2 down, 2 to go

Forgot to mention.....I went to the shelter on Sunday to give back my foster kittens. But, only the two orange tabbies were over 2 lbs. I had to take back the calico and black/white. They both need another 1/2 pound. When I told the staff I named the tabbies Jam and Jelly they said there was already a Jelly and Marmalade. Fuck. So, I told them to use Scamp and Skitter. Thought those were cute. They went up for adoption today. I don't think they'll last long. Orange tabbies go fast. I'm meeting Jeff and Judy at Domenics on Friday and they're coming over to play with the kittens again. I'm thinking about changing the names of the kittens I have left. Suggestions?

I've been told the original picture I posted doesn't show how little they are. So, here are some pics from when Jeff and Judy were over on 6/12.

Why I hate email

I've been ruminating on this post for awhile. I hate email. Now, I appreciate email in the workplace. It allows you to archive discussions so you can remember/prove who said what when and what was promised/decided. I support work email 100%. What I don't like is personal email.

It's one thing to email a bunch of people when you're trying to coordinate something. Or sending out an email to a bunch of people with an announcement, change of phone number, etc. Logistically, email makes sense in those types of situations. It all comes down to the personal, friendly, chatty emails. I hate those. I much prefer to pick up the phone and call someone. I have kept very good friendships going with people all over the country with phone calls every couple months. Sometimes those calls are 10 minutes, sometimes they are two hours. I hate how stilted and drawn out some emails are. You ask questions, you reply to questions, you make comments. And you wait to see if they'll reply and the conversation continues. And then if they don't reply you wonder if you should send another email or just let it die. Argh.

Just recently I got email on myspace from an old friend from college. We were in Filmboard together and he was in law school. We lost touch after college and later I found his profile on myspace. So, I emailed him a 'hi, is this who I think it is?' kind of email. Almost a year later he checked his profile and responded. We've emailed a couple times. I hate these types of emails. I don't know what to say. It such a horrible conversation. And the really sucky part is that I feel I'm a funny person. I am in no way a 'comedian' cause I can't tell a joke to save my life, but somehow, when I'm talking to people, I make them laugh. Tone of voice and sarcasm are my art. None of that comes through in email. And usually, the comments that make people laugh are completely spontaneous. Email is not spontaneous. It's scripted, edited, spellchecked, reviewed, and reviewed again before the SEND button is hit. Real converstations flow, evolve, and you never know what topics will be brought up. This is probably one of the reasons I haven't gone on match.com or eharmony. I've met several people that have had a lot of success meeting cool people on these websites, but it all comes down to email, doesn't it? IMing is fun, though. That's practically a phone conversation as long as both people can type fast.

For some reason though, I do like writing letters. Randy and I had been sending letters back and forth for years before he started blogging. Letters are fun - probably cause I've got a shit load of panda stationary to use! heh.

Love thy neighbor

I clearly remember when I was thinking about buying this house I had my friend Mark come and take a look at it. I wanted to get someone else's opinion about it that wasn't already emotionally invested. He pointed out that the neighbors across the street had a boat in their driveway and that would bother him. I replied that I thought it meant I might get invited to go boating! And, that's exactly how it's turned out. I know I've mentioned before going out on the lake. Well, Marcia had already invited me twice this summer, but I hadn't been able to go. One Saturday was my sister's birthday party and the next Saturday was our Father's Day/Parent's 35th Wedding Anniversary party. Luckily, I didn't have anything planned for Saturday the 23rd. Marcia said as long as the weather held out they were going out on their 24ft pontoon boat. I love that boat! We were out for six hours. Some of Mike's coworkers came too and they were a hoot. Real Texans....had some good stories. I really needed that outing - so relaxing. I was in the lake for about three hours and didn't get burned at all. It was overcast most of the day and I put plenty of sunscreen on. I think I did get a little tanned. Even though it was really windy out on the main part of the lake, there's a certain 'party cove' that a lot of people anchor at. It's a 'no wake' zone which means you can't water ski/jet ski/drive fast in the cove. Mostly people just anchor their boats and go swimming. There's also a lot of people that rope their boats together and just hang out and drink. That's never been my scene, so I love that my neighbors prefer to anchor by themselves and just hang out and swim. Mike has a sound system installed with an MP3 player so there's music playing too. I'm sure I'll get invited throughout the summer. I get along really well with them, and I make these tortilla wraps with green onion, lunch meat, and cream cheese that Mike really loves. I always make sure to bring some when I go out with them as a thank you.

