Art is hard!

While the title of this post may sound ridiculous, it's all worth it.

Last night I learned a few new things about myself.

1) Crafts are fun.
2) Art takes lots of work.

And most importantly:
I am creative and so is everyone else!

I don't think it's possible for anyone to NOT be creative (yes, I know... the double negative was purposely added to prove a point)

If you know me, then you already know that I struggle with my creativity.
My idea of a creative project is a paint by numbers set with all of the colors already decided.

I think the hardest thing for me to understand is how any object can be important or valuable without also having a concrete, practical purpose.

But don't mistake my misunderstanding for a lack of appreciation.
I don't believe that art is useless and I don't think that the world would be better off without it.
Quite the contrary.

I think a lot of that has to do with my artistic family.
They make it all look so easy.

For me creativity and the arts sit in the same place as the sciences.
While I don't understand how things happens, I am in awe of all the complexities. And I respect anyone who has taken the time to create and understand what I can't.

BUT enough of my ramblings.... on to the craft!

My mom & I made this!

It turned out great, I love it!

In case the picture isn't showing up well for you, or you aren't sure what it's a PHOTO COLLAGE BOARD (at least according to my quick google search)

Just for fun I'll also be posting directions if anyone is interested in making one too :)

STEP ONE: Materials list

a) 1 piece of canvas (mine was 16x20 or 20x16 .... I'm not really sure how measurements are told)

b) As many sheets of design paper (or material depending on your preferences) that you want.
I used 6 pieces of nice paper from the local craft store because I wanted to make it kind of funky and unique.

c) At least 1 type of ribbon (how much you need depends on how

d) 1 pair of scissors - to cut ribbon and paper/material

e) 1 bottle of mod podge (it's like Elmer's white glue) - to glue the paper/material, you can also use it to seal the entire board if you're using paper

f) 1 sponge brush
To apply the glue

g) At least 5 small buttons (depending on how many times your ribbon intersects)
I wanted a simple diamond formation so I only used 5 but it's really up to you.

h) At least 8 small tacks (depending on how many intersecting ribbons you want)
I only wanted 5 so I only needed 8 tacks

i) 1 hot glue & hot glue gun
To put the buttons on the paper/material and to attach the ribbon to the paper/material (unless you sew it on but I'm not much for sewing)

j) Stickers or any other creative addition you want!

*** Fortunately we already had the piece of canvas, mod podge, sponge brush, hot gun & glue, ribbon and scissors so I paid less than $10 for the paper, stickers and buttons

STEP TWO: Begin putting together the pattern by placing the bottom layers

Since I used paper instead of material, I glued on the bottom layers page by page.

For this type of glue I put some on the page and on the canvas for added help.

STEP THREE: Add any additional decorations you would like on the top layers

I just put a few stickers on mine to give it some sparkles and pop of color.

**Also if you used paper instead of material you must make sure to apply an even layer of mod podge on top of the entire top surface to seal the layers together. 

This also prevents it from being damaged in case of small amounts of moisture and will help it last longer overall.

STEP FOUR: Securely attach the ribbon to the canvas

First I lined up the ribbon evenly to the middle of each side of the canvas and hammered the first set of 2 tacks  on opposite sides.

Then I pulled at the sides to eliminate any slack and I hammered another set of 2 tacks through the ribbon onto the wooden canvas border.

**I hammered the last 2 sides with 2 ends of ribbon to minimize the amount of tacks we needed to use. 

Next we nailed another piece of ribbon from corner to corner over the top to create a diamond crisscross effect. 

This is done on all 4 corners and pulled tight to keep pictures and mementos secure.

STEP FIVE: Add the buttons

*This is where the hot glue gun comes in so hopefully you have it started and heated.

On each intersecting ribbon I glued on a button, not only to keep it attached but to also prevent any pictures/mementos from falling out.

As you can see I got a bit fancy with my buttons and tied small pieces of sheer ribbon into bows. 

But it's all up to you!

And now.....


