And Now For Something Completely Different...

I'm having some issues here with my family, as always. I haven't been home too much and I miss my cats, my house, cooking as well as eating, and my BNC. Ali, with Three Baking Sheets to the Wind, got me thinking about love stories and just how lucky I am that I have my BNC. It's truly a joke that I call him that, ball-n-chain, because we don't live our lives that way. He already has a mom; I am not her. He's a good man, easily the smartest person I know but mostly, he's the funniest, wittiest fool ever. He can make himself laugh. It's truly funny how long we have known eachother and how we're not sick of one another. So, by the numbers, our story.

Met at 12 years old in middle school

Started dating at 20 years old

Married at 28 years old

5 1/2 years of marriage

Exactly 1 week apart

Behold, our 8th grade prom! I believe the year was 1991.

Memories, we will cherish them.

Yippee!

Who has 2 thumbs and is working on a gorgeous Saturday morning?

This guy!

I've been here since 7a. Please, hold your applause.

Litter Test

So far, the 3 I have tried have had an unusual odor. When I'm cleaning it out I can smell the ammonia. No likey that smell. Arm & Hammer Essentials has that distinct odor. By recommendation from Jeremy and Kathleen I've purchased World's Best Cat Litter (yea, that's the name). It's pricey but I've read the reviews, looked at the site and heard from Jeremy and Kathleen. I'm extremely hopeful that it will work and that it will make the cats happy and healthier. Once the current litter is gone, then it will be on. I hope the cats like it. I have a feeling the smell is getting to them because someone pooped on the mat rather than inside the box. Sigh.

Once I have the perfect litter chosen, better food for them is next. I don't want to have Bitty Girl as fat as them especially since she will likely not grow into a long cat like her brothers. Any recommendations?

Crossing my fingers.

For Fun

Apolo and Bitty Girl taken back in July 2009 and it still cracks me up.

Dreams

B said he would take me out to dinner on Friday for admin day since, afterall, I am my family's personal secretary. So, last night, I dreamt about the above. Is that bad?

Weekend Plans

I adore this photo of Apolo and Logan. They sleep together, fight together and most certainly eat together.
Logan is the alpha male of the bunch. He's also cross-eyed which has something to do with the little siamese in him. He's a great cat but doesn't know the concept of personal space.

So, this weekend includes trying to spend time with them. I know they miss me especially but I know I can count on them to share the couch with some Netflix (current rentals include The Wire).

The BNC has a show tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it especially, especially, especially since I don't have to get on the freeway to get there. I love that. Bonus: It's about 3 blocks from my parent's house which means I park there and walk over. My older brother is supposed to go with me.

The rest of the weekend gets played by ear and I hope that means some DVR time like Lost, Project Runway and Top Chef Masters.

In The Mood

I could really go for some tacos. Tacos and I have a very special and loving relationship; they continue to exist and I eat them. I tend to make my own though because some of the food establishments lightly fry the tortilla and I'm not really down with that. It would defeat the purpose of taking Lipitor which is pricey even with insurance such as $1 a pill. Yea.

So, maybe I'll head out to the carniceria, or meat market, (kar-knee-say-ree-uh spanish lesson) and buy some meat and make me some tacos on Sunday.

Daily 80s Reference: I love A Fish Called Wanda. It's hilarious and incredibly quotable. However, aside from the doggie deaths, Otto's, "Don't call me stupid" and "Asshole!" lines, Jamie Lee Curtis's amazing bod and cleavage, my favorite line and scene is when Wanda apologizes to Ken for Otto's behavior telling him, "Sorry about my brother. Dad used to beat him." and Ken replies with a quiet yet incredibly happy, "Good" makes me laugh each and every time. The satisfaction on his face does it for me.

Also, I tend to use Archie Leach as my name when commenting on topics in some communities.

