spleuh

Alright. I'm not going to sit around listening to sad songs today. I'm going into the junk-food-and-depression phase. That's Step 2 of Petloss Grief right?

sad

Bantha Poodoo and other depressing topics

I didn't sleep on the flight coming home, because it came in at 4 AM Vancouver time, which is when I go to bed. And then I didn't go to sleep until we got back from the vet around noon. I slept four hours, and haven't been able to go back to bed since. I tried once, but I felt too lonely, and came back out to watch TV, in the livingroom where Fernando was playing Warcraft. When I ran out of shows to watch, I watched a movie on youtube. It's 5 AM now, I'm gonna take my sleepy-headache pill, and then start another movie. See if I get tired enough to fall asleep. I get insomnia-ish when I'm sad. That's when I can understand why some people drink until they pass out. Normally Nombly would be hanging out on the couch with me, cause he always liked to be with people. Haley and Sherry are no help... she's up in her basket on the shelf, and I don't see Sherry so he's probably in my bedroom. He needs lots of personal space. Maybe I'll go get my stuffed cat and sit him on the couch with me. She's got a meaner temperament than Nombly (I got her when I was in school, and it was her job to watch me under lowered brows and make sure I was doing my homework) but at least she's gray.


I've been thinking about Bantha today--the Rottweiler my roommate (later sister in law) had. He was a beautiful dog, so frisky and lovable. He LOVED cats. He used to have a stuffed cat, and it was the only toy he wouldn't chew on and rip up, and when he accidentally tore the ear he was upset and Delyriam had to sew it back. Sherry stayed the hell away from him, but Nombly was very indignant at being shnuffled. Once Nombly was sitting up on the freezer-chest, and Bantha got sent out of the room for being naughty, and Nombly whacked him on the butt as he passed.

Years later, when Delyriam was married to my brother, Bantha got sick. I don't remember what the original symptoms were, but in the end they thought he had cancer. They tried all kinds of treatments, but the life just ebbed out of him. I remember going over to visit him, and he would just lay on the floor, listless, showing no interest in being petted etc. It was SO awful. Horrible. When my cat Ernie got sick enough to be put down, he never got to the point where he was that listless. He stopped eating and drinking, but he still liked to cuddle. But with Bantha it was heartbreaking. That's the one thing I'm just so glad we avoided with Nombly--that it all happened rather fast.

Not that that prevents me from crying every 2 minutes, but still... Nombly had a bad heart for most of his life, and the condition was much worse the last time we went to the vet, in the spring. But it didn't show. He looked and acted like an old cat much of the time, but he would still chase Haley around, and dance on my pillow to wake me up, and chase moths that came into the apartment. Fernando and I always hoped he'd have a massive heart attack while chasing Haley through the apartment, and just immediately die. I guess this was about as close as you can get to that. And I shudder to think of this happening if we'd been at work. Imagine dying (alone) because you slowly choke and suffocate? It's too awful to think of.

Okay. Off to take my pills and try another film and have a few more cries.

Old Nombly was a mongrel

I think most of you have heard by now, that Fernando and I had to take our cat Nombly to the vet Wed morning and he was put down because his lungs were full of fluid and he could hardly breathe. I've spent the day just watching TV and crying whenever something sets me off. There's a lot I want to write about our Nombly, but one thing at a time.

My dad once taught my roommate and I the words to the Old Yeller theme


and after that we made up an Old Yeller song for every pet we got. Nombly's went like this:

Old Nombly was a mongrel
A little straight-eared mongrel
Fancy free, without a family tree
But he could up and do it
Just like there's nothing to it
And that's how a good cat should be.

Here Nombly! Come back Nombly
--meh! meh! meh!--
Beeeest doggone caaat in the Eaaast!

Nombly was saying "meh" long before it became fashionable. He had this short, staccatto sort of meow. Along with a short, whippity tail.

Little whipity tail

Back to Work season

I've been on a quest for the perfect water bottle. It had to be:

- cute!
- not tooo small
- wide enough opening to wash out properly
- pop-top for quick drinking.
Finally found one, at a cheap price, at Wal-Mart. Yays!

