Nixon Notes

Best Commercial EVER

2012-02-13T10:05:00.002-05:00

I don't eat at Chipolte much anymore. I used to like it, but then I got seriously sick after eating it once. However, after this commercial, I think I am going to give it a try again. I LOVE this commercial. This has been on YouTube for the past five months and I just saw it last night on TV. This totally should have been a Super Bowl commercial.

{I guess Willie Nelson is better than Coldplay? I mean, Willie Nelson is not better than Coldplay, but for this particular instance, perhaps he is? Sure. Let's go with that.}

Anchovy Peanut Butter

2012-01-22T14:03:00.006-05:00

“I knew, when I looked at the weather on Tuesday, that you wouldn’t make it home on Friday,” said Christopher.

While I was super glad to be home and see Christopher, I couldn’t help looking at him like he had a third eye. “I knew ONE YEAR AGO THIS WEEK, when Chauncey said, ‘We’ll do Sales Kickoff in Chicago next year,’ that I wouldn’t make it home on Friday,” I said.

Let’s fly 200 people into Chicago. In January. What could possibly go wrong there?

We had our annual Sales Kickoff this past week. It has always been in Winston Salem (home of chilly, but mild winters) but with the change of our company headquarters to Chicago, the executive team decided to have the meeting in Chicago. (See above paragraph.)

We got in on Monday and it was rainy and nasty. We went to get lunch and walked around a bit to see Marilyn. This is when I ruined my favorite pair of shoes. It was completely my fault. I only have so many cute shoes and approximately .5 pair of them is cold/wet weather appropriate (that’s not .5%, that’s one pair that is vaguely appropriate, but not really). Between the salt, the dirty rain, the snow, the pigeon shit and the homeless people urine we had to walk through (no, I’m not being melodramatic about a big city; we took a wrong turn and literally had to walk through a ton of pigeon poo and rivers of pee from the homeless people we passed on the way), my favorite pair of shoes – a super cute pair of ballet flats - were ruined.

(marilyn - her feet were filthy, much like mine)

We went out for a company dinner on Monday and I had pizza and a couple glasses of wine with some of my favorite people.

We were in meetings all day on Tuesday and then went out for another company dinner – Big Bowl.

We were in meetings all day on Wednesday and then a group of us went to dinner at RL Restaurant. It was pretty fantastic. I loved the atmosphere – neat artwork completely covering the walls and BOOKS where there was no artwork! Nice fireplaces and great food. We split some escargot and I got a salad with salmon and some dauphinoise potatoes…and wine. Everything was fantastic and I will definitely go back. After dinner we went to the Signature Room at the top of the John Hancock building for some drinks.

On Thursday I saw the news in the morning. Including the weather. Not looking so great for Friday’s flight, but remember – I knew this was going to happen one. year. ago. We were in training all day and we had planned to go ice-skating after our training. At the end of the training, there was lots of talk of snow and changing flights. With the weather advisory in place, United wasn’t charging fees to switch your flight. It sounded like a pretty good idea. I had my girl Eva’s first birthday on Saturday and didn’t want to miss that…and I really didn’t want to get stuck in Chicago over the weekend. Chicago is nice (during months April through September), but visiting Chicago for a weekend and getting stuck there for a weekend are two completely different things. Getting stuck in Turks & Caicos would suck. I went ahead and moved my flight up. I took the earliest flight that would still let me attend the majority of the meetings on Friday.

After our training, Ouida and I decided, last minute, to tag along with Ross and John over to Wrigley Stadium. We met in the lobby and while we were waiting for Ouida my phone rang. It was Christopher.

“Don’t get too freaked out, I don’t know the extent of it yet, but our house was broken in to.”

“What did they take??? NO! WHEREARETHEANIMALS???”

Christopher had Leroy. He had Buster. He couldn’t find Tuesday.

Christopher said he couldn’t tell, at first glance, what they had taken – he was waiting for the sheriff to arrive. I talked to him for about five minutes, mostly explaining the importance of finding Tuesday, before the sheriff got there and he had to go. I was pretty much freaking out and it was the only thing I could think about all night. I was thinking about Tuesday, what they might have done to Buster and Leroy and all the stuff that was in our house that they could have taken. It was OVER TWO HOURS before Christopher got back to me. They still hadn’t found Tuesday anywhere. For some reason, with all the awesome-ass shit we have in our house they only took a few things (that we can tell so far). But they went through absolutely everything. Everything. Drawers were hanging open and dumped out on our bed, things were moved, lights were on, TVs were on…but still there. Weird, right? If Christopher or I had even the most slightly of important jobs (like CIA spies), I would think they were looking for a top-secret flash drive.

By this time in Chicago, we had frozen our extremities off at Wrigley and been ice-skating (I didn’t actually skate – it was too cold and I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on staying vertical). We went to eat at Harry Caray’s Steakhouse.

Back home Christopher, two sets of neighbors, Christopher’s parents, Christopher’s sister and brother-in-law and three police officers were searching everywhere imaginable for Tuesday. We have some pretty awesome neighbors. And I’m pleasantly surprised that the officers also looked.

I checked my phone in the middle of dinner and I had a voicemail from Christopher and a text from my dad saying that they found Miss. Tuesday! Phew! She had been in the house somewhere. Christopher said they looked absolutely everywhere and he can’t imagine where she was hiding, but she must have been pretty scared because she wouldn’t even come out for food (this cat lives for food). One minute she couldn't be found and the next (rather five+ hours later), Kathy saw her creeping across the living room.

I HATE that these ass holes were in our house and touched everything that we own. I HATE it. I HATE even more that they scared the shit out our animals. They are still on edge. When I came home I opened a package that came in the mail. Buster and Tuesday were in the kitchen and the sound of the tape pulling away from the box sent them running. When someone comes in the house now, Tuesday hides. Buster seems the least phased. I can’t help but think that he probably rubbed against their legs a couple times and then bitch slapped them, mid-thigh and ran.

Friday came and I was SO ready to get home! Thank God I switched my flight! We went to our meeting and slipped out a little early. The roads were getting a bit icky but we made it to the airport in amazing time! I realized that I really hate United Airlines. A lot. (I might actually write a separate blog post about them.) Five of the six of us got checked in. Lindsey and John went through our travel agency to rebook their flights (you will see as we get further into this story that that was their first mistake). For some reason, the person that rebooked their flights gave them some sort of weird joint/shared ticket…as in they shared a ticket and whoever checked in first got it. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. It sounds like some crap off of Amazing Race – whoever gets there firsts, gets the ticket. John checked in first. Lindsey was shit out of luck. More calls to the travel agency finally got her a ticket but she barely made it to the gate. We were all sitting on the plane, watching the door, waiting for her to board before they shut the door, but it never happened. Instead the pilot got on the intercom and announced that the weather had deteriorated quickly and we were not going to be able to take off until conditions improve. We got off the plane. We waited. Nothing. We went to Chilis and got drinks and lunch. Ouida even got a drink. Then our phones start blowing up. They were reboarding. Ouida got our bill paid in record time and we flew down the terminal and on the plane. The pilot tells us that they are going to de-ice the plane and then we will have to take off within five to ten minutes after the de-icing. Are you kidding me? In what scenario could that ever work? Then the flight attendant comes on to clarify: this doesn’t mean that we are actually leaving. This might not work. Oh? You don’t say? The pilot comes on again and says the de-icing isn’t working and they are waiting to hear from World-something-or-another to determine other methods. He then says, “I would be lying to you if I told you I knew what that means, so….” Yeah.

Then guess what happens? They cancel our flight. While we’re on the plane, I am on the phone trying to get in touch with United to rebook. I get a text from Lindsey that says we have hotel rooms at the Westin for the night (our travel agent booked them). Score. Then Lindsey comes down the aisle saying that our travel agency is rebooking our flights and we don’t have to worry about it. We got off the plane…without luggage. I’m sure you have heard that United breaks guitars, but they also kidnap luggage. They wouldn’t give us our luggage back. We are stuck in Chicago with no luggage. No toothpaste. No pajamas. No contact solution. No clean underwear. No medicine. No deodorant. Nothing. I have my computer bag and my purse. My house was just broken into - all I want to do is go home.

Again, flying 200 people to Chicago in January. Ouida likened it to Anchovy Peanut Butter. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

We still hadn’t heard about our flights and start to get a little nervous so Lindsey starts to call the agency. Lindsey was pretty awesome making phone calls and figuring all this stuff out. Too bad the people she was talking to weren't as awesome. They tell us that the first available flight is 8:00pm the next night. No, that will not work. They give us a 1:00pm flight to Charlotte and a rental car.

We find the hotel shuttles and head to the Westin. I am the first to get up the counter. I tell them we have a block of 10 rooms booked. Name, Parsons. The girl at the desk tells me that we don’t arrive until tomorrow. “But we have arrived today. See? I’m standing right in front of you.” And guess what else? They are completely sold out! Of course they are. Lindsey calls the travel agency, but that doesn't result in much.

I found and booked another hotel and went there, checked in and hit up the little store at the hotel. I’m sure you will not be surprised to hear that a 3 ounce bottle of contact solution was $11.99. It doesn’t matter though – SRt will be picking that up for me.

There were a couple nice restaurants at the hotel so we picked one and got some dinner. There was a lovely gentleman at the table next to us that bought us our first round of drinks. (He may or may not have heard Ouida scoff at him for getting in the middle of our group at the hotel.) We ate and then went back to our rooms. I went to bed at about midnight, but then my phone rang at 3am. It was Ouida. For some reason John was up and checking flights and he saw that the 9am flight to Greensboro was half-open. Odd how our travel agency missed that one, right? We all switched our flights, with the exception of Ross. By the time he got through, they said it was booked. We all went to the airport at 5:30 am to get Ross on standby. We got there and he actually got a ticket. And then we waited. And then waited some more. 9am came and went. The planes spent the night in the hanger and they were working to get them out. Whateves. Someone didn't start early enough.

We finally took off around noon. About an hour into the fight, we hit the most violent turbulence I had felt since our trip to New York last year. In fact, while it lasted nowhere near as long as the NY flight, I think it may have been a bit more violent.

We finally arrived in Greensboro, with three hours of sleep, wearing dirty clothes and dirty underwear. Surprisingly our luggage was there waiting on us. When we landed we had an email from our CEO with the following quote: “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning how to dance in the rain.” Ah-hem. Not appreciated.

I have never been so glad to be home, but I couldn’t relax until I was actually in my house. I couldn’t help but expect that we were going to get in a car wreck on the way home (it probably would have been scheduled by our travel agency). It was that kind of trip.

During this whole ordeal, not once did my boss call or email to check on us – see if we were making it out okay (WE WERE NOT, thank you very much).

Good things about this trip:

I made new friends!
I got to spend some quality time with people I don’t hang out with enough.
I was reminded what awesome neighbors we have.
Getting HOME, seeing my Boo and snuggling with my maminals.

