Oh So Many Doggies

It's once again doggy day! I love doggy and kitty days, I really do. I hope you do, too. :)

Wanting the Chicken I Was Making for Dinner






Big Dog Heads





Excited Duff


J had just gotten home after two days away at work. Duff was so excited that when he got back in from going out to say hi in the garage, he grabbed a toy and went on the couch with it, watching the back door eagerly, waiting for J to come in. We all missed our J. :)

Sleeping




Last night we went into the bedroom to watch Earl and The Office. The dogs all fell asleep, and looked so cute I had to take more pictures.

Back To Bed Please?

In the morning, when McDuff gets done with his breakfast, he goes to the bedroom door, hoping to get let in to sleep on the bed. If J is in there sleeping, I let him in. If I'm in there sleeping, J lets him in. If J is at work and I'm getting ready for work, he doesn't get to go in - he still hopes, though. :)

Best Picture 101 Update

Last night I watched the oldest Best Picture winner that I had on my Netflix list:

Broadway Melody of 1929
1929
Starring Charles King, Anita Page and Bessie Love

This was an okay movie - the first musical to win Best Picture, and at a time when talkies were still pretty new. The movie opened with a song, which was nice, but I was sitting there wondering if I was going to get any story during this movie, or if the people of 1929 thought singing and dancing were enough. Well, I did finally get a story, I'm happy to say.

The movie turns out to be about two sisters who move to New York City to pursue a career as song and dance girls on Broadway. They moved into a hotel suite, which I'm sure any aspiring actor/singer/dancer moving to New York today would die to live in, but it was the movies, and who knows - maybe NYC was easier to live in back then.

Anyway, it turns out that the boyfriend of one of the girls (Eddie was the boyfriend, Hank was the girl - weird, but yes, she was named Hank) was already in the city, and had a job as a song writer, and was doing really well for himself. So he got the girls an audition for a show. The "pretty" sister (Queenie) got in, but the "manager" sister (Hank) didn't, but Queenie talked to the producer and managed to convince him to take both girls.

Okay, long story short. Eddie falls for Queenie, but Queenie doesn't want to hurt Hank, so she starts seeing some rich guy who wants to make her a kept woman - you know, give her an aparment in the city, keep her in furs and jewels, and get some nookie anytime he wants. Hank is devastated at what Queenie is doing, but has no idea she's doing it for her sake. Finally, after witnessing a scene between Eddie and Queenie, Hank realizes what's happening, and is hurt, but she turns self-sacrificing and tells Eddie that she never loved him anyway (lie), and tells him to go save Queenie from this rich guy. Which he does. Eddie and Queenie get married, and Hank goes back to the vaudeville circuit that the girls came from, playing a tour of 30 cities. And for some reason everyone is happy.

Personally, I think Hank got the shaft.

Also, as soon as Queenie and Eddie got married, Queenie quit trying to be a star to be a wife. Which is to be expected from a movie made in 1929, I guess. Women weren't supposed to be anything other than housewives and mothers back then anyway.

So, one more Best Picture winner done, and I gave it 3 stars out of 5 on Netflix. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't suppose I'll ever want to see it again. Once was enough.

Boring Entry Below

I just looked up a new fried chicken recipe. We have some chicken breasts in the freezer, and I say it's time to try again to find the perfect crispy fried chicken recipe. I just don't know if we have any paprika and poultry seasoning. I hope we do. I'll take pictures and write about the finished product, of course. I have to document my hunt for the perfect recipe!

So. J is working a ton this month, because his co-worker is off most of the month hunting (I just will never understand the fascination so many people have with hunting, but that's just me). He left yesterday morning for work, and will be staying over in his work city, not coming home until tomorrow afternoon. I miss him. And I want to welcome him home with some yummy fried chicken, so here's hoping we have the two seasonings. :D

Anyway. Today I had no idea what to talk about in here, so I think that's about all I have to say. Exciting, wasn't it? :D I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Playful Sable

I got the camera out to take pictures of the cats last night, and Sable decided it was time to play. So, since I got so many great pictures of her, today is now officially Sable Day! (With the other cats added in at the bottom, because I seem to be incapable of only focusing on one animal at a time.)

Playful Sable

Sable was sleeping on the back of the cat chair when I got up to take pictures. I decided to get a shot from the other side of the stair railing.

