Manhattan is Dirty & I'm Busy

Wow, it's been a long time since I had a free moment to update this blog. Sonic enjoys climbing over the newspapers and mail that I need to sort.

1. We are safely home and NOT moving to New York City. Interesting place to visit; not where we want to live, not even for just a year. I have such a sense of peace about this decision. I love my cozy-cute 1952 house! I love Austin! I love my friends here!

2. I got a temporary, full-time job helping out at the art school where I worked back in 2000 - 2003. It's fun being back there and helping them get through a busy time, but I'm glad it's temporary.

3. I started the South Beach Diet -- should be named the South Bitch Diet! (Sorry for the bad language, relatives!) I need to lose weight and develop healthier eating habits. This diet is very sensible, and I'm not starving, but I am currently in "Phase 1" which is super-restrictive. Phases 2 and 3 will be much easier, but I am craving a tortilla like nobody's business!

So here are photos and a few of the things we did in New York City last week:

We arrived on Wednesday, February 21. We stayed at the gorgeous corporate apartment. It's bigger than our house! Centrally located on 5th Ave, the apartment boasts 2 master suites, 3 bathrooms and a huge, open, modern kitchen and living area. The only downside was that the owners of Chad's company hosted a reception party Wednesday night for the New York office employees at the apartment, so we didn't get to bed until kind of late.

Thursday I shopped and explored Chelsea and Union Park while Chad worked. The snow piled up on the sidewalks was filthy-dirty. That filth clings to your pants cuffs and coat tails. Now I understand why New Yorkers wear dark colors from head to toe. I thought they were all just depressed, but the dark attire hides the dirt. ICK! I met Chad in the evening and we attended the New York office-warming party to celebrate the new digs. I shook hands and smiled and nodded and tried to make jokes and ask people about themselves and it was SO BORING. I am a bad trophy wife. After schmoozing the business connections at the party, a smaller group of us went out for Mexican food. New York does NOT have good Mexican food -- go figure!

I poured my heart out to one of the New York office girls about how much I miss Chad when he travels, and she seemed to be sympathetic to my situation and was very complimentary of Chad. Later, I rounded the corner just in time to hear this same girl urging Chad to get a divorce and be "an eligible bachelor in New York City." Yeah... she's off of my holiday card list!



Friday I finally got Chad all to myself! We ate at a very hip, yummy restaurant disguised as a coffee shop / diner. Chad is pictured outside of it. Can you feel the irony oozing out of this place?

Chad and I explored some cool stores and walked for miles.

We went to the Modern Museum of Art. Chad liked this painting because it matched his shoes.

Saturday we went to lunch at the Union Square Cafe. We saw the 2:00 show of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show was schmaltzy-cute, but fun. We walked home through Times Square.

We found a few blocks of Broadway around 28th Street that are to be avoided in the future at all costs -- scary and apparently where you can buy drugs. Yikes. My best advice in these situations is to keep walking purposefully with your head up, because these unsavory characters can smell fear. We pretended to be confident and they didn't bother us.

Saturday night we met up with Carolyn, who used to live in Austin. We hung out at her very cute, but very tiny apartment in Lower East Village. The shower was seriously in the kitchen! I thought that was a false stereotype about New York City apartments, but it's true! Her rent is the same as our mortgage and we have about 800 square feet more of living space. Carolyn took us to a great Indian restaurant for dinner -- YUM!



















Sunday we ate lunch at Lupa, one of Mario Batali's (of Food Network fame) places. Chad, who was born in Italy, loved it. After lunch we explored SoHo shopping. It started snowing, so we went back to the apartment to rest. We got a take-out pizza for dinner and watched the Academy Awards. I braided Chad's hair and gave him silly cornrows. Anything to avoid going out in the snow!

Monday I flew home and Chad flew off to Ohio for a work meeting. We're both home now and need to do some laundry!

Night Owl

When I am worried about something, sleep is the first thing to suffer. I am so torn about this opportunity to move to New York City for a year for Chad's work. A year ago, when we lived in the condo and were faced with our landlord selling the place out from under us, I would have jumped at this year in NYC. Now, I just want to stay put and live in this house we've worked so hard to personalize. I am still recovering from the marathon summer of house work, the loss of my dad and this helpless sense of not knowing what I want to do now that I'm a grownup.

