Lucky 13!!!

Louise turns 13 years old today!!!


I can't believe it's been so long since I adopted the cutest little black kitten on the planet. We've been through a lot since then - lived in three states, survived a fire, dealt with major kitty health problems. Two years ago, I almost lost Louise to complications from diabetes, but with the help of friends and family she is healthy, totally lazy, and with me today, just as cute as ever.


Awwwwwwwwww....

Louise has a lot of fans, but some special thanks need to go out to peeps for helping me in the last few years: my dad, Leslie, Tracy, Renee, yasu, and of course, my fave kitty daddy who helps me take care of her on a daily basis, Egan.


(Sorry honey, she likes your spot.)

Gotta Getta Goetta!

Yesterday marked my seventh (I think) venture out of the house in five weeks. Renee and yasu hosted a mid-western themed brunch, and being from Ohio, I had to represent. Egan drove me the three blocks, and Todd and Rand had to manhandle me up the stairs, but after that it was smooth sailing for a feast to rival any Thanksgiving. Renee and yasu always make too much food, but that's just part of their generous nature. And, you won't see me complaining about having too much deliciousness on my plate!


Mmm, goetta, hash, summer tomatoes...


I haven't seen the new 90210 yet, SOB! Renee and I used to watch the original religiously (+ Melrose, + Party of Five, + the ill fated Models, Inc). I see a new tradition starting...



yasuaki on his second plate - waffles were next. I have no idea where he puts it, I just know I'm jealous, because I wish I had that place. Or at least I wish that place wasn't my ass.

Hamster Love!

Tony and Randi came over for a glass of wine Saturday night and brought a very special guest - Jasper!


The adults were too boring for him, but Jasper found a kindred spirit in Jose Luis.

Cat on a Hot Wood Floor

Ok, I know I've totally discarded my mid-western roots when I start bitching about 80 degree heat. But, I'm sorry!!! It was freaking hot last week! Yes, of course, it pales in comparison to the 90-100 degree heat + 90% humidity days of my childhood, or worse, my mid-twenties spent in New York. Ahhh, memories of being trapped underground on a hot, crowded subway train at rush hour when a fight breaks out because someone got their toe stepped on and the other person claims to have a gun... those were the days. Sigh.

But still, for a delicate flower like myself, I felt...wilted. Terribly... so...so terribly...wilted. And I wasn't the only one in our household who felt that way.
Louise moved from spot to spot, ignoring her usual comfy places like her quilt, the bed, the carpet, stretching herself out to cool off.


Egan came home with a headache.


United in suffering.

An exciting 48 hours!

Wow, this deserves a blog. I got to leave the apartment more times in the past 48 hours, than I have in the past two weeks. I went to Chow twice, got my eye brows done (thank god) , went to see my doctor for a 4 week check up, AND went to see The Mommyheads last night!

First, the doctor's news...
My foot is healing really well and is beginning to look less like a monkey paw and more like a foot. The x-ray showed amazing straight bones, so I no longer have to wear a splint and that is helping with the swelling.


Unfortunately, I still can't walk for another three weeks. But it's my hope that come September 23rd, my next appointment, I will get a walking cast and be able to walk on my birthday the next day. (Eh hem, the 24th...write it down.)

Now, The Mommyheads:
Later that night, Egan and Renee and I went to Cafe du Nord, which seemed daunting at first due to the stairs, but they have a very secure railing which is good not only for me, but for all the drunks they probably deal with on a nightly basis. Renee and I have been major fans of The Mommyheads since college, so we had an awesome time reminiscing and singing along. Egan had fun too, although he wasn't so hip on the name and thought they should be called something like "Savage Thunder." Anyway, The Mommyheads broke up 10 years ago, but recently reunited to play a handful of shows to promote a new album.


Since this was their first live show in 12 years, and their only SF show, I wasn't going to let my gimpy status stand in the way. Lots of great tunes. You can hear a sample and buy their album here: http://bladencountyrecords.com/

Oh, and can you believe I didn't somehow find a way to post a picture of Louise?

Boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!

Egan gets back from L.A. tonight and I can't wait to see him! He's been gone since Thursday and although we've talked several times a day, I still missed him a ton. So did Louise. In fact, I spent a good part of yesterday sending him photos of Louise...

Ok. I know, I know. I need to stop with the cat pics, but she's so cute and I am trapped inside! What is a girl to blog about in such circumstances? Yes, you should worry.


Egan's parents sent me an Oregon State stuffed beaver last fall. Louise is a fan.


See! How could I not share this?

Ok, I need help. Someone get me out of the apartment before I am past the point of no return.

Sunday

Saturday morning...

I was brought to the window by the cries of a rather desperate sounding tranny, ("No, YOU don't understand, I lost my purse!!!!!") and this is what I saw.



Not only has someone defaced the Oak Fair Market, but there is a garage sale not even a block away. Can I make it? I want to... And I just saw people carrying stuff. Stuff. That's what I want. I don't need anything, but I want something. Something to break up the lying in bed watching movies and VH1. But I'm not sure I can get there. And, if I did, how would I carry anything back? Maybe a stranger would take pity on me, but do I want a stranger in my house? And, god forbid, what if the garage sales sucks? I don't want to spend 20 minutes getting down the stairs for some asshole's dirty pint glass, or stained tupperware, or shitty George Foreman grill that they're totally ditching cuz it sucks to clean. Been there, done that. I guess I'll settle into the last half of "Empire Strikes Back" and pretend I still have a life... or maybe I'll blog about my cat some more.

Scaredy Cat

Louise is at her breaking point. For the past three weeks, every time I approach her on my crutches she freaks out and scrambles out of my way as if the crutches are going to come alive and hunt her down. Last night, Egan got out his suitcase, a sure sign of impending abandonment. And now...now?!?!? The cleaners have come, and they brought a noisy, scary vacuum cleaner!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!


There's nowhere to go! Nowhere to run!


Why God? WHY?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?


Put the blanket back, you FOOL! You're going to get us KILLED!

At the three week mark.

As of today, it's been three weeks since my surgery. Here's what my foot looks like at this point. A little less creepy than before...



My foot is definitely less swollen and less purple.



I still can't put any weight on it and won't be able to for another 4-5 weeks. But at least now I can get a better picture of what my new foot will eventually look like.

The path to freedom...

If you notice at the end, Tiff walks off with my second crutch.

Folding Cranes

Today I've been folding cranes for Renee and Yasu's Cincinnati wedding reception. They had over 2,000 cranes at their wedding last month! It was gorgeous, and touching that so many people gave their time and folding abilities. I was sad to stop folding, so when Renee asked if I could fold some for their Ohio party, I was thrilled! It's so relaxing and an honor to be able to contribute to their special time.


Renee, the lovely bride, with a lovely crane!


Renee gives her crane the breath of life.

I'm a believer

After another tasty slow cooked pork meal, I have no choice but to sing the praises of the slow cooker. If you don't own one, you must buy one. Last night Tiff and Mel came over for some bbq ribs, and they were pretty amazing if I do say so myself.




Tiff made corn pudding.


Mel brought a very special little guest, Owen!


Egan, with a mouth full of ribs, joins the cult of the slow cooker.

I'm a lucky gal

Egan is my knight in shining armor. Only he's not really dressed in armor, that's just a figure of speech. But I guess he's still kind of shiny... Anyway, he's been taking care of me as I recover from surgery, which I imagine can be somewhat trying, especially on my cranky days. And especially given that this the second time in a year that he's taken care of me after surgery. Yup, I am one lucky lady.

How Louise spent Saturday...

Every Saturday is a lazy Saturday for Louise.

Lazy Saturday...

In a show of solidarity, Egan spent most of yesterday lying in bed with me watching movies. We watched Bull Durham, which I had never seen, and actually liked more than I thought I would, a fact I grudgingly admitted to Egan. The Susan Sarandon / Kevin Costner scene at the end where they finally "do it" and then dance around her living room was a little much though. We got it, you like each other...enough already.

