Meow. Meow. MEOW. MEOWMEOWMEOW!!!

Kittens are adorable hairy stinky rats. Sage loves them even more than Io's litter box, and will lick pee, poo, and milk off of them until we yell at her to stop, Sage, EW! and then she will sneak back and try to lick them again.

They sleep through the night and love to suck down warm KMR (kitten milk replacement), will cuddle together in your lap if they are sleepy (which is a lot, apparently eating is exhausting), and will cry at the top of their little lungs for attention and/or milk. And they will cry even when they are getting both.

One very cute thing they do, is while the nipple is in their mouth and they are sucking down the milk, is to do a little upset "mewmewmewmewmew", and I have no idea why they do it but it is hilarious.

We are teaching them to go in a litter pan (otherwise known as paper plates with a small little layer). Blackie does a pretty good job so far, but OHMIGOD kitten poop is nasty. Especially when they climb over each other and smear the poop around.

They're still damn cute.


Hee!


Io, pissed off that kittens have again invaded his bathroom, stands guard self-righteously.


This one is the troublemaker. He cries and roots and just stuck his head down my shirt. Eeek.


The first time I fed them at home--that's not a bottle, it's just what we had lying around. Now we have a real bottle and wow, it's amazingly better! This looks uncomfortable for the kitten!
We've gotten much better at feedings since then. They were pretty hungry!


Cute!


Tiiiiiny things. They curl right up in your hand!


And now it is bedtime and the two white kittens are quietly, nicely sleeping, while blackie here yells his head off. The last two nights they have slept in my room in a big carrier; let's see how they do downstairs in the made-up shower tonight!

Anybody have ideas for names?


Update: We are going to be fostering these kittens until they are big enough to be adopted, so we will probably have them for the next month or two! Yay for kittens!

Who needs sleep?

Guess who got herself three wannabe foster kittens? A lady found them and dropped them off at work. Sooooo I decided I didn't need sleep and took them home. They're TINY! And loooove to cry!I've fed them three kajillion times and they're just finally quieting down. Two little white babies and one blackie that has the talent to make the others cry.
I'm calling the boss lady we foster for tomorrow to see what to do, will update then. They're crying. AGAIN.

Update half an hour later: Kittens are fed again, two have peed, and they are in a cozy carrier with a warm water bottle as company with a towel covering the carrier and the lights off. Let's see what happens!

Rocky!

Vicky and Rocky came over last weekend and watched movies. And my dogs just about fell in love with Rocky. Especially his slobber!

Kali was so sweet with him, even when he grabbed onto her lips. She just came right back for more!


This is just the cutest picture! 


Happy chunker! 


He reminds me of Sage sorta...tongue is always out!


Sage wants the drool! 


Cute smile! 


He's sitting on the floor between my legs and Sage is trying to lick him, and Kali is trying to scoot under my leg to get to him! See her paw? 

I took a gazillion pictures but I couldn't help it, he is just the cutest thing! 

Bleagh

I am sick. So much for hoping for a nice relaxing weekend. Also unsure if I will be able to go camping with my family at the ocean. And now I am at home feeling like crap instead of watching movies with Nick! Waaaaaah!

At least Io doesn't mind keeping me company. Sweet kitty cat.

....never mind, he's gone now. Sniffle.


Update:

Had to have Vic cover my shift at work because ew.

Must find a way to let my parents know that I will not be camping when they have no cell phone reception!

Updating! ReallyFastUpdating!

After this week is over (two weeks of HELL, ya'll--the slightest thing makes me want to break down in tears) I will finally be able to BREATHE again.

Midterms are evil, evil things. All teachers conspire together to make the students cry.

I still have no cell phone because I just don't have time to go get a new one. I am also very, very bad about checking myspace and facebook and replying to people. Sorry!

I am a very bad friend because not only do I not call people (I need all your numbers again!) I FORGET to go to the house warming party that I RSVP'd for weeks ago. First I miss her baby shower then I miss her house party. Aaaghh!

I really really need to epilate my legs again. (On the bright side--it's been like three weeks and I still don't have all the regrowth back! Woot!)

I haven't taken the time to give myself a facial or pluck my eyebrows in weeks.

My poor, poor fingernails. Ouchie.

Throughout all this craziness, I still have an unhealthy obsession with the lives of celebrities. Getting InTouch makes my hour!

I have been having really weird dreams, that are making me reconsider what I am doing with my life.

I'm playing Chanson, the last piano piece Grandma gave me, for my grandparent's memorial service, and I need to practice it and memorize it. And then remember how she taught me to introduce myself, play, and then bow. Or is it play, bow, introduce, stand-up comedy?

I sooooo hate math homework. So much. So, so much.

Smoochies!

Temptation

Tonight I had the best sushi platter I have ever had in my whole life. We went to the delicious sushi restaurant that we frequent the most, and for the first time, sat at the bar.

