Religious Shootings

I don't think I ever mentioned the shootings that happened a few weeks ago. I think it was on the weekend of December 9th. It was all over the news here. A young guy walked in to a youth training mission and asked to stay in the dorms. He was told no and it turned into a heated argument I guess. On his way out, he pulled out a gun and open fired. A few hours later he open fired on a church. He was killed by the security guard. Two sisters died during those shootings. Their dad was also shot and spent time in the hospital although he was released to go to the funeral. I drove by the church on my way to the doctor. Sad that a church would need security. Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Very bright outside. Not sure when the next snow storm is suppose to hit, but there's still a ton of snow on the ground from the last one (6 inch).

I'm tired. I'm also tired of being tired.

Winter Storm Warning

We're supposed to get another snow storm tonight throughout tomorrow. I need to go out to the bank & post office tomorrow. Crap. Most likely I'll need to go to the pharmacy also and pick up some more antibiotics for the abcess (which while has drained, has a thick very purple and slightly puffy ring around it). I'm really ticked at the renal doctors for doubling my prednisone and ditching me for 3 months as I think that has a lot to do with my slow recovery. I'm not waiting around for them much longer.

had a gallon of milk in the car for 2 days. Don't worry about it going bad. It's been thawing on the counter for the past 4 hours.

I ordered from Petsmart last week. A few items - hip medication for Winsey and such. 7:48am this morning I was awakened by the arrival of one stinken bag of pill pockets. Lovely.

Our First Christmas

Most likely I will post this in both the kitty blog and the colorado blog.

Last night was short on sleep. I just wasn't tired. I woke up at one point to find all 3 cats curled at my feet... or rather, my legs. They would never sleep as far down as my feet - that gives me too much room to squirm. I untucked myself for the bathroom and as is the usual custom, Winslow raced in ahead of me in an attempt to beat me to his 'water dish.' He then usually stands on the rim looking at me as if asking me to politely leave the room and wait my turn while he finishes his drink. Some times I push him off, other times I get a drink first.

After the usual battle for the bathroom, there usually follows a now playful kitty. Some times Waldo & Miss Kitty will join him in this although last night was a solo performance. Winsey defiantly insisted on scratching his nails on 4 different pieces of furniture as I yelled out to him from the bedroom. I was sorely tempted to jump out of bed and trim his nails right then when he finally turned around and started using the scratch post... even then it sounded like he was dead set on breaking the thing.

This morning I got up and grabbed the 3 little stockings with their names on them. I unloaded the toys and the fancy feast for them although I won't open the cans until dinner. Around 11am I dragged on my heavy coat and my California sandals to go check my mail and discovered a fresh 2-3 inches of snow... fresh, cold, snow. I didn't think it would start till later, but I was wrong! I broke a fresh trail in my sandals over to the mail box where I actually had several letters waiting for me, but no secret ipod from Krys - so apparently that will be something for another day.

When I got back, I pulled out my 3 new beds for the cats. Winslow hasn't wanted to come out from under the covers yet, but Waldo & Miss Kitty sniffed around each bed before deciding that they would rather play in the box that one of the beds was in (Waldo inside, Miss Kitty pouncing from the outside).

I opened the back door to the balcony to see if anyone would be bold enough to step out. Waldo was the first to go stand in the doorway, followed quickly by Miss Kitty & Winsey. Waldo sat there, looking at me in confusion and meowing. Miss Kitty took a leap and jumped over Waldo. After a few dainty steps outside she decided that it was too cold and came back in. Winslow would do no more than sit behind Waldo in the doorway. When a breeze blew a flurry of snowflakes (you can actually see the individual snowflakes as they fall) into the condo and onto the two boys, both shook out their fur and backed further inside. That being done, I closed the door for my wuss's. Both boys promptly tried to recover their macho images and stretched front paws up the glas door.

This concludes our first Christmas. Dinner will involve tuna noodle casserole for me and turkey fancy feast for the babes. I'll probably light the candles, turn on the christmas tree lights, and start a fire once darkness hits.

Merry Christmas Eve!

and Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve. One of my packages to my family arrived, the other did not. So I guess my sisters will get their gifts late.

Not much going on. As I just wrote in my kitty blog - I have the new beds stashed in the closet waiting for morning. Tonight I'll put the toys and fancy feast in the stockings.

It's supposed to snow tomorrow. We have snow still from the last storm although it's definitely old looking and getting less each day.

Anyone have some exciting Christmas plans they care to share?

