Out of practice

Would you believe me if I said that every single weekend in June was totally booked for me? As in every Saturday and every Sunday I had something scheduled: tattoo sessions, company picnics, bridal showers, Little League games, a trip to Vegas, trips to the vet and a date to see Kung Fu Panda with T. And this weekend is no different; Saturday is a full day of scrapbooking and Sunday is Stitch & Pitch. And then poof, June is over.

And I'm having a very hard time typing this because Miss Vivianne has decided she needs to be RIGHT UP ON ME all night tonight. (Do kittens have separation anxiety? Or is she just being clingy for the fuck of it?) We've integrated her into the family completely now, and everyone seems to be surviving. Abbie is much more tolerant in her old age; she isn't hissing nearly as much as she did when I got Riley and she even plays with Vivi sometimes. Riley is having none of it though and keeps acting like a grumpy old man. My poor sweet boy, so worn out by this little adorable bundle of energy.

In the meantime, there's another reorg happening at work and my boss is leaving and my job is in flux so I'm exploring my options. So I went on an interview this week for a job that I would be really good at but I'm 99% sure I'm not going to get, and one of my friends desperately wants me to come work for her company but needs to create the job for me first. I'm in the very lucky position of having a lot of options, and none of them are the unemployment line. More than a lot of people in this country can say right now.

I could have sworn I had more things to say tonight, but I think my blogging abilities are suffering from too many distractions these days. Twitter and Facebook and LiveJournal all play to my ADD tendencies entirely too well. But seriously, these entries? They'll get better someday soon. There's just way too many things for me to talk about for me to stop blogging now.

Expect the unexpected

Pink toes!
Originally uploaded by Minarae

If there is one thing Kevin has learned about life with me, it is to never be surprised because really, anything is possible.

I may head out to wander the town with a visiting friend, only to have to call him and say "Hey, we're going to be later than I thought because I'm totally getting a tattoo right now! Also, can you please transfer some money from the savings account for me?" And because I am who I am and our lives are what they are, he will laugh and say okay and transfer the money for me.

Or I may go wine tasting with my best friend, and then come home with not just 5 bottles of wine, but 5 bottles of wine and TWO wine club memberships despite the fact that A) I get drunk on half a glass of wine now and B) he does not drink wine so C) wow, that's a lot of wine for our household! (That one did earn me a small eyeroll, I think.)

People have asked me if Kevin ever gets really, truly angry at anything and I said "Not really, except for bowling. Bowling pisses him off." But last week I really tried his patience when I called him in the middle of the day and "asked" if we could take in a kitten that was currently in the possession of my (who is 12 years old and so not really the most clear thinker in situations like this) Little Sister. He said okay, mostly because (as he said, and I have to agree with) the decision had really already been made. And so because he loves me so very much and has the patience of a goddamned saint, I brought home a teeny, tiny little kitten last week. As I told my Little Sister, both she and the kitten are lucky that they are cute, because despite her teeny tinyness, the kitten is very much a Big Ball of PITA.

She's six weeks old, which means we can't test her for FIV or FeLV for another 3 weeks. And that means she is currently on lockdown in the bathroom, since our other cats cannot be exposed to her until she's cleared. She had fleas and ringworm, and has to go in for a lime sulfur dip every weekend until the ringworm clears up, so we are now fanatical hand-washers. Skin cultures and fecal testing and baths and vaccinations and exams and yadda yadda made her a $400 kitten. (I told Kevin that at that price, maybe we should name her Caviar since the cost per ounce is about the same.)

We did not name her Caviar (Little Sister had named her Oreo but I am against naming pets after food products); her name is instead Vivianne, because she is prissy and petite and adventurous all at once and Vivianne just fits her. We call her Vivi for short, but have also taken to calling her Chowhound (since she eats VERY WELL) and Snack (since at 1.8 pounds she is perfectly snack sized for Abbie). She already recognizes Kevin and I as "her people" and purrs like the dickens when we go in the bathroom and she hears our voices. She would very much like to leave the bathroom now, and has learned how to both climb up your legs if you are wearing pants and how to jump from the top of her carrier to the toilet. She is totally getting her claws clipped tonight.