You are finished!

Ta-da!!

Here is the finished 'product'

It's a homemade masterpiece!

I really enjoyed making this and hopefully it won't be long until I'll have another project to show you.

Of course this is my own design made from the supplies of my local craft store so feel free to experiment and put together something unique!

I'd love to see your ideas!

Before I forget I must say...
THANK YOU for all of your help mom! It was quite the team effort :)

The moral of this story is... although it requires some effort and skill, being creative is fun! But only if you let it  :)

Mini post

Hey all!

It's been a little while since my last post but I think that once you've finished reading the next post you'll understand why it was worth the wait.

As of a several weeks ago, not long after I posted finding a new hero I once again became pet-less.
At first I was relieved that I had less responsibility but now that I'm settling back into my life (and course cleaned up a lot of the pet mess)... I'm starting to miss having a furry friend.
But sadly I will have to put having a pet on the "not until I calm my life down" list.

Oh I'm in the process of rearranging my apartment... that is quite a work in progress.

Lets see...

Things are good. I'm keeping busy, always trying to learn something new.
Other than that there really isn't anything else to report aside from the topic of my next post.

Pet Adventures! Take 10

I think this cat is my new hero!
So much so that I think I want a cat of my own.

After my last post you probably think I have lost my mind. I would be a bit concerned if you didn't...
So to answer that yes, I know that I sound a bit crazy but after I explain you'll understand.

As I was getting ready for bed I saw this semi big bug on my wall. Naturally (for me at least) I freaked out before taking the time to see what it was... I'm ashamed to admit that it was a moth.
While running out of my room I had a thought... maybe the cat would get it for me! He could at least get some entertainment out if it.
So I try to call him into my room and of course, he completely ignores me.

And so begins plan B! I go get his favorite toy and lure him into my room until he notices something more interesting.
In the smoothest way possible I get so close to the moth that it flys off and initiates the chase...

At this point I'm freaking out and the cat is totally running and jumping all around my room trying to catch this moth.
Eventually the cat swipes his paw at it and the moth gets slapped against the wall into the floor... where it continues to get slapped around for another few minutes.



It's dark so the pictures aren't that great but if you can see the black spot on the ground, it's the moth.

I would have recorded the ordeal had I been thinking clearly at the time :/



Here's another quote on humor for you :)

"The more I live, the more I think that humor is the saving sense."
- Jacob August Riis

Thanks to Psychology Today: 25 Quotes on Humor
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201101/25-quotes-humor

Pet Adventures! Take 9

It's official.... I have become my worst fear, a cat lady.
I may only be pet sitting but I'm passed the point of no return.

You know how I know? My shopping cart.



And to prove my point even further I took this picture at my apartment to show that I did in fact buy these sad items...


See! Even he doesn't approve... Haha

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of these items... separately. But together they make 'the dreaded cat lady!'

I really need to learn how to cook, real food and stat!



I also had another quite funny realization last night.


Upright, on only 2 paws this same cat can reach up to my shoulders... while I'm standing up as straight as possible.

I know I'm short but wow!

That just puts it at a whole new level... I don't really know what to do with that information haha.

(Sorry guys but there won't be a picture of that posted. I wouldn't dare try to force the cat into 'standing up' ... health reasons, my health to be more specific LOL)


Today I'll leave you with this thought, one that sticks with the theme of this post.

"A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing."
- Laura Ingalls Wilder

You can find this and more at:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201101/25-quotes-humor

Pet Adventures! Take 8

Today I am having a hard time with that.

I know that some of it is because I've been busy with work and playing catch up so I haven't been home much. And he definitely doesn't like that.
He's made that very clear by attacking me twice in the last 2 days.

Also over the past few days I have been noticing little by little things inside my apartment that he has been destroying, very subtly of course.
Most of them are trivial material things that can easily be replaced so I haven't been too upset.

