WCB #73

This weekend passed by so quickly that I forgot to Weekend Cat Blog, and you know how much I love to post pics of the kitties. Here is Mr. Mao admiring the New Look of Kross-Eyed Kitty.

The Baby Shower turned out fantastic. Sal managed to get her 5 day post C-sectioned self and Baby Liam to the party, and everyone was thrilled. It really was a nice time. Pez gave me some ideas for games, one in particular that she said was really fun. You get a bunch of different chocolate bars and then melt one in each diaper in the microwave and then you get the ladies to guess which chocolate bar it is. Well, let me tell you...melted chocolate bars really does look like poo. As a nurse, I thought this game was hill-arrrr-ious, however some of the ladies thought it was disgusting and were not all that interested in playing. (Even though I said that they were allowed to taste, smell and touch it if they couldn't determine variety by sight.) Oh well. It forced me to buy boxes of Hallowe'en candy which I normally wouldn't buy. Guess what I had for lunch and dinner yesterday? Mmmm-hmmm...that's right! Hallowe-en candy! It was very tasty, let me tell you. Oh, I also ate leftover Hors D'oeuves, so it was a much more balanced diet. And washed it all down with wine (but that's another story altogether...) Actually, it made watching Bram Stoker's Dracula very fun! I'm not sure why, but I L-O-V-E vampire movies. And am terrified of pretty much any other kind of horror movie.

Oh, but let me back up...because on Saturday night, we went to see The Dixie Chicks! My brother got late release tickets on-line in the morning so we thought WTF, let's go! I'm a little late getting on Chick's Bandwagon, but I do really like them. And our seats were AMAZING. We were side-stage, 3rd row, and honestly, it was like sitting on the stage with them. It was awesome. THEY were awesome. We were so close, that their kids were sitting in the seats across the aisle from us. No guff.

I also found out that I won the much sought after Pumpkin Pay Off Prize over at Kristi's. Does it not look absolutely, divinely, mouth-wateringly scrumptious? I'll tell you all about it when it arrives.

So, after working a slew of nights, today I went back to work for the early shift which starts at 7:30. The clocks changed this weekend, so I should have been bright eyed and bushy tailed with that extra hour of sleep. Imagine my utter panic when I woke up at 6:47 (and I had fixed the clock the night before, so it was the right time.) I was up and out the door in 13 minutes, with coffee in hand and arrived at work 5 minutes early. I'm not sure how I did that, but I do know that I when I got to work, I still had pillow lines on my face and didn't remember the drive.

After work, I stopped at Petsmart to buy new collars and nametags for the kitties, because they are soon-to-be outdoor cats. They will be very excited! Total cost: $2, 228.00

Yes, that's correct.

Collars: $15

Tags: $14

Groovy New Rug from Giant Carpet: $399

42 inch Plasma TV $1700

I only have the cats to blame...

but they do love their new pretty collars!

4 Years Ago

Greg and I met 4 years ago today.

That year I befriended a fellow nurse, Christine. We were chatty, but it was really just the start of a new friendship. She told me that she knew of this Great Guy whom she'd like me to meet, he was a friend of her bf. I asked a few questions and found out that he was 8 years younger than me, had just broken up with a girlfriend and was a musician. It took me two seconds to say "Thanks, but no thanks." Not interested. Turns out that she told him about me anyway but he also was not interested. He wasn't in Dating Mode.

Fast forward 6 months to October 26, 2002.

I was out local bar/restaurant on a dinner date with a male friend. I had put aside a Saturday night to go out with him and was looking forward to it. We had dinner and afterwards were having a few drinks. One of the nurses from work (Grace) happended to show up with her crowd and my dinner date took that opportunity to ditch me. I was a little ticked off with him as it was still early in the evening so I thought "screw it, I'll stay anyway." I bought myself another drink and searched for Grace. Who, I couldn't find because it was so busy. I was just about to call it a night, when who should I run into, but Christine. (Thank god, because I was feeling like a loser at a bar by myself on a Saturday night.) She took one look at me, barely said hi, and pulled Greg over to introduce us. Standing before me was a very handsome, tall drink of water. You know that line from Jerry Maguire "You had me at hello"? Well, that's how it was. From the moment we met, we connected. We gave each other googlie-eyes, and talked up a storm.
Greg's side of the story was something like this: The gang had gotten together for a hockey game earlier that evening. Greg and Christine were talking about Greg's lovelife, and Greg had asked her "what about that co-worker you had mentioned months ago? Is she still single?" Christine said she didn't know, but she'd find out. After the game, the group headed to the bar, and within the first few minutes of being there he remembers looking over Christine's shoulder wondering who she was talking to and then found himself being pulled towards me for the introduction.
So we met. At one point, Greg went to the Men's Room. His buddy followed him in. "Dude! That's The Co-worker!" "That's the Co-worker???"
Christine came scurring over to me. "Well...what do you think? Do you like him? He's The Guy I wanted you to meet months ago!" "He's The Guy????"
What we always liked about this evening, was that it really was fluke. Christine didn't know I was going to be there. We were introduced and liked each other before we realized who the other was. We were never really set up I guess...We set ourselves up.