So May has been an adventurous month for us. There was a car that crashed into our building, I bought a lot of wine, I got a tattoo and now, we have a kitten. On the good side, Kevin can never say that life with me is boring. (And he has other proof too.)

Guess it's a good thing I'm so cute too.

Hello, 33

Sunburned birthday girl
Originally uploaded by Minarae

This is what 33 looks like.

33 still forgets to put on enough sunblock sometimes, but 33 also has enough makeup skills to be able to cover up the resulting sunburned nose.

33 drives a car that's probably a little too nice for her, but damn she looks good in it. 33 also doesn't think that a $20,000 loan is very large.

33 doesn't go bar hopping anymore, but she does go wine tasting because 33 believes it's okay to get drunk as long as it's tasteful and you are surrounded by friends.

33 has given up her subscription to Glamour and Cosmo and is considering subscribing to Real Simple and O instead because 33 has stopped worrying about catching a man and has started worrying about keeping her man healthy and organized.

33 has been with the same company for over 5 years, has a 401K, a profit sharing plan and plenty of life insurance. But 33 still loves the color pink and Hello Kitty.

33 has a small group of friends than 22 did, but 33's friends are way more awesome and she loves them fiercely.

33 has started worrying about who's going to take care of her parents and her parent-in-law when they start getting old aged and sick. 33 has started looking into long-term care insurance for herself.

33 wants a dog like a heroin addict wants a needle but she doesn't want children, and she's really tired of people pressuring her to have the latter. But 33 really likes hanging out with her friends' kids because they are funny and smart and are really ticklish.

33 will never stop tickling her husband even though he hates it. 33 feels pretty lucky to have a husband who adores her so openly because it makes it a lot easier for her to adore him back.

33 is finally getting off her butt and going to school so she can start living up to her potential. But 33 really hates doing homework and has a paper to do this week.

33 believes she is too old for cheap shoes and too young for ugly ones. 33 has a small addiction to dresses this year.

33 has great health, a great car, a great boss, great friends and a great husband. 33 feels guilty wishing for anything more, but she can't help daydreaming about Mediterranean cruises.

33 needs a pedicure, tends to talk too much and too loud, and has a hard time with the whole budget thing. 33 still has some major insecurity issues, but she's working on them.

33 is less than 24 hours old, but she's looking pretty damn good from here.

Happy birthday to me, baby.

Kids Today

Kids Today
Originally uploaded by Minarae

I have a lot of friends who are teachers. Elementary school teachers, day care providers, high school teachers, they pretty much cover the spectrum. And I hear some really funny stories from them because seriously, kids today are just as hilarious as we all were back when we were in school.

Case in point: a note found in the trash of one of my friends' classrooms, filled with angst and txt talk and BOYS! Because it always comes back to boys if it's a note between teenage girls.

I highly suggest you click here and read the note in its entirety because I guarantee it will bring back memories of your own note passing days. I kind of wish I still had some of mine to post here.

Okay, no I don't. But I am kind of considering passing notes to my boss instead of emails.

"Is 1:00pm a good time for tomorrow's meeting??? Check yes or no"

He'd love that, I just know it.

Things I am currently loving

I've noticed that when my life is quiet and boring and totally routine, I start appreciating the little things a lot more. So here are the things that are currently making me super happy, because I am easily pleased.

T-Mobile, because my outstanding reception allows me to make desperate phone calls to friends who will remind me that the MBA I'm working on is totally worth it because it will keep me from having to polish someone's knob in order to get ahead in this world.

Curel, because they make the very best foot cream ever and it has kept my feet sandal ready all winter so I was not caught off guard when it got summer-hot this week. (Also, you should all buy some because it is seriously the best thing ever for your feet.)

Tul Retractable Gel Pens, which are the best pens I've used in years, and since I am a pen junkie that is saying a lot. I literally have 2 dozen of these floatig around my office and apartment and purse. They don't smear, they roll smoother, and they feel just right in my hand. Buy some! Write lots!

The BLT Supreme sandwich from Brians' Restaurant. It's really amazing what a difference Swiss cheese and avocado can make to a BLT, especially on perfectly toasted wheat bread. The only downside is that I can only eat about 2/3 of one, and that's only if I'm really hungry.

