Sit and Listen to the Rain

Deac and me, sitting in my office, drinking coffee and reading/working, respectively.  Rupert happily snoozing in between us.  Blues Traveler barely offsetting the rain in the background.  If I were reading (for fun) too, instead of writing about Program Compliance, it would be the perfect morning...

Random's Manifest - Thursday Thoughts

Lifestyles of the Terribly Influential 

So, I just came from an awards banquet for my fabulous city.  I know some cool and important people!  Makes me feel cool and important!  A philanthropic family was honored tonight.  They've given MANY millions of dollars to many organizations, projects, and people.  Pretty crazy.  I hope I can be like that one day.    Right now, it's a challenge for me to give a hundred dollars, much less 15 mill!  I got to sit at the table with a bunch of partners from my firm.  I was the lowest man on the totem pole by a landslide.  Intimidating?  A little.  But a great opportunity nonetheless.  I almost bailed because I am frickin exhausted, but I didn't, and I'm glad.  Very neat experience.

My Cat is Allergic to Me

The itchy kitty went to his "Mimi's" (grandmother's) house for about 3 weeks while I worked and went on excursions with Deac.  While there, his itching stopped.  The SECOND he got home, he's chewing himself to bits again.  Unfortunately, I think he's allergic to the carpet.  Or, more precisely, the GALLONS of cleaning agents that were dumped in the carpet to remove the former owner's pet stains.  So, now I have to come up with $3K to replace the carpet.  God, the things I do for this animal. 

Car Shopping

I'm not sure if I've ever told you guys about my favorite pastime of calling the cable company and threatening to close my account unless they give me a fat discount.  It's something I do periodically to exercise my negotiating muscles, save some cash, and release my inner bitch.  Well, I've decided to change targets for a little while and hound car dealers.  I have a 2002 Camry and I love my car.  But, I'd like a new one.  I was going to wait until next year, but with the recent safety recall debacle, it's a Toyota buyer's market.  Always one to capitalize on a great opportunity, I decided to look around to see what's out there.  However, I refuse to pay more than $300/month for a car.  Think I can do it with no down payment except my trade in?  (Which has 113K miles.)  I'm gonna bet I can.  It's my new game.  I test drive a couple tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it goes... 

I'm Stopping Now

Because this is by far the worst Random Thoughts Thursday I've ever written.  I'm tired.  My brain hurts.  It has no original thoughts left.  Bed.  More tomorrow.  And I promise to be witty and entertaining.  

In the meantime, watch someone who actually is witty and entertaining: 

Random's Manifest - Thursday Thoughts

It's Random Thoughts Thursday!  My favorite blogging day of the week!  Hooray!  I just finished constructing the most convoluted deal structure diagram in history, so I'm rewarding myself with some lunch-break blogging.  Enjoy! 

WARNING: Topics discussed below will likely have no cohesive theme or, for that matter, make much sense at all.  Read at your own risk.

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Rachael Flatt 

I know her performance didn't touch Kim Yu-Na's (South Korea), who broke all world records with her nearly flawless short program on Tuesday night, but I can't get over Rachael Flatt (USA).  I mean, really.  Watch her SHORT PROGRAM and tell me she isn't absolutely adorable.  This could likely be the first year since 1968 that an American lady hasn't graced the podium in women's figure skating, but it won't be for lack of enthusiasm or theatrics.  I know there were mistakes, but I really just enjoyed watching this kid skate.  And I'm excited to see her "go long" tonight.  Don't forget to tune in!  

The Itchy and Scratchy Show

Rupert has recovered from his bath, and is now shiny and soft.  But, he continues to both itch and scratch.  He learned how to take off his shirt, and he ripped holes in the E-collar, so we're back to just letting him run free and scratch himself to his heart's content.  He sees a dermatologist on Monday.  Seriously.  A dermatologist. For a CAT.  I can't even afford to go to the dermatologist for myself!  But, I'm going to drop a cool $400 on the Rupster.  I've lost my mind.  And he's insanely spoiled. 

Tax Season Hours

Have I mentioned that I loathe mandatory overtime?  

Finally, Mr. Fed-Ex!  

My eShakti.com dresses arrived, and I am DELIGHTED to say that they are absolutely precious. :)  I ended up liking the second one I ordered even more than the one I discussed a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd show you guys a picture (I'd model it, but I am waaaaaay too pasty to show my legs to anyone right now).  Unfortunately, they are apparently sold out of it now, and no longer have a picture available.  Thank goodness I ordered it before it was too late!  Once spring rolls around, and I can get some sun, I may post a shot of it for you.  I know you'll all be on the edges of your seats in anticipation...

