Four eyes

Day 31

Many people have told me over the years that I look good in glasses. I have never shared that opinion. I do like my new frames much better than my old ones. I had the old ones for over 10 years, and after the dog sat on them, they were never quite the same. I will at least wear the new ones out in public. Not often, but I'll do it. I still prefer to wear my contacts. I would really prefer to have 20/20 vision, but I take after my dad in the eyesight department. Oh well. You have to play the hand you're dealt, I suppose.

It's hip to be Squared

Day 30

When I started my job as a bank teller back in 2005, I didn't know I would be meeting one of my best friends. She wasn't even a coworker; she was a customer. I only lasted at that job six months before I went back to being a pharmacy tech - I was that miserable there. But I came away from it with an amazing friendship, and because of that, I will never regret it.

Michelle and I are alike in so many ways. Not only do we share the same name, but our birthdays are both in January, we're both Aquarians, both love butterflies and Tinkerbell, we are of German heritage, have an obsession with the bread at Outback Steakhouse, a bit of an anger management problem, and a love of Friendly's. We have been "Michelle Squared" for so long now that all of our friends refer to us simply as Squared. Whether they are talking about me, her, or both of us... we're just Squared. It fits.

Michelle has such a beautiful spirit and a heart of gold. She has been there for me through so much over the years, and I'm so lucky to have a friend like her.

Squared, I love you more than I can say.

Luck, be a lady tonight

Day 29

Katie and I set off to see Guys and Dolls at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center, with no real idea where we were going. We found it with surprisingly little trouble, considering our road trip history, and then we grabbed dinner at Ben's before the show began. Katie was very impressed with her burger. Mine was pretty delectable as well.

Heather and Justin were both in the play this year. Heather played Harry The Horse, and Justin played Big Jule. They were both awesome, as was the rest of the cast. I truly enjoyed the show, and I had some crazy laughs with Katie.

After the show, we hung around and chatted with Heather, Justin, Jon, Rachel, and Adam before heading out to Squared's birthday party. I'm so glad I got to see the show, and it made me nostalgic for my high school theater company days with Heather. I think I need to find a theater group to join. I miss the stage.

Ride the wave

Day 28

Sometimes I get into experimental moods with my hair. I will usually try out a new hairstyle on a weekend. That way, if it looks dreadful, I don't have to go out.

This was my first experience using a waver. It's like a crimper with less 80's flair. I decided to try it when Kelly came to work with her hair looking fabulous. I asked what her secret was, and she told me a Hot Tools waver. Guess what I went out and bought.

I don't think it came out all that bad for my first try. I need a little more practice. More time to play. It will probably look better when my hair is longer. More to work with; less poof because the length will weigh it down.

At least I haven't gone completely insane and pixie cut it on a whim like last year. That's a good sign. Although I do sort of enjoy the fact that "pulling a Michelle" is an accepted euphemism amongst people who know me for going nuts and cutting off all of one's hair.

Iggins

Day 27

The last year we were together, PXF's "boss" gave him an XBox 360 as a Christmas bonus. I personally would have preferred the cash, but what can you do?

Since PXF already had his own XBox 360, the new one became mine. I admit it came in handy, especially the last few months living with him, as I could simply lose myself in a video game, and forget his existence, as well as my own.

When I decided to move out, I asked him if he wanted me to leave it. He said I was welcome to take it. So I did.

As of late, it has become nothing more than a DVD player. I don't even have the energy or motivation to play a video game. How sad is that? I would rather stare mindlessly at the TV like a zombie because I simply lack the desire to do anything else. Final Fantasy 13 is still sitting in my video game binder unfinished, and sometimes I think about playing it. Then I just roll over and put on another episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Whatever.

Slide

Day 26

"If you don't wear boots with traction, you might end up in traction." I have uttered this phrase many times lately while navigating an icy parking lot on the way to a club. I risk my life for fashion when going out on the town, but usually if it's a work day, I'm smart enough to wear my snow boots.