6 months later, we went to New Orleans and there we professed our love...the rest is history :)

Green Garbage Bags

I have spent the last three weeks packing up the last four years of our life. I bought this condo just before meeting Greg, so really, it has always felt like 'our' place. He was here to help me unpack boxes, hang pictures, paint, install lighting and all sorts of handy-man odd jobs. When he officially moved in a year after we had met, he brought over a small suitcase with a broken zipper, 2 Green Garbage Bags filled to the brim, a wine rack and an assortment of music gear.

Clearly, most of the stuff I'm packing is 'mine' although really, it's 'ours.' At first, I was more than happy to pack everything up because I knew that it would be done properly. The past few days though, I've been getting a little annoyed because it really feels like I've done everything. You could even say that there's some resentment building.

So, last night (ok, it was 5 minutes after Greg got home from work) I thought I'd get it off my chest. Apparently, my timing was not the greatest. Point taken. But I nearly Lost My Nut when Greg said "I don't know why you're getting all freaked out about this. Everything looks really organized and what's not packed on the last day, we'll just throw into Green Garbage Bags."

Uh-huh. Let me tell you from whom he learned this spectacular method of packing.

Six months before Greg and I met, Two-Four decided to move from Toronto to Fergus. She got a crew of her kids together and managed to borrow a truck. Saturday morning everyone arrives...and there is not one single thing packed. She did however, have a large supply of Green Garbage Bags and instructed everyone to "just throw the shit into a bag, I'll organize it at the other end." I wasn't in the picture yet, but I can only imagine from the stories I've heard how happy everyone was. So, all of her junk, including Real Junk, ended up moving with her in Green Garbage Bags. The kids just shoved stuff in bags...pictures, bathroom supplies, food, you name it all thrown together in one bag to be organized whenever Two-Four got around to it.

Now, this story has been told to me a few times because in all of this mess, when it came time to move the bed, Louise's BF lifted the mattress and Lo and Behold did he find a treasure chest! A Personal Adult Toy and the movies to go with it! Not the kind of thing you'd want your kids, or their boyfriends to find, I'm sure! Jeff came out of her bedroom with the thing Buzzing in one hand and Seymore's Bottom Feeders video in the other and nonchalantely asked if 'this was something she wanted packed seperately!' LOL! She was embarassed, but she actually tried to say that they didn't belong to her! Ya. Right.

Anyway, I am not a Green Garbage Bag kind of packer and Greg will no longer be a Green Garbage Bag packer. I don't want to move from one place to another like a Hobo. I want to know exactly what is in each box, and where that box should be placed in the new house.

And, at the end of the day, I'll think I'll be relieved to know precisely where my Personal Items are. I'd hate for them to get into the wrong hands. (wink!)

My Turn to Post a Baby Pic!

Sal is doing great. She's a real trooper. After 30 hours of labour, she needed an emergency c-section as the cord was knotted around Liam's neck and his heart rate became tachycardic. Luckily, everything turned out well and Liam is as healthy as can be. And, cute as a button! I am thrilled that Salena wanted me to come to the hospital yesterday to see her 12 hour old baby, and while at first I was a little shy to hold him, I have to tell you that once I held him in my arms, I had a hard time putting him down. It really does feel nice to hold a baby. There is a part of me that feels a little sad for myself (I knew that would happen) but I have to think that that is natural so I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I am so happy for Sal. I've known her struggles over the past 15 years and it's good to see her at such a wonderful place in her life. It took her 42 years to get there. It's comforting to know that she is a forever friend and that I have the privilege of being in Liam's life right from day 1.

Happy Birthday...

...Liam Puxon B***n!
The little guy came into the world this morning at 6:21 weighing in at 6lbs7oz. I am so proud of Sal!