Extreme Makover: Home Edition

I was watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition last Sunday and as the people walked through their new house discovering everything, I realized that I felt exactly the same after Shelly & Patrick left and I had this nicely decorated place.

The abcess burst yesterday. Pretty gross stuff, but at least it'll heal now. My cold (which I caught over the weekend) seems improved too although all the coughing still freaks Miss Kitty out.

I went and saw the Alvin & the Chipmunks movie. SOoooo cute! The chipmunks are anyway. Bad acting with the people though. Especially the guy that played Dave - he just bugged me like crazy. Seeing those animated little chipmunks was worth it though.

Yesterday the washer machine repair guy came. Apparently the cold water wasn't working, which is why it wasn't spinning.

Today I shop for little Christmas stockings for the cats. Of course they're totally unaware of all the holiday excitement (although Waldo does eye the mini tree), but I'm excited to give them their gifts & stockings seeing as that's all I have.

Krys did mail me a birthday/Christmas gift which hasn't arrived yet. It's so funny because every year she tries so hard to surprise me with her gifts, but I always figure them out. This year she was excited that she had finally pulled it off. Now she didn't wrap the gift inside the mailed package, and it's a good thing I asked - so I said I'd just leave the whole thing until Christmas morning. Then we were talking on the phone the other day about mailing packages at the post office and all the questions that they ask and she mentioned that she told him that it's an ipod...

'Krys- did you just tell me what my gift is?'
BIG PAUSE 'Awww man!!! I was so close!'

Now I have no idea how to work an ipod, or even what they do, but I guess I'll spend my Christmas day working on it.

Bad Miss Kitty

This morning I was peacefully sleeping with the boys when I heard a huge ruckus. No, it wasn't Santa coming early. An investigation proved Miss Kitty to be the culprit. You'll understand better once I post pictures, but for now - I will try my best to describe the event. As you all know, I have a fireplace downstairs. Above the fireplace is a mantel. Upstairs there are 3 more mantels. 2 smaller and one rather large one. This past weekend Shelly found a nice big corner desk for me on Craigslist and she & Patrick set it up upstairs. Miss Kitty decided to poke around and must've tried to walk from the top of the desk onto the big mantle - which of course knocked it off the wall. It broke some of the (what's that stuff called? crowning?) that lines the bottom of the wall and the mantle is too heavy for me to put back into place, so that will be something that Krys & I can work on together when she visits. Miss Kitty showed no remorse.

I did get two kitty gifts today which are currently stashed in the car awaiting Christmas. I'm excited, even if the cats aren't. I also managed to get the gifts for my family ready for mail. I just need to go brave the line at the post office now.

Lastly, I went to the doctor today to have the infection in my leg checked out since it's changed so dramatically over the weekend. Cat people, you will understand when I say - it's an abcess! A nasty one too. For those who are not cat owners (although I assume dogs get them too) an abcess is usually like a huge infected pimple that blows up on the cat. Because of the fur, you usually won't notice it until it's really big or bursts. A burst abcess consists of draining puss & blood. Usually hot compresses are the treatment needed and if you go to the vet they'll usually prescribe an anti-biotic to hurry the process and make sure it doesn't get infected. They'll also clean up the area a bit (shave the fur). I wasn't aware that people partake in this glorious experience, but low & behold, I have a disgustingly painful abcess on my leg. I've been given my antibiotics and told to put on the hot wet compresses to get it to explode. Yuck. Glad you read this eh? BTW- a cat getting an abcess is not necessarily from a fight. It just happens, so don't go blame the neighbor cat or your local boarding facility! I also wouldn't recommend opening the wound on your own as it increases the chance of infection...

Thank yous

Thanks to those who left me messages yesterday for my birthday. It just so happened that yesterday was a migraine day and I spent the entire day in bed. Shelly & Patrick were scheduled to fly out and I listened as Shelly called several places for last minute transportation and found nothing. They finally just took my car and I called a cab today and picked it up from the parking lot where they left it. I felt like the worst person ever. They did sooo much work making this place into a home for me and then I couldn't even take them to the aiport. My cough has gotten worse since the episode yesterday - more like a cold now. The driver must've sprayed the place down with lysol after I hopped out. I also missed a call from my doctor - so I have to wait until Monday to find out what the results are on the ultra sound that was done on my leg. Bummer - because it changed color last night and it's really not a pretty sight... Very sensitive too.

I stopped by Safeway on the way home today and bought myself a piece of chocolate cake. It looks so yummy! I am determined to eat out next year and have someone sing to me.