Chad is a very driven person. He has worked hard and achieved amazing success with his design career. I envy him, because as an adult, I lack direction. I have a semi-paralyzing fear of failure. When I was a kid, I was tagged as "gifted." I LOVED school! I was great at it. If someone clearly defines the expectations and sets me in the right direction, I'm golden. Every time I turned around, someone was giving me a gold star, an A+, or citing my school work as a shining example. As a born people-pleaser, receiving all that praise was similar to the kind of high that a drug user feels, and that praise was just as addictive. As an adult working at jobs, there is rarely anything like a syllabus or clearly explained expectations. Companies value self-starters, and the praise is not lavished nearly so generously as it was in school. Also as an adult, I've run into amoral business practices that don't mesh with my personal values. I've experienced harassment on the job and toxic employer relationships. In the past, I've taken jobs where I know I can succeed, then burn myself out trying to get some positive feedback, that precious praise that I crave. I know that I should find something personally fulfilling and quit seeking that external approval, but it's much easier said than done.

So I'm awake tonight (as I was last night) because, I don't want to tell Chad that I don't want to move to New York City if it means that I'll diminish his career opportunities or general happiness in any way. But I also don't want to say yes just to make him happy, or because it's what I think I should say. No doubt, moving again (after just moving into this house in June and after just completing the major house projects in mid-November) will be a HUGE deal. On top of this, I was in the midst of researching further education here in Austin -- you know, to try and have my own career someday, instead of just another dead-end job that leaves me feeling burnt-out.

This morning I got a reminder email from one of the shopping websites I like that my late dad's birthday is in 14 days. Ugh. I miss him still. Losing him so suddenly has made the grieving process kind of grueling. I've worked through all of the stages, but sometimes I get a little jolt where I suddenly remember that he died, and it just knocks me out again. Tied up in this loss are so many reflections on my own mortality and the limits of our time on this earth. It's like a one-two sucker punch that leaves me dizzy with the wind knocked out of me, but also raring to deliver my own blow. I am both exhausted and restless.

I think this lack of sleep and this very unsettled feeling is prolonging my cold. I still feel congested, wheezy, sneezy and head- achy.

Chad and I are getting on a jet Wednesday for five days in New York City. I know I'll have a more definite idea of whether or not I want to move there once I've spent a little time there again.

WWUD?

What would you do if you had the opportunity to move to New York City for one year? Would you go knowing that you could probably return to your hometown at the end of a year if you wanted to?

The offer came today to move to New York City for about a year for Chad's work. There are so many questions and uncertainties. I don't know where to begin.

I love our house. I am so proud of all of the hard work that Chad and I have put into making it our home, but I shouldn't get hung up on material possessions and miss out on an amazing adventure, right? Or should I keep in mind all that I've been through in the past year and just enjoy the fruits of so much hard labor put into this house?

We haven't even been here in our house a full year yet. I get a little verklimt when I think of a new owner repainting these freshly painted walls. Chad and I put blood, sweat and tears (the tears were mostly from me when I thought it would NEVER be finished) into this home. I don't think I could bear to rent the house out for a year, because it would be weird to move all of our stuff out to storage, and then have to move back into our own home after strangers left their imprint on the place. What if the renters cooked meaty stew every week and then our house reeked forevermore? Gag!

I'd be fine with selling my car for a year in the big city. Truthfully, I have a twinge of buyer's remorse about buying another BMW back in October. I chose it chiefly because BMWs are the safest cars on the road, and because a slightly used BMW was cheaper than a new VW or a new Honda.
** Side rant: I hate that some people see the BMW badge and assume that I'm a high-maintenance snob. My own mother calls me materialistic based largely on this car purchase. I look in the mirror everyday and see the scar on my forehead where I violently collided with the dashboard of my dad's old Mustang when I was a kid in Louisiana. I still have a very vivid, visual memory of an EMT in a white uniform pulling me out of that orange muscle-car and putting me in the back of an ambulance. I remember the smell of iodine burning my eyes, and the sickening feeling of getting stitches sewn into my forehead. Thus, I'm a big fan of any car engineered to help a driver avoid accidents, but also fitted with generous crumple-zones, front and side curtain airbags, and steel beams down the sides, just in case. That said, I'll let those people assume where they can stick their assumptions about my car choice!**
I'd trade the safe BMW, and other people's assumptions about that car choice, for a year of walking, subways and taxi rides.

I would not move to New York City indefinitely. However, there's some sense of safety in knowing that there is an exit strategy if I / we hate it. ( As mentioned above, I like safety.) As long as I have Chad and my three sweet kitties with me, I think that a year in New York City would be like an extended travel adventure! Am I being manic?

I'm so, so torn. I'm planning the move to New York City in my head and alternately thinking about native, low-water plants for the yard in Austin. We haven't even done anything to the yard yet! ( You say to-may-toe, I say to-mah-to. You say dirt, I say yard.)


