Holidays, ELLEN!, austin, stuff

what i didn't mention in my last post is that after i hid my make up brushes in a drawer, Stella went all the way downstairs into my parents bathroom and got one of my mom's make up brushes from the mug on the countertop and brought it ALL the way back upstairs to drop on top of the covers.

seriously.

so now all the make up brushes are under lock and key in my house. in other news, i had a fantastic wkend in austin (one of my favorite cities ever) and am very excited that my friend Lauren (whom i visited) 1) no longer has to work as a jewelery making slave at her job and 2) is coming to visit next week! speaking of visiting,

ELLEN IS HERE IN A WEEK! YAYAYAYAYAY! i am quite excited about that (and can't wait for one of my most cat-loving friends to meet my girls)! yay! much merriment will ensue and i would love for any and everyone to meet my fantastic friend, so lets all get together, yes?

also, i hope everyone had a great christmas/holiday and has exciting plans for new year's eve. personally i hate driving long distances on NYE and i don't know what anyone is doing so i'm pretty much hanging out at home. which is fine-- i'm excited for 2007 to be over and 2008 to start so ellen can get here! YAY

and now for the picture portion of my blog: (these are on myspace as well)

thessaly pops stella on their new cat tree

stell and thess sleeping all squished on the top.

and finally, the girls as they mostly sit on there-- thess hanging out and trying to get stella's tail and stell in the tube watching birds outside.

aren't they great? :)

My college degree = nothing compared to a cat

a few things before i go to bed:

last night around 6 am (stella's favorite time to wake me up and demand to be pet) i woke up with a small fuzzy thing on my leg on top of the covers. i turned on the light to realize it is my expensive bare minerals kabuki make up brush (i believe it was somewhere in the vicinity of $30 and it's only 2 inches tall). i had sleepily noticed stella on my desk (where i keep said brush) and thought, "great, another thing i have to hide from the girls."

just now, as i was reading my favorite blog ever (neil gaiman's, of course), stella demanded my attention (a loud, "MEROWR" over and over again, which means in stella/siamese speak: i am bored! help! do something! get away from that computer!) and jumped up on my desk as i sat here (also waiting for my freshly painted nails to dry, btw). now this will be hard to explain, but i will try:
my desk has a triangular shelf on the left corner, which i keep a lamp on top of and some random stuff in the small cranny beneath. i keep my make up stuff in a shoe box top and pull it out in the morning when i'm putting it on (that way it stays organized, easy to reach, and out of sight when i dont need it). stell started to stick her head in there (its not big enough for much of her) so i put my make up brush under a tiny bowl (it fit perfectly). Stell proceeded to go to town on the shoe box top, pulling it out from under the triangle shelf and pawing at the cup to get at the brush. it took her .5 seconds to flip that over and get my brush (which she proceeded to lick and chew, and i promptly removed it from her jaws and it's air drying after being thouroughly washed).

my point is that my girls are super smart. thess has learned to jump up on the kitchen island counter (right in front of the stove, which freaks me out) to push open the heavy but easily opened drawers so she can jump within. wtf? what do you do when your cats out smart you? i'd get some baby gates and other baby proofing materials if i didnt think they'd laugh, stick out a claw, and dismantle any precaution with a Bond-esque skill. They're not even 1 year old yet!
seriously, what am i going to do with children? i think i need to stick with cats...

ps- now the make up brushes are hidden in a bathroom drawer, which they haven't figured out how to open....yet....

just some pictures

This is me trying to take a pic with Thess this past Friday for a Christmas card! she didnt want to be held
Then Thanksgiving with the Fam and Bax



And these next 2 are a "see if you can find the kittens" pictures...
(then there's my thessie bear and Stella)

hi stella bear! she's on our christmas table :)

time FLIES in december

hello world! how's it going? i'm sitting here sneezing up a storm for no reason and alternately trying not to tear up like an idiot as i listen to tori's pheonix and san diego shows. her tour ended this week and it KILLS me not every show was available for bootleg downloads! i still got what, 10? and i plan to grab a few more (even though they're $11 a show...)

anyway.

