I am so sneezy today. I have sneezed at least 30 times just today. I actually quite enjoy the sensation, and every time I think about that, I remember a kid in my fifth grade class who was really sad that year because his parents were going through a divorce. He sat behind me in class and once, I overheard him sneeze and then say, "The only time I am happy is when I sneeze."
It's the cat allergies acting up. I'm surprised it has held off for this long. I was miserable for the first two days we had the kittens, and then the allergies pretty much disappeared. But now they're back.
The kittens are having solid poops now! We took them to a real vet, and started feeding them boiled chicken only and it cleared up within a day. You can't know how happy I was when I saw the first solid poops in their litter box. I truly rejoiced, and even almost took a picture.
So hopefully I can find homes for them before I have to return them to the shelter, so I don't have to imagine them staying in a tiny cage for days on end waiting to be adopted.
Never again. I can't take the worry and clean up.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
This past weekend me and Aaron went to Trader's Village in Grand Prairie. (I had to look up whether it's in Grand Prairie or Grapevine because I can't get those two suburbs of Dallas straight.)
I've been wanting to go for quite a while, because I imagined ninja stars, old star wars action figures, and other odd collectibles galore. Trader's Village did have those things, and even had some illegal butterfly knives and switchblades for $3 each...but I was still disappointed.
(That said, are those things really illegal or is that just something parents like to tell their 13 year old boys to either dissuade them from buying them, or to maintain their interest in these relatively harmless weapons in hopes that they will not feel the need to move on to true illegal weapons such as AK47s and C4?)
Anyways, I went with the intent of buying some protection in the form of a large hunting knife with a thigh-sheath. I don't know why I possess such a desire, but, as Elissa will testify (if she remembers the conversation), that I've wanted one ever since middle school.
And I found one. But by that time, I was so sensory-overloaded with 5 for $10 bras, huge tapestries adorned with tigers, and hoochie-mama jeans that you couldn't try on before you buy that I didn't end up buying it. Because despite their being some odd collectible things, the majority of the stalls were car tires, furniture from the early 1990s, ATVs, and "exotic pets." I saw one WT vendor lady telling some hispanic guys--"This snake is a great starter pet. Even for a kid!" And I saw another hispanic guy leaving the store with a two-inch lizard...in a harness. No cage, just a harness. Like he was just going to bring it home in his pocket or something.
And, it was so freaking hot, I felt like the cement was just a large baking pan and the world was an oven.
Anyways, that was my weekend. It was actually a really fun adventure, but Trader's Village just didn't quite live up to my magical dreams of it.
Oh, and want to hear about the most recent injustice in my life?
So back at the end of April, I fell in love with some sandals. They were beautiful, and in a fit of passion, I ordered them online for $200. While waiting for them to arrive, I decided to take on some extra work hours to pay for them. In fact, I am at the library working now partly because of them--I had planned on quitting my library job when my classes ended since I no longer needed the time at the front desk to study. But just as I was considering buying these shoes, they asked me to officially announce my last day. So I chose the end of May rather than the beginning. Also, I felt bad to be leaving them possibly short-staffed, so that was another reason.
In any case, I have been working to pay for those shoes. And at first, it seemed like it would work out really well--the shoes arrived the day that I was supposed to take my last test of the semester. And they began to represent exactly what I intended them to represent, freedom and summer and having fun in skimpy clothes. But then, just as I was putting them on for the first time to go out in the world with them, Aaron noticed that two studs were very loose and on the verge of falling out of the straps. Now, with any other shoe, I could've gorilla-glued those suckers in, and probably not thought much about it. But the more I thought about it, the more it stuck in my craw (lol-Maine fishermen speak) that I'd paid $200 for shoes that I would have to glue together. I do not want to contribute my workmanship to something that should've been taken care of in Brazil! By the supposed sexy Brazilian men who make sandals shirtless! (Surf the Matt Bernson website, they actually say that.)
