Strange

How can I be attracted to someone I met on FB playing FT who lives across half the world?  Hmmm.  Especially when I have my Dave here? 

No more Evian!

After 13 years or so... We are now a non-Evian household.  I purchased 3 internal filter bottles that we are using instead and its working fantastically!  And no waste!  I feel like a true tree hugger.... well close to.  We still have plastic silverware.  But I swear to buy new ACTUAL spoons, knives & forks from IKEA when I go next.  2 weeks tops.  It's amazing how much those bottles piled up, even when crushed.  Woot for saving the environment and money!

Gotta love bronchitis and its friend laryngitis

So its been almost 2 full weeks this time (the last was about 6 weeks ago, lasted about 2 weeks  and just bronchitis, not this bad, went away on its own), however this time its like an Olympic event!

"Go ahead, load your body with vitamin c, a multi-vitamin, drink water like mad and eat well! I don't care and i'll invite laryngitis to the party" it says.  Doctor gives me an inhaler and a z-pack.  Since then, the b & l duo have gone on a rampage.  Now I also get to not breathe for more than 8 min at a time without feeling like I'm gonna pass out from O2 loss (oxygen to the non-nerdy). 

So any ideas?  Anybody?  3000 mg of vitamin c and blue-green algae and spirulina and more water than seems possible along with all the good things from childhood (mentholatum on chest, neck & back; vaporiser; sleep; OJ) aren't cutting it.  And I'm running out of ideas.  It's call the doc back day tomorrow and it'll be interesting to see what she says. 

If you have any thoughts, please let me know!  Thanks and good health to all of you!  I wouldn't wish this in people I really don't like.  Truly! Later gaters!  Gonna try and sleep some before the sun rises.  Suz

It's been awhile.... and CONGRATS MR. & MRS. BANERJEE'S!!!

So, it's been awhile is an understatement. I swore to myself that when I started this blog I would keep up with it. Sharing my thoughts, my witty (well witty to me) anecdotes, my general views on this big blue marble. Well that hasn't gone as well as I'd hoped. But along with the new year (yes I realize it's almost April!) I begin anew.... almost a year since I started I think.... or two? No one.

ANYWAYS.... This is just a short note to say Thanks Erin for not jumping ship and thanks for the pic of Tiff and Animesh from last night. I literally cried. So happy for them, cause she looks not just radiant, but perfectly happy! And also sad because I was missing it. But I got a pic of Dave in his tux, the stud he is, looking dashing!! And got a sort of run down of what happened throughout the evening. I love that Tiff is happy and hope that this was one of the best nights of her life (along with the wedding in Kenya... can't wait to see pics of that!) And so in a round about way I'm expressing my joy here on the place I set up to do such things. That's what this blog is for!

So YEA TIFFY AND ANIMESH!!! MAY YOUR HAPPINESS BE LONGER THAN THE DISTANCE TO THE NEXT PLANET INHABITED BY SENTIENT BEINGS IN ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM!! Thank you to God, Allah, the Universe and everything else out there that helps us find the people in our lives that make life worth living. Please keep watch over the girl I still remember from the "homecoming parade" way back when.... and her love. Help them to know that it's ok to not always like the person you love (something that took me a long time to learn) as long as you truly love them with your whole heart and that money doesn't always buy happiness (makes it somewhat easier, true) as long as you have someone you love at your side during the good times and the bad. So, with that said.... I will talk to you soon!!! Love from Suzannahstan (inmates and all!!!)

Dave and Suz in Wonderland

A few nights ago, Dave pointed out that since we got our 2 newest family members, Dory (16 wks.) and Gracie (19 mos.), things here at home have become a LOT weirder!