Last I heard, it was supposed to snow tonight. Not during the day. I didn't bother to check Weather Bug on my phone when I got up because I was running a little later than I wanted to, and damn it, it wasn't supposed to snow until tonight. Even my mother, who obsessively checks the weather, news, and other sources of impending doom, assured me on my way out the door that it was supposed to snow tonight. I was fine in these boots. These several year old boots that have worn off what little traction they had to begin with. They make wonderful dancing boots, by the way - easy to pivot and slide across the floor. As it turns out, also easy to slide across the ice.

On my way to work, it started snowing. It didn't stop snowing. By the time I was out of work, the parking lot was little more than an ice skating rink. I held onto the sides of my car as I slid rather clumsily around it, brushing off snow and scraping off ice. And I couldn't help but find the whole thing incredibly funny.

It was supposed to snow tonight - when I was inside, in my pajamas and fuzzy socks, watching Modern Family with Luna. It didn't quite work out that way.

My life is a comedy of errors.

O-Dub

Day 25

This is my "Thank God it's over" head on the steering wheel moment when I got home tonight. There has been a vague looming dread about January 25th for weeks, ever since I learned that was the day I would get to finally meet my client of over a year.

Today started out with all the potential in the world to totally suck. And it didn't. Lisa, Lucille, and I really had no idea what to expect when we hopped a train to Manhattan. Navigation was all Lisa - I thank my lucky stars she was there. I also thank my lucky stars she helps me out with scheduling and she dove headlong into it like a trooper.

We were extremely well-received. I learned today that other people know I'm good at my job, and I pretty much felt like I had rockstar status for a few minutes there. Everyone knew me, and not only that, they had only nice things to say. It is a huge mental and emotional boost when all of your hard work gets rewarded. I had a similar feeling when people would write in to Positive about a catalog that I poured hours of my time and effort into, and they truly enjoyed the items and slogans we sat in meeting after meeting about, priced, placed, and mailed. It's nice to be appreciated.

Aside from that, I came away from today knowing that I could never work in the city while living on Long Island. I was so tired, my feet hurt, I felt dirty, and all I wanted in the whole world was a shower and my pajamas.

I could easily be a city girl, but I so couldn't handle being a commuter.

Precious

Day 24

Luna knows when I'm upset or not feeling well. It is generally the only time she cuddles. She can somehow sense that I need her. If she could take the pain from me and fix whatever is broken inside me, somehow I know she would. She cares too.

The trick is to keep breathing

Day 23

This was the only thing I wanted to do today. Sleep. Forget. I would curl up in bed and hold onto my ribcage so it didn't fall apart around the hole where my heart used to be. Sometimes I would cry. Mostly I would just exist. One breath, two... One heartbeat, another... Still here.

I wanted to pretend like today wasn't happening. I dragged myself up the stairs, ate dinner and cake, opened birthday cards. I can't remember if I had the energy to muster a smile. I checked Facebook - tons of Happy Birthday comments. I'm surrounded by good people who genuinely care about me. And yet I feel so completely alone.

Normal is boring

Day 22

Kathy and Michelle strike again. She brought a huge plush GIR to Subculture for my pre-birthday fun.

It isn't all that often I click with another female, and the fact that she's a Leo is confusing, but our friendship should probably scare you. We understand each other way too well. If we ever wanted to take over the world... well, we'd be sitting on thrones with GIR seat covers on them in no time.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Cupcakes!

Day 21

My awesome coworker, Kelly, made me cupcakes for my birthday. They were Funfetti - my favorite - and she even tried to use food coloring to make the inside purple, but it came out blue instead. She's the sweetest thing ever.

This girl helped keep me somewhat sane and grounded while I was miserable in Tampa. We would text and talk on Facebook, and she would often throw something funny into an email to make me laugh. It helped pull me through until I got back to New York.

Kelly caught the brunt of my bad juju on the way into work to bring me these cupcakes. I'm convinced it was my fault because she was carrying in cupcakes for my stupid birthday when she slipped on the ice and fell. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt, but her mother's plate wasn't so lucky, and a few of the cupcakes found a new home in the snow. I also owe her a cup of coffee for the one she lost in the name of my birthday cupcakes.