I did drag myself out of bed once yesterday for the UPS guy who showed up with a big grin and stated 'Keep ordering! I have kids to provide for!' My mom had sent me a live Christmas tree - fully decorated. How did she know? I had wanted to pick up a fake one at Target the other day, but forgot to go back and get it. Now I look at this live one in a panic and I know it'll be dead soon. I have the blackest thumb ever when it comes to plants. It's like giving the plant the stamp of death.

I know I keep saying this, but honest - I'll post pictures soon. Within the next few weeks anyway :)

Homey Surroundings

Shelly & Patrick flew in last Monday and it's been a whirlwind of activity ever since. I am soooo glad that they came. Monday, they set up my counter stools, couch, vacuum (and vacuumed) and we went shopping at Target. Tuesday I stayed in while they toured the Coors factory and Wednesday they snowboarded. Today I had an ultra sound done on the calf of my leg due to an odd mass that formed a few weeks ago and seems to have gotten irritated. Hopefully I'll find out the results tomorrow. I'm still recovering from Monday, so I stayed in and slept while Shelly & Patrick when to Walmart with my card and bought a couple of items. They also got me birthday/Christmas combo gifts to help spruce up the place. Right now it's 10pm and they're at Target while I plan to hit the bed soon. They also found a really nice big corner desk for cheap on Craigslist for me, picked it up, and assembled it upstairs and transfered my fax/printer up there. Shelly got a couple of nice lamps and Patrick got a coffee table - which hasn't been set up yet as we're now thinking oval instead of the rectangular shape. The tv has been put onto a nice stand/entertainment thing. Everything just looks so nice! I will definitely try to post pictures soon.

I've gotten so use to their company. It'll be lonely coming back from the airport tomorrow. I'll have to start driving again - Patrick's been doing all this snow driving for me. If I can though, I do plan to stop by the store and get myself a cake.

slip n slide

Still snowing. I could have buckets of icee now. I drove my way over to Safeway earlier and let me say that was the freakiest thing ever. The trip over wasn't so bad. The trip back = nightmare. First, let me say what a joy it was shoving the shopping cart through the snowy parking lot to my car (people, I discovered, don't even bother to park in actual spots seeing as there are no visible lines. You just kinda park wherever). Then there's the process of loading the car. Then taking the scraper and going around to scrape all the windows... again.

Traffic was slow going home, and I for one was glad. Left hand turns will be the death of me. The car skidded on the first one I made. I don't even know which lane I was attempting to use seeing as I couldn't see the lines. I drove slowly after that until I hit the next left turn. The light was only letting a couple of cars go at a time, but I couldn't see that due to the big truck in front of me. I slammed on the brakes when I realized the light was red only to skid out a little more and to have to reverse back into a semi-normal position. When the light finally turned green again, the car skidded... a lot... on the turn and it took a few cranks of the wheel to finally get it under control. After that cars passed me like crazy as I inched my way home - and I didn't care!

I got into my parking lot and seriously debated parking way over in visitor parking so that I wouldn't be likely to skid into my spot and hit the neighboring car. Fortunately it was only one car next to my spot. If both cars had been there on either side, I think I would have gone to visitor. I made it into my spot safely though and I can only hope my neighbors now won't hit me.

The next time I will even attempt to drive again is Monday. Shelly/Patrick flight comes in around 1pm and I plan to leave early! It's supposed to be like 30% chance of snow and then clear the rest of the week. Good chance I'll be handing over the car keys to one of them for Monday at least. They want Olive Garden that night and if they want to drive us over, I'm up for that.

The good news: It's only 15 degrees and dropping. I left the milk to be refrigerated in the car rather than lug it up to my floor. I'll get it in the morning.

icee anyone?

It's snowing again. It's suppposed to snow all weekend. I looked out about 20 min ago and discovered a white winter wonderland. I opened the back door and ran to get a cup & spoon from the kitchen. Waldo took the opportunity to take a step outside and after a dainty first step or two, merrily went on his way to create a kitty paw print border for my balcony. He then stood at the other end meowing and refusing to come in. I tried to take a picture of the adorable tracks he made, but even with the flash I think it came out too dark. I'll upload tomorrow and see if anything turns.

I, myself, managed to scrape together a big cup of slush. After adding some cherry syrup and calistoga sparkling water - it was the perfect icee.

Another Update Already?

