The Adventures of Being Me

I foolishly let a lady at the airport borrow my pencil so her daughter can do her homework. She never came back to return it. The bitch probably thought it was a company pencil so the company can afford to buy new ones that are never returned by customers and noncustomers. Actually it was my souvinir pencil from England, Hampton Court Palace to be precise, rainbow metallic paper and a worn down black eraser. Enjoy my pencil little girl. The company only buys ink pens, the pencils at the counter are all employee's personal ones to do crossword puzzles with. Post later. Bye!

Some say the reason people often do not vote is because they do not care or feel their one vote doesn't really count. Actually, I think people do not vote is because they don't know the people they are voting for or against. Big name politians like Senators in Washington DC, the Governor of Iowa, or the Mayor of their city are people we know and recognize on TV. But County Hospital Trustees, District Associate Judges, or Soil and Conservation District Commissioner are people I have no clue who is the best one for the job. Though I must confess that if I see a woman's name on the ballot I tend to favor her simply because we need more women in government offices, even if they are a bitch. Bitches often get things done. I know, I work with some. Post later. Bye!

Rock a bye Frodo, on the tree top. Climbing to crab apples, the leaves taste so good. When Frodo will reach the end of the branch, down will come kitty, crab apples and all. Post later. Bye!

I did a good deed today when outside with the cats. Precious pawed at a monarch butterfly and it clung to the edge of the stoop playing possum. Well that made Precious bat it some more to play with it, and made the wings move when he hit it. It had a hole in one wing and another was crooked. I scooped up the butterfly and it clung to my finger, and placed it on top of a bush. It batted its wings a few times recovering from the assault, then flew away. Post later.

Today I climb out of bed to barely make it to the historic house. Then I use the last of my treats to get out the door, so I have to go shopping at the end of my shift. Next I almost get a shower at the front door. Yes a sprinkler is spraying the front door and sidewalk going to my car. I wait patiently for the rotation to move away and make a break dashing to my car in high heels before the sprinkler comes back. At least I didn't trip. They have new sod out front where they tore the old grass up. My cats don't like the front part anymore because the new bushes are so tiny, but they do like the brick edge. I get to my volunteer position. Nobody wants my cupcakes, but they will gorge themselves on corn dip made of cheese, corn, and peppers. One lady did take one home for her husband. She only eats organic foods. I noticed the ladies over lunch talk about food I never heard of. I realize upon hearing the Sabbath starting in the evening that they are Jewish. They talked about fam...

I learned a valuable lesson today: Never have a party again, even if my sister begs on her knees for me to have one so she can get free Tupperware. Let's see where I went wrong. I invited all I know. Showed everyone the catalogs. I had 4 say I'm coming, one was bringing a friend to make 5 total. Got orders from those who could not attend. Spent 4 hours cleaning my apartment completely to impress my guests. Made cupcakes, got punch ready to mix. My sister is bringing the punch bowl and pin wheels to eat. Took out the garbage and cats escape. Tupperware lady finds me chasing my cats in the parking lot. My friend Teresa helped carry a cat in. Mixed the punch while Tupperware lady and Teresa talk. Offer punch, move the dining room table so the lady can do her presentation. Lady says we do food at the end and moves it off the table to the kitchen. While we wait for the others to come, we talk and Teresa looks at the catalog. Nobody else comes. My sister calls saying Mom is in terr...

I went to my cousin's wedding today. 2nd marriage for both. It was sweet and simple, and short, in a rustic tiny country church on the Waukee side of West Des Moines. It was so small all the guests barely squeezed in. The bride wore a tank top dress, floor length but no train, with a second layer of white lace over the white satin. I'm unsure of the flower bouquet varities, but they were large and colorful, and mostly purple. Matron of honor wore a strapless lavender gown. The junior bridesmaids, my cousin's girls, wore a blue floral dress and yellow floral dress. The groom, my cousin, wore a black suit and orange carnation. No tuxedo this time. The best man also wore a black suit. No ushers so after the wedding party left all the guests stared at each other wondering what the do. The 1st row got up and the rows after walked themselves out. No receiving line so followed the leader down to the basement where a 3-tiered cake awaited us with fresh fruits, mints, and cherry k...