She decided that was an invitation to grab at me through the railing bars.

Then she got up and followed me upstairs (I was originally intending to get a photo of Lucy and Gracie).

Then, after I got my picture of Lucy and Gracie, she was on the landing, and decided to start playing with me.








Sable Spam Over

This is the picture I wanted of Gracie and Lucy. I hadn't seen Gracie since right after I got home, so I went searching for her, and found her curled up with Lucy in this open cupboard that is upstairs. I store blankets there, and the cats like to sleep there.

This is Kate, where she spends about 90% of her time - in one of the cat houses in the dining room. It looks like I need to steal the houses from her (one at a time) and wash them. I told J that when Kate dies, I'm going to have to throw these out - I associate them too much with her to keep them around when she's gone. She really is in them almost all the time - moving from one to the other.

Zelda was following me around when I was taking pictures last night, too. I got two of her on the stairs, and couldn't decide which of them to use, so you get both of them. :)

For some reason I really liked this one - the way her face looks from above. I like it.

Okay, kitty spam over. :)

Best Picture Update

J and I knocked two more movies off my Oscar winner list recently. First up:

The Sting
1974
Starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman

I enjoyed this a lot! I kind of feel like I need to watch it again, though, because I didn't quite understand everything they were doing as part of the sting. I've already sent the DVD back, but due to the wonders of Netflix, I believe I can watch it online (and if I'm remembering wrong, I can always get the DVD again). I was surprised watching this how much older Paul Newman was than Robert Redford - I thought they were pretty much the same age, but Redford looked way younger in this. Anyway, I would obviously be a very easy mark for a conman, since they lost me so easily, but I could see why this won Best Picture. It was very well done.

Next up was:

On the Waterfront
1954
Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and introducing Eva Marie Saint.

I really liked this one a lot! What isn't to like - it's the story of a man who stands up to the injustices being handed down to longshoremen, beating them and getting justice for his fellow workers. Also a young, thin Marlon Brando, which I don't think I've ever seen in a movie before. To me he's always been the fat old man he was in The Godfather, so this was kind of weird. It was nice to see him that way, though. And of course I loved hearing the famous lines - "I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody." And one I didn't know came from that movie, about a "one way ticket to palookaville."

Two very enjoyable movies, and two more done on the list of ones I have to watch. Next up is a movie from 1929 - The Broadway Melody of 1929, which was the first musical to win the Best Picture Oscar. I'm going to go chronologically from here on out (probably), so I'll be working my way through the decades. This was a fun thing to put on my 101 list. :)

Happy List, November 2 - November 8

Sunday: Hanging out with J. I love our Sundays together. And we had a good one – he went out and took down Halloween decorations and worked in the garage, and I rearranged pictures in the living room and our bedroom (taking down the prints I had hanging in what was the spare room and is now his studio, and putting them up in our room and the living room). Spending a few minutes in the studio with him and his two dogs while he listened to the Dolphins win their game. Watching the first episode of Firefly again – I love that show so much, and wish it had gone more than one season.

Monday: Watching The Sting and then an episode of Buffy with J last night. I love watching TV with him, and I was especially happy to watch a Buffy – it had been a long time.

Tuesday: Voting!

Wednesday: Getting a “nothing to worry about” from the doctor about an issue I was slightly worried about, and kind of afraid to talk to her about. Getting a referral for something else that I want done. Also, election results! This was a very exciting election, no matter who you were voting for. I finished playing my BC!

Thursday: Getting to spend the evening with J! Watching my Thursday night shows.

Friday: Spending the evening with J, and really just appreciating having him.

Saturday: Getting most of an update written for one of my Sims 2 legacies. Spending the evening with J.

Cars Suck, Part Two

Yesterday after work I dropped my car off at the garage, to get the oil pan replaced, along with getting new shocks and springs. The work was done today, and I went over to pick it up, and it cost twice as much as I was prepared to pay. Oy! Stupid effing cars.

I had the money to cover it, because I had the money set aside for my property taxes in January, and my homeowner's insurance this month. But now I have to get more work done, because the check engine light is on, which will make it fail inspection, and it's due for inspection in December. And I have to save the money for my taxes again. Sigh.

