Post Holiday Wrap Up

• Classes done
• Clinical done
• Wonderful trip home for Christmas with no flight delays!
• Cookies all turned out great this year, might have some new keepers for future years. The neighbors said they devoured them
• Kitties back from boarding, did well and got good report cards!
• Back to work today but it's dead here, thank god.

Weekend Recap

This weekend, I sort of picked out the cookies I'm going to make this year but the long list needs to become a shorter list. There are several variations on a theme that will be reduced to the best on the list (hopefully).

We also put out some Christmas lights on the porch and the shrubs. We always thought we had a ton of lights until we had something more to decorate than just a tree. For next year, we will need at least 4 more sets of lights but we're going to wait until everything is on clearance before we do that, especially since we aren't even here this year for Christmas. Next year, I would like to get some more of the red berry garland I got on clearance at Pottery Barn a few years ago. We have it going up some spindles on the top of the porch but it's a little sparse. I would also like to get some kind of green garland and bow for the little lamp we have outside near the driveway.

We also decided since we are not going to be here this year, we are going to skip the tree. I'm so burned out from life and the semester that it just seems like so much energy to go and pick out a tree in the cold. This also means that we would have to buy more lights and we briefly looked this weekend and things were really picked over or we couldn't find lights similar to what we already have. Our other concern is how Clete will be with the tree, he tries to eat everything so I'm pretty sure we have our answer. If we were hosting Christmas this year, we would certainly get one but the only people coming to our house before Christmas are S and A and the kids and I'm sure eldest E would love nothing more than to go after the ornaments on the tree. Doesn't seem worth it this year.

We also did our Christmas cards this weekend, just have to get the stamps so we can send them.

In upcoming holiday plans, we have a Christmas party this weekend at one of the band members house. He has a party every year where he airs National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, no one actually pays attention to it because we're all busy eating and drinking. He has a small one bedroom condo and crams about 40 people in there so it gets loud, so if anyone is actually interested in watching the movie they best do it on their own time.

The following weekend, S and A and the tiny ones are coming over to bake Christmas cookies. We have done it 3 out of the past 4 years and it's always a good time and I definitely eat my quota of cookie batter (even though I hear my mother scolding me like a little devil on my shoulder the whole time I'm doing it).

A few days after that we fly home! We're only there for a few days and most of those will contain holiday related goodness so I only have one night to hang out with J and meet her fiance! I'm really looking forward to seeing her, it's been quite awhile!

Sun Soaked Kitties

They've come along way....sharing the same sun soaked rug. This would not have flown a few months ago...

Old Cats Learning New Tricks

We know how the saying goes for dogs...but is it true of cats? We decided it was time to find out...

The scenario: Can 2 senior kitties have the will and aptitude to shimmy their portly bodies through a hole in a door to voyage to an underground lair containing their litter box? Perhaps, if there were a handsome reward.

Here are the pics of the event...

You'll notice how only one cat went through the door yet two are claiming treatitude...in our scenario, Clete is the old dog refusing to learn new tricks but we're slowly getting there..

This is What I'm Talking About

Clete's weekend in summary:

Got into treat drawer, he and his compatriot destroyed the bag and ate until their hearts desire.

Solution: Treats are now in plastic container with screw on lid.

Dragged my bathrobe from our bedroom into the living room

Solution: Hung it up in bathroom which is where it normally lives.

Got into treat drawer, was foiled by earlier solution.

Here's the evidence that he can open it....

Robot Mode

Sorry for the sporadic posting.

I've hit the point in the semester where I feel that I'm on autopilot and start counting the weeks until my life is my own again. I feel like I get up, go to work, get home, eat dinner, chill out for a minute, go to bed repeat.

Anyhoo, presented last night in class, my only one for the semester so I'm glad that's done. The next hurdle will be my instructor coming to see my in clinic, I'm not sure what she does when she's there...if she comes in to see patients with me or what.

Cat update: they're doing well. Not the best of friends quite yet, but they are playing with each other somewhat, but inevitably, one gets annoyed at the other and smacks him in the head and one walks away.

Trip planning: I am in the middle of looking up hotels in San Fran. I asked one of my friends who used to live there about the best places to stay in terms of neighborhoods. She steered me away from the super touristy areas and into either the Castro or Mission neighborhoods but I'm having problems finding a selection of hotels in those areas, and hence, reviews. And tripadvisor.com is my friend...Also, SF isn't the bulk of the trip so I will want to do more of the touristy things than exploring eccentric neighborhoods so I'm leaning towards staying in Union Square of the Financial District because it seems that's where most of the attractions are.

Real estate: M and I went to 6 open houses last week in a town about 20 miles from where we are now because it's the closest affordable town to our current jobs. Out of the 6, we liked one and luckily we both agreed. Not that we are even quasi serious at this point. We have too many things going on...the overall economic strife, me being in school, the housing market still tanking, still saving up for a nice downpayment. But at least we agree at this point what we are looking for and the price range we want to be in. Incidentally, two of the houses have an offer pending..one I saw online and one via a phone call I got from the real estate agent who is soliciting offers for the house based on the sign up sheet. He left me a message saying that he got an offer and just wanted to give everyone at the open house a fair shot...me thinks there either is nothing cooking with this property or they did get an offer and it was totally low ball.....needless to say we didn't call him back. It was one of our least favorite houses.

Busy busy busy

In short, until I can expand, the week in review:

Cats are integrated, no more hissing

Presentation due for class today

Open houses this past weekend

Sick this past weekend

Need to finish planning San Fran trip

Kitty Clete!

Our new kitty Clete has arrived today! Unfortunately, I was at work when he arrived but M was here to get the skip on his very interesting diet ( more about that later) and his other specifics. Apparently there was some growling from Clete's side of the door when Boigie would scratch looking for M, the same thing happened when I was home with Clete and Boigie at night.

I tried to spread my time evenly between the two because Clete is being confined to M's music room so that he's not overwhelmed with the new space AND with a large and in charge cat the likes of Boigie.

Clete is very friendly and social and was instantly purring and flopping over and letting me pet home. I was sitting on the floor and he was basically doing little lap circles around me on the floor. Interestingly, after I would leave Boigie didn't really smell me like I thought he would. I do believe that pretty much the entire night Boigie has faced M's room trying to bore holes through the door with his eyes from a variety of vantage points around the house, always with a rug underneath to cushion his bootie.

Tomorrow we hope to go to Phase II of Cat Integration....using....a pieced together Baby Gate from Clete's previous owner. The thought is that they can see each other now without actually touching each other to get all of the growling out of the way. This will make way for Phase III of Cat Integration...Mingling, Kitty Style.