Regrets for the trip:

I regret that the hotel store didn’t sell underwear. I would have loved to turn in an expense report to my boss for “panties" (and also, I would have loved to have had clean underwear).
I regret that we relied on our travel agency to help us. That was stupid. We should have known better.
I regret that I didn’t buy better, weather appropriate shoes before I took this trip.

Turks & Caicos

2012-01-02T22:10:00.008-05:00

This post is long overdue. Christopher and I went to Turks and Caicos for our anniversary this past October/November. It was an awesome trip when we went for our honeymoon three years ago and it was an awesome trip again! We're hoping not to wait another three years before we go again.

We actually didn't take near enough pictures this time. When I went through the pictures on our camera, there wasn't one of a lizard. I bet I took 100 lizard pictures last time. Luckily Christopher got a few good lizard pics on his iPad.

(view from our hotel balcony - the trees were full of these...)

(pretty birds!)

(this is a frog statue that was outside our building - someone had placed all these red nuts/berries in the frogs arms - it was really cute)

(we went to one of our favorite restaurants, coco bistro, on our anniversary)

(new animal for this trip - snails! aren't they cute!)

(also new on this trip - a frog!)

(this trip, we took a ferry over to middle caicos)

(this was "flamingo pond," where you can see flamingos by the hundreds...does anyone see a problem with this picture??? we never saw one the whole trip.)

(middle caicos - beautiful. you can't tell it from this picture, but there's a naked lady over on those rocks. actually, i take that back - she had a top on but no botoms.)

(more middle caicos)

This was a good deal of our trip to Middle Caicos and back. We actually docked at North Caicos and then drove to Middle Caicos. After we drove for what seemed like forever, we ran out of legitimate road. And then the road picked up again. And then it went away. And then it came back. And then it went away. I think you see where I am going with this.

(the aforementioned no road, road, no road...)

(this is actually the "big, new causeway." right.)

Oh! And, haha, let's not forget this! When we docked in North Caicos, our hotel had arranged for us to have a rental car waiting. There was a beautiful black Range Rover there. I knew it wasn't ours, but I told Christopher I was pretty sure that was our car and that I couldn't wait to drive it. Then I saw this car and said, "Oh, no...that better not be our car..." It totally was.

(a nissan sunny!)

(this is a huge, half-completed resort that was abandoned. guess they ran out of money. kind of sad. a lot of middle caicos was like a ghost town.)

We were pretty hungry when we got back to Provo (there was no safe-looking food on Middle Caicos), so we found this neat restaurant called Somewere. It's was a Tex-Mex kind of place. We had the best seat in the house. Their menu...a huge chalk board that they just sit up against your table. It was pretty cool.

(i want to make one of these. this one was $275, but i feel certain i can make one for a fraction of the cost. it's a toucan plant holder made out of an old tire!)

Last but not least - pretty macaws:

Oh, Christmas Tree

2011-12-31T17:00:00.009-05:00

I'm going to be really sad to see this come down tomorrow... It was another great tree this year and I had to do another tree post before the year was over (I missed last year).

(christmas morning)

(we got this ornament in turks & caicos this year. it's made from sea glass found on middle caicos - it's a potcake dog!)

(cute knit kitty from crate & barrel - i love their ornaments!)

(acorn - new last year)

(asparagus from amy & corey - goes great with my broccoli ornament)

(this is one of my faves - we got in at the nbc store last year when we were in nyc)

(this was in my stocking from christopher this year)

(i bought this seahorse this year after christmas)

(we have lots of penguins on the tree)

(christopher buys me the rudolph hallmark ornaments every year)

(christopher collects the grinch and dr. seuss hallmark ornaments)

(my friend sabrina sent me this ornament this year from the central park zoo! it's got a snow leopard on it.)

(on the left - that's right - we have not only one beet ornament, but two - courtesy of amy; on the right - the nyc library lion)

(my grandma made me this ornament several years ago)

(awesome ornament from team linkous this year)

(my aunt sent me this ornament - 'cause she knows how i like the kitties)

(gingerbread boy and girl...and another rudolph ornament)

Shelter Update

2011-11-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged about the shelter, and tonight I decided that I needed to change that! Incase you haven't noticed, the shelter pictures have taken a serious turn for the better! Check them out! In fact, they are so nice, that I'm not even sure I should be snagging them and putting them on my blog. A group called "Project Pearl" is going in and volunteering their time to take pictures. Nice pictures. Not dogs in shrubbery. Surely they won't mind if I use their pictures if I credit them, right? I'll try it and see what happens.

Take a look at this cat. She is a Himalayan named Nadira. Normally I don't pay too much attention to these fancy breeds because I don't worry too much that they won't get adopted. Everyone wants a fancy cat. But Nadira has been there a little while. When I opened her cage today, I was greeted by a sweet kitty hug. She climbed right out of the cage and on to my shoulder and just snuggled me. She is such a sweetheart. I was so impressed with her, I could hardly put her back in her cage. Can you believe she was a stray found in a field?!?!

{photo credit: project pearl}

This is the dog that is really just pulling at my heartstrings. Chico is amazing. Absolutely amazing. When I open his cage he does the same thing the kitty did. He hops gently in my arms and just wants to be held. He didn't even try to get down - he was content to just be held and talked to. Rumor has it that he plays fetch - how neat! He is so sweet and friendly. He reminds me of my little Leroy (only not elderly - Chico is only about a year old). I think this little guy would make a fantastic pet. He's been there for a while. People just don't realize what they are missing.

{photo credit: project pearl}

This is Lori. I have nothing about her. I'm not even sure if I saw her there tonight. I mostly just wanted to comment on what a silly name "Lori" is for a dog. She is absolutely beautiful though.

{photo credit: project pearl}

Hutch doesn't have a pretty picture yet, but I wanted to tell you about him. I absolutely love when I see a big dog who looks like he could chase you out of a junkyard and then you open his kennel door and he is all friendly tail wags and kisses. This is hutch. He's got a massive square head and a mouth like a boxer that looks like it could unhinge when he opens it and create a flip-top head. But Hutch was just the sweetest thing when we took him out today. He wasn't even hyper happy. Just plain happy-happy. This just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. I hope somebody takes him home.

And don't forget - the shelter has small animals too - like this bunny! Someone dropped off some gerbils tonight, so there may be some gerbils up for adoption soon. Seriously, people. If you can't manage to take care of a gerbil for its tiny little life span and instead take it to an animal shelter that euthanizes... I don't even know what to say about that, other than I don't think I like you.

{houdini the bunny}

Other shelter items to note from the night:

I found a little girl puppy that looks exactly like my friend Meghan's dog, Elvis! She's super cute!
I saw the tiniest puppy I have ever seen in my life. It didn't even look real. I hope they don't confuse it with those gerbils that came in.
There was a dog there that hadn't eaten in a really long time. They are trying to take care of her and nurse her back to health, but it's just so sad to see how some people treat animals.

Tonight's Dinner. A Comedy of Errors.

2011-11-16T20:46:00.002-05:00

I've decided to start cooking more. Last week I made fantastic chili (if I do say so myself). Tonight I was making meatloaf, smashed cauliflower and steamed rutabaga, carrots and broccoli. I started off chopping up the vegetables (rutabaga is so damn hard to cut!). Midway through, my sleeve started to slip down my arm. I pushed it back up...with the knife still in my other hand:

(how many of you have sliced near your elbow while chopping vegetables?)

(the culprits)

One cleaned knife later, and after the veggies were chopped, I cut up the cauliflower and put it in a pot with chicken broth. Then I started on the meatloaf...when I realized I didn't have an egg. I walked away from the food to google "egg substitute for meatloaf" (mayonnaise, if you ever need to know). While I was researching this, I heard, "slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp." I didn't really think much about it - after all, there are two pet water bowls in the kitchen. Then I turned around and Buster Cat Nixon was ON THE COUNTER SLURPING THE CHICKEN BROTH OUT OF THE POT OF CAULIFLOWER!!! I had to call Christopher and ask him to pick up some more cauliflower and chicken broth on his way home from work.

(bye, bye, kitty cauliflower)

I was a bit torn. While I didn't want to reward the bad cat, I figured I might as well do something useful with the chicken broth. Buster couldn't get enough of it. I had to push him away so Tuesday and Leroy could get some too.

(darn cat)

Now That's a Weed

2011-10-24T20:44:00.002-04:00

Over they past month or so we have been equal opportunity with our flowers beds; we have been accepting flowers and weeds alike. A couple weekends ago, we were out in the yard and pulled some weeds. There was one particularly hefty weed that Christopher took ahold of. When he did, the root started moving the earth...literally. The "flowery/bushy" part of the weed snapped off at the base of the leaves and then we pulled this out:

(christopher is 5'8", so this thing has to be about...6" tall?)

(this picture kind of reminds me of the snake)

(bye bye, weed! we'll probably see you next year!)

"Peps on the Side," No More

2011-09-12T20:13:00.002-04:00

Those of you who have the pleasure to dine with me know that I love, hearts and kisses Jimmy Johns. My jam? The "Big John," aka, #2 - with hot peppers on the side. There are scarcely words to describe the deliciousness of this sandwich.

As indescribably good as the sandwich is, it is not without faults. The "hot peppers ON THE SIDE" is an integral part of the aforementioned deliciousness.

To my sheer horror, a few weeks ago, I went into Jimmy Johns and ordered, "#2, hot peppers on the side," and was informed that they do not offer hot peppers on the side anymore. What? But... Nooooooooooo. It seems they are trying to cut costs by reducing the amount of paper they use to wrap the peppers.

This is why I do not like my peppers to come on the side:

(first I need to open the sandwich...and dig through all that lettuce...)

(to pick out these. who wants to eat stems? yuck! total sandwich ruiner.)

(by the time I am done picking out all the stems, my fingers are covered in mayonnaise)

(and I have this pile of yucky stems)

Jimmy Johns - is anyone out there reading??? Do you see the problem? What can we do? I have considered the following:

One of the lovely guys that took my order said that they peppers come "stemless." HA! We could write a letter to the pepper company.
You could start charging for the hot peppers on the side! $0.25 or $0.50 would more than cover the cost of a couple sheets of paper.
What if I brought my own ziplock bags?
What if I started a fundraiser and raised enough money to buy your pepper paper for you? How much paper do you use on peppers?
What if I found a sponsor for your pepper paper? "Jimmy Johns pepper paper, sponsored by..." This could be a winner! Again, how much paper do you use on peppers?

Miss. Tuesday is Home!

2011-08-31T22:38:00.002-04:00

Guess what! Miss. Tuesday has a home and it's with us! You can read her account of the situation here. She's currently resting comfortably from her surgery. We are up in the library together, watching reruns of Frasier.

Sneaky Buster

2011-07-21T20:03:00.003-04:00

I had to take Tuesday to the AARF House after work today to get her second round of distemper shots. When I got home, I put her in her carrier and brought her downstairs. When I got downstairs, Leroy was whimpering. I put Miss Tuesday on the table so Buster Cat Nixon wouldn't get to her (we keep them separated) and then went over to get Leroy situated on the couch before I left the house again. When I turned around, this is what I saw:

(silly cat)

You can read Miss. Tuesday's account of the incident here.

