Monthly Archives: August 2014

These Are My Confessions: Sometimes I Have To Find The Happy

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These Are My Confessions may become a series wherein I admit things that I should probably not put on the internet. But you only live once so…

I tend to naturally be a very happy person. I’m told that sometimes it’s annoying how happy I seem.  My apparent ease with happiness has been viewed as a defining characteristic of who I am by family, friends, and foes since I was a little kid so it’s something that I have always defined myself by as well.  But growing up – *really* growing up – it’s harder and harder to maintain that constant cheer. I don’t always view the world through rose-colored glasses anymore. And when I do, it’s often because I remembered to put them on before leaving the apartment.

Sometimes happy takes work and sometimes I have to go looking for it.  Sometimes I have to find it.  This was a “find it” week.

This week has been a really rough news cycle. There is a lot of sad and bad and scary going on in the world right now and I’ve been a bit out of sorts myself over the last few days. I’ve been very emotions-on-the-surface and it doesn’t take much to make my eyes well up and for a lump to appear in my throat; overflowing emotions could be brought on in equal strength by watching a little kid lick an ice cream cone OR listening to reports of what is happening in Ferguson.  I’m a person who always feels big feelings. I’m grateful for that – I’d rather feel big than not at all and during marathons of Criminal Minds, it reassures me that I could never be a psychopath. But it can be unsettling and I try to look for the “why” when I find myself in this space.

Maybe it’s the antibiotic I’ve been taking to knock out an infection – I always have stronger reactions to medications than predicted.  Maybe it’s that I’ve been watching Six Feet Under for the first time and I’m absorbing some of the heavier topics tackled in the series.  Maybe it’s certain personal/family stuff.  Maybe I’m too much in my own head. Maybe it’s because over the last week and a half, I’ve spent more time in the apartment due to the foster kittens needing attention and then Fab needing attention (because they can’t get attention at the same time) and as important as all of that is, it often means that I’m by myself. Don’t get me wrong – I cherish alone time; just not a lot of alone time.  Luckily I had some wonderful friends stop by twice this week to help socialize the kittens (which is a real thing) but the invitations to help me with the cats are also extended to make sure I don’t go bonkers by being alone too much and it would be silly of me to not admit to that.

Or maybe I’m simply picking up on the distressing vibe the universe is putting out right now – because I do firmly believe that people can feel that shizz.

Honestly, it’s probably a combination of all of the above.

But because this week has been such a slog, I’ve been looking to find the good. Looking for the happy.  And there is nothing wrong with needing a little external stimulus to jump-start the balancing out of emotions.  So here it is…

A HAPPY LIST FOR A HARD WEEK

  1. The Wumpus – the Wumpus always makes me laugh; this is a ridiculous video and I always find new things to giggle about plus it makes me think of some of my favorite Meg(h)ans who introduced me to it years ago. When in doubt: WUMPUS.
  2. Fabian in snuggle mode – my mainkittenlady has been a snugglebutt lately which is rare and welcome … but also probably signifying that she is feeling insecure due to the itty kitbits… but SNUGGLES!
    Faba the snugglebutt

    The Elusive Snuggling Faba

  3. Gorgeous Gifs – these beautiful gifs created by the Smithsonian Library are so imaginative! I particularly like the elephant balloon.
  4. Sunshine, blue skies, and fresh air – self-explanatory
  5. Ron Swanson Dancing – you can’t be feeling anything but fantastic when watching this; you just can’t.
  6. Visits with friends – I got to hang out with four of my lovely lady friends after work this week plus I got the added bonus of a ladies-who-lunch-from-foodtrucks-date with another favorite friend; I am so lucky to be surrounded by such smart, passionate, talented, hilarious, and caring women. Truly. I am.
  7. Kanye makes it raaaaiiiiin with tots – my cousin did this today and I am so proud.
  8. Kittens doing the (modified) ALS challenge – I got nominated to do this after “liking” a piece that brings up some issues with viral awareness campaigns but also after an exchange with a friend about why it has been awesome for her family; so though I had mixed feelings, I decided that it couldn’t hurt and will be donating a little bit to a charity as well. My twist was to do it with the adoptable kittens. Officer Fuzz Nugget wasn’t having it but Reese cooperated enough and it’s pretty adorable:  
  9. Weekend plans – I’ve got some fun stuff on the docket for this weekend: a big event at the shelter; some BFry time; an overdue haircut; seeing my Fairy Godmother; and more kittens.
  10. 24 Hours of Happy – I adore this site; watching people let loose and dance to a happy song makes me smile – I don’t care how many times I’ve  heard this played on the radio, I will never get sick of this site.

So these are my confessions, my friends.  I’m not always so easy with the happy. And that’s OK because life does not always bring the happy.  But it doesn’t mean you stop looking.

Foster Furmonsters

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I’ve been slow to post this past week because I’ve been busy temporarily expanding my family of one human and one cat to one human and THREE cats!  Well… one cat and two teeny tiny itty bitties to be completely correct.

