Packin' Er Up

I can't leave out of town on a long holiday weekend without more cheerful post. So here it is!

So long, Gary Coleman. Now you and Sophie have something in common: a 2010 death.

Wait!... Er, it seems I didn't follow my lead on "more cheerful." Let me try again. Ahem.

I leave for San Juan in 7.5 hours. Hooray!!

I'm still not packed or quite ready to go. Boo!!!

I'm cranky as a result of being ill-prepared this late in the game. But! We bought another new car! That waylaid my plans of getting-ready. We traded in the old Lexus for a brand-spanking new model. We had no intention of doing that whatsoever, but then they let us take one home overnight and their diabolical plan worked. So now Kenny's leasing a brand new one for a couple of years and I can drive it in the winter after one slide of the convertible. The new car has remote start, which is groovy. And a lot of other neato gizmos, too. We're officially irresponsible, we have cars that are far nicer than our house. Ah well. Ya only live once. Just ask Gary Coleman.

Stanley (the cat, not the grandpa or the neighbor) gave us a fright this week. He did the same head twitch nausea move that Caesar did when it turned out to be cancer. We were really freaked out Wednesday morning. But he seems to have shaken it off and is eating fine, so we think that it was a fluke, plus the fact that I denied cancer to The Universe and refused to accept it so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

I really have a lot of Things I have to do so I am heading off to do those Things. Have a Proud To Be An American kinda Memorial Weekend. See ya in June. Unless I post from Aruba, which could happen. Be on the lookout just in case. It could get exciting here!

The End.

Last Friday we buried my grandmother on a little hilltop in a country cemetary. Wildflowers grew aside the winding road that led to The Gates of Heaven. It's small with one circular drive that leads both in and out. We passed by the names that echoched from the stories of my childhood, the stories told over and over at the kitchen table.

I cried.

Then we came to my grandmother's spot, next to my grandfather who died in 1973. A small hole had been dug, waiting for her remains. Seven of us were in attendance, not counting the priest, who never knew my grandmother, but nonetheless.

Ninety-two years and you get seven people to show up.

Windchimes were hung in a tree down the hill from my grandparent's patch of earth. Depending upon the way the wind blew, we could hear them tinkling.

I walked around the cemetary, impressed that such a small family place in an unwealthy community housed such elaborate stones. Etchings of family homes and photos of loved ones adorned the plots.

I wept during the five minute ceremony. Not just a few tears. Heartwrenching Weeping. I wept four months worth of sorrow that has been swallowing me up since she died, and I've been too angry to cry about until now.

At first I tried to stifle my sobs, worried about what my aunt and uncle would think, four months after her death.

Then I just didn't care what anyone thought at all, I wasn't there for anyone else except myself.

After a few words and prayers the priest put the cremains in the ground and someone handed Kenny a shovel and he tamped her down into the earth.

While my aunt and uncle tried to discourage us from making a three hour drive for a five minute ceremony, it was the most important trip I've had to make in a very long time.

We drove away, leaving my grandmother back where she belongs, where she came from. Home.

It Takes A Village

You may recall that there's a black neighborhood cat that I've dubbed "Street Widda." Street, because it lives on the street, naturally. And Widda because it's black, and I name all black cats some variation of Widda after my cat that died last year. Now, it's not due to any sort of cat memorial for Widda - we've been calling all black cats "Widda" even with the Widda Original still around. Because frankly, the name "Widda" is just so stupid that it becomes catchy. You'll see. Next time you see a black cat you'll think, "WIDDA!"

So back to Street Widda. Street, for short. Street lives next door, hangs out at the little brick bungalow where they keep the garage open about a foot and have a box with blankies and a feeder full of food and water for him. He had a friend, we named him Big Tom because he was a giant-sizer who looked like he must be a boy tomcat. He lived at Street's place, too. An old lady took care of 'em.

Then, sometime ago, the old lady got sick and had to move in with her daughter. Her daughter has been over for months now cleaning out the junk in the house, and unfortunately some of that junk that's getting cleaned out is Street. Street is too wild to take to the new digs. Big Tom is making the cut to move to the new place, but poor Ole' Street didn't.

I'll give you one guess as to who's inheriting Street.