In other news, after five days of couch and bed rest, I'm finally starting to feel better. That was one energy-draining, lung-rattling cold! I'm coughing less and went through far less tissues today than the past few days. I might venture outside tomorrow!

Sick

It would have been a very relaxing day spent staring blankly at magazines and watching British shows on DVD, except that I can't breathe, my head feels like it might explode and I keep coughing. I also feel kind of nauseous, but am 99.9% sure that it's NOT morning sickness -- sorry, Kate & Mom & Chrissy. The cats like it because I'm pretty much immobilized and they can drape across my neck and tummy for their naps. My cats are sweet and do not suck out my breath.

Chad was extra-nice today and cleaned out the gutters, did laundry and made a grocery run. He also scooped the litter boxes which he hates doing. I'm glad that I have a nice husband.

I was supposed to go see a friend's band, Jon Faber in Fairchild, perform tonight at one of my old college hangouts. Chad is going to represent for us and cheer. Then he'll come home to make more tea for me and pry kitties off of my neck and tummy.

Tomorrow I have rehearsal for the Valentine's Day mystery-dinner show. Thank goodness for Dayquil!

Technology and I are Fickle Friends

I have a love-hate relationship with gadgets, technology and machinery. When stuff works, it's like magic. I love it. I really appreciate it. When stuff doesn't work, I get huffy and impatient, and maybe mutter a few curses under my breath, or mutter a few curses out loud if there are no tender / young ears around.

If you've spent much time with me, you've probably seen my beloved Sidekick 3. It's a phone, camera, email getter, email sender, internet connector, music player and day planner all in one. I begged / bugged Chad to get this cute gadget as an anniversary gift for me this year, while expressly forbidding any jewelry purchases. (No blood diamonds for me, thanks all the same. I like some nice lab-grown sparkly rocks, but I digress.) My favorite television character, Veronica Mars, has the same device. I love my Sidekick 3... when it's working.

My Sidekick 3 won't charge, and thus won't function. I took it to the T-Mobile store where the friendly staff helped me order a new battery. That didn't fix it. The friendly T-Mobile staff then sold me a new charger cord. That didn't fix it. I took the memory card out of my pretty Sidekick 3 and stuck it in my old phone. The old phone works if I want to, you know, make or receive a phone call, but that's all the old phone does. No more emails, internet, camera or day planner for a while. I'm going to call T-Mobile tomorrow and see if they'll replace / repair the Sidekick 3. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

UPDATE: The very friendly customer service people at T-Mobile arranged for me to drop off the broken sidekick at a UPS Store, where UPS packed and shipped the sidekick back to T-Mobile at no cost to me. I had a new, fully-functional sidekick in about six days! I'm very happy with the customer service from T-Mobile.

Happy Groundhog Day

My kitties were cozy cuddled on the couch today, which has no official bearing on whether we'll have six more weeks of winter or not, but they're sweet when they sleep.

Here's the official word:

Punxsutawney Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.

Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?

On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
I predict that early spring is on the way.

AND



Groundhog Day just happens to be one of my favorite silly movies. I wasn't allowed to see movies that were rated PG or higher until I was about 15 years old. As a compromise, my dad would make video copies of movies and edit out the parts he found offensive. When I was in college, he sent me a copy of Groundhog Day. Little did I know that he had edited it to protect my tender 19 year old sensibilities. It was only years later when I caught the movie on cable that I realized he had cut a few of the repeated days out of the movie due to their naughty subject matter or curse words.

I hope that your Groundhog Day is great however you choose to commemorate / celebrate it! Just no cursing or dirty jokes, okay?

Brand Loyalty

I performed Max Langert's play "Brand Loyalty" at the annual FronteraFest theatre festival last night. I loved the feeling of being on a team with people who have their own unique styles -- actors that I can learn from, that make me laugh and that give me a new perspective on the script. With Chad traveling so much, it's also nice to have some company at the rehearsals. (When I work with Murder Mystery Players, there isn't much rehearsing. We usually get in, do the show, get our paycheck and get out.) I want to give a big shout-out and thanks to:

Tyler Ball who has a background in musical theater, recently moved to Austin from Chicago and works as a computer programmer. He has a 9 month old son, Keaton, and a lovely wife, Jenny, who were very kind to let him spend time rehearsing for the show. He's very excited about the Super Bowl this year featuring the Chicago Bears, and had to make sure that FronteraFest would in no way conflict with the big game before agreeing to be in the show.

