Friday, August 08, 2003
Sarah's thoughts have been so boring lately that she has not bothered to share... Plus, I have been busy with Spinsters With Cats activities. Right now, April and I are trying to make our site show up in search engines like Google and Yahoo. I submitted the site to Google a couple of hours ago but so far nothing has happened. April is too busy playing the world's most mind bogglingly boring video game (called Stickit) to help with the effort this evening.
Sarah's thoughts have been so boring lately that she has not bothered to share... Plus, I have been busy with Spinsters With Cats activities. Right now, April and I are trying to make our site show up in search engines like Google and Yahoo. I submitted the site to Google a couple of hours ago but so far nothing has happened. April is too busy playing the world's most mind bogglingly boring video game (called Stickit) to help with the effort this evening.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Monday, August 04, 2003
I have been doing some summer/fall cleaning the last few weekends... Today I came across a diary that escaped the mass diary destruction of my mid twenties. I actually do not remember when I chunked the diaries in the dumpster... This one might have been written after that. Actually, I am pretty sure that it was... I threw my diaries away because I could not stand the thought that someone would read them after my death and discover what I disturbed individual I was. Erm, luckily, I am better now. Anyway, this excerpt will show why the diaries had to be destroyed...
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10/31/1997
I think that it is too late to give an accurate account of the lives of Pinky, Slinky, and Arthur. Much shall be a romanticization since I began this effort so belatedly. I want to write a narrative of their little lives before they are gone and I can't remember their names, like the hamsters of my youth. Or, more likely, I will name all my subsequent rats Pinky and I will get the all confused. (NOTE TO READERS FROM 2003 - The prophecy came true! Over the years I kept renaming my rats the same names...) I want to remember them all as they were when I read this later.
I think that I first hit upon the idea of getting rats when I was at a doctor's or dentist's office. One of the magazines was called "Furry Animals" or "Critters" or something. The magazine article described various pet rodents and said that rats made the best pets because they were both smart and affectionate. I really don't believe I ever had a thought about getting a pet rat before that moment. I do not remember how much time elapsed before I acted.
I am going to leave the scribbling table for a moment to do some historical resarch. I am going to go over and look in my filing cabinet to see if I can find the receipt for Pinky's purchase. "Purchase." Hee hee. What a word to describe getting a pet.
As often happens in life, a great moment escaped documentation. I guess one never knows how much a pet is going to mean to one. I guess it is like buying what later becomes your favorite shirt. Rarely does one recognize it when one sees it.
Anyway, my mind conceived of purchasing a rat in the latter half of June, 1996. I really only remember the date because Pinky escaped (or was captured, I can't remember which) on July 4th, 1996. (NOTE TO READERS: Truly a weird story that I did not see fit to elaborate on at the time... I lost Pinky outside and several days later I saw her outside and recaptured her! What were the odds!?!)
I remember that Aaron Frank was going to accompany me to pick out my rat. However, a friend of his came by his apartment and stayed so long that the pet store closed. So, I went the next day alone. I had called several pet stores to locate some baby rats. I think that I had to call several places.
Avondale Mall in midtown had a pet store that had some "young rats." I asked about baby rats, but they seemed to be confused by the concept. I went into the pet store and didn't see any rats around. They had them in the back in this icky closet like room.
They had three sizes of rats - small, medium and large. I suppose that these characterizations had something to do with their value as food for snakes with sicko owners. We wonder why people are so cruel to each other when this sort of barbarism is considered socially acceptable. Ask not why you are the victim of random violence, snake owner... Enough social commentary. Anyway, I was disgusted with the place and their treatment of the rats. Just right now I remember the disgust I felt toward the sales girl. She was ugly and fat and had dyed hair. I remember wondering if she even liked animals....
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It continues in this vein for a long long time... Apparently, I must have exhausted myself because the next entry is six months later!
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10/31/1997
I think that it is too late to give an accurate account of the lives of Pinky, Slinky, and Arthur. Much shall be a romanticization since I began this effort so belatedly. I want to write a narrative of their little lives before they are gone and I can't remember their names, like the hamsters of my youth. Or, more likely, I will name all my subsequent rats Pinky and I will get the all confused. (NOTE TO READERS FROM 2003 - The prophecy came true! Over the years I kept renaming my rats the same names...) I want to remember them all as they were when I read this later.
I think that I first hit upon the idea of getting rats when I was at a doctor's or dentist's office. One of the magazines was called "Furry Animals" or "Critters" or something. The magazine article described various pet rodents and said that rats made the best pets because they were both smart and affectionate. I really don't believe I ever had a thought about getting a pet rat before that moment. I do not remember how much time elapsed before I acted.