The Eve of a New Life

I am just finishing off my 5th nightshift tonight. One night off, and then three more nights. I think I have now practically turned into a vampire, which is quite suitable for the Hallowe'en season just around the corner. This afternoon, Greg and I were talking about some cosmetic improvements we want to make to the house. I said "it'll be nice to get moved in and settled before the end of summer" whereupon Greg informed me that summer has officially been over for a month already. What???? Where have I been?
Summer is over. I guess it happened while I was working nights, I don't know...but, it's been kind of nice having an extended summer, even if it's only been in my foggy sleep deprived mind.
In between packing up a katrillion boxes, I have been planning a surprise baby shower for my friend Sal to take place next Saturday. Well...imagine my surprise when she called me late last night to say that she is at the hospital, her water has broken! Her due date was meant to be Nov 24 but she spent the better of yesterday thinking that she was peeing her pants until finally someone told her that she really should get checked out at the hospital. Sure enough, that little baby is intending to celebrate it's birthday a month early! Luckily the baby is estimated to be over 6 lbs already, so everything should be ok. They've induced her, and the Little One should be making an appearance any time now.
I ended up telling her about the shower because I figured we'd have to reschedule it, but she's thinking that SHE'S going to surprise everyone by showing up with the baby! That would be hilarious, but I think that she is underestimating how exhausted she's going to be.
As I am writing this post, Sal just called to let me know that things are moving slowly and it's still going to be a few hours. I am so excited for her!

Weekend Cat Blogging #72

Guess who's King and Queen of the Castle? (That would be Madame Dutchess, and Mr. Mao, of course!)The kitties know that something is up...when they are not perched on top of boxes, they are perched on our laps, or at least have us in their eyesight. No chance of us leaving them behind!For more Weekend Cat Blogging, go check out Jelly and Kamikaze who have very kindly volunteered to host this weekend. That Kamikaze! What a Rock Star!

Nightshift

I'm working nightshift for the next few weeks which is probably not such a bad thing in that I can get a lot of stuff done during the day with regards to packing and cleaning and such. The other night, I took some pictures in the Recovery Room. It was nearly 3am and it was very, very quiet. On weekends, I work alone, and let me tell you, it can be a very lonely (sometimes creepy!) place.

Tootin' My Own Horn...

Two weeks to go until we move! We are living amidst a mountain of boxes, bubble wrap and general chaos. The kitties know something is up. They both enjoy playing King of the Castle on top of the boxes.
This weekend I sorted through all 8 of my Junk Drawers throwing away old bills, receipts, movie stubs etc. In amongst all the junk, I came across a letter sent to be by one of my patients' daughters. Coincidently, this patient died exactly 4 years ago to the date of me finding the note. So, at the risk, of tooting my own horn, I'm going to share it.
Dear Dr. G,
I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the deep compassion abd excellent care, my father and I recieved from your staff.
My 85 yrs. old father, LW was a patient on your unit and died on Oct 15, 2002. It was an incredibly sad & difficult time for us. Yet admidst all this, Ramona, the nurse on duty, provided exceptional care to my father & emotional support and common sense to me. She did everything to maximize my Dad's comfort in a most professional & competent manner. Both she, and MM, the chaplain, inspired in me courage with their gentleness, goodness and compassion.
Thanks to their interventions, letting my Dad go, was hard and sad but not traumatic. My 22 year old daughter left the unit with me aftermy father's last breath-no longer afraid of death.
Thank you all, and congratulations for the outstanding care you provide.
Sincerely,
BI
It's not often that family members or patients take the time to write notes, and I'm glad that I still kept this one. It reminds me, that I did chose a career that directly affects people's lives, at their most vulnerable times in their lives, and hopefully I can make those times a little easier for them.
Finding little notes like this somehow re-inspires me.

WCB #71

Okay. I've decided not to panic. I absolutely did not save my original template, but I have figured out how to add links again. Trouble is, I've had to rack my brains trying to remember the All the Blogs that Make me Purr. So, my apologies if you are not on the list, and if you'd like to be added, let me know!

I'm supposed to be packing today, but haven't gotten very far as Blogger has kept me distracted. Rosa, from Rosa's Yummy-yums is hosting this weeks' Weekend Cat Blogging. I know she wanted pics of Cat's looking silly, however, this one is of Madame Dutchess watching me madly trying to re-do my whole blog. Guess I was the one who was silly today...

OHHHHHNOOOOOO!!!!!

I've messed up my blog in playing around with the beta updates and have lost my original template and therefore, all my links. I'm SOOO mad at myself. Does anyone have any ideas?
I could cry!!!!!!