So I sent the pair back for an exchange, and the guy who emailed me was super nice about it, and promised to send me another pair. However, as it turns out, those were the last pair in my size (suspiciously so, perhaps a twice-returned pair? A lemon?) and he was very vague about when they would be back in stock. So I have been waiting a full month. And then last night, I checked the website, and the website says, "Available July 2nd." I was really happy until Aaron reminded me it was not even June yet. See, I had not even conceived of it taking so long, and had assumed they meant June 2nd. I mean what are these brazilian men doing? Not their jobs, obviously!
So I cancelled my order. Aaron told me I should email the guy and say, "I don't think you should be making interest on my $200 while I wait for 2 months on those shoes."
Anyways, so here is my dilemna. I went shopping for replacements today. And found some ok ones, but I just don't know. Urbanoutfitters.com has the ones I originally wanted in stock, but I don't know if I even want them anymore. Because they don't represent freedom anymore, they represent another F word. Not the one you're thinking...it stands for FRUSTRATION!
So help me out. Should I settle for replacements that are considerable cheaper or should I just bite the bullet and order the original ones again? The kicker is my sister suggests that the original ones might shorten my legs a bit due to the thick ankle cuffs. (Not everyone can have legs like Ashley Tisdale...) I am ashamed that I know who Ashley Tisdale even is, but I swear, it's only because of the shoes!
Here they are:
I've been wanting to go for quite a while, because I imagined ninja stars, old star wars action figures, and other odd collectibles galore. Trader's Village did have those things, and even had some illegal butterfly knives and switchblades for $3 each...but I was still disappointed.
(That said, are those things really illegal or is that just something parents like to tell their 13 year old boys to either dissuade them from buying them, or to maintain their interest in these relatively harmless weapons in hopes that they will not feel the need to move on to true illegal weapons such as AK47s and C4?)
Anyways, I went with the intent of buying some protection in the form of a large hunting knife with a thigh-sheath. I don't know why I possess such a desire, but, as Elissa will testify (if she remembers the conversation), that I've wanted one ever since middle school.
And I found one. But by that time, I was so sensory-overloaded with 5 for $10 bras, huge tapestries adorned with tigers, and hoochie-mama jeans that you couldn't try on before you buy that I didn't end up buying it. Because despite their being some odd collectible things, the majority of the stalls were car tires, furniture from the early 1990s, ATVs, and "exotic pets." I saw one WT vendor lady telling some hispanic guys--"This snake is a great starter pet. Even for a kid!" And I saw another hispanic guy leaving the store with a two-inch lizard...in a harness. No cage, just a harness. Like he was just going to bring it home in his pocket or something.
And, it was so freaking hot, I felt like the cement was just a large baking pan and the world was an oven.
Anyways, that was my weekend. It was actually a really fun adventure, but Trader's Village just didn't quite live up to my magical dreams of it.
Oh, and want to hear about the most recent injustice in my life?
So back at the end of April, I fell in love with some sandals. They were beautiful, and in a fit of passion, I ordered them online for $200. While waiting for them to arrive, I decided to take on some extra work hours to pay for them. In fact, I am at the library working now partly because of them--I had planned on quitting my library job when my classes ended since I no longer needed the time at the front desk to study. But just as I was considering buying these shoes, they asked me to officially announce my last day. So I chose the end of May rather than the beginning. Also, I felt bad to be leaving them possibly short-staffed, so that was another reason.
In any case, I have been working to pay for those shoes. And at first, it seemed like it would work out really well--the shoes arrived the day that I was supposed to take my last test of the semester. And they began to represent exactly what I intended them to represent, freedom and summer and having fun in skimpy clothes. But then, just as I was putting them on for the first time to go out in the world with them, Aaron noticed that two studs were very loose and on the verge of falling out of the straps. Now, with any other shoe, I could've gorilla-glued those suckers in, and probably not thought much about it. But the more I thought about it, the more it stuck in my craw (lol-Maine fishermen speak) that I'd paid $200 for shoes that I would have to glue together. I do not want to contribute my workmanship to something that should've been taken care of in Brazil! By the supposed sexy Brazilian men who make sandals shirtless! (Surf the Matt Bernson website, they actually say that.)