Showering With a Cat

2011-07-11T21:59:00.005-04:00

Buster Cat Nixon and I just took a shower together. I would not recommend this.

Buster was a kitten the last time he had a bath human-style. It didn't go well then and we haven't tried again since. I have, on occasion, tried to wash a solitary, dirty paw. Those experiences only reinforced my belief that we shouldn't try the full bath thing again.

Unfortunately this evening Buster had a bit of a litter box snafu. Things didn't go so smoothly and he tried to fix aforementioned snafu by dragging his butt on the floor. UGH! If you have a cat, you have probably experienced this at least one. If you don't...take my word for it - gross.

Christopher and I tried to clean him up, but it really wasn't working. We decided soap and water might be the only way. Additionally, for some reason, Buster had gotten a few matted spots in his fur over the past couple weeks. I figured this might be a good time to go all out and try a full bath.

Duhn-duhn-duhn!

We brought him in the laundry room, started to fill the tub, and somehow he knew what was coming. I'm not sure how he knew, but he knew. He jumped straight up from the floor and hit the TOP of the door frame. (Trying to get out?) I put some flea and tick shampoo we used on him as a kitten in the water, because it has some coat-conditioning stuff that made his fur super soft. I also put some baby shampoo in there that we use to wash Leroy. I soaped up my hands and Christopher put him in the tub.

Wow. This did. not. go smoothly. I know I said this like "Easy-breezy - Christopher just put him in the tub" ...but trust me - it didn't go down like that. There was twisting and flailing and crying and moaning. And that was before his first, little toe even touched the water. Once he hit water, before I knew it, the towel on the side of the sink was in the sink. The washcloth I was going to wash him with was in the sink. An umbrella that was in the back corner of the sink was in the sink. All three bottles of pet/baby shampoo were in the sink. And Buster was just barely in the sink.

He kitty yelled. If he had claws he would have torn us to pieces. I tried to really soap him up good, but the four of our hands could barely keep a hold on him. I was wet. The floor was wet. The counter was covered in water.

I doubt he was in there for more than 90 seconds. He was yelling so bad that he started to pant and almost gasp for breath. It really worried us and I pulled him out, sopping wet, and just held him. If he dripped a drop of water on the floor, he dripped a gallon of water on the floor. No joke. I was completely dripping, but guess what? He was still soapy. And unfortunately I had put that darn flea and tick shampoo in there which, as one might suspect, is not exactly organic. It had to come off of him. Christopher filled a cup of water and tried to gently pour some over him...and me...and the floor. That wasn't really working.

There was really only one other non-submerged-in-sink option left...

Christopher turned the shower on and I followed closely behind. Through the house. With a dripping wet cat in my arms. Fully-clothed, I got in the shower with Buster and tried to rinse all the soap out of his fur. While this wasn't a walk in the park, it actually went a lot better than either of us had imagined. We both emerged from the shower unscathed.

BCN is soap-free, poo-free, mat-free and he's not gasping for air anymore. Bath WIN.

He's been washing himself for the past hour-and-a-half. He actually just got up on Christopher's lap and is now purring while Christopher scratches his head.

We're now bracing ourselves for a hairball the size of Arkansas.

Oh yeah - and we're pretty sure Leroy thinks we torture animals now. Great.

Pensive Peach

2011-07-06T20:35:00.002-04:00

Perhaps you recall Ouida's story about the sad little nut? Or maybe even my follow up on more sad vegetation? Well tonight, I came across a pensive peach.

(what do you think he's got on his mind?)

Between Sentences

2011-06-23T21:05:00.004-04:00

The New York Public School System (specifically Traver Road Elementary School) never taught me to double-space between sentences. But then we moved to North Carolina and my parents put me in Catholic School and they had me doing all these insane things that I had never done before like diagramming sentences, some shit called “Wordly Wise” (If it’s so wise with the words, how come it doesn’t know that “wordly” isn’t actually a word?), and DOUBLE-SPACING BETWEEN SENTENCES.

(Also, there was even a girl in my class that INSISTED I use the mouse to highlight and delete my misspelled word rather than backspacing. It still annoys me to this day and when ever I realize, two words later, that I misspelled a word, I think about Jennifer Hendy. (I don’t mind calling her out on my blog because I ran into her in the GAP a couple years after 8^th grade and she called me Tiffany. She has no idea who I am.) It takes me more time to take my hands off the keyboard, grab the mouse, highlight (highlighting is a bitch – especially with those 1994 roller ball mouses/mice…that’s a debate for another post), put my hands back on the keyboard to delete and retype the word and then grab the mouse again to get back to the spot I was when I realized, “crap. I misspelled ‘orange’…AGAIN!” Jennifer Hendy was also quite the little tattletale about the double-spacing. Hrmph.)

Anyway – back to the point at hand – the double-spacing thing. I went to college and nobody there told me to stop double-spacing between sentences either – but believe me – I thought about it a lot. Remember? Every time I deleted a word to correct another word, I thought of Jennifer Hendy…and then also thought about the weird double-spacing thing.

After college I was working at an ad agency and I noticed that all the designers’ copy looked so pretty. What was it about their copy that looked so much better than my copy (aside from the fancy Mac typeface)? AH-HA! There were no double spaces between the sentences!!! I immediately marched myself down to the other end of the hall and inquired. “Blech! NO! We certainly DO NOT double-space between sentences!” It was said with all the disdain of someone who had just been spat upon. I freaking knew those nuns were wrong!

I started to investigate a little further. People started double-spacing between sentences because of TYPEWRITERS! Early typewriters were set with monospaced font – meaning that all letters took up the same amount of space. An “i" took up the same horizontal space as a “w.” This meant that some words looked kind of spaced out and it may or may not have made it a little more difficult to tell when one sentence ended and the next started.

By the 1950’s they had totally fixed this. Totally. They did it by using proportional typeface and…wait for it…computers! Ooooo! Aaaaah!

I’m just sayin’ – if you are still double-spacing between sentences, then you need to cancel your Twitter and Facebook accounts and let me know how your new job is going over at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

(Take that Jennifer Hendy!)

Rooster? Cow? ...Chihuahua???

2011-06-09T22:59:00.006-04:00

The first week we had Leroy, he slept in his crate with no complaints...then he started to love us. Aaawe. Once he became attached he did not want to be crated at night.

After Leroy had been with us about a week, I came home from work one night to a tail-wagging pup. I was thrilled! That night, we heard terrible, unnatural noises coming from where our tiny little dog should be.

We thought we should ignore it...that did. not. work. Christopher and I were up all night. Finally around 4:00am or so, Christopher jumped out of bed, yelled, "NO!" at him and he was silent. Honestly, I was beside myself worried that the reason he was silent was because Christopher had, literally, scared him to death. Luckily that was not the case.

Night two, I got my phone out. After I got a little snippet of a recording, I firmly told Leroy, "NO!" He was silent. He is such a good dog!

Anyway - I just came across the recording. Here it is:

(there's no video; just sound. and it doesn't really start until :17 and it doesn't really get crazy until :35)

Doggie Paddle

2011-06-04T14:48:00.005-04:00

Earlier this past week I was looking at Leroy and thinking how sad it is that he doesn't get more exercise. During the day when we are at work, he is in his crate. While we are sleeping, he is in his crate. If we are doing stuff around the house, he is on the couch sleeping. If we are on the couch watching TV, he is on the couch sleeping. He really enjoys being outside when it's nice out, but our yard isn't fenced in and he won't walk on a leash so he mostly just walks around the yard for a few minutes once or twice a day when we can walk around with him.

Leroy loves laying in the grass, but it's getting pretty hot outside - I don't want to let him sit out there too long and bake.

When we got Leroy, I was really curious about his past life - I tried to find out more about his owner, but I wasn't that successful. I did know his address...and google maps showed that he had a pool in the back yard! Maybe Leory likes to swim???

Well, he didn't hate it, but I'm not sure he loved it. When Christopher put him in, he acted like he was going to swim; his little legs just started moving! But of course the water wasn't deep enough to actually try swimming.

I guess that settles it - we are going to have to get an in-ground pool and see if he likes that any better. Christopher....?

Gardens!

2011-05-19T22:12:00.003-04:00

Christopher and I made this flower bed a few weekends ago. Isn't it pretty? Before this it was just the butterfly bush and some grass. I can't wait until all the flowers start coming up and blooming.

(this is where I accidentally spilled some cosmo seeds)

I also planted these little containers of vegetables and herbs! I believe you are familiar with the radishes.

(top row, L to R: either roma or cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, the other tomatoes

bottom row, L to R: basil, radishes, mint, cilantro)

(damn, that mint grows SLOW!)

Farmin'

2011-05-14T11:33:00.002-04:00

Check me out - I'm a farmer! I planted some radish seeds in a container on our patio (along with some tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, basil and mint) and guess what! Radishes grow quickly! Aren't they awesome??? I'm quite proud of myself.

Happy 4th Birthday to Buster Cat Nixon!

2011-05-12T21:46:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday, Buster Cat Nixon! You rock!

(buster a few days after we brought him home - with his to-this-day favorite toy, which hartz doesn't make anymore. grrr.)

(buster on his 4th birthday with his new yeowww! pollock fish)

Biltmore Sans House

2011-05-01T12:47:00.007-04:00

Christopher and I went up to Asheville yesterday. We decided to go to the Biltmore estate, but not actually go to the house. It takes so much time to go through the house, and we had been in three times in the past year, so we decided to check out more of the grounds this time instead. It was a beautiful day! We went downtown first and got some lunch at Salsas then stopped at Mast General Store where Christopher got a new pair of running shoes...like Vibrums, only not heinously ugly! WIN!

Then we headed to the Biltmore and walked through the gardens. Christopher got some GREAT pictures!

(I love this picture! It's a plant potted in an old travel makeup case. You can see Christopher taking the picture in the mirror of the case!)

(This was in the azalea garden. It's some sort of zombi hybrid that grows brains (or at least that's what it looks like).)

(awesomest bridge ever)

(This is a "Bare Cedar." Craziest tree I have ever seen. It grows all these crazy "bare" roots out of the ground. They looks like petrified gnomes.)

(close up on the petrified gnomes)

This tree was in the conservatory. It was beautiful! It was kind of like a Chinese Lantern tree. The flowers on the tree are amazing - like tiny little lanterns. After we left the conservatory we went into the garden shop and there were two tiny little trees just like this. We picked one up, and when we got to the cash register the lady checking us out got really excited and told us all about the tree. It's a special hybrid called "Biltmore Ball Gown" that they created at Biltmore. They have had a waiting list for it for 18 months. They just called everyone on the list and told them this past week that they were ready. They have one person driving from Indiana just to pick this tree up. They happened to have two extra that they had just put out, and we got one! How cool is that?

(tiny little lanterns)

(our very own biltmore ball gown!)

