2000-10-24

feeling kinda

two entries in one day - whoo hoo! boy, am i prolific! mostly, there were a bunch of things i felt like writing about, and none of them were my cat, but i felt i owed white cat his very own entry after grey cat got her very own. they would love you if you gave them pets and treats.

ad heard on the radio recently (loosely transcripted, except for the odd part):

Announcer: So go to your local Shaw's and buy two ell bees of Land o' Lakes cheese, and mail the proofs of purchase...

please tell me it was a joke, people. if the joke doesn't translate well in writing, try reading it out loud. i can't believe anyone would mean that seriously.

my gold tree in the yard is naked now. it looks kind of sad. all the other trees are turning lovely russet hues, and then they'll be naked too. i think i figured out part of why i always feel a little depressed this time of year. i've been sitting outside a lot today, ostensibly to smoke, but also to soak up the sun. it's mild and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. and then it clicked - it's the light. winter light is thin and brittle, spring light is soft and hopeful, summer light is lazy and golden - and fall light always makes me feel like i'm running out of time. the sun looks like it's a few hours ahead of you, as if it were already the middle of the afternoon when you first leave the house. there are never enough hours in the day to start with, and this just makes me feel like i'm running seriously behind.

i just saw a squirrel running around, trying to find the best place to bury his nut (singular, thank you very much), and i had this sudden flash of eddie. 'did i leave the gas on? no! i'm a fuckin' squirrel!'

Court Update: my sister morton salt girl goes back in tomorrow, to see if the MegaBitch will actually show up this time. since she's flaunting arrest this time for contempt of court, i'm guessing she'll show. should be interesting. and wenchorama, as i expected, chose a jury trial. trial date is set for December 6^th, and i'll be supoenaed to testify. it's less traumatic than the last round, because i'd steeled myself to assume that she'd make it difficult. last time i was really hoping for it all to be over.

you know, i have no idea how to spell supoenaed? and i can't find it in any of my huge dictionaries. how sad is that? well, that Ivy League education is being put to good use. i had to stop dating someone once because he looked confused when i mentioned Ivy League, and when i asked him if he knew what it meant, he said (and i quote) 'well, it has something to do with you being vegetarian, right?' that was pretty much the end of him.

so my best friend and i went looking for halloween costumes last night. yes, we were supposed to go to the gym. no, we didn't go. yes, we're slackers. so sue me. we drove out to Watertown to go to The Big Party... which apparently has gone out of business. this made me grouchy, particularly because i had thought about calling to check the hours and decided not to. at least the Arsenio Mall was across the street. it's really the Arsenal Mall, but it got nicknamed somewhere along the line. there are usually one or two seasonal stores set up in there; sure enough, Halloween Scream had two rooms full of costumes. some were pretty pricey, but most were reasonable. and there was a good selection of adult costumes, which was a pleasant suprise. lots of accessories, wigs, sparkly stuff, pirate swords - and one outfit that cracked me up - a foam milk carton hat, with a hole in one side for your face, and a big 'Missing' title splattered across it. there were also some nifty vinyl 'adult' costumes they had tucked behind the counter. if i weren't feeling so poochy, i might have gotten the slinky goth dress.

as it was, i got very hot and cranky being smushed in a small store with 57 other people trying to find the perfect costume, so i dragged ChicaBeanie out of there and we eventually made our getaway. i ended up getting a victorian vampiress costume, which looks a little like this, except it's black with a red inset, and gold trim, and i think i'll forgo the vampire cape and the goofy princess veil, and go right for the gold tiara. it's got sexy potential, people. hopefully my date will think so. i asked if he'd go as my prince charming, but he already had other ideas. get this: we just saw Mystery Men, which has inspired him to go as Duct Tape Man. 'hey, i can still defend your honor! and in a low-cost, efficient way!' (sighing and grinning)

i was so fried from overheating and coping with crowds that i got nothing done last night. nothing at all. so ChicaBeanie and her girlfriend are headed off to find their own costumes tonight without me, and i'm headed home to do some shopping, some cooking, and some cleaning. my sweetie is coming over for dinner tomorrow night, and i'd rather my home didn't look like a tornado or several frantic cats just tore thru it. i can also make most of the dinner stuff tonight, and leave just a few last minute things for tomorrow. it's nicer that way, 'cuz we can hang out and catch up, instead of me being wrapped up in cooking and him just sitting around watching my back while he keeps me company. wish me luck - i'm a decent cook, but this cooking meat thing is all new to me. oh, yeah - here's the menu:

Asian-style Beef Fillets
Sweet Potato Cakes with Cranberry Relish
Spinach with Almonds and Garlic
Crostata della Nonna (Grandmother's Tart)

the beef is the only thing making me nervous. i was vegetarian for a long time, so veggies don't scare me. but raw chicken? eeeewwww. i did make swedish meatball last week; those came out pretty well.

we may have found another connection to Maisie, who owns the round house we want. i have no idea what her real name is yet, but Maisie seems like a good name for an 89 year old lady, doesn't it?

yesterday tomorrow