Teresa Diaz who has worked across this great land as a librarian, currently lives in San Antonio, recently got rear-ended in her cute Prius (car) and is great with kids. She had to drive a lot to come to rehearsals in Austin. She talked to me about UT's Information Studies program and is a great source of information and inspiration. Teresa also has a keen fashion sense, and I covet the shoes she wore in the show.

Travis Holmes writes, acts and is starting grad school this month. He knows a lot about knots (eagle scout!) which came in handy when he had to tie up Kara as part of the show. He has a cute baby too, who is named Henry, and a nice wife named Ashley who kindly let him spend time rehearsing. He often mutters funny quotes from animated series, and is probably tired of me constantly asking, "What's that from?"

Kara Juarez-Jones is, was and will be an actor for life, works as a renowned make-up artist and is pretty much a local super star (but you knew that already.) She was also in Max's show "Fugue for Five Waiters" with me back in 2001, and I LOVED working with her again. It's so fun to whisper catty comments to each other. She gives me valuable make-up tips too.

Max Langert (our leader / author / director) rides his bike a lot, reads slowly and is probably going to do this again next year. He also work peripherally in market research, which maybe explains why this year's show centers on a market research focus group study gone awry.

I wish I had a picture to post, but forgot to force any photo-opps. If we get to perform again for "Best of" I'll get some photos. Even if we don't get chosen as a "Best of", I had a great time!

Last year, I performed a monologue for FronteraFest. It was nerve-wracking because the responsibility for a good or bad show lay squarely on my shoulders. If I forgot a line, there was no one to rescue me or help me cover my flub. I felt like the caretaker of Max Langert's witty writing. In 2001 and 2002, when I performed Max's plays with groups of people, we were awarded "Best of Fest" both times. Last year, while I was happy with my performance and loved Max's script, Max & I did NOT even get "Best of Week", much less "Best of Fest." I admit, I had grown a little smug. I told my husband he didn't have to come to the show because he was traveling for work and could not easily rearrange his schedule to be in Austin. I figured he could come when I performed again at "Best of Week." Whoops. In his defense, Chad sent flowers, and it was only in retrospect that my feelings got a little hurt that he couldn't attend. Lest you think I'm totally spoiled, I don't ask Chad to come to my dinner mystery shows, because they are expensive to attend, very silly and something that I do more for the good company of my fellow-actors and the paycheck than to hone my craft.

For this year's FronteraFest, I totally nagged Chad to attend, reminding him often of the performance date. I really, really wanted him there, because this is the one acting gig every year that I'm proud to show people. I owe him a huge thank you for indulging me and showing up, so THANK YOU, Chad!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

BUT NOT ENOUGH TO MOVE THERE!

Chad worked in New York City all week. He's been spending his work weeks in the city for the past few months now, and it's getting really tiresome for him with all the travel, and really tiresome for me feeling lonely. His flight home should be landing about now -- if it's on time, which it rarely is. I miss him so much! Some people have asked why we don't move to New York. We've thought about it, and after waffling a bit, decided not to move to the big city that never sleeps. Here are just a few reasons:

1. We JUST fixed up our Austin home, and can't bear to leave after all that work!
2. Our friends and support network in Austin would be sorely missed.
3. Rent on a decent 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan runs around $2000 a month, and there's no way we could afford to buy a place there.
4. We're just not East Coast / big city / rat race kind of people.
5. Chad's company hasn't made an official offer to move us, though we expect it any day now.
6. Chad would still have to travel to places like Washington DC, Philadelphia, Orlando & Los Angeles for work even if we moved to New York City.
7. Alligators in the sewers.
8. Rats the size of cats.
9. Roaches the size of kittens.
10. It's more fun to visit NYC, than to live there.

Whatcha Doin'?

Many people have asked what I'm doing since leaving my "day job" a few weeks ago:
• Resting
• Getting my oil changed
• Reading lots of books and magazines
• Cleaning the house
• Taking Kenji to the vet for an abscess wound sustained in a scuffle when she snuck outside (bad girl!)
• Going to the gym more regularly
• Seeing some movies
• Hand-washing sweaters -- it's more time intensive than it sounds, trust me. Cashmere smells like wet goat when you dunk it in the water. Merino wool smells like wet dog. Luckily the Woolite helps with the stink.
• Watching season two of Hart to Hart on DVD


As if the above list is not enough:

