Thinking Thursday

T: Due to my magical fuzzy socks, my toes are no longer cold.

H: I'm happy that my new (refurbished) iPod arrived in the mail yesterday.  I am lost without my music and my cats are tired of me making up weird songs to sing to them (they say they are, but I think they secretly love it).

U: One of my goals in the coming month is to clear the junk that's under my bed and vacuum.  I'm certain there is a family of wild raccoons living there by now. 

R:  Yesterday the mechanic told me I need a new radiator.  I wish Santa would have left one in my stocking.  I love that visual...

S: Saffy licks the air when I scratch her in a certain spot.  I call it her licky-spot.

D: The downside of sun pouring through the windows:  I am painfully aware of my need to dust.

A: This morning when the alarm went off, Cosmo was stretched against me under the covers and Phoebe was curled up on top of me.  And it was cold.  My boss is lucky I'm such a committed employee.

Y: I hope you have a yummy Thursday.  I still have some Christmas cookies that need to get eaten before they go bad.  That would be a shame to toss out perfectly good cookies, now wouldn't it?

Send my Presents to the Looney Bin

My brain feels slightly unfocused this morning; it's the kind of day when one list becomes three... and pointless, random images pop in-between the really important ideas.  You know those kind of days?  My thoughts are rattling around my head like little balls in a bingo cage...

B-10:  I love my Crockpot.  I toss ingredients in its belly in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner in the evening.  It's just like magic.

I-6: I still need to mail Christmas packages today.  Speaking of magic, I'd like some of Santa's secret powers to jump to the front of the line at the post office later this afternoon!

N-14: I am grateful that my cats have never molested the Christmas tree.  I have learned, however, how to enjoy presents without pretty bows and ribbons.  The cats are total ribbon junkies -- I swear, they act like addicts desperate for their next fix when they spot a particularly festive package.  All three of them do!

G-2: I need to buy 93029384 types of batteries before Christmas.  Can't forget.  Where's that list?

O-22: It's only nine days til Christmas?  Did my cats rig up some sort of time-speed machine so they can receive their goody-filled stocking more quickly?  They must have because I have no idea how it got to be December 16.  Oh, and have I mentioned my son's birthday is tomorrow and we have two gatherings for him this weekend?  Pass the eggnog...with a shot of something stiff!

BINGO!!!

What did I win?

 

Too late, Phoebe...too late.

Why Cat Snuggling is Better Than Housework

Yesterday it snowed a lot in Minnesota.  A lot.  At our house, we received nearly 20 inches of the fluffy stuff and the drifts were so tall, one ate our grill in the back yard!  Our family decided to declare an official snow day and spend the day watching movies, eating snacks, kitty snuggling, and drinking hot cocoa (the older set might have had a splash or two of peppermint schnapps in our cocoa...just sayin').  Due to the lack of anything remotely productive happening in the Bailey house on Saturday, the to-do list awaits us on Sunday.  Blah.  It turns out that ignoring chores doesn't make them go away.  Who knew?  I'd much rather lie around and snuggle cats again today.


Why Cat Snuggling is Better than Housework

• Cat fur doesn't give me dishpan hands.
• Arranging a cat in my lap is way easier than folding a fitted sheet.
• It's way easier to focus on eating snacks.
• The purr of a cat sounds more soothing that the roar of the vacuum cleaner.
• Watching my cat "make biscuits" on my leg is so much cuter than scrubbing the biscuit pan.

There.  I've taken my to-do list from ten items down to one: cat snuggling.  I better run now...my to-do list isn't going to do itself!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

If you have a cat, you know there are certain sounds with which you become familiar...

• The sound of four kitty feet jumping off the kitchen counter (mine they think they're making a stealthy escape from licking the butter dish)

• The hack-hack-hacking of a hairball

• Various sounds of shenaniganry, most often heard when we are warmly tucked in our cozy beds: picture frames being knocked off tables, Christmas tree ornaments being pawed off a branch and batted across the floor, and more of #1 and #2

• The feverishly frantic pawing at the bathroom door when we are seeking a little privacy

• The raucous rustling of wrapping and tissue paper on Christmas and birthdays

• The herd-of-elephants sound of cats chasing each other across the floor and up/down the stairs

• The crunchy crinkle of kitty claws on a scratching post

• The various meows: happy-meow, feed me-I'm starving-desperate meow, yawn-meow combo, stop rubbing my belly or I'll claw your face off-meow, I'm not going to open my mouth-meow (mrrrrrr!)