Hilary Duff's Rock

So, if you follow Hollywood at all, you know Hilary Duff's (you might remember her as Lizzie McGuire) hockey-player boyfriend proposed recently, and presented the former Tween Queen with a MILLION DOLLAR rock.  It's just a little obscene, to say the least.  My mom made a good point - where in the world can she actually wear this thing?  I mean, the paparazzi has (or is it have?  Is paparazzi plural?) caught her in a few different locales sporting the skating rink, but wouldn't you be terrified to cart a cool mil around on your hand?  And she's just a little thing.  I seriously doubt she could beat off a mugger, unless it was a 9-year-old...

  

Further, I think it's a little distasteful to be spending that kind of money on something as frivolous as a ring.  I love jewelry - A LOT - don't get me wrong. But, we have people starving all over the world, Haiti is in ruins, and our economy is in the toilet (don't get me started on federal spending...).  Couldn't they do something better with that money that spend it on a fatal hold-up waiting to happen?  Did he also spend a mil on the bodyguards that will invariably have to escort Miss Duff everywhere she goes from now on?  If nothing else, he could've at least sent me $130K of it so I could pay off my student loans.  Hmph... 

Abercrombie Hotties & Notties

Abercrombie & Fitch is being sued - again - for discriminating against applicants.  Apparently, the company would not hire a Muslim girl because she chose to wear a hijab, and that contradicted the "image" that Abercrombie is trying to portray through it's cookie-cutter, "beautiful people" employees.  Other discriminatory acts - forcing a guy with a prosthetic arm to work in the back so customers wouldn't see him, and advising against hiring any form of minority.  

I think Abercrombie's behavior is utterly atrocious, but the Jezebel article on the lawsuit kind of gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling.  See, I worked for Abercrombie when I was in college.  So, if Abercrombie really will only hire beautiful people, somebody out there must think I'm a hottie.  Or, at least cute enough to fold six billion sweaters and endure unnaturally loud music for hours on end during the Christmas rush.  Yay me!

My Life As Liz

If you're not watching this hilarious MTV series, you should be.  And if you are, please answer this for me: Is this a reality show?  Or a sitcom?  Or a reality/sitcom hybrid?  There's a lot of confusion out there regarding the existence of Liz Lee, Sully, Taylor, Cori Cooper, and the whole gang.  I want to know if I could actually find these kids if I elected to venture out into Middle of Nowhere, Texas...

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Alright.  It's back to work for this girl, because that's what I do (sort of).  Here's a video for your enjoyment, because I just can't get enough of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.  Until next time! 

(NOTE: Photos above were stolen from NBC Sports and E! Online, respectively.)

Manic Monday

MANIC being the operative word. Today has been one of those crazy days.  Study break's over and it was back to work.  Sort of.  Suffice it to say, it was difficult to get back into the swing of things.  In large part because of the emotional roller-coaster I found myself on this morning, and of which I couldn't seem to get off.  


I think it started last night when I cried at Keeping Up with the Kardashians.  Yes, I know.  (In my defense, Kourtney DID give birth to Mason Dash on last night's episode.  Weddings and babies are always an excuse for tears.)  But, that emotional irrationality seemed to run beyond trashy TV and trickle into today.  Maybe it's hormones.  Maybe it's the fact that today would've been my first anniversary with The Ex.  Maybe it's the fact that I haven't slept well in a week or that I probably failed the CPA exam AGAIN.  Who knows.  It's probably a little of all of that.  To top it all off, I gave Rupert a bath last night (see Thursday's edition of Random's Manifest for details on our skin dilemma), and he hasn't come out from under the bed since.  I'm quite worried at this point... 


But, alas, we all have these days.  They're the days that set back our attempts at optimism and self-growth.  They're the days that make us wish we'd stayed in bed.  And they're the days when we head home to watch Secret Life of the American Teenager (crap - did I actually admit that in a public forum?), because utter and complete stupidity and absurdity is the only cure for emotional unrest.  Chocolate also helps.  And, getting to bed at a decent hour.  I'm thinking 10:00 sounds like a good bedtime for me tonight.  That way I can see Make It or Break It, too... 


As craptabulous as these days may be, I take comfort in the fact that I always seem to get through them.  Always.  They've never killed me - not even close.  They're just bad days.  And they only have as much power over me as I give them.  I also take comfort in the fact that I am only human.  I'm allowed to have bad days, sad days, mad days, or even rad days (yeah, took the rhyming too far, I know).  In the end, they're all just days.  One of the roughly 29,000 that I'm likely to live through.  So, after a good cry, some chocolate, some reallllllly bad TV, and a decent night's sleep, I'm taking my power back from today.  And remembering that tomorrow's another, brand new, super duper, extra fantastic, rocking rad day.  