That aside, the cupcakes were delicious and a wonderful birthday treat. Yes, I ate a cupcake at 11:30 in the morning. And it was all I hoped it could be.

There's an app for that

Day 20

I have been slightly obsessed with my Droid since I got it when my enV3 met with an untimely death. Or maybe it was timely because I was eligible for an early upgrade. But either way, I needed a new phone.

I walked into the Verizon store expecting to walk out with a Blackberry - I have fond memories of my old Blackberry helping me and PXF navigate Boston back in '09. There's a LiveJournal post about that somewhere, and as half tempted as I am to go back and search for it to post a link... I'm not going to.

Enter Joel, Verizon salesman extraordinaire, who was, coincidentally, from Boston. We got into a rather long-winded, anger-fueled conversation about Tampa drivers and how stupid and ridiculous they are. I've never in my life encountered the type of road rage Tampa drivers inspired in me, and I've got a hell of a temper.

Within 5 minutes, Joel had talked me out of a Blackberry and into a Droid. He whipped out his own Droid to show me all the cool and sometimes completely useless (but still cool) things I could do with this phone. When he showed me this, I was sold. I realize this has nothing to do with the phone itself. But it's cool. Like the phone. Shut up.

Now, after having the phone for several months, I can say I do truly love my Droid. It keeps me obsessively connected to my email, Facebook, and other such things I simply cannot live without. It also has Weather Bug, so I always know how ri-Goddamn-diculously cold it is outside. It has fun games like Angry Birds, a GIR soundboard, and a pretty good quality camera. It can probably do even more things that I don't know about and likely never will because I don't read instruction manuals. Oh well.

I'm not an addict. Maybe that's a lie.

Day 19

I admit it - I have a problem. And apparently that's the first step. The first step toward what I don't know.

My senior year of high school and the company I kept then is to blame. My friends and I, having nothing better to do, hung out at a diner. We were all broke, so the dollar for the never-ending cup of coffee was about all we could afford.

Going on 11 years of a serious caffeine addiction has made me a bit of a coffee snob. My drug of choice is Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha. Unless it's the holiday season, in which case Peppermint Mocha has my heart. The 2010 holiday season brought Caramel Brulee Lattes with it - I was a big fan. Sometimes I will switch it up with a Caramel Macchiato or a Chai Tea Latte. I'm even known these days to rock a Passion Tea, with a metric ton of sugar in it.

By the time I get to Starbucks at lunch time, it's my third cup of coffee for the day. One on the way to work, one from the cafe downstairs, and then the Starbucks run. I dread running out of money on the gift cards I got for Christmas. Then it's back to 7-Eleven for me. Not a bad second runner up to Starbucks, and certainly less expensive. But they don't have all the fun flavors and the super cool cup I can wave around like a status symbol. Not that I would do that.

I really don't care where it's from. It's coffee? It has caffeine in it? Awesome. Sold.

Cranky pants

Day 18

My friend Toni and I have a joke about cranky pants. They are imaginary pants that we pass back and forth when we're in a bad mood. I've been in possession of the cranky pants for the past few days. My mood started sliding downhill on Sunday, got a little worse yesterday, and spiked to intolerable today. "Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't breathe near me, don't even think about me" - that was pretty much my attitude all day. With the occasional axious moment, followed by a sad moment, and then right back to cranky. I'm hoping that this is the end of the cycle, and tomorrow I'll go back to the relatively good place I had been in. Not happy, but at least somewhat centered and balanced.

At the mention of cranky pants, my wonderful friend Dennis posted this on my Facebook page:


Dennis has known me for over ten years, and he always knows what will make me smile. He finds the most random things, and this is pretty damn random. But as soon as I saw it, I burst out laughing. I kept going back to look at it today to make myself smile when I was about to break.... brown down, break someone's face, break my computer... just break. And it made me happy. Thanks, Dennis. I can always count on you.

My coworkers also have the tendency to pick me up. We laugh a lot, and it helps to relieve the tightness in my chest.