• The crunch-crunch-crunching of kibble and the lick-lick-licking of water

• And the best sound of all....the purrrrrrrrr

Mashed Blogtatoes

Today's post is sort of a mish-mash...a collage...a patchwork...a hodgepodge.  On a side note, don't you think it would be cute to be friends with a hedgehog named Hodgepodge?  Me too.

I'd say the hedgehog diversion took me off course, but how could I possibly digress on a post that has no real theme?  I love it when my well-honed skill of distraction actually pays off.

Since you are reading my blog, I can only assume you like cats and you might think I am a pretty OK person as well.  Judging from those two qualifiers, I can only assume that you want to see a picture of me in my Halloween costume.  This year, I dressed as Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess!

The only challenging part about this costume was the eye make-up.  I don't usually wear much make-up and my artistic style is naturally kind of like Impressionism. Cat eyes need detail!  Maybe I should have gone as a Monet painting.  Whatever the case, it was a fun costume and I had a great Halloween!

Moving on... Look what Fed Ex delivered yesterday!

A cat butt!!  Everyone was very excited and lots of celebratory butt-sniffing ensued.  Just to be clear, the cats sniffed cat-butt... I fully admit to being slightly (mostly) off-kilter, but I do draw the line at cat-butt-sniffing.

Lastly, I want to thank Sharon from Random Thoughts for awarding Catladyland this fantastic award!  Sharon is a new friend, a fellow writer, and an animal lover.  You really should check out her blog...she's a sweetheart! Sharon, I am grateful for the award and your friendship.

 

There you go!  Hope you enjoyed your giant serving of mashed blogtatoes!  Have a terrific Tuesday and remember to kiss your cats, express your gratitude, act silly, laugh at yourself, be kind, get out and vote, and eat some chocolate.  I will be doing ALL of the above...maybe at the same time.

Housework...blah, blah, blah

Sometimes I wish I were a person who does a little bit of maintenance housework every day and always seems to have a well-kept castle. I seem to be one of those that tidies up here and there, but never does anything major until 1) I cannot bear the sight of it anymore, 2) we are expecting company or 3) I am infected with the cleaning/organizing bug. In the case of the latter, I go-go-go til the whole house is spotless and then collapse until the next infection...usually a month or so down the road.

I love having a super-clean and organized house and I'm not lazy; I can just think of a bazillion other things I'd rather do than scrub a tub or mop a floor. I wonder how difficult it would be to train a cat to fold laundry... On second thought, warm pile of laundry + cat = nap. Bad idea. Do you think they could be trained to at least vacuum stairs?

Benefits of a Slap-Choppy Night's Sleep

I sometimes (lately more often than I'd like) wake up in the middle of the night and then can't get back to sleep. This is not news -- I've written about this subject a few times. It's frustrating, especially when I have to go to work at 6:45 and I'm running on four hours of sleep, 12 cups of coffee, and a prayer that I won't smack someone. Today I decided I shall dig around and seek the benefits of sleeplessness. There must be a little chip or two of a diamond buried somewhere in the muddy muck of sofa-backache and late night TV...

I can catch up on those old episodes of Wings and Home Improvement that I missed in the early 90's.

My mental to-do list is on fire in the middle of the night. If I keep a notepad nearby, I'm certain I'll create an epic list that will keep me busy for the next three years.

My cats love it when I'm up in the middle of the night. They curl up on all sides of the sofa and circle me while I read or watch TV. I'm jealous of their peaceful sleep. They are jealous of my midnight snacks.

I have the time to ponder thoughts that I'm normally too busy or sane to consider:

• Jillian Michaels really does looks like a man.
• Why is the same episode of Three's Company on every time I am up at 3am?
• Why don't men wear ascots anymore?

The Slap Chop infomercial doesn't watch itself.

So it's another day of coffee and maybe a nap this afternoon. Maybe I'll dream of Vince, wearing an ascot, Slap Chopping me a midnight snack.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Just when you thought everything was pretty stable in Catladyland, here I go changing things all over the place. See, I've been thinking (hope your Hazmat suit is at the ready) about my writing a lot lately and even submitted some tidbits for publication. I've had my writing published in the past, but recently haven't focused on much more than my blog. I'm ready to expand again. No, I'm not talking about expansion with regard to the six desserts I ate on the 4th of July, although that piece of Key Lime pie truly expanded my mind, taking me to a new level of Deliciousville. I won't discuss the expansion of my waistline. In Deliciousville, you can eat all you want and never gain a pound. I'm thinking of buying a timeshare.