Christmas? What's that? Something that comes in December, that usually requires money to be spent? Yeah, I'll be skipping that this year, most likely. Double sigh.

Cars suck.

Yay for Doggy Day!

Not This Again!

Don't listen to Rosebud. She's grumpy because I'm following her and the other dogs around with the camera. But she should be excited, because it's Doggy Picture Day, woo!

Tongues!



I love when I catch fun pictures, and what's more fun than dogs with their tongues out? I love it.

Yawning Dogs!

Okay, maybe yawning dogs may be even more fun. Bernie must have been tired when I was taking his picture last night.


I love this shot, especially. It was pure luck, too. I was taking his picture laying there on the step going into the dining room, and it was dark enough out that I couldn't see anything in the screen on my camera - I love that I have a camera, but it kind of sucks, really. He happened to yawn just as I was clicking the picture and by some miracle it was nicely centered and everything. I LOVE this shot.

Jumpy Duffy

In case you ever wondered what it looks like when a McDuff jumps on your legs. :)

Cute

It's Hard to Let Go

Halloween is J's favorite holiday. He goes crazy decorating, both inside and outside, and buys new decorations every year to add to next year's display. He has everything up by the end of September, and we love looking at it all for the whole month of October. But then November 1st comes, and he has to take everything down.

Only sometimes not everything makes it down at once. Right now, Fred or Eddie or George or whatever this guy's name is, is still hanging from the second floor landing.

Oh, and did I tell you about the night that J was at work, and I woke up to a sound that I thought at first was someone trying to break in? After a few minutes of lying in bed in terrified silence, I finally got up and went around to check the rest of the house. It was about 4:00 in the morning. I walked halfway up the stairs to the second floor, pulled on the light so I could look over the hallway, and all was quiet. And then I turned around to go back down, and saw this guy hanging there. I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack.

Anyway, so Fred or Eddie or George or whoever is still hanging in the stairway, and these Halloween pumpkin cutouts are still around the screen door frame in the foyer (please ignore the hanging insulation, thank you very much). And on the front porch? A never carved (because it has a soft spot in it's back and would have rotted too fast) pumpkin.

It's hard to say good-bye to your favorite holiday.

(Oh, and the noise in the middle of the night turned out to be a critter that had gotten into the heating ducts somehow. I listened to it until it made its way out to the area in the garage where the unused wood burning furnace is, and then I went back to bed.)

Doctor Schmoctor

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I HATE going to the doctor, and never would if I could avoid it, but of course you have to go, to make sure that all is well. But blah. It sucks.

So I had my female exam, and I talked to her about various issues and concerns, and I'm getting two referrals - one for a real gynecologist and one for an ear/nose/throat doctor. The latter is because I have this pocket (that's what I've been calling it, and is not a medical term at all) in my throat where small pieces of food sometimes get stuck. They don't cause me to choke, but I can feel them in there, and I have to cough and hack until they come flying out. It's gross. And of course, I shouldn't have a pocket in my throat, catching food pieces, so it needs to get taken care of. My doctor couldn't see anything in my throat, and doesn't know for sure what is causing this (that's what the ENT is for), but she mentioned that it could be food getting stuck by my tonsils. Fun!

I also got a small lecture that wasn't really a lecture (she was nice about it) about my weight, and how I need to lose some if I want to avoid the health problems my mother had. Which I knew. I need to stop putting it off, and just freaking lose this weight already. I can do it, I know I can - I've done it before. I just need to get my head into it. (That being said, I left the doctor's office and went to McDonald's and had a crispy chicken sandwich and fries for lunch, ha!)

I also got my very first ever flu shot, which I didn't ask for, but they offered and I said yes. So I guess I'm safe from the flu. Although I haven't had the flu since somehwere in the mid- to late-90s, so I wasn't too worried about getting it anyway. But whatever. Now I'm covered.

The good thing about this doctor's visit? I don't have to go back for another year. :) (Well, except for the two referrals. But still.)

Kate's Day

Okay, serious entry over (see below - I was feeling all patriotic and blogged about voting), now it's time for some fluff - cat fluff! It's cat picture day here at WatchOutForThisOne, and today's cat star is Kate! My friend Sally requested some pictures of my shy, fat feline, so here you go, Sally. Of course, two of the other cats appear in Kate's pictures, and I had to add a picture of the two who didn't, but I don't think Kate will mind. She's kind of shy, so she'd prefer to share the spotlight, I'm sure.