(I thought this was one of the prettiest plants there. I'm not even sure what it is, but it has these huge flowers that grown towards the ground. Very pretty.)

Next up we went to the barn. I was a little bummed this time: my sheep were out in the pasture and on the other side of the fence. I couldn't get to them!

The awesome part about the barn? There were BABIES!!!

(baby sheep)

(prettiest baby goats I have ever seen!)

So that's it - another trip to Biltmore! It was awesome and I can't wait to go again!

Baaaaaaahye! hahahahahahah

Used Book Sale!

2011-04-29T23:23:00.002-04:00

My next favorite day of the year after Christmas might be the Shepard's Center Used Book Sale. I went for the first time last year and it was AWESOME! I got a ton of books last year, and I could hardly wait until this year.

Christopher and I took a long weekend this week so we could go to the book sale (okay, so that was something I wanted to do a little more than Christopher, but he was a willing participant), do some yard work, go to Biltmore and relax a bit.

I didn't get as much this year as I did last year, but these are my awesome finds! Included in there is a book on Lincoln for Keith and a copy of Pride and Prejudice for Megan. (She is going to wonder why I am sending her another copy...I got one for her last year too. What's better than having a copy of your favorite classic book? Having a collection of your favorite classic book!)

(bleak house

drowning ruth

the forgotten garden

someone like you

the kite runner

ford county

an old, pretty poetry book

firefly lane

three cups of tea

the st. nicholas anthology

roughing it

a connecticut yankee

61 hours

the road

cracking the da vinci code

the lincoln reader

the baby animal zoo

pride and prejudice

hannah's dream

homer's odyssey

breaking dawn

eclipse)

Miss Tuesday and Her Kittens!

2011-04-13T22:18:00.003-04:00

Miss Tuesday and her kittens are going to be blogging from one of our spare bathrooms! You should follow them! http://misstuesdayandherkittens.blogspot.com/

Brilliance From Heinz

2011-03-26T17:39:00.002-04:00

(holy crap!)

Christopher and I went to Chick-fil-A for lunch late this afternoon. It had been a while since I had been there, so I don't know when they did this - but they did this. It's the most adorable, fancy fast food ketchup packet I have ever seen. I felt immediately compelled to grab 20 and put them in my purse, but I resisted. Man, I love Heinz!

Go Team Timmons!

2011-03-14T19:50:00.004-04:00

Famed auto-tune video producer and friend, Bryan Timmons, along with wife, Ruth Ann, recently shared a video on their new blog, Go Team Timmons. I must say...this is the most creative and fun way any of my friends have ever shared that they are having a baby! Check it out!

CHEESE!

2011-03-10T21:01:00.003-05:00

Amy and I decided to start Weight Watchers a couple weeks ago. (We actually started a week ago today.) We knew we wouldn't be able to gorge ourselves on cheese in the near future, so the only reasonable thing to do was to have a cheese dinner the night before we started.

(to note: a pizza stone really doesn't make for a good cheese board. the knife on the stone is almost unbearable. (we had so much cheese, I didn't have a wooden board large enough!))

Below is our sophisticated dinner: cheeses from around the world, crackers, wine, chocolate covered figs. Amy and I know how to dine.

This is Corey and Christopher's dinner: pizza from Ronnie's in Clemmons, wings, mozzarella cheese sticks (not from Taco Bell) and ranch.

I did take some notes on the cheeses we had. Some were old favorites, some were new! And, yes - I know we didn't exactly use sophisticated terms to describe these cheeses.

Dubliner Cheese: Amy and I both liked it. It was dry but somehow very creamy at the same time. It had kind of a parmesan-y flavor.

Provolone Mandarino: this one was kind of grainy. We liked it as well. It had a much more smoky / aged flavor than your standard provolone cheese. Corey tried this one and stated, "it's better than Subway provolone."

Gouda Meadowkoas: We likey! It's very creamy.

Farmers Gouda, 5 years aged: ugh. I could hardly swallow this. Just as I was about to put it in my mouth I decided it was the color and texture of what I would expect 10 year old ear wax to be. I almost vomited. Amy didn't like it either. She also did not appreciate my description as I she was chewing.

Cave Aged Gruyere: we liked this one too! Another "dry and creamy" anomaly.

Drunken Goat: two thumbs up! Very creamy, soft and kind of tangy.

Gorgonzola Piccante: Christopher noted, "it smells like feet." Corey noted, "it smells worse than Christopher's feet." Christopher noted, "and I wore my Sperrys today!" (Those are his stinky shoes.) I can't completely disagree with either of them. I typically like gorgonzola on salads in restaurants, but I have never purchased any myself. I think I might have picked a rather pungent variety. Oh yeah - it didn't taste good either.

Manchego, Raw Milk, 8 months: AWESOME! A bit creamier and milder than the 1 year. While creamier and milder, also harder.

Manchego 1 year: I think I speak for both of us when I say this was our favorite...yes, Amy? My notes say, "delicious as always!"

Amy trying the chocolate covered fig...she didn't like it. Neither did Christopher or Corey. My coworkers reaped the benefits the next day.

Are You Reading This, Chuck Lorre?

2011-02-28T21:32:00.003-05:00

Christopher and I record Two and a Half Men but quite frankly, Charlie Sheen is getting ready to join the "Not Allowed On Any of My TVs" Club, along with Tiger Woods and Jay Leno. I mean...it's pretty hard to get into that club - I watch those real housewives shows, I listen to Kendra Wilkinson snort like an a hyena (if hyenas snorted) and I try to keep up with the Kardashians.

Charlie Sheen has gone way overboard. Have you seen this stuff on the Today show? He's raised his price to $3M per episode!? And CBS should apologize while licking he feet!? He's "tired of people thinking he's not special!" And he's got TWO live-in girlfriends??? Who the crap does he think he is? Hugh effing Hefner? (Speaking of Mr. Hefner and trashy shows, that's another one to add to the list; I thought I might cry when The Girls Next Door split up and went off the air.)

I like Two and a Half Men, but Charlie Sheen doesn't carry it. I think the other actors carry it. Alan - love. Jake - love. Evelyn - love. Berta and Rose - double love and double love! One and a Half Men, a Crazy Neighbor and a Sassy Housekeeper? Yup - I'd watch.

So listen, Chuck Lorre, this is what I would do: bring Charlie Sheen back. Pay him his $3M per episode. THEN your writing gets creative - Charlie finally gets swindled by a woman (who actually turns out to be a man at the end of the episode) and loses all of his money. His house goes into foreclosure. Alan wins the lottery and takes Charlie in. After all, Charlie is now living on the street. Role reversal! Series finale? Charlie gets caught robbing a liquor store, goes to prison and becomes someone's bitch.

Too spiteful? I think it could work. I think people would watch. I know I would watch.

Mouse In the House!

2011-02-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

Lucky Christopher had President's Day off...I decided to take the day off as well so that we could clean out the garage. As we were organizing, I picked up my old roller blades and noticed a weird color pattern in the bottom. They are old so I thought maybe it was just the material wearing away in places...but then the colors moved. I tilted the rollerblade towards me and I was greeted with a pile of cat food!

For a brief second I thought that perhaps while the rollerblades were at my parents' house, my parents spilled some cat food and it fell in the rollerblades and they never noticed. Then I quickly came to the conclusion that this was a prank my mother pulled on me. She's sneaky like that. But then...I started thinking a little more. There was a bag of cat food in the garage. I went to pick up the cat food and the bag was almost empty!

Somewhere in our garage there is a cutsie little mouse. A resourceful mouse that, every night, has been taking little armfuls of food from the cat food bag (which was supposed to go to the shelter) and carrying it over to store in the rollerblades.

We looked for the mouse but couldn't find him. We threw the food away that was in the rollerblades, but I left the food in the bag out in the garage until I can find a nice little trap to trap the mouse and then let him go out in the woods. Anyone know where I can get one of those? It's not really practical to let a mouse live in our garage forever.

Spring Fever

2011-02-26T14:49:00.002-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like spring! I took these pictures this past Monday.

(I thiiiink these are buttercups. there are also a couple crocuses is there.)

(I've got at least six hyacinths and two tulips coming up in the front of the house so far)

(yay!)

Miracle on 31st Street

2011-02-13T16:27:00.008-05:00

(Settle in, boys and girls, this is a long one! I had decided not to post it since it was so long, but I just changed my mind!)

A long time ago, in a land far away…wait, no. That’s not right. Several months ago…at a Dash game, Bryan, Ruth Ann, Christopher and I started talking about a possible trip to New York – to see the city at Christmas!

Even though we were talking about it in, say June-ish, we didn’t actually start planning (purchasing plane tickets) until late November? Early December? It was really great though because Jet Blue was running $98 round trip tickets from Raleigh to JFK! Woooo! But wait…every time we went to book, just before we went to pay, the price would jump. Are you kidding me? FINALLY, after I could practically see the steam coming from BT’s ears (through the phone) we got our tix! They were a tad more expensive than the $98, but it was still a really good price.

Next up! Hotel! Bryan found this awesome hotel. It was brand new…we could have possibly been the first people EVER to sleep in the beds! WEEEEEEE! Since it was brand new, it was also a great price! But wait…just before we went to pay, it sold out. Blast! It’s cool though – we found another nice hotel at a good price. And yes! Yes, I would like to save some money by making my reservation non-refundable! Thank you for offering. (This is important. Keep this in mind as the story progresses.)

We got tickets to some shows – that actually went smoothly. (And we all know how tickets to shows are…non-refundable, of course)

It’s finally here! The night before! We are packed and ready to go to New York! But wait! What’s that email in your inbox, Bryan? An email saying our flights have been canceled? Are you kidding me? No, of course you aren’t. We will reschedule. Wait…what’s that? Effing Jet Blue has canceled ALL their flights into JFK? You have to be kidding me. No, of course you aren’t. Now remember – we are already in this trip to the tune of two hotel rooms and three shows. We have to go.

A couple hours later, we have four more tickets – for TWICE the price…still out of Raleigh (but even earlier in the morning!)– to New York. Small consolation – we get to fly into LGA, which I prefer. Wait – what’s that, Christopher? You hate LGA and you would prefer to fly into JFK? Grrrrrrrrr.

Well, we wake up unpleasantly early and head to Raleigh. It’s so early and we are going to have so much of the day ahead of us, I decide to brave the headache and skip the Dramamine. It makes me so sleepy and I don’t want to be cranky with dry contacts once we get there.

Huh…isn’t that awesome how that Starbucks is making me slightly nauseated. Guess I better take the Dramamine after all. Don’t worry – this turns out to be a good thing; you see the flight was a bit bumpy. The flight attendants didn’t do their beverage service, but I suppose that isn’t all that uncommon. What is uncommon is to see my husband in front of me bracing himself against the luggage compartment above so that he can TRY to stay somewhat in his seat. Ruth Ann behind me...doing the same thing.