Oh my, how I digress, especially when distracted by food! Back to my real point..what was it? Oh, yes -- expanding my sights on writing. OK, I proudly call myself "eclectic" and think that Eclectic Catladyland was an accurate representation of my life. I love cats, my family, music, bizarre products found in obscure magazines, food, word games, bacon (food, I know...but bacon is the mayor of Deliciousville so it gets its own category), sewing, writing, strange people, and a host of other interests.

So yes, my life feels pretty eclectic. But even I have trouble spelling www.eclecticcatladyland.blogspot.com. Thank heaven for bookmarks and links -- it's just a mouthful to type and say. Plus, after reading my writing for a while, the "eclectic" part is implied. So....plain old Catladyland is where I landed. But plain? Not so much. I've never once been accused of being plain (with the exception of "plain crazy") and I'm not about to start now. I changed my blog's name, created a page on Facebook for it ("like" it, already!), and am even working on a website (www.catladyland.com -- it's not up and running yet, but soon). For those of you who normally read my posts via Facebook, I will only post the links on the Catladyland page now -- not on my personal wall.

I hope you will continue to be a regular visitor and tell your friends to stop over for a visit! The only thing that would make life even better in Catladyland? Mayor Bacon. I'm pretty chummy with him so we'll see about that...

Flashdance

Yesterday when I wrote this entry, I thought perhaps it would be TMI for some readers. After reading it today, and having John read it, I feel differently. I’ve always over-shared and become close to people very quickly so I have no idea why posting this bothered me in the first place. Whatever…read on.

A couple of years ago, I had surgery that resulted in immediate, full-blown menopause. Because of this, I tend to experience flashes of “warmth” from time to time, especially during the night. Depending on my level of “warmth,” I sleep with either:

• layers of a sheet, a blanket, and a quilt
• a sheet and blanket combo
• a sheet
• no covers

Throughout the night, I shift between all four of the above-mentioned options. No matter what is blanketing me at the time, one factor is always constant: the 12-pound cat that is stretched and pressed up against the side of my body. Cosmo’s needy disposition draws him to me like a fuzzy little magnet every evening and he isn’t happy until he is under the covers and happily purring (and sometimes drooling) on my side of the sheet.

The advantage to keeping him beside me all night is that when he is not on the bed, he wanders around the bedroom whining and meowing, begging to be asked to the bed. John and I spend a good five minutes patting the covers, calling him, and stop just short of sending him an embossed invitation. Finally, he jumps up and nudges his way under the covers.

The drawback to having a large, warm, furry body pressed against me all night (no, I’m not talking about my husband), is that during my periods of “warmth,” the hot cat factor raises the discomfort level significantly -- it’s kind of like wearing a wool sweater in the middle of August. The problem is that if I move him, he immediately jumps off the bed and the whining routine starts all over again, now waking up my husband. And if I remove him from the bedroom and close the door, we can look forward to a night of door-pawing and more whining. What to do??

Sometimes I relocate to the sofa because there is no room for Cosmo to squeeze beside me, thus relegating him to the arm of the sofa. Other times I deal with the heat and imagine I am on a tropical island somewhere in the Caribbean. Either way, Cosmo and I continue to flashdance through the night.

If reading about my hot flashes bothered you, oh well…just wait til I write about my annual OB/GYN appointment next month.

Let Freedom Ring!!

Ahhh...a long, holiday weekend. The 4th of July is all about freedom and independence and I am thankful for both of those things, both on the large and small scale. This weekend, I plan to practice freedom in my own special ways.

I will fully embrace the freedom to...

...sit around and drink coffee out of my giant Regal Beagle mug for hours at a time in the morning.

...assign extra household chores to the kids so I can sit around and drink coffee out of my giant Regal Beagle mug all morning.

...wear my muffin/toast/coffee mug/donut-print lounge shorts all day today and into tomorrow, when I actually might have to shower and make a public appearance at a party. On second thought, if my friends judge my breakfast shorts, what kind of friends are they?

...watch my recorded shows that have been piling up on the DVR. Bad reality shows don't watch themselves, you know.

...skip the 4th of July parade this year, thus avoiding the cursing and anxiety that comes along with locating parking, fighting for a decent viewing spot, and having my eyeballs seared by the images of overweight, shirtless men.

...act like a cat and take lots of naps, play, and sit in the sun.

And lastly, I plan to practice the freedom to eat some bacon today. I've been avoiding meat for a few weeks, but it's a holiday, right? And what says America better than bacon??

Happy 4th!!