Kenny's been a good stray-cat dad so far. He tends to him every day, making sure he has food and water. The neighbors are still keeping the garage open until they sell the house (the current shitty housing market could be doing huge favors for Streetie) and we just tend to his needs over there. But the plan is to eventually get him to transition to our house. We haven't figured out where we're going to house him - we have too much expensive shit packed into our garage to just leave it open a foot all the live-long day (and night), and plus we have a family of squirrels who've made it their home (which is a whole 'nother small critter story). So we've looked into the cost of outdoor houses, and have worked it up with Timmy (who lives downstairs) that we'd get Street all set up on his back porch. But we still have some time, and I'm not sure that's the ideal plan. Although we have to come up with something, and do it this summer.

And, oh, by the way, while he's an outdoor wild cat, he's been living pretty high on the hog - he's been fed a diet of Fancy Feast twice a day. My beloved indoor house pets don't get Fancy Feast on a daily basis - they get the cheap stuff. Poor Street, he doesn't know quite yet just exactly how his world is going to change. As for now, he just runs from us like the wind when he senses Stranger Danger in the vicinity. Ingrate.

p.s. - this was a much more entertaining story in my mind, I just don't seem to have much of a fun creative spin in me. Too many hours at the Card Mines this week. Sucked all my Creativity dry. I'm too tired to even proof read this for stupidity, so if it's there, just go with it. I have to mop the kitchen floor, we live like pigs. And pack. We're going out of town in the morning, for my Grandmother's official funeral. So there.

Shuffling Along

I travelled to Denver Thursday/Friday for work. The work part of the trip was brief (about four hours worth of work was accomplished) but the good part came in with the gossiping amongst us co-workers. One of the girls on the trip had just started dating after a five year time-out, and she's been out with a dude twice now. Twice. And on the second date he bought her an iPod.

We were all questioning his motives and said it was too much, too soon and he's trying to "buy" her with gifts and the younger girl in the group hesitated and asked, "Well....was it a Shuffle or a Nano?" It was determined that it was okay to accept the Shuffle as a gift on the second date, but not a Nano. Just so you know, if you're ever in this predicament to accept or not accept an iPod on the second date.

Shamwowing My Way Back to Youth

Where the heck have I been?? Well, wouldn't you like to know!! I'd love to regale you with stories, but I have just a moment before I must put myself to bed. I'll sum it up. But first:

Did you know that today is Star Wars Day? May the 4th be with you.

Yes, I'll be here all week, folks! Don't forget to tip your waitresses. Now, on to other, even less important things.

I bought a new car!! Cutest. Car. Ever!! (er...in my price range. I'm sure there are cuter cars. In fact, I know there are. But ya know, what my little salary can afford - this is it!).

It's been a time fraught with indecisiveness trying to figger out what to do. My lease is up soon, it was time to come up with something. I've been driving a Lexus SUV for 12 years, it was time for a change. My old car was a wide and comfortable ride, just like me! My new car is a sleek and fast ride - I've been working out so I can live up to the expectations of my car!

And now I need to invest in Shamwows, since I lost my mind and bought a black car. I've been wiping that thing off every effing day. And then? Some sappy flowers of some sort landed all over it and believe you me, it was no good time trying to clean that off. Kenny worked himself up into a froth and then I googled and found that hand sanitizer is good for removing sap, and sure enough, it is! Plus, it's exterior is so sanitized you can walk right up and lick the car with confidence, should you so desire. But please, wipe off the smudge.

I was in Atlantic City over the weekend with my girlfriendie. It was much fun.

On Thursday I fly to Denver for a quick overnight business trip.

Next Friday they are having a private burial for my grandmother. We'll be heading to Southern Ohio for that, and of course Kenny has suggested we stay at the Wheeling Downs Casino while we're in the neighborhood.

Vegas after that. Then, the month wraps up with a week-long cruise to the Southern Caribbean with my other girlfriendie. It's a tough life, but someones gotta live it.

And at least you'll now know why I will be giving splotchy blog. There's so, so much more I could say, but it's 11:25 and I've got a bizzy day ahead. And I've got to come down off my high from watching Lost tonight. It's been a great t.v. week, last night with Jack Bauer breaking all sorts of badass all over the place, and now Lost killin' off peeps right and left. Crazy good t.v.

Oh! And tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays - Cinco de Mayo!! I love any holiday that celebrates with margaritas and cheesy enchiladas. And salsa, don't forget the salsa! I was telling Kenny that my two favorite holidays are Cinco de Mayo and Daylight Savings Time. But only the time in the Fall, where we get an extra hour of bartime (back in the 'day, that mattered more) and now I look forward to the extra hour of sah-weet sah-weet sleep. Which reminds me of what my beloved said to me when I was debating the convertible: "You know, you're holding on to whatever youth you have left, and believe me, it's not much, so just get the convertible."

And....good night.