Yay. A holding pattern. It seems they have closed a couple runways at LGA. And then another holding pattern. Great. Oh good…people have started to throw up. That’s wonderful. Finally – we are heading down for a landing! Weeeee..wait. Uhm. Huh. Looks like…we might be…a bit closer to the river than normal. A bit closer than I am comfortable with…and it’s certainly still bumpy. Things that entered my head: Miracle on the Hudson – could it happen twice?, the temperature at which water freezes, the scene in Titanic when they were floating on pieces of ship and luggage, would the adrenaline let me swim to shore?, why didn’t I move up a row to sit with Christopher?

{insert string of Hail Marys}

We are REALLY close to the water now…we finally clear the water, but we are going SO fast. So, SO fast - and we still have to turn. Could almost reach out and touch the runway. But wait! The plane pulls back up – and we are off! Phew! Wait…crap. We are going to have to do that again. Ooooh. And now the girl on the other side of the aisle is crying. Awkward, comforting smile? No, that didn’t really work. The flight attendant is passing out more barf bags.

We get one more chance before we have to “choose an alternate destination to refuel.” Something about wind sheer. Lovely. The second time didn’t seem any smoother, but we made it to the ground!

Boy, were we glad to get off that plane! So glad, we just rushed right off! Rushed off so fast that…just as we are going under the tunnel…"Christopher – you have the camera, right? SHIT!" Our nice, not cheap camera. The camera Christopher gave me as a wedding present. The instant we hit sunlight on the other side of the tunnel we started making phone calls. FYI, if you loose something on a plane, nobody will do anything for you over the phone, other than tell you to fill out a claim. Online.

We get to the hotel and Bryan, Ruth Ann and I jump out. Christopher heads back to the airport. The three of us are just ready to chill for a little while. Relax after the flight. What’s that? The hotel computers have crashed and you can’t check us in? Of course they have.

I’m coming up on three pages worth of Word doc here, so I’m going to cut this short – no camera. We’re basically sure it’s gone for good. Christopehr gets back, we walk around the city for a while…it starts raining, of course. We went to the first show (wet from the rain), The Pee Wee Herman Show. Remember that Dramamine I took earlier? Well…yeah. I kind of fell asleep for a little while. I’m glad we were in the back row. I thought I hid it well, by “snuggling” up on Christopher’s shoulder, but it seems my head slipped off at some point. Trust me – this was not a proud moment.

The three things I wanted to do while we were in NY were to go to the Shake Shack (which we did after Pee Wee – it was, of course, AWESOME! It was a great ending to a pretty crappy day), go to Tiffany’s and go to the Central Park Zoo (which, somehow, I had never been to).

The next day, I wake up and immediately check Christopher’s cell phone, hoping for a call from the airport, but no such luck. We head out down 5the Ave. I’m trying to find a way to not go to Tiffany’s. I want absolutely nothing to commemorate this trip except for a safe flight home – the sooner the better – but I don’t want to tell Christopher this because he feels absolutely TERRIBLE about leaving the camera.

I wasn’t able to talk my way out of the store. I actually even paused for a moment outside the door, as if I was ready to stick my hands out and refuse to be pushed in – cat-in-carrier style. Of course, that would be ridiculous.

Here’s the magic of Tiffany’s: it actually dissolves troubles. Sounds silly, but it’s true. We got in, and it only took a few minutes before the camera was pushed to the back of my mind. A charm for my bracelet and a pair of earrings later, I was feeling MUCH better!

Off to the ZOO! (After a quick stop at FAO Schwarz.)

(the trip to Tiffany's brightened my spirits)

This might have been the coolest Zoo ever. The animals were, oddly, quite interested in the people – which never happens at the zoo. It was also so small that you could do the whole thing in a couple hours and spend plenty of time on everything. There was even a PETTING ZOO!!! Highlights:

Sea Lion I could have reached out and touched if I wanted to either loose a finger or be rushed by security. Teensy, tiny monkey who licked condensation trickles off the window. The penguins that swam right up to me and wanted to be my friend. The Victoria Crowned Pigeon that practically walked over my foot – actually that whole building with birds sitting right next to you. The snow monkeys who cuddled. The petting zoo.

(I TOTALLY could have touched this one)

(this was amazing)

(this is the Vicotria Crowned Pigeon...it makes a sound like a tug boat)

Incase you haven’t been able to tell, by this point, this trip has taken a serious turn UP! From the zoo we went to see the taping of Jimmy Fallon. Also AWESOME! It was great. The show was great, Jimmy was great, The Roots were great! AND THEN! We got out of the show, turned our cell phones back on and…drum roll, please! Christopher had a voicemail from the lovely lady at Delta Baggage Claim – they had our camera!!!!

You might think it couldn’t get any better than that, but we walked outside and it was SNOWING! In NEW YORK! At CHRISTMAS! I almost cried. For reals.

(snowing!)

Up next – the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. And do you know what the Rockettes had? A live nativity, complete with camels, donkeys and sheep. Holy crap.

After the show, Christopher booked it out of there and over to LaGuardia to get the camera. When we walked outside, it was still snowing. It was even starting to stick to the streets a little bit. We headed to find someplace for dinner. When we finally heard back from Christopher, we were almost to a restaurant and he said he would meet us at the Empire State Building. It was dark, snowing, there was almost nobody else out…and as we approach the Empire State Building, I saw Christopher, leaning against the building, with that black camera bag strapped across his chest. It might have been the most beautiful sight ever. And dinner was great!

We got up the next morning and I didn’t think it would get any better than the day before. And of course it didn’t get better than that, but it was a pretty awesome day. We went to the New York Public Library – I could have spent all day in there…and some the next day, but I know not everyone (okay, almost no one) likes a library and books as much as I do. We spent a few minutes and I got some cool things from the gift shop and then we headed back to Rockefeller Center. We did the Top of the Rock and then the Page Tour. We finished up just in time to grab some PIZZA and head back to the airport!

(Centra Park - my fave)

(it was seriously chilly up there)

Oh! And the return flight was much more pleasant! :-)

(Okay, seriously, did anyone read this whole thing? I would never have scrolled through such shenanigans.)

Welcome, Leroy!

2011-01-26T22:14:00.005-05:00

(10 years old, 4.4 pounds, no teeth)

When I was volunteering at the shelter a few weeks ago, I met Leroy. He was a teensy little ball of scared. One of the ladies at the shelter told me that his owner had passed away and they actually found Leroy curled up with the deceased owner. It broke my heart and I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The next day, and every day after, I checked the adoption photos hoping Leroy would be up for adoption, but I didn’t have much hope. One of the ladies at the shelter said she wasn’t too hopeful that he would test heartworm negative.

Additionally, who would take a 10-year-old Chihuahua?

I couldn't stand the thought of him being put to sleep after loosing his person.

The following Saturday evening I checked the photos once again and he was actually listed! I was so excited. I took my computer over to Christopher and told him that if he was still there the next week, I wanted him. Surprisingly, Christopher said okay.

The following Thursday, after work, we went down to the shelter to visit him. He was nervous and shaky on his feet but he seemed friendly. We turned in our application that evening. Friday I went back to the shelter to prove that Buster Cat Nixon had his rabies vaccine and then learned that Leroy would have to have some serious dental work including some extractions.

Of course he would. You know how we feel about those animals with no teef. Apparently we have an affinity for them.

Two Sundays ago we picked Leroy up from the vet…all his teeth had to be extracted. We gave him a bath as soon as we got home. He smelled like a foot, and need I remind you – he was chillaxing on a dead person.

I was pretty worried at first because his back legs seemed to be seriously busted; he didn’t like to step on them and when he sat, he sat on his butt and his legs just stuck up under his belly. A day after picking him up from the shelter vet, we took him to our vet and she said he had a ligament that was slipping in and out in his hind legs. She said it may get better with some glucosamine and exercise.

Ten days later, with some glucosamine in peanut butter, Leroy is trotting around the house just fine – even hopping up steps! That’s right, I said hopping – not the sad little heave-ho he had to do when we first brought him home.

Last night when I got home from the shelter, he hopped out of his bed and came walking over to me with his tail going a mile a minute. Later that evening I got my first little nose kiss. It was small but I think he totally meant it. I got a few more today after work.

We're super fond of this little guy and I am so glad we brought him home. Buster is even okay with him. I totally expect to find them snuggled up together one day…maybe.

Oh yeah...and did I mention he lets me dress him up? In all seriousness...it's COLD outside...and he's so little with not much fur... Those who know say Chihuahuas need clothes in the cold weather. Who am I to say otherwise?

(that's right - it's a hoodie)

Lovebug

2010-12-28T20:51:00.004-05:00

This is Lovebug. She has been at the shelter for almost two months (a pretty long time for the shelter...). Nobody seems to want her and it completely breaks my heart because she really is one of the three biggest love bugs I have come across there; I remember them all - Blowpop, Socks, Lovebug.

Every week when I come in she meows, walks right over to the door and waits for me to open her cage. When I do, it's all snuggles, head-butts and purrs. If she were declawed, she would be kitty number two for us. She's about three years old and would make a wonderful little friend, if anyone wants a four-legged addition to their family! Does anyone know anyone that might want Lovebug?

This little guy...wow. Julian. Another precious heart-breaker. I'm not as worried about him though. I'm sure someone will snatch him right up...maybe one of you? He smelled a little funk-tastic, but nothing some soap and water wouldn't fix in an instant. I opened his cage and he hopped right out on me. He snuggled right up under my chin and started kneading my shoulder. I looked down and...he was actually trying to nurse on the wrinkles in my shirt! It was so cute and so, so sad - all at the same time. By the time I put him down, I had little wet spots all over my shoulder and sleeve where he had been sucking my shirt.

And Toby. Toby is in with the small dogs. He's about four months old and he's a Beagle/Dachshund mix. I imagine he will grow a bit more, but I think he will stay pretty small (surely). He also stole my heart this evening. He was very quiet in his kennel. Very still and calm. Most of the dogs are quite rambunctious in that room, but he just sat there while I opened his door and cleaned his cage. I could see him tremble for just a second before I started petting him, but once I started petting him, he was full of kisses and mini tail-wags. And even though he was a little scared of his new surroundings, he didn't leak pee. I like that in a dog!

(this picture doesn't do him justice at all)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T08:40:00.002-05:00

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist...

Zoo

2010-12-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

Christopher and I went to the zoo a couple weekends ago. It was a little chilly, but really fun - and it was JUST warm enough for all the animals to come out! (That's the most important part.)

(pretty ducks)

(what's cuter than a duck butt?)

(this little guy is special like buster cat nixon - he needs eye drops every day!)

(the polar bear totally was not into visiting with us)

(i once was a wolfpack of one...)

(i really wanted to make a friend...an animal that totally loved me. i thought it would be something cute, cuddly and a mammal...perhaps a big cat. it turned out to be this humming bird. he was totally into me.)

(ocelot)

(the flamingos were awesome...and squawky)

(another bird almost pooped on me when christopher was taking this picture)

(quack)

(this is some sort of pigeon! a pigeon!)

(this lemur stretches like buster)

(they were playing - the big one totally pushed the little one off the tree)

(chimpanzees)

(an actual banana tree - how neat!)