History for those who don't know... In the last year we lost our oldest 2 cats. These losses were traumatic and horrible, not just for us but also for our youngest cat. Merlin is 16 and after Em, who was his best buddy and official head eater (yes, she tried to eat his head on an almost daily basis), and then Alex died, he seemed lost. There was 9 months between the two deaths and he tried to play with Alex the way he had with Em, but Alex had no interest in trying to eat his head, or ears, or even play with him in any way. So when Alex died, he had no-one but Dave and I to really be with or play with, we never seemed to be what he wanted. Mind you, Merlin LOVES his Daddy and even holds his hand when he sits with Dave (which is truly one of the cutest things ever!). But, especially when his Dad wasn't home, he started to wander around the apartment, crying and calling out trying to find his sisters who just vanished as far as he knew. So Dave and I talked about getting at least one cat who was above a year old and maybe also a kitten since our MN Animal Shelter has a program where if you adopt a kitten, you can also adopt an older cat (over 1 year) with no fee! And so Dory and Gracie came to live in our home.

The first impression shared by Merlin when he saw Dory (who was TINY at only 9 wks.) was "KILL IT!" But with Gracie he was more on the lines of "Hmmm.... well, as long as it doesn't touch me or my Dad, then things might be alright." He certainly stopped wandering and crying and started to attach himself to either Dave, when he was home or if not, to me. Dory and Gracie were met with deep growls and sometimes even a hiss.... which is SO not Merlin! He has never hissed at anyone except the vet (and only in the past 3 years)! We knew that he would feel like his space was being invaded and were very good about making sure he knew he was loved above all and all the other things that you do when you bring in new cats to an older cats home.

In the 7 weeks since we brought the new additions home, things have definitely changed..... in weird and strange ways. Dory, as a kitten of course enjoys the kitten habits of feet chasing and chewing, falling off of things she tries to climb, killing fuzzy balls and catnip mice as well as running and jumping sideways whenever she can't quite figure out how she should react to something new. Gracie, as the older and more intelligent cat, takes most of what Dory dishes out.... including her attempts at head eating (ANOTHER HEAD EATER?!?!) with ease and yes... grace (hence the name change she received when arriving at our home, because Tiger, the name she had at the time of adoption, was the name of a fantastic cat who had belonged to both Dave's grandmother and mom). Gracie loves to wake us up to kneading in the wee hours of the night and or morning, which is sweet..... but when she gets to the face and neck, gets a bit scary since she has all her claws (EEK!!)

The WONDERLAND reference comes from what tends to happen between the hours of oh, let's approximate and say 7pm and midnight. Merlin does his usual, sit on his Dad's lap and gaze at him lovingly while holding his hand and being petted or sit 3 feet away from Dave or I and wait until we realize that he wants food (even though he has food in his bowl already.... but it must be stale or unsatisfactory in some way. He is a finicky man. But, he grew up with Alex and Em, so what else would one expect?!) On the other hand (of someone in a locked psychiatric ward it would seem) are the things that Gracie and Dory do. Dory has developed a habit of jumping on Gracie's back and either trying to eat her head or more often than not, going for what she believes is the jugular and thus the kill(!!!) Gracie has since learned that if she just puts her head down, Dory will fall off.... Dory hasn't figured out why she keeps ending up on the floor. There is also the thrill of the running from between the dining room and the living room and up Dave's chair (either with or without him in it, and let me assure you that being a launch pad is definately interesting) to see who can jump and claw their way to the top of the tree first... the loser being the one who then starts the process over again by smacking the winner until she jumps down and runs back to the dining room. Now, all of this is fairly normal cat play.... until you get to the daily cleaning of the litter. Dory is very "paws on" when it comes to the litter box. She likes to help scoop and OH BOY if there's new litter?!??!?!?! Well, let's just say that you don't have to try and pour the litter on her.... she gets right under that 'litterfall' of Swheat Scoop. And then she plays in the new litter box... EACH ONE... for at least 10-15 minutes. WHY? Maybe she needs to make sure that the litter is well spread out? Each granule touched by her little black paw? Or just to be the dustiest black kitten in the world? Thank the person who invented the kitten wipes..... otherwise Dory would have a bath every day. And BOY WOULDN'T THAT BE A TREAT?!?!?!