Kate!

Kate likes to bitch at me, asking for loving. This picture caught her mid-bitchy meow. :)

Kate and Lucy

Kate and Lucy are sisters - litter mates. They used to snuggle together all the time when they were younger, but now they don't like each other much. Well, Kate is anti-social as a rule, anyway. But they have definitely grown apart, which is why seeing them sharing the same chair is very unusual.

Kate and Gracie



These two pictures were taken on different days. I just love how Gracie's leg is thrown across Kate in the second one.

Kate on Chairs




Cats Who Aren't Kate

My Zelda Lou Cat.

My pretty Sable Little.

I Voted

It's a pretty amazing thing, having the right to vote. It's a right I never exercised until four years ago, because politics weren't my thing - I found them boring, I didn't know who stood for what, and I didn't care. I trusted everyone else to choose the right person for me. And then we had four years of George W. I listened to his speech after the attacks of 9/11, and I had such a gut reaction of dislike and distrust, and couldn't believe he was in office - and I didn't do anything to prevent his getting there, so I had no right to bitch.

Four years after he was elected the first time, I was registered to vote, and I went and made my voice heard.

Now that Bush's eight years are over, you'd think I'd go back to not caring, but you'd be wrong. I like both candidates, but I have opinions on certain things - strong opinions. And I want to do my part to support the things I care about. So I got up this morning, half an hour earlier than I usually do for work, and once I was showered and dressed, I went to my polling place. I pulled my levers, and I walked out, feeling more patriotic than I ever do on a regular day. The Chancellor of the college where I work sent out an e-mail yesterday afternoon, and in it he said that he felt like they should be playing the national anthem as people voted. I kind of felt the same way - it's just such a patriotic thing. It's the most anyone who doesn't serve in the military will probably ever do for their country, as a matter of fact.

Also, I want to say thank you to all men and women who do serve in the military, defending our country, and helping to preserve my right to vote. I truly appreciate it.

So today, I'm feeling very proud and happy. Regardless of who wins when the votes have been counted, I made my voice heard.

(The picture above is my polling place - the town hall for my township. It's very small, and I was in and out in about two minutes, which meant I actually got to work 15 minutes early. Where do you vote?)

Holidays

There's something kind of sad about Halloween ending. It's not the reduction in chocolate consumption - we still have plenty of it in the house, so my consumption rate is still pretty high. It's the decorations being taken down. J went out yesterday and took down all of the outside ones. He also took the cut-outs out of the windows. I imagine he'll be taking down all of the indoor stuff today, and it's just going to be so sad, all bare and plain. He decorates for Thanksgiving, too, but it's harder to find decorations for that holiday, so there isn't as much to do. He'll have a Thanksgiving table set up, and he has an inflatable turkey that has already started making its appearance on our front porch.

Turkey or no turkey, I'll kind of miss the Halloween stuff.

Oh well, at least it's only a month break. Before I know it, the Christmas stuff will come out. Which is nice.

Only, ack! It's close enough to December to be thinking about Christmas decorations going up in another month! Luckily I only really have to buy for J, plus a friend or two. And I'll do all of that online, so it's not a big deal, really. It just still seems overwhelming, is all.

I'm not sure what we're going to do for the holidays this year. I imagine we'll be going to J's parents' house for meals, and then just stopping in to see my sister and her family on Christmas evening. It's fun, and I'm glad to share the holidays with his family - I really like them. Still, part of me kind of misses having my own family around for the holidays. Oh well.

I'm PMSing, I think, so I'm going to stop that line of thought before it goes any further. High hormones lead to high emotions, you know.

Anyway. I'll miss you, Halloween. Thanks for the candy, and see you next year.

Homer says, "Stay away from this house in October. It's scary in there!"

Happy List, 10/26-11/1

It's 6:41 on a Sunday morning. Why am I up? I have no idea, but I am, so I might as well post my happy list, right? Here goes.

Sunday: Spending a great day with J. We went out to a late breakfast at our favorite diner, the Dolphins won their game, and J and I went on a road trip! We went to the Alice Cooper show in Schenectady. I loved taking the trip with him - the first semi-real road trip we've ever taken (I only say semi-real because we only went about an hour and a half away, and we didn't stay overnight or anything). We have a ton of fun together, and he made my whole day a very happy one.

