Too Much!

I've decided I watch way too much television. Now that America's Next Top Model, Dancing With the Stars, and American Idol are done I'm finding the evenings rather long. I might have to start doing something constructive with my time. You know, like write.

The last couple of weeks have also seen the season finales of Bones, House, Supernatural (which I only watch sporadically) and Smallville. And what's with Lost not being on tonight so Grey's Anatomy could have a two hour season finale?

Okay, yes, I did watch all those shows, but I was also excited when the reality ones ended because that meant I wasn't tied to the television on those nights/times. I also can't wait for Battlestar Galactica and Lost to be over and done with. I'm only watching Battlestar because it is ending, and I've been with Lost from the beginning so I have to see how it ends.

I gotta get me a life!

Mystery

To start from the beginning, when I got up this morning, I noticed an over abundance of shoes in the front hallway. It appears the cats spent the night pulling out shoes from under the parsons bench in my front hall. I didn't have a lot of time before work, but I checked it out with a flashlight and couldn't see any toys under there. I told them they were on their own.

When I came home from work (about 1/2 an hour later - apparently I wasn't scheduled to work today after all) the shoes were out again. I still wasn't convinced there was a toy under there, but it seemed a harmless enough occupation for them so I left them alone.

Late in the morning I glanced over and all I could see was the tail and back legs of one of the cats. He was pretty serious about getting his toy. I wished him luck.

A little later I heard him in the hallway, playing with his toy. Being curious, I checked to see what toy was causing such a fuss. The toy was a little mouse - a somewhat frantic little mouse.

I yelled at the cat to back off - he looked at me like I was crazy - and then I grabbed a bowl to put over the mouse. It took a little longer to find a piece of cardboard to slip between the bowl and the floor and by this time all five cats were circling the bowl like sharks.

I shooed them away and took the mouse out to the back of the yard were there's lots of brush and trees. And then, of course, I spent the rest of the day worrying about the poor little mouse, outside, alone in the cold.

The mystery, however, is where did it come from in the first place? Did it somehow get in from the outside? Or has it been here all along? The husband is all for putting out mouse poison, figuring where there's one mouse there'll be more. I say, if there's any other mice crazy enough to set up housekeeping in a house with 5 cats, then they're my kind of crazy.

Weekend Craptacular

To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this, the first long weekend of the season - the weather was predicted to be nasty and I have to work Monday - but I never expected it to be this bad.

I tend to relax my vigilance on what I eat on the weekends, simply because if anything bad comes of it I'll be at home. I don't know if it was the Advil gel cap I took for a migraine Friday, or the Chinese food we had for take out, but Saturday I was sick most of the day. I was finally feeling better late in the day, but I was still a little disappointed I didn't get a lot accomplished.

In retrospect, having a full dinner on a pretty much empty stomach after being sick was probably not the smartest thing to do. Don't worry, I paid for it. Dearly.

I was even sicker today than I was yesterday.

And then I got a phone call from the daughter. Someone stole the jeep she's had for all of two weeks. What kind of a person steals a jeep from a poor, starving student? Especially at today's gas prices?

And then the husband got a call that one of his bowling buddies passed away suddenly.

Oh, and I'm almost out of cat chow and the vet's office won't be open tomorrow to buy more.

All in all, it's been a pretty crappy holiday weekend.

Iron Man

Go see it, even if you have to pay full price.

I never read any of the Iron Man comics (which is what the movie is based on) and I'm not a big fan of Robert Downy Jr., but I really enjoyed the movie. And of course today at work I drove everyone nuts by humming the Black Sabbath song all day.

I can hear it in my head now . . .



After finishing the cats' garden last weekend I had some dirt left over so I topped up a few of my house plants and planted some of the cuttings I had rooting on the window sill. My indoor garden is looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. Hopefully it will continue to look good . . . provided I remember to water everything on a regular basis.

The writing is going pretty slowly, but it's going. You'll notice I removed Lost and Found from the sidebar. I decided there was no point working on the sequel until I had Driving Into Forever done.

According to a horoscope I read on a different blog, I'm supposed to be coming into an extended period of good luck that will lead to my destined success. Are you listening fate?

Spoiled? Pshaw!

My cats aren't spoiled. Not much they aren't!

I already had the big, trough-like planter, so this weekend I bought some plants and a bag of dirt to plant them in. The cat garden is complete. This is my last ditch effort to keep the little monsters away from my my dieffenbachia and philodendrons (which are poisonous).

Cats outdoors will nibble on the odd plant or blade of grass, so I figured it was only fair to give my guys a garden of their own. There's cat grass and cat nip at either end, and various non-toxic plants in between. I even planted the last of my sweet pea seeds in there for them.

I'm giving it about a week up on the book case to develop a decent root system and then I'll put it down where the ravening hoard can reach it. Good luck little garden!

Singin' the Blues

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's the story of my life. Singing the blues. But this time I feel like I'm entitled.

You would too if you had the week I've had.

Warning! ! ! Whining alert!

Two days off work this week means about $160 less on my next paycheck. Granted, I got some quality reading done. But no writing. Quite frankly writing was the last thing on my mind.

And no, having a gastroscopy and colonoscopy simulaneously is not worth the peace of mind of knowing whether or not something is wrong. You know how a plumber snakes a drain? Well, that's what it's like. Only from both ends at once.

And I might as well throw in the fact that it's been rainy and miserable for the last few days. Just what I need.

Okay, ranting is done.

I'll try to be more cheerful in my next post.

Promise

I Need A Bigger Suitcase!

I love staying at the Sheridan Hotel in Hamilton. The only thing more comfy than the beds are the pillows. Unfortunately, neither bed nor pillows would fit in my suitcase to bring them home with me.

We checked out the daughter's new (used) car on the way to the bowling tournament yesterday. It looks really nice. I think she got a real bargain.

My shopping buddy came with me to take the daughter home to London. I was glad of the company because it rained, and I mean serious rain, the whole way there and back. Mental note: Crocs are not designed for monsoon season.

We didn't get much shopping done yesterday, but we made up for it today. We both bought T-shirts at the Disney store and of course books at Coles. My buddy also dragged me to Build-A-Bear where she built a dog, not a bear, for her first grandchild. It was fun to watch but once you get them dressed they're kind of pricey. Oh, who am I kidding. I'll probably do the same thing for my first grandchild!

I might mention that the daughter and I went to the annual church book sale on Friday and came away with about $50.00 worth of books. Add to that the books I bought today and you'd think I'd be booked up (booked out?)for the next while.

Well, normally that would be true. However I just started a new series on dragons last week and I'm just about finished book 2. I have books 4 and 5 but not book 3. I need book 3. I intend to do a lot of reading Tuesday while my system is purged in preparation for my scopes on Wednesday. And this dragon series is what I want to read.

So, guess where I'm going after work tomorrow? Don't worry. I'm after one book only, and if they don't have it I will leave the store disappointed, but with what little money I have left intact.