goodnight, sweet kitten 30 May, 2008

binx was my kitten. at least, she was at first. a solid black cat with piercing green eyes, she was a gift to me from a friend for halloween 1996. i begged and pleaded with my parents to keep her, and they finally said yes…and then, two months later, i joined the army, leaving the tiny black kitten with my mom until i came home.

of course, by the time i got to come home in september 1997, binx had already adopted my mom as her own mom, and no amount of coaxing or bribery from me would change that. during weeks when my mom would go out on the road with my trucker dad, binx would accept me as a substitute, but made it plain that i was inferior by sitting by my mom’s bedroom door every night and waiting patiently for her to come to bed. when i moved out and went to college, and again when i moved to raleigh, mom asked if i wanted to take binx with me. i knew better. i could no more separate binx from mom than i could separate her from her own tail.

binx was the gentlest, most affectionate cat, allowing both of my young nephews to tug her tail or pat her a little too enthusiastically without ever hissing, biting, scratching or slapping (although she would begin to whine when she’d had enough, a sign to my mom to try to divert the boys’ attentions elsewhere). she also tolerated the yipping barks and clumsy attacks of mom’s tiny dog holly, for the most part…there were a few times when holly was sent wimpering away with a fresh scratch on her nose…). she was so laid back, and truly understood the important things in life, like naps in the sun and not settling for food that wasn’t delicious. in fact, the only living creature she ever showed a marked dislike towards, apart from the occasional unlucky rodent, was heffer, when mom would take care of her before she moved in with us.

binx passed away about an hour ago. my parents aren’t sure why, but the guess is that she simply lived her life until it ran out. my mom couldn’t call me…she had to get my sister to do it. and i can’t bring myself to call my mom, not tonight. maybe tomorrow.

i love you, binx. you will be missed more than i can express.

i’ll let the fan(s?) speak for themselves 28 May, 2008

i just got an email from a coworker friend of mine. a forwarded email, actually, that went something like this:

number five 27 May, 2008

in the queue i am.

this book might, during the course of reading, melt my face right off my skull. it could very well burn my biscuits, curdle my milk, or roast my cockles (well, maybe not that last one).

it could, indeed, make me so angry, so frustrated, so absolutely awash in despair, that it will take weeks – nay, months – for my eyes to uncross and my fists (among other things) to unclench.

as a result of reading this book, it might happen that i beat my head against the wall so much that i give myself a concussion.

or, i could just curl up and weep.

and yet, it is now on my list of requests at the library. i have to read this book. i have to hear this man, who raised my ire and provoked varied and countless curse words, both uttered and shrieked, say what i and so many others were trying to tell people four years ago.

and i fucking hate that we were right.

yaay new music! 23 May, 2008

my friend david’s gonna make me a mix cd of some neo-folk music. that’s his site there (my sweetie did the buttons up at the top!)…feel free to browse around and be amazed at david’s astounding knowledge of the dark electronic genre.

and show some respect, or he will stomp you with his ginormous stomping boots.

fitting 23 May, 2008

i have gained approximately 20 pounds since our wedding.

INFP, yo 21 May, 2008

Your personality type:

Quiet, reflective and idealistic. Interested in serving humanity. Well-developed value system, which they strive to live in accordance with. Extremely loyal. Adaptable and laid-back unless a strongly-held value is threatened. Usually talented writers. Mentally quick and able to see possibilities. Interested in understanding and helping people.

Careers that could fit you includes:

Writers, artists, counselors, social workers, English teachers, fine arts teachers, child care workers, clergy, missionaries, psychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, political activists, editors, education consultants, journalists, religious educators, social scientists.

fantabulous graphical magic of awesome to be found here!

but she’s so fabulous 16 May, 2008

i’m sitting here, working on a rewrite of the puppet show script i’d written, adding in suggestions made by a toddler-mom friend and a children’s-librarian friend (both of whom suggested more audience interaction, but that’s another story and precisely why i turned to them). the puppet show is going to be “the princess and the pea,” and the queen mother is kind of a bossy person who keeps interrupting the story and arguing with the king and prince. so, as part of an attempt to increase audience interaction, i’m having the narrator ask the kids to help in shushing her.

and the first thing that pops into my head is, “kids, what do we say to loudmouth queens who keep interrupting?”

and part of me reeeeally wants to use that. but part of me wonders at how many parents might get offended.

lol loudmouth queens.

so close 16 May, 2008

and yet so far.

at this moment, it really sucks to be living in the triangle instead of in the mountains. check it out…october 29 in atlanta. atlanta! the city that used to be just a couple hours down the road is now a 7-hour journey requiring an overnight hotel stay (and possible guilt-induced trip northward to visit my parents, which could entail an additional night’s stay at their house). and did i mention that october 29 is a wednesday night? thanks for that, guys…right smack dab in the middle of the week. with any luck, i’ll be an assistant children’s librarian by october 29, with a lot more responsibility and not nearly the slack-ass schedule (although, to my credit, i’ve picked up more hours at work lately, and preparations for the encroaching puppet show have taken up a lot of time…).

oh yeah, and our anniversary is 2 and a half weeks before the concert. if things work out and i do get the better job, i won’t have enough vacation time saved for both anniversary-vacationiness and boy-(man?)-band lovin. ben’s already expressed his “pretty high into hell no” level of disinterest in going to see the concert, so asking him to combine the love is pretty much out of the question.

i really, really want to go. but it would appear that i am fated to never, ever get to see the new kids rock it like it’s 1989.

random thought 15 May, 2008

i’m glad wide pant legs are in style. i mean, it’s not elephant bells or stovepipes, but it seems like trouser legs are a little roomier than they have been in the last decade or so. not that i’m a slave to fashion, mind you. i haven’t made that mistake since owning a pair of jeans in the late 80s (or was it early 90s…?) that were so narrow at the ankle, i almost needed a shoehorn to get my big heels through.

it’s just nice when my style and that of the world at large intersect.

until i get sick of everyone dressing like me.

ur a cuecat 13 May, 2008

i bought a cuecat! it’s a nifty scanner thingie that i can use to scan all the books in our collection into our online library at librarything. i’m stoked!

granted, if you go there tonight, there won’t be any books there. and i can’t promise there’ll be too many more tomorrow…scanning book barcodes is, after all, something i do for a (part-time) living, so continuing the scanning at home is gonna take a while to catch on. but it’s cool, baby! keep checking back, maybe start a librarything of your own and dare to compare.