Top ten things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Chad
my sweet, funny pets
good friends
living in Austin
our cozy 1952 house
online shopping (No doorbuster madness for me, thanks.)
KITTENS!
my fellow volunteers at the kitten nursery for Austin Pets Alive
The Paramount Theatre
the DVR, so I can watch the Macy's Parade in under 30 minutes on fast forward

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Season's Eatings

Typical Thanksgiving food does not tempt my tastebuds or my tummy. Turkey? It had a face. I'm not eating that. Tofurkey? How about NOfurkey - gross. Stuffing? Dry and eww. Yams and/or sweet potatoes? Gag. Pecan pie? Not my fave and oh-so-fatty. Green bean casserole? I wonder why anyone would defile vegetables in that manner. Brussels sprouts? Meh. Pumpkin pie? Maybe a few bites. Mashed potatoes? Hold the gravy.

I'm super-thankful that The Alamo Drafthouse opens its doors on Thanksgiving. After Chad and I do the Turkey Trot fun run to benefit Caritas, and after our nap, we're headed to the only place where Chad can get a traditional turkey dinner while I dine on salad and veggie pizza as we watch the latest box office hit. Hooray!

Sharing Morning Sunny Spot

Kenji and Janie like each other, but they LOVE a warm, sunny spot.

Chad sent this photo to me last week. (I was still asleep when it was taken.) It made my day.

Volunteering: Good for your Mood

I have the post-Halloween blues. Halloween is my favorite major holiday. (All of you who prefer other holidays, go ahead and freak out. To each their own.) Now that I've carved pumpkins, dressed up in a costume, eaten more candy than I should have and watched lots of fun, scary movies, I'm left feeling a little blah, like my aura has turned dingy-beige. Perhaps this is a prolonged post-sugar-rush crash, perhaps a touch of pre-seasonal affective disorder, but I feel less than shiny-happy-sparkly.

The thoughts that put a pep in my step involve the kittens that I and other volunteers care for at Austin Pets Alive. Feeding these little fuzzballs, snuggling these miniature purr-monsters and even cleaning up after these mobilized happiness-spreaders makes me feel better. I can't hold a pudgy, purring kitten and be unhappy at the same time. These states are mutually exclusive.

More than any other volunteer activity I've ever done, caring for kittens warms my soul.

Find a volunteer activity you love. The pay is amazing!

What About this Saturday?

Play with the Murder Mystery Players! All of our public murder mystery shows include delicious dinners, fun prizes and a heaping helping of murder mystery and laughter!

Saturday, November 13, 2010 starts promptly at 8 PM

ONLY $36.95 per person plus tax and gratuity.
Plenty of free parking! You won't get that downtown!

Dave and Buster's Austin
9333 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78759
512-346-8015 ext. 12106 for reservations. Reservations required.

Can You Say Murder?

Top children's television celebrities assemble to see who will win best kids' show according to the Parent's Watchdog Association for Children's Television Programming. Nominees are: Helen Nice for Stomper Room; Richard Hodges for Mr. Hodges; Dr. Louise Moppet for The Moppets; Hubert X. Quackenbush for Bob the Clown; Pirate Pete (his real name?) for Pirate Pete. Last year's winner Clarice Dixon for Detective Safety presents the award, and conducts the investigation when things go awry. (I play Detective Safety, or Detective Thafety, as I like to call her.)

*This show is not for the kiddies as the show hosts flaunt their true personalities.*

Plans for Saturday?

Play with the Murder Mystery Players! All of our public murder mystery shows include delicious dinners, fun prizes and a heaping helping of murder mystery and laughter!

Saturday, October 30, 2010 8 PM

Wear a costume! Prizes for best individual and best couples costume.

ONLY $36.95 per person!
(Does not including tax or gratuity.)

Dave and Buster's Austin
9333 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78759
512-346-8015 for reservations. Reservations required.

Can You Say Murder?

Top children's television celebrities assemble to see who will win best kids' show according to the Parent's Watchdog Association for Children's Television Programming. Nominees are: Helen Nice for Stomper Room; Richard Hodges for Mr. Hodges; Dr. Louise Moppet for The Moppets; Hubert X. Quackenbush for Bob the Clown; Pirate Pete (his real name?) for Pirate Pete. Last year's winner Clarice Dixon for Detective Safety presents the award, and conducts the investigation when things go awry.
*This show is not for the kiddies as the show hosts flaunt their true personalities.*

BYOP 2010

There were a lot of kids at this year's BYOP party. Our friends have been a (re)productive bunch. The kids weren't that jazzed about doing anything to their pumpkins, but they sure loved loading up on too much candy and running all over the place. (Sorry, parents.) The grown-ups produced some lovely punkins this year. (Yes, their children and their jack-o-lanterns.)



