Canderous and Cade's Crazy Cantina: a shiny new fanfiction social thread!

A sink is a little like a box to a cat.

Edit: Well, it was an adventure getting the kids to school today. There are three roads from my area that lead to the city where they go to school. One is straight shot. The other two I either have to drive in the opposite direction for 20 miles to get onto the road. The second one I have to drive about 20 miles south to get onto the road. Either way I am adding about 40 miles onto my trip. We were taking our normal road and there is an accident up ahead completing shutting down the road. So I turn around and double back and go south and get on the other road. I am pretty sure I know where I am going, but I ask the kids to get the GPS and plug in Grandma's house that is already programed in. She lives about 10 miles from the school, but it will at least get us to the city and in familiar territory.

My oldest tells me, "I'll program in the school's address. I know the address by heart." So he does that. I am driving down the road and they tell me. "You have to turn here!" I was a little confused because it led me into a remote area, but there are a lot of roads that wind through the forest that might be a short cut. So I turn. Eventually we get so turned around that I ask my son. "Are you sure you put in the right address?"

He looks and says, "Oh...ah...I think I made a mistake."

So that added fifteen minutes onto our trip.

They are supposed to be at school at 8AM and we get there at 8:45 AM. We left at 7:15 AM. I hope the road is clear when school ends. I wouldn't think that would be a problem unless some chemical truck turned over.

 

Jedi_Lover: Ouch, that probably put a dent in your gas tank!

Well, I got a new cellular telephone today to replace the one lost earlier this week (it needed replacing anyway, in fact) and it's one of them newfangled touch-screen 4G models. Get this: it was actually cheaper than my old phone at time of purchase (the phone itself, mind—there were other charges like activation and such): my old one was $39.99 and this new one is ten dollars less thanks to it being on sale!

Now I just gotta learn how to use this cockamamie thing.

 

Regarding books: If I have a series they are in chronological order. Then my books a divided my genre, though my own idea of genre (medical reference, medical non-fiction, other non-fiction, writing reference, sci-fi/fantasy, other fiction, etc.) and then alphabetical by author.


So I was asked to apply for a job that would most likely pay a lot more, but would also take me out of the clinical setting. I'm going to apply because I can always say no if I were to be offered a job, and I have been complaining that I've been bored at work, but it would be a really big change and take me out of my comfort zone if I were to do it.

 

mavjade On the flip side, it would make for a much more stable working schedule (e.g., no pulling unplanned double shifts, having to swap shifts at the drop of a hat, etc.) as well as not having to worry about stupid rules getting in the way (like that department meeting thing). But then I'm probably just talking out of my arse, so pay me no heed...

 

I used up half a tank getting them there and back today. I would have turned around and just brought them home but my son had a field trip to the slopes for tubing and he really, really, really wanted to go. Today was a half day of fun for some type of winterfest.

mavjade I say go for it as long as the job is stable. You don't want to go to a job that disappears in a year or if you think they may be looking for someone with a doctorate or whatever and replace you. I've seen that happen at our local college where they hire a person in an Adjunct position with the promise of coming on full time and then later on somebody higher up says, "I want somebody with higher qualifications" and the person who left their old job for this adjunct-turned full time job finds themselves out of a job at the end of the semester. Staying employed is the hard part nowadays.

 

Well I don't take anything for being OCD but my therapist claims I have the problem. But I only keep certain things organized like my CDs which are mostly soundtracks. I have two small bookcases of them -- both are alphabetized but one case has ones I have listened to and rated the tracks and the other one has the ones I have not listended to. Much to my horror I found my Mom combining them one day and nearly fainted.

New phones -- huh, they can keep them. I had a friend pass me his iPhone last year so I could type in my email address for him and here I am tapping at it with my long finger nails and nothing is happening. He laughs at me and says use your finger pads. It took me forever. I'd much rather email someone or leave messages like we do here which I do from my laptop.

And GPSs -- my Mom's never knows where it is in the first place -- it's dysfunctional to say the least.

And Herecule is a fluffy beauty. He's a handsome boy.

 

Found out today that my grandma was moved to the dementia unit. My dad claims that she didn't recognize him when he went to see her, and that she doesn't know where she is, which flies in the face of when my brother and I talk to her. When we talk to her, she is alert, she knows where she is, she knows us, and seems fine, albeit a bit tired and possibly distracted. The thing is that people seem to forget is that she is nearly deaf. She has one good ear, and you need to lean down and speak into it, loudly and clearly. Sometimes writing helps, but speaking in her ear has been successful. It works best with two people; one to face her and the other to repeat what's been said. My brother and I will need to talk to her when we see her next.

As for why she was moved to the dementia ward? She was trying to escape. Go ahead and giggle, because I did. Honestly, my grandma would laugh at it, too.

 

The cat's name is Hercule, not Hercules as my step-family believes it is. Hercule is a name of a Belgian detective with a handle-bar mustache in Agatha Christy novels (thus why my cat is named Agatha).

How long ago did you see your grandma, Trak? It could be possible that she has the winter blues. My great-grandmother starts seeing the ghost of my great-grandfather every winter now for the past few years. Doctors are insistent that she has dementia, but when the weather warms up, she 100% with it.

As for trying to escape, my mother used to work in a care home. Most the tenants were very pleasant, except for this one old lady who would try EVERY DAY to 'escape'.