I am going to leave the scribbling table for a moment to do some historical resarch. I am going to go over and look in my filing cabinet to see if I can find the receipt for Pinky's purchase. "Purchase." Hee hee. What a word to describe getting a pet.
As often happens in life, a great moment escaped documentation. I guess one never knows how much a pet is going to mean to one. I guess it is like buying what later becomes your favorite shirt. Rarely does one recognize it when one sees it.
Anyway, my mind conceived of purchasing a rat in the latter half of June, 1996. I really only remember the date because Pinky escaped (or was captured, I can't remember which) on July 4th, 1996. (NOTE TO READERS: Truly a weird story that I did not see fit to elaborate on at the time... I lost Pinky outside and several days later I saw her outside and recaptured her! What were the odds!?!)
I remember that Aaron Frank was going to accompany me to pick out my rat. However, a friend of his came by his apartment and stayed so long that the pet store closed. So, I went the next day alone. I had called several pet stores to locate some baby rats. I think that I had to call several places.
Avondale Mall in midtown had a pet store that had some "young rats." I asked about baby rats, but they seemed to be confused by the concept. I went into the pet store and didn't see any rats around. They had them in the back in this icky closet like room.
They had three sizes of rats - small, medium and large. I suppose that these characterizations had something to do with their value as food for snakes with sicko owners. We wonder why people are so cruel to each other when this sort of barbarism is considered socially acceptable. Ask not why you are the victim of random violence, snake owner... Enough social commentary. Anyway, I was disgusted with the place and their treatment of the rats. Just right now I remember the disgust I felt toward the sales girl. She was ugly and fat and had dyed hair. I remember wondering if she even liked animals....
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It continues in this vein for a long long time... Apparently, I must have exhausted myself because the next entry is six months later!
Things have gone downhill. I am now having auditory hallucinations. This morning I was awakened by the phone (something I hate on Sunday mornings in any event...) so I pressed the pillow down on my head to drown out the phone. Then, I heard someone say "Sarah" pretty close to where I was, in my bed. Since I didn't expect anyone to be in my apartment, I sort of woke up and looked around. I even got up and checked the answering machine, though I knew that it was not a voice from that because I can't hear it from my room anyway. There was no message at all so I looked outside of my open window and there was no one there. I hope I don't receive some sort of message tomorrow in which the next word is "kill..."
I would have thought it was my friend Dan because he has a key to my apartment and often comes in and wakes me up by saying "Sarah" but it wasn't his voice and he doesn't normally run away when I get up anyway. And, he came over a few hours later and said "Sarah" as he normally does and he denied that he came over earlier. It definitely was the voice of an unknown person, anyway. A male voice, I believe.
I wish I had some Doritos now...
I would have thought it was my friend Dan because he has a key to my apartment and often comes in and wakes me up by saying "Sarah" but it wasn't his voice and he doesn't normally run away when I get up anyway. And, he came over a few hours later and said "Sarah" as he normally does and he denied that he came over earlier. It definitely was the voice of an unknown person, anyway. A male voice, I believe.
I wish I had some Doritos now...
Friday, August 01, 2003
My cat empire has expanded! Currently, I have double the normal amount of furry creatures under my control. Ah, the power... I am taking care of the three misfits known collectively as "Heather's cats" and also Dana's little hellions. Dana's hellion Scout seems to forgotten the foster mother who nursed her from kittenhood (oh, wait, that was Elsa..) Well, she forgot Elsa (her biological (cat) mother), too! Ah, how quickly the little ones grow up and forget us...
Shannon did not really do the eerie story of Phantom's empathy justice... Yesterday, a downtrodden and depressed Shannon came over after her doctor's appointment. She splat herself down on the bed in a depressed heap (an all too familiar sight in my apartment...) Phantom, shaking off her phenobarbital haze, waddled over, struggled up on the bed, and flopped down next to Shannon. Then, she reached out to pat Shannon with her paw several times before resting her it lightly on Shannon's arm in a comforting gesture. It was so extremely cute. As with the saintly late Princess Diana, suffering has apparently heightened Phantom' compassion.
Not that I am bitter, but I was lying in a depressed heap for hours that morning with no noticeable reaction from Phantom...
Guess what!? I am the inaugural president of Spinsters with Cats! I am not sure whether I am up to the responsibility, but greatness was thrust upon me in a unanimous vote. For my leadership mantra, I call to mind the wise words of Stanislaw Lem - "Cannibals prefer those who have no spines."
The Spinsters with Cats website and blog are coming soon, as soon as our inaugural webmaster gets off her spinsterish butt and makes them. We are working on SWC t-shirts and I am going to propose that we wear the shirts and pants with stretchy waistlines to every meeting. But, the president only has so much power... I suspect that the other members do not embrace their spinsterhood enough to start wear stretch pants. I tried on a rather dashing pair today at J.C. Penny's...
