Addendum to yesterday's post
OK, so I stole that title from Aimee's live journal. I just wanted to use the word "addendum". But it does apply. I was talking to my coworker Sarah (the vet tech) today, and she informed me that if I found Nermy with his mouth open that it indicated that he was gasping for air and suffocated to death.

I am now disturbed.

In her defense, she said it a lot more tactfully than that. It happens often with really old cats. Nermy was 16.

And in other news, I am again suffering through another period from hell. I've got to talk to my doctor about getting a new prescription. This stuff ain't cuttin' it. I'm not supposed to take more than 4 in 24 hours, and I go through that and usually 2 or 3 ibuprofein before noon.

Speaking of drugs, I need to go take more so that I can make it through my evening. This includes dinner with my boss, coworker, and their friends, and then catching the end game four of the World Series at B-dubs with Jim. And although we're rooting for different teams, Allison, that IS really cool that Aaron's dad coached one of the Astros!! Wow.

OK, I'm off.

Love.

Lack of RTQ
Sorry for not having an RTQ yesterday, for those of you that actually care (*ahem* Allison :) But I skipped the week before last too...

Nermy Baby
So yesterday at around 5:30 I went to get Nermal (a.k.a. Nermy Baby), our long-haired, black cat. He had recently turned 16, but we could tell he was fading pretty fast. My mom had made "the appointment" for yesterday evening at 6pm. I went to the back bathroom where I knew he was hiding and crouched down to pet him and tell him goodbye. The only thing was, he didn't wake up. He didn't move. Or breathe. And he was cold.

He was gone.

I was in shock. I've never discovered a dead pet before. So I picked him up (side note: he felt a lot heavier than he did when he was alive-is that where the term "dead weight" comes from?) and took him up front. I was OK until my mom said, "Oh, you have him." and I replied, "you don't have to take him." I got a little choked up. She took him and buried him at my uncles house next to his two dogs that passed away.

The only creepy thing about the whole experience was that his mouth and eyes were frozen open and his tongue was hanging out. That's an odd site in itself for a cat.

So here's my tribute to Nermy: You were SUCH a good kitty. Fluffy and fat for most of your life, you were very happy. You loved to cuddle and were very content whatever the circumstances. A lot of us could learn from that. Rest in peace, baby.

Work work work
I should get ready for work now. I have to open. woot. Oh, and speaking of work, Jim went in to work when he left here at 1:30AM. (After the Sox game-3 out of 4! They're SO winning the World Series) I sent him a text message at 6:30 this morning and he was still there. Holy CRAP. Jim, if you read this, take the rest of the day off to sleep.

Ouch
My head hurts. I think I need to drink something. Yep.

And I'm jonesing for some NES.

Speaking of...
RTQ 10/18/05: What is, in your opinion, the best original NES game ever?

Not so much in England right now...
So Jim's boss decided to be something similar to a donkey Wednesday and cancel our trip 24 hours before the plane took off. Oh, sorry, postpone.

What the crap ever.

I'm still incredibly irritated.

Our tickets for the Dream Theatre show we were going to go to in Germany arrived in the mail yesterday. Almost as though to slap us in the face. Jim's out 80 bucks...

So I'm off work the rest of this week. Hopefully I can pick up a few more hours next week.

Grr.

Prepare for a long post...
I leave with Jim the day after tomorrow. I have a lot to do. So naturally I am spending my morning at the computer. It's OK. I have a list. Among the items on my list: 1.deposit paycheck. 2.Pay six bills. 3.Wish I had another paycheck.

"I met a possum."
Last night I went with my mom around the block to see some animals she was taking care of for a friend. As we opened the garage door the get to a few cats, a possum walked casually by our feet. Literally within a few inches. It kinda looked at us, paused, and kept going. Then it crawled behind some junk. My mom said it was just a youngster, which I thought was fun since it was already bigger than a large cat. How big do those things get, anyway? At any rate, I thought it was adorably cute. Of course, I've also had pet rats. And for those of you wondering, the cats were in a large cage-totally safe from the possum.

