Storm of the Century . . .

Holy crap! I think a hurricane went through Omaha, Nebraska. They say its not a tornado, just a thunderstorm, but 70 - 80 mile an hour winds. So not normal.

I live in, as does most of my family and friends, an older part of town. The power lines are typically above ground, hanging out with like 200 year old trees. Giant trees. Trees that might kill you if they fell down. And they did. Yesterday. Two people actually died from a tree falling on their car. That is very sad. Thankfully, my family and friends are safe.

My neighborhood is trashed. The power finally came back on in our apartment in the middle of the night. I am about to head out to work. We'll see how things have improved.

I'll right more later, but I have to go eat breakfast.

Um Yeah.

Sister is out unusually late. She sent me a text around 9:30pm saying she would be home soon. No response to any texts. It's 11pm, I'm getting really worried.

Also, the parking outside my building has been for shit lately. I think a bunch of slow folk moved in somewhere in the vicinity. They park on the street spaced apart so that half the amount of people can park on the street that normally can. So annoying. It's bad enough that I can just barely parallel park my car because its a giant milk carton, but now the few spaces that are available are tiny. Can I leave notes on peoples cars? Call my landlord? Anything? Seriously.

Update: Sister just called. She had her phone on silent and didn't get my texts. She's okay.

Too young for bras and other grown up things . . .

Okay . . . so my sister got a new kitten. I have 3 big cats. Yes, folks, that's 3 + 1 = 4, FOUR CATS! DANGER! You have just passed Sort of a Cat Lady forest and are now deep in Definitely a Cat Lady land. Anyway, new baby kitten (Max) has turned into quite the rambunctious little dude. My sister works the occasional 16 hour shift, and when that happens I am solely responsible for ALL FOUR CATS. Now I can handle this. I am a veteran in kitten world. I once lived in a studio apartment with 3 cats. I can handle just about anything that is thrown at me. Other then the constant biting of my toes (and last night - my inner thighs!) Max is pretty cool. But he is nosy. And he is very concerned with my bras, especially the one that was hanging on the handle of my closet door. This tasty bra was hanging by one arm strap, so the other strap or loop, if you will, was close to the floor. Max likes to spend our late evening hours laying on his back below the bra, licking, chewing, and pawing at the end of it. So I am in my bed reading, I have almost completely blocked out all the noises the cats are making. All of a sudden my tired ears focus in on a tiny little meow (definitely Max) but something is off. It's not his I-want-your-dinner cry or his I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass wail, which he tends to unleash right before he launches himself at one of the big cats hindquarters - claws and teeth gleaming. I also sense that it is not just the slow lazy drawl he is prone to when he is bored and looking for something to fuck with. This is short and quick with a hint of panic. When I finally hoist my lazy ass up, I see that in the process of playing with my bra, he had gotten his head inside the arm loop and twisted it tight to make a little elastic noose. Now, he wasn't hanging, just sitting there with very good posture, because moving made it tighten. Those little short meows were the plea for immediate assistance from a very scared little boy. He hasn't bothered with a bra since. Smart kitty.

Confessions of a former Chain Smoker.

So I have been a non-smoker for like 3 1/2 weeks. I just spent time with 2 friends that I don't see very often last night, both these people were less then pleased with my smoking. I guess my sparkling personality is what kept them coming back for more for so long. Anyways I guess I just wanted to comment on something that I didn't think that I would feel when I quit smoking. I knew I would crave it and eventually get grossed out from the smell, probably get a few headaches from the withdrawls, but there is one thing I didn't anticipate. I am missing a huge part of my personality. I don't know if it is a good part. Or maybe it is that I have a very underdeveloped portion of my personality. One of my friends commented on how different I acted as a non-smoker. I think the cigarette was a safety blanket. Smoking used to be something that broke the ice to talk to someone new, got me out of a situation by letting me "step outside" to smoke, it even gave me something to do with my hands when I didn't know where to put them. But now I am sort of forced to just be me, no fillers, no excuses or escapes. I feel more clean, clear, and responsive. It is awesome.

Ketch - Up!

So I'm back! Its only been, oh a couple months. The last time I posted I was buying a car and moving. The car is still fine. Not as cool when you start having to pay for it. I moved. My sister and I have had our first fights. Yes, that was plural. But all in all I think it is going to be okay. I don't really want to go into it all. What's more important right now is what is on my mind. I have been thinking so much lately about consequences and responsibility. I used to think very little about the repercussions of my actions. Smoking, shopping, partying, etc. As I get a little bit older I am starting to realize that I can't keep acting like I don't have to worry about the future. Basically, I wish I would have listened to my parents more. So kids, listen to your parents, they are right about somethings. But they are not right about the whole eat your whole plate because there are starving kids in China. There are starving kids in China, but you are not going to help feed them by eating all of your food, you are just going to develop bad eating habits and get fat, so just eat until you are full. Good night.

Oh, I should probably tell you why I named my blog that. Maybe next time.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Holy Crap! I suck at blogging. So life has been all sorts of crazy recently. First, my car died, or I should say, it became too insanely expensive to fix. So I bought a new-to-me car! Woo to the Hoo! It is a black Honda Element, circa 2003. And I'm totally loving it. But of course, the day of and following the purchase, I was my usual neurotic self. One thing you should all know about me is that I HATE CHANGE!! No matter how much I want it, or think I need it, I hate it when it comes. Most normal people will enjoy something like a new car, especially if they were driving a beater like my old one, but not me, no way, I will worry and fret constantly about whether or not it was the right choice. Then I will start to think that I made a mistake. Good news: 3 weeks after my purchase I am finally happy with it. I am enjoying it every time I drive. No worrying about gas mileage, size, if it sounds right when I start it, if I heard a funny noise when I put it in reverse. Nope, just complete enjoyment of being able to opend my driver side door from the outside, enjoying strong heat, defrost on both the windshield and the rear window, and not feeling like my ass is dragging on the pavement! Also looking forward to using my airconditioning in the summer!!!

Oh, I will also be joining forces with my sister Lydia in the world of apartment renting. That means that we are moving in together. We have a place rented, and we will be moving in at the end of March. Pretty much everyone that knows the both of us, thinks this is a bad idea. Lydia and I used to fight like no other. It would be safe to say that we were mortal enemies, but in the last couple of years we have become good friends. Maturity snuck up on both of us, and all of a sudden I enjoy hanging out with her. I look forward to it. When she called and asked me to consider being her roommate, I felt an overwhelming feeling like it would be a good thing. And ever since that, I still feel the same, for the most part. I mean I questioned a little bit early on, but my gut kept telling me it was the right thing. I think this is the first time, in a long time, that I seem to be handling a big change well. Of course it hasn't actually happened yet. So we'll see.

Goodnight Internet, I have run out of things to say!

This helped.

COMES THE DAWN
by Veronica Shorffstall

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head held high and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

You learn to build your roads
On today because tomorrow's ground Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have
A way of falling down in midflight.

After a while you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate
Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you can really endure,
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth

And you learn and learn ...
and you learn

With every goodbye you learn.