But yesterday the kicker for me was the box holding one of my prized possessions.
This cat has slowly been destroying the box and the packing styrofoam for a set of glass tableware that I've kept in remarkable condition and have had since I was a kid.
I caught him in the act and almost lost my cool.

But of course it isn't all bad.

When things are good, they're really good.

Since he had practically destroyed the toys he had before I decided to get him a new one.

This is what happened.


There are no more feathers, it lasted less than 24 hours.


This post is a bit overdue so there are a few things to update you on.

Just a few nights ago I woke up to this snuggled right next to me

Of course he was taking up at least 1/2 of my twin sized bed but it was still cute :)

Last week I had this crazy dream where there was this cat was making crazy noises. I have no idea what it looked like or why it was making that noise (I have a hard time remembering dreams) but I do remember feeling confused.
Turns out that while I was sleeping he had tried to sleep in the same place as this picture and I rolled over him without knowing it :/

This all happened within a couple of days after he got outside while I was trying to leave for work.
Normally I don't stress about him trying to get out because he's generally uninterested. But out of nowhere I opened the door and he just bolted out!
I froze as I was panicking because I didn't want to scare him into running away.

But to my surprise he froze too, right outside of my doorway.
The look in his eyes was complete terror. He stood there for a moment, turned his head to consider running and ran right back inside of my apartment.
I guess that in some way he was expecting to see the surroundings of his old home.
I'm glad to say that he hasn't tried it since. I can only hope he's learned his lesson.

My 25th Birthday!

First off I want to say the biggest THANK YOU to all of my friends and family that wished me a happy birthday!


It was a relatively low key day that started a day early with a beautiful trip to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum (State Park in Superior, AZ). For those of you who don't know what that is, I described it to my friend as a zoo for plants in a completely open environment. You know, like nature intended it to be.

On your left is one of my favorite pictures. If I could sum up the scenery with one picture, this would be it.


I went with my mom, aunts and 5 small cousins so it was anything but boring! If we weren't chasing one child, we were trying to trying to make sure another couldn't eat an unknown plant haha.
And somewhere in between all of that wandering, picture taking and sight seeing I managed to take some of my own pictures. With my cell phone and they even turned out quite nice!

Later that night I went out with one of my good friends Special Tuesday to celebrate and ended the night at an insane hour after redeeming my free birthday grand slam.

And after sleeping a solid 6-7 hours I awoke the next afternoon to begin the marathon!
Since I started a bit late I didn't get to hit as many places as I would have liked but it was still a very good day... although it started a bit rocky.

If you didn't know, Krispy Kreme is usually my first stop on the birthday trail.
Who wouldn't want to start their day with a dozen free glazed donuts?!

BUT I was quite sad to learn that Krispy Kreme no longer gives you an entire box of a dozen donuts :( instead they only give you one.
* I'd post a link but I couldn't find one that says it. I found out by a sign on the window.

Next stop was to pick up my mom so we could go to lunch and hit as many places as possible. And of course we had to go to the best places first!


Joe's Farm Grill


It is here (and 2 other places) that you can receive $10 towards the meal of your choice. And I went big!
** If you haven't tried it yet, you don't know what you're missing out on! http://joesfarmgrill.com/


Liberty Market


And here's my next stop. Had to get me some good coffee!
This is the 2nd place that gives you $10 off of your meal, or in my case coffee.
** Good food, good coffee.http://libertymarket.com/








And since I'm me, I had to end my food spree with a bang!
Another one of my awesome friends took me out to the Cheesecake Factory where I had a delicious cobb salad and we split a piece of the snickers cheesecake... yum!








**In case you're wondering, that IS a giant piece of avocado!
(there was some confusion via Facebook)

This same awesome friend also gave me the blueray version of one of my newest favorite movies!

** Check it out, trust me it's amazing: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1570728/

My night continued with Special Tuesday picking me up to check out a party with some friends that to my surprise included a massive amount of people singing happy birthday!