Needless to say there is so much more strange behavior that these newcomers have added to our home, including cuddles and cuteness and love that can't be measured. But the changes that have turned our home into WONDERLAND are some of the best. Truly (that's for you Dave!)

Thoughts..... on random musings

Point #1.... since the news has been filled with this Mosque in the "Ground Zero" area, i'm going to weigh in with my opinion.... even though SOMEONE told me that since I didn't lose someone in the disaster my opinion doesn't really matter. To which I say POPPYCOCK! I watched that day and mourned for those people just like most Americans did. So, here goes. Personally, I don't really understand what all the hub-bub is about. Would there be a problem if it was a Zen Buddist center? I think no.... and to limit one groups ability to worship in an area limits us all. Just because certain people (cough FOXNEWS cough) seem to believe that the Mosque proposal with its attached learning center is the code for terrorist hideout and future terror planning initiative (although, when doesn't FOXNEWS think anything Islamic isn't code for a terrorist hideout and future terror planning initiative.... really? think about it..... it should be their new tagline), I tend to take the more optimistic and rational view that it is simply what it says it is. And why shouldn't there be a Mosque there? Muslims died in the attacks... There is a Mosque in the Pentagon and no problems there. It seems that people are blinded by their ignorance and fear and that is something that we should try and fight against.... by LEARNING about what we fear. But again, that's just me. Oh, and a brief sidenote... are there plans for shopping and commerce at the "Ground Zero" site? If so, why is the Gap, Abercrombie, Cinnabon, etc. OK on such "hallowed ground" but worship in the area, because the Mosque is planned NEAR not ON the site, not? Worship the almighty dollar and our power to buy more crap but no.... no Muslims!!! What a load of crap! Sorry... but to quote Seth and Amy on SNL "REALLY???"

Point #1 answer in Suzannahstan: Put the Mosque where it's planned to go and let people actually LEARN a bit about Islam and in a broader way tolerance.

Point #2: Have you watched the "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson"? It's witty, informative, and could easily kick Jay Leno's malicious butt! I have been a fan of Craig for many years, ever since I saw a little mock-u-mentary called "The Big Tease" and laughed so hard that I was in pain. That's a good laugh, despite the pain!! He is truly a comedic genius and I must say that I love him. And just so you know, going into it.... if you have never watched the "Late Late Show..." know that puppets may come up every once in awhile. Wavy, you and Sid are AWESOME!! Aside from his late night genius, Craig is an amazing writer, producer and director. Not to mention his voice work... Can you say "ANGRY BEAVERS"? When his autobiography "American On Purpose.." came out you had to search high and low for his fiction work "Between the Bridge and the River", and by that I mean, it was sold out, everywhere. And his autobiography is truly one of those works of art that can make you both laugh and cry (for me Ch. 1 LAUGH! Ch. 2 CRY! and of course I kept going!) So go out and buy "American on Purpose" and learn a lot about a man who REALLY wanted to be an American and a little about what Laura Bush likes in underwear fashion.....LMAO!

Point #2 answer in Suzannahstan: Craig Ferguson should be on after the news every night and in my opinion required reading in schools.

