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By kilax, May 29, 2015 6:13 am

Data wore his new bow tie to the vet yesterday and it was a hit!

They even asked to post a picture of him on their Facebook page! Aww, color this cat mama proud.

And… that was the extent of Data making me proud of him at the appointment*. Ha ha. Poor guy. After having to fast all day for a blood draw, he was NOT in the mood to be poked and prodded. He was a bit testy.

So much that they had to put him under to take his blood. Normally when they do this, they shave a little bit of his leg, like so:

This time, for whatever reason, they did his chest!

Oh my gosh, Data looks so goofy. He won’t be entering a beauty pageant anytime soon! Maybe I should have him wear the bow tie all the time until his fur grows back, to distract from the shaved patch?! Ha ha.

But the good thing is, he had a clean bill of health (this was his annual check-up) and I am hoping the blood results will say the same when we get them back on Monday!

*Actually, I am proud that he was doing so well at that point! He had quite the day.

Edited to add this rant, since I am already talking about Data: Someone asked me and Steven if we plan on starting a family. I gestured to myself, Steven and Data and said “This is my family.”

“You know what I mean,” they responded, “Children. There’s something to say for being able to leave something behind in this world, beyond pay stubs. To say you created something.”

I was a little annoyed so I changed the conversation flow to say I love interacting with and hearing about my friends’ kids (I do) and am amazed by gestation (I am). But, I don’t need someone I’ve just met, who is only there giving me a sales quote, to tell me why I should have children.

Or to make fun of me for having a government job.

Or to ask me how many times I’ve “given in” and eaten meat since I became vegetarian.

Sigh.

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By kilax, May 27, 2015 7:58 am

Sometimes I’m not sure if I’ve brought enough with me to the office.

Surely, there must be something I forgot?

Ha ha.

We had bouts of rain and sun yesterday, which was making me feel annoyed – just give me a cloudy, rainy day (I’ve been craving one)!

But I was no longer annoyed when I left to see a client after work. I forgot what that combo can create:

I was driving in my neighborhood and caught the rainbow in my peripheral and immediately pulled over to snap a pic. Wow! It was stunning. I got to enjoy it on my drive, as well, until it disappeared (photo below not taken while pulled over… NOT a good idea).

Seeing that was definitely the highlight of my day!

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By kilax, May 22, 2015 7:05 am

Make them in to art!

Steven ordered new brake shoes for my car in February, and when he and my dad began to install him, they found out he was shipped the wrong part. So they went to three different auto parts stores and realized the wrong item is listed for our car in all of the catalogs! They resorted to looking at brake shoes from several similar models until they found the right one. Fun, right?

And what are brake shoes? The owl’s wings! Beyond that? No idea.*

We didn’t keep the unused shoes in the garage with the intention of using them for a welding project, but when Steven had the idea to make something for our neighbor Jen for her birthday, and I told him she likes owls, it seemed like a perfect use for them!

We spent a bit of time looking at pictures of owls to decide how we wanted our caricature to appear, then laying out the pieces of metal to get the right look.

When Steven went to work on it the first time though, he found out that he couldn’t weld the can bottoms directly to the shoes – the weld went right through it. So we waited until we ate more canned young corn, to try again (hee hee). The second time, he attached the cans to the ears, and ears to the wings, and that seemed to hold better.

Steven decided he wanted to rust the medal. Here is what it looked like before:

To get the rusty look, he first “etched” it (sprayed it) with vinegar so that the acid in the vinegar would eat the medal. Then he sprayed it with a solution of vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and salt, and that makes it rust.

Ta da! Rusty Owlie (I know, so original with our names). We’re excited to see where our neighbor puts it!

*Just kidding, after reading this draft, Steven explained them to me.

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By kilax, May 20, 2015 7:57 am

*Not really an expert

When I was chatting with my mom on Mother’s Day, she mentioned my dad was trying to glue cracks in a car dashboard together and it wasn’t holding. She said they were having a hard time finding the right kind of glue.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” I said. “I spent years building models in college! I am the glue expert!”

Of course, after saying that, I promptly forgot about it (since I don’t have to build models any more THANK GAWD)… until last Friday night when my dad hands me a dash and says “Okay, glue expert, tell me what I need.”

Oops. Ha ha.

We went to the hobby store Friday and got the glue I worked with (the most, anyway) in college. We glued the cracks on Saturday. On Sunday, we confirmed they were holding. Yay, success!

This post isn’t actually about glue though. It’s about how good it felt to be able to help my dad with something. All my life, he’s been helping me, doing things for me. It was nice to be able to help him with something for a change.

I felt the same way yesterday when I helped my mom with a write-up for work. It feels good to think I’ve acquired some skills that can assist other people, and especially my family!

And not related, but I have to share this cutie picture of me and Steven that I found when I was looking for the photo above. Awww. Young love!

Photo is from October or November 2002, not June, ha.