Free Lunch

Free lunch is awesome especially when you can get something good from it. This came from California Pizza Kitchen. I'm not too keen on their pizzas, that's Brother's Pizzeria place, so I get their chicken marsala sans mushrooms and asparagus cause I'm stupid. Sure, it's a little too loaded with sodium and I really shouldn't be eating this, accompanied by bread, but damnit, it's Eat Your Feelings Day.

ps....I didn't finish it. I got halfway there.

pps.....My camera is still acting up. This came from my iphone.

Missing

I really, really miss my cat, Boochie. I had to put him down on October 27, 2008, just 1 day after the BNC's beloved grandmother passed away. What a crappy week that was. I have 3 cats at home now. Bitty Girl was acquired late last year and Lily lives with my parents. Lily, Apolo and Logan's mother went to the neighbors years ago after we left our first home. I know, a lot of cats. But, out of all of them, Boochie had a special place in my heart. He was incredibly smart and loving. He was also the only one allowed to sleep with me. He slept near my feet unlike Logan and Apolo who steal my breath and sleep on my head. Boochie also learned, on his own, to nudge me in the back to signal that he needed/wanted out. He usually wanted back in and he would make that scratching sound at the door a few minutes after I left him out. He was a great companion especially considering that the BNC comes home late which leaves me alone at night a lot.

Slowly he developed numerous UTIs and then liver disease and jaundice. Putting him down was the worst decision (but one of the best) I have ever made yet I was determined to not let my boy die alone. I held him as they made him sleep and it was then that I cried so hard that, to this day, I have no idea how I slept that night. The life of a pet owner is hard and while I still shudder at what I had to do, I know he's ok and no longer dying a painful death before my eyes. Apolo and Logan really missed him. They would go room to room searching for him and crying out at the same time. Since he loved being outside, we buried him in the yard yet, when we recently moved, Boochie was our first thought. We didn't want him staying at a home where his momma no longer would be staying at. So, our good friend Jorge, dug him up and put him in a box. We then took him to the vet and had him cremated. Now he sits on my desk in the box the company who cremated him so lovingly arranged for me. I am still searching for the perfect little urn/box to hold him in. I was surprised that his ashes amount to the size of a small quail egg. All that love is now a tiny pile of ashes and it pains me to see it everyday yet I laugh from all the teeth marks Bitty Girl has left as she likes to chew things. Boochie is the only pet I have ever euthanized and, it is through that experience that has prepared me should anyone else need it.

Sigh, the challenges of being a pet owner is learning when to say good bye.

Up & Down

Geez, from a great high to a new low. My doctor's office called me yesterday. I should have known that since they rarely call me, except to remind me of an upcoming appointment, that it wasn't going to be a good call. (Why do I forget to panic then rather than later with these odd phone calls? Same thing happened when I got a call in the middle of the night that my Grandpa had died. It never crossed my mind that no one calls at that hour with good news.) The doctor's office was calling with the results of my blood work. Turns out my potassium levels are a little high whereas they have never been high, never even made a little blip on the numerous tests I have had done these 2 years I've been a diabetic. High potassium just screams kidneys to me. Well, it should to anyone who is on team diabetes. I wish I could tell you that I didn't panic and didn't let a tear or two roll down my face (at work!) and that I completely Cool Hand Luked it. However, they did say that maybe something cause the elevation and would like a retest but, since my next appointment isn't until September, that perhaps I could retest the few weeks before. In my shock and panic, I said ok. However, after I started thinking about it, I called them back and asked if I could retake it now. The wait would kill me.

So, what could have cause the spike? I researched and it could be my meds, like my birth control, but, I've been on birth control for so long why would it finally cause that? Maybe my diet? I was fasting since I had but also I was fasting from meat and pasta since it was still Lent and I had blood drawn on Good Friday. Honestly, I don't know. I just know that the idea I had after Easter will come into effect next Lent. That idea is not participating in the Lent sacrifice. It's hard enough being a diabetic during the off season but to also abstain from a food thing (which doesn't have to be food related) is torturous. Instead I will go the charity route and fulfill my Lent sacrifice that way. Regardless, I'm fine with this decision. Saturday, I get to give blood again, my favorite!