After that we met up with some other friends and I got to watch my first real game of blackjack!
On one hand the fast paced movements of the dealers and players astounded me. But on the other, watching the amounts of money being given away just seemed crazy. I have a hard time imagining putting that kind of money down, all on a whim.

IF you made it through this entire post I congratulate you!
I know I rambled a bit but I now want to turn your attention to the real reason for this post.

Yesterday on Facebook I received a whopping 98 posts of people wishing me a happy birthday. I think about it and I still have a hard time fathoming the amount of appreciation that I have for the family and friends who went out of their way in to stop and say something, little or not.

And it got me thinking how great technology is to have the ability to connect soo many people together! How easily it has become to keep in touch with people I haven't seen in years or people that I've never even 'met' (in person).

To sum up my feelings about yesterday I would have to say:
Life is about people. The people you meet, know, care about and love. I could care less about material things. What's important to me is being able to spend as much time as I can with the people that matter most.

It's a great feeling to know you're loved by one, anymore than that is an overwhelming gift I am always grateful of.

So really thank you! I couldn't ask for a better group of people.

In case you were wondering....

Here's an official countdown!


** if I knew what time I was born I would put the time :/

OMG I still can't believe it's almost here!
I feel sooo old....


**Update 3/7/12**

I don't usually do this but I figured it could be another way to show you, my readers some of the type of music I like.

On my list of cd's I have yet to get:

Teddy Geiger - The Last Fears
Here's a sample http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/teddygeiger

Gavin Mikhail - My Personal Beauty Needs (2003)
You can list to it here http://gavinmikhail.bandcamp.com/album/my-personal-beauty-needs

Jason Reeves - The Lovesick (2011)
You can listen to some of it here! http://www.amazon.com/Lovesick-Jason-Reeves/dp/B005MJ7S86/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_aud?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1331159188&sr=1-1

Pet Adventures! Take 7

Here we are, another day trying to figure things out.

Until really recently (as in last night) things were going pretty well.
My schedule had opened up and I was able to stay home and hang out with the cat more than I previously had.
We had almost made a schedule out of it and he would even come and lay down when it was time for bed. And this week he would even sleep next to me while letting me hold him!

I've decided that we have a sort of hot & cold bond.
One moment he's being super cute and nice and the next he's causing trouble just to drive me crazy.
It's like a switch flips when things are going TOO well... haha.

If you didn't already know, I really like fuzzy things. Pens, shoes, jackets, etc... but don't get confused I'm not all about fur or killing animals for looks.
But back to the story... so I have a small collection of pens with fuzzy tops in my room. I keep them all together in the hopes that the cat couldn't reach them.
Wrong again!
He enjoys finding ways to get them, but only while I'm sleeping or trying to.

It's funny how he gets these bursts of energy when I'm really tired.
I guess it's just like having a kid/s.
Which is even more proof that parents, especially single parents are amazing. Not like anyone needed anymore proof but still.
Just in case you were wondering, most of you are awesome 24/7.

I was enjoying a relaxing Sunday at home and all of a sudden he just goes crazy!
Running around everywhere, bouncing off the walls and knocking everything over... again. The same thing happened last night so I made him sleep on the couch, haha.

Eventually I got tired of it and put him in his kennel to calm down... by the looks of things that probably wasn't a good idea.

I guess I'll just have to see how he pays me back this time...


I've met my match.


Until next time!

Pet Adventures! Take 6

Hello everyone!

It's been a bit since my last post and I wanted you all to know that I'm still here with the cat. I just couldn't think of anything new to post.

I finally had to go buy another bag of cat food and boy was that an adventure. First off, the bag weighs 14 lbs and is about half my height. And of course I didn't have my powerchair so bringing it to my car was quite a sight to see haha.
Eventually I did make it and brought it home so the cat is well fed and happy.

Last week was a pretty busy week so I wasn't able to be home as often as the cat would have liked. So when my schedule did slow down the cat took every opportunity to sit or lay down near me.