I was just reading an e-mail update. Someone I know is currently dealing with infection/hospital/doctors/etc. I can't get it off my mind. Why? Well, sure - Ive been through some of that myself, but mainly because I'm a tad jealous. Surprised you say? Well here it is: her mom is with her. Yes, my parents would join me also - but I always felt guilty for that. My mom made such a show of the effort that it took for her to join me that I always felt more guilty having her there than supported. Then of course there was the constant disagreements with medical choices. If it were her, she would be doing blah blah blah. Somehow the center of attention always turned over to her and her illness and I would lay there just resenting that she even bothered to 'show' she cared. Yes, these are still issues I deal with now - and it has a huge impact on my desicion to live privately out in Colorado. This is also the reason why I usually put Shelly down as my emergency contact instead of my parents.

I will say this. The last two days have been rather painful for me. Not the 'normal' course, but a familiar one all the same. Just knowing that I am not under the watch of my mom has been a HUGE relief. I should mention, I have not given this link to my parents for this very reason. Whether or not it's been leaked out - I don't know.

I feel rather useless when it comes to others in need. I've always relied on humor to get me through my dark times. Those who keep contact during those periods know this (i.e. wanting to know where I'm going to get my girl bonding time if they remove my kidneys... us gals usually hang in the bathroom. Or posting slumber party signs on the hospital room door). This stuff doesn't help others though. Jokes tend to come off sounding more on the insensitive side when they're not about yourself. As a result, I awkwardly shy away from these situations. Know this though, if one of you is going through a trial - you are constantly in my thoughts.

So to this person that I mentioned earlier. May you be supported, and not smothered or controlled. You'll get through this.

Good News/Bad News

Good News: Dr. Dope is gone! Yesterday when I was at my primary, she told me that the kidney appointment had been bumped. Today when I rescheduled, I was told that the doctor is no longer with them. He gave notice last week.

Bad News: First available appointment isn't until Feb 5th. I have never gone that long between appointments and they changed around my meds at the last one so that means no check up for two more months.

Good News: My primary is accessible. I can call in the morning and see her that afternoon if needed. I think she'll also be great about giving me refills as needed.

Bad News: Waldo insists on scratching the stairs, and Winslow the end of the bed EVEN THOUGH I have scratch posts in both areas. They know it's bad too. All I have to do is turn around and look at them and they stop and give me this daredevil look.

primary physician = A+

Yay! I saw my new primary physician today and I love her. She actually had someone in training and I spent most of the time with her, but both were great. My new doctor put in for the refills that I needed via the computer even as I sat there and she gave me plenty of future refills. She had reviewed my case before I got there (unlike Dr. Dope) and gave me the necessary referals. I wish she would be the main person to handle my case, but no - I'll give Dr. Dope one more try before I ask for a switch. Speaking of Dr. Dope - my next appointment with him apparently has been 'bumped' (needs to be rescheduled) but so far no one has called to let m know this. So I'll ask tomorrow when I go in to get my port flushed.

Yesterday was a migrained day. Spent the day in bed with the cats. Good company except that when night finally did come around- all 3 became very active. It was a very long and noisy night. Migraines better today, but to reward myself for getting up early to go to the appointment - I gave in to the nachos craving.... ate way too much and as a result, I'm still recovering. You'd think I'd have learned from the horrible pizza the other day.

Now I'm waiting for Samantha Who? to come on. Anyone keeping up with Beatuy & the Geek? Winner to be announced tomorrow. Go Jazmine & Dave!

A Little Creepy

I have a couple of policies.

1) No getting gas after dark
2) No checking my mail after dark

Mainly because I know someone who was raped going up the stairs to her apartment after dark. So today it's raining - soon to be snowing. As a result, it's only 3:15pm and getting dark. Decided to check my mail early. No mail yet, but I froze my toes off walking over there anyway. As I was walking I noticed a figure standing in the bushes by the pool. About 6ft tall, with a backpack. Stood like a teenager although I couldn't see a face. What's creepy is that I had to walk right past this person an they stood there hiding in the bushes the whole time trying not to be noticed by me. I made it obvious that I knew he was there, looking back several times and staring, but still - he hid. I walked back to my place with keys between fingers and I didn't go directly to my door. I'm sure he was probably sneaking over to hang with a friend or something, but still - I'm new here. If something were to happen, no one will notice until they try to collect rent.

I should get some pepper spray.

Last night I was surprised to find myself alone. I left the bedroom in search of my three furry friends and found the boys sleeping in the doorway (??). I went over to them and as if planned, they both rolled onto their backs for belly rubs. I laughed.

Miss Kitty has been super bored today. She can really fling those mice! The boys have been under the covers all day. Winslow on the bed and Waldo next to the bed with the covers hanging over. What? Who says I didn't make the bed?? Okay, no I did - but they like it like that!