On a happier note, a waffle with Nutella, yo! I put on a little more Nutella than usual but it wouldn't leave the spoon, ok?

I'm suddenly in the mood to watch Clash of the Titans, 80s version as well as Say Anything with a young John Cusack. After watching Hot Tub Time Machine, I never realized just how tall he is.

"I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen."

Litter Update

I purchased this yesterday for the cats. It's made from recylced paper such as old newspapers. It's not dusty like regular cat litter and that just screams eco-friendly to me as well as the aforementioned. I don't want to breathe litter dust so why would I make them?

So, I purchased it and, after an intense cleaning session when I got home, I set it up. The litter is larger than that of regular cat litter. It's more pellet-like. (I failed to take a photo but will take one later today.) The cats used it even if they were a little skeptical. This morning, however, was a different story. It was a mess. Pellets were everywhere around the box, the mat had been moved. Basically, it just screamed, "What is this? Take it back, take it back!" Message read loud and clear guys.

I'm going back to Target and purchasing this one. It's texture is more like regular cat litter.

I'm sad that the other one didn't work out too well but at least I had a coupon for it. This one is on sale.

Requisite 80s Reference: In staying with the cat litter talk, remember Police Academy and the one cop who lived in filth? He ate cereal and found cat poop in there and just scooped it out and flung it yet continued to eat the cereal. "Bunky!" That was gross.

Winner!

I ate a waffle with a smidge of Nutella. As usual with Nutella, and waffles, it's was delicious. The verdict? I think I have found my go-to breakfast that won't spike my blood sugar. WOOHOO!

Lent is over so it's back to free for all Fridays and I really want one of these.

Baked potato with chicken from my favorite BBQ place here, Hickory Hollow. Yum.

Lily

I just found this picture on my computer. My beloved Lily. I don't care. I love her. She is about to hit 9 years and yet, she can be such a big old B. She refuses to make an attempt at living with me so, as luck will have it, she is stuck living with my mom. Neither likes the other but they make it work.

OMG, that is a bucket in the background. I'm unsure if it harbors a plant but it wouldn't surprise me. We are Mexican like that.

Testing

It is safe to say that I may have to give up cereal entirely. I have tested and tested and each of them raises my blood sugar significantly. Unless I completely give one of those high fiber cereals a whirl, I'm afraid we may have to break up. It sucks because I love cereal. I LOVE it. When I think of cereal, I imagine the Mr. T cereal in Pee Wee's Big Adventure, the cereals Jerry owns in Seinfeld, the cold condensation on the outside of the bowl, how much it drives the cats wild when they see it's a cereal day (they always hope I leave them some milk), and the many, many varieties of cereal there are. I'm preferential to Frosted Flakes since the Old Man was a fanatic when we were kids. However, I haven't eaten Frosted Flakes since my diagnosis because, well, there's a lot of sugar in that. Those "reduced sugar" ones are lies! LIES! I do remember they had a prize in Frosted Flakes when I was a kid that just illustrates how much we ate it. The prize was a tiny, Tony the Tiger buoy thingy. It just floated in the water. I, to this day, don't know how you were supposed to play with it besides just letting it float. We accumulated so many that whenever we took a bath, those damn things too up almost half the tub. However, after having so many, I cannot find a single one in my parent's house.

So, having reminisced about cereal, I bid a heartfelt "I'm out!" to it. (Unless I can find one that doesn't spike my sugar so much.)

Dislikes

I have always said, the list of things I don't like is WAY longer than the stuff I actually do like. It's pretty sad and I'm a little ashamed that I have that many taste aversions. I should bring it up to my therapist even if I know the answer to it.

For instance, liver and onions. My mom made us eat that touting it as a healthy food, etc. I'm sure it's healthy but ugh. The BNC and my mom are the only 2 people I know who eat it willingly. However, if you didn't it what mom made, you didn't eat at all. She was the type to say she was not a short order cook. We knew this and thus made requests while out grocery shopping. Needless to say, I chose spaghetti a lot. Damnit, I still do.

