Cat-itude

As anyone who's read my blog for any length of time knows, I'm a "dog person." I've wanted a dog since I was a kid - every Christmas, every adolescent birthday wish - was for a puppy. I'm pro-pitbull (Judge the Deed, Not the Breed) and break my own heart every time I go to the pound and see all those soulful eyes pleading with me to take them home. Unfortunately, I've never been in a position to do just that very thing, what with my landlords' rules and all or, in my current situation, the resident canine demanding the place all to himself. So, I took the stereotypical single girls' route and became a crazy* cat lady.

A couple years ago, I went to the Humane Society and adopted a couple of lithe, bat-eared Siamese kitties. One of them is practically a dog, as he will fetch for hours and follows me around like a little shadow. (Of course, this will probably be the death of me as he tends to follow and lead at the same time. This attempt at anticipating my every move has resulted in more than a few trips and spills in my efforts not to squash his little body.) The other is scared of pretty much everything, including her own shadow. You look at her cross-eyed and she is running and diving under the bed, her little heart ready to bust at all the imagined attempts on her life. When you ignore her, she's alright and will try to go about her own business. She's very bonded to the other cat (the reason I adopted both of them in the first place) and when it's just the two of them, they're really sweet with each other. The only time she'll let herself relax in the vicinity of a person is when you're asleep. Then, the two cats will curl up in the crook of my knees and sleep until morning. I don't kid myself about this - I know they're only in it for the body heat.
Anyway, the only reason I bring all this up is that lately (after 2+ years!) she seems to be mellowing out a bit. Enough to let me take up-close-and-personal pictures of her that are not from under the bed, peeking from behind a closet door, or from 10 feet away. But, judging from the expression on her face, I don't think she liked it much.

(* Crazy is most likely a pre-existing condition and didn't have much to do with the cats.)

The Solution to all of your problems

So, I regularly read this brilliant blog named Dooce. And by regularly, I mean everyday, sometimes refreshing 2 or 3 times a day just to see if she's posted again. Anyhoo, she has come up with what she calls "the Oh My God Our Plumbings Fucked Cookie."

But really, I think this would work in pretty much any problematic instance.

........

Let's think globally here, people. How many of these would we have to ship out for World Peace?

Zapateria!

Got ready for work this morning and for once, didn't worry about my feet being cold. I for-went the socks and slipped on a pair of sandals with my jeans and peasant blouse. Slid into my car, put on my new shades and headed out to work, not sad to be up and about on this glorious spring morning. The sun is warm but the breeze is cool and it's one of those perfect days in San Diego's blink-and-you'll- miss-it springtime. Once I got to the office, my mood dampened at having to be closeted indoors and I was restless and bored until lunchtime, which I spent walking around in the plaza by my work. Lunch was a smoothie and salad paired with the warm sun on my bare arms. It even makes this sun-cynical girl smile. My favorite part of spring is getting to shed all of our winter layers. So-Cal winters are weird in that the mornings and nights are damp and cold but the days are anyone's guess. Rain, sun, wind... even the weatherman can't predict what's in store for the afternoon. So, we dress in layers to ward off the chill. Thin-skinned me tends to be too lazy to shed her sweater to acclimate during the day so I end up being overly-warm or too cold for months at a time. But now! Now everyone is all about easter egg colors and white and earth tones and bare legs and arms and shedding those layers because we don't have to worry about being too cold. Too hot, maybe. But getting nekkid is ever so much more fun than putting more clothes on.

Yesterday, with my tax return burning a hole in my pocket, I went to Target on my lunch hour to update my working-girl wardrobe. I lucked out on a pair of black, flat-front trousers, and an ocean-blue button-up blouse. But the shoes! I fell in love with a pair of shoes that teased me with 2 sizes too big and one size too small. I've been in love with these since I first saw them, but I'm the girl who thinks shoes with a nine west label are considered designer. So when I saw these at Target for a mere $23.00, I figured it was Destiny at work! Apparently, Destiny called everyone else with the same sized feet as me last week, because after trying 3 Targets (and trying to squeeze my feet into shoes a size too small) I gave up and ordered them on-line. Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands.

Plans for the weekend include wine-tasting with Devlynn and her crew, picking up my camera tonight (Hoorahh!) and frantically finishing Photoshop work for both my on-line class and my in-class classes.

Meanwhile, I'll be waiting for those shoes....