I'm rehearsing for this year's Fronterafest show. What is Fronterafest, you ask? According to the website: Every night the Hyde Park Theatre presents a new bill of four or five plays no longer than 25 minutes each. Brilliant monologues? Plays in progress? Comedy improv? Cabaret singers? Avant-garde dance? Short films? Multimedia? They've seen it all. Fronterafest is a theater festival that works like a tournament where the favorite five shows (out of about twenty shows from each week) get to perform again on Saturday night each week for the juried "Best of the Week" performance. After five weeks of about a hundred shows, the favorite ten shows perform twice again as part of the juried "Best of the Fest" in mid-February. I'm working with Max Langert again for a fourth time at Fronterafest. He's a great writer and a super-nice guy. We perform his show "Brand Loyalty" on January 31. Of the previous three shows I've performed in for Max at Fronterafest, we've been awarded "Best of Fest" twice. So the odds are with us, if you're the type who places bets on theater festivals. If you are that type of person, you probably need a new hobby!

Thursday night, January 25, I'm going to San Antonio to put on an interactive dinner theater show with some of my fellow Austin Murder Mystery Players. I'll also be performing with my MMP pals at a Valentine's Day dinner show in Austin.

February 21, I leave for five days in New York City with Chad. I am so looking forward to this trip. Not just to be in NYC again, but to get to spend time with Chad who travels TOO MUCH for work. I miss him. Here we are in Time's Square on our last trip to NYC together.



IF I decide to apply for the master's degree program in Information Studies (that's a fancy-pants term for librarian school) I have to take the GRE test and submit my application by March 1 to be eligible for the fall semester. I got the uptight, neat-freak, organizer gene from my dearly departed dad. I'm not sure where I got my nosiness / intensely inquisitive nature from, or my fanatical love of reading, but these personality traits have librarian written all over them. I have to have some work skills to fall back on, just in case I don't land my dream job of playing a sitcom mom on a popular TV series. Hey, dare to dream!

March 14, Chad and I leave for five days in Los Angeles for our friends' wedding. We hope to catch up with Karen (one of my best friends from college) in Woodland Hills and Jason & Jaimie in Pasadena while we're out that way too.

Never fear, fair friends (& family), I'm keeping plenty busy! I'm thinking that in late March, I might sign up with a temporary service. My sister, Chrissy, was a supervisor / assigner of jobs for Manpower a few years ago. Maybe she has some advice for me?

Snow Days in Austin!

The temperatures dropped into the freezing range Sunday evening as Austin got some much needed rain. That rain froze on the ground, followed by real sleet Monday! I love the ping-ping-ping sound that sleet makes as it hits surfaces. It's soothing, because you give yourself permission to hide inside, convincing yourself it would be downright irresponsible to head out in that weather. In Austin, people entirely forget how to drive when there is even a hint that ice might be around. On Tuesday, Chad woke me up so I could watch big snowflakes drift down. The snow fell alternately with sleet most of Tuesday. This winter magic was fleeting. By Wednesday noontime, I started to hear the drip of melting ice. Wednesday night, I even heard a few chunks of ice fall. I'm glad I got to view the winter wonderland from our cozy home, and glad that it only lasted for a few days.

When my parents moved to the Pittsburgh area while I was in college at the University of Texas, they originally marveled at the beauty of the snow and spoke of it in glowing terms. After a few weeks of their first winter there, snow evolved into a four-letter word strung together with mild curses and complaints of cabin fever. It was then that I learned about Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, and started sending care packages to my family full of chocolate, herb tea and Mahatma Saffron rice (which was hard to find up there for some reason.)

Luckily, I didn't have time to get cabin fever here in Austin during the great freeze of 2007. Chad & I managed to stay mostly warm & dry. We both got a lot of reading done.

My new favorite book is THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly. If you read this book, and do not like it, please hide that opinion from me. Seriously.

Third Time's a Charm / Step Away from the Sink!

Let me begin with the disclaimer: I love my husband, Chad. That said, he can be a bit obsessive. This obsessive nature makes him excel in his career as an interactive group creative director (a fancy title for someone who makes the internet a prettier place.) This obsessive nature fueled the relatively quick completion of our home remodeling projects this summer and fall. This obsessive nature translates to a quirky fixation with the bathroom sink.



Sink #1
When we bought our little 1952 house, the lone bathroom had an oddly large pedestal sink. It just didn't make sense in such a small bathroom and Chad thought it looked a bit "grandma spice." My second disclaimer: my grandma has good taste, but some grandmas do not have good taste. We donated the old sink to Habitat for Humanity. I hope it is making someone's grandma very happy.







