How easily things slip away

Moments like these really make a person feel brilliant:

This morning I opened my yogurt and while tipping the container over the garbage to get rid of that icky separated liquid on the top, watched as, in a split-second, all the yogurt fell out. *sigh* And then I giggled at myself for five minutes.

Oh well, I guess it's more of a mini-bagel morning.

Speaking of, on my way out of the bathroom this morning Ripley walked by and looked at me... sticking out of his mouth was a whole mini-bagel, still in its plastic baggie from putting it in my purse 10 minutes earlier. A mini-bagel is pretty big in proportion to my cat. The second bagel was on the floor with a huge bite gnawed out of it, so I replaced that one.

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I still like the haircut, especially the color, but I'm having a little trouble managing it in the morning. It's more the ends rather than the part, which surprises me since after 25 years of having a center part, it's suddenly on the side. Still working on it.

Also still working on .hack. Bryon does the leveling up and fighting in the field, and then I do the dungeons and check email and the message board. It's much more fun this way - he gets to do all the tweaking of skills, weapons, armor, etc, and I just get to run around with characters that can kick butt. :D

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I also started my tooth-whitening um... procedure? regimen? yesterday. So far it's more comfortable than anything else I've tried. The trays are custom-made for my teeth, and I haven't had sensitivity issues with the gel like I've had with all the different kinds of whitening toothpaste, and the Crest WhiteStrips. So, huzzah.

Back to my bagel (and work).

Testing out Blogger Images with my new haircut

[edit: Blogger Images SUCKS. I went back and posted this as a regular image.]

Well, I finally bit the bullet and got a haircut. I've been dying to do it for a while but I wasn't sure what I wanted. Recently though, I got so sick of my hair that I didn't want to be seen in public with it the way it was (especially my bangs) so it was time for a change. I went to Regis at the mall and worked with Fawn, who was WONDERFUL. I want to go to her every time. I got it colored, so it's a bit darker than before, although not as drastic as I thought it was going to be. It's not any darker than my eyebrows. I got a good four inches cut off and a lot of layers put in to get a "stacked bob" which also got rid of all the permed hair, thank goodness. I also went to a side part instead of a center part, which makes a big difference in my bangs. Until today, I'd had the same bangs since ohhh... about elementary school. The change is liberating.

I also went to Kathy's bridal shower today. It was held at Lindenwald Haus (a bed & breakfast). We had a light lunch of finger sandwiches, salad, and fruit; a really pretty (and delicious) cake; played a couple of shower games which were actually really fun - and I won a nice candle and some "bath confetti." Then we watched Kathy open her presents. Mine was one of the first... then she opened the identical item from the next woman, who also happened to be sitting next to me. We discussed it and found that she'd bought it a week ago, but it had never been taken off the registry although she went through all the right steps. I still had the registry printout in my purse so I was able to prove that I wasn't going crazy - it was still listed as "1 needed." I just pulled out the gift receipt and stuck it with the box so she can exchange it. Still... I thought that was the purpose of the registry, to avoid duplicate gifts!

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I am working on the shrug. It's technically done, but the ribbing is too small and honestly, I almost think the shoulders are a bit small too. It fits, but the shrug isn't even big enough to actually cover the straps on a tank top (which is its whole purpose in life, n'est pas?). I dread the thought of undoing ALL the edging to put in another increase, but I do want to make sure it's done right so that I will actually wear it. *sigh* So it's back to .. well, square 3 or so. I am also contemplating making the cat toys out of
Stitch & Bitch Nation, which I ended up buying a week ago. I wasn't sure I really wanted the book, but I looked through and actually found several things I would wear, and their instructions (sort of... second-level this time around) are very helpful. I'm sure the kitties would get a kick out of them.

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Bryon and I have been playing .hack//Infection on the PS2. I am doing a much better job understanding things this time around and have made lots of progress. It's pretty fun and makes me want to watch all of the anime and read the manga (and play the rest of the games, eventually). I am amused that the game takes place in 2007 and that much of the game's storyline is based on events that happened starting on December 24th, 2005. I'm glad I played it NOW so that it's still in the future.