Capital Letters. For EMPHASIS. Or just Because.

For about the past 10 days, I've been coming to this site daily to see the new, exciting, funny, interesting topics Kross-Eyed Kitty is talking about. And, each and every day, especially the past 4 days, I am disappointed to see that there is nothing New.
What is going on with the Kross-Eyed One these days???
Hmpph. Who knows?
The weather is changing, it's getting Cold. The mornings are dark, the evenings are dark. Is it SAD?
Maybe.
The trailer STILL hasn't been properly shut down for the year. Greg and I were battling seasonal virus Something-or-Others last weekend. I managed to make Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 people, Greg slept through it. Hopefully, it won't Snow this weekend, like it did today. There is a lot of outdoor work that needs to be done.
My MIL, Two-Four, is driving me CRAZY! Normally, I can handle her Wackiness, but right now, I am ready to pull out my hair in frustration. She has diagnosed her 16 yr old with Chronic Depression. She broke up with her bf, is heart-broken, and,apparently,is now Chronically Depressed. Two-Four kept her home from school for 10 days, then took her daughter to any doctor who was willing to Drug the poor girl up, and has arranged for a Psychiatrist. I am speechless.
Anybody else out there who's mother had them practically committed to an Insane Asylum at age 16 for breaking up with a boyfriend? Let me just also add, that this is the Same Mother who called the Cops during an argument with Said Daughter two weeks ago and threatened to send her to Foster Care. Let me also add, that this is the Same Mother who allowed (bullied) a doctor to put the Same Daughter (aged 8 years old) to be put on anti-anxiety meds. Jeezuz Kee-rist! Who the F**K is the one who needs to be committed?
I said too much, and now Two-Four is pissed at me. Our first rift. Sigh. I'm heart-broken...not. She's Nuts. Certifiably.
I gave my Brother Shit on Monday for being a drunken arsehole. Since he's broken up with his Pot-head GF, he's come up to the trailer every weekend and gotten Shit-faced Drunk. He's not a good drunk...he's a Turner. It's like he's missing the Enzyme that metabolizes alcohol. I know that I am an Enabler of sorts, who allows him to come and spend weekends with us. But I do feel sorry for him because he doesn't have any friends, and considers Greg his Best Friend. I love my Brother, I am close to him, he is the bridge between my Mom and I, but I sure as hell am not his babysitter, and don't want to be the one apologizing for His behaviour all the time.
We're packing up. Or, rather, I'M packing up. It's amazing how much stuff you can pack into a 1 bedroom apartment, especially when there are 30 boxes plus furniture odd and ends in MIL 2's garage. How ever did it all fit Before?
We went to see the House again last night, this time bringing my Mom along to see the place. Well, She LOVED it! I'm not surprised that She loved it. Nor, am I surprised, that SHE LOVED,ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!! the Hideous Wallpaper in the living room and hallway. When I said that it would be the First thing to go, She snidly said to our real estate agent (who is Greg's Buddy) that she "hoped that Ramona wouldn't ruin this beautiful house with her awful decorating ideas."
Just have to shake my head at that one. And take a deep breath. !!!SERENITY NOW!!!
I haven't been feeling Very Pretty lately...I'd let my legs get Hairy, my toenails were Chipped, my fingernails looked like a Farm Hand's, and the yoo-hoo area was looking like a Cave Woman's. (Okay, TMI, I know...)
But let me tell ya....it's not a good idea to try to do your own Bikini Wax. I mean, what the HELL was I thinking?!?!
PLEASE, take it from Me. We were not MEANT to do our own Bikini wWaxes. It's a Disaster. God, I hope I don't have to go for an Emergency Pap Smear.
(Never mind that when I decided to put nail polish on my Farm Hand Fingers, it ended up being the same shade as Canned Tuna Fish. It was the only shade I had.) Whatever happened to the Girly-Girl I used to be??????
OK. Hockey's on, and I have a Baby Shower to plan. The SAME Baby Shower I decided to have the Weekend before we move.
Things are Looking Up.
Aren't Ya glad Ya stopped by?!