Ok, and now for something totally unneccesary:
A really old quiz I read on Todd's lj:
1) When was the last time you went to the bathroom outside? Traveling with Jim. I had to pee SO badly and there were no gas stations open (it was late) so he pulled over by one that was closed and He stood guard while I peed on (yes, on) a wooden wall by a dumpster.
2) When was the last time you saw one of your parents? About a minute ago.
3) Which family member do you most resemble? One of my dad's sisters.
4) Do you wear cologne/perfume? Yep. But I alternate between a couple.
5) Do you wear deodorant? Yep.
6) Do you ‘clean up nice’? Ask Jim.
7) When was the last time you tripped and fell? I slipped and fell on my booty like six months ago when I still worked at Smith. Jim was dropping me off at work. One minute I was walking to the door, the next he looked and I was gone. I was flat on my back. On the ice in front of the door.
8) Where was the last place you slept besides your home? I've fallen asleep with Jim on his couch more times that I care to recall. It's what we do. Turn the t.v. on, go unconscious. Apparently we are old.
9) What are you listening to right now? The hum of the laptop. And Our St. Bernard cleaning himself. Yum.
10) Have you ever started an uncontrollable fire? Not UNcontrollable...
11) Ever run out of gas on the road? Nope. I have a Saturn.
12) Would you rather cut the grass or rake the leaves? Rake leaves. And then JUMP in 'em!
13) Your name spelled backwards? Nire yrruMcM. Gah.
14) What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? A driver for my zip drive.
15) Last time you swam in a pool? Pool whorin' at Jim's place-not nearly enough this year.
16) Have you ever been in a school play? Yep.
17) How many kids do you want? 1 when I'm between 30 and 33.
18) Type of music you dislike most? Screaming metal. Metal metal is OK.
19) You registered to vote? Yep.
20) You have cable? Yep, but Jim doesn't and I like it better that way.
21) Ever prank call anybody? In elementary school. And when I worked at Carpenter's Son-but just co-workers.
22) Best friends? Best insinuates 'one'. Best female friend? Allison. Best male friend? Jim, of course. But I have many dear friends that are very close to my heart. And I cherish them all :)
23) Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? I kind of want to sky dive. But not die trying.
24) Do you have a garden? I consider various parts of Jim's yard mine.
25) What’s your favorite comic strip? Garfield. But I really appreciate Dilbert.
26) Shower in the morning or at night? Depends.
27) Best movie you’ve seen in the past two weeks? Office Space-not new, but definately the best I've seen in the past two weeks.
28) Favorite pizza toppings? Cheese and green pepper.
29) Chips or popcorn? Chips. Popcorn gets stuck in my teeth and gums. Ouch.
[What happened to question 30?]
31) Have you ever smoked peanut shells? Nope.
32) Orange Juice or apple? Both.
33) Favorite type of chocolate bar? Coffee Crisp. It's Canadian.
34) Last time you voted at the polls? Last presidential election.
35) Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? Ew.
36) Are you a good cook? When I actually cook, yes.
37) Ever order anything from an infomercial? Darren's Dance Grooves. And Pilates.
38) Sprite or 7-up? Sprite. 7-up makes me feel sick-maybe because my mom always gave it to me when I had the flu.
39) Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? Oh yeah.
40) Ever thrown up in public? Does puking out of a Jeep Grand Cherokee going 70 m.p.h. while passing a semi in a rainstorm count?
41) Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love? I've already found my true love, so I think the next logical step is the millionare thing.
42) Do you believe in love at first sight? I believe in connection-at-first-sight.
43) Can ex's be friends? Yes, but I also beieve that can affect future relationships. Trust me on this one.
44) Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? My daddy. He's better now :)
45) Did you have a lot of hair as a baby? No, I was pretty bald and/or thin-haired until Kindergarten. Even past that.
46) What message is on your answering machine? My voicemail says, "Hey, this is Erin. Leave me a message." Creative, huh?
47) What do you think about most? Family...friends...my relationships with them and God...oh, and sex.
48) Favorite form of travel? Road tripping! Woot!
49) Ever drink rotten milk? At Allison's mom's house once. Ask her about it.
50) What do you think of the person who posted this ahead of you? Todd Bader is a genuinely sweet guy. He's going to be an amazing husband and father some day. But the girl has to pass my approval first. I am protective of Death Bath.

Ok, on to my list of stuff to do today...*sigh*

Stuff
Welcome back to the world of blogging, Canadan...er...actually, it's Floridan now, huh?

So...uh...Jim and I have been together for one year today. That may not mean a whole lot to anyone else, but to me it's very special. This is the first time I've ever had an anniversary.

I hope there are many, many more...

:)

Have you ever just had an incredibly amazing evening?
I have.

Crater face
So yesterday I went to Indy to visit Allison. It was a very good trip, and I actually purchased some serious facial stuff. Here's the deal. I have bad skin. I am not exactly sure when this happened, but I think it was somewhere between college and now. I used to be able to go without makeup and look just fine. Now I have so many acne scars on my cheeks that I frighten little children. And I think Jim sometimes. At any rate, I have to do something, and at this point, microderm abrasion and chemical peels are a little out of my financial reach. So yesterday, I bought some Mederma. For what it cost, it better dang well work. I have to apply it three times a day for 3-6 months. Quite the commitment. I figure once in the morning after my shower and once at night before bed. I'm still trying to figure out how to slip it under my make-up in the middle of the day. We also went to the MAC store (the make-up, not the computers) where I invested in some professional stuff to cover my scars in the meantime.

My face will be better soon. I hope.

That is all for now. Buhbye.

Wtehf
I have some sort of weird coughing thing going on. It's not as bad as the weird rash I developed the other night. That I killed with two Benadryl and 14 hours sleep. But that's another story.

I'm leaving for England and Germany one week from tomorrow. Just so ya know.

Today, I am off to Indy to spend a nice chunk of the day with Allison. Woot.

It's still Tuesday...
...for a little less than an hour. Good. This day has only had a few bright spots. The rest was generally pissy.

Lessons learned.
I've began to discover something about life as a woman. Most women (but certainly not all) at some point or another in their lives idealize the idea of being "rescued" from something-be it their unfortunate circumstances, hardship, etc. We probably get this idea from the many fairy tales and Disney movies we watch as kids. And while 'happily ever after' makes a great movie ending, I'm discovering that the reality of life as a woman isn't quite as simple as Snow White. Sometimes we're put in situations, be it by God or our own decisions, that carry stresses and challenges that come with them. And the hard fact is that we have to help ourselves. We can't depend on anyone but ourselves. And I've come to accept that. I will rescue myself. With God's help. From my debt. From my stresses. From anything and everything that seeks to make me dependent on anything but God. End of rant.

Speaking of hardship...
10/4/05 RTQ: If you had to evacuate your home, like those in New Orleans, what is the first thing you'd grab to take with you?