Sink #2
Chad found a very tasteful, modern sink and cabinet online from the Ronbow manufacturer. We had a plumber's help installing the new sink and drain in June 2006. The plumber pointed out to me that this sink did not have an air intake dimple and that it might drain slowly. I made the mistake of relaying this information to my better half. Much like a hypochondriac imagines they have the disease du jour, Chad noticed that the sink did drain too slowly and that the sink got dirty quickly. It bugged him. Fortunately/Unfortunately, when the handyman came in October 2006 to install the faux tin tile ceiling, he bumped the sink with his ladder and put two small chips in the rim of sink #2. The handyman apologized and gave us $50 off of the bill so that we could get the sink repaired / refinished.



Sink #3
The chipped sink afforded Chad the chance to correct the drain issues by ordering another new Ronbow sink. Chad jokes that he's paying Ronbow Jr.'s college tuition. Sink #3 has an air intake dimple and a proper drain stopper. Chad installed this sink by himself over his holiday break from work. I guess if there's another tech bust, he could train to be a plumber, or a Ronbow representative. We're very happy with sink #3... for now.

Bye-bye Furry Friends

Today I will do my last official visit as one of the Furry Godmothers. I'll be visiting a sassy-sweet, geriatric cat named Tippy. I love her because she's so darn determined to outlive us all and to get brushed just right! She meows very loudly to let me know if I'm brushing her incorrectly. I give her oral pain-killers for her arthritis while her mom works long days. I hope very much that she'll be in great hands with her new pet-sitter.

I've loved working as a pet-sitter! I've worked with Jody, the founder / owner of Furry Godmothers, for a little over two years. She's run the business for over five years and I totally admire her for building the business from the ground up. I don't know how she keeps it going, especially with an eighteen month old (human) little boy.

Personally, after two long, hot summers and three Christmas seasons, I am tired of walking dogs in 110 degree heat, tired of being available to work over twelve hour spreads seven days a week (at times) and tired of working nearly every holiday while my husband has time off from work. I'm burnt-out after events in my personal life (such as remodeling a house as a first-time homeowner and the death of my dad) have compounded to make me plumb tired!

Here's the description I wrote for Furry Godmothers website when I first started working there:
_________

Jennifer "Jenn" Currie moved around to several different cities as a child, but has called Austin home since 1991. She grew up with a Pomeranian named Honey Dog and many cats, some unfortunately named after characters in the musical CATS. Once a baby squirrel literally climbed Jenn's pant leg to escape a hungry cat. The squirrel was named Fluffers and lived in her house for two years before moving out to the garage, a.k.a. the bachelor pad.

Jenn's résumé reads like a Lemony Snicket novel littered with mind-numbing marketing jobs, several fun years teaching drama to elementary-age kiddos through the Dougherty Arts School, and a regretful stint in retail management. After two years as a loyal Furry Godmothers client, she was absolutely delighted to join the team.

Jenn's current furry/finned family includes: Marigold, a blond & auburn Persian princess; Kenji, a scrappy Siamese, who was found sans momma-cat at a car lot when she was just three weeks old; and Spike, a geriatric Beta fish who will celebrate his fourth birthday (God willing) in March 2005. She and her husband hope to add a small pup to the mix when they move into a bigger home.
___________

Since that time, we've added the darling boy kitty, Sonic, to the feline bunch. Spike, the fish, passed away in early March of 2005, just after his miraculous fourth birthday. We had another fish named Dragon, a red Beta, who met an unfortunate end when Kenji scaled several bookshelves to liberate Dragon from his bowl and nibble on him. (Cue the "Circle of Life" song.) We've moved to a bigger home, but have yet to add the pup. I'm hoping for a shih-tzu or a pug, as some of my favorite canine clients have been these breeds.

Nice Work If You Can Get It...

The New Year's Eve dinner show at Dave & Buster's went very well. I was nervous because it was the first performance of a new script, and it's always more nerve-wracking trying to remember lines for a first performance. The audience of about 110 people participated, paid attention and laughed a lot. They were great!

For those of you not familiar with mystery dinner theater, I'll give a summary. While the audience dines on a three-course meal, the actors present a three-act murder mystery. The actors try to incorporate audience members whenever possible, and include them in jokes. Example: In the New Year's show we had a character with the first name "Happy" and the last name "Newyears." Corny, yes, but effective, because whenever her name was mentioned, the whole audience was strongly encouraged to yell, "Happy New Year's!" This show also featured a wedding, and audience members were picked out to stand on stage as bridesmaids and groomsmen. During the"question and answer" portion in each show between the second and third acts, the audience members quiz the suspects in the mystery and try to deduce whodunnit. The audience votes and then the solution to the mystery is presented as the third act. Usually the sponsor or host of the show supplies a prize to the audience members who correctly solve the mystery. It's not high art by any stretch of the imagination, but people usually have fun with it. Murder Mystery Players (MMP) offers private and public shows, usually at Dave & Buster's, a country club or a hotel ballroom. MMP also offers team-building games and interactive, live game shows. During the holiday season, I average two shows a week. Summers are usually pretty busy with shows too for some reason. I enjoy performing and stage managing the shows and games, AND it pays!