Mish Mash with a Side of Mindless

Well...now that the colossal cavalcade of birthday and anniversary celebrations is complete, I can return to writing about the mindful and the mindless, with no particular emphasis on either one. Curious about the state of my 40-Before-40 list? Yeah, me too. I plan to revisit that project in the next week and create a grand finale-ish of a post (don't get too excited, I never got around to making those homemade cat treats you were so excited about).

In the meantime, how about something from the mindless category? I'll take "Three Things You Might Not Know About Angie/Three Things Angie Wishes Were True About Herself for $1,000."

Three Things You Might Not Know

1. I have an spooky-excellent memory...especially with names. I can meet someone, not see them for a year, and remember their name. Plus, I'll remember where they work, how many kids they have, what their favorite movie is, and the name of the song that was playing when we were first introduced. Sometimes this freaks me out because I really don't want to remember things like stories about people's irritable bowels and painful boil lancing, but there they are. "Oh yes, Francine, I remember you....you are the one who gets God-awful diarrhea from eating cottage cheese. Thank you for forever searing that into my brain."

2. You would not believe how much I despise the condiment known as mayonnaise. I cannot open a jar of it without gagging. Funny thing is, I can eat it mixed with things, as long as I don't have to see it or smell it in its original state. Oh, and I like tartar sauce, which is just mayo and pickles...go figure.

3. I failed my driver's test twice because I could not parallel park. I still am completely parallel-parking-challenged. I nearly have a panic attack when I am in the city and see that the only parking will require me do the math required to do this kind of parking. See...it's math! That's why I don't like it! It's all about space and angles and all that business. I will drive around for half an hour looking for a regular parking space before I attempt this kind of math.


Three Things I Wish Were True About Myself

1. I wish I could drink coffee all day long and not get a stomach ache. I love the taste, the smell, and the comfort of a nice strong cup of black coffee. The truth is, I can only manage about a cup in the morning and a half a cup in the afternoon, which is better for me anyway. I do love jasmine green tea a whole lot and that that has its own sensory goodness as well. Coffee is just so...satisfying.

2. I wish I could read in the car. I get terrible, terrible motion sickness and always have. Sometimes just reading or sending a text message (as a passenger, not a driver...) makes me want to heave. I always envied those people who could read a book or magazine on a road trip. I'm usually stuck reading the back of a Dramamine box. Once I was on a work trip to Costa Rica and had forgotten to pack Dramamine. Think you've traveled on bad roads in 100 degree + humidity temps? We spent two hours in an un-air-conditioned van, up a crazy-craggy mountain, going five miles an hour. I learned the Spanish words for "Pull over!" pretty quickly.

3. I wish I could sing well. I love to sing...the unfortunate part of all of this is that people, in general, do not wish to hear me sing. Much to the dismay (or sick amusement) of my family and friends, I will Karaoke all day long. Give me a couple of drinks and I'll break out in an impromptu song and dance (seriously, I need no prodding to perform on command). I guess I'd just like my audience's reaction to be, "Wow! What a voice!" instead of "Wow! My ears are bleeding!"

Maybe I should look into taking driving lessons and voice lessons -- maybe there's a teacher that could combine the two and cut me a deal... I just hope her bowels aren't irritable.

Greetings From My Thoughtful Spot

Today is just that kind of day... the kind where I am thinking and thinking and thinking. One wise bear named Winnie once said, "Did you ever stop to think, and then forget to start again?" In my case, usually not. I never seem to need a reminder to start thinking again -- in fact, I rarely never stop so how could I start again? I guess I'll just Pooh-Pooh that quote, Mr. Winnie.

So from my own personal Thoughtful Spot, here's a small sprinkling of my some of my speculations.



#1: I just whipped up some scrumptious scrambled eggs with roasted sweet potatoes and parmesan cheese. On the label, the cheese is described as "fancy." What exactly does this mean? What makes some cheese, ketchup, and apples "fancy?" Are they made/grown by someone that looks like this? ------->>>>>>

I hope so. I enjoy imagining a fancy dandy in a top hat hunched over a giant stainless steel pot, straining curds and whey and whatnot. I like to think my cheese automatically tastes fancier and more refined when I conjure up that particular cheese-making scenario.

#2: A patient at work told me today that the health club at the nursing home/senior housing community by my house is open to members ages 40 and older (although most of the members are 55+). They have a pool, workout equipment, a whirlpool, and the monthly fee is really inexpensive. I will be 40 in just three weeks and this is the first "older person" thing for which I have qualified (barring the crazy AARP offers that have been coming to me since I was 30). Is it insane that I am excited about this? Ellipticalling alongside Edna...aerobicizing with Agnes...backstroking with Bernice... I'm there!