I have learned from the last bedtime disaster and have since placed a small pillow on my window to prevent him from climbing up and antagonizing all of the neighborhood cats.
And as much as he dislikes this new setup, I get a lot more good sleep out of it.
I don't think he's quite figured out that I'm not moving the pillow because most nights he still unsuccessfully tries to climb up.

The last few nights he has been especially affectionate and tries to sleep near me.
Generally I don't have a problem with this, except he likes to lay on my feet.
I don't know about you but I move all far too much in my sleep and it drives me crazy when I don't have that option. When this happens I inevitably end up moving my legs so much that he doesn't want to stay.
After a couple nights of that he finally got smart and decided that it would be better if he slept on the side of me. There is a nice pillow on my left side that stops me from hitting the wall and I think that he has decided that's his new space to sleep. It was perfect because he's high enough that I can't roll over him and I can still move when I want to.

This week I once again decided that it was time to vacuum my apartment again. So I went all out and vacuumed my entire apartment, which is even more than I did the last time.
The cat has unofficially made my armchair his. Most days that's the best place to find him. That definitely shows because before I had vacuumed it was covered in black hairs. I had to go all out with the pet attachment to get it back to looking good.

He must have known how difficult that was because immediately after I had finished and put the vacuum away the first thing he decided to do was lay down on the carpet and stretch out as far as he could.

My first thought was how to create a #petproblems tweet. Didn't come up with much but
@jeenad: I finish vacuuming & the shedding cat decides to stretch. Is this karma for scaring him with the vacuum? #petproblems

And not even a few days later I come to find this:


I've come to the decision that he doesn't like anything that makes a loud noise. Vacuum, hair dryer, powerchair, or any type of loud music in general.
But he loves the bathtub and shower. He's fascinated by it and loves to sit on the side while I shower. He's almost made it a game and likes it when I pretend to splash him with the clear screen in front to protect him.

Oh and in case you were wondering the size ratio between the cat & I, or why I make him sound like such a monster... here is a picture to prove it.

He definitely takes more than my lap!

I'll leave all of you with this Daily Affirmation from Dr. Wayne Dyer
"What other people think of me is none of my business. One of the highest places you can get to is being independent of the good opinions of other people."
http://www.healyourlife.com/affirmations/dr-wayne-w-dyer/2012/02/28/get-inspired

Until next time!

Pet Adventures! Take 5

I got another day off of work today and after making some major life decisions (more info will come later in another post), I decided to stay home and be productive.
My apartment needed some airing out so I decided that I would open up my sliding door. For those of you that don't know, so far this hasn't proved to be a bad idea because I have the additional screen door that is keeping the cat inside.
Turns out I've given him a new hobby and a nice place to sit and relax.

Here, have a look for yourself.

According to his person this was a terrible idea. She said, "now he will sit at the door and do the most unappealing meow you have ever heard until you open," the door. Oh well... at least it gives him something else to look forward to.

On another note!

I don't know if there's something in the air or if he's come to realize that I will not tolerate any aggression but lately he has been really sweet. He likes to come and cuddle with me on the couch and has even come to lay down on my bed for a little bit.

Here's my fuzzy valentine :)

Of course he still tries to attack me and has done so a couple of times. But in the last week but I have noticed that they have been a lot gentler than beforehand. It's more like play-fighting then outright anger.

Happy Valentine's Day 2012!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

To the young and old; the heartbroken, single, "it's complicated" and whatever I've missed.

No matter what your 'status' it's a day to celebrate all forms of love.
Families, friends, lovers, and beyond!



If you hadn't noticed yes, I do consider myself to be a hopeless romantic and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

My favorite movies are romantic comedies, that's over half of my collection. I'll read anything written by Nicholas Sparks; for me the Notebook is a classic. If I paid for cable I'd probably get fat from eating chocolate all day and watching waaay too much of the Lifetime and Hallmark channel.

As ridiculous as all of that sounds I don't consider myself to be completely adrift.
I understand the realities of human relationships... at least to the extent that I've observed/experienced and I'm not waiting for the 'prince charming' delusion.