Kissing your pet with your lips may be hazardous to your health, a news report said just before the commercial break. Apparently, I missed the story when it came on. Sure kissing a pet (or a sick human) can spread germs and make you sick. But let get real here, there are germs everywhere. The very air you breathe every day has germs. Granted some experts say to wash our hands after touching your pet. But when I pet my cats every 15 minutes, that will not be happening. Besides, my cats sleep in my bed, purr in my ear, sneeze in my face, take naps on my lap, lick my nose when I wake up, and chew on my shoestrings so we are already sharing germs without me kissing their soft, furry foreheads. Though I do wash my hands with anti-bacterial soap after cleaning the litterbox, mostly so my hands won't smell like litter all day and prevent catching fecal germs. Post later. Bye!

I got the opportunity to talk about my first day at the historic house to my coworkers today. They were interested in the basil jelly I tasted. A lady knew someone who grew purple basil and used it to make a jelly using lemon juice, sugar, water, and boil it to make a reddish jelly. It had a very strong flavor of basil, a bit too strong to my liking. I never tasted basil before. It was an experience. Then we had a rare day when nobody shows up to take a tour, until we were about to leave. I got to listen to the ladies talk about food, waitresses, history of the family who built the house, and past tour experiences. One lady had been a volunteer there for 15 years, she was full of stories. Then thinking we could go home and put on our coats, a couple comes to take a tour. They are from California. I finally listened in to a tour being given. The guide was full of information. I am officially in training, so I just listen and look at what the guide points at. I was disappointed in their ...

We had a mad rush to the litterbox today. Frodo was scratching at some dirt and sitting down. I knew he was preparing to pee. I grabbed him, rushed back to the apartment, and he runs out the door. I grab him again and drop him near the litterobx. he heads for the door with a meow. I pick up the litterbox scoop and start scratching a hole in the litterbox. Frodo comes up, scratches at the litter, and runs for the door. Trying to entice further his need to pee, I kept scratching at the litterbox. Frodo finally came around, jumped in the litterbox, scratched his own hole, and went. he covered his mess and off we went back outside. I let the kitties have extra time outside today. The neighbor girls came over to play with the kitties after we returned. Precious meowed like crazy wanting to go outside again. I worked on my Halloween cards for my coworkers. After the girls left, I found a little girl's shirt in my bed. I tossed it by the door to remember to give it to them when they come ...

I got some new cat treats from a coupon I found. The cats like them alright, I them all over the floor when I woke up. Apparently the containers are not cat proof. Though I wish I could find the lid to it. Post later. Bye!

When I signed up to do paid surveys, I apparently got on the mailing list of a lot of things. One is for singles online, or dating services. I won't apply to anymore dating services. I tried that after my 30th birthday, and got so frustrated I cancelled my accounts. I only got one date out of it anyway. Now I'm 31 (eek!) and completely give up on men. Sure it would be wonderful to get married, live in a house in a small town, have kids and cats (I'm allergic to dogs), and have a white picket fence surrounding the yard full of flower beds. I just come to the realization that it will never happen. No man is ever going to find me attractive, I'm not going to make enough money to buy a house or adopt a child, and I have my cats to love and cuddle. I finally give up. I'll just single the rest of my life. I'm hopeless. Post later. Bye!

Frodo has finally grown strong enough to follow Precious up the treetops. Though they investigate different branches. See if you can find them. Post later. Bye! Don't worry, they do come down on their own.

I had my interview at a historic house to be a volunteer. She said I had exceptional (or excellent or whatever she said above good) references. When I went to work, I ran into my boss and told him that I guessed I have him to thank for that. He grew a giant smile. Though, I was disappointed she didn't ask me many questions. I was so ready to sell myself on my abilities to get along with he public, talk to foreignors who don't speak much English, and try to get children to ask questions. She did most of the talking. She did say I was dressed a little formal in my new purple suit I got just for the occassion. I can mix the jacket and skirt with other things. I have been trying to gain a dressy wardrobe in the coat closet because every time something happens (like wedding or gradaution) I have nothing to wear and have to buy something at the last minute. A great "Only in America" joke goes: Only in America can a woman have a closet full of clothes and have nothing to wea...

I have been editing a final copy of my book for the publisher. While typing in an email detailing the mistakes I saw, the cat jumps on the computer. I pull him off and see he just sent my email. I start another apologizing for the un-finished email I just sent. He replied he has never received an email from a cat before. Post later. Bye!