#3: One of my favorite hobbies is playing word games on Facebook... especially Scramble. It's like Boggle -- within a three minute time time frame, you try and find as many words as possible within a grid of letters. I like to play this game in the live-rooms, in the wee hours of the morning. I play against people from all over the world and tend to see the same players in these rooms every morning. I've been playing so long now that I've begun to get to know who is really super good and silently curse when I see them appear on the score column. I think I'm becoming a poor sport. Or else I'm too competitive. Maybe I need a different hobby....fancy cheese making?

Because food and words are two of my favorite subjects (and two thirds of this entry), I shall leave you with another sage Pooh quote:

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”

Now that's what I'm talkin' about...

What is Sexy?

So this blog entry idea is blatantly yanked from Dena's Why Aren't I in Charge? blog. So thank you Dena...for doing some of my thinking for me this morning!


Doing dishes and laundry -- I don't think guys understand how attractive this is. I've has this conversation with many, many friends and we all agree.

Cleaning off my car the morning after a snowy night.

Telling me how fabulous a piece of new clothing or pair of shoes looks on me before asking how much it cost (or completely skipping the part about asking how much it cost).

Initiating time with the kids and then really, really enjoying it.

A completely oddball, irreverent sense of humor...and consistently (making an effort to) laugh at my dumb puns and jokes.

The ability to take responsibility for your own issues and admit when you are wrong (and tell me that I am always right...just kidding).

You can fix things around the house, but then still go see some romantic indie film with me...and probably cry more than I will.

A willingness to share your dessert or french fries...because I said I didn't want any so I didn't order my own, but then the delicious smell got to me.

Say "You're beautiful" and "I love you" on a regular basis.

You don't mind animals sleeping in the bed with us at night and will adjust your sleeping position to make room for said pets.

Cuddling the cats when you think no one is looking. Talking sweetly to the cats (or animals in general) gets you extra, major points.

For me, personally, anyone who loves cats automatically earns double (triple) points!

Hmmm... did I mention anything about cats?

Time After Time...

The days between October and December seem to fly by faster than you can say Festivus. I feel like I'm devouring the last of my kids' Halloween candy and then suddenly the candy canes are just ripe for the pickin'. Oh, how I wish other periods of time sped by just as quickly. Instances like...





...the time spent in the dentist's chair

...cleaning up cat vomit

...scrubbing the bathroom (or housework on any kind)

...occupying a chair in the doctor's waiting room

...preparing income tax paperwork

...folding and putting away laundry

...watching anything with Renee Zellweger

...paying bills

...yard work


There's plenty more to list, but since time seems to be shrinking these days, I better get some Christmas shopping done before I blink again and it's suddenly Valentine's Day.

Slip of the Hip

It appears that I'm catching some crap for my fan-girl-gaga over the Twilight series and, specifically, being over-the-New-Moon about the latest movie. Listen here, I'm not above admitting that I have what some might call 'uncool tendencies' -- I've unabashedly blogged about my sometimes-sub-hipness and am not ashamed to share a few more nuggets of nerdom and panache for peculiarity.





* On the rare occasion that my family goes out to dinner, I enjoy arriving at the restaurant on the early side...like no later than 5:00. I can't stand crowds and cannot wait until my age qualifies me for the early bird specials so I can be seated right away and score a meal-deal.

* The other day I wore a hairband with little cat faces imprinted on the fabric. Cat accessories = one step closer to official eccentricity.

* I was just thinking about American Idol coming on again in January and getting a little excited about it. Hush.

* I still can barely keep my eyes open past 9:00pm, thus becoming a stranger to the likes of any shows with CSI, SVU, or NCIS in the title.

* I enjoy reading the Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary. I can't tell you who the name of the main character in the latest Stephen King novel is, but I can tell you chalazia (an eyelid tumor...yummy) is a word and will score you some major points if placed properly.

* The other day I was grooving in my mini-van(one uncool point) to some Seals and Croft (another point)... and I was probably wearing sweatpants(one more point). Plus there was the bonus possibility of embarrassing my children if this trifecta occurred as I pulled up to the school in the afternoon. Nice!

So there you have it. Come make fun of me all you like...you can find me first in line at the early bird buffet. I'll be the one whose children are standing five feet behind her -- the lady with the cat earrings and Edward Cullen t-shirt.