I am angry/sad/frustrated today.

Sometimes it is just for no reason. Sometimes little things that don't usually bother you seem to bother you a lot.  Like when you walk the dog and need to fix her harness and someone comes by with a bigger dog that sniffs her belly and you know she hates it when dogs sniff her belly and she barks at the other dog and you're embarrassed because you want her to be perfect all the time. Or the chain of your bike gets derailed by your untied boot and comes off and you have to stop and fix it and get all greasy when you're already late to work. And then when you get to work, your first customer is really rude and mean.

They are all dumb little things, that don't matter in the grand scheme of my, honestly, very good life. But I'm in kind of a funk anyway.

I was thinking that on twitter, instead of Follow Friday, there should be a Fuckyou Friday.  I'm angry at a lot of famous people, politicians, and other jerkholes today. I suspect I will still be angry with them tomorrow on Friday.

Cool Stuff

Also, on the same topic as my previous post, these are some cool things that can help with being more... un-plastic? Eco-friendly? DIY? Fun?

Glass Dharma Unbreakable Glass Straws

SoyaPower Plus Soymilk Maker

"Country Uncle" Metal Safety Razor

Re-Usies Washable Sandwich and Snack Bags

Anybody else have some neat shit that would fit into this category? I hesitate to say "eco-friendly" too much, because I often feel like that opens me up for people to take pot-shots at how much shit I do that's NOT eco-friendly.  I'm trying, okay?

What else can I do?

So I'm working on being a vegan me (which has been going really well so far, better than any other attempt! I have been 4 months meat free, mostly dairy/egg free, and very much strictly vegan in the last two months.  I got the idea to "ease into it" after realizing how much of a failure my previous attempts had been, and this is clearly what works best for me).  But I've been poking around on the internet (the result of too much time on my hands) and I've been thinking about trying to incorporate more ways to be less environmentally intrusive.  But it's also about saving money, simplifying things, and having less STUFF.  I have a lot of stuff. A lot. And I need to pare down.

Dream Dog

I got Trixie on Friday evening at the SPCA.  I had gone there just to take a look at a little white dog I saw on the internet, and didn't have a copy of my lease or anything, so I expected that even if I did like the dog and want to adopt, I would have to come back with the necessary documentation. 

Sadly, the little white dog didn't really fit Daniel and my needs/hopes for a dog, but I saw a little black and brown female dog at the end of the rows of kennels, patiently sitting by her door, staring at me with her little chestnut eyes.  I asked to see her, and the rest was history.

It turned out, instead of showing your lease that allows pets, you have to instead sign a contract that states that you can have pets at your apartment.  They gave me a quick briefing, I paid my adoption fee, I signed some paperwork, and she was mine!!

I was so nervous that she was going to be a difficult dog.  That she would bark at everything or growl or bite at the cats, or hate other people.

Instead, she has really impressed me with how wonderful she is.  At four years old, she has no crazy puppy energy.  She loves to say hello to other people, even strangers.  She's practically potty trained, and in just three days, she learned her name (her name at the shelter was "Frida", we changed it to Trixie.  She's even moderately respectful of the cats.  She will run up to them, but stop about a foot away and she doesn't bark or get aggressive with them. She likes to burrow into blankets and cuddle with people and ride in the car. My only complaint is that she can get bristly (the hair on her neck stands up) with other female dogs. She's so good, and I love her very much. 

A Bright New Day

The P*X*R exhibit is gone (partially censored to protect my ass) and with it, the only really stressful experience of my current employment.  I've got a one-year-out plan to go back to school, so I think it's time to start mobilizing on that and gathering information. Also, I should definitely get that second job I'm always talking about to supplement our income.

I'm sitting here at work and it's peaceful and quiet.  It's really weird. I think a couple people are even leaving early.

Three cats down to two.

Just about 24 hours after I wrote that glowing review of Francoise, our new cat, I regret to write that we've come to the sad realization that Francoise was made to be an only cat.

All of the nice things about her are still true.  But what I didn't mention is that she is extremely aggressive toward Buffy and Boomer, to the point where Boomer just hides all day and has even gotten snappy with us. Francoise also marks her territory on the bed when she has had fights with the other cats.

Bottom line is that as much as I love her and want to keep her forever, I don't think it's working out. She will make a wonderful companion for whoever can take her, but she just can't be in a home with other cats.

So if there's anyone reading this that wants a wonderful little cat who is very affectionate toward people, please give Francoise a home! She's so sweet and deserves a home where she can feel safe and not agitated all the time.

Three Cats.

We got a third cat a couple weeks ago.  It was one of those sob stories where she was just too rambunctious for her own good and a little bitey, so they were gonna give her the chair.  Or at least, they were going to give her the municipal animal shelter equivalent of "The Chair."  That was the implication anyway.

So now Daniel and I have three cats. She's an incredibly sweet little thing, and a good ten times smarter than either of the other cats. Her purr is so loud you can hear it from across the room, and her fur is soft and silky.  She also really loves to be picked up and to be around people.  She does bite a bit, but she doesn't do it hard anymore, just softly and playfully.  She's had two accidents, one poop and one pee, but nothing for a week or so.

We are that crazy couple with all the cats.