Categories: General
my mom took some pictures while we were in oregon last month and i finally managed to scan some of them. so here they are. they’re really all of the baby. 🙂
that’s the swing seat we gave bella as a baby present.
i also have pictures of our recent trip to the yuba river, but i have yet to scan them. soon, i swear. hopefully before our trip to the russian river this weekend.
Categories: General
of the 21 cats i had last week, 7 of them are now dead. the second batch of fosters i got turned out to have parvo (sort of leukemia for kittens) and they all died. one died while we had them and then i took them all back to ARF. it was awful and i started crying in their exam room and had to be given kleenex. my first batch of kittens are still in quarantine at ARF to make sure they didn’t get parvo too. they’ve got another week to go. i don’t like to think of any of them dying so i’m trying hard to convince myself they’ll be fine.
theoretically all my own cats are fine since they’ve been vaccinated but i’m still keeping an eye on them for another week. parvo has a 14 day incubation period.
the mom of all the kitten who died is still alive but also still in quarantine.
in order to eradicate parvo bacteria my mom and i had to clean our entire house with bleach. bleach. and i kept forgetting to put on gloves. admittedly our house is now very, very clean. and admittedly also i managed to bleach spots in my carpet and my sheets. my mom was convinced the white powdery residue was never going to come off the hardwood floors but after several layers of oil polish, i can’t see it anymore. i can still smell it though.
of the kittens that died, i can still see ivan (the terrible’s) little face.
he was always so excited when i came in the guest bedroom to see them. he would run to the edge of the bed (it’s been bleached) and sit there waiting for me to pick him up. he had enormous eyes and an absurdly messy fluff of fur. they were all so cute, friendly, and affectionate. i’m so sad that they didn’t get a chance to grow up in homes of their own and be loved more.
Categories: General
current number of cats i’m living with: 21
you heard me right.
current # of kittens: 13
percentage: 61%
current # of cats sleeping on my couch: 5
current # of cats sleeping on me: 1
current amount of cat poop in house: immeasurable
old kittens:
christopher
daniel
george
brandon
erin and fiona
new kittens:
snow white and the seven dwarves
don’t be deceived. these kittens aren’t MINE. i’m just fostering them for ARF until they can be adopted. really, i only live with 6 cats. normally. that’s probably still not something to brag about. or even admit to. at parties. to strangers…
Categories: General
I spent a few days on the beach in Oregon last month. A little fun in the sun, some sand in the pants. You know how it is. But this vacation was not only a relaxing good time, it was also my first exposure to my newest cousin: Isabella. Daughter of John (my mom’s sister’s son) and Katherine, Isabella is now 2 months old, sports a wicked mohawk, and has a reversible stuffed animal which can be either a frog OR a pig (Frog-Pig!). I am highly desirous of this fuzzy toy.*
An exciting part of the Oregon trip was its Girl’s Only appeal. We rented a house on the beach in which it transpired that only girls shared. My mom, Aunt Mary, Katherine, Bella, and I fortified our position, posted the “No Boys Allowed” door sign, and cackled gleefully while eating heaping handfuls of caramel corn. (Seriously, best caramel corn EVER. If only I could remember the brand name).
The boys glumly camped in the woods. The wilds in which I spent maybe 10 minutes, MAYBE, without touching ANYTHING and STILL managed to contract poison oak. My entire upper left arm–enflamed. Curse you, wilds. TO HELL. I’m going to the Yuba this Sunday and have always managed to get the P-Oak there. Will this experience be any different? Heaven forbid. Where will I sprout oozing pustules next? Now taking bets.
I only managed to take pictures at the beach our first morning there walking along the sandy shores. So here is my miserly offering of three measly photos. I like this one:
*Stuffed animal side note: my mother is cleaning out the garage, during which endeavor, she took down an enormous garbage bag full of stuffed animals (mine) and made me go through them with an eye to purging. Purging?! Mine! I saved four from the donation and trash piles. Four. Whimper. …Mine.
Categories: General
at my miss universe party on monday i climbed onto a chair to cross off my guests’ failed picks for top 5 contestants. when climbing down from the chair, i accidentally landed on a corner of the back with my inner thigh. the bruise now is glorious! i mean, it’s the size of one of the kittens my friends cuddled during the broadcast! and the colors! oh, the colors, they are amazing. there’s various shades of red, purple, and blue. some hints of black running through it. delightful. i’m so proud of it. you might think that my complete lack of grace in descending from a chair might preclude me from ever being a beauty contestant, however the hard fall of miss usa on monday night paints a picture of my potential future. she slipped on her dress during the evening gown portion and yet still made it into the top 5. i feel that if i too garnered donald trump’s backing, i could be booed on a stage in mexico city. after all, i am american; this opportunity is just waiting for me! and my lovely bruise!
i took some pictures of the food i made for the party…but not of the people who attended the party. or of my bruise–it is in a very private location after all. pictures of food here (if you care). i am still dining out on ginger pear cheesecake, the most delicious of the 4.
Categories: General
Hi Michele,
I enjoyed your history of the books and libraries in Santa Barbara very much. Your thematic approach to the paper was original and effective and it allowed you to view SBPL within a wider historical framework, which was just what I hoped people would do. I was delighted that you looked at local history materials and newspaper articles to understand the people and issues involved in Santa Barbara’s history as well as compared these materials to the writings of others during the time period. How smart to take a look at Harriet Eddy’s writings on county library organizing. I bet you were thrilled to see her assessment of Mrs. Linn.
In all this is a well researched, nicely written, and perceptive research paper. You’re an excellent historian! I’m creating a collection of library histories done in this class and would love to add your paper to it. Let me know if that’s ok.
Paper 30 points [out of 30]
Final 13.7 [out of 14]
Total 95.9/A- [curse it for ruining my 4.0, but that’s ok! an A- is A-ok!]
this paper, mind you, i spent 36 hours writing right before it was due (um, ok minus like 15 hours of sleeping. i like sleep). i pulled a muscle in my hand and had to alternately type furiously and ice it because it was so painful. it was 31 pages long by the end and i had like 50 references. and then i tried to upload it and the electricity in my entire neighborhood went out (including street lights all the way down on center) and i was an hour late turning it in. yey for still getting full credit! and effusive praise! and being a historian!
Categories: General
(i would say that the names were changed for the sake of the innocent, but i’m the only innocent bystander in this situation i feel, so really the names were changed to protect me from eventual lawsuits.)
deb and taryn, aged 16 and 17 respectively, are taking love-o-meter quizzes on the internet in front of the counter where i sit. deb turns to me, where i’m happily minding my own business, to ask a question.
“michele! what does L-I-B-I-D-O mean?”
“uh…libido means sex drive.”
“ooooooo! i’ve got a big one!”
(me mumbling) “oh my god.”
this, mind you, is the same girl who told me her doctor said she should masturbate more because she’s too horny.
i have to say, my life is both horrifying and delightfully quixotic. maybe the absurdly sexy 17 year old boy will stay till 6 in here alone with me again today. he was born in 1989. 1989! he didn’t even experience the 80’s!