I like to think of myself as 'hopelessly realistic'
I don't want someone that will always agree with me or someone that always has to be in control.
I'm looking for someone who is considerate but independent, can be serious and fun, someone that has a similar sense of humor to me.
But most of all, I want someone who can be my equal and share everything that life has to offer.



Sounds like a tall order doesn't it?
Yeah I guess it does... yet I still know there is at least one person out there.

And I'm okay waiting because I know that it will all be worth the wait.
It gives me something to look forward to.
I try to look at this time as the perfect way to get to know and improve me. That way I can be the best me that I know how to be when the time comes.

For anyone struggling with being alone today (or any day) just remember... you are loved.

"I have learned that love is the most powerful force available to us. When we have real love we have the strength to perform miracles." ~ Leo Buscaglia

Thank you http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leo_Buscaglia

Pet Adventures! Take 4

Oh the things that happen when theres a pet in the house...
Like when you go into your room after taking a shower and not noticing the blinds are out of alignment.... until you've already started getting ready.

Checkmate cat.

And even after all of that I know that I still care about the insane animal.
You know how I know?

Tonight when I pulled up into my parking spot I noticed a very similar looking black cat walk by. But before he/she walks away it makes sure to stop and acknowledge the unintentional stare down I had started.
This cat looked so similar to the one I am taking care of that before I had finished my mental picture of physical attributes I was freaking out.
Before I had even realized that this cat was too big to be the cat I had already thought up multiple scenarios about the harsh realities he had experienced in the 12 hrs I was gone. Being a strictly indoor cat I imagined the worst.
So of course, me being... myself I started to jump out of my car and called out to the cat by his name.
He's generally responsive to his name so I knew that he'd come if he'd been out all day. I wasn't even all of the way out of my car before the cat was done with me and started walking away.
I turned for a moment and it was gone, which only added to my panic. That and a growing amount of embarrassment as I looked like a crazy person talking to myself desperately.
Hoping he had run off to meet me at my door I bolted for my apartment. Hurrying as fast I could I left everything but my keys in my car. As I unlocked and opened the door I hadn't even bothered to look to see if he had followed nearby.

To my confusion, surprise and happiness there he was sitting at the door like he'd been waiting all day. Almost like he was as glad to see me as I was to see him.

Pet Adventures! Take 3

Last night (okay more like this morning) as I was trying to go to sleep I realized that I forgot to mention a vital aspect of my pet adventures!

Unless I am home I always keep my bedroom door closed.
Like most cats he loves to get into anything and everything. And if I leave him for any amount of time that he 'dislikes' I can expect some kind of mess waiting for me. So long story short I don't trust him to be alone with all of the really important things I've stashed in my room.

But at night I keep my door open so he has a nice place to sleep... Another bad idea that won't be changing any time soon haha.
I don't know where but there is a cat somewhere outside that roams my apartment complex at night. And so of course the cat in my apartment likes to look outside of the window and antagonize the mystery cat that is yet to figure out that I will NEVER leave my window open.
Without fail, if that cat is around my window he will jump and try to attack 'my cat'... ONLY when I have almost fallen asleep. Scares me awake every time! And by the time I am finally able to fall back asleep I'm wired and paranoid.

Today was an especially funny day.

As I was in the shower this morning the cat thought it would be a good time to visit.
Of course like any other cat, he is not fond of water. So he made sure to sit on the side of the tub between the shower curtains.
Not thinking about the consequences he decided it would be a funny to play and swipe at the clear plastic curtain with little to no balance.
After almost falling into the shower with me he eventually fell on the other side onto the floor.... all while still sitting in between my shower curtains.
Of course none of that stopped his desire to play and he continued to play with my clear shower curtain until I turned off the water.

It's times like this I wish that I knew what was going on in that cats head.
I wonder if it's as scatter brained as mine...

And I won't even bother with the negative happenings of last night... like him getting sick again. Of course it happened right before I was about to get into bed.