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Well, that's about all for now. I'm thinking about switching the blog layout to a template - many of their templates are decent-looking and I like the clean look a template provides. And D, I would like to point out that I have been thinking about trying out Moveable Type for quite a while, but I just feel that maybe it would be easier to stick with one of Blogger's templates. So there. Heh.

...

First I'd like to say that it feels much better to NOT be fighting with people. Yaaay.

Second... auugh. I don't feel that good right now. I think what I ate today didn't agree with me, plus it's really hot in here.

Third, I had a really fun day on Saturday, hanging out with Jesse and Kansass in Ithaca.
* I found yarn to start my new project - the One Skein Wonder from Glampyre. The pattern is really easy and a quick knit - I started last night and I'm almost finished with the main body already. I actually broke down and, because it was a small project, bought my MOST EXCELLENT ULTIMATE YARN, a cashmere and merino blend I've been drooling over since the days when I was working at Verizon. I seriously used to pet this yarn every time I went into the craft store. It is everything I thought it would be: extremely soft and pleasant to work with. This is the first time I've bought wool for a project, and it's in a lovely mulberry color. I will post pictures later... honestly, I'll probably wait until the shrug is done, because I don't expect that to take very long.
* We hit the mall so I could pick up the second season of "Monk" for my Dad. This inspired Jesse and Kansass to get DVD box sets for their fathers as well - three Dad's Day gifts taken care of! Then we went to visit Jesse's friend Philpott who is living in a frat house at Cornell. That place was a CRAPHOLE. There's no getting around it. It fulfilled every sterotypical image I had about frat houses. Scary.
* After that we visited the Commons. In the comic shop, while trying to convince me to use his online store to order the book I was looking for, the owner basically ranted at me when he found out where I was from - saying how I didn't support my local comic shop and that's why he had to close his two closer stores. The man can BITE ME. He obviously didn't recognize me or he would have realized that I was actually in both stores quite a bit, and spent a decent amount of money in them... plus one of my friends WORKED at his store. He'd have better luck in the comics business if he wasn't such a JERKFACE. Bah.
* Being that Philpott had hurt his ankle, we stopped at Wegmans and got a portable feast: Italian bread, olive oil to dip it in, olives, a Caesar salad kit-in-a-bag, some Japanese snacks (Almond Crush Pocky, which is the BEST EVER) and some of those fantastic L'Ecolier cookies.

Anyway, it was fun. I guess I'm going to bed. I was really close to getting the body of the shrug done but it's sooo hot and now it's midnight. Bleh. At least Bryon's back from his mission thingie now. He slept most of the evening because he couldn't sleep during the day - I think he was overtired. I guess we'll use tomorrow to get all the things done that we need to do.

I can't believe I think these are cute.

I don't know why but I find this to be adorable. I mean, they're dressed up as FOOD, which is just so wrong... I don't want to EAT them... but they are so cute as little tempura! The pancake one is cute too. I just can't imagine how these got started. They have TONS of different ones at Spiral & Circle under Japanese Collectibles.

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Sooo... Bryon's home again right now, but he's leaving in about an hour and a half so he can work from midnight to 8, and then he will once again turn around and come back because he's got the next two days off. Woohoo!! On Wednesday we (Bryon, Mike and I) are going to see Batman Begins. The boys are VERY excited about it, and I am too although I'm more intrigued by the idea of Christian Bale playing Batman. Didn't see that one coming, although he did a great job in Equilibrium which was also an action movie/drama.

Ok, I'm probably off to take a nap with the boyfriend.

Adventures in Syracuse

Hmm, let's see, I guess I should write about the night before last first. The relatives (Mom and Dad and my brother, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Lisa and my two cousins) came for a visit. They were almost thwarted by a gigantic thunderstorm, but decided to brave it anyway. I'm glad they did. My grandmother hadn't seen the apartment before; she seemed to like it, especially my gigantic gorgeous bed of which she says she's never seen the like except in movies. Heh. We ate yummy cake in honor of Grandma's birthday and Mom's birthday (both this month) and everyone played with the cats, who behaved very well. When it was time to get going, G&G, A. Lisa and the boys braved it but my parents and brother stuck around for a little while since there was a TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR outside. It was a really nice visit and I actually remembered to take some pictures.