I’ll put this here since it’s a total First World Problem rant and doesn’t warrant its own post.

The good thing about working from home is that I don’t have to spend money on keeping my professional wardrobe up to date.

The bad thing about working from home is that when I have an important meeting and need to snaz it up a bit, I feel like everything in my closet is super outdated and blah. Ugh.

So I just keep wearing the same blouse and blazer combo and feeling grateful that my meetings are with different clients or that if they are with the same ones, that they are spread out enough that they might not notice the repeat outfit…

Maybe I’ll get a few new pieces at some point. Maybe. But I’d rather spend my money on running shoes and races. Ha!

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By kilax, May 19, 2015 6:29 am

Has anyone ever asked to use you as a reference on a resume?

Probably, right?

This year is the first time I’ve been asked! But, I’ve been asked by three people, who all have jobs and are looking to change things up. That’s promising – the market must be getting better and people feel comfortable to try to move around! And it’s promising that someone values my opinion enough to ask me to be a reference (or maybe I am a last resort… muah ha ha… er…).

Whatever the reason, it’s exciting to see people putting themselves out there and looking for something that’s a better fit for them! (Says the girl who will probably stay at her government job for life.)

What’s a post without pictures? Let’s talk about knitting so I can throw some in!

I gave my mom the washcloths for my grandma this weekend. I decided to throw a sponge on the package to mess with her. Ha!

I was happy to see she got a kick out of it:

And that she liked the washcloths:

I hope her friends enjoy receiving them as birthday gifts!

My mom and I picked out yarn this weekend for her washcloths. I got one done for her while she was here (and gave her the first two crummy ones I ever knitted and a monogrammed “I” one I made in March):

Those will be fun to work on! I hope to have more done before I see her again in two and a half weeks!

And I finally started on this scarf I’ve been itching to get going on. Man, the pattern is NOT complicated, but I misread it a few times (huge thanks to Mica for setting me straight), and had to re-cast on 10-15 times because I messed it up so much. Now that I’m finally in a groove, I am really digging it! Maybe I will keep it for me instead of its original intended recipient, ha! (Note: I haven’t knitted anything for myself yet…)

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By kilax, May 18, 2015 6:29 am

If I was one of the youngest people at the last concert I went to… I think I was one of the oldest at this one! But look at me – two concerts in one year! Woot!

Steven and I saw Milky Chance at the Turner Hall Ballroom on Thursday night in Milwaukee. Soon after I realized I love their sound last September, I stumbled across a Facebook post that they were touring in the US this year, so I grabbed tickets to their Milwaukee show.

This was my first time attending a “standing room only” show. And my first time seeing a certain drug (that is legalized in other states but not Wisconsin) in person. Ha. You could say there was a very eclectic crowd of mostly young people there. Seriously, I heard one girl say her mom told her to come home “immediately after the show.” Giggle. I am not sure why I was surprised to see people smoking there – I always told Steven I thought Milky Chance was that kind of music.

But back to it being standing room only. It was neat to be so close to the stage! Cozy, but neat! I never imagined I would be that close to the artists.

I also never imagined how frustrated I would feel by the people taking photos and videos the whole time, texting others, uploading to Facebook, snap-chatting, etc. Sure, take a photo or two to document that you were there – I took three photos of the band, no shame! But the whole. damn. time?! Put your freaking phones down! My view of the stage had several glowing phones in it, most of the time (hence why I know what they were doing on them).

Yes, I see the irony of me using my phone to take this photo, and why you might think it makes me a hypocrite. Ha. 

In fact, it was so bad that the lead singer said “take a journey with me, put your phones in your pockets, use your eyes and ears.” Sigh. Just be IN the moment, people. Did that stop them? Nope.

Then at the movies this weekend, I saw someone recording parts of Pitch Perfect 2 on their cell phone. Really? REALLY?! Grrrr.

But other than that, I really enjoyed the show. A band I’d never heard of, FMLYBND, opened for them, and I am looking forward to checking out some of their songs on iTunes.  And Milky Chance sounded almost JUST like they do on their album. Minus the bass being turned up WAY too much and an added harmonica player (eh, I could do without). I really liked the stage set up and lighting during the show.

Steven isn’t as familiar with their music as I am, so he listened to the songs the week leading up to the concert so he’d know what he was listening to. Cause we know that people get more pleasure from songs they are familiar with! I certainly do, and he was happy he had listened to them in advance. They did play two songs that aren’t on their album though, and I liked them! I wonder when they will be available on iTunes!

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By kilax, May 14, 2015 6:22 am

• Knitting update! I am finished with the washcloth order for my Grandma! I started on Friday May 1st and finished yesterday, May 13th. At first I was getting one done a day (they take about three hours each) then I slowed down at the end (which means I was sitting around less, and not knitting, ha ha). Next up: more washcloths (my mom requested some, and I’ll do some more monogrammed ones for my Grandma), a new scarf pattern, cactus push pin holders for Christina, a request for something from Gina, and that laptop sleeve (oops, that’s been in the queue awhile).