And for my 80s reference of the day, with no DeLorean sightings lately, is it bad to want to make armour for my cat so he can be Battle Cat, from He-Man, for Halloween?

Coooooookie Crisp

I love me some cereal. Cookie Crisp anyone? Community mentioning it made me buy it last week. I really, really, really hope that this week has new episodes. I want me some Jeff Winger!

ps....still having issues with my camera. This is my iPhone.

Blah

He's a big dumb idiot folks.

He's not, actually. I just like Tommy Boy a lot. Oh Chris Farley, how I miss you so much.

He's a good cat, my Logan if a bit too needy. I try to be sympathetic to that cause I love being with them too but geez, back off. I don't want to smell your breath. I'm sorry about the photo being too dark but I can't edit them at the moment. Apolo is directly behind Logan, lazying around. Get a job, you hippie!

I had to go and give my blood on Friday morning. I have to go every 4 months and it doesn't get any easier. This time, it hurt more than usual and whoa, bruise, bubble, yuckiness and redness from the tape. It makes me sad and I can't help it. I realize it's for the best and whatnot but it doesn't get any easier. It never will.

You Built a Time Machine...Out of a DeLorean?!

Back to the Future is one of my all-time favorite movies. I adore this movie. So, after having lunch for Good Friday with B and my mom, I saw this. It was tricky trying to take a picture with my camera phone but there it is, in all its splendor! A MFing DeLorean!!! It made my day. My inner dork was so happy.

Careful, don't hit 88 mph!!!

They found me, I don't know how but they found me.

I could quote this movie all day long. Hmmm, I wonder if they have a Scene-It Back to the Future? BTW, Hot Tub Time Machine, yo!

Litter Talk

Currently we use Tidy Cats as our litter but it can create such a dusty mess that it kind of grosses me out. Besides, I feel so icky throwing away those pails right into the dumpster. The other day I was telling the BNC that we might just have to switch litter brands to the ones that come in carton boxes. However, while searching in vain for food at the Target that would sustain me until dinner when again I would find myself wandering around endlessly, I came across these two. I'm thinking of switching. They are greener for the environment and no dust (well, maybe less but less is better in this instance). So, once my current box starts running low, I'm giong to make the switch.

The one on top is made from newspaper and other items of such while the one on the bottom is made from wheat.

I swear, I will dance a jig and maybe my awesome robot if it works.

Dancing, dancing, dancing! Dancing machine!!!

Itty-Bitty aka Bitty Girl

Itty-Bitty came to us on June 4, 2009. I went into Petsmart on a search for yet another box for the fatties. I walked out without the box but this horror. A woman was there, with this little thing, searching for some toys and treats and all this little thing was doing was crying and crying. I heard it and walked over to the horror. The woman gave me the story of how she found her and was looking for a taker simply because she couldn't care for a cat and refused to give it to the SPCA as she would have been put down since an animal has to be a certain weight to be taken and put out for adoption. That didn't even touch my heartstrings. It was until I picked her up that I fell hard. I offered to take her and bam, I had a new kitten. I approximate her age to be about 3 weeks. She quickly took on the name of Itty-Bitty simply because she was so tiny compared to her new brothers. That, in turn, became Bitty Girl.

She was a challenge those first 2 weeks. Apolo hated her and Logan hated being nibbled on by her but they came around. I had to have her in our bedroom and bathroom during the day so she wouldn't get into trouble downstairs. Also, she was still being bottle fed.

And now, look at her. She has been a complete joy to have around. One that nibbles on your feet, tears up stuff, sits on the counter, hangs from the curtains, has no fear (except for the vaccuum cleaner) and plays with water. She still suckles her bear, and in her sleep, and that, alone, breaks my heart yet we love her immensely. My own little Basement Cat.