And here are my bento things, bought from Daiso. I'm ready for back to school! Er back to work!

With matching elastic, bag and fork.

Cutie bento box with chopsticks.

All my bento things!

Question of the day!

I only read one style/home design blog (Casapinka) and that's just because the woman is so frickin' funny.

Recently she and her little girl made cupcakes and tried to share them with people (at the park I think) and got NO takers after 8 tries. So now she's determined to start a sociology project of making cute cupcakes and offering them to strangers.

So in her last entry she's trying to make cupcakes, but they turn out all concave, so she fills them with pudding, but then she makes icing but uses granulated sugar instead of icing sugar:

Cruch, crunch, crunch. Yes, confectioner's sugar is that fine stuff and granulated sugar is - surprise - crunchy, sort of like the definition of "granulated." Frosting apparently requires the cocaine, rather than the kitty litter, of the sugar world.

Now I need to know: Would you take a homemade cupcake from a woman and her little girl?

The Story of Me: In Questions - West Coast Version

I always like these questionee things, cause I like to write about myself. But I'll try to only answer those I can give a West Coast Vacation answer to.

What is your current obsession?
Today: Thinking of future homes. Today dad, Pablo and I drove around Nanaimo, looking at possible places to live. And then step-mommy and I sat at the nets looking at rich people's homes in Nanaimo.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Tidying up files on the computer. Even other people's. If I had the time, I'd do our work computers too.

Coffee or tea?
Never coffee. And for some reason both the Padre and Step-madre asked me if I drink this week.

What’s for dinner?
Tonight I had a faux-cheese sandwich.

What 5 words best describe you?
Up all night with interwebs.

What was the last thing you bought?
A map of Nanaimo.

What are you listening to right now?
Old 80s band: Toronto. (You know I loved them at LEAST because they had a female guitarist. My brother bought me a Best Of for my birthday some time in mah teens.)



(Or if you're feeling a little fubar:)



What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
We've been eating vanilla Soy Good all week, but at mum's I found Napolitan! It had been a longo time-o.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Home to see Fernando and the kittehs. Except the former is asleep now.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
My new leg warmers!

What is your dream job?
Regularly published fiction writer. Like duh. I finished up the editing on my last book, while at mum's, and now it's back to the query letter. (Then why am I here doing this?? Shush!)

What is your worst habit?
Chewing my peeling lip skin? Tapping out drums on my computer/desk/book (my worst habit according to the mothers.) Interrupting people?

What's your party trick?
I demonstrated my Ethel Merman to my step-mother yesterday. Used to drive my mother crazy with it.

What are you going to do after this?
Hopefully work on my query, but probably upload camera pics.

What are your favourite movies?
Just talking about Trading Places today. One of my faves.

What is your favorite fruit?
This week I've been eating cantaloupe.

What inspires you?
Nanaimo on a sunny day like today. Listening to great music (we're now at Tori Amos.)


Your favorite book?
Just read that great Jilly Cooper book!

Do you collect something?
Um books.

What is your favorite smell?
The sea air on the west coast.

What are you most proud of?
One thing - I have a great relationship with all my immediate family.
Another - I've consistently worked on my writing since about 9 years old.

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up?
I'm on vacaaaay muthah-f****ahs! ;-)

Cats or dogs?
While I'm here, I have to say tropical birds. But last week it would have been cats and dogs. And at home: my cats.

What’s your biggest fashion mistake?
Pu. Leeze. I'm proud of every outfit in every old picture of myself! Well... okay maybe my biggest fashion mistake is working for a company that requires a dress code. ;-)

(That's my wedding dress.)

What's the best life lesson you've learnt?
My dad used to tell me, when I was little, "Hate is a strong word." (Meaning: Should you really use it when describing an ice cream flavour you don't like?)

If you had one day in your life to live over, which would you choose and why?


Well. Feel free to write your own responses to these questions! I always like to read these things about other peeps.