rebecca_in_blue: (pursed lips)
Shavua tov is a greeting my rabbi uses; it means good week. We adopted Tovah one week ago today, so it seems like a good time to give an update. I am so thankful to have this kitty, who has so much personality and fits in so well already. Sometimes I wonder about Tovah's past. She's nine, and I can't imagine having a cat for nine years and giving her away, especially one as sweet as Tovah, so maybe she went through multiple owners. Either way, it's sad. But Tovah is settling in with us well. I was worried having a pet would aggravate my asthma/allergies, but so far, it hasn't. Tovah has even slept in bed with me a few nights, and it didn't bother me.


She's a dilute tortoiseshell and kinda blends in with our carpet, but she seems more cooperative with my new camera (I love it!). I got her a license tag with her name engraved on it, so now she really feels like our cat.
I also got her a new, non-tippable water dish because for some reason, she loved tipping over her old one. She also loves sitting in the bathtub when it's empty. Crazy cat.


Tovah also loves lying right in the middle of the floor and stretching. You can see here how skinny she still is, but we read that cats don't eat a lot during their first days in a new environment, so maybe that will change. She seems to be a picky eater, too. She begs us for anything we eat, but when we offer it to her, she only sniffs.


She really likes sitting in our laps when we're on the couch or at the computer desk. (It was hard for me to get a good photo because she was right on top of me.)



Her favorite spot, though, seems to be the rocking chair. Sara and I don't sit in it too often because it's so low, so it might become Tovah's chair.

Bitter P.S. Muse Watson (my car) is in the shop getting an oil change and his air-conditioner fixed. I had to walk home today because neither Mom, Sara, nor Adam answered one of my repeated calls. (2/3 still don't have a voicemail set up, so I couldn't even leave a message.) This is the second time this has happened recently. At least this time it wasn't dark outside. It's really my own fault for thinking any of them would answer their phones.


Thankful Thursdays Button
rebecca_in_blue: (stiff shoulders)
My grandma is in the hospital (has been since yesterday) because she's had so much pain in her legs and trouble walking lately. Some relatives have been trying to get in touch with my mom about Grandma, and I feel like I'm being put in the middle again. It is not a pleasant position to be in, and one person even seems to blame me for my mom's behavior. I've had to make and receive some very snippy phone calls lately. Honestly, it's times like this when I can understand why Mom cut off contact with her family. For Hanukkah this year, I think I'd like a new family consisting only of members of my temple and NCIS characters.

The day got even worse when I got in my car after work and discovered that the battery in Muse Watson had died at the worst possible time! I made several calls for a ride but got no answers, and even more depressing, every single time, I got the message "Sorry, but the person you are trying to reach has a voice mailbox that hasn't been set up yet." Ugh! So I had to walk home! (Work is not right around the corner, nor was my walk through the most well-lit, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.) At least the weather's still warm. After I finally got home, I had to drive back to work in the truck, get Muse Watson jump-started, and buy a new battery for him. It was the biggest, most inconvenient hassle, and I missed seeing NCIS live! I watched the new episode online later, and it was the only thing that got me through the day.

On the other hand, it all kinda emphasized that I still have my good health and relative youth to be thankful for. I mean, Grandma is in the hospital because she can't walk, but I got an opportunity to put my legs to good use today.


"McGee, I have decided that I'm not gonna complain about anything ever, ever again. How could I whine about the cost of my DVD by mail service when there's real problems in this world?" )
rebecca_in_blue: (raised eyebrows)
Yesterday morning, my fast-food run ended with me driving Muse Watson to the auto-repair shop. No, I wasn't in another accident, but Muse had been having some problems that were getting worse. I'm beginning to suspect that car is as cantankerous as the person he's named after! Fortunately, he was fixed and ready to go this afternoon. I was able pay for his repairs, but I sure as heck didn't want to. Ugh. But there are things to be thankful for.

The latest hurricane/tropical storm/depression in the Gulf is sending a little rain and lots of wind our way. I love it! All day today it's been so fresh and cool and breezy outside. Perfect bike-riding weather, and it's neat seeing tree branches, stoplights, people's hair, and just about everything else blowing in the wind.