There's a whole nother world out there

Let's ignore the fact that I've been piss-poor about posting and just jump right in, shall we?

Since Melanie had Ian so early she was never thrown a baby shower. Usually those things are in the seventh or eighth month. You want to wait to make sure there isn't a miscarriage, which typically happens early if it's gonna happen. Melanie had Ian at 25 weeks. But, now he's up to 5 pounds and it slated to come home in mid-July. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to throw it or not. In my experience it's been family that's thrown the shower. Well, I received an invitation for her baby shower being thrown on Sunday the 24th. I just assumed it was being thrown by friends/family. I really didn't think much of it. But, when I arrived it was all church people. I was way under-dressed. Several of the women were in dresses and others were in nice Sunday church clothes. Well, this being Austin, I was in jeans. Luckily, I did have a very pretty tank top on that I had worn at Sarah's picnic wedding reception. Unfortunately, it showed off my arm tattoo, so I got some strange looks. Everyone was asking me who I was (politely). I was the only non-church person there, and none of Melanie's family were there cause they're all out of town. It was even weirder when I realized Melanie didn't know everyone there. I guess a bunch of church people got together to throw it for them without really knowing Melanie and Dan. Benefits of being good church-going people I guess. Anyways, Melanie was unwrapping all the gifts and when she got to my HAND-MADE CROCHETED AFGHAN I just thought 'Ha! Suck it!' because you could tell they were a little surprised that I had made it. Sorry, Melanie...I was just a little out of my element there. Also, I realized how incredibly spoiled I've been with my No Kidding group (no one has kids). Everyone there were mothers and they were all talking about their kids and families, etc. Sometimes I forget that there's people out there like that! Makes me appreciate my group that much more.

guess I should post.

Dude. Sorry about the long absences. Nothing too earth-shattering going on over here. Work has been crazy and the kittens are taking up a lot of my time. Jeff/Judy and Mike/Annette have all come to play with the kittens. They are doing great. I have an appt on Sunday the 24th to bring them back to the shelter. I'm a little worried about Molasses because he's turning into a picky eater. He hasn't gained as much weight as his siblings. I don't think he's sick though....just doesn't eat a lot.

I don't know why I'm still awake. I'm getting up early tomorrow.....later today.... to get an oil change and tire rotation for my car. I'm like a month overdue. On the bright side I only have a few more months before my car is paid off. Yippeee! After the oil change I'm going into the shelter and then meeting the family and Nathan/Tony at Logan's for dinner. My sister and I are extending my dad's Netflix membership as his Father's Day gift. His Christmas membership expires next month, so this is good timing.

I haven't been to the shelter much lately...just Orientation. I was planning to go last Saturday, but woke up to overcast, breezy weather and actually WANTED to do yard work. And really, how often do I wake up wanting to do yard work? I felt in the interest of having a less crappy yard, I should stay home and work on it. I was out there for a few hours and got a lot done. It looks a little less crappy now.

Spike got her teeth cleaned on Thursday. Not sure if you know this, but they anesthetize a cat for teeth-cleaning. I had to take the food away the night before so she'd have an empty tummy. Unfortunately that meant all three of them didn't have food after 7pm. They woke me up at 4am walking all over me begging for food. When I picked her up after the procedure she was still groggy from the drugs. I should have video taped it. She was hilarious. Her back legs weren't quite working yet so she was stumbling around and walking into things. She's better now and her teeth are pearly white. Luckily the vet said the other two cats don't need it. Pagan might need it in the next year, but Asher's teeth are actually pretty clean. That's weird considering they all eat the same thing. And no, I am so not brushing their teeth!

Kitty update

Just a quick note to let you know my kitties have come a long way in a week and a half. They've gone from hissing at everything to now crawling into my lap and purring. The black and white (now named Molasses) went from being the hissiest cat to being a complete lap cat! All he wants to do is sit in my lap and purr and rub into my hand while the other kitties play. They are all eating well and I think they'll all make it. I'll probably have them for two more weeks. Moving the TV into the room has made a big difference. Sudden noises and movement don't startle them at all - I think it's help desensitize them to voices and sounds. My parents and Gil have come over to play with them too so they get used to other people. Jeff and Judy volunteered as well so I'll probably have them over next week. I'll post pictures later.