Thank the heavens!

They had me worried there for a bit. Scientists were seriously considering letting sentimentality and public opinion decide the facts. Not that I have anything at all against someone considering Pluto one of their favorite celestial bodies, but for pete's sake it's not a planet! Sure it's got its own moon, but c'mon! Its orbit is kattywhumpus to the plane of all the "real" planets, plus it sneaks inside Neptune's orbit for part of its year. And where would it end? Xena? The next dozen objects they find out in the Kuiper belt? Would you seriously want your kid to have to build a solar system model with 10,000 planets?

Okay yes, Pluto has been a planet since the 1930s, but guess what -- the asteroid Ceres was labeled a planet for 50 years before they discovered it was just one component of the asteroid belt. That's how science works: corrections are made as new facts are discovered. For example, Brontosaurus was renamed Apatosaurus when it was realized the same dinosaur had been discovered twice (the official name going to the first find).

So sorry all you Pluto fans, your fav (along with Ceres, Xena, and who knows what all) is now properly called a dwarf planet. Although as a nod to sentimentality, I would have been happy with the proposal to call them all plutoids but that didn't stick. Oh well. Can't win them all.

Lockdown!

So last Friday at work we had a wee bit of excitement. Shots fired, squealing tires, manhunt, lockdown, the whole nine yards. The initial incident happened just across the street from us, so it made for an interesting workday. Especially since (on the lighter side) none of us had brought any lunch, and here we were stuck in lockdown! (Our boss helpfully suggested we had lots of dog food, lol. Thannnnks...)

we are legion

Fortunately for me, I don't suffer from nearly as many migraines anymore now that I have treatment for sleep apnea. But here is the latest info for those who could use it.

My Own Private Dustbowl

We have been fortunate here in the Pacific Northwest not to be slammed with the horrific heat waves that have afflicted much of the rest of our country. We've had some scorchers, mind you, but none of the deadly variety. Yet, anyway.

But what we (okay, I) do have is a dust bowl. In my backyard. Adjacent to the patio. Largely thanks to four wrestling (& occasionally digging) dogs, the grass in that area has vanished and left behind an apparently quite comfy dirt bed. At first, the dust only kicked up when the dogs were on that patch. At this point, though, the slightest breeze will bring up a dusty cloud worthy of The Grapes of Wrath. I suppose this wouldn't be much of a problem except for the garage...or rather everything IN the garage. Which is in the path of the dust cloud. So my nice blue suitcase is no longer blue, etc.

I would wish for rain, but then I would have a plethora of muddy paw prints (and dogs to go with them). I'll just hope I can vacuum my suitcase.

fields of dandelions

They make the back yard quite pretty, actually. And no, I'm not going to mow them down. At least not today. Well unless I get too bored with doing indoor chores. Ah, choices.

I'm a little off whack today, but at least I'm home. This is a make-up day off because I worked an extra one last week. I guess working Sunday & Monday nights & then Wednesday day this week was just a wee bit too much as well... my circadian clock (or some such body system) is punishing me a bit. Good gravy I may actually have to go take a nap. (Oh DARN!)

At least July is done. Just a few too many (painful) anniversaries; it will get better w/time but there were two new ones this time. (Fireworks were always a big thing for me & my dad when I was a kid, my mom's birthday, and of course the one-year mark for my dad's passing.) Probably a big chunk of why I haven't been blogging much, since I tend to retreat into my cave whenever I am troubled.

Hah of course I've also been getting used to this thing called Full Time Employment again. So between the two, I can't say I've had much energy for much of anything else! But BOY is it an awesome feeling to be able to just go ahead & pay monthly bills without having to double-check the ol' bank account. That's a sense of security that has been missing for a looong time and I LIKE it. I like it a LOT.

So what is new (or old, even) in your world?

Finally, an evangelical leader who makes sense

This isn't the first evangelical leader I have heard take a different tack, but you can read all about it here. (And I'm not sure what's up with the Lutheran church mentioned in the article...)

good news!

The VW Rabbit is back!!!

What, you were expecting world peace?

writer's anti-block

I realized today why I haven't been posting much. It's not that I have nothing to say or nothing's been happening; it's more like I can't decide which of numerous events &/or thoughts to start with. (Yes, a fine example of an ACOA Perfectionist. You so want to get it right the first time that you end up never starting because it must be perfect from the get-go.)

Outside of my new work shoes (stupid bunion), I am really enjoying my new job. I am really enjoying having a job. I am especially enjoying having a regular income and not having to second-guess how many groceries I can buy in a week.