(i think this guy might have been my favorite)

(i just want to squeeze him!)

(at one point, i'm pretty sure he tried to cough up a fur ball. do lions do that?)

(so pretty)

(ostrich)

Biltmore at Christmas

2010-12-11T09:15:00.001-05:00

Christopher and I decorated our front yard! Doesn't it look nice? Ha! Right - we went to Biltmore to see the house decorated for Christmas and it was wonderful! Of course we went on the one day it decided to snow here in Winston, but it was still totally worth it. When we got to Biltmore, the first place we went was to the barn. It was pretty awesome because it was rainy and nasty outside so I didn't have anyone to contend with when it came to the animals. They were all mine!

(softest goats ever!)

(pretty curls)

(is that not the sweetest face you have seen all week?)

(i'm a total sheep whisperer here)

I heard the lady working in the barn tell someone that one of the sheep really like to have it's feet rubbed between the hoof and dewclaw. Oh really? I'll try! Christopher saw her showing someone else and said it was really cute. There were three sheep. I tried the first one...

(what are you doing to my foot?)

It clearly wasn't that one. On to the next...

(it's not me, yo! this feels weird!)

And then this precious, little sheep came up and put her hoof up on my leg!

(it's me! it's me!)

(look at this! it's like we're holding hands!)

After the barn, we went to the house. It was so beautiful! So, SO beautiful! I know a lot of people say, "a house like this is too big! Who needs all this?" But I call those people house quitters. I would totally live there. The first two people I would hire would be my "Pet GPS Monitor" (think NORAD command center for pets) and my "Christmas Tree Putter Upper." What's that you say? Why don't I put my own trees up? There were, if I heard correctly, 52 trees in that house. 52!!!

I would love to share some pics of the inside of the house with you, but we, unlike a bunch of other people I saw, followed directions and did not take pictures...or video. I'm not kidding - people were taking video.

We went to the shops after the tour and it turns out Biltmore is now brewing some of their own beer! Pretty cool, huh? Christopher wanted to buy some of the pale ale, but they were out in the gift shop at the house. We ended up going to the wine gift shop and tasting area, which was pretty cool. We hadn't been there before. We tried some new wines and bought Christopher's beer...and some new wines! ;-) It was a pretty spectacular Saturday.

Shelter WIN!

2010-12-10T18:03:00.001-05:00

I’ve been volunteering at the shelter for about six months now. You may remember that it didn’t start out so well…but luckily it got much better! I’ve been feeling a little frustrated because it’s seriously sad there sometimes – about three fourths of those animals get put to sleep. I really wanted to do something a little more than just clean poop; I thought I might be able to help with some sort of copywriting or social media – something that would go beyond my couple hours a week at the shelter. Nobody there really seems interested…

About a week ago I was leaving work and saw a guy walking his dog up the street. I thought, “I work with him…no…no, I don’t work with him…hmmm…how do I know him?” I made my turn and was sitting at a red light when he came walking further up the street…I looked again…and then down at the dog, and it hit me! He adopted that dog from the shelter while I was there one night! And I brought him the dog! I was so excited – it completely made my night. You never know what happens to those animals once they are adopted (I’m telling you, Forsyth County Animal Control – let me write some success stories!), and it was just so cool to see a happy person/pet combo walking down the street!

But wait! There’s more! I got in the elevator this evening to go home and that guy was standing in the elevator!!! I almost immediately blurted out, “YOU ADOPTED THE DOG!” but I thought that might seem weird. As I was stepping off the elevator trying to think of a better way to word my thoughts, I heard him say, “do you volunteer down at the animal shelter?” Haha! He actually works a couple floors above me for one of our sister companies. How cool is that? I talked to him for a couple minutes (in my excitement, I kind of forgot to introduce myself or catch his name), and he totally likes his dog and even called the dog a “perfect fit” for him!

Yay! Shelter WIN!

No Teef

2010-12-02T19:09:00.003-05:00

Poor Buster Cat Nixon. We took him to the vet two weeks ago and the vet recommended a dental cleaning. When we were at the vet last year, the vet checked his teeth and said they looked perfect! This year - they were really bad. What happened?!?! On her way out of the exam room, the vet said "Let me get you an estimate for a dental cleaning with extractions." WITH EXTRACTIONS??? What? She thought that two of his back teeth were pretty bad and might have to come out. She gave us a "worst case" estimate with four teeth coming out.

Today was the big day. Christopher dropped Monkey Bear off at the vet on his way to work and we each crossed our fingers that I would pick him and his 30 teeth up - all still intact. I got a call this morning after we dropped him off that they were going to need to take SEVEN teeth out! Not only were they going to need to take seven out, but four were already missing! It seems they fell out at some point. Buster had feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions - or "neck lesions." Poor, poor kitty. After reading about these neck lesions, it seems they can be pretty painful - and darn cats - they don't like to let you know when something is wrong. I feel terrible his little teeth were so bad and we didn't even know!

I picked him up a little after 3:00 and they gave me a chart that looks like the picture above, noting which teeth were gone. The circles are teeth that were missing, and the exes are teeth that were extracted today - NINE! Yikes! He basically has fangs now.

I brought him home and he stumbled out of the carrier. He didn't really want to be held; he mostly just walked around like a drunk person, trying to decide whether to lay in his carrier or on the floor outside the carrier and clang the door back and forth. It took him a good hour or two, but he seems pretty much like his normal self now...a bit more mischievous, if anything. He has already dunked two toys in his water and let them drip around the house, and I have had to chase him off the counter/sink no less than ten times. His dry food bowl is in the sink and he can't stand it. The vet said he might not want to drink or eat tonight...well - they don't know Buster Cat. Little does Bust know, but he probably won't be seeing that dry food bowl for a while!

The mischievousness continues: a couple weeks ago I ordered some Yeowww! Catnip Sardines for Christmas for Buster, Oscar and Pico (Keith - don't tell them!). They came in the mail today. When I brought the mail in, Buster was still struggling to get around. I brought them in my room to hide them in my dresser. I heard a commotion and Buster was running after me - he actually smelled those things through the box! I hid the toys and put the box on the counter to take out to the recycling bin. I turn around a few minutes later and that cat is on the counter rolling over the box! I took the box apart and put it on the floor for him. I tried to give him one of the toys but he pretty much lost control and his little anesthesia sheet says to not let him get too excited...I had to take it away. However...if anyone is looking for a good catnip toy, I would recommend Yeowww!

I have to run - time to give the little guy some pain medicine...and an eye drop...geesh. Wish me luck!

An Alternate Sound Barrier

2010-10-18T22:13:00.002-04:00

I went to the Nascar race with my parents this past weekend. There’s always a lot of good stuff to share after a race. I could tell you about how my mom, while claiming to be enjoying the race, read a book for at least 250 of the 334 laps. “I’m enjoying it…do I have to watch ALL the laps?” I could explain the parking situation and my proposed solution to fix it, or how funny my mom’s face was when my dad told my mom to “get on the bridge with a group of skinny people – this is the one that collapsed a few years ago.” We could talk about Nascar attire or even the winning driver!

Really, all this stuff would make for an entertaining blog post, but nothing could actually top this:

That’s right. Most people use headphones or earplugs. This guys uses tampons.

My Apologies

2010-10-18T21:45:00.003-04:00

Sorry, guys. It’s been brought to my attention that nobody cares about NY mansions. I kind of had an inkling when I posted these posts and nobody commented, but I took the pictures. I had to do something with them…and I love these places. I thought maybe you would think they were cool too.

Yesterday at work, I asked Lindsey if she had seen something I posted a while ago on the blog and she said, “No, Ginger! Because the past couple times I have looked at your blog it’s been all these stupid houses!”

Damn.

I went to show her the picture I was talking about and as she was slowly scrolling down (out of guilt) she said, “It’s like a bad fieldtrip, Ginger. Didn’t you realize nobody cared when you saw all these ‘0 comments’?”

*sniff*

So in an effort to regain your attention I would like to share the following Halloween joke with you:

What is a mummy’s favorite type of music?

RAP!

Okay, okay. One more!

Why did the skeleton go to the movies by him self?

BECAUSE HE HAD NO BODY TO GO WITH!

Bwahahahahahaha!

I will try and make further blog posts more interesting to you.

Walkway Over the Hudson

2010-10-14T17:50:00.000-04:00

There’s an old railroad bridge in Poughkeepsie, which crosses over the Hudson River into Highland. Construction on the bridge started in 1873 and the bridge was opened in 1888. At the time it opened, it was considered a “technological wonder” and was the longest bridge in the world. In 1974, there was a fire on the bridge, which ended its use.

A group called “Walkway Over the Hudson” began an effort to open the bridge to the public in 1992 – this was while we were still living in NY! I had no idea! (Of course I rarely picked up the newspaper at the age of 12…perhaps my parents were aware of the group’s efforts?) Anyway – it took a while, but 17 years later, in 2009, the bridge had been renovated and was opened to the public as a pedestrian walkway!

The bridge is 1.28 miles long. While no longer the longest bridge in the world, it IS the longest pedestrian bridge in the world!

(Mid-Hudson Bridge)

(Culinary Institute of America)

(tug boat and oil barge)

You Get What You Pay For

2010-10-13T17:41:00.000-04:00

When we went to Biltmore in April, Christopher mentioned, on more than one occasion, that it was insane how highly they thought of this house to charge $65 per ticket. Well, $65 to walk yourself through an old house without air conditioning might seem steep, but I now think it is well worth it!

What’s that? You question this? Well, take a look at what you get for $65 at Biltmore:

The grounds are immaculate. They continue to expand on the property. There are restaurants, stores, a winery...a hotel. The inside of the house is perfectly kept up. The estate holds events, and decorates elaborately each year for Christmas.

Check out the front lawn at the Vanderbilt Mansion, where we entered the grounds for free and toured the house for $8:

And it’s not just the lawn at Vanderbilt. The back patio, where we used to take family pictures, is now closed off and there are weeds growing up through the cracks in the concrete. Inside the mansion, the elevator has been broken since 2007. They are slowly raising the money to bring it back to its original working order.

This is the rose garden at Vanderbilt. The gardens are taken care of by a group of volunteers. They do a pretty darn good job for volunteers, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

And here’s what you get at Mills Mansion when you enter the grounds for free and tour the house for $5:

I wish I had taken more pictures here. The stone wall that runs the length of their property at the road is in pieces. Chicken wire keeps loose pieces from falling to the ground. From the road it looks like there would be a haunted house through the trees.

When the property was originally gifted to the state, they used it for the grounds. The house was more or less just a building that happened to be there. When some of the exterior stucco of the house started to crack, they sprayed it with gunite, a cement coating, which turned the brilliant white stucco grey. Not only did the gunite turn the color dull, but also it coated all the intricate details. What was once dental molding now looks like bumpy trim.

And the Mills Gardens – they have been done away with long ago. The greenhouses were torn down and I couldn’t see anything that even slightly resembled a flower.