MMP Austin has a strong group of regular performers who are kind of like my theater family. Here are a few pics of the cast getting ready for the New Year's show.


Jeff Johannigman prepares to play the nervous groom.















Tracy Cathey looks over her lines for the role of "Rent-A-Reverand", the officiator of the wedding. Phil Klickman and Gary Hamilton prepare to play a suspect and the murder victim - I won't say which is which in case you attend a future show!





Our devoted director, Russ Wiseman, helps Phil with a costume fix, a.k.a. a safety-pin.













Me and Anna Maria Garcia. Guess which one is the bride.


Happy New Years! (Audience, that's your cue to yell it back to the actors!)


I wish all of you peace, health and wealth (however you choose to measure it) in 2007.

Adventure Kitties!

Further proof that I'm a crazy cat lady, as if you needed more! I should be learning my lines for the New Year's Eve show this Sunday with Austin Murder Mystery Players, but I'm procrastinating.

It rained for three days straight here in Austin, which is a rare occurrence. The weather finally dried up yesterday enough to take the kitties outside for a good romp around.


Marigold looks into her magic ball to tell your future. She says, "Yes, I see that there has been joy and pain, sunshine and rain." Oh Miss Mare, you are so wise!


Kenji grows to super-huge size and knocks down a tree! Almost as amazing as the presence of grass in our yard!


Sonic explores ancient ruins. Is that a Mayan temple? No, just the old stairs up to the back door under the lovely, new deck.

We had a nice Christmas. I was busy visiting other people's furry babies while they travel. Chad played "house husband" and kept a steady supply of yummy food and clean house ready for my breaks. It's so nice when the tables turn, and I work while he does all things domestic!

Sugarplum Furries

Yesterday, I was a whirling dervish of domestic duty! I cleaned, scrubbed, washed and tidied until my feet and my back cried "Uncle." The cats LOVE when I'm doing projects. They like to watch me running around the house. Kenji even helped me put fresh sheets on the bed. Mostly, they just supervise. They are my little furry sugarplums that bring me comfort and joy.

I did NOT send out Christmas cards to my full list of friends and family this year. (Gasp!) As one friend put it, "do you think they'll even notice?" Forgive me if you noticed.

I have "holiday cheer" deficiency due to the annual onslaught of impossibly high expectations for kindness, consumer spending and general fabulousness of the holiday season. I'm feeling a bit blue and melancholy. I miss my dad, of course, and the holidays emphasize that loss. I am also sad about leaving my position in the pet-sitting business. I will miss my little furry friends so much, but there are things I need to do for myself, for my husband and for my family that demand some time for reflection, some time for travel and some flexibility. I'm looking forward to a period of a few months when my only income will come from my acting work with Murder Mystery Players. (In the past I've juggled two or three part-time jobs at a time which left me feeling frazzled.)

One Big Cat Toy

We put up the super kitschy Christmas tree on Friday night. Pre-lit is the way to go, my friends! The cats were especially excited by this latest home decor project. I've made liberal use of the squirter to dissuade them from ingesting too much tinsel. After many years of "real" Christmas trees, we decided to do the environment and my allergies a favor by purchasing this "fake" tree at a post-holiday sale last year at Tape Lenders Video on West 5th Street for 75% off -- score! I dig the glass ornaments. Either by accident or subconscious design genius, I chose the complimentary color palettes of red and green with yellow-gold and purple (jazzes up a tired tradition.) Chad made like Santa Claus a few weeks ago and climbed atop our roof. Finding no chimney to slide down, he strung lights along the roofline instead. 

Sweet Kenji had enough holiday excitement, and climbed into her shopping bag cubby. "Bah humbug. Wake me after New Year's," she seemed to say. Happy Holidays!

Cute to the 3rd Power!

I'm going to retain this blog title and address, but now that most of the house projects are done, this blog will have more sappy weekly reflections and photos to share. If you're looking for the "before and after" house pics, see the September 2006 archives.

On to the cuteness! I went to see my family this weekend. I took lots of pictures, and had a difficult time choosing the best ones to share.