And the last thing making me happy these days is my hairdresser,who did this for me tonight:



So much happy!!

I told you I was spoiled

Project 365, Day 82: Meet Emilio
Originally uploaded by Minarae

So we had two red cars last week, and this week we have one red(ish) car and one pretty, shiny, gorgeous silver car because we traded in the (fucking) Ford (yes, I totally just copied Weetabix there because that's how I am) and bought a fancy new Hyundai Sonata for me to drive. Kevin has taken over the Civic (which is a good, good car, who does not mind us ignoring it and costs like...$500 a year to use including gas, unlike the fucking Ford which cost us $500 every time we went in to get an oil change).

It's way more car then we intended to buy, but thanks to a shitty economy, our credit union was practically throwing money at us at lovely low interest rates and the car dealers are practically paying people to buy their cars so we could suddenly afford the Really Nice Version of the car we had picked out. So instead of a 4 cylinder, we got the V6...with a sunroof, dual chrome exhaust, XM radio, and about a million little storage areas (a fact which amuses me to no end because I keep finding new places to hide things). It still gets decent mileage, and yay, an engine with oomph! I am in love with the car but am having a hard time with one little thing.

It is nearly impossible for me to drive below 70 mph. And the dealer told me to try and keep it under 70 mph for the first 600 miles for the break in period.

I know, it's a stupid thing but I just want to GO! FAST! In my shiny fast car!! So of course, less than 48 hours after we bought the car I was zipping along the freeway (on the way back to the dealer actually) and I was going about 80 (oops) when this CHP officer pulls up behind me, flashes his lights and gives a quick little siren beep. I started to pull over but he motioned me over to a lane on the right and as he passed me he mouthed the words "SLOW! DOWN!"

I think he was just offended that I was driving a new car too fast since it is obviously still in the break in period, what with it not having any plates or anything. At least he didn't feel the need to give me a ticket for it.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to the road trips on our calendar now. Wanna join us?

And also, I want a new iPod

Man, it's been a slow and maddening week. And tonight was the capper, what with the upstairs neighbor's toilet overflowing all into the wall and ceiling of our bathroom (we are now on Mushroom & Mold Alert 2008). But I have high hopes for this weekend. Not that I'm expecting the Easter Bunny to show up, showering me with Sugar Free Peeps or anything, but the weather is supposed to finally go back to being warm and balmy and perfect for afternoons in the park. We had a perfect weekend a couple of weeks ago, so rather than lay around the house that Sunday, we took advantage of the weather to go to Balboa Park and...lay around. But laying around outside while reading I Capture The Castle and snacking on cinnamon almonds is not considered sloth. It's considered healthcare, what with the Vitamin D from the sun and the healthy fats from the almonds and the brain exercise from reading actual literature instead of watching another Lifetime movie.

Speaking of literature, I have since finished I Capture The Castle and moved on to The Road To Wellville (minor trivia: TC Boyle was a professor in residence at USC when I was there, but I never took any of his classes or seminars because I am an IDIOT). So far, 2008 has been a good year for good books; no duds yet. Eventually I'll post my reading list somewhere just so you guys can see that I'm not always watching soap operas and Rock of Love.

In non-reading news, I gave in to the hype and bought us some Sigg water bottles and woohoo! Love! No leaching plastic, no creation of more trash, and on top of that, they are pretty. Well, mine is pretty and Kevin's is arty and manly. However, I ordered mine before I discovered that there is a Hello Kitty version so now I'm going to have to buy another one.

I should perhaps not be buying myself a second $20 water bottle since really, the next few months are going to find me very, very spoiled. (But how is that any different than any other time, right?) And also, we have quarterly travel planned this year, the year that I declared we would do NO TRAVELING. Oh, and there's my best friend's wedding which OH MY GOD I AM SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY. And also, I need lots of pretty dresses to get through the spring and summer.

(But you totally know I am going to buy that second bottle, right?)

In other news, Kevin has started a new blog. It is a blog which at times makes me sound like I am a coked out 13 year old with an IQ of 97, but it is amusing nonetheless. So if you'd like to get a glimpse into our daily life, go check out The Tao of Wife.

And really, there's nothing I can top that with so with that, I say adieu.