I have a confession to make. In fact, this is something I've been feeling very guilty about for the past 24 hours because I am ashamed of myself.
See...yesterday I was at Old Navy and I was trying on jeans. Now, ANY woman must know how stressful this act alone is, but it is especially so when your ass has expanded by 30 pounds in the past year. Just saying.
So, there was this Asian woman shopping in the store with her two very adorable little pigged-tailed girls, both dressed in pink. Very sweet. I remember admiring them. But after a few minutes of me browsing around, all I could hear were these two little girls laughing and running around. They were about 3 and 5 yrs old. Racing in around the racks of clothes, pulling things off the hangars....and SCREETCHING!!!!! Maybe that is why I noticed them. Kept noticing them.
I went into the change room, and of course the jean size I fit into LAST year, didn't fit anymore. Sweat poured off of me as I tried to pour myself into those jeans to no avail. No amount of jumping up and down, and pretending to sit down and stretch out the ass would make them fit. But the SCREETCHING continued in the main room....and in my head!
The sweat was pouring down my back, but I was determined to buy myself some clothes ('cause apparently, my whole wardrobe has shrunk.) The little Hellions were running around only by now they had found a squeaky toy that when they weren't pressing it between their sweaty little hands, they were jumping upon like it was a spider. And SQEEEEEEELING like the frickin' thing had exploded beneathe their feet.
I grabbed my Biggy Girl jeans and made my way to the back, pissed-off, irritated, red-faced, my make-up melted down to my jowls, my hair sticking to my melted make-up, the squeaky-toy still squeeking at an ear-piercing decibel.
I managed to get the Biggy Girl jeans over my ample hips, took one look, pulled them off my ample hips (along with my underwear...Oops!) and literally had one of those moments where all I saw was RED. I wasn't thinking clearly, I didn't know what I was going to do...just that I was going to SAY something because if I didn't I was going to EXPLODE!
I know I wasn't the only person annoyed by these two girls, and I noticed that the mother was just nonchalantly shopping for herself letting her kids run wild. There were other people commenting on these kids.
So, like I said, I was pissed. I don't go shopping often but when I am in the mood, I like to take my time. This was most unpleasant. I was seeing RED and I didn't handle it well.
I stormed out of that change room with my super-sized pants and headed straight for the older girl and very clearly said "You need to be a lot more quiet!"
That's all I said.
But, then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the mother was paying attention!!! OMG! What had I done? Why could I keep my big mouth shut and just pay for my Pup-tent jeans and get the hell out of there?
MOM: DID YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING TO MY KIDS???????!!!!!!
ME: (silently storming to the cash register hoping that no one was going to call the cops)
MOM: YOU BITCH....YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING TO MY KIDS! MINE YOUR BUSINESS!
ME: looking straight ahead but secretly laughing because she said 'mine' instead of 'mind'

HA! MINE YOUR OWN KIDS LADY! TAKE THEM TO THE PLAYGROUND AND DON'T FORCE YOUR KIDS' RAMBUNCTIOUSNESS ON OTHERS.

Sigh. Is this god's way of saying I'd be a lousy mother, and that's why it's never going to happen? I know I didn't handle that well.

Working nightshift this past week has completely messed up my inner clock. I thought I had done well with 'turning myself around' this weekend but I was wrong. It's 3am, and here I sit in front of my computer, wide awake. Don't get me wrong...I have already slept. In fact, I went to be at 9:30 but an hour ago I found myself lying in bed, eyes wide open, with Mao curled up in my right arm as per usual. So now, I'm awake, and both cats are awake, and Greg gets to make like a starfish in our bed.
This afternoon we went to an engagement party for some friends of Greg's. Greg has known Elvi (short for Elvira) (she is a very pretty blonde, in case you had just conjured up a vision of a Gothic Vamp!) since grade 7, and the party ended up being somewhat of reunion and a lot of fun. It crossed my mind earlier that when these guys were in Grade 7, I was already in my second year of University. Sometimes, it freaks me out a little when I play that 'Age Game.' Like, I remember watching the Lunar Landing on our 12 inch coloured tv, back in '69. I was 4, Greg wasn't even born. When I was in Grade 7, he was 4. Of course, now our age difference isn't a big deal, the gap is narrowing and most days I don't really think about it at all. But, every once in a while it does occur to me.
Twice in the past week people have made comments about the Bungalow we are moving into next month. Comments about retiring in this house, and how good it will be that there are so few stairs. And then, my imagination gets the best of me and I think what if I get old and decrepit and Greg will have to help me with get up those four stairs with my walker...or maybe we'll have to get one of those Stair Chairs...or build a wheelchair ramp.
But why am I thinking about this at all? Because it's the middle of the night and apparently I've got nothing better to think about. And god knows I don't want to fold the pile of laundry that Mao is now lying on, and doing dishes would be too noisy.
Anyway, I realize that I'm kind of going on about nothing, so I think I'm going to play some Mah Jong now.
'Night.