So I sent the pair back for an exchange, and the guy who emailed me was super nice about it, and promised to send me another pair. However, as it turns out, those were the last pair in my size (suspiciously so, perhaps a twice-returned pair? A lemon?) and he was very vague about when they would be back in stock. So I have been waiting a full month. And then last night, I checked the website, and the website says, "Available July 2nd." I was really happy until Aaron reminded me it was not even June yet. See, I had not even conceived of it taking so long, and had assumed they meant June 2nd. I mean what are these brazilian men doing? Not their jobs, obviously!
So I cancelled my order. Aaron told me I should email the guy and say, "I don't think you should be making interest on my $200 while I wait for 2 months on those shoes."
Anyways, so here is my dilemna. I went shopping for replacements today. And found some ok ones, but I just don't know. Urbanoutfitters.com has the ones I originally wanted in stock, but I don't know if I even want them anymore. Because they don't represent freedom anymore, they represent another F word. Not the one you're thinking...it stands for FRUSTRATION!
So help me out. Should I settle for replacements that are considerable cheaper or should I just bite the bullet and order the original ones again? The kicker is my sister suggests that the original ones might shorten my legs a bit due to the thick ankle cuffs. (Not everyone can have legs like Ashley Tisdale...) I am ashamed that I know who Ashley Tisdale even is, but I swear, it's only because of the shoes!
Here they are:
These days, we've been either watching Carnivale or waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It is not quite the masterpiece that I am used to from HBO, per Deadwood and Rome, but still quite good, in fact, Oscar-worthy in comparison to the crap they call most broadcast tv.
Speaking of broadcast tv, Jim didn't get to propose to Pam at Toby's going-away party after he paid for all those fireworks! I was so looking forward to the payback that would be, unbeknownst to either Jim or Pam, after what Toby did last episode. (This is starting to sound like my sister's stories back when she used to come home from elementary or middle school--"Oh my god, John So-and-So totally was telling Michael that Linda was cute!" To which, just to annoy her, I would say, "John Who? Do I know or care about these people?")
Anyways, this episode of the Office was a return to the extreme awkwardness of the first season. I was literally pinching and biting Aaron as he sat next to me to get through those moments. And, how hot is the new HR lady? She reminds me of some of my English profs back in college.
So moving on, I have an interview tomorrow at a vet office in Carrollton. Hopefully it's a part-time job and I won't have to go through the painful process of convincing myself I want to work full time.
Also super stressed due to the two little kittens I talked Aaron into fostering. Well, just stressed about one in particular. He is tiny, the size of a softball, and always wants to balance on a human body part. He has tried my foot as I am using the restroom (we keep them in our bathroom when they are not playing or eating), the back of my hand, and my arms crossed over my chest.
"Oh, how cute!" you say. Well, it is...except that he has drippy diarrhea and constantly leaves streaks everywhere he goes.
The other (a tortie) is twice his size, and really, ready for adoption, but I worry the little one will get depressed without his companion. The tortie is awesome in that when she is really happy and playing, she will make a trilling sound that is nothing like a meow. Sort of extra-terrestrial, gremlin-like.
Now that the war-zone of school is over, I actually find myself missing it. What do I do with all my free hours? Well right now, cleaning kitten poop and feeding kittens so they will make more poop for me to pick up. But other than that, nothing! Everything was made sweeter before, with the knowledge that I should, at every moment, be studying. If I took a couple hours to read a book--delightful indulgence. Now, it's just a given that I can read until my head explodes, and somehow, that takes some of my enjoyment away. I even miss using my little study corner with a window view. It's currently being used as a place to dry some of my shirts.