Point #3: So after the loss of Alex and Molly during the past 12 months, Merlin, our remaining cat a.k.a. "The Handsome Man", was lonely. How do I know this? Well the crying everyday was a big big clue. Dave and I decided that we needed to get Merlin a friend. So off to the pound we went. Wierdly it was a week to the day after Alex died that we went the first time. We just looked, but it was therapeutic and we did find a beautiful calico long haired cat named Elizabeth who we sort of decided we would adopt when the time was right. I also found Rosie, a beautiful ginger kitten who just wanted to talk and be held. So over the next few weeks I checked on Elizabeth to see if she was still available for adoption. She wasn't adopted for over a month and we decided it was time to add her and maybe a kitten too to our family. Three was wierd, four would be strange, and five is a number that seems to work for our little family. SO... off to the AHS website I went. But Elizabeth was gone. I called the actual site and they said that she was adopted. Sigh, so looking through the pictures of their cats and talking to my fantastic mom, we saw Dory. Dory was (at the time) 9 wks old, jet black with greenish eyes and a look that said "You know you want to love me!!". I was sold. I should state at this time that the AHS here in the cities has a program whereby if you adopt a kitten and a cat over the age of 1 you can have the older cats' fee waived. So, bully for us! Dave's mom came over and Marilyn and I headed off to the AHS! Dave stated that he trusted me and whatever I brought home would be just dandy (this is not an exact quote, but it's what I heard :D). Dory was first on my mind when we walked through the door.... but NO!!! Others were handling my sweet Dory and I feared they might want to take her home too! (Kittens go fast at the AHS) So I used my charm.... or whatever and said "You don't want her.... look how cute her brother Nemo is!!!" The mother of one of the girls laughed and as they put Dory back in her cage led the girls to look at other cats. I picked up Dory, while Nemo howled and tried to escape his confines. Dory looked at me with her little kitten eyes and settled into my arms and I was sold, so much so that I grabbed her card and put a deposit down on her right then and there! She was mine! Now to find the older cat to take the brunt of the psychotic kitten energy that we knew would make Merlin insane and want to kill Dory. While I looked on one side, Marilyn looked on the other and we both found a few candidates..... until a beautiful 18 month old female who's name was Tiger caught Marilyn's eye. She pulled Tiger out and held her. Tiger purred and was very affectionate. Then I came over to hold her and Tiger literally fell into my arms and began to almost SING while she purred and kneaded my arm. Smitten is the word I think we are looking for here. So we took Tiger into the private room and just hung out with her for about 10 minutes. To say that Tiger wasn't interested in Marilyn is to put it lightly. I don't know if she knew who was looking for someone to join the family or not, but she was on me like glue! Which was fine by me. She kneaded and purred/sang for our time at the AHS. Marilyn, in her great wisdom said "Well, I think you've got a second cat!" So I went to pay the piper as it was. We brought them home and tried to keep them apart from Merlin for a time, but it was impossible and by 4 hours in it was all cats/kittens all over the apartment. Dave came home to find Tiger (whose name became Gracie due to 1- her M marking on her forhead (said to be the sign of Mohammed in legend) and 2- her absolute grace under the pressure of Dory on the crazy side and Merlin on the possessive "MY MOM AND DAD" side). and Dory racing about the apartment after each other or whatever moved. Since then, we have become a family, although I worry about brain damage in Dory's case. Reasons follow: falling off the couch onto her head, falling off the bed, falling off the cat tree while trying to get to the tip top and somehow kill Gracie.... do you see the pattern here? She's now almost 15 weeks and still as nutty as a fruitcake. She has her super goofy time, just like Gracie and Merlin (somedays) where it's absolutely essential to run as fast as possible where ever there is open ground and attack anything that moves (feet, Gracie, toys... even stationary ones, Gracie, Merlin, feet, legs, etc.) and throws a fit if Dave is gone and I need to leave the apartment for an appointment or whatever. Truly.... she sits on my foot, attacks my bag, cries, jumps on my clothes and won't let go... it's cute, but I feel like a bad parent. Sigh. Needless to say, it's been a LLOOOONNNGGG time since Dave or I had a kitten and it's like having a toddler. I love it. Although I have to find a way to stop her growing!!! She;s getting so big.... growing into her back legs (which has stopped some of the brain damage causing problems, thank God!) and getting smarter about what NO means, unless it has to do with the keyboard on Dave's computer or my laptop. I can't tell you how many msgs she has sent to friends. Usually in the form of 444444442wer7h;soe@ after which she somehow turns off the laptop entirely.

Point #3 answer in Suzannahstan: Kittens are psychotic but absolutely lovable and 5 is a perfect number for us.

I promise to update on the family soon and Erin, you fantastic woman, thanks for keeping me on my toes here! Otherwise, my allergy meds have kicked in and it's sleepy time!! If Dory will let me. Take care everyone and thanks for reading!!

A farewell to Alex...