Not that I am bitter, but I was lying in a depressed heap for hours that morning with no noticeable reaction from Phantom...
Guess what!? I am the inaugural president of Spinsters with Cats! I am not sure whether I am up to the responsibility, but greatness was thrust upon me in a unanimous vote. For my leadership mantra, I call to mind the wise words of Stanislaw Lem - "Cannibals prefer those who have no spines."
The Spinsters with Cats website and blog are coming soon, as soon as our inaugural webmaster gets off her spinsterish butt and makes them. We are working on SWC t-shirts and I am going to propose that we wear the shirts and pants with stretchy waistlines to every meeting. But, the president only has so much power... I suspect that the other members do not embrace their spinsterhood enough to start wear stretch pants. I tried on a rather dashing pair today at J.C. Penny's...
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
The loss of a friend and then a beloved is bad enough, but fate has dealt Sarah an especially cruel blow today when the cat knocked over one of her most prized possessions - one of her brown big bellied lamps. It clunked against the computer and broke to pieces. It and its big bellied twin were always going to be the centerpieces of my new cool pad that one fine day when I develop some taste and redecorate... Had time to catch the lamp but was too apathetic after the funeral. So, I watched it fall. Sorry my big bellied friend. We will be together again soon enough. Guide me in the selection of your replacement from above. Say hello to the Pinkys for me.
Monday, July 28, 2003
I got my first guestbook flame!
"Sarah, this is pathetic. No one cares about your boring life." From an anonymous writer. This is the first evidence that my blog was read by someone I don't actually know (since any of my friends (already known to have expressed the same sentiments) would just sign their names, I would think...) Could be a family member, though. They are a kind of weaselly bunch.
Watch out, 'cause it is getting more boring by the moment...
Tonight is the second ever meeting of "Spinsters with Cats." For the first meeting, the requirements for membership were:
1. Ownership of at least one cat.
2. Attainment of age 30.
3. Confirmed spinsterhood.
The idea for "Spinsters with Cats" was born long ago but tensions in the group arose over the name "Spinsters with Cats" and lack of organization. At the first meeting, I personally wanted to drink a lot of booze, adopt bylaws and talk about cats and spinsterhood. The other two attendees didn't drink anything and did not seem to want to talk specifically about cats and spinsterhood. They have not been invited to the second meeting. There is a new requirement for invitation to the group. You have to simply love the name "Spinsters with Cats" and you have to relish discussions of spinsterhood and cats (I mean, hence the name...)! Also, you have to like silly group formalities like adopting by-laws, making t-shirts and electing officers. Two good things came out of the first meeting however. I was introduced to the world's best cleaning product (and the only product that lives up to its advertising claims) Resolve carpet cleaner and I was inspired to adopt a couple of homeless cats from the parking lot (mixed blessing...).
A few years ago I was visiting an old friend of my now deceased grandmother and she was telling me about a social club she and my grandmother started when they were young. I can't remember the purpose of the group, but each time they met they would sign the meeting book. The reason I remember the book is because I thought it was so weird that they all signed their names as "Mrs. My Husband's Name." For example, my grandfather's name was Lacy Hibbs so my grandmother signed as "Mrs. Lacy Hibbs." So, I think that I am going to get a fancy guestbook for tonight and we can all sign with our prospective husbands' names! I am sure that Dana will be Mrs. Colin Farrell. I, of course, will sign as Mrs. Bill Gates since we all know that Sarah is opposed to the practice of changing to one's husband's name unless the husbo is old Bill... Of coures, I am not hoping for the demise of the current Mrs. Bill Gates or anything like that...
"Sarah, this is pathetic. No one cares about your boring life." From an anonymous writer. This is the first evidence that my blog was read by someone I don't actually know (since any of my friends (already known to have expressed the same sentiments) would just sign their names, I would think...) Could be a family member, though. They are a kind of weaselly bunch.
Watch out, 'cause it is getting more boring by the moment...
Tonight is the second ever meeting of "Spinsters with Cats." For the first meeting, the requirements for membership were:
1. Ownership of at least one cat.
2. Attainment of age 30.
3. Confirmed spinsterhood.
The idea for "Spinsters with Cats" was born long ago but tensions in the group arose over the name "Spinsters with Cats" and lack of organization. At the first meeting, I personally wanted to drink a lot of booze, adopt bylaws and talk about cats and spinsterhood. The other two attendees didn't drink anything and did not seem to want to talk specifically about cats and spinsterhood. They have not been invited to the second meeting. There is a new requirement for invitation to the group. You have to simply love the name "Spinsters with Cats" and you have to relish discussions of spinsterhood and cats (I mean, hence the name...)! Also, you have to like silly group formalities like adopting by-laws, making t-shirts and electing officers. Two good things came out of the first meeting however. I was introduced to the world's best cleaning product (and the only product that lives up to its advertising claims) Resolve carpet cleaner and I was inspired to adopt a couple of homeless cats from the parking lot (mixed blessing...).