Oh, but I know I would regret it if I continued second year. I would curse myself like I did when I was studying for the first neuro test or the first and second anatomy test. Or every Wednesday, having to get dressed up for colleges class in too-tight pants. Incidentally, those are the pants I have to wear tomorrow.
Maybe I should start studying to take the GRE just for something to do. It should be a fun challenge--like going back to 6th grade after you've finished 8th?
Speaking of broadcast tv, Jim didn't get to propose to Pam at Toby's going-away party after he paid for all those fireworks! I was so looking forward to the payback that would be, unbeknownst to either Jim or Pam, after what Toby did last episode. (This is starting to sound like my sister's stories back when she used to come home from elementary or middle school--"Oh my god, John So-and-So totally was telling Michael that Linda was cute!" To which, just to annoy her, I would say, "John Who? Do I know or care about these people?")
Anyways, this episode of the Office was a return to the extreme awkwardness of the first season. I was literally pinching and biting Aaron as he sat next to me to get through those moments. And, how hot is the new HR lady? She reminds me of some of my English profs back in college.
So moving on, I have an interview tomorrow at a vet office in Carrollton. Hopefully it's a part-time job and I won't have to go through the painful process of convincing myself I want to work full time.
Also super stressed due to the two little kittens I talked Aaron into fostering. Well, just stressed about one in particular. He is tiny, the size of a softball, and always wants to balance on a human body part. He has tried my foot as I am using the restroom (we keep them in our bathroom when they are not playing or eating), the back of my hand, and my arms crossed over my chest.
"Oh, how cute!" you say. Well, it is...except that he has drippy diarrhea and constantly leaves streaks everywhere he goes.
The other (a tortie) is twice his size, and really, ready for adoption, but I worry the little one will get depressed without his companion. The tortie is awesome in that when she is really happy and playing, she will make a trilling sound that is nothing like a meow. Sort of extra-terrestrial, gremlin-like.
Now that the war-zone of school is over, I actually find myself missing it. What do I do with all my free hours? Well right now, cleaning kitten poop and feeding kittens so they will make more poop for me to pick up. But other than that, nothing! Everything was made sweeter before, with the knowledge that I should, at every moment, be studying. If I took a couple hours to read a book--delightful indulgence. Now, it's just a given that I can read until my head explodes, and somehow, that takes some of my enjoyment away. I even miss using my little study corner with a window view. It's currently being used as a place to dry some of my shirts.
Oh, but I know I would regret it if I continued second year. I would curse myself like I did when I was studying for the first neuro test or the first and second anatomy test. Or every Wednesday, having to get dressed up for colleges class in too-tight pants. Incidentally, those are the pants I have to wear tomorrow.
Maybe I should start studying to take the GRE just for something to do. It should be a fun challenge--like going back to 6th grade after you've finished 8th?
Monday, May 12, 2008
My laptop optical drive just went out as well. I'm really thinking about selling it after I finally get it back this time and get a dell laptop w/ the proceeds. It'll practically be a whole new laptop by then--new harddrive, optical drive, fairly new battery (though I'm fairly sure it's slowly but surely going out again), new top case.
ugh.
ugh.
I'm on my second week of 'summer'! I finished my last neuroscience test on Thursday, May1st, and I can't believe it's already the 12th. It hasn't really felt like anything special, because I've still been working at the library on a lot of nights.
Good things that have happened:
1. I passed Neuro w/ a B
2. Aaron and I started playing GTA 4. (We preordered it, got it on Tuesday, and Aaron opened it up on Thursday while I was in my test.) I have yet to get as addicted to it as I was to San Andreas. But I think we figured out why--I watched Aaron play San Andreas for a while in college before I ever started playing. And then, when I started playing, Aaron watched me play a lot. Or slept on the futon next to me as I played. I seem to remember an 8 hour San Andreas day...I went over to his and Jimmy's apartment around noon, we had lunch, Jimmy left, and I started playing the game. Aaron falls asleep next to me, and somewhere in that time Jimmy comes home to take a nap, and the next thing I know, it's 9 pm and we're wondering where to go for dinner. I think I was on the "learning to fly and airplane" mission by then.