Kathy texts me to remember to breathe. It shouldn't be a hard thing to remember to do, but lately it is. Katie texts to check upon me often, and Michelle goes out of her way to make me laugh.

I really do have some of the best people in my life. Even when I'm wearing the cranky pants.

I'm in da hood, yo

Day 17

Hoodies are in third place behind pajamas and fuzzy socks as my all-time favorite articles of clothing. I always look forward to fall, as it is my favorite season, and the first day wearing a hoodie is a good day.

That was part of why Florida didn't work for me. There's really not a hoodie season, and as it moved into late September/early October I was seeing Facebook posts from friends about it being hoodie weather. It made me a little jealous and horribly depressed. I would turn down the air conditioning real low in the apartment just so I could wear a hoodie, but it just wasn't the same.

It was hoodie weather the last week or so that I was in Florida. I figured it was just Mother Nature fucking with me. She's clearly not done. The snow we've been getting - all my fault. I take full responsibility.

I just wanted to go home and be all normal. Bring it, Mother Nature. My hoodies and I are here to stay.

Shadowboxer

Day 16

I read a story once when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old about a family whose shadows came alive and killed them. It scared the living crap out of me. Every time I saw my own shadow, it would spook me a little bit. Sometimes I still get creeped out when I think about that story. It gives being "scared of your own shadow" a whole new meaning.

I love this show!

Day 15

Kathy & I passed each other on the dance floor for years and never spoke. She was a regular at Subculture, I was a somewhat regular, and we knew of each other, and that's where that ended.

At the end of the summer, we started talking one night outside at Whoville. I heard the word "ferret," which made me pause my own conversation, and butt my way into hers. At least she was talking to the guy I happened to be dating at the time, so it wasn't that weird. By my standards anyway.

Shortly thereafter, we became Facebook friends. I posted a picture of GIR playing Nintendo Wii, and an epic comment conversation followed, during which I learned that Kathy is not only a GIR fan, but she has a larger collection of GIR items than I do.

We had a nice day shopping and having lunch together yesterday. She was going to be in my blog picture for the day anyway, but imagine my excitement when she found GIR ears in Hot Topic. And she was willing to wear them in public with me. And take a picture of it. A picture which she knew would be online. This lady rocks.

Shutter

Day 14

I have always enjoyed black and white photographs. I find them classy. They look softer. And they hide my atrocious blotchy complexion when makeup fails.

I usually see everything in black and white anyway. I'm not so keen on gray areas. It's black or it's white. It is or it isn't. Anything else doesn't make much sense to me.

There are times when color photos are necessary. But sometimes, a black and white shot can be more expressive, and tell an even more colorful story.

My face is all up in your book

Day 13

I am, and have always been, a nerd.

I was the kid who got excited about book fairs in school. I would read at my desk before the bell rang in between classes. My love of reading was actually what made Katie start talking to me way back in the 7th grade because she couldn't fathom why I would read for enjoyment when we were forced to read so much in school already. Now I think she reads more than I do. It's funny how people and friendships evolve.

I have my favorite books and authors, but I'm always looking for another interesting read. Sadly, I don't have as much time as I would like to just sit quietly and read a good book. Although I think that allows me to enjoy it more when I do find the time. I read a lot on the flights between Florida and New York in those 3 months away from home. Now that I'm here for good, I just don't have the time, or maybe I don't make the time the way I should.

Maybe my love of reading sparked my love of writing. Maybe I just wanted to be part of something I loved so much, and bring something new to someone else who loves to read. Then again, maybe I'm just a brainy chick that digs books and learning. Either way, I'm a total bookworm, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Snow Day

Day 12

I woke up to a foot of snow and a few texts from coworkers. Nobody was going in to work. I wasn't about to either. My PTO has to be pretty deep in the negative by now, but I was pretty deep in snow. Since this neighborhood clearly doesn't believe in things like plows or salt, there really wasn't any way I could get to work. So I went back to sleep. Luna appreciated this decision and took a nap on my back, which created a nice little heating pad effect for me. No complaints here.