things have been going well and december is flying by in a flurry of christmas activities like always. this past weekend i attended a wonderful xmas dinner at angel's house and ate my weight in eggplant parmesan and mashed potatoes! YUM! and our office christmas party went well also.

so yesterday i was looking online for a new cat condo/cat tree thing, as my girls have destroyed the really cheap and crappy one i got them and clearly need something else (if you don't provide them a place to jump, scratch, sleep, and hang out, they will find ways to do that with the furniture you already own). i came across http://www.stepsforpets.com/ that has the most AMAZING cat trees i have EVER SEEN (good dog stuff too!) and the prices are out of control. a cat tree of such caliber and size would easily cost $300-500 somewhere else but they're selling them for $100 or so and FREE SHIPPING! clearly i am over the moon about this, and even better-- my family is getting me THIS ONE for christmas! YAYAYAY! they are going to freaking DIE! how fun does that look?! i totally want to hang out in that little hammock.

Clearly all i want for christmas is stuff for my girls. can you believe i've only had them 3 months? they really are my favorite things in the world and make me really happy (i obviously shouldve got them many years ago in college if that's what it would have taken for me to be happy! :)

other than that, i have a full week planned, and i'm going to detail it for you (lucky!) ;)

TODAY: i am leaving work in 1 hour (thank god, cause it's only tuesday and it's draaaaaagging) to pick up my twin's xmas present, drop off some toffee at my vet's office as an xmas present, run by the bank, mail my sister's present (if i can get a cd made in time to accompany it), and get to the theater with my mom to see THE GOLDEN COMPASS! ive been really looking forward to this since i read the books, and even though i hear it's disjointed and whatnot, i dont care because i've actually read the books. for those of you who haven't, you are missing out like CRAZY. get on that, NOW.

then we get home and i have to redye my hair (constant and annoying, but you cant look this good without effort! ;), roll my sugar cookie dough i made on sunday into 3 doz sugar cookies (and decorate them) and general merriment with my mom, cats and Bax in the kitchen.

WEDNESDAY: work, get home, mail my sister's present if i didn't already, track my mom and dad's xmas presents and see if they're getting here in time, find out where the hell the books i ordered on amazon on DEC 3RD are, hopefully get my cat tree and set it up for the girls, go to target and get cat food and spend way too much cause it's target and that always happens to everyone i know, do laundry, watch PR and annoyingly text bets and mikey and oH YEAH hang out with jessica

THURS: work, finish laundry, pack for austin, hang out with ADRIENNE who gets into town, finish all errands, etc.

FRI: leave for austin with jessica jacobi at 10 am, hang out with LAINEY for lunch, then party with lauren and joe and jessica and go to Alamo Drafthouse for movies.

SUNDAY: pick up Kara in san marcos, leave for houston around noon, come home, see emilie? rest, recover.

MODAY-TUES. enjoy CHRISTMAS! YAY! merry christmas everyone!

xo.

ps- to all my friends who i havent seen this month (i.e. cheryl) lets hang out in january because my friend ELLEN is coming! (her blog: http://dancingmathgradstudent.blogspot.com/ )

Merry Christmas and Holidays and new Year and Hannukah

the girls are fine and quickly recovering from surgery. i'm still sad to see their little tummies shaved (and the huge tattoo on their bellies that says they've been spayed) but i'm SO glad that's over! now, if i'm lucky, i won't have to take them to the vet or anything for at least another year! YAY!
speaking of, Thessaly turned 6 months earlier this week and Stell is 9 months now. Their bdays are guess work, so I'm putting Thess's at July 3rd and Stell's at April 3rd.

so last night, as i was watching the victoria's secret fashion show (just so i could see the spice girls, which wasn't as exciting as i had hoped) Seal and Heidi klum did a duet! it was so cute so i had to download it, it's called "wedding day" and it's adorable. i love you heidi! that reminds me, there's a new project runway tonight! if i'm good and get all my grad school things taken care of, i plan to watch the Americas next top model finale, the first episode of Crowned (a ridic new reality show that i'm sure i'll hate) and the latest PR before turning in. my life sure is exciting these days, hmm? :)

speaking of excitement, i can't wait for angel's christmas party this sunday! i love xmas parties. i haven't been out and about in a long time and i'm excited to see everyone. also, i'm visiting austin in 2 wkends and that shall be glorious. i'm bringing all the necessary tools to make my old Peach Pomegranate martinis! all you need is pomegranate vodka, peach schnapps, oj, and some cranberry juice. they are delicious and LETHAL and i cant wait! it's been too long since i've had a good old fashioned drunk night.