(Sitting at the bar is a bad idea because it really makes you want to grab the fish that are on display and run for it).

We ordered the temptation platter--seven pieces nigiri and seven pieces sashimi. Mmm we had toro, spanish mackerel (surprisingly good, since Nick wouldn't even try it because of a bad regular mackerel experience),octopus, and other salmons and tuna and red snapper. (Sorry, can't remember the names of them!)

Oh.my.GOD. So amazing! The sushi chef gave us really big thick pieces of fish and it was sooooo tender and fresh! I've rhapsodized about it to everybody that I know so of course now I have to go tell the internet.

(I totally blame Nick for this sushi addiction. Thanks! ^_^)



OMGNOMNOMNOM

Abortion

The government should not be allowed to make medical decisions for women.

That is all.

Also, Senator McCain? You are an asshole.

Grandma

I woke up disoriented this morning, staring out my window and certain that I was not in my room, as the phone shrilly rang. By the time I realized where I was it was too late to pick up, but I ran to the phone anyway. It was 6:30am and I knew who it was and why they were calling.

My grandma passed away this morning, in the nursing home where she had slowly been deteriorating over the last few weeks. Before that she was in the hospital, and before that she was suffering at home. My mom damn near exhausted herself by waking up at three of four every morning to go to her, then coming home for a nap before returning for the night. My aunt and my uncle were also up for about four weeks, and they all took shifts to take care of her. I saw her a few times when she was declining, and she was still sweet and funny. But I'd rather remember how she was when she was healthy.

I truly always thought that my grandma was beautiful. She was slender (from eating broccoli and yogurt and granola!) and she loved salmon more than anything, golfed with my grandpa and with her women's team, took line dancing classes even when she was going through chemotherapy because of her ovarian cancer.

Grandma gave me piano lessons since I was about six or seven. She made them lots of fun! She had taught and played piano since she was a child, and she could play so, so beautifully. Every week, if I practiced fifteen minutes, or thirty minutes (depended on my age) I could pick a prize out of a basket that she filled with cool things. She put on recitals for me and other students to perform in, she taught and encouraged and scolded me through five levels of Certificate of Merit and then to level seven unofficially. She always cared about what was going on in our lives.

She was a very formal, dignified person, always dressing appropriately, with her hair in the same pulled back style with a pretty clasp, very polite and friendly when meeting new people. But at the same time she was not formal at all, because she was warm, and humorous, and loving, and when she was with family it seemed like we all rotated around her like the planets to the sun.

I also really didn't think that Grandma was going to die. Somehow she seemed so constant that I thought she would outlive us all, or at least live long enough to see what we did with our lives, and maybe meet some great-grandchildren. I don't really think it has sunk in yet that she is gone.

I'm going to miss you a lot, Grandma. Give Grandpa a kiss from me.

Love,

Katie

My Brain Has Fallen Out And Is On The Floor Being Eaten By Sage Right Now

Want to know something REALLY FRUSTRATING?!

Spending hours, since last night up to this morning, working on your online class test, only to hit submit when it's all done, and have it have a fucking ERROR AND LOSING ALL OF YOUR WORK!!!

*really bad words, stomping of feet, calling Nick to whine*

Luckily I reread the entire thing, including the EIGHT ESSAY QUESTIONS, so it did not take me very long to redo it. Maybe an hour.

Thank the chocolate gods that I type really fucking fast.

Weirdos

Why is it men can survive on one specific food forever?

My dad eats pistachios by the pound.

Troy eats chips and salsa like they're gonna disappear from the cupboard. (Unlikely. He finishes them before anyone else notices they are there. (My maaaannnggggooo!)

Nick could eat pasta with tomato sauce for every single meal. Seriously.

I just don't get it. How can they do that?!

Comrades

Blatant quote from a yahoo.com article:

* * * * *
"I don't trust Obama," a woman said. "I have read about him. He's an Arab." (AN insert: GAH.)

McCain shook his head in disagreement, and said:

"No, ma'am. He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with (him) on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."

He had drawn boos with his comment: "I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

* * * * *

Huh. I don't agree with McCain's fundamental issues . . .but tickle me impressed.

Dreams

I had the weirdest dream. I was in a supermarket with Nick, circling around the cheeses, and then this athletic tall blond woman ran up and said, "You can't take yoga without all of the materials!"

She kept throwing yoga things at me, and then handed me a soccer ball.

She made me kick the ball at the wall over and over and kept looking sad and telling me that I couldn't take yoga if I kicked like that. And I was upset because I wanted to take yoga!

Suddenly the room disappeared and we were on a soccer field with yoga girls and we were trying to play soccer and I was doing HORRIBLY and everyone was pissed off at me.

And then I woke up and decided that maybe I don't want to take yoga next semester.