In the meantime, Sara and Stine and Jesse were trying to see Madagascar at the drive-in but the rain intervened. They ended up going to see it in Corning, and then came over here. Sara hadn't seen the kitties since Day 1. We sat around and talked extensively about The Da Vinci Code (mostly how annoying it is, but that it's an interesting conspiracy theory) and other stuff. Then we made part of a plan for Saturday, something about going to the huge comic shop in Syracuse and trying to hit the Coors Light (hot air) Balloon Festival outside of there. Very early the next day I started calling people, and we managed to get Stine, Jesse and Mike in one vehicle and on the way to Syracuse.

Unfortunately this was not achieved without some incident; we had something of a kitty emergency. I was using that Veet cream stuff on my legs, and working hard not to let the cats near me (I SHOULD have just closed the bathroom door... *sigh*) when Ripley came barreling in after Bishop and ran into my leg. He got the stuff on his face, not in his eye but a little above it and around his ear. I was freaking out. First of all.. well, it's hair remover, something kittens absolutely do not need. Second of all, if you don't get that stuff off fairly soon, it can BURN. I grabbed Ripley and wiped the stuff off a couple of times with a wet washcloth, which as you can imagine, he just loved. I think I pretty much got it off, but during the second round a few kitty hairs came off on the washcloth. :( He didn't seem adversely affected, he just scratched the spot every few minutes. He was still his normal self running around so I figured he was probably ok, but I felt TERRIBLE. Not only that, but by the time he did that it was time for me to take the stuff off MY legs so I was rushing around trying to do that before I got burned too.

Then we had to take off for Syracuse. The ride up was uneventful. We got to the mall without incident and wandered around for a while; I ended up buying 4 shirts (3 from Forever 21, which constantly reminds me that apparently 21-year-olds all wear a size A bra and size 4 jeans, and makes me feel very old at 25; and one from Hot Topic - a Full Metal Alchemist t-shirt) and Fruits Basket manga #9. Then we went over to Altered States, the most excellent comic & game shop ever. I found a new Blue Monday graphic novel, and Mike found a whole bunch of stuff. They have fun stuff, like an entire set of knitted characters from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which will make sense if you've seen the movie, and a plush Alien - the little kind that jumps out of people's chests. It was HUGE though.. more like one that would have jumped out of an elephant. I am amused by those, which has nothing to do with where it comes from but more to do with his cute little Alien mouth and the tap-dancing version from Spaceballs. They also had a Paine action figure (from FFX-2), very nicely done.

After the comic shop we decided to abandon the balloon festival (probably cuz it was SO HOT OUT) and went to Oswego to have dinner with Bryon. We picked him up at his hotel room and tried to go to Coleman's, which was PACKED. Instead we ended up at King Arthur's, which is a ... uh... King Arthur-themed restaurant. Duh. They are kinda expensive but it's a fun experience, especially if you haven't been there before. Bryon is obsessed with their Sirloin Beef Tips, which really are fantastic. There's a microbrewery there as well, not surprising since in its previous incarnation it was The Buckhout, a particularly well-known bar (which does not relate at all to its prior lives as one of the only Black-owned barbershops in Oswego, and a huge clothing store). I had a HUGE piece of lasagna (could only eat half) and got a piece of tiramisu (could only eat half of that too - look, now I have a whole second meal!).

On the way out of the hotel to the car, we had to run through a HUGE THUNDERSTORM that felt like it had come up out of nowhere. We were all soaked. It was still hot out, though, and it was a nice warm rain, which actually made it kind of fun. After a brief stop at Dunkin' Donuts we made the trip home. I'm telling you, thanks to Stine's car game suggestion ("I'm going to a.... and I'm bringing...") we were CRACKING UP the whole way home. We actually got through the entire alphabet too. I choose not to repeat here what said location was, or what items we were bringing. For my own protection.