our company christmas party is this friday and it should be...fun? the food will be fantastic, and any and all of you readers are welcome to come. oh btw, it's at my house. so it's not like i can leave early...ah well.

check out this Time 2007 introspective best of lists-- it's been a nice work distraction http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article

xo! merry holidays everyone!

I AM A NERVOUS MOTHER

i haven't posted in a while because i haven't done anything lately nor do i have much to say (who are we kidding right?) but i'm BORED and that's why i started this blog in the first place: to give me something to do when i'm bored!
so the girls are getting spayed today at the Houston Humane Society and the every amazing CHERYL has answered my millions of questions and been supportive of my crazy nervous mother-ness. thank you cher! i only wish the HHS wasn't in EAST CUPCAKE good lord it's far away! houston can you be a little smaller? geez.
so i woke up at 6 25 and threw on some clothes, didnt even bother to brush my teeth and ran out the door. the kittens were not pleased at being shoved in their carrier so they were meowing a bit and i was feeling crazy guilty (they are also, i'm sure, starving and thirsty, since no water or food was allowed past 11 pm last night in accordance with surgery). i left that early for an 8 pm appt. because i figured beltway traffic, esp. on a fri, would be insane. not so! i drove quickly and got there at 7 15. the girls slept in their carrier while i read a book until 8. i brought them in, asked if they could be left together and was denied that request (GRRRRR DO AS I SAY THEYRE MY BABIES) and was told to come back at 4.
i then drove and drove and drove and finally made it to work around 8 50ish. i'm gross, i still havent brushed my teeth (i absolutely hate being at work w/o showering first, oh well) and im EXHAUSTED b/c the girls were up and about from 4 am on and i couldn't sleep.

(dear coworkers: please turn off that tacky singing christmas tree thing so i can hear my ipod. thank you)

so im prob. going to leave here at 2 30 to get there by 4, and then the drive home at 4 pm fri traffic will be BEASTLY. so please call me, cause i'll be in the car with two sick, sleepy kitties.

other than that, not much to report. i've watched a lot of tv and slowly recovered from my sickness. come to think of it, i don't believe i've seen a single person other than parents and coworkers in 2 weeks! no wonder i'm antsy for a starbucks date...

so out of it i cant even think of a title

Hello world, it’s been a few days. I’ve been dying of viral plague for a while (really just a sinus infection and bronchitis) and thanks to my amazing Doctor and his giving me the most insane antibiotic out there (Cipro; apparently they give this to people with anthrax) and my Hydrocodeine syrup (YAY) I am feeling a LOT better. Well I feel fuzzy and weird like I took a painkiller and since I’m at work right now that’s not totally awesome (I can’t focus on one task to save my life right now). In fact, it’s really kind of hard to focus/see the computer screen. Hmm…

Anyway. The past 2 days I’ve been at home watching bad daytime tv (Bravo will you quit with the marathons of Real Housewives of Orange County?! NO one likes that show!) and my kittens have been taking naps with me (aww). I also caught a little bit of last night’s America’s Next Top Model (stopped watching that show 7 seasons ago when it got reaaaaally fucking ghetto) and it was the go-see episode, and at least 3 out of 5 girls were late getting back! Now girls—if you’re going to be on ANTM, you’ve surely seen at least one show before, right??? And surely, you know that anyone late back from the go-sees gets totally disqualified and yelled at during panel, right?! Jesus girls, it’s what, season 908234097? Learn from previous seasons! That’s why I can’t watch that show anymore—everyone on it are such fucking morons. Ugh.

