Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!

More fun at the Smith house this weekend...

I got my bridesmaid dress back from having it altered, and it's gorgeous! I got a great pair of shoes at the Goodwill, and my sister gave all the bridesmaids pearl necklaces at the bridal luncheon yesterday. Today I found a matching pair of earrings on clearance at JC Penny. And with that, I'm ready to go!

The fiance arrived late last night while my sister was at her bachelorette party. I was supposed to be at the party too, but I backed out because I got sick of hearing her friend whine and complain about how much money she was spending on alcohol. I spent the evening with my darling nephews instead.

The wedding is one week from today, and the groom's relatives start arriving in a few days. Thank goodness they're not staying here...we have room for Ryan, and then we're maxed out.

Today was a fun-filled family day. My mom got furious with my sister this morning because, after insisting that one of us would have to pick up the fiance from the airport while she was partying, she changed her mind at the last minute. She'd been drinking, so she apparently felt it was better for her friend to call my dad about the change of plans. He was already at the airport, and he was not amused.

Over a late breakfast my dad became especially cantankerous and said things that upset my sister. And that set off my mom again...

This can't be how it's supposed to be. I know a wedding is stressful, but it shouldn't cause this much turmoil.

In other miserable news, I went to the dentist the other morning and had a crown glued back on. Then I had to spend the next fifteen minutes biting down hard on a piece of cotton, which was very painful because of the TMJ disorder. The dentist was with me all of two minutes during the entire visit. Bam--$95.

That afternoon I got a hair cut, which was not only cheaper than the dentist but also more fun. Hair stylists make the best therapists, and mine is especially wonderful because she gives me a scalp massage when she washes my hair. Heaven!

During my visit, I learned she has a friend who's big into animal rescue--in Oklahoma City, no less--and got her to pass on my email address. Furthermore, she (the hair stylist) and her artist husband will be in Oklahoma City this weekend at the Paseo arts festival, and she encouraged us to stop by. Which is pretty nifty since Ryan is considering going back to school to study art and would love to chat up some fellow artists.

Somehow it felt like a sign that I'm going in the right direction, and with the right person.

Then, as she snipped away at my hair, she marvelled at what an eventful year I had: moving home, getting laid off, meeting a wonderful guy, deciding what to do with my life, etc. First, I was amazed she remembered all that. And second, she spoke as if I had actually accomplished something instead of wasting the last few months of my life while collecting unemployment.

"You've probably had more personal growth in one year than most people have in a lifetime," she observed, as my eyes teared up. It was nice, in the midst of my sister's graduation, all-consuming wedding plans and the seemingly endless related events, to have someone focus on ME for a change...even if I was paying her.

Speaking of ME, I'm leaving for Oklahoma City tomorrow and starting my job the next day. When I get back Wednesday or Thursday, I'll be in the middle of a wedding whirlwind, trying to squeeze in as much packing and kitty time as I can between gatherings.

I'm kind of emotional, because when I leave town tomorrow it marks a major turning point in my life...no going back. Soon I'll be working at a new job that's completely different from what I'm used to, and I'll be living in another town, away from my family again but not nearly as far as before.

It'll be really good for me and the kitties to start our new life, but right now my crazy family has me so emotionally exhausted that I don't even have the sense to feel happy.

The History Channel is beginning to dissapoint me.

If I wanted to listen to a bunch of men cussing at each other in the woods, I could probably find that here.

If I wanted to see Tom Hanks with a really bad hair style, I'd go to the movie theater.

If I wanted to know what happens when inanimate objects are left standing for long periods of time without human interference, I'd check my fridge.

I'm just sayin'.


(To be honest, I have to admit that "Life without People" is pretty interesting as background noise.)

No electronics were harmed in the making of this story.

My desk is sticky, and every time I think I've cleaned up the mess, I find more. Because when a cat spills a glass of Pepsi, it can take months to find all the sweet, sticky droplets.

I don't know what got into Buster, but he got a burst of aggression this evening and messed with Sunshine. I was at my desk getting some things together for eBay when Sunshine screeched and Buster, apparently fearing for his life, took a flying leap onto my desk and into my drink.

Fortunately, the Pepsi didn't get to my laptop...or my camera...or my merchandise. But it did go under my printer, into a basket of papers and down the back of my PC tower.

I was so furious that after the death threats subsided, everyone got a lecture.

(I know all too well the futility of lecturing cats. But when they just sit there, blinking indifferently at my anger, it really sets me off.)

In other news, I have one week of blissful freedom before starting my new job. The apartment hunt is rather frustrating for a Crazy Cat Lady, but I'm determined to find someone who will give my colony of mischievous felines a place to live.

I've decided (I use the word decided as if I had a choice) to put off moving until a couple of weeks after I start working. Three weeks just wasn't long enough to find something and move--not with all my sister's wedding stuff going on. So I'll sort of commute, staying with Ryan while I'm working and coming home on my days off.

Speaking of wedding stuff, I had the shower today and it went really well. One thing I love to do is delegate, and that helped everything come together nicely. I'm glad it's over, because most everything else we have to do basically requires my showing up...no more planning, at least.

