Preludes And Nocturnes

Our household has a new phrase that goes something along the lines of “*blah* is not a toy!” and it is usually somewhat screeched at the kitten as he eats/mauls the something in question.

Examples include:

“No kitty!  My hand is NOT a toy!”

“Ack, computer wires are NOT A TOY”

“Jim’s toes… not a toy!  No, not his leg either!”

Other things that are not toys include Chuck, paperwork (he ate my bill from MSP), books, sofa cushions, rug fringe, glue gun,  lamps, birth control pills, tv and wires, and that little white thing that covers the bolt on the base of the toilet.

Ew.

Friday - Kitten came home. Chuck unimpressed. Kitten has sniffles and snotty nose but we phone vet (set up the standard checkup for Monday afternoon) and are told SPCA kittens always have sniffles and colds due to overcrowding.

Saturday - Chuck and kitten bump noses and seem to understand they are not totally aliens to one another. Chuck still plots our deaths, but situation improving.

Sunday - Chuck and the kitten started chasing each other - good.

Monday -They went to the vet and kitten had a fairly serious cold, but lungs and heart sound good (which is good as I had a kitten die once from the lung infection despite all the med I gave her, five vet visits, and countless nights sitting up nursing a sick kitten.. so the morning I woke up to find this kitten stuffed up and unable to breath well made me have a little mini-breakdown remembering my other kitten). Chuck went to vet too and got his shots. He resumed plotting our deaths.

Tuesday - Chuck seemed a bit depressed. We think between the vet and the kitten and the shot, he was not very happy and thinking this new place really sucked. He got special cuddle times and seemed pleased when kitten was locked out of the room so he could just relax in peace for a bit.

Wednesday - The races were back on and much running of the kitties. Chuck was still easily knocked off his game (eating, sleeping, or taking a pee) by the kitten running up, but Jim had a chat with him about having more agency for himself. The two kitties were really having a good time with running and running and running (ah, the fellow downstairs must LOVE us) and kitty tag-team scratching post climbing. Much joy and happy times.

Thursday - Chuck agreed with Jim about having more agency. So, he began carrying the kitten around by the scruff of the neck while making this cooing noise and taking a parental role with him. When he first came down the hallway half carrying, half dragging the kitten by the scruff - I did have a moment thinking he had maybe finally had enough of the running and just knocked off the kitten. But, whew, just decided to play mom. The kitten seems to totally understand his role in all this, and when Chuck starts to pick him up he just goes all kitten-limp and lets him. I called the vet just to be sure as I’d never seen a male cat (or any non-mom-cat) do this before. But this is just something adults cats can do with kittens. Weird. But they are still doing very well. But holy jeeze it is funny to see Chuck baby this kitten. Again with our gender bending animoos.

And kitten is doing much better after a couple days of anitbiotics. He still comes up to cuddle on your chest and sneeze on your face and all…. but much better.

Whew!

The ones with the boy wizard.

So, um, all weekend while my husband and sisters read - I’ve been watching Sex and the City.  My box set of the whole series. Oh Carrie, you are so very cute.

Sometimes I run too fast for the picture to capture me!

But then I get sleepy.

Did I already post this?  Because if so, it bears repeating (right Bears?).  Being at a new job is hard.  Not in some huge way, actually, this time.  Working pretty much on my own, no mass of co-workers to meet and understand.  And really, each class I teach is new no matter what so that gut-wrenching feeling is standard regardless of where I am.

But it is the little things.  Who to talk to in the library.  How to get my PIN for the photocopier.  How to send stuff out to copy services.  Little tiny things I was used to doing being done by someone else (step on toes) and rather major things I’m used to being done for me (desk copy of texts) being my responsibility.  Er, waddaya mean I don’t have any copies of the texts I’ll start teaching next week?

I hate feeling like a noob.

But all in all it is okay. This is the end of week two, so I’ve got four to go.  I keep believing that if I plug away at the course and keep working on next semester’s stuff and keep unpacking boxes and keep running errands eventually we’ll just look up and be settled.

In the meanwhile, my mom feeds us dinner each night.

Whew!

Ahhhhh……………..

We have internet set up at home now.

Is relief.

(I was going to do some random update blog, but really - who the heck wants to read that?)

I get three wishes!

1. 1. Everything unpacked (it gets better) and put away in those five random new organizing items we now need that will appear by magic and fit exactly where they should!  How is it that stuff fit in random closets before and there are as many closets and drawers and whatnot, but stuff looks all wonky and not-fitty?
2. 2. A week in Costa Rica with Jim to see some of the same spots again as when we got married.
3. 3. Three days off in a row - OH WAIT!  I got that coming up right now!!  I love this whole thing where I teach three days a week and now have a little chance to catch my breath and get some prep done for next week (and some marking).  WHOO!

Jim and I went to the beach last night.  It is five minutes from our house.  Is lovely.

We got our stuff.  I’ve taught my first class. We don’t have internet at home yet (stupid shaw cable) but we’re patching into the parents’ wireless when we can, and I’m able to log on here and there from work.

Jim has been unpacking the house and looking after the Chuck-Cat as I’m getting settled into work this week.  I hope this weekend we can get things kinda in place a bit and then have some time to relax.  But all in all - we’re getting there!

Whoot!

If they would just phone and say “you know, we said tentatively Saturday or Sunday - but it looks like it will be Wednesday instead.” Or Tuesday. Or actually will be in Sunday but they’ll call with a half hours warning. Whatever. If they would just call and let us know what is happening. All along it was like that. If they could tell us when things were going to be picked up, when they would be delivered… this all would just feel a whole lot differently.

And I think they just don’t know. So I think they just keep trying to say things that they think we want to hear. We said for pick up we had a window lasting up until the 5th. So they showed up at the last possible time they could. I suspect they didn’t have time to bring the stuff down (or another load to piggy back on it) so they said “oh yeah, delivery should be Fri/Sat/Sun.” They thought this was a good thing to say - three days isn’t going to get a fuss from us.

But now it is Saturday night and we haven’t heard a thing. Nada. And it makes me think that they just picked it up because then they’d get the stuff and now it is sitting in their yard until they feel like bringing it down. So I’m insane with the waiting but trying to be cool. I start work next week and I hate the thought that my stuff isn’t here. I’ll be fine. I know stuff will arrive and then we’re fine. But they just need to call us and tell us what is going on. And I suspect they don’t feel like calling and saying “oh yeah, we don’t know when we’ll bring it down.” Because that just sounds crappy and nobody likes actually saying the crappy stuff out loud.

Please leave comments of optimism only. I know I’m a downer here - but I can’t take anything other than Pollyanna in return.

And pie.

On the upside, Chuck survived the ride down and after a somewhat horrifying start of two hours of yowling - settled in and slept for the other five and a half hours of the trip. He opened his eyes once or twice to let us know he was still there and still unimpressed. But otherwise, a fine trip down for kitty. (Relatively speaking, I’m sure he has something else to say about it all.)

…

okay.

I don’t want to jump the gun here, but we got “the call”. No, not jeebus. Or is that his dad that makes that call? Anyway, I got off track here. We got the call from the MOOOvers.

Tomorrow morning. At 8:30am. Our stuff will arrive.. well, we don’t know when our stuff will actually arrive, but we don’t really care right now. We can freak out about that later. All in all, Houston I think we have a green light to pack up the final boxes - order pizza to go with our final four beer in the fridge - and WAGONS HO tomorrow!

I’m fecking exhausted.