Btw, I would like to point out that on Sunday, I asked tori for 2 songs: Butterfly and Pretty Good Year. And she played them on Monday night in San Antonio, when I couldn’t be there!! ARRRGGGGGGGGG! And that show is not one of the ones released as a bootleg. So sad….so sad….but thank god for ROBERT who youtube’d videos of those songs and more! YAY! Thank you thank you thank you!

i had some other stuff to say but i am really out of it. thanks, hydrocondone syrup. to be continued....

TORI TORI TORI TORI TORI

here is what i submitted to a tori fansite undented.com about my experience last night:

Yesterday was one of the best days of my LIFE. I have loved tori since 1995, seen her only 3 times and to finally meet her…it’s weird to meet someone you know so much about and who means so much to you but is a stranger...let’s start at the beginning.

Greg, Juan and I got to the venue in the freezing cold (odd, for Houston) around 1 pm and only had to wait about 2 ½ hours for tori to come out. The Meet and Greet was small and everyone was delightful (we made some new friends). I really could NOT believe tori was right in front of me! People have said this before, but it certainly bears repeating: she was so gracious and kind to everyone there, taking her time with everyone and talking to each of us like we were the only people in the world. She looked gorgeous. I gave her a book for Tash, her daughter (I gave her Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle) and she was so kind. I also asked for Butterfly and Pretty Good Year and she wrote them on her hand but it didn’t seem like Butterfly was coming. Another fan, Liz, asked for Cooling and she wrote it down also. Amazing! My life is complete!

She then left and we went off to await the show. Her opening act, Yoav came out around 8 and was really great—I was impressed with the way he looped drumming and such on his guitar to create some great songs. He cited The Cure and a few other bands as influences and thanked Tori for bringing him on tour with her.
Tori then came out as Clyde, one of her dolls and it was great. Here’s a song breakdown:
Bouncing Off Clouds—great, high energy, sounded good
Little Earthquakes- well done, passionate and intense
Juarez- she seemed to have fun with this one, made a lot of shooting gun motions with her hands
Mary- Tour Debut! She played this one with the same intensity as the last 4 songs—it sounded very similar to the studio version; she didn’t change it up much
Little Amsterdam- amazing!
Beauty of speed- my fav. Track on the album. She forgot the 2nd verse and instead of singing, “even still I was built to tolerate your temp-erature” went straight into “I tried to strike a deal with the universe, smacked upside of the head.” The lights on “see the colors changing” were fantastic
Professional Widow- the band was jamming! Go Matt! He was on fire tonight, as was Jon
Tori came out in her stars and stripes jumpsuit (I KNEW there had to be some political something somewhere) and danced for a while before Big Wheel. She was radiant!
Big Wheel- standard version, full of energy. Dan seemed to leave right about now and didn’t return until after t&bo
Space dog- I love the intro to this. I recognized it b/c of previous legs and boots and it was electrifying.
Pancake- well done, relatively standard
She then said her “very good friend” from high school was in the audience tonight, and that “means a lot.” I wonder who it was? Does Beenie live in Houston? We can only hope…
Introduced the band, and a very jammy Cornflake Girl.
Doughnut Song- long intro to this, I had no idea what it was but I wasn’t surprised b/c of the “come in Houston” line (we all cheered). Very powerful choruses and bridges with the band
Glory of the 80s- standard, not very exciting but still well done
I’ll be Burning—GORGEOUS improve, very passionate. Something like “I’ve been breaking since Lawrence, Caroline, like a phoenix rises from the ashes, I’ll be burning till then, till Pheonix” very interesting. Hope everything’s okay with her. Breaking?
Cloud on my Tongue- now that I have more of an idea of her tattoo, borneo, and the genesis of this song, it was even more powerful. She sang “the girl’s in circle’s and circles” over and over in the low register.
Peeping Tommi- thank you Robert. This was gorgeous
Virgina- powerful, she was in full voice
Black dove (January)- also figured this one, b/c of the “but I have to get to Texas” line, and she sang that so loudly. She and the band have a very tight take on this song. They played these staccato notes in the beginning all together and you could tell Tori loved it.
Code red- Good lord this just gets better and better. The instruments totally drowned out Tori and her piano though.
Yay everyone rushed the stage!
Precious things- she did the grrrrrrl hands up her legs but didn’t growl so much on the vocals. So great from right in front of the stage!
Not David Bowie—good lord this was AMAZING! Matt, Jon, Dan and Tori were grooving so hard it was great to watch. YAY! (this was listed as Spark on the set list)
Hey Jupiter- lovely, and she sang the Dakota Version lines all the way through. A great ending to the show.
And I was lucky enough to get Dan’s setlist!