The highlight of the party: the candy table.



Smile!



Hissy-cat is mine and Darth Vader is Chad's



Who says pumpkins are the only gourds one can carve? Not Ryann!



Pumpkin meets Mr. PotatoHead accessories.



Classic!



I love the orange and black outfit as much as the very meta pumpkin carved into a pumpkin.



Waaaaahhhh! It's a baby pumpkin. (Get it? It's little and crying.)

I Love Kittens

Volunteering at the Bottle Baby Nursery for Austin Pets Alive poses challenges for sure: avoiding getting ringworm while making sure the kittens affected get plenty of food and love; suffering through the very few kittens who just don't make it; washing dirty bottles and dishes by hand - just like at home; finding occasional fleas; finding occasional worms (shudder); kittens with the equivalent of diaper rash; and sometimes the sheer volume of hungry kittens EEEEEEEEE-ing at me to be fed right now!

The rewards of caring for these helpless feline orphans far outweigh any challenging situations. I love: the twitch of kitten ears as they suckle happily from a bottle of Kitten Milk Replacement; hearing tiny purrs; watching strong kittens romp and play with each other; seeing fat kitten bellies; watching kittens who recover from various maladies at the nursery flourish into beautiful, healthy, adoptable kitties; squee-ing over all the cuteness; petting soft baby fur; burping kittens after their bottle; and the most rewarding of all, knowing that I help to save kittens from being killed at the shelter simply because they are too small for round-the-clock care at the understaffed, limited resources, city-run shelter.

While I do love kittens very, very much, please spay and neuter your pets to prevent pet overpopulation and the subsequent killing of pets. Encourage your friends and family to spay and neuter their pets. Adopt your next pet from a shelter or rescue group. Say no to disreputable breeders.

Hopeless Kitchen

I met with our favorite handyman this morning to consult on the possibility of installing an automatic dishwasher in the 1952 House. Sure. We can have a dishwasher. Installing the dishwasher will involve completely ripping out the kitchen cabinets - upper and lower, removing the counter top and backsplash, rewiring all the electrical work in the kitchen, installing a kitchen disposal, and possibly replacing two windows and moving the back door. Did I mention that our charming 1952 House features layers of lead paint and has asbestos shingles on the exterior which will require special hazardous materials allowances?

Um... no thanks. I don't have an extra $20,000 (or more) sitting around to do that just now. I also don't want to deal with the three-month (if we're lucky) dustbowl of a complete kitchen remodel at this juncture.

I'll just get the oven fixed for now. (Assuming that the oven can be fixed - fingers crossed!) That will be plenty fancy. When I'm feeling super-ambitious, I'll repaint the walls in the kitchen. Super-fancy!

Irrational Rash

These hives flair and recede at will. I have new bumps on my wrists and the front of my hands. The bumps on my arms come and go with no discernible rhyme or reason. The backs of my knees and my earlobes still itch from invisible, phantom hives.

Overall, the hives are less itchy and less prevalent than they were at the peak of my allergic reaction to nine doses of Cipro. I am still drained of energy after the gradual step-down dosing of steroids. There is a scared, hysterical, irrational part of me that feels like I will never be normal again. My rational inner voice tries to reassure that drugs can stay in one's system for weeks, and that this too shall pass.

Meanwhile, I haven't been to the gym for three weeks. (Gasp!) I did lots of volunteer work while on the steroids - close to twenty hours in one week. Post-steroids, I logged only four hours volunteering this week. I did a dinner theatre show where my old-lady romance writer costume mercifully covered most of my bumpy, irritated skin. Post-show, I slept for nearly twelve hours.

This is not fun. I'm ready to be healthy again, please.

Crash

I took my last steroid pill yesterday morning. I'm still a bit itchy, but the hives are slowly leaving.

Just say no to drugs, kids! Especially if you're allergic to them.

I'm now experiencing the post-steroid crash. I've been sleeping and then sleeping some more. I've been having strange dreams too. I'm a bit achy all over as if I have the flu, but it's a tired ache; not an exertion ache.