My niece, Mary, age 3, member of Future Heartbreakers of America, picked up lots of ladybugs and tried very hard not to squish them.



Mary and my mom, a.k.a. MeMommy. Yes, her "grandma" nickname sounds like a rapper's name.



Mary with her lovely red locks and me with my new dark hair. I love my dark hair. My super stylist, Monica, at Maximum FX salon rocks!



Charlie, age 10 months, in his holiday suit! Love that hat! He looks like a little elf who escaped from Santa's Workshop at the North Pole.



Christoper, age 6, with Mary and Charlie. I had more pictures of Mister Christopher, but he's in constant motion, and they're all blurred beyond recognition.

I'm happy to report that my mom is doing well under the circumstances. I'm very proud of her. She's learning how to operate the computer, check her email, and how to manage accounts online. Keep her in your prayers and send her happy thoughts.

I'm Thankful for...

my hunky, sweet husband, Chad.

my cozy house and the completion of immediate house projects.

reconnecting with old friends - like Kristen M. who had us over for an amazing Thanksgiving potluck dinner.

new friends - who are fun, and a source of comfort and support.

my three, cute funny cats.

the past two years working as a Furry Godmother pet sitter. I've met so many wonderful pets and people. I've also had a peek at how other people decorate and arrange their houses, which sparked many ideas for my own house.

holidays off from working in 2007 as I part ways very amicably with Furry Godmothers.

time off from working starting in January to be with my mom and my sister and her family. I miss my dad. I know that they do too.

the prospect of new adventures. Losing my dad last month reminds me that I must actively seek to make the most of every day.

Driveway's Done, Time to Party!

The interlocking pavers driveway and walkway were completed on Friday morning, November 17! The old driveway was a sad mix of sand and pebbles that sat three inches lower than the concrete carport pad. The old walkway resembled a jigsaw puzzle, not too safe for actual walking as the puzzle pieces shifted precariously with each step.



Before: Ugh.




After: So pretty. So functional.

On Saturday, November 18, we had our big housewarming party. We wanted it to be six months after we bought the house. Our theory was that having the party would force us to finish painting and updating the house. The timing worked out pretty well.



The "candy bar" featured kettle corn, M&Ms, twizzlers, fried apple pies and packaged candy bars. It was a hit! We sent fried pies home with lots of people. Mmm... pie makes a delicious but not very nutritious breakfast for the day after a party.



We went with a fall carnival theme. We had pickles, corn dogs with fancy mustards (yes, I loathe corn dogs, but our guests loved them), nacho fixings, boneless buffalo wings with celery and blue cheese on the buffet spread on the deck. As one friend put it, "the food was spectacular. It was like going to the fair without smelling livestock and worrying about your car getting vandalized."



Chad made funny signs for various doors. This was the sign for the kitty jail / guest room.



The kitty jail. If you look closely, you can see furry lumps: Marigold and Kenji on either side of the bed & Sonic on the chair.



Hot cider with caramel, red hots & cinnamon to mix in. Yum! The idea for hot cider came to me during a manic, Martha Stewart-like episode at the HEB grocery store. I almost made little caramel apple wedges with nuts as garnish for the punch, but I called Chad and told him I needed him to talk me down. Thus no caramel apple wedges with nuts, but I did keep (what's left of) my sanity.



Proof that we have friends. It was so much fun. We have lots of soda, juice boxes and cider leftover to get us through the year! We managed to give away the leftover corndogs luckily.

I'm so happy that all of our immediate house projects are done! I look forward to some serious lounging in our cozy, cute house.

Ceilings & Pavers & Cats, Oh My!

Chad busted bootie to get the faux-tin-tile ceilings in the kitchen and bathroom painted this weekend. They look fabulous and hide the cracks. I guess I'll forgive Chad for keeping me up so late Saturday night with his tromping up & down the squeaky step ladder, paint-brushing and general project noise. Yep, we have some wild and crazy weekends here! (See earlier post titled, "New Homeowners Are Boring.")



The interlocking paver stones arrived for our new driveway and walkway. Hopefully that project will be done by this weekend in time for the big housewarming party!



Our kitties love to snuggle. Marigold is at the head of the bed with me, Sonic is in the middle-left and Kenji is at the foot of the bed. The newest feline family member, Sonic, was supposed to be a foster kitty. Of course, Chad & I are smitten with the kitten and are keeping him, rather than adopting him out to someone else. Yes, yes, everyone knew that would happen!

Swab the Deck!

We have a deck! It only took the pros two days to build it. Love it! Love the privacy screen on both sides too. Add "buy deck furniture" to the to-do list.