We also watched the Obama and Biden speech.


Egan reacts to Biden.


For dinner, we had mahi mahi, corn on the cob, chard and ice cream with fruit for dessert. Yum!




Mmmm, corny.

Later we watched Singles. Singles does not hold up. It was dreadful. Cameron Crowe is a fucking sap. I think except for Say Anything, I can safely say I hate all of his movies - especially Jerry Maguire. Do not fucking get me started on Jerry Maguire.

Frankenstein foot, part 2

So, I just got my stitches out.
Maybe I'm a complete pussy, but once they took off the tape and I got a look at the long incision down the left side of my foot, I got mega-queasy. Then I got lightheaded and felt like I might faint, so they had me lay back, drink water, and take deep breathes. When it was time to start snipping the stitches, the doctor told me I would feel "a little tug." Well, I can assure you, it did not feel like a "little tug." It fucking hurt. One of the stitches in my second toe had wedged itself into my skin like a soldier hunkering down in the trenches who has pledged that he won't be taken alive. That one was the worst, and I actually cried out, "FUCK!!!!!!!"



The angle is a little odd, because I still had my head back in the weird podiatrist chair contraption. But, my guess is you can still tell where that little soldier was.

Again, my pedicure still looks good!

Louise's favorite spot...

Louise is one lucky kitty. She has her own quilt made by my friend Todd's mom. Egan and I put it on his desk chair when we moved in, and from that day on, there's been no doubt, that the chair is no longer Egan's.

Pretty...

The lily by my bed opened. Pretty...

Ladies lunch!

I got to go outside again today. Thank god, because I was on the verge of seriously losing my shit. Mel and Tiff took me to lunch at Frankie's Bohemian Cafe and we had burgers. Frankie's is a special place for us as we had our first squad dinner as a threesome there three years ago. We also came close to getting egged on the way home that night, but that's another story.


Mmm, bbq bacon cheesy goodness for me


Mel got a turkey burger. She *hearts* ketchup.


Tiffany's turkey burger better say it's prayers.

It boggles the mind...

Last night Renee, Yasu, Todd and Rand came over to have dinner and play games with Egan and me. We played Boggle and Catchphrase... I realized that not only do I suck at Boggle, but my handwriting is dreadful. Guess which answer sheet is mine?



It's Renee's birthday in a few days, so we had cupcakes to celebrate! My favorite was the lemon, followed closely by the chocolate mint. Yum!

Awwww...

Ahh, pulled pork...how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Before




After

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!

Inspired by our fancy drink at Absinthe, Egan made us Sazeracs at home last night as a treat! Tracy came by for a visit and joined us in a little libation.



Little did she know, she was about to see the showdown of the century!



Awww shit, bitches! Someone call the WWF!

In this city by the bay, we are about to witness the final chapter in an ongoing rivalry that has taken the world of Oak Street by storm! In the left corner, we have the invincible fighting feline force, Louise!!! In the right corner, we have the tiny but mighty, hamsterific power Jose Luis!!! Who will rein supreme? Will Jose Luis once again humiliate all of kitty-kind and make off with a pouch full of diabetic cat food? Or will Louise finally bring THE PAIN?!?!?

Meanwhile back at the homestead...

Louise takes over stalking duties. I expect a full report this evening of what happened at the Oak Fair Market while we were gone.

I got to go outside today!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh, fresh air. A change of scenery. What a difference these things make. I've been out of the apartment only 3 times in the past 10 days. It's kind of an ordeal to get down the stairs, and it's harder than I thought it would be to go very far on crutches, but it's still worth the effort.

Egan and I went to Absinthe for lunch. We both got fancy cocktails, Frenchy sandwiches and we shared some freedom fries!





Egan looking handsome and sophisticated with his Death in the Afternoon. Oui!



I had a Bloody Mary. Not exactly French, but it was tasty. And did I mention that I got to leave the apartment? Double Oui.