(But I will take any suggestions you may have on how to get my cat out from under the bed...)     

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Post script: 


Rupert came out from under the bed.  :)  I think he even went downstairs to have a snack.  Whew.  


Also - Can I just say how much I LOVE Hallmark's new line of cards for cheering on your kids??  Moms and Dads out there - go to Hallmark and get a FREE card for your little guys and gals.  I mean, they're free!  I would've absolutely loved to have gotten a card like these from my mom on tough days when I was a kid (hell, let's be honest - I would've loved to have gotten one today!).  What a nice, neat, simple, and FREE thing to do for your little munchkins.  Yay Hallmark!  Salute to you!!

And last - Jen Lancaster IS about to publish a new book!  SOOOO excited!  My Fair Lazy  I already know it's going to be perfect. Woo hoo!!!!!  


What a difference an hour makes.

Random's Manifest - Thursday Thoughts

I like being random from time to time, so I've decided Thursdays are now themed!  Every Thursday I will present my random musings.  


WARNING: Topics discussed below will likely have no cohesive theme or, for that matter, make much sense at all.  Read at your own risk. 


Where the HECK are my pens?? 


I have kind of a sick obsession with pens.  I love them.  Seriously.  One of my favorite things to buy are cool pens.  Fountain pens, gel pens, marker pens, ball-point pens.  You name it.  I am particularly fond of the Dr. Grip-type pens, with the big, ergonomically designed grips.  I like these pens for times like this, when I'm studying like crazy and writing a novel's worth of notes.  I have a whole slew of Dr. Grips, but I can't find a single one!  I did just move in December, so chances are they ended up somewhere totally random, but how did they ALL make it there together??  I am just hoping against hope that they didn't make it into the Rescue Mission donation bin.  That's a LOT of money's worth of pens they got if they did... 

Post Script: Thanks to Patty for sharing this gem in her comment below!  SO funny - I had to include it here!

The Itchy Kitty 


The whole Fam-Damily is sick around here.  My sister and nephew have the Swine, and my dad is probably catching it, too.  I've had a migraine forever (see prior post on my laziness and unwillingness to do the one thing that would remedy this - exercise).  Even the pets are sick!  Poor little Stinky Dog (aka Snoopy) is all but crippled with arthritis in this cold weather, and the Rupster is COVERED in hot spots from his terrible allergies.  "That's not funny", you're thinking.  But, you'd be wrong. 


Treating this cat is a trip.  He is unbelievable.  For those of you who know us, you know that poor Rupie had a bit of a brush with death about this same time last year.  He went in for vaccines and got a cortisone shot for the same allergies from which he's currently suffering.  This was standard procedure for Rupert, but this time, the cortisone put him into heart failure, and the Lasiks for the heart failure put him into kidney failure.  He wasn't supposed to survive.  (You're wondering when I'm going to get to the funny part.  Well, hold on - we're almost there.)  They told me, at best, he'd likely have a few months or so.  Well, that would not do!  $5,000, endless prayers, and an ocean of tears later, Rupert was fine. Yep!  MIRACULOUS recovery.  They even call him the Miracle Kitty at the vet.  His heart righted itself and is operating within normal ranges (I know nothing about the heart, so I can't tell you what this means - only that it's good), and his kidney levels are normal as well.  It's been a year, and he's great!  Except for the itching...


Rupert picked up some interesting habits during his stint in the ER.  They make it damn near impossible to treat him for anything, and include: 