They are slowly starting to restore the Mills Mansion, but it will be a slow renovation as they continue to raise money.

I left all these pictures their original size so you can click on them and enlarge them.

Of course it’s lovely that anyone can just drive up to one of these estates and use the grounds for free and tour the house for a more than reasonable price. Roosevelt’s home tour was $14…that seemed to me a happy medium. It didn’t break the bank, but nothing seemed to be in too bad of disrepair. Of course I’m sure that property carries a bit more weight being that of a former president.

Where’s the happy medium? I’m not sure, but the next time I pay to go to Biltmore I think I will appreciate it a bit more.

Mills Mansion; Staasburg, NY

2010-10-12T17:45:00.000-04:00

I had recently come across information about the Mills Mansion in Staatsburg, NY, and thought “huh – I wonder why I’ve never been there…?” I figured it must have just been further away than what was convenient – after all, we probably went to Vanderbilt’s and Roosevelt’s at least a couple times a year.

After we had been to Vanderbilt’s, I asked my dad about the Mills Mansion and he asked if I wanted to go. I just said no – it was too far away. He said it was just a few miles away. Say whaaaa? Sure enough – a mere FOUR MILES north. Mom – why didn’t you ever take us up there?

Anyway, this house was particularly exciting because it was all new to me! It’s quite grand!

I don’t really know much about the Mills…I don’t really think they were known for much more than simply having money. Well – I’m sure that’s not completely true, but I don’t know where any of it came from…

We took the tour, however; while seemingly knowledgeable, our guide seemed a bit socially awkward. Additionally, while we were only on the tour with five other people, you would have thought these five individuals, each well into their seventies or older, were all twelve year-olds required to turn in a written report on their experience. I’m not kidding. They had paper…notepads…pens. “And Ruth Livingston Mills was the daughter of….” “Now if he was her uncle…was he also the one who was born on April 16, 1921?” “Is he the one in this picture over here on the wall?” “Were the two brothers…?” I would have paid $50 if there had been a “Mills Family Tree” within reach that I could have just handed them. It was weird.

(rear of the house)

(if you look closely, at the lower right corner of the house, you can see Sir Asks A Lot and friend)

Springwood

2010-10-11T17:31:00.000-04:00

Next up: Roosevelt’s estate, Springwood! This was the home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was born in this house and continued to live in it after he and Eleanor Roosevelt were married. This is what the house has looked like since 1915:

However, before 1915, the house looked quite different. I had never seen this picture before – or at least I don’t remember seeing it – but this is a painting of what the house looked like before its renovation by FDR and mother, Sarah, in 1915.

(this painting is located in the FDR Library…where you can’t use a flash…blah)

Also located in the Presidential Library is FDR’s car, which was retrofitted for him so he could control the break and gas with his hands…

And lots of stuff from Fala!

The gardens are beautiful!

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are buried in the garden (along with Fala and Chief (German Sheppard))

There’s a new building at the estate – they sell tickets here and this is where the [totally awesome] gift shop is. They also have rooms for conferences and meetings and such. In the middle of the floor, in the center of the building, there is a really cool mosaic map of the town of Hyde Park.

(and that's just about where my grandmother's house is on the map!)

The Vanderbilt Mansion

2010-10-10T11:30:00.001-04:00

Many of you have made it to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville – home of George Washington Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt family is actually from New York, and there are quite a few more of these Vanderbilt mansions scattered throughout New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island (though none as big as in Asheville). George Washington Vanderbilt’s brother, Fredrick Vanderbilt, had a house in Hyde Park, NY, where my grandmother lives (she lives in Hyde Park…obviously not in the Vanderbilt Mansion – though that would be totally awesome if she did).

Unlike the Biltmore Estate, the Vanderbilt family no longer owns the mansion in Hyde Park – it is owned by the National Park Service.

The Vanderbilt Mansion was always my favorite, so that’s the first place my dad and I went.

Now, I know I said my grandmother doesn’t live in the Vanderbilt Mansion, but she did actually live on the grounds for a brief time. The estates that lined the Hudson River employed a lot of Hyde Park residents when my grandmother was little. Her uncle was the head gardener, in charge of all the vegetables. When she was little, there were a couple months where her mother had been sick and couldn’t take care of her – so she stayed with her aunt and uncle, in one of the gardeners' houses, at the Vanderbilt Estate. Kinda cool, huh?

(Hudson River from the back of the mansion)

(front of the house)

(in the garden)

(more garden)

(garden)

(tree growing out of a brick wall)

(me!)

The estate has quite a few plant species that are not indigenous to the area. I’m sure there is a story as to why that is, but I don’t know it. I vaguely recall something about one of the Vanderbilts bringing them in? But I might be making that up. One of the plants that was not originally native to the area but is found in abundance on the estate grounds is the water chestnut. These aren’t the water chestnuts that you find in your moo goo gai pan – these are an “invasive” plant native to Europe and Asia. The seeds that float up and off the plants wash to shore and they look like little angry Darth Vaders. I think they are super awesome.

You can find the seeds down by the river... (in a van, down by the river...no - just kidding - no van, just the river)

(river)

(water chestnut)

To Grandmother’s House We Go!

2010-10-09T21:59:00.003-04:00

I made an impromptu trip up to New York, at the end of September, to visit my grandmother. My dad called one night and said he was going up to NY the next week to visit and work on a few things around my grandmother's house. I hadn’t been to visit in a long time, and I had some vacation days I needed to make plans for, so I decided to go too! I flew up on Wednesday and then drove back with my dad on Sunday.

(Uncle Steve, Grandma, Dad)

I had a GREAT time! It was nice to visit with my grandmother and family, and my dad and I also went to visit a few cool places. I took a ton of pictures, so I will break this up into several posts, but a preview includes:

(Vanderbilt Mansion)

(Roosevelt Estate)

(Mills Mansion)

(Walkway on the Hudson)

Dixie Classic Fair

2010-10-07T20:23:00.011-04:00

We went to the fair last night with friends, B-Tim and Ruth Ann, Nathan and Stephanie and had a GREAT time!

If you have been following the blog for a year, you might remember that my camera battery died a mere four pictures in last year. I came better prepared this year!

On the way to the fair I got a text from Amy saying my mom won a blue ribbon on one of her photographs. This is significant because my mom was previously bummed because she didn't think she won a single ribbon for a photo...she had completely overlooked one - and not just any one - a winner!

(blue ribbon - right there!)

When we met up with everyone we had food first. My first priority was the deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was everything I had hoped for and more!

Nathan and Stephanie got some fun chips on a stick and a corn dog.

B-Tim got that turkey leg he had been talking about for the past several weeks.

And then it was time. What we had all been waiting for. The famous Krispy Kreme Burger! Would it be good? Would it be terrible? I had heard both reviews. Christopher was up first.

(burger, bacon, cheese, pickles and lettuce between two Krispy Kreme donuts)

It was actually pretty awesome. I had a couple bites and I totally could have had more.

Everyone else wanted to wait for the verdict, but they soon followed.

(first Nathan)

(then Bryan)

(Ruth Ann)

(and finally Stephanie - I know her face looks skeptical after the first bite, but she had more)

(I found a camel)

(Ruth Ann found corn!)

(and Christopher found room for some chips)

We went to see dogs herd ducks and that was pretty awesome. Of course the herding was awesome, but better than the herding was the.....

DUCK WASHING MACHINE!!!

(black ducks go in...)

(add special duck soap)

(white ducks come out!)

And then...the moment we have all been waiting for! Okay, okay - it was the moment I had been waiting for. The petting zoo!!! I spent $8 on carrots and it was the best $8 I had spent all week!

(in case you have never seen it before, this is my "can I have one" face)

These are capybaras, the world's largest rodents! They are adorable. If anyone wants to read a GREAT book about capybaras, check out Bill Peet's "Capyboppy."

(this guy was one of may faves)

Now this alpaca... He liked some carrots. And I fed him quite a few...

I thought we were friends...

But then he sneezed little bits of carrot chunks all over me! Ruth Ann was nice enough to pick the carrot chunks out of my hair. I hear she also had to pick some carrot chunks off her own glasses later that night.

(we did stay friends though - he couldn't help it)

This was probably the cutest thing all night. This little goat just stayed snuggled up against this cow-thing the whole time. I think the little one was a little nervous. Isn't it adorable?!?!

(you don't say!)

We were starting to wrap things up and head home, but Ruth Ann and I decided to take a quick trip down the slide. It was pretty awesome - just as fun as I remember!

Megan and the Overhead Light Switch

2010-09-10T22:37:00.005-04:00

I was on Christopher's computer a little while ago and I saw a picture pop up in his little rotating picture thing - it was of us with Buster at Christmas. Buster's first Christmas - aaaawe! Looking at those pictures reminded me that I wanted to look at our honeymoon pictures. While looking at our honeymoon pictures, I came across some reception pictures. (This is becoming "an old lady who swallowed a fly.")

Anyway - THEN I came across these pictures, which are HILARIOUS. The night before our wedding, I stayed at the hotel with my MOH, Megan. When we came in after the rehearsal dinner, we noticed a seemingly out of place sign on the wall. The following ensued:

(overhead light switch)

(click to see larger)

(wait! where is it???)

(hmmm...)

(this has to be a joke)

(well, now it's just making me mad)

(aaaaah!)

(there it is!)

(I see, now!)

(phew!)

I'm not sure Megan has even seen these pictures...

I Did It! Woohoo!

2010-08-11T22:34:00.004-04:00

Holy crap! I did it! I went back to the animal shelter! Woohoo! I went to work that morning with a change of clothes and a plan. It was pretty much touch and go all day, but at 5:00, I walked down the hall, stood between Jaclyn and Lindsey's offices, with my bag in hand, and said "should I go?" They said to give it another try, and that's about all I needed.

My plan? Well - it was a bit of a stalker's plan.

The first time I went, orientation started at 6:00, but I got there a little before 5:30. I was chatting on the phone with a friend, and I saw a woman pull up, park and walk into the building. She was wearing a volunteer shirt. During the orientation when the girl was taking us around, I saw the volunteer again, and she looked like she totally knew what she was doing. Fast forward a week, after I decide I can't stay there any longer and leave, I see the same woman pull up, park and go in the building.

Hmmm....perhaps she comes every week at the same time? So she was my plan - go to the shelter, hope she is there, introduce myself and see if I can follow her around and learn a few things.

Halfway to the shelter, after work, as I was pumping gas in the ghetto, it dawned on me - what if she's NOT there. Geesh. Would I stay? Possible, but not probable.

I get to the stoplight just before the shelter, and I start to get a little nervous...I turn...I turn once more into the shelter...pulling up the driveway...saying a little prayer...and I see her car! Phew! Victory!

When I saw her that first week, she was in with the cats - which just so happens to be my fave section, so I went straight there. Sadness...no volunteer. I filled some water bowls, swept up some spilled food and said hello to each kitty.