After shabbat services this evening, I took Eva out for pizza as a belated birthday gift. She turned 14 this week. She's an infinitely friendlier, happier, better-rounded young person than I was at that age. Of course, I was a moody, pissy little bitch at 14, and for many years after, so that's not the most ringing endorsement. But Eva can play beautiful pieces on the piano and has never had a lesson (the title to this entry is from one of the songs she loves to play; she has a thing for '80s power ballads), she studies tae-kwon-do and could probably take down most adults, and she's very active in her church.


When did this little chick - making faces with me, in Grandma's rightful house, on a Christmas Eve of long ago, photographed by Aunt Carolyn - get big enough and strong enough to give me a piggyback ride? (This is a really unflattering photo of me, by the way; thank goodness it isn't bigger.) I still can't believe she's 14 now! And I really can't believe that in just a few days, we'll have the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. It doesn't seem possible that it's been ten years already.

More good news: Athena will be in town this weekend for Labor Day! I have to work, but I'm going to find some time to see her, even if it means I won't get to sleep at all.

And... ONLY 18 DAYS LEFT until Season 9 of NCIS!

Good Shabbos!
rebecca_in_blue: (trembling hand)

One thing I had wanted to do during my vacation was make a trip to New Orleans to see the cemeteries. (I have heard the cemeteries there are beautiful, almost on the level of Pere Lachaise.) My plan to make a two-day trip and spend the night there was the first thing to fall through. I had hoped that a friend of mine would go with me, and that fell through next. I wasn't exactly thrilled about driving to Nola and back by myself in one day (+3 hours), but I've wanted to see the cemeteries there for so long, so yesterday morning, I set out.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer youself in any direction you choose.


The trip was smooth until I actually got to Nola. Rebecca made some stupid decisions, namely traveling by herself to a strange city without bringing a map. In my defense, I had only wanted to see the cemeteries, which are just off the interstate and should've been easy to find. But it turns out that Nola is full of twists and turns, one-way streets, the biggest potholes I've ever seen, and roundabouts (which I haven't seen since I left Europe)!

And if you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up her mind.

My nerves got good and frazzled, and then... I had my first car crash. I was at fault. No one was injured. The guy I hit said it was a bad intersection where wrecks had happened before. He didn't have any damage except for a flat tire, but poor Muse Watson (my car) was in bad shape. I drove to the closest auto repair place I could find, and they said they could fix him but it would take a week. I didn't know anyone in Nola and had to call my mom to come get me. Call me a wuss, but it was damn scary. It was my first wreck and I was so shaken-up. I had no idea how much it would cost to fix Muse Watson, or if my insurance would cover it, or if the guy I hit might sue me, etc. I wanted to scream, cry, and hit something, but I didn't. I forced myself to stay calm through the whole ordeal. I try very hard not to panic in emergencies, and I think this time, I did it.

I'm sorry to say, but sadly, it's true
that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.


I had no car and about four hours to kill in a strange neighborhood. First I waited in the repair shop lobby and read People magazines until they closed. Then I sat in a tiny bookstore until they closed (I bought Letters from Rifka to read while I waited). Then I browsed around in a pet store until they closed. Then I took a stroll around the neighborhood. Once out of my car, I saw Nola is a beautiful city. The area was so urban. There were corner delis and cafes, businesses and churches, flowers in bloom, and beautiful old houses with balconies draped with Mardi Gras beads and wrought-iron gates topped with fleur de lis. I wanted to take pictures, but my hands were too shaky.

All alone! Whether you like it or not,
alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll see things that scare you right out of your pants.


I was eating dinner in a Subway when Mom called me, screaming at me for directions to where I was. (Apparently she, like me, map-quested worthless directions.) I had to run to a Wal-Green's and buy a city map, then ask directions from a sheriff. Staying calm in emergencies is not Mom's strong suit. It was the most stressful part of the day. It took almost another hour for her to find me.

Today I called my insurance company and the repair place in New Orleans. Muse Watson will be fixed by next Friday, and all I have to pay is the deductible. I keep telling myself that at least no one was hurt... except my pride, my good driving record, and my car. I can't stop beating myself up about it all!

But I do have some good news: Grandma's making spaghetti tomorrow, and on Sunday, I plan to celebrate Purim for the first time with a festival at the temple. I'm a bit nervous about that becaue I have no idea what it'll be like. Tuesday is the first of three new NCIS episodes (starting with Out of the Frying Pan), and I can't wait to see how the storylines with Ray and EJ will play out!

My poor Muse Watson!

So be sure where you step. Step with care and great tact,
and remember that life's a great balancing act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft,
and never mix up your right foot with your left!

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