This show was even better than the Dew Drop Inn Tour in College Station in 97, and that’s been my number one concert thus far. The audience was respectful, no loud singing, talking, or getting up from their seats—everyone was quite reserved and you could hear a pin drop most of the time. It was incredible and I wish SO MUCH I could see another show!

I also wished i dressed up more-- I honestly didn't really believe I would meet her until she walked out. It was so great! my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I have honestly met one of my favorite people in the entire universe! YAY! ps this picture is me 1 hour ago, freezing in my cubicle with my new ($12) hoodie from the gap and the SET LIST.

:D

it's 9021-Over, Jennie Garth!

I can’t take credit for that amazing headline—it’s courtesy of people.com or something. But I’m so glad jennie garth went home! I was so over her like 3 weeks ago. And Marie certainly can’t dance but she cracks me up for some reason. Btw, if Mel B doesn’t win this I will KILL SOMEONE! GIRL POWER! I love the spice girls. I mean LOVE! So I’m voting for Mel—go to abc.com and vote for her next Monday night too! Come on people!!

So yesterday I spent time with haley and it was so great! She came over and met the kitties (and loved them, like everyone) and we hightailed it to Barnaby’s, my fav. Restaurant ever. YAY! After stuffing ourselves (thanks for dinner fleabag!) we meandered around Highland Village to see everything all lit up and ran into Anthropologie. Being around that area with Hay reminded me of us living together last year and we both got a little nostalgic. Haley said it was crazy weird to be back in Houston as LA is where she’s happiest now and I remember that feeling from my college days. Thank god I live here now. Also, I got an amazing balsam fir tree candle from Anthro (the same one I had last year in hay’s and my apt) and it smells so much like Christmas! So excited for the holidays!
After that we went to Volcano’s and ran into haley’s old crowd, which was fun. Kelley came up too and we all sat around and chatted. Now I was beyond psyched to see haley, of course, but I was a little bummed I was missing the semifinals eliminations for Dancing when lo and behold, I noticed it was just us on the patio and THERE WAS A TV. So of course I switched it to abc and watched the elimination round (with no sound, but it was oddly better that way). I’m glad I missed hearing Avril Lavwhatever (isn’t she too punk rock for this show? Wtf?) but I really wanted to hear Michael Flatley, lord of the dance! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Riverdance! Too bad their costumes were so weird and they looked like dancing airline pilots. Ah well. Clearly I will stop at nothing to see my fav. Show. Finale is next week so there’s only 2 eps left! Thank god for Proj Runway.

Alright enough tv geekiness. After that, I left and made it home to wait for my older sis and her bf Tim to come into town. Mom and I passed the time by watching one of my all time favorite movies EVEr, Victor Victoria. I told mom no wonder I love the gays—this is like my fav movie and im sure I saw it cause she rented it for us eons ago. Yay Julie Andrews and Robert preston! I love it so.
Then khrys and tim got here and I introduced them to my kitties and asked them about a million times, “aren’t they CUTE?!” in fact, I just asked khrys that via gchat RIGHT NOW. Thank god they’re not getting sick of it yet. Cause my babies are just THAT CUTE.

Anyway. Onto another work day! It’s dragging cause I just want to be home with my family. Ah well. Happy almost thanksgiving!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CINDY LOU!

i had to have this as a seperate post, as it's a very special day for my CINDY KRENEK! who joins the ranks of the quarter lifers.

HOORAY! to one of my favorite people!

my weekend in pictures

i'm already exhausted and we didn't even do that much this wkend. okay, we drove from houston to austin and back in one day, then to college station, the ren fair and back the next. it's a lot more than my usual lay around weekends, and i'm barely hanging in there. and there is more merriment to be had! the week has just begun! i cant wait for dancing with the stars semi finals tonight!


since i have nothing fun to do today but clean, go to the store, clean, laundry, etc., i will recap this wkend in some pictures.