Anyways, I've been playing GTA 4 alone a lot, so that's probably why it doesn't feel as fun.
3. I don't think I've mentioned the three black cats in the back of our complex that were abandoned by a family that moved. Me and Aaron got them neutered and their rabies shots from a free clinic, but were very worried that they would be taken away by Management (eek! Carnivale). We thought about giving them up on Craigslist to be barn cats, but were worried about how they would be treated, and whether they would be any good at catching rats, since they're sorta small, though full-grown. Well, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, the mom cat got sick, and this couple who had also been feeding them, had to take her in to be euthanized. And then they started worrying about the other two, and so took them in! And they are now living in the lap of luxury in their perfectly decorated home. (We went to visit the cats, and I was jealous of the peoples' interior decorator skills. Our house is just too haphazard.) So everything turned out really well, though the mom cat sacrificed her life to improve her offspring's.
Bad things that have happened
1. My laptop's harddrive went out. Like a couple weeks after my sister's went out. Thankfully, I had all my pics backed up, but other than that, it was a total loss.
2. Aaron's keyboard on his laptop has been messing up.
So we spent two days switching out computers at the Genius Bar (I use that term lightly) and they replaced both my harddrive and Aaron's keyboard totally. Still a hassle, but I got two Wild About Harry's meals out of it. yum.
Well, looking back on it, this was a pretty boring post. I think Dallas may be rubbing off on me.
Good things that have happened:
1. I passed Neuro w/ a B
2. Aaron and I started playing GTA 4. (We preordered it, got it on Tuesday, and Aaron opened it up on Thursday while I was in my test.) I have yet to get as addicted to it as I was to San Andreas. But I think we figured out why--I watched Aaron play San Andreas for a while in college before I ever started playing. And then, when I started playing, Aaron watched me play a lot. Or slept on the futon next to me as I played. I seem to remember an 8 hour San Andreas day...I went over to his and Jimmy's apartment around noon, we had lunch, Jimmy left, and I started playing the game. Aaron falls asleep next to me, and somewhere in that time Jimmy comes home to take a nap, and the next thing I know, it's 9 pm and we're wondering where to go for dinner. I think I was on the "learning to fly and airplane" mission by then.
Anyways, I've been playing GTA 4 alone a lot, so that's probably why it doesn't feel as fun.
3. I don't think I've mentioned the three black cats in the back of our complex that were abandoned by a family that moved. Me and Aaron got them neutered and their rabies shots from a free clinic, but were very worried that they would be taken away by Management (eek! Carnivale). We thought about giving them up on Craigslist to be barn cats, but were worried about how they would be treated, and whether they would be any good at catching rats, since they're sorta small, though full-grown. Well, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, the mom cat got sick, and this couple who had also been feeding them, had to take her in to be euthanized. And then they started worrying about the other two, and so took them in! And they are now living in the lap of luxury in their perfectly decorated home. (We went to visit the cats, and I was jealous of the peoples' interior decorator skills. Our house is just too haphazard.) So everything turned out really well, though the mom cat sacrificed her life to improve her offspring's.
Bad things that have happened
1. My laptop's harddrive went out. Like a couple weeks after my sister's went out. Thankfully, I had all my pics backed up, but other than that, it was a total loss.
2. Aaron's keyboard on his laptop has been messing up.
So we spent two days switching out computers at the Genius Bar (I use that term lightly) and they replaced both my harddrive and Aaron's keyboard totally. Still a hassle, but I got two Wild About Harry's meals out of it. yum.
Well, looking back on it, this was a pretty boring post. I think Dallas may be rubbing off on me.
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