I could have skipped all of this - the cold, the snow, the ice - and stayed in Florida. But I chose friends, comfort, and sanity over nice weather. And in making that decision, I've made quite the startling discovery - I don't hate snow anymore. I used to despise the mere thought of a single snowflake. Now I'm unphased by it. I don't mind the cold as much. It's just a part of being here. And being here is being home.

Encouraging my paranoia

Day 11

I had seen commercials for The Craigslist Killer while feeding my addiction to true crime shows. I'm an A&E junkie, and it always confuses me when television stations advertise shows and movies on other channels. But I'm no TV exec, so what do I know?

I missed the premier of this Lifetime movie because I was clearly doing something much more important - probably watching A&E. I didn't even realize I missed it until someone was talking about it at work the next day.

So I looked up the next time it would be showing, and it was Saturday night. Excellent. I figured since I had plans to go out on Friday night, it was okay to be a total loser on Saturday night and watch The Craigslist Killer in my pajamas.

When the snow and ice problem on the roads in this lovely development I call home made it impossible to go out Friday night, I was determined to go out on Saturday night. I was not going to sit home alone both nights of my weekend. Forgetting all about my movie date with myself, I went out to Bleu with Jay (see Day 8), and it wasn't until late Sunday night that I realized I had missed the damned movie again!

Tonight, I looked up when it would be playing again. February 21st. F that noise. I'm not waiting over a month to see this movie, only to forget it's on again.

As it turns out, you can watch the movie instantly on your computer. I've decided that's what I'm doing tonight. I might be afraid to go online, answer my phone, or leave the house for two weeks, but at least sitting at home and watching a movie by yourself on a Tuesday night is much more acceptable than doing it on a Saturday night.

She hides like a child

Day 10

The only thing I could think of to write about today would have been far too serious and emotional. It would have made me vulnerable. As the main purpose of this project is to serve as a distraction, I didn't feel comfortable wearing my heart out on my sleeve like that. Maybe one day I'll feel secure enough, but not today. So instead, I chose to hide.

Sock it to me!

Day 9

I love socks. My favorite kind are fuzzy socks like these. Very cozy.

I very rarely wear plain socks. Nearly all of my socks have some kind of design on them. I have GIR socks, Hello Kitty socks, Halloween themed socks and socks with snorkeling frogs on them... just to name a few.

If you're ever stuck on what to get me as a gift, socks with a fun pattern will always make me happy. Most people don't like getting socks, because they think it's a lame present, but I believe that the lameness of the sock gift is only as lame as the sock itself.

Mad World

Day 8

Jay and I went to Bleu last night for the Abstraction reunion thing, which seemed appropriate at the time since that is where our awesome friendship began. We were having about as much fun as we look like we're having in this photo. We sat on a couch in the corner and talked about life, love, fate, and other such profound topics. We left a little after midnight.

As we were leaving, I was tipsy enough to attempt civility with my ex. I felt like it was the right thing to do. There's no need to make things more awkward than they need to be, and actively ignoring each other only breeds hostility. So I put my hand gently on his back and said goodnight. Was I ever in for a surprise when he turned around, gave me a hug, and made his usual parting joke. I was so floored, in fact, that I messed up my usual retort, and he was nice enough to not call me out on the fact that my response didn't make any sense.

We never worked as a couple. We never would have worked, even if we both wanted to put in the effort. But it's nice to know we don't have to be immature, hostile, or rude about it.

Down in Fraggle Rock

Day 7

Shortly before we broke up for the final time, PXF told me I was just like Boober Fraggle. He had gotten me the boxed set of Fraggle Rock for my birthday, and as I was watching it one night, he made that comparison.

After watching so very many episodes of Fraggle Rock recently with my little cousin Danielle - probably the closest thing I'm ever going to have to a daughter - I came to realize something. It was not a compliment.