Finally we got home. Mike is staying here now because Missy and the kids have invaded Bryon's parents' house... he's been watching movies, and I was reading Jesse's pirate book (Under the Black Flag) and playing with the cats. I guess I'm going to see if Missy & co. want to come see the apartment today; it's not looking like Bryon got to come down today after all. :(

Kitty greetings from Dad

Here's the "Believe it or Not" lyrics Dad wrote in honor of the kittens' arrival:

"Believe it or not you own two little cats; you always hoped it would come to be; playing around with the string are the pair; whose could they be? Believe it or not they're Julie's!"

Hahahaha.

The boys are doing very well. I'm doing ok too - despite Bryon having to be gone. They are jerking him around big time up there. A couple of days ago he got to work and they said "oh, we don't need you" so they said he could head home... then he got as far as Auburn and they called and made him turn around and go back. Then he had the next night off, and now he has to be back tonight, then will have tomorrow off again. *sigh* It's just a lot of driving and a lot of uncertainty. Par for the course, I guess.

Saturday people hung out here and by the end of the night we were so cranky that there was actual yelling going on. In my living room. Apparently it extended to the car; I couldn't take it so I stayed home. Sunday I ended up going to the lake with Kim to try and relieve some of the crankiness by sitting on the dock reading. It kinda worked... I got a bit more sunburned though - mostly my knees and my chest. It's not too bad. I guess in the end if I get a little color that won't be a bad thing.

I finally finished The Da Vinci Code. I felt about the same as I did with after Angels & Demons: parts of it were extremely far-fetched, and parts of it were downright annoying, but overall it was ok. It got pretty exciting towards the end. Again, I'd like to see photos, etc., of the locations he referenced.

It's REALLY hot in the apartment. I had the air conditioner on earlier which helped some. Right now I have the windows and door open since I think it's actually cooler outside. I'm going to start a new book, or maybe work on a knitting project.

I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE SHOUTING!!!!

Mike, Kim, Stine and I are watching Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. This movie is HILARIOUS, often in very wrong ways.

Stine and I went to the village of yard sales today. It was a lot of fun! I found a bunch of craft stuff including some nice books of cross-stitch designs, some nice clothing, and one of those little fold-up handcarts to wheel boxes around. It was a gorgeous day out, and I actually got a little sunburned. Now my arms (and possibly face) are a bit pink as opposed to near-translucent white.

I spent the afternoon cleaning - sweeping, doing laundry, organizing etc. The boys were in a weird mood for a while today. One would be sleeping, and the other would be pretty much following me around trying to convince me that I should be entertaining him. It was cute though. :)

Now everyone's over. We ate pizza and watched Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (which I own - loooove that movie) and now, as I said, we're watching Anchorman. Later tonight we're going to Denny's again to try and meet D after she gets out of work. This time we got a hold of her first. :D

And the best news?? Bryon called and said he ended up with tonight off, so he's heading home right now!! And he doesn't have to be back until Tuesday night. Yippeee!! :D

Well I'm going to take my contacts out before we go to Denny's and try to stay awake until 1. :) And then look forward to my beloved boyfriend getting home!

Crazy cat lady

I talk to these cats so much. Especially when it's just the three of us. Man, I'm starting to think I'm going to be one of those old ladies who has 10 cats and just talks to them and no one else. But hey, the kitties love me now... they took a nap with me today! And even Ripley has decided it's ok for me to pet him and will just purr instead of running away.

Went shopping today... First I returned the regular ol' litterbox and scoop to Petco, then I headed over to Old Navy - who completely suckered me in with their ad about the big swishy peasanty skirts. I wanted one soooo badly. I ended up with a really interesting green one, and also this one in a khaki color. They're very comfortable. Annnnnd... because it was shiny and actually fit nicely, I bought a sequined tunic. Finally, I found a pair of dark blue jeans. I wear jeans a LOT so it's nice to find another pair to put in the rotation... I'm really picky about pants. Then I went to BonTon to get a couple more towels, and also found a set of sheets which was on sale for $20 (down from $80... they've got to be kidding thinking they'd ever sell them for that), so at least we have two sets now.