The past three weeks have not been fun between the original bacterial infection, the allergic reaction to the medication, the steroid rush, and now, the post-steroid crash.

I look forward to being healthy and presentable (hive-free) soon!

Steroids!

I'm on steroids, and wow!, am I getting a lot done! The house is sparkling clean!

Don't report me to the authorities. I have a prescription. My hives are slowly shrinking and getting less itchy in response to these wonderful steroids. The only downsides are that I feel like my head is vibrating, it's hard to sleep and I have a little heartburn. Small prices to pay to be free from the hideous hives and their relentless itchiness!

Ugh.

Raspberry, the kitten, and one of her siblings, Rigatoni, have moved on to Kitty Heaven. I'm sad that they fought to breathe for many days, but ultimately didn't make it. I take a tiny comfort in knowing that they aren't in pain or distress anymore. Their other four siblings are gaining weight and nursing from their mama-cat now. I hope the other four kittens grow up to be healthy cats in fantastic forever-homes. Their sweet mom, Emma, also deserves a great home. She's been so nice to all of us at the Bottle Baby Trailer as we handle her babies and shuffle her in and out of the saline-mist-tent.

On the bright side, I got to feed lots of adorable, healthy kittens at the Bottle Baby Trailer this afternoon. Purr...

My rash (from taking nine doses of a medication to which I'm apparently very allergic) continues to worsen. There are hives all over me: on my legs, on my arms, on my tummy, on my back, on my posterior, in my ears, on my scalp, in my nostrils and possibly in my throat judging from a suspicious tickle and mild cough. Hopefully when I see the doctor tomorrow, he can give me something to make this better. Come on, Cortisone shot!

Say a Prayer

Tonight at the Bottle Baby Trailer, little Raspberry struggles to breathe. Weighing just 180 grams, this tiny kitten has a respiratory infection. The fine volunteers for Austin Pets Alive (myself included) are doing all we can to help this little fuzzy soul: using a baby aspirator to suck goo out of her nostrils, putting her in a tent with a nebulizer of saline solution, feeding her Kitten Milk Replacement with a dropper. I had the midnight to 2:00 AM shift, and hated to leave for fear that she'll stop breathing; not that I could do anything more than I did to help her. I hope that the volunteer going in at 8:00 AM finds Raspberry breathing and well-rested, along with her other five siblings and her mom, Emma.

Itchy

Last week I went to fill a prescription for Cipro to treat a suspected bacterial infection. The pharmacist, who was sporting a mesmerizing, sparkly, orange manicure, asked if I knew if I had any drug allergies. Nope. Got my Cipro and started taking it as directed Thursday evening.

Friday morning I awoke to find a few itchy bumps on my elbow. Fearful that I might have contracted ringworm (despite taking many precautions) from feeding tiny baby kittens at the Bottle Baby Trailer for Austin Pets Alive, I had Chad inspect the bumps. Chad has no medical training, but has seen people who have ringworm. Nurse Chad said that the bumps appeared to be little bug bites.

Saturday morning I found a few bumps on my knee.

Sunday morning I found a bump on my wrist.

Monday I spent three hours on the road to and from San Antonio for a commercial shoot that lasted fifteen hours. As Monday progressed into the wee hours of Tuesday, I felt itchier and itchier, with bumps multiplying seemingly exponentially. When I finally arrived home at 3:00 AM Tuesday, I took my Cipro with a tragically unhealthy dinner of a giant cinnamon roll and a glass of milk. I also decided that maybe I should read the three page warning document that came with my Cipro prescription. Guess what? Some people have severe allergic reactions to Cipro expressed in many forms including rash and hives.

Tuesday morning, while I got some much-needed shut-eye, Nurse Chad scheduled my doctor's appointment. He drove me to the doctor where we confirmed that I am very likely allergic to Cipro and that I do not have ringworm.

Now I'm drinking lots of water in attempts and flush out the Cipro. I'm taking oatmeal baths, swallowing the maximum recommended doses of Benadryl and trying to sleep so I can heal.

I'm also trying really, really hard not to scratch.

No Cupcakes for You!

Our temporary solution to the broken oven is to refrain from all baking/broiling activities.

I found the manual for the oven which dates back to 1999. It advises owners to contact a designated repair person to fix the oven. It also advises DIYers that improper repairs or improper attempts at repairs can result in explosion with possible injury or death. The foolhardy readers among you are now wagging your index finger at the screen, scoffing at me that the manuals just say that for liability reasons, and that you know just how to fix our gas oven that refuses to ignite. Thanks for your well-intended cheerleading, but we'll leave this one to the professionals.