ENJOY!



First off, it's WB and me in Veggie Heaven in Austin with Lauren and Joe on Sat. around 3 pm.


yay! we are so colorful. well ok im the colorful one. wb was like, "aren't you sick of the pink yet?" and im like NO! BLASPHEMY! etc.etc. (to be honest i am kinda, but then i look at pictures like this and am like i am so BRIGHT! i feel like a crayon-- in a good sense)





next is lauren wearing her bday present from WB (an expertly crafted knit cap) and Joe, our fav. boyfriend.




















On to the east austin studio tour~! we only went to a few studios but it was AWESOME and we very nerdily and awesomely ran into a studio with a TESLA COIL thing! what is that, you ask? i didnt know until after i saw it and wikipedia'ed it. (look it up, very cool). the dude was playing the beat from "sexy back" and the legends of zelda theme. NERDTASTIC! we loved it! (esp. joe)
this is an aerial shot from the balcony above the tesla coil. joe is the green blob on the left.






Sunday we drove to College Station. It's one of my fav drives-- look how gorgeous and flat texas is!! i LOVE it.







Then WB and i met up with dad at the Texas World Speedway. I declined to hop in the car, but WB was into it, so she and dad suited up and drove around the track going 130 mph for about 15 minutes.

this is a picture from the car that WB took. you can see how the track curves, etc. she got a lot of dashboard pictures (the centrifugal force made it hard to take decent pictures)

and finally, on our way to the ren fair (via navasota and plantersville) we saw this amazing car with not only goats in the back but chickens above them!

well you can't see the chickens, but they're in that wooden box.

why no pictures of the ren fair? probably because we were too busy buying stuff. well WB was too busy buying essential oils (dirty hippy scents like patchouli, sandalwood, and Egyptian musk), rings, and other various sundry items. i bought some amazing rhinestone elephant head studs (my mom saw them and said, "i cant believe you bought the fucking republican party's symbol" but when she saw them on said, "i actually love them") and a small jar of lavender oil (very good quality) that i may make candles or soap out of or something. who am i calling a dirty hippy? ;)

more pictures to come! tomorrow it's a day with haley, then my sister and her bf get in town, wed. is more family fun (at PF Chang's; they have a gluten free menu complete with a gluten free beer for WB) and of course, THANKSGIVING! and most importantly, TORI ON SUNDAY!

YAY

to say that i'm looking forward to it would be the grossest of understatements.

Yay Holidays

so i have a very busy couple weeks coming up, and i'm excited. i do exciting things (or really anything at all) in spurts with long rests in between (really the best way to go people) and it's coming up on a busy time.
let's go through the entire thing, shall we?
today i am dogsitting, i have to do a lot of cleaning. family's coming in town soon (YAY) and the cats are finally (mostly) better so i have bedding to wash, vacuuming to do, etc. i have cds to make and then Greg is taking me out to olive garden for a belated bday. why olive garden? no, it's not the unending breadsticks and salad (although that's a perk) but the amazing people watching. and i love free dinners (REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE)

anyway. tomorrow it's more dogsitting and work until i pick up the twin at 6!! YAY! womb buddy! i'm excited. we're going to mai's with a bunch of her friends and possibly poison girl for the drink they make just for her (and me), a Capri Sun.
saturday we go to austin for the East Austin Studio Tour with my favorite tour guides, Lauren and Joe, and possibly run into Angel and Lindsey who will also be in the greatest city in texas. SO fun!
we get back in the evening b/c WB has a loft party and a show that i dont think im invited to. but i need to be with my kittens anyway (im a crazy nervous mom).
sunday we go to Trader's Village (or maybe she goes alone, i dont know if i'll like it) then to the Texas World Speedway to watch my dad race his car (he goes at least once a month), and then to the Texas Renaissance Festival (it will be my 2nd but not last time this year). then we come home and probably fall asleep.
monday i have to work and then it's DANCING WITH THE STARS SEMIFINALS! so exciting! i am rooting for Mel B like none other. Girl Power! win it for the rest of the spices!
tuesday it's results show for Dancing with the Stars and HALEY IS IN TOWN!! YAY! she is taking me out to dinner (FREE DINNERS FOREVER) somewhere awesome and then we're going to rehash old times (although we may skip the story of my alcohol poisoning) at Volcano's. i'm prob. going to cop out before midnight because i hate staying out late but it will still be very fun.
Wednesday i work again, then its second episode of Project Runway (Mikey and I have determined the drama is b/c one of the contestants is HIV+), and KHRYSTI AND TIM come in around 11! yay older sister and bf!
thursday is my favorite holiday-- it's full of amazing food, everyone's home but it's not like christmas where there's a ton of family time, and it's the beginning of the holiday season. at our house, we are having a vegan and gluten free thanksgiving (with the exception of the turkey and 2 pies). it sounds intense but it really isn't-- we use cornbread for the stuffing and use soymilk and special margarine (Fleishman's Light) for everything else.