Pet Adventures! Take 2

Hello again!

Still playing catch up here so I'll be recounting events from the last couple of weeks... hopefully I'll be caught up by the end of this post. There's a few pet happenings that you've missed.

A little over a week into watching the cat my sister came to visit with her service dog. Since she's such a sweet dog and was raised with a cat like brothers I wasn't really worried about the cat being hurt. I was more worried about the cat taking out the dog, if you know this cat... you'd know that I was concerned for good reason.
But before either of them had gotten completely inside he bolted! Took me a good 10-15 minutes to even find the cat, turns out he had found a spot on top of my fridge between that and my cabinets.

It wasn't until later in the night when the cat thought no one was looking that he tried getting off of the fridge. And of course the service dog was up and ready to play before the cat had even gotten off of my counter. This is when it got interesting....

The best way I can think of to explain what happened is to give you this completely unrelated visual.

Picture the cat instead of the pinball and my kitchen in the place of game board and there you have it. I don't think I've ever seen that cat move so quickly or crazy-like!

It was hilarious and fortunately just loud and not destructive.
I'm pretty sure that he didn't come down from my fridge until the next day.

It wasn't until this next experience that basically sealed the deal. I finally realized that this cat is just not that sociable.

My mom and brother were over to visit for a couple of hours and the result was a calmer version of last time. He was up on the fridge until I 'cleared' him to come down.

Oh and I forgot to mention... a few days ago when I left him alone at my house I forgot to put his treats away. So of course he ate the chewed a hole and ate an entire bag, about the size of this:

And no this is not the cat, I used the picture to show the size of the bag of treats.

If you're still keeping track... he attacked my leg a couple more times and fortunately didn't scratch skin because I was wearing thick pants.

Are there any cat people out there that would have any tips for me to put a stop to the scratches?

And a positive side note...
A couple of days ago I woke up with the cat snuggled asleep at my feet. Of course he decided to lay down as I was starting to wake up and by the time he was completely comfortable I had to get up and go.


I was thinking that this might have been his way of asking me not to leave.
But who knows? I sure don't!

Pet Adventures! Take 1

This year I have embarked on a new adventure... pet care.
For those of you who know me well, no no no! I did not get a permanent pet. I'm pet-sitting a cat for the next 2.5 months for a good friend while she's out of the country.

Sounds easy enough right? Wrong.

First I had to 'pet-proof' my apartment... had to stash everything that would possibly be targeted for kitty destruction, accidental or out of 'cats curiosity.'
Then I had to find a place for the litter box in my kinda small bathroom.
And because this is no ordinary cat I also had to find a place hide his bag of food so he wouldn't go crazy and eat another hole in the bag... yes, you read that right. I did say another hole.

If all that wasn't enough work there's the everyday maintenance that comes with pet ownership/care.
To avoid having my apartment smell disgusting I vacuum and clean my bathroom at least once a day.
Feeding the cat isn't so bad most of the time. That is unless he's trying to trip me while getting my attention on my way to his bag of food. Oh and there's this minor issue of his nervous eating habit. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of how much to feed him that doesn't allow him to overeat and make himself sick.

But the part that makes it all interesting...
He likes to attack me. Bites and scratches me just because he can.
I'm convinced he's either bipolar or has a split personality disorder. One moment he's being really cute and snuggling with me and all of a sudden he snaps and attacks me! Totally out of the blue! I've been trying really hard to watch out and not do things that bug him but it's definitely not working.



In the 9 days it's just been me I've been attacked 3 times, twice on my arms and once on my leg. That wasn't counting the other time I was attacked before my friend had even left yet!
He's also puked twice. Once in my bathroom right next to his box and the other on my dining room floor. To be optimistic I am glad they've been on tile... thank you!

Since I know that I haven't done much in the positive talk department I would like to note that it isn't all bad.
Everyday I come home it's nice knowing that there's someone that is glad to see me... even if there is some other motive like food haha.
There's also something to do in watching the funny things he does to keep himself entertained. I think he's about as graceful as I am.