PXF did not tell me I reminded him of Boober because I was little and cute and often wore hats. (I wore hats much more frequently during my pixie cut days, but I think I should start wearing them again. I look good in hats.) No, he said I was like Boober because I'm an obsessive-compulsive germaphobe who actually likes doing laundry and goes on random cleaning sprees whenever the mood strikes. The germ fear has gotten much better over the years, but laundry I do still enjoy.

I suppose his conclusion that I'm more or less the human equivalent of Boober Fraggle was accurate. I did, after all, very nearly cry when I packed away my Dust Buster before my move back to New York from Florida. Never said I don't have issues.

Demon seed

Day 6

Luna doesn't hate Cody. She simply hates the fact that another feline exists. The fact that he has the nerve to exist anywhere near her - unacceptable. She wants him to know this is her place now. Nobody cares that he got here first. She's here now. Deal with it.

As of late, she has taken it upon herself to wait until the basement door opens, and then she runs like hell into the living room. Once there, she scoots under the coffee table and rather stubbornly looks at you from underneath, knowing it is impossible to get her out without an exhaustive effort. She just wants to prove that she has the run of the whole place, and there isn't a Goddamn thing anybody can do about it. Especially Cody. It has to be Cody's presence because when she gets loose upstairs, she is the most evil, nasty, vile cat on the planet. She screams if you try to pick her up, hisses, growls, bites and scratches. She normally has an attitude on her, but this is so far beyond her normal "cattitude."

Last night, she did the usual escape act, and I did the usual sprawl on the floor to reach under the table to try to grab her, using my hands and sometimes even my feet to move her into a position where I can get a grip on her. While she's under the table, she swats at me in a way that can almost pass as playful. As soon as I get ahold of her though, she transforms into a horrifying ball of sharp objects, unleashed to destroy our world as we know it.

The above photo is what she did to me last night when I finally caught her. I believe it was meant to be a mortal wound, but her aim was off. At least she knows it's "down the road, not across the street." I have to give credit where credit is due.

The plug thing! It's not plugged!

Day 5

My laptop has been useless since Thanksgiving. It kept telling me it couldn't connect to the internet, and as that is mostly what I use a computer for, my brand new Dell was basically a paperweight. I tried calling Dell tech support, but they told me it was a software problem, on which I should spend upward of $100. No, thank you. There was  no way I was going to Best Buy during the holidays, so I waited until last night to bring it in to give the Geek Squad a shot at fixing it.

The guy behind the counter took one look at it and said, "Oh... it's your anti-virus software. It's blocking you from going online. It would be cool if it told you that, but it doesn't." He uninstalled the anti-virus software and told me to get a different program because that one sucked. Obviously.

I went home only to discover that I didn't have half of my power cord. I had the piece that plugs into the laptop, but the part that plugs into the wall was missing. I had watched the Best Buy dude unplug the cord from the socket and hand it to me... so I knew I'd had it when I walked out of the store. I just didn't have it here... now... where and when I needed it. Crap.

I walked back out to the car, checking the ground on the way. I searched through the interior of my car, which is a disaster area, so it took a while. Nothing. I walked back into the house, got my purse, went back to the car, and trekked back to Best Buy. I parked in the very same parking spot, and checked the ground, retraced my steps all the way back into the store. No power cord. Well, shit. So I bought a replacement one. Since I was already back at Best Buy anyway, it seemed to make sense. I came home, checked the ground again on my way back inside - just in case - and plugged in my new power cord.

This morning on my way out to my car to go to work, guess what was laying on the ground right behind  my car. Yeah... the power cord to my laptop that I apparently had to walk by four times and drive right over twice.

Now my laptop and its power cord are happily reunited and working just fine. It also has new anti-virus software. (Thanks, Clem!) At least I will get back the 80 bucks I blew on the other power cord when I actually find the motivation to go back to Best Buy and return it.

Happiness is a warm monkey

Day 4

The little fella I'm pointing to is known simply as Keyboard Monkey. He has been my companion since my Vitamin World days. I know I got him from a vending machine, and it may have been with PXF's money. So maybe I got one good thing out of that relationship.