Ozog, Mike, Stine and I tried to get D to come to Denny's after she got out of work tonight. We met at the one in Painted Post instead of our usual spot and I went and found her car. After 10 minutes of waiting by it to see if she'd show up, I put a note under the wiper and started to drive away. I happened to make some comment about "glad we found her car, it's the only Mazda here..." and Mike says.... "That's a Honda." Well didn't I feel silly. So I retrieved my note (realizing how lucky I was that the car didn't have an alarm) and sheepishly drove around the parking lot once more. No dice. I decided we might as well just go on to Denny's, so I pulled out of the parking lot onto the street - and then realized that not only was that not D's car, I wasn't even in the parking lot for her work, I was NEXT DOOR. *sigh* So I pulled in the right parking lot, easily found her car (with many identifying characteristics), left the note, and went to Denny's. Ozog was already there, and Stine showed up soon after, but D never did so I'm figuring she was just too tired to join us.

Tomorrow I am trying to hit an entire village of yard sales. I've never seen a whole village do them before. Should be interesting. I will wear my nifty green skirt. :D

I HAVE KITTIES.

I would like you to meet Bishop and Ripley, the two newest additions to the household.



Ok, so, Bryon, Sara and I went to look at the kitties on Tuesday night so we could pick two of them out. I allowed myself to be talked into taking them home the same night (gee... darn). The guy we were getting them from let us borrow a carrier; he was very nice and was so attached to all the kittens I thought he was going to cry when we were getting ready to go. Sara and I made a quick journey to Petco and Walmart to get supplies and then brought them home. They are two *beautiful* tiger-striped kitties, dark grey with black stripes. Each of them has a tiny bit of white at the tip of their tail - the only two that had it. Ripley has white paws as well, which makes it much easier to tell them apart.



They've got a lot of personality. Bishop is pretty mellow, fairly brave, and good around people, especially after a couple days' adjustment. Ripley on the other hand is much more timid. You kinda have to watch him. He will play and let you pet him, but he plays rougher than Bishop and will haul off and chomp on your finger when you aren't expecting it. (Just in case you don't know, they are both named after characters from the Alien movies. Ripley is Sigourney Weaver's character, and Bishop is named after the good Bishop android from Aliens [not the evil Bishop who created him]. We have found that Ripley takes after the semi-psychotic clone Ripley from Alien: Resurrection more than the original.) I know he's just being a kitten. They're both quite well-behaved and already knew to use their litterbox on day one, despite it being one of those big scary automated ones.

They are extremely entertained by the little plastic wavy ring-shaped toys I bought them, a flattened plastic bag, a bulk Cheerios box with some slits cut in it, the dangly mouse toy, and oddly enough, Bryon's Specialist rank patches (which he doesn't need now that he's a sergeant). They use the table and chairs (the bottom rung parts) like a jungle gym. The first night they slept under the bed, and the second night on the couch. The bedroom is their 'safe area' so it took some time before they were willing to explore the living room/kitchen very thoroughly. They are eating well and have gotten used to Bryon and me.

I knew they would be adorable, but I didn't know just how much I'd enjoy having them around. I talk to them, call them "my boys" and really feel like the apartment is that much cozier with them in it. I'm *really* glad I got two because I think this transition was easier for them this way, plus I don't have to worry so much about them getting lonely while I'm at work and Bryon is away. I'd definitely recommend it.

In other news... Mike is in town - got in last night and we went to Denny's afterward. He is staying at Bryon's parents' house and visited the apartment and kitties today. Unfortunately the EXACT two weeks that Mike is here.... Bryon has to fill in at the power plant for guys who are going to annual training. It's unbelievable. It's like they're cosmically not allowed to be in the same place. *sigh* Hopefully Bryon will get some days off and be able to spend SOME time with Mike.



Ok, I'm going to bed now. And so are the kitties, I think. They seem pretty wiped out.