-learning to make lattes, americanos, frapuccinos et all at the store cafe. i could see where i might like working here more than i enjoy the book floor, as it is very fast-paced and requires multitasking. i love both of those. book floor can be fast-paced etc too, but not as often. besides, i get to make tasty caffeinated drinks for the masses, who (needless to say) appreciate their daily (hourly, half-hourly...) fix
-i am going to see Turandot next Friday! oh, happy me! i've never seen a live performance of an opera before (some videos, yes, and of course recits/arias in concerts, but this'll be my first REAL opera!!!!), and am extremely excited. oh, and i am going with my Most Excellent Accompanist, who will have taken the GED the day before and will, therefore, need some TLC. puccini=TLC. did i mention that (pre-vet visit, needless to say) i splurged and got some opera glasses that are tres fabugorgeous? i felt slightly regretful of this purchase post-vet-visit, but they WERE rather cheap and ARE absolutely perfect, so cowtown opera, here i come!
-i cooked today! so much more economical than eating out. i used the bones from a chicken i roasted last week to make chicken stock. to the stock, i added some organic brown rice and most of the veggies from my vegetable drawer (lots of carrots, some green onions, a yellow onion, two red bell peppers, some celery). i sauteed the vegetables in chicken stock and olive oil before throwing them in the soup. this soup will last me all week, and cost maybe $10 to make. the $7 chicken was the most expensive part, of course, but that chicken provided meat for salads/wraps last week, and soup for this week, so i think i got my money's worth! while that was cooking, i was baking some yams in the oven and marinating chicken thighs (dark meat for a change) in a garlic-herb marinade. the chicken thighs marinated for about 3 hours, and then i set them in the oven. they're just about finished now, and smell entirely too good. I'll use those all week for salads and wraps, and save the bones for more chicken broth next week.
-Amadeus is not at 100% yet, but i figure he's getting better--i had to kennel him earrrrrly this morning because he got into some mischief. hasn't eaten much today, either, but has slept a lot, and purred when i picked him up. didn't think much of the antibiotics, either. (side note: why on earth do they flavor the cat antibiotics with BUBBLE GUM flavoring? why not chicken, or beef, or some such? what posessed someone to think that bubble gum flavoring would help the cat cooperate with the antibiotics?)
-off to work; money is good!
I love and adore this town nine months of the year. During the summer, I still love it. I just am not entirely thrilled with the humidity. See above.
The positives of the cowtown summer include my new love: amaretto-flavored ice cream. The name says it all. Utter and total cold decadence is mine! There's a marble-slab-style ice cream shop in the same shopping center where I work. By itself, or with a brownie mixed in, this stuff is ADDICTIVE. VERY.
(note to self: extra workout this week...)
Amadeus is quite sick, but he'll be okay.
FIV-negative. Ditto Feline Leukemia. Thank God.
His white blood cell counts are about twice what they're supposed to be, and his hematocrit is up. He was running a fever of 104 (101 being normal for cats) and quite dehydrated. The vet said it was some kind of infection (didn't know where or what) and gave him antibiotics. Don't even ASK the price of all this. Suffice to say that I'm actually kinda hoping to be called in for work this evening, and that I'll be picking up every extra shift I bloody well can, as well as putting out the word that I'm available for any odd jobs anyone needs done.
Oh, but he's worth it. While I might gripe a bit about the (frankly, inflated) vet bill, at least he looks a bit perkier after the antibiotic shots, the fluids, and the anti-febrile meds. And in a few days he'll be back to his normal mischievous and impertinent self, and fling himself ecstatically at my ankles when I open his kennel in the morning. He'll also open the bathroom door (yes, he opens doors) and keep me company while I shower, apply makeup, etc. And when I get home in the evening, he is in the front window and waiting for me.
Yeah, he's worth it.
Off to give him a cuddle...
is not a happy pussycat right now.
I have no idea what's wrong, but I'm a bit concerned.
He is usually kenneled at night, as he is far-and-away the most mischievous cat i've ever owned. He's just so danged curious that if I don't kennel him, I'll wake up and the fish will have been fished, the curtains will have been climbed, the dog (also kenneled) will be teased all night, and he'll have pulled a half-dozen books off my book case. Er, no thanks. I put him in a carrier designed for a small dog with a nice folded flannel sheet at the bottom. The carrier is a bit bigger than the average cat carrier (which is why I use it; gives him a little more space).
I woke up this morning and went to let him out. When I opened the kennel door, I saw that he'd vomited during the night, and was huddled in the back corner. I figured that he didn't want to come out 'cause he'd have to walk in the vomit, so I took the top off the carrier and picked him up out of it. He growled and mewed. This is not like him; usually he is uber-affectionate and wants cuddles the minute he gets out of the kennel. I set him on the floor, and he walked slowly into the bathroom, where he threw up a few more times before lying down. Normally he'd RUN, tail high, into the bedroom where his food dish is and inform me in NO uncertain terms that he hadn't eated in WEEKS (or eight hours, or something). Now he's behind the entertainment center, and when I talk to him, he growls and fusses. This is very unlike him. Even when he throws up sometimes (as cats do) I usually have to kennel him for an hour or so to keep him from eating again immediately.