I love hearing about what different families have for thanksgiving or what their holiday traditions are. We usually all make the dinner together (everyone gets a few dishes, although my mom makes the majority of them) and no one thinks i can cook so i get to make the homemade whipped cream (not vegan) and maybe mash a potato or two. we have the sweet potatoes with the (vegan) marshmallows on top, cornbread stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce (we like the can kind), maybe mashed potatoes, a salad, pumkin pie (all vegan and gluten free this year-- clearly WB is going to make that), pecan pie (2 of them) with my homemade cinnamon whipped cream...i think that's it. do we eat anything else guys? we also eat around 2 and then eat again later :) i love 2nd thanksgiving.

ok back to my week. so after thanksgiving (im also dogsitting too) it's friday and sadly WB leaves in the am to go back to california. Khrysti and Tim and i are going to the Ren Fair again (they dress up; i used to but dont have anything to wear anymore. get ready for pictures). it's the Celtic Christmas theme so it should be pretty and Christmasy. yay!
then Saturday i'm still petsitting, hanging out with khrys and tim, and sat. night Khrys is having a party for all her friends in the area (she went to Texas A&M the year before we moved to Houston from Dallas, but still has a lot of friends here).
and sunday is a very special day. Khrys and tim leave and i'm sad about that, but sunday....

IS THE TORI SHOW

yes my favorite human being for a very very long time will be here. greg and i have orchestra row C seats and I AM SO EXCITED. we decided to do it up right and camp out at the venue around noon.
i will CERTAINLY be blogging about that event. SO EXCITED!! YAY!
(will post pic of tori later when my computer isn't being insanely slow)

Where have all the boys gone?

in response to Betsy's amazing first post (undoubtedly better than mine), i started thinking about dating and what standards i and my friends often have, and are we setting the bar too high?
I don't like to think about this overmuch since i live at home and don't get out often (and even when i do i never meet anyone). where do we meet people now? how do people find mates these days? online? at bars? church? seriously, where is everyone??

okay, i need to not let my somewhat frustration get in the way. but really, where are you all? i never want to meet a future relationship in a bar, but is that standard too high?

a friend of mine asked me what i was looking for in a boy recently, and i realized there are a lot of things i won't settle on: has to be into my music but not obnoxiously snobby about it, has to have ambition/passion, college education is pretty high up there but only because i value mine so much (and the experiences i had there) but a person can still be awesome without it,
must be intelligent and funny, since i am (no modesty here-- this is serious business). i like cute/pretty ones, taller than i am, somewhat fashionable, and absolutely must be fun and cool with my friends. and then there's the question of sexual attraction, of course.

does this person exist? if so, will they love me? are my standards too high? will i love them?

it's kind of easy to see why i'm choosing a life of cats and my parent's house right now. it's easier to hide and avoid it all, but i know it's not better. i feel like awesome relationships come when you least expect them and when you're not looking, so i'm not looking. and i'm very happy as a single person, by the way. i have one horrific relationship and subsequent craziness behind me and i know i've learned a lot about what a good relationship is because of that bad one. and i know that no matter what, i won't settle.

what about you?