The girls who dropped the ball on planning the shower just sent out invitations to the bachelorette party my sister didn't want to have. After failing to help me with the shower (aside from bringing a bag of ice), they had the nerve to ask me for money to help pay for alcohol. They're out of their damn minds!

They've become so infuriating that I actually cuss in front of my mother when I talk about them.

And she doesn't even scold me.

From Job Hunting to Apartment Hunting

...and Craigslist is still a fun-filled haven for wackos.

I ran across a post warning people not to rent from a particular landlord, and when I followed the link they provided, I found myself immersed in one man's world of madness.

This guy believes a chip was implanted in one of his teeth...a chip used by communists and his ex-wife to spy on him. Check it out for yourself, but be warned: I spent way too much time trying to make sense of this guy's incoherent rambling. The whole train wreck theory in action, I suppose.

http://toothphone.net/index1.html

There IS room to go more crazy!

Crazy weekend here at the Smith house...my sister moved in just before her fiance arrived for the weekend, and then Ryan got here, and then my nephews joined us...

My sister's graduation Saturday morning was followed by a huge group lunch at Texas Road House (where I was unable to eat steak due to fucking TMJ disorder and a toothache). Then we had a fun-filled evening helping my sister finish moving out of her apartment.

Somehow we managed to find enough beds for everyone, even with both my sister and me sleeping alone (yeah, you don't want to argue that case with my mom--it's just not worth it!). We had fiances on air mattresses, nephews on cots and spare couches, and too many damn cats in my bedroom.

We rounded off the weekend with a nice Mother's Day lunch with Ryan's mom and sister, and then we came home to find even MORE people congregated at my parents' house: aunts, uncles and cousins visiting my grandma.

Finally, Ryan and I packed his car full of a bunch of my boxes and he headed home.

Last night my mom said, "I hope Ryan doesn't think we're all crazy."

"Well, we can only fool him for so long," I replied.

I'm going Thursday to fill out paperwork for my new job . I start working right after labor day weekend as a receptionist at Banfield, the clinic inside PetSmart. The people I've met there so far--including one of the vets--are very nice and say they're looking forward to having me.

I was fairly certain before I even interviewed that I already had the job, and I don't know if that speaks to how impressive my resume was or how desperate they were for anyone with a pulse and a brain. It doesn't matter, though...they'll love me even more after they know me!

The discounts and benefits there sound really good, and I'm especially looking forward to discounts on veterinary services. I'm not the only one with a toothache...poor George needs attention too, but right after I swore his dental health comes before mine, I broke a damn crown and had to cave in and see a dentist.

Now they're trying to take me for enough money to make a down payment on a house, and in the mean time I'm stuck eating soft foods to avoid excruciating pain. You know, just a little extra excitement to make this crazy month even better.

But I'm still not complaining...!

Gratuitous Swine Flu Joke

I got a very important email today on how to avoid swine flu, and apparently the key is to NOT do this:

Limbo

Change is in the air, and I've spent most of the weekend trying not to wait for it.

My sister is moving in Thursday, and I've almost finished clearing out my cats' stuff from her room. Tonight's the first night the boys are staying in my room instead of their own, and everyone is a little confused.

The boys were pretty restless at first, wanting a bedtime snack but not quite knowing where to look for it (everyone's food bowl has been moved in the last week). But Rescue Remedy in the water bowls, and probably the onset of their normal bedtime, eventually had them all passed out. Then Sunshine got antsy.

She's used to her own nightly routine, which includes trips to the food and water bowls and a stop by the litter box as soon as the boys are put to bed. She's tentatively trying to stick with business as usual, and she's staying fairly calm. I think it helps that she has a bed right here under my desk. And that the boys are unconscious.

As for me, I'm glad the weekend gave me some time to let things sink in; I suddenly have a lot to think about.

After last week's interview in OK City, I got a call from the SPCA wanting to meet with me here in Tulsa! I talked with two managers and a board member for almost two hours, and I definitely felt the pull of being needed--not to mention capable. I really enjoyed my time there, and I think I interviewed better than ever.

So now I'm waiting for two job offers, and then I'm off and running. First I'll have to decide on a job...and then, if I go the way I'm leaning, I'll have to start packing and simultaneously looking for an apartment. I'll have to quickly select a date for my sister's shower and start planning it, and then I'll need to get my dress altered. All this before the end of the month.

After so many months of being a bum, all this action is a bit of a shock.

Not that I'm complaining...

Clarification

When I said well-behaved, I meant "won't attack humans as long as they keep the fuck out."

(Note in the background a teddy bear with its nose ripped off...that's the work of my little Buster.)

Desperation

Hello,

I'm writing to inquire about the 1BR apartment you advertised on Craigslist. I am expecting a job offer in Oklahoma City and will need to move some time in May, if possible.

Can you tell me where the apartment is located?

Also, I have four cats--all indoor, spayed & neutered, and very well-behaved--and am looking for someone kind enough to rent to me. Do I have a prayer?

Many thanks,
Katy