(following a bit gross, so ignore if you like)
I've looked, and there's no blood in the vomit. There are also no leaves. He is an indoor-only cat, but I do have a small pot of ivy on the high window over the kitchen sink. Ivy is toxic to cats, but he's never gone anywhere near it before, and it is undisturbed now. Also, he was FINE last night when I put him in the kennel. All that appears to be in the vomit is partially-digested food.
If he doesn't perk up a little in the next two hours, I'm calling the vet and bringing him in.
As a side note, Cascapedia, my other cat, is her usual self. Whatever is going on with Amadeus isn't happening with her, thank goodness!
Sigh. Prayers/good thoughts would be really appreciated. Poor baby Amadeus-puss!
Oh, abebooks.com is a wonderful place!
For those of you who love books, consider going there. Any out-of-print book (or, for that matter, in-print book) imaginable is available on there via their sellers--who, incidentally, seem to hold themselves to a VERY high level of customer service.
I ordered the following:
I really don't know much about La Stupenda, except that she was born in Australia, her music is just breathtaking, and a few notes in another diva's book. So, I ordered this. It's out of print; I got it hardbound and in good condition for $1 plus $4 shipping.
On the recommendation of the carapiccoladiva, I also ordered this. It is also hardbound and in good condition, and cost $6 plus $4 shipping.
Don't get me wrong--I love my job and my store. However, there are certain books I can't just walk in there and get (though, in fairness, they now offer used books via their website), and, frankly, many books are often cheaper used and online. Not all of the sellers on abebooks offer free shipping, but many are now doing so.
Oh, to have unlimited book-buying funds!
(seen on a customer's T-shirt)
"Cinderella is proof that shoes can change your life."
Ambulance Driver wrote a fantastic tribute to our servicemen and women. Hop on over to his blog and read it. And bring the Kleenex.
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
There is exactly one American veteran left who served in WWI. Frank Buckles, 107, enlisted in the Army after persuading the Army recruiter that he was 18, but that there was no way of proving it because Missouri, his home state, "didn't keep public birth records." (note: he had failed to persuade the Marine and Navy recruiters by using the same ridiculous story.) Within my lifetime, the last American veteran of WWII will go to his reward. Indeed, there is a possibility that I will outlive the last veteran of Vietnam.
That is sobering.
To all who have served, to all who have aided those who have served---thank you, and God bless.
God bless America and all who fight for freedom from oppression. Remember: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
I might as well post this as well. This is Dawn Upshaw singing Susannah from Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). The plot is entirely too complex to describe here (think musical soap opera), but suffice to say that she is singing about love. And I've fallen in love with this. :P
Leaving aside the total loveliness of the music, isn't the staging/costuming gorgeous? (and I know I've just used that word in two consecutive blog posts, but I think it's the best word for that set. Watch and see if you don't agree!)
Enjoy!
Yep, I'm alive. And everything is fine. And so help me, there WILL be a pic-filled post if I can get this #*%^ computer to cooperate.
First, there were finals. Those were stressful, but I did well. Another 3.9 semester, and I've officially finished my first year as a music major! Scholarship apps have been filled out, and more will be worked on over the summer.
Once finals were over, I found myself utterly drained. I don't know if it was accumulated lack of sleep + stress or a touch of flu or all of the above, but I slept about 12-13 hours every day for the first 10 days or so after school let out. Even sleeping that much, I'd have to drink an indecent amount of coffee to get through a mere 8-hour day at work; if I wasn't at work, I'd be on the couch with a book or watching TV or napping. I don't know what that was about. However, I'm pulling out of it. In the last few days, I've built and stained and bracketed-to-the-wall a bookcase (gorgeous, if I do say so myself--six feet tall, dark cherry color), cleaned the entire house (how the heck can three short-haired animals shed THAT MUCH HAIR and not be bald?), cleaned out my car (downright frightening), did many loads of laundry, mowed the lawn, grocery shopped, and cooked. The house has that lovely feeling that a really clean house has. Yay me!
Then, too, my computer has had issues, and lots of 'em. It wouldn't connect to the Internet for over a week, has taken to freezing when I ask it to upload pictures, and will randomly close programs because it feels that it is running low on memory. The computer guru-ess, AKA themaureencorps, has diagnosed it as "you can either lay out a LOT of money to get it fixed, or you can use slightly more money for a new computer." Ouch.
However, life is good. New music for next semester has been assigned. And so, I will leave you with the incomparable Dame Joan Sutherland as she sings an aria that I am learning:
Handel has this indescribable smooth beauty that I find particularly enchanting right now. (does that last sentence make any sense?)
I must go running tomorrow morning...
