Dude, I'm Bored

I feel repulsive. 3 days of no running can make an alarming difference. I took it easy the past couple days after my nasty downward spill, but I'm raring for a long outdoor run provided it doesn't rain all weekend. That would blow.

I have no specific blog topic in queue so consider yourself forewarned: when my mind begins to wander, there's no telling where things may lead. Happy Friday to you all! What do you people have planned for the weekend? I have no plans. I am not a maker of plans. I let others do the plan-making -- they tell me when and where to show up. It usually involves alcohol, plentiful and readily available.

I wish there were more going on in my life to razzle and dazzle my depleting number of readers. But no, my life is a big bore. The best I can come up with is a Marley update. If it wasn't official before, he officially hates me. His attention-whore lifestyle fails to coincide with my aloofness and need for distance. He exemplifies his dejection by attacking me mid-stride, wrapping his front paws around my ankle and sinking his razor-sharp teeth into my exposed skin. I forcefully yell "Ow!" while he gleefully scurries to safety, usually beneath the bed or behind the couch.

Sorry for the lame post. I keep getting distracted by co-workers and now it's time for lunch so this is it for today.

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

Busy, busy weekend. Marley officially hates me for spending no time with him.

So Friday after work, I felt winded running 6 miles. It was painful. The first three, I kept wanting to turn back which I only consider if I am really struggling. I forced myself to push through and when I'd completed three miles, I finally seemed to get in the zone so it was all good after that. It's usually not so much of a struggle which is evidence of my slacking.

That evening, a girl friend and I made plans to have a reunion of sorts with a guy friend of ours we hadn't seen since fall. We first met at Tugg's, but it was really crowded so we walked to Whitey's in NE Minneapolis. A friend of mine from work came with a couple of his buddies as well.

It was good to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Whitey's is a very relaxed place so there was no craziness going on -- no stripper pole in the middle of the dance floor. Not even a makeshift (i.e. move the tables and chairs), designated dance area. Good conversation, and that alone, is responsible for providing the entertainment.

After Whitey's, my girl friend and our old pal (my work friend went home) headed over to Grandma's to meet up with her friend from nursing school that was in town. Given my friend and I used to work at Grandma's, it is always an experience to go back there. I often feel overwhelmed by a flooding of flashbacks. However, the place was absolutely dead. Even on $1 beer night! That says a lot. The bartenders still hook us up so that's always a positive, but it was kind of depressing to see the lack of patrons. It was so dead they hadn't even bothered to turn off the lights in a place that used to be a major meat-market -- lighting is NOT conducive to random hook-ups!

After a two-week break from alcohol, my tolerance noticeably lowered. The two drinks at Whitey's were STRONG. I barely had anything at Grandma's, but I felt really drunk. Unfortunately, going to Grandma's turned out to be a buzzkill. By 1:00 am, all I wanted to do was go to bed and go to bed, I did.

Stuff and Things

Friday morning before work, I dropped off Marley at the vet so he could get declawed and neutered. He had to stay overnight, which I initially didn't think would be a big deal, but I missed the little guy like crazy! I'm so used to him following my every move and curling up on my lap when I watch TV and snuggling under my chin while I sleep that it was awfully lonely without him.

Happy to report his surgery went smoothly and he is recovering nicely. It struck me as odd when the vet said they used glue as opposed to stitches for both procedures. I guess that must be the preferred method these days. I have to say I just LOVE going to the vet clinic and seeing pet owners with their pets. It's always a delight and an added bonus is that you can't help but beam when your animal receives compliments even though you had absolutely nothing to do with their genetic makeup!!

I'm also happy to report my apartment has never been cleaner. It took multiple days, but I really scrubbed everything down and boy, did it need it! I feel as though I should take a picture, for it may never be this clean again.

I found myself at a "party" Friday night where the conversation revolved around World of Warcraft. The invite was extended from a guy at work, "Stripes," as Deborah and I refer to him since every day, without fail, he wears a striped shirt, usually short-sleeve polos. I can hang with the dorks, but this was borderline for me. I felt extremely out of place, so I only stayed for one vodka/cherry 7-up drink (the hard liquor supply was limited) and got the hell out of there.

I felt guilty when Stripes profusely apologized for boring me and tried to convince me to stay, but that wasn't happening. When I went to leave, Stripes walked me out, and then akwardly enough, two of his buddies trailed behind, one of them (who reminded me of a blonde Hamilton Porter from The Sandlot) saying, "We all came to say good-bye." Oh, and did I mention Stripes girlfriend was present at the party? Another interesting party attendee happened to be Stripes' new roommate, the girlfriend of his friend/roommate, whom he met playing World of Warcraft. How sweet is that?

Gnarley Marley

Marley's First Vet Visit

Welcome to Marley's Corner. So I bought this cheap thing on sale at Target last week. Not one to pay much attention to directions, it wasn't until I nearly had the thing built that I discovered a vital blue plastic part was missing. Alas, I took it apart, returned to Target for an even exchange and got to re-do it all over again.