Monday: Seeing two horses running around, chasing each other in a field on the way home. So cute. Hanging out with J at night and having a great dinner - filet mignon, mashed potatoes and homemade bread, yum. Kate coming out of her house and letting J pet her (and me, but that part isn't unusual). It was nice, and it made me very happy.

Tuesday: Getting a great night of sleep, and waking up nicely rested. Spending the night in the Sims, getting two families through the fall rotation. Hearing J talk about the Alice Cooper concert when he came home. Yes, he went to two in one week - he's a huge fan. He had much better seats for this one, too, and sounded like he had a ton of fun.

Wednesday: One of my Sims got abducted by aliens! Which means nothing to non-Simmers, but I've been playing this game for years, and this is only the third natural (non-cheated) abduction I've ever had, so it made me very happy. Even if it was a girl, who couldn't give me an alien baby. Also, J came home! He wasn't going to originally, because of work, but his work hours changed, so he was able to. He didn't get home until about Midnight, so I woke up long enough to smile at him while my eyes were scrunched up with sleep, but at least I got to see him.

Thursday: I got to see J for about an hour before bedtime! Woo! He's been working a lot of later hours, so this was a real treat, and made me very happy. Also, having J and Sarah to talk to (online) when I got my feelings hurt. They made me feel much better, just for listening to me and commiserating.

Friday: It's doggy picture day! Which always makes me happy. I love taking and posting the pictures for these days. Also, it's Halloween! Some people at work dressed up, which is cute. I want to dress up next year.

Saturday: I got new tires on my car, which made me happy, even if finding out all the other work it needs didn't. I had fun playing the Sims - I'm doing a bachelor challenge, and played through about half of it. It was fun. Also, J got home early enough for us to hang out together, and to go shopping for groceries. I enjoy spending time with him.

Cars Suck

I took my car to the shop this morning to get two new tires put on the front. While it was there I asked him to change the oil, as well as to see why the check engine light was on, and why the ABS light was on.

I hate taking my car to the shop.

He put two new tires on. No problems there. But he couldn't change the oil, because when he tried to pull the oil plug, it just spun and spun. It could be a stripped nut, or it could be the weld inside the oil pan has gone bad. He will have to pull the oil pan to tell, and if it turns out to be the weld, he'll have to put a new one on. A new oil pan, that is.

The check engine light only needed a fuse, which he replaced. However, a fuse was replaced for that reason last year, and the light came back on. He said if it blows again, then he'll have to diagnose why the fuse keeps blowing. It could be a part in the motor of the radiator fan, or it could be something leaking in the fuel exhaust (those are the codes it put up when he checked why the light was on). If the light comes back on, that'll have to be diagnosed and fixed, or it won't pass inspection (it's due in December).

He couldn't communicate with the ABS system at all. I'm not sure what that means, other than that I don't have anti-lock brakes. But this is an amber warning light, he said, and it won't keep it from passing inspection. And my brakes work fine, so I'm not worrying about that at all. This is the first car I've ever had with anti-lock brakes anyway. I'm used to not having them.

Then he showed me just one more thing. The spring in the rear tire well of the driver's side was rusted through, and part had broken off. That needs to be fixed before it'll pass inspection.

Sigh.

Cars suck.

So, basically, in the month in which I will be paying this car off (woo!), I'll be sinking about $600-700 into it to fix the things that need to be fixed so it'll pass inspection (and so that my oil can be changed, which right now it can't).

It makes me long for the day when I'll be far enough ahead financially to just trade my cars in when they get high in mileage. Now I'll be payment free, but thanks to the age of the car, the mileage on it, and to the salty roads here in New York in the winter, I'll have to pay more and more for repairs every year. Oh well. At least right now I can afford what needs to be done, thankfully. Still, I'm kind of looking forward to the day when my credit cards are paid off, and I'll be able to drive a brand new (or at least not very old) car off a lot somewhere. Yes, it'll mean I have payments again, but it seems to be either payments or lots of repairs, so whatever.

Oh, and happy first day of Nablopomo! I hope you don't mind listening to me babble for 30 days straight. Plus 31 more days if (when) I sign up to post every day in December, too.