Meet Almond Joy and Reese (the shelter named their entire litter after candies). Or I as like to call them Officer Fuzz Nugget (The Fuzz) and Reese. Or Little Boy Cat and Little Girl Cat.

 

The Fuzz

Officer Fuzz Nugget conducting an investigation surrounding the untimely demise of a green mouse

 

Reese is a peanut-butter cup of sweetness and purrs.

Reese is a peanut-butter cup of sweetness and purrs.

I started volunteering for the Washington Humane Society back in May working primarily with dogs and in the adoptions office and it is one of the best things I could have jumped in to. My passion for this work is worth a separate post but – for now – suffice it to say that I’m hooked.

So after weekly visits at the shelter for 3 1/2 months – knowing it is a slippery slope – I decided to try being a foster fur-parent.  The main reasons were:

  1. The shelter has been overrun with cats needing fosters for a while now.
  2. I harass other people about fostering and figured that if I’m going to bug friends about doing it, I should try it myself – excuses be damned!
  3. I love Fabian but eventually I want to expand my menagerie so I figure this is a great way to test the waters and see if she’d be OK without any permanent commitments in place.
  4. The news cycle as of late has been depressing so… KITTENS!!

This is why last Wednesday night I brought home two 5 week old 1 lb-ers.

In 5 days we have had 1 visibly sick kitty; 1 emergency vet visit; 1 poop in the cat carrier; 1 vomit session; multiple scratches up and down my legs from kitten-climbing; 1 stinky bathroom (to last a month or more); 1 poop outside the litterbox; 1 planned encounter with Fabian; 2 jailbreak encounters with Fabian; 10 medicine feedings ( 5/kitten); and a lot of pouncing, purring, squeaking, fuzziness, shoulder-perching, pooping, playing, and general kitten-ness.  It’s a lot of work. Kittens are A LOT of work. And they also like to pretend to be boots…

KITTEN-BOOTS!

KITTEN-BOOTS!

…which is kind of painful. Painfully ADORABLE!

Fabs is not taking it so well.  When I got the kittens home the first night, I placed the carrier in the middle of my hallway – which is really just a tiny room where all the doors to other rooms are.  I was told to let my “resident cat” (foster terminology) smell them in this safe situation. The below is footage of this momentous meeting.

Clearly love at first smell/sight/hiss.

The kittens are super duper cute and I think fostering is VERY important; if you take one foster, it saves two lives – the life of the animal you are fostering and the life of the animal you provided space for at the shelter by taking another OUT of the shelter. So technically by taking two kittens, I’m helping to better four lives.  That being said, considering my 500 square foot circumstances and the kitten-realm that my bathroom has become in order to keep them isolated for health/safety reasons – I don’t know how often I’ll be able to do this.  Maybe once a year.  Maybe twice.  But probably no more than that.  Plus it is A LOT of shuffling to do things that are second nature. Like going in and out of my bathroom.

There is a whole new routine I have in the morning now:

  • Wake up
  • Good morning cuddles/scratches with Fab
  • Close Fab into the family room (she’s been heading in there on her own so far…this is good)
  • Get kitten meds from fridge
  • Mix kitten wet food and kitten dry food in tupperware; close up for use later
  • Open bathroom door
  • Get Reese from the kitchen where she has inevitably escaped to
  • Pick The Fuzz up at the open bathroom door where he is inevitably lingering
  • Close bathroom door
  • Look to see if poop in litterbox is healthy
  • Scruff kitten number 1 and give meds; some fighting ensues
  • Scruff kitten number 2 and give meds; some fighting ensues
  • Let kittens run around for a few minutes pouncing etc.
  • Pry kittens off of legs
  • Put kittens in carrier and place carrier in hallway
  • Move kitten food dishes, kitten toys, and kitten bed away from tub base and take step stool out of bathtub (placed there in case a kitten somehow got into the tub and needed help getting out)
  • Shower while contained kittens cry
  • Do as much primping/prepping for the day as possible as contained kittens cry
  • Put kitten food and fresh water in dishes and move everything in the Bathroom Kitten Suite back to kitten-ready positions as contained kittens cry
  • Put carrier back in bathroom and close bathroom door
  • Unleash the kittens
  • Supervise feeding for a few minutes making sure there are no fights and no one kitten gets all the food
  • Sneak out of bathroom while kittens are distracted by food
  • Continue getting ready until the bathroom is needed again
  • Sneak back into the bathroom hoping kittens are still distracted by food
  • Get Reese from the kitchen
  • Get The Fuzz from the bathroom entrance
  • Do make-up while kittens treat legs as trees; try to hold off on mascara until kittens are pouncing on one another away from legs
  • Pry kittens off legs
  • Get eye-makeup remover and re-do mascara (wash, rinse, repeat)
  • Take one last look around at bathroom and make sure all things that can be done are done
  • Pry kittens off legs
  • Close bathroom door
  • Open family room door
  • Let Fabs sniff/hiss at where the kittens have been; including hands
  • Give Fabs treats and pets if she wants them
  • Remember one last thing in the bathroom
  • Close Fabs in the family room
  • Open bathroom door
  • Get Reese from kitchen
  • Get The Fuzz from bathroom entrance
  • Close bathroom door
  • Brush teeth, grab earrings, get lipgloss, take rings off holder or whatever other thing I forgot to do previously
  • Throw tinsel ball into corner away from door and sneak out of bathroom
  • Close bathroom door
  • Open family room door
  • Say bye to Fabs
  • Leave while contained kittens cry