Besides... I think we're both still in the adjustment stage. We're getting used to sharing my space and putting up with each others quirks.
That and I'm sure he misses my friend, they haven't been apart for more than a few days.

It's been a funny kind of day yesterday!

Although I am almost a week late in 'keeping you updated' I just wanted anyone who was curious to know that... cooking was a success!
Granted I did end up getting a lot of help... but just so you know, I did not give up and ask! A friend of mine came over and decided to volunteer her services as a slightly more skilled than me, tall person to help my cause. So I even got a dinner buddy out of the whole thing!

But back to the point... the food was delicious, working with defrosted chicken is a pain and I might need a bigger pan sometime soon.

Oh! Speaking of tall and little people, I should tell you all about my day.
For the next few months I have agreed to care for my above mentioned friend's cat. He is a bit crazy and definitely obnoxious but somehow still manages to be cute when you're mad at him.
So I was cleaning up after him today and decided that I should stretch that cleaning to my entire apartment (notice how I'm blogging and not mentioning being done). Well I was trying to take my trash out when... this facebook/twitter status should explain it all:

Tried taking my trash out and accidentally dropped my bucket in the dumpster too. Definitely not getting that back :/ #littlepeopleproblems**

It was that hashtag that got me thinking... how many little people problems can I think of that have crossed my mind over the years.

Since I'm little and sometimes use a wheelchair I am going to lump all of my ideas together.


If you use a powerwheelchair the definite first one would have to be a dead battery... nothing is worse than being stranded without being able to move!

But don't be fooled by the picture folks... when this happens, seeing someone happy is probably the last thing that you'll see.







And of course now that I want to think about them I can't think of very many!
But I can think of some of my favorite inventions ever created.


This has to be one of the best things in my apartment! For when I need an extra foot or 2. With it I can cook, clean, and put my dishes or whatever else I need to away.



And who could forget this absolutely ingenius invention!
For one, it was advertised by my TV hero Billy Mays. And of course let's not forget it's altogether usefulness. Every home should have one, in my opinion.



** for those of you who do not use twitter and/or have no idea what I'm talking about: a hashtag is the # symbol that is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages
SOURCE: http://support.twitter.com/entries/49309-what-are-hashtags-symbols

Getting the itch!

Hey everyone!

Another gap in posts and I'm starting to feel like it's time to write something new! I've juggled around a few ideas here and there but nothing that I really thought was worthy of an entire post. But it's been so long that I just don't feel like I can be quiet anymore!

So today's post is going to be a cooking adventure! ... even if most everything I cook should be considered an adventure. Haha!
If you already know me you know that boiling water can potentially be a challenge when I'm in the kitchen. Somehow even boxed foods manage to get the best of me.

BUT.... that is all going to change!

To start off, I'm not really a fan of new years resolutions. I think they're just another way to let yourself down. Life happens and there's no point in beating yourself up anymore than I'm sure everyone already does.
So I really try not to make them. I take new years as a new start to try and improve me in all of the ways I want, whenever I want. And boy does that list change daily, maybe even more than that.

Today's challenge/lesson/improvement of the day or whatever you want to call it is... you guessed it, cooking!
Now don't get crazy, I will not be attempting a Thanksgiving dinner or anything like that. I'm not even going to attempt a meal completely from scratch.

I will be making...



Yes, yes I know... it's pretty 'dummy proof' but to make this and have it be edible would be an accomplishment worth celebrating.
I picked this specific kind because it's more than just the boxed ingredients and meat. This one needs eggs to be cooked inside the pan!

... okay you got me. I also picked this one because it was the only one that I had all of the ingredients for.
I admit it. I am as skilled at grocery shopping as I am cooking haha.

But back to the point!

First things first I need to wash my hands!
And then on to defrost some chicken breasts.... wish me luck! I'll try to keep you posted along the way.

{Jan 21, 2012 3:42pm}