A few years ago I was visiting an old friend of my now deceased grandmother and she was telling me about a social club she and my grandmother started when they were young. I can't remember the purpose of the group, but each time they met they would sign the meeting book. The reason I remember the book is because I thought it was so weird that they all signed their names as "Mrs. My Husband's Name." For example, my grandfather's name was Lacy Hibbs so my grandmother signed as "Mrs. Lacy Hibbs." So, I think that I am going to get a fancy guestbook for tonight and we can all sign with our prospective husbands' names! I am sure that Dana will be Mrs. Colin Farrell. I, of course, will sign as Mrs. Bill Gates since we all know that Sarah is opposed to the practice of changing to one's husband's name unless the husbo is old Bill... Of coures, I am not hoping for the demise of the current Mrs. Bill Gates or anything like that...
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Okay. This is the absolute, last, final draft, unless one of you readers has some feedback...
The Hairball Cat...
The Hairball Cat...
Oh blog, oh blog, why I have forsaken you... Erm, I know why! I have developed an unhealthy obsession for editing the The Hairball Cat! I tried to resist the impulse to work on it today but my resolved quickly dissolved and I changed the color of the kitten and made it a little bigger since Robert said it looked like a rat. I am just going to reload those five pictures and that is it!!! No more for the day. I have to move on to more important activities like reading my book or writing email messages.
My co-worker asked about a sequel and I had an intriguing thought about the hairball cat emerging from the trashcan for revenge, but that is going to have to wait for another day. Despite the childish look of my pictures, the creation process is very taxing on Sarah. Coworker Paul gave me my first every literary review on his blog!!!!
My co-worker asked about a sequel and I had an intriguing thought about the hairball cat emerging from the trashcan for revenge, but that is going to have to wait for another day. Despite the childish look of my pictures, the creation process is very taxing on Sarah. Coworker Paul gave me my first every literary review on his blog!!!!
Friday, July 25, 2003
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
My love for my blog is returning now that I can see my updates! Who knew that my attachment was so reliant on the instant gratification of seeing my words published on the Internet... Another reason for the scarcity of updates is that I have been diligently working on my illustrating my masterwork "The Hairball Cat." Since many of your are probably giddy with anticipation, I will give you a brief preview...
Part of the problem is that I have not been able to view my new blog entries at work. I type them in and post them but then can't see them on the site. Paul figured out that it has something to do with the network at work since he could see our updates at home. Robert managed to serve (yet again) by telling me to hit Ctrl and then F5 to make the server update the site (or something like that...) It worked! Even a differently-abled (erm...very special) squirrel finds a nut every now and then!
This morning I went shopping at Kroger to get some cheese ravioli. My normal shopping haunt (Cub Foods) does not have any without meat sauce. Turns out, neither does Kroger. So, I didn't get my cheese ravioli but I did impulse buy as really cheap quilt with little birds on it. So, the trip was productive anyway.
This morning I went shopping at Kroger to get some cheese ravioli. My normal shopping haunt (Cub Foods) does not have any without meat sauce. Turns out, neither does Kroger. So, I didn't get my cheese ravioli but I did impulse buy as really cheap quilt with little birds on it. So, the trip was productive anyway.
Saturday, July 19, 2003
I am livin' up to the name of my blog this morning!!!
Dana has been granted an extension to Monday at midnight to approach her "hi" man and ask him out. I suggested that she might try a few drinks to stiffen her nerve (the one skinny one) but she wondered if that would be appropriate at work. I told her to ask Sh*nn*n for her opinion on proper etiquette in the workplace. If she doesn't know she can always find out. Being on a first name basis with everyone in HR has to have some advantage...
Not much as been said about the yeasties lately. This is not because Sarah has not been living in fear of the them. Sarah longs for her old life with the bottle and the snackcake...
Dana has been granted an extension to Monday at midnight to approach her "hi" man and ask him out. I suggested that she might try a few drinks to stiffen her nerve (the one skinny one) but she wondered if that would be appropriate at work. I told her to ask Sh*nn*n for her opinion on proper etiquette in the workplace. If she doesn't know she can always find out. Being on a first name basis with everyone in HR has to have some advantage...
Not much as been said about the yeasties lately. This is not because Sarah has not been living in fear of the them. Sarah longs for her old life with the bottle and the snackcake...
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