2 days in a row...

...of cats! But this one isn't mine, although it's something he'd love :) He has been especially excited lately to sit in the window and "stalk" the birds. Good thing he can't get them!

From the http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/ site, my favorite way to start the day!

I'm leaving for Norwalk after work tonight and will be gone until tomorrow night. Missing you already, Uncle Wolf.



peace and love,


m

the furry, 4-legged creature...

...known as Tux, Mr. Tux, Bugger, Big Guy, Monster, and when he's naughty, Brat Cat, would like you to know that yes, he is very comfortable, please stop bothering him with that camera and bright flash:

peace and love,

m

retail therapy

When I'm on call, I like to be closer to the hospital than on the East Side, so sometimes I'll find a coffee shop in BayView, or go to the mall...today was the mall :) And let's be honest, it's been a sad past 2 days for me, so I was due for a little of my favorite therapy--the kind with no couches unless I'm buying one, no middle-aged white men in cowboy boots forgetting my name [true story], and absolutely, positively NO talking about "how it makes me feel."

I know I shouldn't have, but I did. My first mistake was going to Half Price Books. Oh.my.god.I love that store. I got 5 books--The Color Purple by Alice Walker; Atonement by Ian McEwan; One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi; and Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards. Oh drool!

Then I went to Pier One where I found a brown rug on clearance that matches my new bedroom, and some super cute eco-friendly coasters. And then the salesperson talked me into signing up for the Pier One credit card, so I got $15 more off the rug...it doesn't count as splurging if you find the bargains, right? And if you don't use the credit card later ;)

My next stop was World Market. There is always so much fun stuff to find between Pier One and World Market. Besides restocking my wine and tea supplies [I don't drink them together], I found some cute pillows for my bedroom. One even has birdies on it--my new obsession! I had to drag myself out of the spice aisle, managing to limit myself to the small bottle of curry powder.

After dashing through the downpour to the car [and thinking about poor Mr. Tux hiding under the futon during the thunderstorm], I headed over to Old Navy to use a gift card I had. I finally found a pair of jeans THAT FIT. This, people, is a cause for celebration. I mean, of course, they're too long, but they fit otherwise--they don't feel like they're spray-painted on, I can sit in them without giving anyone behind me a free show, and they don't have any of those stupid pre-made rips in them [I can destroy my clothes on my own, thank you very much]. I also got a pair of ballet flats that match my dress for Uncle Wolf's funeral.

That brings me to my other actual objective [besides pillows] of the day: some sort of shawl or sweater for the funeral. I wanted something simple and white to go with my navy blue dress. I can't tell you how hard it was to find it. I went in stores that I never go in, from the tween-dressing-like-a-hooker Wet Seal to the salesperson-gives-me-a-dirty-look Lane Bryant [womens' sizes if you don't know, and let's just say I'm not "woman sized"]. Guess where I finally found "the one." You're never going to get it. I'm embarrassed to say I was in there. Okay, it was Vanity, and while it's not quite up to Wet Seal's WTF-factor, it's pretty darn close. By the way, I was so tempted in Wet Seal...they had these metallic swimsuits...they looked so practical and appropriate... The first time I browsed through Vanity, the salesperson tried to get me to go for a...crap, what are those things called? The half-my-sweater-disappeared thingy...a shrug! There we go. I told her, "I don't think I should wear that." How else do you say that you think it looks like a mistake?

Finally, I found some cute jewelry at Kohl's.

Wow, I'm exhausted, are you?

peace and love,
m

fitting that it's raining

Yesterday, 4.24.2009, Uncle Wolf passed away after a year-plus battle with laryngeal cancer. As mentioned previously, his cancer returned and was terminal. He was in hospice care at home, and had a wonderful RN who was an incredible help to him and Aunt Sam. I know he was comfortable in his last few weeks and I am so glad that he was able to spend it with his wife, family, and friends in the sanctuary of his own home instead of a hospital room.

That said, it doesn't make it any easier to have lost him.

I was first exposed to this poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye when the Singing Statesmen commissioned a piece called Weepe Not that is based on it. It helped me deal with my Grandpa's death, and it reminds us that while the person may no longer physically be with us, their spirit and memory will live on.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

peace and love,
m

oh internet quizzes

Found this quiz on bluegal, thought it would be fun. I had a feeling about my result, and I was right :) And isn't this puppy adorable? Does that mean people think I'm a cute, adorable puppy? I'll settle for the cute and adorable part ;)

Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Compassion

Compassion is your strongest virtue

Compassion is the most human of the virtues. And you? Your heart has limits far beyond normal levels empathy, and your capacity for feeling the world's pain is boundless. You poor, beautiful, wonderful thing. All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your compassion runs deepest.

It is likely you're an altruist. And it's likely (but not necessarily true, think of Bono) that your humility score is high too.

Compassionate famous people: Brad Pitt, Mother Theresa, The A-Team.

Your raw relative scores follow. 0% is low, and 100% is perfect, nearly impossible. Note that I pitted the virtues against each other, so in some way these are relative scores. It's impossible to score high on all of them, and a low score on one is just relatively low compared to the other virtues.

YOUR VIRTUES

80% Compassion

56% Intelligence

50% Humility

78% Honesty

50% Discipline

0% Courage

50% Passion

Take The Best Thing About You Test

peace and love,
m

i've been here, just not HERE

It's been a looonnnnng time, baby. That's not to say that I haven't sat down with every intention of blogging, I just get to this screen and develop instant ennui. This time though, I have every intention of hitting the "publish post" button, if solely for the fact that it will make me feel better : )

Books I'm reading: Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti of Feministing; Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen; In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Yeah, I like to mix it up a little!

Things I've been doing: seeing Fedora play in Milwaukee and Monroe; redoing my bedroom; Easter at the farm; Milwaukee Zoo with Nick, Sara, Mark, and Lynn; work work work; taking Mr. Tux to the vet for yet another inflamed urethra.

Music I've been loving: James Morrison; Ray LaMontagne; Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Planning for: Payday bar night with coworkers; girls' weekend with the fam; helping new homeowner JOB move to her new condo.

Excited for: SPRING AND SUMMER! Skirts; open windows; walking along the lakefront; hiking trips; campfires; a reason to wear this new dress!

peace and love,
m