Maybe I'll think about calling a repair person after Labor Day. Between the pest control guy, the nice arborist and tree trimmers, the excellent water heater plumbers and the over-scheduled city water heater installation inspector, Chad and I have been tethered to the 1952 house many days between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM lately. We have things to do and places to go other than our own home: such as running to the bakery for stuff from their ovens.

Crud.

I broke the kitchen last night. I preheated the oven to make corn muffins to accompany vegetable plates. The oven did not get hot, but did stink-up the house something awful with the smell of natural gas. All pets evacuated to the backyard with me, but not before the front of the utensil drawer came off in my hand... again.

So I ask again (mostly rhetorically), why did we buy a house?

To Do Lists

Today:

• Vacuum
• Iron clothes from massive laundry attack this weekend
• Wash and chop veggies for dinner salad
• Moonlight kayak
• Walk Janie
• Water the wilting, sunburned plants

This week:

• Contact handyman about patching drywall in water heater closet
• Buy charcoal-grey paint for lower kitchen cabinets
• Paint kitchen walls and cabinets
• Go to IKEA. Be brave. Buy kitchen lights.
Seriously, do not get overwhelmed and leave IKEA without the kitchen lights.
• Maybe skip IKEA
• Paint water heater closet
• Install shelves in new linen closet/old water heater closet
• Read and recycle at least one magazine from growing stack of magazines

Someday:

• Get the one wonky pier and the one wonky beam under house repaired
• Have carport parking pad concrete either repaired or replaced with interlocking pavers
• When it's not 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, weed the planting beds & remove dead plants
• When it's not 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, dig out bad soil from planter and replace with excellent Ladybug soil
• When it's not 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, plant some fall stuff
• When it's not 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, clean out gravel/debris from the rain barrel

Idle Hands?

I'm back from five days visiting the five nieces and nephews on my side of the family, plus Mom and my sister and her husband. I'm just a wee bit tired after rollerskating, bowling, letting my seven-year-old niece drive me around the family farm in the Gator (she's an excellent driver, but the terrain was bumpy), back to homeschool supply shopping and general visiting.

While it was great to see my relatives, I'm happy to be back in Austin. I'm getting back into my daily routine of watering the plants, walking Janie, loving on the kitties, going to the gym, etc...

I'm getting back to volunteer activities with Austin Pets Alive: bottle-feeding tiny kittens and writing blog articles for cats available for adoption. I got an email last week that Austin Pets Alive finally has a building for a more permanent home; versus the series of trailers and pop-up tents that previously housed the veterinary clinic and some adoption facilities. The building needs lots of work including painting. I like to paint.

Do I paint my own kitchen this weekend? I have the supplies and it's been on my to-do list for a while. I can rest in the comfort of my own digs between coats of primer and paint. Or, do I volunteer to go paint the APA building where I can meet some new people and socialize a bit while painting? Hmmm...

Or, do I spurn my inner Puritan work ethic and take it easy and not paint anything this weekend? (Gasp!) There are lots of magazines in the living room that aren't going to read themselves between doing loads of laundry.

I'll ponder this further as I give Janie a bath. I love her, but she is super-stinky.

Good News!

We did pay a pretty many pennies for a new tankless water heater. The bill was the only bad news, but it could have been worse.

The good news:

We do not need new pipes. Hooray! (New pipes would have doubled today's bill.) We have good, sturdy, copper pipes.

Since the new tankless heater is mounted outside of the house, we have space for a linen closet where the old water heater tank lived. Add "patch drywall holes" and "build shelves" to the project list.

We will now have plenty of hot water, even when I want to take a bath in the winter. No more boiling water on the stove and toting it to the tub in a manner reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. (No offense, Laura Ingalls.)

While the plumbing guys were here, they fixed the toilet. For the record, the plumber said my fix-it job a few months ago was done correctly, but that a different part was also worn out. I guess this trouble-shooting ability is one of the many reasons plumbers get a license instead of just watch youtube videos to learn how to do plumbing.

We are eligible for a federal tax credit for upgrading to a more energy-efficient water heater. The amount will be equal to about 40% of today's bill.

While the budget won't allow for any kitchen upgrades past new paint, at least the hot water will last longer as we wash dishes by hand. Maybe we can have a long weekend away this fall if it doesn't involve paying airfare.