Keyboard Monkey, as his name implies, lives on my keyboard at work. He's quite happy there. I even took him to Tampa with me. I nearly had a panic attack when somewhere around Maryland, I thought I might have forgotten him. But no, there he was in the pocket of my work bag. As I was packing up my desk to come back to New York, I smiled at Keyboard Monkey as I put him back in the same pocket and said, "We're going home, buddy." And home we went. I think he likes it better in New York too.

I am adamant about the fact that Keyboard Monkey will follow me throughout my career, wherever that may take me, always on my keyboard, always reminding me to just relax. If that's not a sign of my obsessive need for something constant and stable in my life, I don't know what is.

Beauty parlor

Day 3

Twenty-six minutes. That is, on average, how long it takes me to straighten my hair. Of course, the longer my hair is, the longer it takes. And it is my goal to grow out my hair this year, so I figure by year's end, it will take me close to an hour, if not longer.

My hair is naturally neither curly nor straight - it's poofy. While incredibly annoying, this gives me the freedom to either put mousse in my hair and let it dry curly - the lazy way - or to straighten it, which takes 26 valuable minutes out of my evening. For someone who already feels like she doesn't have enough time in her life, this is not cool. Unfortunately, I feel my hair looks best straight, and so, I sacrifice my time and energy on this tedious task.

I don't want to think about how much of my life I have already wasted straightening my hair, and it scares me how much time I have yet to waste on this activity. But that will not for a second stop me.

We wish you a merry jingly!

Day 2

It somehow became a tradition - every Christmas, Katie gets me a GIR-related item of clothing. This year was no exception.

We met at Friendly's for lunch and ice cream, and she handed me a package. The wrapping paper had penguins on it - already the perfect gift. After we had ordered our food, I carefully stripped the wrapping paper off the box and read the name scrawled on the back: "Steve."

I looked up at Katie. "This is for Steve..."

"Yeah, it's for Steve," she laughed. "I re-use boxes."

After I promised I would regift that very box to someone else next year, I opened the lid and pulled out my new GIR shirt. She had said she wanted to get me the one that said "Merry Jingly," but they didn't have it. This one is perfect though, and I will wear it proudly. Along with the pajama pants, the long-sleeved shirt, the socks, and the shoelaces...

Thanks Kate! You're the best!

Luna

Day 1

When Frank and I walked in to The Humane Society of Tampa Bay back in September, I knew I wanted a kitten. After my cats had been stolen out from under me, which is another story in itself, I knew I would need a new little feline companion.

The moment I walked through the door, I saw her. There was a cage sitting right at the front entrance with two small kittens in it. The little striped one with the white paws was sitting on the top level, and she looked at me with the sweetest greenish-yellow eyes. I think that was the moment I fell in love. According to the card attached to her cage, her name was Posey and she was about 2 months old.

We walked through the whole place, and looked at probably every animal there. Kittens, cats, puppies, dogs... we saw them all. I was tempted to take home the whole place, as I usually am in those situations, but my apartment was only 805 square feet. The last thing I need is to end up on an episode of Animal Hoarders. And no matter how many adorable kittens I saw, I kept going back to that one tiny kitten named Posey.

I filled out all the paperwork and waited until they called us into a small room to play with my new kitten. After a few minutes, I looked up and said, "I think this is the one."

I ran through every possible name - several times - and still couldn't decide what to name her. She was known simply as "Miss Kitty" for a couple of weeks until one night, she jumped at me as I was walking down the hallway and bit me in the knee. "You are a lunatic!" I cried out, at which point she ran away and hid under the stove. I stopped in my tracks as what I'd just said processed, and I turned back to look at her little face sticking out from under the stove, looking at me sheepishly. "Luna..."

Even though we have our differences - mostly due to the fact that I think she's actually some kind of demon - I love my little Lu. She has been my constant companion through some of the loneliest months of my life. She purrs when I come home and cuddles with me when I'm sad. She kicks her little legs out when she trots up to me, and she walks around trilling. She loves to chase things and climb... and BITE. She can be seriously evil, but maybe that's just part of her charm. She has a hell of an attitude, but a good heart.

That's my girl.