I haven't posted this as soon as I had hoped to, mostly due to the fact that I didn't know quite how to put into words what I wanted and needed to say. I still don't but I need to do this so I can move forward, both here in Suzannahstan and in general. So here goes!

On June 2nd at 6am, Alexandria Egypt, Port City on the Nile (m.k.a. Alex) suffered a blood clot that moved into her spine and rendered her back legs and tail completely non-functioning. We (Dave and I.... and I can't say enough about Dave through this situation) took her to the U of M Vet Hospital because no where else was open and they diagnosed her. I think both Dave and I knew on the ride there that things were definitely not good but didn't say anything. I knew that she would never come home again, and I sat with her in the back seat by her carrier talking to her on the ride. When we arrived, there was the obvious paperwork and one of the nurses took her back to be looked at by one of the vets. I was fine until about 2 minutes after Dave finished the paperwork.

Alex had been mine since June 1992 when at 8 weeks old I found her in an ad posted in the newsletter for the company I had worked at, and we had been through almost everything, good and bad, together till the day she died. She was definitely a cat that believed that I was around to be there just for her and demanded my attention, loudly, on most occasions when she felt it was needed. Alex announced bedtimes, kept me company during late nights when i couldn't sleep and read, reminded both Dave and I that meals should always be on time and mostly was content to treat Emma (before she died in Oct. 09) and Merlin like the cats they were, not like the cat she was. As I write this it doesn't sound like Alex was as magnificent as she really was, but I can't seem to find the right words to describe her better. She was a fantastic cat.... regal, aloof when she wanted to be, talkative (to the point of absolute domination of the house) and loving in her own way, which suited me perfectly. To face losing her was something that I had thought about over the course of her life, and like most pet owners I think, dreaded what it would be like to not have her in my life.

As we sat in the waiting room and other people came in and left with their pets, I couldn't keep myself from crying. Dave came and hugged me and tried to keep me in a positive place, because we really didn't know what was going on. The doctor came out and took us to a room and confirmed that she had suffered a blood clot. She told us that there were things that they could try to do, but it would be a long road and Alex would be in pain and wouldn't necessarily gain the use of her legs, most cats don't. She told us the other option was to put Alex to sleep. She left us alone to discuss it, but the minute she said that any treatment would leave Alex in pain (something they had already given her a painkiller for), I knew what had to be done and I have no doubt that Dave did too. We were both very rational at that point and I don't remember crying when we made the decision. In fact we laughed a bit about something that I can't even recall, but i'm sure it had something to do with Alex, who we could hear in a room nearby, talking in her "I'm not sure what YOU think you're doing" voice.

They brought her to us in what they have set up as a quiet room that looks out on the grounds of the St. Paul campus, and I held her as both Dave and I talked to her for awhile. She had never been a lap kitty and definitely was never big on being held, and she tried to get out of my arms, even though she couldn't use her legs, which we knew was frustrating and scary for her. We laughed with each other remembering different "Alex moments" and Dave scratched her head and ears. We probably spent around 20 minutes just talking to her and trying to make things not so scary. She calmed down a bit (in Alex standards that was amazing in and of itself!) and just let us hold and pet her. When the doctor finally came in and administered the injections that would stop her heart, I knew the moment it happened. It was raining outside and as I felt her heart beat the last time, it seemed like the rain picked up and somehow even God felt her leave us. We held her and cried for a little bit, but knew that she wasn't with us anymore and soon after gave her body to the doctor for cremation. We have used cremation with both cats that Dave and I had lost before and their ashes are in wooden urns that have room for pictures. I know that it's been the easiest way for us to deal with their losses and feel like they aren't so far away. Although, I still haven't found the best picture for Alex's urn.... I'm looking. But she is back home, in a sense.

So, why share all this? I don't know.... well, it is my blog... and I guess I knew that this would somehow be part of my goodbye to her. Even though she will live in my heart forever. Luckily I had taken some video of her one night when I was between books and it's here if you'd like to see the queen "A" in her "natural environment".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHE2QSRvOm4