I babysat my niece as usual so my sister can volunteer. We played wash and dry our doll blanket (I made the ding sound), read books, and then my niece requests a video. Yes my niece actually said "Video". So we watch Winnie the Pooh and Sing Along Songs. The second to the last song is a Winnie the Pooh song. Since she loves Pooh so much, I say we can rewind it to play the Pooh song again. Big Mistake. I am soon in Pooh hell rewinding this tape 15 times before my sister comes home. Niece wants Mommy to come down to the basement to hug her, she doesn't want to leave Pooh on TV. The last song plays and my niece protests. My sister turns off the TV for a Pooh break. Niece cries and screams her head off. My goodness. Mommy says to get ready for bed and we can read some books, maybe Pooh books. I'm starting to think my niece has a Pooh addiction. She doesn't react this way to Elmo. Now I'm home again. Post later. Bye!

Even though I have lived in Des Moines for years, I still consider my parents' house in my hometown as home. Perhaps because I don't own a house. I visited my parents for my Dad to change the oil in my car (he insists that HE does it) and stayed a few days. First on Sunday came the bridal shower for my cousin's fiancee so she had a chance to meet the extended family. We played games, ate cream puffs, and watched the bride open her presnts. No lingerie was given to her, just house things like sheets and utinsels. Then, I went home to pack up and drive to my parents's house with the cats. I can't pack early because that would stress the cats too much. Dad emptied the oil tank in the garage and changed the oil the next day. He says I will have to take the car somewhere to change the antifreeze. OK, worry about that later. Mom had to point out the litterbox smell believing the litter covers up the smell. No, not really. I took the cats outside and watched them sniff aro...

I have been trying so hard to earn extra money since I spent a mint trying to get my book published on my own. I tried saving money, but 2 cats prevent that from happening. Looking through the want ads of a paper looking for at home jobs, I found out companies pay people to take surveys. I never heard of that before. So I go online and sign up, for a fee of course to access all these companies' paid surveys. I click on company survey access #1: I am directed to another paid survey site where I can access companies' surveys for free. why did I pay a fee to access this site? Access click #2: I am directed not to a paid survey site, but to a web page of articles of paid surveys. One article said 99% of paid survey sites are scams. Like we are suppose to know where to find the 1% that are real. Access clcik #3: I am directed to a website claiming if you accessed this site for a fee then it is a scam. They no longer do mystery shopping or paid surveys anymore. Go through hoops in th...

I read in the musuem letter that they are hiring for a position I have the education and 2 seasons of volunteering experience to qualify as a candiadate. The question is: Do I apply? I would take a pay cut, but get similar benefits. I would work 5 days a week instead of 4 like I do now. Plus work in the hot summer heat doing manual labor as compared to doing crosswords in air conditioning while sitting at a desk all day like I do now. How do I decide? I voted against it. Besides the money (my cats need to eat today not when I make more money), my allergies were the deciding factor. Humidity, like early in the morning, makes my allergies act up and I feel glued to the bed not being able to breathe. Comparing all aspects of the opening and my job now, I decided my poor people, dead end, a moron can do my job looks pretty good compared to a prestigious, must have college degree to be hired opening. I'll pass this time. Post later. Bye!

I got a surprise visit today as I opened the door in my pajamas. The neighbor kids from yesterday brought their baby sister to see the kitties. She kept calling my kitties, "doggie". We started the playing in the hallway and moved in my apaprtment when they wanted to look inside. Then the baby sister was getting tired so one girl took her home. Then she came back annoucing that their mother told them to come back because she was going shopping. They promised they would be right back. I changed my clothes, took care of cat duties, and cooked my lunch. They never came back. That's OK with me. Then I took the cats outside because Precious drives me nuts meowing at the door. I saw the girls. We did meet a squirrel who bounced tree to tree to chatter at my cats. The cats jumped up the tree trunk and the suqirrel ran into another tree. Then it was time to come home. I went out with my parents and my sister's family went out to eat in honor of my birthday. My mother baked an...

I took my kitties for a walk outside and took some pictures. I met 3 girls outside eager to pet and pick up my babies. One girl introduced them to her female cat watching from the screen door. I explained to her father that my boys are neutered. Two sisters came outside to find the apartment playground, but didn't know where it was. They followed the cats everywhere and came upstairs to see which apartment we live in when I decided our hour and a half walk was long enough. They just looked inside the door and I got cat treats out to coax the cats back. I said good-bye and shut the door. I don't mean to be rude, but I thought it a bad idea to invite strangers, especially kids, into my apartment. See if you can find my kitties in the pictures.