 
1. Pills - When Rupert sees me open a bottle of pills (he knows when it's for him, versus when it's for me.  It's amazing how he can just tell...), he starts foaming at the mouth.  Like, Rabid Dog foaming.  Drooling buckets. Gallons.  It's gross, but highly effective.  Even if I can get past the drool to shove the pill in his mouth, it dribbles right out!  It doesn't matter what I do, he is NOT going to swallow that pill.  If I am somehow able to catch him off-guard and get the pill in his mouth before his salivary glands go into overdrive, he will store the pill in his cheek like a chipmunk.  Thirty minutes later, while I'm happily watching Toddlers & Tiaras, he'll strut across the room, spit the pill out on the floor, and then saunter off.  He's incredible.
2. Liquid Medicine - Because of the pilling issue, we switched to liquid antihistamines.  I thought that would have to work.  He had to swallow if 5mm of bubblegum flavored Children's Benedryl was squirted down his throat, right?  I would be WRONG.  He again foams at the mouth, and then will induce vomiting, if the drooling isn't effective enough for his liking.  Now, I have Benedryl all over my carpet, sweatshirt,  bedspread, and chair, and I still have an itchy cat.
3. The Baby-T - The vet suggested that I make my cat wear a shirt to cover the itchy sores.  He wouldn't be able to chew/lick if his skin was covered.  Made sense, so I went to the dollar store and bought some baby onesies.  I was able to wrestle Rupert into the onesie, but once it was on him, he literally fell over onto the floor and wouldn't move.  He refuses to walk, and lies "straight-jacket style" wherever I happened to have clothed him.  I figured this would wear off, and he'd get over it.  I mean, the cat has to eat, right?  Well, apparently he doesn't.  His record is 36 hours in the same spot, refusing to move for food, water, or the litter box.  Clearly, the Baby-T approach isn't going to cut it.  
4. The Conehead - I hate "E-Collars" (short for Elizabethan - like Queen Elizabeth used to wear).  They are terrible.  You know what I'm talking about - they're also referred to as cones, halos, or whatever.  Rupert hates them, too.  A LOT.  He has a similar response to the E-Collar as he does to the Baby-T, except, add to the list of behaviors that he will only walk backwards while wearing one.  Amusing for me, miserable for him...
5. "Bitter Yuck" - Yep, there's a medicine named Bitter Yuck.  It's supposed to totally gross the cat out, so it won't chew.  I bought said "Yuck" at PetSmart the other day and promptly applied it to Rupert's wounded shoulder.  He looked at me warily, and proceeded to lick it right off.  Didn't even flinch.  I closed the bottle, taped the receipt to it, and will be returning it for a full refund. 

So, what ARE we going to do with the itchy kitty?  I was just going to deal with it, but it's gotten horrible.  Therefore, I chose the lesser of the aforementioned evils, which happens to be the E-Collar.  I guess, since his shoulders and arms are free, he's more willing to deal with it than the Baby-T.  So, he's a conehead now.  He hates me.  But at least he isn't chewing holes into his flesh anymore! 

(He's too ashamed to look at the camera.) 

Ice Cream Man

I've been home studying all week.  The Ice-Cream man is back.  Every day.  The other day, he made his rounds at 7:00 pm.  It was dark, and at that point, 27 degrees.  WTH?  

Blogger Woes

Inserting images into a post is tough.  I still can't get text wrap to work where I actually want the picture to go.  I wanted to insert that picture of Queen Elizabeth into the Rupert portion of the post, but it wouldn't let me put it under the E-Collar discussion.  Only at the beginning of the list of Rupie habits.  Grr... 

Another blogger woe - READERSHIP.  Please - recommend Musical Musings to your friends!  Follow me!  Read me every day!  I'm so fun!  And witty!  And cute! 

Waiting on Fed-Ex

I still haven't gotten my dresses from eShakti.com.  I'm hoping I don't end up disappointed with this company, because they have some GREAT stuff.  This new skirt, in particular, is on my wish list: 

C-ute!!!  If my dresses get here and fit, and don't arrive sometime next winter, I'll probably order it.  I don't know what's gotten into me with the shopping thing.  I act like I actually have money!  I think it's part of my desire to completely reinvent myself this year.  I would like to start fresh with a new wardrobe, to go with my new attitude.  Other things I'd like to do this year include: 

• Watch all 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (again)
• Read at least 3 books/month
• Pass the CPA exam and the Bar
• Join a book club
• Get in shape
• Meet my future husband

I'm thinking the first two are actually doable... 

Alright, well, that's it for today!  Back to learning about Stockholders' Equity and Capital Leases.  Don't be too jealous.  

Here's a random video to go with my random thoughts.  LOVE this song! (And the 80's mix I've been listening to that inspired it.)  As for the video, I have NO idea...

Cool for Cats

Why I love working from home:

Why it's sometimes hard to work from home:

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Section 7 (Hanging Around) - Polyphonic Spree

Well you like what you're given

A lot of us are standing in line

And you'll find that you're missing

What others thought you had all the time

And it's high but you're reaching

The trees are getting harder to climb

So you try to begin there

Cause life is such a wonderful slide

You're hanging around the day

You're filling yourself with blame

You're taking it all to a future sight

Hanging around today

God only knows what you're missing

Well you know where you're going

And knowing is a comfortable fight

And your wish is pretending to slightly move over the light

And you sigh at the rainbow

That's coming from the other side

It's a slide with a message

This trouble seems to give me some life

You're hanging around the day

You're filling yourself with blame

You're taking it all to a future sight

Hanging around today