Cat & Mouse

This is how proud I am of my cat, I actually took the time to open a YouTube account and waited and waited while the videos loaded.  Here she is after the kill--there is no blood and it looks like she is playing with a toy but please DO NOT SHOW TO LITTLE CHILDREN.  Ok, I feel better now. 

and more video just cuz I am so proud!

The first video is the better one, but she gets a really good mouse toss in with the first 20-30 seconds of the second video.  The first video was with my camera and the second was with my camcorder...definitely a difference, but not the one I was expecting!  In the first video I had cornered her after she tried to take it to my bedroom...uh huh...not the kind of 'bedroom surprise' I was hoping for!  Because she has never shown any interest in killing mice I was a little concerned that it was just stunned so I did touch it just to make sure.  And, yes, I did gag a little bit while she kept chewing at it and thumping it against the wall.  Ugh.

Ok, the 'bare hands' story is as follows...I bought and moved into my very first house two and a half years ago.  It is an older house and had sat vacant for years.  A few nights after I moved in I am sitting on the couch watching TV when I notice the cat.  She was pawing at the wall, again.  To prove to her that nothing was wrong I picked her up, opened the electrical box/utility box on the wall and out scurried a mouse!  I was so not ready for that!  I dropped the cat over the mouse and yelled, "Get it, Siva!".  The poor little mouse was a bit stunned and wasn't moving terribly fast, but the cat sniffed and walked away.  Because I have a loooong and somewhat unfortunate history with mice I was not about to let it run away and procreate.  I didn't have a shoe or slipper (and trust me, I would have pounded it into pancakes if I'd had one) so I grabbed this fleece bed that my cat sleeps on, covered the mouse and cupped it to contain it.  Well, when you live alone and you can't yell for someone to grab a jar your choices are limited and a piece of cloth is not going to contain a mouse.  So, I squished it.  It was awful!  I started applying pressure and I swear to you the mouse started squealing and when I started feeling things pop I got too nauseated and let go.  I was too horrified to do anymore and the poor mouse did stagger away.  Without going into any more horrifying details I can confirm that the mouse did die.  Ugh, it was awful!  I was so upset--I called my best friend, but I think he was slightly amused by it.  Even thinking back on it disturbs me.

I actually have another doozy of a mouse/mice story, but I am going to wait until tomorrow.  It's kind of funny and I need to end on a funny note after remembering the details of my kill. 

Oh, the cats name is Siva, but is pronounced like Shiva.  I named her after the Indian deity of destruction.  It just seemed appropriate. 

Because I need a laugh, even if it is twisted

You should know that Sarah Palin had just pardoned a turkey 20 seconds before the cameras started rolling.  And in case you aren't clear on the concept, the guy behind her is KILLING the surviving turkeys.  Yep, I can't make this crap up.

Baby Cate is on her way!

Part of my trivia from the early part of this week was about El Paso...Illinois.  What makes El Paso significant?  Well, I pass through it every time I visit Kristen and this weekend I took a very special trip to Wisconsin.  After two years of waiting, Kristen was finally going to China to pick up her daughter! 

We started our journeys as strangers over two years ago when we were both accepted into the China program at the same agency.  I still consider that a miracle because NONE of the other agencies I contacted allowed singles and only two days before I applied I was told that they would NOT be opening their doors to singles again because of the rumored single exclusion.  We competed (I hate to use that word, but there were only a few slots available) against a number of other single applicants and we were accepted the same day.  I wasn't aware of Kristen until she posted that she was DTC--up until then I had been in the lead, but being the good sport that I am I emailed my congrats and our friendship began from there.   Even though we live several states away we manage to see each other several times a year and talk and email constantly.  Yeah, it's one of those really cool friendships.  We have so much in common it would have been a real shame to have never met. 

Today she left for China and while I write she is still in flight with an expected touch down somewhere in the wee hours of the morning--or early morning depending on how you define your sleeping hours.  So, Friday I happily drove up to WI to celebrate Cate's arrival with her friends and family with a toddler shower.  Let me tell you, that girl got some loot!  It was all I could do to stay out of her toys!  Hopefully Kris won't mind me posting this photo because her daughter is absolutely stunning! 

Feel free to stop by her blog and say "hey".  Her brother is supposed to be keeping up with posts while she is gone.  I'm already restless--I can't wait to meet me newest little niece! 

What the...?

Do you ever have one of those days when nearly everything you hear or see gives you pause?  Seriously, I has to be a full moon or darn near.  Now that I am the only analyst I have been getting these calls: "so are you now involved with project xyz?  Must be you since you are the only one left."  or "I didn't see you at the project meeting for abc...did you forget?"  NO, I didn't forget.  I haven't been assigned and I am not volunteering--I finally told someone today "I can't carry anymore weight.  You are going to have to wait." 

I work with really nice people, emphasis on nice.  But some of their phone calls are making me freakin' insane.  There are a couple of them that like to call, but aren't prepared to discuss the subject they are calling me on.  I am doing a favor for them and they don't have the courtesy to cut the shit and get to the point.  Honestly, one called me today and couldn't remember what she called me about or what she needed.  I kept telling her "just call me back when you are ready" but she was smart enough to know that I had NO intention of picking up that phone again!  So while she fiddle farted around trying to remember what she needed to tell me I actually put the phone down and used the bathroom.  Yep, I'm getting tired and I am really, really looking forward to my LOOONG vacation. 