• More knitting news! My mom received the scarf I made her for Mother’s Day and loved it! She wore it to work and said she was excited to show it to a coworker who knits all the time. Errr… how about let’s not show it to someone who will see all the mistakes in it? Ha ha… sorta kidding. When I see my mom (tomorrow!) I’ll have to ask her what that coworker said!

• I’m CPR/AED recertified! Yay! What a long day though – I was in training at work from 8-4, then rode the train to the CPR training and rushed to get there for the 6-9 class. I slept well last night!

• Who else ate macaroni and cheese with hot dogs as a child? Who else still craves it from time to time, now? Me! And guilty! We have some vegan mac n’ chreese (<— not a typo) mixes from FakeMeats at home, and when I saw the vegan hot dogs at Target I knew the combo needed to happen. It was so good. I think it will hold me over from craving it for another year, though.

• I keep looking at my bird books but can’t figure out these species visiting our feeders. Fail.

Ha, I will forever recognize red-winged black birds, though!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 71

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By kilax, May 11, 2015 6:01 am

When I was making Data’s upcoming annual vet appointment, the receptionist said to me, “Ooo, is that the cat who wears a tie?!”

Yes, yes it is. Hee hee.

For a few years, we’ve dressed Data in a tie for his vet appointments. If you can’t let your crazy cat lady flag fly at the vet’s office, where can you?!*

I told the receptionist it was indeed him, and that I would get him a new tie for his upcoming appointment.

I mean, his collection is so outdated:

I just haven’t seen any other cats wearing the faux white collar. It’s out. Skinny collars are in!

Hee hee, can’t wait to hear what they think of the new bowtie when we take him in next week. Honestly, having him wear that and having some conversation about it is a nice distraction from seeing him be uncomfortable in the vet’s office!

The other thing the receptionist said is “Wow! Data is getting old!” Yeah… their records have him at eleven years old. While his spirit and energy seems to be the same as when we adopted him in 2005, we are starting to notice very small changes in his health. I’m happy we have such a good vet to help us take care of him!

*Trick question! I let it fly everywhere!!!

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By kilax, May 7, 2015 7:25 am

… moon

… far away deer

… giant blinding orb in the sky sun

… baby geesers!!!

Side note: Each year, when the geese show up in the spring, I start asking Steven (in a whiny voice, ha ha), “When are we going to see the goslings?!” Each year, he tells me “not for at least a month.” This year the first time I asked him was in April, and he gave me the month answer. To which I said, “But I already waited a month to ask!” He was right though – the first time I saw them was today, in May!

… strange weeds that look like little palm trees that I never noticed until this year

… Mr. Creepy Crawly (he says he’s more of a “G’Day Mate!” kind of guy)

… hills

And not pictured:

• humidity (and corresponding heavy breathing and slower miles)
• runner with dog
• considerate cyclist
• two walkers
• walker with dog who gave me a rude look and didn’t say good morning back (sarcastic sorry for being on the sidewalk)
• morning bird who got the worm then dropped it when I startled him running by (sincere sorry)
• heron
• seagull
• baby rabbit

I’ve been a lazy morning runner the last few weeks, but I made sure to get out of bed “early” today and get my run in before it hits the mid 80s here this afternoon. No gracias!

Anyone else work out this morning to beat the heat?

It would be nice to cycle outside this afternoon… if we don’t get those storms they’re predicting!

Oh! And good morning to “in yo face feed me right meow” cat!

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By kilax, May 5, 2015 12:58 pm

I always figured the first time I had Chicago style pizza was sometime after Steven moved to Chicagoland in 2003. But I was reading my Spain 2002 travel journal and found a very detailed section about me and my dad trying Chicago style pizza – in the Detroit airport, of all places! (Does that still count? Ha ha.)

As laughingly cringe-worthy as it is to read an old journal, it was encouraging to see what a sense of wonder I had about our travels. My excitement level was definitely cheesy, but so what?

Do you ever notice taglines on blogs? For a few years, mine has been “A sense of wonder is the most incredible gift you can share.”

I ran across that saying in a book my mom sent me when I was going through a tough time – Jim Henson’s Doodle Dreams.

The book is full of excellent life quotes, but that one always stuck with me the most. I interpret sense of wonder to mean curiosity and awe of the things you encounter, and I do believe that sharing that with someone else is a wonderful gift. Whether it’s while traveling, or just with day-to-day encounters… having an open and positive mind about what you encounter can lead you and whomever you are with to places you’ve never before imagined!

Okay, enough cheesiness. It’s just that reading that was a good reminder to me to keep that attitude!

And by the way… deep dish is my least favorite kind of pizza! But I like it when Steven makes it.