say some of the china has not survived the move. so far, i have found four broken wine glasses. i have not unpacked the rest of it so i am just holding my breath. i have worried about this china for so long that i have finally come to the decision that what happens just happens. it is just stuff. if the "big one" ever hits california, or if i open the boxes and more china is destroyed, i will just have to deal with it. i think the most important things in life are to be happy and be useful. i still have to say it did hurt to see that broken china.
i love my new job. i am still on orientation so i am driving almost an hour to work every day. it's a nice drive. there is this moment wheni round the corner and the pacific ocean and the entire pismo beach coastline comes into view. by the time i am coming home in the afternoons, the sun is starting to set. it is just breathtaking. i still squeal every morning when i cross the santa barbara county line. it's just awesome. i think job will be challenging and busy, but i need a little bit of that in my life. i am just excited.
my brother and sister-in-law lost their oldest cat gatsby this past week. this is the second cat they have lost this year. gatsby would have been 19 in january. he had an acute bout of pancreatitis, and the vet just could not pull him through. it's just sad. gatsby was the original "fucker cat". he wore his rhinestone "f" around his neck with pride. he had certainly earned the reputation. the first time we ever saw gatsby, my mom was loving on him, and she must have touched him someplace that did not please him. she instantly got a hiss. he took off running across the buffet that now sits in my dining room. all of his life, he remained a flight risk (he loved the bushes next door) and slept in a cradle in the hall. he scared the shit out of me last year when i was looking for him and discovered him upside down under the pillows of the bed. my brother just sounds so sad. that cat will really me missed. unless you love cats as mush as we do, you just can't understand how woven into your lives they become. once they are gone, i can imagine it is just like losing any other member of your family. they just bring so much joy that i think that anybody who does not have a cat is just missing out.
speaking of cats, there is one on my bed right now craving attention. i get to do scheduling and intake today by myself so i am excited about that (it's the simple pleasures). my boss and i are going to winter wonderland tonight. i am told there is going to be actual snow there. snow in this part of california! should be fun. i am not leaving this house again until my house is unpacked. except maybe for a diet coke run. or some chinese. or maybe a drive up the coast. i suck.
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