Toby + Lexi = MAYHEM!!

I suppose I knew this. It's just been a while. You forget, you know. Over the course of a cat's life you accumulate so many good memories. And the fond memories of how cute they are in those first few months, I suppose, overshadow the memories of the crazy, ninja antics they pull. In other words...

LEXINGTON FREDSWORTH BRINLEY IS FREAKIN' INSANE!!!

I mean, you know how a cat gets with catnip? Well, she's worse than that. Without the catnip. All day. Everyday. When she runs out of gas she crashes, but those times are normally when everyone is out of the house but me.

And poor Toby, her 5-year old surrogate brother... well, I can't tell if he loves it or hates it. Sometimes I think that he feels like a little kitten again. And then sometimes I think that he feels like my sister - keeping up with an 11-month old with a bun in the oven.

I'm doing my best to convince Jooj to let her keep her claws. We've purchased some scratch boxes and a small cat condo. I've drawn up plans for another one to construct (those fuckers and EXPENSIVE!). I hope we can manage to keep her from tearing up anything.

On an oddly related note, the robin's nest right outside our kitchen window is one or two chicks lighter. I see one hopping around, flirting with the thought of flight. There are only two heads left in there. So one is either laying low or has already flown the coop.

Happy Birfday, Sis!

First thing's first - we're out of the hospital. Jooj was discharged yesterday afternoon after I bribed the staff with Reece's peanut butter cups and chocolate chip cookies. She's going to have more tests run and will probably schedule a time to have her gall bladder removed this summer. But for now, she's out of the hospital and feeling good. Yay!

We also celebrated my sister's birfday today. She turned 33. We all had a great lunch and then we came home and I crashed. I'm still catching up on sleep that I lost while in the hospital. And I need to catch up on weight I lost too (I lost 3.5 pounds while in there). I only ate when she ate and I only ate what she didn't eat. I guess nervous energy filled my belly in the absence of food.

Anyway, Jooj and I are about to watch the season premiere of Jon and Kate Plus Eight. I can't stand Kate and there have been plenty of rumors floating around. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

In the Hospital

I'm sitting in the hospital for a third day. Jooj was sent to the hospital on Friday after checking in with our doctor. She's had some tests run but nothing is telling us what we want to hear. We think that her gall bladder needs to be yanked but nobody has agreed with us yet. Even though I've spent as much time with Jooj as possible, my bad luck has prevented me from seeing a single doctor. So I spent the night with her last night and have asked Dad to take care of the pets (thanks Dad!).

Hopefully we'll know something conclusive today.

Beam my two thumbs up!

I have been blogging less recently and for that I apologize. I apologize to my loyal reader (you know who you are, Pat :) and I apologize to my future self who is clicking through reading these. I'm sorry, me, for not putting more details about my life these days. I'm busy working. The kids and Jooj are ending school. The Jeep died but just needed a new battery. The kitten is doing better and the pets are well. Our families are good. You are playing video games, being a good dad, being a good husband, fighting with the neighbor's kids, painting, staying up late, and generally enjoying life. So, future self (and Pat), from the past (now) to now (actually, the future), I say, "Don't sweat the details - things are going fine!"

And while I'm on the subject of my future self receiving messages from my past self (while avoiding any discussion whatsoever of time traveling paradoxes and the impossibility of time travel itself), let me take some time to say that I saw Star Trek yesterday with Jooj and it was...

A
W
E
S
O
M
E
!

I will not give anything away... well, other than the fact that you may have inferred that there is some sort of time traveling involved due to how I tied that last bit in. But regardless (or irregardless as Jooj and I joke... HOLY SHIT, Firefox doesn't flag irregardless as incorrectly spelled?!?! What is this world coming to?), it is an awesome movie and has totally reinvigorated my love for Star Trek.

I'll blog another review after I take Will and the boys. I can't wait!

It's been a while...

It's May 11th and I haven't blogged in weeks. What have I been up to?

Well, we have a new addition to the family - a blond kitten by the name of Lexington Fredsworth Brinley. Don't ask about the name. As odd as the name sounds, the decision-making process to get to it was far more interesting. Suffice to say, this name affords both nicknames of "Lexi" and "Freddie". She's adorable!

Derby was fun. Susu, Jooj's sister, threw quite a bash. I always like partying with that side of the family. And I think everyone had a great time. It got a little awkward there at the end though when Caroline's buddies started showing up, some hammered, and attempted to mingle with the adults. Ah, that brings back memories. And I'll never forget sharing whiskey shots with Pat out of GE champagne glasses (complete with the GE meatball insignia).

The Jeep died last week. I was going to be a tough guy and fix it right there in the parking lot but the battery cables were pretty much destroyed by acidic corrosion. I had to have it towed and have battery cables and the battery replaced. Shucks!

The yard has been landscaped by my buddy Matt and his company Branching Streams. They did a great job. Jooj is very happy with their work.

Will traded in his Gameboy SP, his DS Lite, Kelsey's DS Lite, and a dozen games and put it toward the purchase of the new Nintendo DSi. He also had twenty bucks in cash. The DSi was listed at $170. After everything was traded in we owed $25.02. So I was only out $5.02. Woohoo!

Mother's Day was fun. We had brunch with Pat and Carol, spent the day doing chores and relaxing, and then had dinner with my parents. My little niece Emma is literally just a matter of days away from walking :)

What else has been going on? Star Trek is out and I want to see it. I've been working on a story arc for City of Heroes titled "Orcs and Elves". I'm hoping to publish it in the next day or so. I'm pretty excited about that. I'm over my painting hiatus and am finishing up three pieces for a client. I tried a new recipe for something called Rockin' Moroccans. Oh, and the pepper seeds that we planted are starting to sprout. Yippee!