Marley seems to enjoy his little playhouse. When he's in this lower fort area, he likes to chase his own tail.

He had his first vet visit last Friday. The vet techs and vets were all "ooohing" and "ahhhing" over him. I would've thought they'd be so accustomed to seeing cute kittens and puppies all day that it wouldn't faze them, but I suppose they don't call them animal lovers for nothin'.

The vet said he is definitely part Abyssinian. After Googling some pics, I can really tell that's the case. Especially with his coloring and big ears. Speaking of, they discovered he has ear mites. Ew! So they said it's not a big deal, but they gave me some medication to apply twice each day for a week to get rid of the bugs.

At least his first vet exam is out of the way. He had his second distemper shot, rabies vaccination, feline leukemia & FIV test and complimentary nail trim.

Marley's First Purr

I thrash around in my sleep too much for Marley, for he's been sleeping under the bed. But during my last hour of sleep this morning, he jumped up on the bed and made himself comfortable by curling his body around my neck, assuming a spooning position to sleep. When I awoke, I heard him purr for the first time! Awww. He purred again when I arrived home from work and knelt down to pet him. I've only had him a week and I can already tell he's growing -- he's filled out some and looks longer!! His high-pitched meow sounds funny...he needs to go through puberty!

Marley & Me

Seriously, could he be any cuter??? He's no puppy, but he's pretty damn cute for a kitty! I love his facial features best. My friend determined his face looks like a mouse and he's right -- just look at those huge ears and white mouth. I like how his pink, tiny triangle nose is outlined in black.

He's been a lot of fun to have around. He's most rambunctious in the morning so I always feel bad leaving him for 8+ hours to go to work, but what can ya do? Nonetheless, he does a good job of keeping himself entertained with his wide variety of toys. What's the point of having a pet if you can't spoil him/her? The sparkly ball in this picture is his favorite. I've never seen a cat chase a ball as much as he does! My friend taught her smart feline to fetch. Perhaps Marley can learn the same -- he'd never tire of that game!

I scheduled his first vet appointment for Friday so he can get a check-up and round of shots. I think he'll do okay at the vet because he's rather bold for a 12-week-old kitten. He's not the least bit shy of humans, but naturally, he does get scared by loud noises.

I believe he tried sleeping beside me last night, but I was tossing and turning so I think he may have slept under the bed. He emerged from my bedroom this morning, but I'm unsure of exactly where he came from.

Oddly enough, he likes to lick the bottom of feet. He also enjoys attacking the glass image of himself in mirrors. Another of his favorite pasttimes is watching TV. Earlier tonight, I caught him intently watching Everybody Loves Raymond (see above).

When he tuckers out from all his heavy activity, he looks like this:

Am I Crazy, or Just Plain Stupid?

A little of both. Most definitely.

I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to blog about the latest addition to my family, Marley. If you don't like the name, blame my friend : P (btw, I just learned how to do that emoticon a few days ago). We were sitting around trying to come up with names when he saw the book, Marley & Me, on my coffee table. It kind of stuck in my head and I'm sick of thinking of names so the poor thing is out of luck.

If you're completely shocked by my news, it was somewhat of an impulsive decision. However, last week I did write a very long, detailed blog about my love for animals and how I missed having a pet, but when I went to post it, I'd been signed out of blogger so I lost my entire post. By then, it was time for bed so I never went back to that topic.

Instead I spent the following day looking at Petfinder for a cat to adopt. Initially, I considered an older cat so I went to this non-profit, no-kill animal shelter in St. Paul called Feline Rescue. All the cats are either abused or abandoned and they are free to roam the place which is really nice. There was one black and white cat, Cookie, that I seemed to bond with, but I didn't feel ready to commit at that point.

The next day, I began searching kittens on craigslist when I came across a couple cute ones so I emailed replies to both. I called one woman and made arrangements to see/pick-up the cat that evening while she worked the overnight shift in Plymouth. It wasn't until I was halfway there at 10:00 pm that it occurred to me I could be putting myself in danger. I was driving to a random stranger's home late at night and given that I was acting on impulse, I hadn't bothered to inform anyone of my whereabouts.

Nonetheless, everything turned out fine. I showed up at the home of where the woman worked -- I'm led to believe she was a cleaning lady of some sort. Look up "cat lady" in the dictionary and you'll see her picture.

Anyway, Marley is adorable and very playful. I'd forgotten just how sharp a three-month-old cat's claws can be! But he is sweet and I was pleasantly surprised to find him curled up next to me in bed the other morning. I feel guilty that I haven't had a whole lot of time to devote to him as of yet, but I don't think I have much going on this week so I should be able to give him some much-needed attention!!

Haven't had a chance to take any pics yet, but here are a couple from the craigslist ad. Stay tuned for more Marley pics and updates.