Which is why I found this picture so funny tonight:

The quality isn't good since I took it with my cell phone, but it was funny enough that I actually blew the 10 cents to send it to my email, my sister's phone and my brother-in-law's phone.  It is your everyday "economy" sedan with a WOODEN rear spoiler.  No kidding--I laughed my toots off when that kid pulled up.  Not only that, it is nailed into the trunk.  It is a couple of 2x4s nailed together and although you can't see it, the stamp from the lumber company is still on the wood.  He even drilled a number of holes in it--I imagine it's to decrease the amount of wind resistance and drag on the car.  The kid didn't even paint it!  He also had a racing stripe down the front of the car, but it appeared to be a peel off or a very sloppy home paint job.  I wonder if he made this in shop class....?

Neglected, but not for forgotten

Yes, I know I have been neglecting this blog.  There is a reason, and it is a pretty darn good reason. 

In about a month from now my life is going to get pretty crazy.  And believe it or not, I fully intend to drag you down with me.  Why keep the crazy fun to myself?!?  Stay tuned for more details (or directions...hard so say where I am going to land).

And for a change of subject...what is with all the people suddenly buying guns post-Obama election?  Really, you think you need an automatic weapon to hunt with?  Are you serious?  I believe in our amendment rights, but I honestly don't see the sport in buying/selling weapons whose sole purpose is to kill people.  I totally support hunting (ok, not really, but people have to eat and I'm too much of a weenie to kill my own meat.  I can't even touch the raw, nicely packaged chicken I buy from the market--the texture totally weirds me out.  I'd probably be a vegasaurus if I had to kill my own food) so I would not advocate taking guns from people.  If you don't know what I'm talking about click here.  Obama never said he was going to take away our right to bear arms, but if city dwellers think they need an Uzi to take down a deer--well, they obviously aren't hunting for the meat or the pelt.  These types of weapons were designed for warfare, not for home protection or sport.  And what is wrong with requiring a background check?  I work as a nurse and it is frightening the number of crazies that walk among us.  Some of them even sound normal some days (this is not a slam against people with mental illness; I'm just saying that some people aren't safe with dull butter knives).  Or what about the guy down the road that was released from prison after only serving two years for manslaughter?  Don't the rest of us deserve the right to be safe? 

Since it is an amendment right I can't see how Obama (or any other politician) will ever take our guns away, so why are all these people stockpiling? 

PSA on the Flu

Fun with Cheese

I'm not actually lactose intolerant, but I do have an allergy to a protein that is found in milk and other dairy products. Nevertheless, the effect is basically the same. Since arriving in Dallas they have fed me nothing but cheese. Cheese with a side of lettuce, cheese with a side of enchiladas, cheese with a side of eggs...you get the picture and I am in hell. Yesterday afternoon I was in so much pain that I could barely stand or sit upright. It doesn't end there, as I am sure you are aware. There is cramping, distended abdomen, really strange noises coming from my mid-section (I said mid-section, not butt although it does eventually get there too). Today I rushed from the lunch room (cheese with a side of chicken) feeling quite nauseous. Let's just say I spent a good portion of my break in there.

It isn't always this bad. Since it is an allergy, the severity of my symptoms tends to depend on how many other allergens are also attacking me. In the summer I can have a hamburger with little or no problems, but in the fall and in January (with the higher mold counts) I develop amnesia until it rips my gut up.

Ok, change of subject. About 2 weeks ago I learned that I am finally through the review room. Yay! I know it doesn't sound like such a big deal after I have already been waiting this long (20 months on Sunday!), but for me it was. They could have been nit-picky and asked for more medical documentation. It would have been easy to get since I am healthy, but I didn't want to get pulled out of my LID queue.

Kristen reminded me yesterday of what yesterday's date was. Honestly, I'm not sure how I forgot it since it has really been on my mind alot in the week leading up to it. October 4, 2006 was the day my agency's website posted that they had a limited number of single slots available. If you look back through my blog towards the beginning you will what a miracle that was (not for them, but for me). Two days prior to that I had called inquiring about a spot and the director of the China program told me it wasn't going to happen because they knew China was getting ready to disqualify singles (did I just make up a Bushism? Not sure that is the correct use of that word). I could have written them off, but two days later I felt God urging me to go back. Up until this point I had not decided to start the process--I wanted to wait a year since I was flat broke. On October 4th, the nudge God had placed on my heart the month before suddenly became a very annoying rap on the head "do it, do it, do it!". Thankfully, I listened and checked the website. On October 6th, they called to tell me they had received my packet, but they had questions about whether I was be accepted by the CCAA. They didn't want to waste a slot on someone who wouldn't pass muster. After a very long weekend, my agency called me to say I was approved to begin the process and to GET ON IT!

Even though the wait has been long and my journey has taken some twists and turns, I never lose the absolute wonderment over God's perfect timing. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had not heeded God's suggestion and I shudder to think of it. Even though my daughter is not yet home, she (or the thought of her) has opened my heart and world in ways nothing has before. She has changed the very course of my life and that is an amazing thing.

I love you, baby girl!