So, awkwardness of the day. My mom and step-dad have been separated for about a month now (their relationship has always been rocky and there was a fight that kinda just was the last straw that broke the camel's back). Anyways, he has been groveling to come back for like 2 weeks now and he's constantly pestering my half-brothers and my sister to talk to our mom (my sister has even gotten a lengthy Facebook message from his father, it was rather pathetic and just pissed her off). As the stone-cold person they know me to be, they have left me alone, until tonight. My phone was in my room all day and when I looked at it for the first time all day, I had a couple text from my step-dad. I'm like really? You must truly be desperate if you are coming to me for help. I didn't reply. I was done with him when he called me a druggy for taking a PRESCRIBED muscle relaxant. He called me a few choice names over the years and this last fight he called me a braindead witch, but with a b. I told him that I had been called worse things by better people (new favourite burn).

 

Family drama like that is never fun. Sorry you have to deal with it, Bri.

 

Thanks. No, it's not fun, but after 15 years of dealing with it, then before that remembering the pettiness that characterized my own parents' divorce, I'm kinda used to it. And at least I have thick skin from it.

 

I saw my grandma last month.

 

Thanks for correcting me on the fluffy one's name. I could hear my Grammie snickering at me on that one as Hercule Poirot was one of her favorites. Sorry to hear about the family drama. The worst thing I ever had to put up with growing up was my Mom and Dad fighting and him threathening to move out. My sister and I would always cry and get upset when Dad made these threats as we thought it was our fault. So Mom would take us aside and explain to us it was just Dad's way of blowing off steam. So finally one of the last times Dad made his threat Mom told him fine I'll help you pack --- he never made that threat again. Currently Dad is helping a fishing partner buddy of his. He's very depressed and Dad spends about half or better of the week with Bob. My Mom understands and luckily she's kind of like a lone wolf -- she's really strong emotionally which is great for me cause I'm a wreck. They celebrate 49 years of being wedded Feb 13th --- I won't say it's been all of bliss -- but I know they love each other and they love me and Sis.

I can't believe anyone could call you what he did --- I wouldn't return his messages either.

 

My folks finally signed divorce papers last year. All through childhood, I had wished that they would divorce.

 

I don't know your step-dad, but I have heard this said many times by alcoholics. If you dare remind them that they shouldn't drink so much they will try to bring you down to their level. "You should talk! You're a drug addict!" they will scream because you take an antidepressant once a day. It doesn't matter that you are on an antidepressant because you have to deal with an alcoholic on a daily bases.

 

No, that's a good point. It would mean no nights, no weekends, no holidays and yes, hopefully less of the stupid things... though I'm sure it would have it's own stupid and annoying things.

I don't think that would happen, but it's certainly something to look into. I'm more worried that I won't like it, but I'm not really happy in the job I have at the moment either.


TrakNar - Dementia can be intermittent as well, we see people with sundowners syndrome (fine during the day, really confused at night) in the hospital all the time. But her being mostly deaf probably is a big factor.

Briannakin - Sorry that he is dragging you into it, that's not right.

 

Well then, mavjade, here's hoping you get the job and that it works out for you.

 

Poor Mabel has dry, itchy skin, and she scratches herself raw and bites the hair off her belly. I bought a bottle of hydrocortisone spray and sprayed her with it. Now she's purring up a storm. Guess she likes the spray.

 

That's good you found a fix for her.

I've come to a conclusion that Agatha is a freak. I had sushi last night, so imminently Hercule is up in my face, so I give him a bit of salmon, which he inhales, then I try to give Agatha some. She just kinda sniffs it and leaves. THEN a few minutes later, my mom was eating Munchie mix, she drops a cheeto, and Agatha comes and eats it.

 

Sounds like some of the strays at my grandma's. They had a thing for Combos.

 

Wish I had a cat...

 

My Mom's Jade has dry skin. She will not tolerate being sprayed with anything. So Mom sprays her brush with something called Keri and then brushes her and she loves being brushed. My Max is a gravy freak. When fed he will lick all of the juices and gravy from the meaty morsels and then eat them. So sometimes as a treat when Jade's not around I will give him the can and let him have some gravy. I have to do it when Jade is not around because she's a glutton. She's a rescue and I think where she came from she had to fight for her food and does not understand she will get her portion. She looks just like Briannakin's Agatha.

 

My cat is driving me crazy. I went down into my home's crawlspace to check the dimensions of the furnace filter. Then I hear something moving around down there. It's my cat. She followed me down there. I can't catch her because she can stand up and run around and I have to crawl. So I left the door open so she can get out. Everytime I see her back in the house I go to shut the trapdoor and she runs and dives back into the crawlspace. She's driving me nuts. She's down there crying and the sound comes from the heat registers so it sounds like she is all over the place and in the walls.

Edit: Finally I got her out.

 

I have now a meowing bird in the house because there are lots of cats in my garden playing around (midnight strolls and activity) The parakeet hears and copies

 

So glad we don't have anything like that in our house! We've had our floorboards up a few times but luckily a cat has never gone under them.

In other news, I took the dog for a walk today. There's a woods near where we live that has this long looping path that's great for walking the dog as I end up back at the beginning. I didn't make it very far at all. Now I'm all worn out and in need of rest, but I have laundry to finish doing, and dinner, and ugh. If anyone is thinking about having major surgery I wouldn't advise it. All I want to do is sleep.

 

Can parakeets talk? Or is that just parrots?