It’s kind of exhausting. And even going to the bathroom is a challenge.  Let me tell you, it is an interesting thing to be going about your business while a kitten scales you in attempt to sit on your lap or perch on your shoulder…

But it will be worth it when these two little balls of fluff and energy get to go to a forever home; I’m hoping they’ll get to go together because watching them play and cuddle is awesome and they clearly benefit from one another’s company…

 

Almond Joy (foreground) and Reese (background) first night in their Bathroom Suite at The Apartments of Eternal Christmas

Almond Joy (foreground) and Reese (background) first night in their Bathroom Suite at The Apartments of Eternal Christmas

 

…and I am convinced that Fabian turned into a semi-psychopath because she didn’t have a friend. So let my little demon feLion Fabian Raven be a warning to you all: if you get a kitten, you might as well get TWO kittens.  And if you are looking for two right now, I have some that would love a forever home with you!

The Kindness of Strangers

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I should have known that things were going to be “off” at the Apartments of Eternal Christmas this week as soon as I saw this:

Oh. No.

After 1 year and 9 months of solo living, I have done the thing I have been fearing most: I locked myself out of my apartment while going down to the laundry room.

You see, I am paranoid about always having my keys and my phone on me even if I’m just running downstairs for 2 seconds. I don’t ever leave my apartment unlocked and I always make sure keys are in hand before leaving. I guess I was a bit distracted due to preparations for kittens (more on this later) so I did not realize I was without my keys until I was 3 feet from my door – which was far enough away that when I turned around, I could not reach the door before it slammed.

No keys. No phone. Just dirty laundry, detergent, and quarters.

One of the things I like about my apartment building is that people are polite but private. I don’t know why but not really knowing my neighbors or feeling pressure to know my neighbors has been in the plus column. It’s the introverted-extrovert in me, I suppose. So I was less than pleased when I realized I was going to have to knock on doors of people I did not know for assistance. The universe was at least conspiring to be sure that I wasn’t in my usual laundry room state (read as: no bra, slippers, and acne cream) so that when I knocked on a stranger-neighbor’s door, I didn’t have to be ashamed of being locked out while awkwardly-yet-strategically crossing my arms in front of my chest to poorly hide the bra-less-ness.

I hear the TV on in the apartment directly under me, so I knocked on the door. The dog barked and I waited a moment but nobody came. So I knocked again.  And this is how I met Neighbor Paul – formerly known as the-guy-who-impressively-and-enthusiastically-washed-his-car-in-a-thunderstorm.

When I told him what happened, he gave me his phone in order to call our property manager.  But he didn’t have the number. However the universe ALSO conspired to have me locked out on a day when repair flyers had been distributed so our property manager’s number was everywhere.

Now not only did Paul give me his phone for that call but – because our landlord did not pick up – he insisted that I keep the phone for 30 minutes until I got a call back, told me to do my laundry, and said he’d find me later.  And not only did he find me later sitting on the front stoop waiting for The Unlocker to arrive, but when he found me, Paul brought me booze.

We chatted about the apartment building, the neighborhood and had started to scratch the surface of work when The Unlocker in the form of Edwin The Repair Man arrived and my new neighbor-friend and I parted ways.

BTW – Edwin is my favorite repair man and he gets called to do everything from repair leaky sinks to SCARE RACCOONS OUT OF PEOPLE’S APARTMENTS. For serious. He once got a call from folks on the first floor after a raccoon wandered in because they had left their un-screened window open. Very concerned, I asked him if he called animal control. He said “No. I just make LOUD noise.”  Edwin is also very sweet and super friendly so only after many repairs and conversations – and now one unlock – did he finally tell me that my demon-cat scratches repairmen when I am not around. He felt the need to stress that it only happens when I am not here.  I digress…

Anyway, I now sit in my apartment WITH my keys, a Straw-ber-rita, and with a new friend made; and I am once again impressed and touched by the kindness of strangers.

YES.

YES.

 

 

What’s for Dinner?

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It’s another Fauxdulthood Friday!!  And because I am a hobbit-human hybrid when it comes to meals, I’m hungry at 3pm – despite a recent burrito – and am thinking about dinner.  My wonderful friend CGriff has helped me narrow options down to four responsible and nutritious choices:

 

2 are also acceptable for breakfast...take a guess!

Two of these options are also acceptable for breakfast – can you guess which ones?

Have a lovely weekend my friends and Fauxdults!

 

Caitlin S. Griffin is a fellow Fauxdult who has been drawing in Paint for 20+ years. She didn’t tell me to say this but you should know that Caitlin has created award winning art that is available for purchase as the Everybody Dies Series through the National Theatre in London. CGriff also writes about smart-people things (like Shakespeare) on her blog Drown My Books.