Cuz that's weird shiznit.

Signs; Without the Cornfields

Now that the (very controversial, possibly historic) election is looming closer and closer, people have no qualms about putting their views and opinions right up in everyone's face. I understand! I am very opinionated! Beware asking me anything social issue related (abortion, gay marriage, etcc.) and I will get all hyped over eeeevvviiilllll people trying to overturn Roe v. Wade and banning gay marriage and yaddayaddayadda. And then twenty minutes later I will apologize profusely and offer to pay for your ear reattachment surgery.

BUT.

I (usually) only offer my opinion when it is asked. I do not like seeing "McCain-Palin" or "Support Barack!" stickers, and I haaaaate seeing the signs. I drive past a "McCain-Palin" sign every day on my way home, and every single time I get all mad about it. (Yes I could look the other way, but then how would I fulfill my daily quota of frustration?)

The other day we were driving Nick's parent's political-sticker-adorned car downtown, and we were flipped off, which I'm taking as meaning that some people feel the same way I do. (Not that I would flip someone off. Yet. Maybe.)

So. What happened to the good ol' days when it was scandalous to ask who you were voting for? Confidentiality and all that. Now there are children (CHILDREN) wearing political stickers and repeating what their parents believe. It obviously fires me up.

I guess, in summary, I CANNOT WAIT to see what happens in less than four weeks. (Am simultaneously hoping for and terrified of that date).

See you at the polls!

My New Best Friend *AKA* Battling Mutant Hair Demons

About two weeks ago I bought an epilator. The Braun Silk-Epil 5270 Series Epilator. For those of you who do not know what an epilator is: picture a shaver with lots of little metal discs that clamp onto your hairs and pull them out by rotating. OW.

I was desperate. I do not know where the heck the crazy dark leg hair gene came from, as I am Irish and English, and TO ME, that means FAIR HAIRED. But I was sick of shaving in the morning and by evening being poky. I was contemplating waxing, but the expense! I do not even know what a leg wax goes for, but armpit is like 30 and a brazilian is like 80! So I read online about epilators and decided to go for it.

I tried my calf first, with leg hair that was about 5 millimeters long. And Jeeebus, it hurt! It made a scary noise and whirred and ripped and oooooowwwww. It took me several tries but eventually all the ugly tree-trunk hairs were gone! There were still lots of invisible poky hairs that it didn't get, but I was soooo happy that the dark ones were gone I didn't care! Then the next day I did my other calf.

A week and a half later the hair was barely starting to come back (sparse hairs), so I did it again. It hurt much less and did not take very long. The little hairs leftover were shorter and still invisible, and I used Nair to make them go away. it has been another week and I just used Nair again, and there are still no dark hairs!!!

If you have light hairs or very little leg hair, you probably don't realize the fabulousness of this device. My legs look GOOD. And I do not feel bad about stabbing Nick with my crazy hairs! Because look! You can't see anything!

Armpits hurt. I tried by myself, and I think I need Nick to help me, because it hurts so much more that I touch it and then yank the epilator away. I had my pits waxed once before (stupid word: pits) and spent the next few hours with frozen peas and corn tucked up there.

Bikini line hurts. Like a bitch. I've been waxed before, and maybe it's because waxing is so much faster, but I cannot tolerate it for more than a centimeter at a time. So I invested in the new Nair pre-made waxing strips! But that's another story.

My New Best Friend--Dirty minds begone! It's a HAIR REMOVER.



Crazy scary parts! One of the heads has beads that "massage" to make it hurt less, but it still hurts and I think it doesn't get as much hair. So I stick with the other that doesn't do much. It also comes with a shaver/trimmer attachment.



Ta-daaa!!! Behold the magical device!



Probably will not post before/after pics because there is only SO MUCH EMBARRASSMENT I can take regarding mutant leg hair. Just take my word for it. Seriously.

Adios Gatitos

Our sweet kittens, Martin and Waffle, have just been dropped off at the adoption center. Nick and I settled them in after hours, and all the cats in the apartments were clamoring for us to play with them but we didn't, and I am sad and maybe cried a little because my babiiieeesss!!!
Then we went and ate delicious sushi, because we are spendy spendy people.

Am I wrong here?

Dear Interweb:

After not eating for six hours, I came home to make myself a delicious quesadilla with mango peach salsa, which I had bought a big container of two days ago. I was really looking forward to it!

Is it irrational of me to be ANGRY THAT MY BROTHER ATE THE WHOLE THING YESTERDAY?!?!?! I called my mom, dad, and finally Troy so that I could figure out who the hell had eaten it all. HE ATE. THE WHOLE. CONTAINER. AIEIIEIEIEIEIEIEIEIE.

So yeah. Am I crazy?

Love,
Sadly-Settling-For-Regular-Salsa