My Kittens

Some of you haven't seen my kittens, so let me introduce you:

Thessaly is a 4 month old brown tabby Manx/shorthair mix and is tiny tiny at 4 lbs. I got her from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter and she is very precocious. My parents affectionately call her Killer.

her tail is about 2 inches long and she wags it when she's about to pounce. Adorable!

Stella is a 6 month old 6 lb Ragdoll/Siamese mix. She came from the awesome people at the Texas Siamese Rescue in Austin and I adore her. She is very soft and a little skittish with everyone but me. She and Thess race around and attack each other and it's kind of adorable. She can jump a million feet in the air and do flips (yes really) when inspired by feathers on a stick. Stella also has a weakness for furry mice (not real ones) and feet under the covers.

Here is a ridiculous video of Stella

See how they love to play? How can you not love them?

good morning everyone

so cheryl has mentioned that if i'm bored, i should start a blog. i resisted because 1) i will probably talk about nothing but my cats and 2) i have a lot of random things to say so each post will probably be miles long and somewhat nonsensical.
but you know what? it's my blog, and im sure you want to hear about my cats right? (well you'll hear about them anyway, whether i'm blogging or talking). so let the blog begin!

this morning i was driving to work. i dont usually speed too much but i am fond of the at least 9 over the speed limit rule. i turn left from champion's forest onto strack and i'm behind some SUV that is going 5 under. um no. so as i tail them, they SLAM on their brakes like 5 times. i mean almost stopping slam. now i realize tailing is annoying, but its fucking 9 am. are you REALLY going to try to purposely create an accident? wtf?! i may be an aggressive driver but i would never purposely cause someone to hit me. so as i passed them i said fuck you and felt MUCH better. yeeesh.

So most of you know what happened with my cat drama recently, but for those who don't, here's a quick recap:
i want a cat, i find a cute one online from a breeder in Dallas, i send her $$ ($450, yeah i know it's a RIDIC amount for a cat-he was cute). when i try to get the cat i hear he's sick, but she says he's better so i get him. turns out he's WAY sick, she never should have sold him to me, etc. i have a health contract so i say you owe me a refund, she says no i don't have it and your vet is lying. so my dad and i return the cat to her coworker and crazy lady STILL refuses to give us the $. I'm one step away from filing a claim in small claims court when I got a letter yesterday.
No, not a refund: the bitch filed for bankruptcy. SERIOUSLY. so the letter says she has no assets and my claim on her is void unless in the future they determine she has assets and then i can maybe get $ out of her later. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! this one goes to experience, i guess. geez.

time for some HUMANITY IS GREAT stories!
so i paid a $60 nonrefundable deposit to the Houston Humane Society to get the girls spayed this past sunday. Then i realize that thess has some tummy issues and i take her into the vet. $70 later, they don't know what's wrong with her but give me 2 wks worth of medicine for her stomach (it's working, YAY). so i call the humane society and explain i have to postpone both my cats (i want them done together) when they're better. they said sure, but you're going to lose your deposit. im like crap. well okay. and berate myself for being so stupid with $. then 5 min later, they call back, and are like you know what? you can keep your deposit, you just call when they're better. isnt that wonderful?? YAY humane society! yay humanity~!

my other story is that after taking thess to the vet on saturday, i noticed stella seemed to have the same problem (you dont really want to know, trust me). so i had to take her back, and i am pissed because i should have taken her there with Thess in the first place (it costs $47 for the Dr. to just walk in the room!). i take them both there last night and it turns out Stell is fine but needs a shot and a pill, and they didn't charge me for the vet visit!! isnt that amazing! they just charged me for the pills. I LOVE YOU CHAMPION WOOD ANIMAL HOSPITAL! they have been taking care of me and i love it. you guys are so getting a christmas card and some of the Smyth English Toffee.
*this concludes the Humanity is Great part of the blog*

later in the day i'll have to post about Dancing With The Stars and how EXCITED I AM THAT TONIGHT IS PROJECT RUNWAY!!!! FINALLY!!! i love you tim gunn. although does anyone else think it seems like there's going to be a shitload of drama? i have to admit the drama is not my favorite (i.e. i almost killed jeffrey last season). and can anyone come back and be as awesome as Santino? we need more tim gunn impressions.