I started walking through the back...wait! What's that?!?! There she is! YAY! I was really hoping she would be nice. I walked in and introduced myself and told her I had been been there two weeks ago and felt like I wasn't really sure what to do. I asked her if she would mind if I walked around with her for the afternoon. She was SO nice! She was very friendly and happy to show me around. She explained things very thoroughly and I felt immediately more comfortable. She even showed me how to handle the big, scary dogs. (By the way - the leash/collar hook conundrum? You use the leash like a choke chain...I guess the collar is just a little extra something to hold on to?)

Also worth noting:

One of the previously deemed unfriendly front desk ladies was actually quite friendly. As we were leaving she said "Thanks so much for coming in and taking care of our little animals. We really appreciate it."
Next week - shorter pants - hair in pony tail. I wore pants that touched the floor...and the pee...and the dirty floor water...and probably even the liquid poo I tried to step over. The ponytail? I took a puppy out so a little girl and her mom could visit with her. I passed her to the little girl, and the puppy's nails got caught in my hair. No problem - my hair gets caught in everything. But, wait...what's that I see in the puppy's little claws? Damnit. It's poop. Gross.
Even after you leave the building, the smell stays in your nose.

I got home and wouldn't even wear my pee-soaked pants into the house. I stood in the garage and took my pants off. The garage door was open. I didn't care. If you drove past my house earlier in the week and thought "huh - was that Ginger with her pants off?" It was. Usually Christopher is quick to point out "The window's open! Put pants on!" (when I am standing in a room, during the day, with a window facing nothing but trees). Oddly, stripping in the garage with cars driving past garners no comment. Go figure.

I have lots more to share about the animals, but I'll save the cute little animals for another post. One in which I can properly make you feel bad and want to adopt one...or a mama cat and her five cutesy, little kittens...one, six, whichever. (Seriously - a whole family - they are adorable, I LOVE them!)

Bookcases By Dad

2010-08-09T17:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to turn our office into the Biltmore Library. I had really grand ideas of a wall covered in built-in bookshelves, complete with a library ladder. Christopher, for whatever reason, didn't think I was going to be able to match Biltmore. Psh.

I decided against the built-in covered wall, but my dad made me two super nice bookshelves for either side of the window in the office.

(the wall before bookcases)

(the wall after bookcases)

(with books!)

It may not be on the same scale as Biltmore, but I'm really happy with it! There's even room for more books - YAY!

Lanterns Are Up!

2010-08-08T21:27:00.003-04:00

You may remember I made some pretty lanterns a month or so ago. We finally just hung them on the porch, and I think they look awesome! I'm so excited about them!

(picture is way fuzzy - I had to turn the flash off so you could see them lit)

Anybody Know Of A Good Exterminator?

2010-08-07T12:44:00.003-04:00

This cannot stay here.

I can't stop itching.

It might eat me in my sleep.

Get rid of it now.

My First (and likely last) Volunteer Experience

2010-08-04T20:23:00.003-04:00

Settle in for the LONGEST POST EVER!

I’m totally a quitter and I feel really bad about it. REALLY bad.

I have wanted to do something at our local animal shelter for a LONG time. I don’t find that I have a ton of extra time to actually spend at the shelter, but I was really thinking I might be able to help in other ways. I thought I might be able to help with a blog, a facebook fan page, a twitter page, maybe some sort of photography thing. I have some great fundraising ideas! REALLY awesome ideas!

I filled the application out, and I went to the animal shelter a couple weeks ago and attended their new volunteer orientation. The girl that did the orientation was great. She was really friendly and knowledgeable. I was SO excited about it. I was even MORE excited when I learned that they don’t even schedule you to volunteer – you just come in and help whenever you have time. Have a few extra hours you hadn’t planned for on a Saturday? Come on in! Awesome!

They did, however, make it very clear that you need to schedule your first volunteer session so that an employee can take you through everything and show you what to do. I went home thrilled. I called a day or two later and scheduled an appointment. I also mentioned that I managed a lot of social media outlets and campaigns as part of my job, and I would love to help them with something like that. I got the response I was kind of afraid of “yeah – we can’t really let the public do that type of thing.”

I tried to explain that I would even be willing to write things for them on an as-needed basis – as in I write it, hand it over, and then they decide if and what to use it for. I’m offering free copywriting here. That shit doesn’t come cheap if you have to pay for it. Oh well. I was still really excited to be able to go in for a few hours each week and help out.

The next week came. I brought a change of clothes to work – I even left work an hour early to accommodate their schedule (not a problem). I got to the shelter and went to the front desk, told them who I was, that I was there for my first volunteer and that I had scheduled it and was told to see the front desk. I’m not going to go into all the details of my three front desk experiences, but let’s just say nobody up there is going to win any awards for their outgoing personality.

This lady walked me into an office, had me sign in, and said “well – just…if a person wants to see an animal take it out and put it in one of the rooms. We clean the rooms between animals.” “What rooms?” “There are two here and one…eeeh – back there” (general hand motion). “Great – and how do you clean them?” “There’s some stuff back there…here – you just pump it and spray it. So…yeah – that’s about it…whatever.”

Yeah. Okay. Seriously? I had to schedule a time for this?

So I wander up the hallway…look at all the animals, and figure I will go in and check out the cats. I go to walk in the cat area and a woman is walking out. She seems to know what she’s doing and she gives me a very weird look. I ask, “Is it okay if I go in to see the cats?” Again with the weird look – looks STRAIGHT at my big-ass nametag that says, “VOLUNTEER” and says, “Are you a volunteer?

For reals? I said yes, and she said “wonderful! Come with me.” Lovely! Someone that will actually show me how to do something!

She starts to show me how to sanitize the rooms between animals, when…I don’t remember if I felt a tap on my shoulder or heard someone say something, but I turned around and there was a woman with her hand stuck straight in my face saying, with great authority, “Hello, I’m ‘Kate.’ Who are you?” “Uhm…hello, I’m Ginger.” “And did you schedule your first volunteer session?” “Yes…” “With whom?” “Uhm…’Mike’…” I got a look like there was simply nobody there by the name Mike. So I tried “uhm…Mitch? No…I think it was Mike…I called the person listed on the sheet…that I was told to call…he said to come in today. I believe he even mentioned you by name?”

Well, as it turns out, Mike’s not real into letting Kate know when he schedules these things. Whateves.

Kate takes me around and is actually quite nice, pretty funny and very helpful. This is more of what I was expecting from a scheduled appointment. After 30 minutes or so of guidance, Kate informs me to just have it, and assures me I will develop my own style of handling everything. Likely story.

So I look around…what to do? I go back to the cats…there’s some puke…I clean it up. There’s a food bowl that tipped over onto the floor. I clean that up too. I take a minute to talk to each cage. What now…? I walk back out…I look at the dogs. Crap. Literally. There is poop in at least 30% of the kennels. I know this should be addressed, but I’m not really sure how. So, I walk back there, and the first dog at the door lunges at his cage door and starts barking like crazy. Then all the others dogs are like “Ruh? Rut-ro! PERSON!”

I went to a Third Eye Blind concert in high school, after which, I couldn’t hear right for three days. This was louder than that.

It was SO freakin’ weird! I immediately knew what it felt like to break into someone’s house and have a dog go crazy on your ass. I felt like an intruder who ran into guard dogs. I had to psyche myself up “it’s okay. You’re supposed to be here! Scoop poop! You can do it!”

I’ve never had a dog (thanks for that, Mom and Dad). I don’t know how to handle them.

And then it hit me. I was actually afraid of these dogs! Holy crap! I have never been afraid of any animal with more than zero and less than eight legs in my life! NEVER. I have stood in front of tiger cages and thought “gah! If only they would let me in! I want to go in and squeeze that tiger!!!” (This is probably not healthy.)

How in the world was I going to get in there and clean that poop? Every one of these dogs was nose to nose with me while they were lunging and barking at their kennel doors.

Hmmm…every one but one little, teensy pug. I can handle that one. I went in the kennel, stepped over the little bed thing (why is that thing smack in front of the door, anyway?) and closed the door behind me. It dawned on me, “Will I be able to open this from the inside if I latch it?” I wasn’t sure, and I couldn’t think clearly enough to be sure, so I didn’t latch it. I scooped the poop, and before I could turn around, the dog was out of the kennel.

I put the poop down, and tried to get the dog, but I didn’t want to lunge at him (that’s scary – ask me about it), and the dog did not want to be got. I miss him once. I see a leash! Score! I pick up the leash, but, wait…huh? All the leashes have a metal half-circle loop. All the collars have the same metal half-circle loop…how the crap do you attach these two things to each other???

Forget the leash. I get to the dog, he’s so scared, he pees on the floor (which I remembered the next morning, as I was going back over everything in my head, that I never cleaned that up…sorry) – I am trying to be gentle. I pet him and speak nicely to him, but he can’t hear me over those maniac dogs. I gently take his collar and I get him back in his kennel, and get the hell out of that room.

I go back to the cats and basically hide. What if someone wants to see one of those dogs??? I can’t go back in there!

It was horrible. Looking back…I think every single one of those dogs was just so desperate for attention that they were begging, the only way they knew how, for me to pick them. But it scared the crap out of me.

Eventually I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like I was a waste of space staring at the cats, and I was afraid of the dogs. I left. I felt horrible. I STILL feel horrible.

I had planned to go every Tuesday after work. I knew I was really going to have to psych myself up to go back, but this past Tuesday, as I was getting ready to leave I thought “eeeh – I’m running late…I don’t have time to grab a change of old clothes.” And as I was in a meeting that ran past 5:00, I looked at the clock and thought “well, I guess I won’t make it to the shelter.” Who was I kidding? I wouldn’t have gone if Jaclyn had been like “Hey – why don’t you just leave at 3:00.”

It’s not the animal shelter. I know that. It’s me. There are volunteers that go in there all the time, who I’m sure didn’t have any more of an orientation than I did, and they do fine. It’s always taken me a little while to adjust to new situations, and I have tried to work on that, but I don’t know if I can talk myself into going back.

I originally started this post hoping you would all leave really positive comments and make me go back, but I realize now, after all I have said, I couldn’t possibly go back there. What if someone there read this? They wouldn’t let me in the front door. So I guess I solved my own damn problem. No more shelter.

And Christopher: you’re welcome. I’m 98% sure I have been officially blacklisted from animal adoptions everywhere. Certainly nobody, after reading this post, would ever adopt an animal to me. You got your wish. No more pets. Thank God we got Buster before people found out.

New Spice Rack

2010-07-05T13:30:00.000-04:00

One of the items that had been on my list since we moved in was a spice rack. We don't have a ton of kitchen storage (or perhaps I have too much kitchen stuff...really, who's to say which it is), so taking up a cabinet for spices wasn't really an option. I kept thinking about one of those over-the-door spice racks for the panty, but as it turns out, they are not the easiest things to find.

This is how I had been storing our spices for the past...five months. Eeesh.

And the "after." Taaa-daaa!

So technically, it's more "spice rackS," rather than a spice rack, but it does the trick. Like I said - over the door racks were hard to find, as was one large rack that would hold everything.