I am not enjoying my neighbors. Just one couple though, all my other neighbors are awesome. The good neighbor behind me just finished replacing the north wall of my 6-foot fence (which was/is ~40 years old, my father & grandfather built it). During the time of No Fence, there was chicken wire in place to keep my dogs from getting out (and by golly it worked). Problem was, Peter had a little problem with barking at everyone he saw...even though he knew them (yeah it's a little embarrassing). When I wasn't home, my good side neighbor kept an eye (& ear) on my dogs. I thought I was staying on top of it enough, and my fence-building neighbor was very understanding.

Yeah. Well not so much the neighbors beside him, who share about 6 feet of my back fence line. These are people I have talked to before. Been quite friendly with. When they had a sweet little Jack Russell that kept getting over the fence (!) and into my yard, we had several pleasant conversations. So you know what my oh-so-friendly neighbors did? They filed a complaint. Didn't talk to me. Didn't so much as give a peep of "Hey you must not know how much your dog is actually barking & it's driving us nuts." Nope. I received a letter from the county. Of course I had assumed it must be some nearby neighbor that didn't know me, that thought I would go ballistic or something if they brought it up. (Honestly, if my dog is creating a nuisance I want to know!) But no. My side neighbor guessed who it was (they are her back neighbor), and my fence-building neighbor confirmed it.

The ultimate irony of all this? For over FIFTEEN YEARS, they left their dog in the back yard all the time by herself. And she barked every evening. And barked. And barked. Did my family or the other neighbors file a complaint? Nuh-uh. (And yes, I do wish now that we had. But honestly I felt so sorry for that lonely dog...) Did I complain when their sweet little dog got over the fence into my yard? Nope. Did my side neighbor turn them in when they had a little yapper that wouldn't shut up? No. (She spoke to them instead, fancy that.) Does any of that give me a legal leg to stand on? Of course not!

All they had to do was talk to me, and it would have been taken care of right then.

Oh, and fyi.... they got rid of the yapper fairly soon. And the sweet, gentle Jack Russell? She developed a knee injury & they didn't want her anymore. Are we surprised? Thought not.

oh please oh please oh please!

WP: Dems eye Obama for 08

Proud of our brain power!

Smartest city in the U.S.? It's Seattle!

Okay, so technically it's the best educated city...but I never object to being called smart.

What dog are you?

You really should take this test, if for no other reason than to see the hilarious pictures. ;)

The Blue Heeler You are 35% Loyal, 16% Aggressive, 75% Intelligent, and 25% Friendly!

Equally loyal and intelligent, the Blue Heeler or Australian Cattle Dog makes the perfect companion. They are fast learners and understand a great deal of what their masters say. They are also excellent at judging people's moods and acting accordingly. The Blue Heeler is generally aloof with strangers and prefers the company of its established friends.

Link: The
What breed of dog are you? Test written by karmagirl84
on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

It's Ali-i-i-i-ive!!!

Really. I promise I'm really here.

It's just the last couple weeks have been hella-crazy in terms of my work schedule. (Yes! I have a work schedule! Sweet!) I've been filling in at both places and have had like 1 day off at a time. Hey the money's good so I ain't complainin'.

Oh yeah and I had a crisis with my 15-year-old kitty Nutter Butter... she's fine now, but it took me a lot longer to recover. (Picture me holding my beloved cranky gramma kitty, crying into her fur "don't leave me, don't leave me". Yeah, lots of fun. Her? She was merely annoyed at getting wet, lol.)

So I'll post again the next time I come up for air. :D

darn blogspot!

So it turns out that if you start an entry & finish it a month later, it gets posted way back at the start date. So for "My Meme, My Own", please page down to April 15th. Bah.

working girl

Need I even say not that kind? Yeah didn't think so.

The Job Hunt may very well be over. Since The First Potential Job (FPJ) work interview was/is dragging out over a month, I decided to cover my bases & look elsewhere. I followed up with a veterinary-specific job hunting company and subsequently had an interview last week with a 6-doctor day (& night ER) hospital. I was offered the job before the end of the interview. (I am vet, hear me roar!)

Tomorrow is my working interview...I have a sneaking suspicion I'll tell them "yes" before the day is done. The FPJ has a lot of pluses: smaller clinic, location where the vast majority of clients can easily afford treatment for their pets, good workers, etc. Unfortunately, though, the FPJ has insufficient monitoring equipment, no I.V. fluid pumps, no dental drills, etc. The S(econd)PJ has all of these things, plus an ultrasound machine and a board-certified internist who uses their clinic as home base. Their doctors can have whatever drugs or surgical supplies they want (okay within reason, no multi-thousand dollar surgical lasers or stuff like that), PLUS they can almost certainly pay me what I'm worth; I doubt FPJ can match any of that.

Sorry this is a bit of a dry post. But hey I worked an extra day last week so my creative juices are a bit dry.

If not now, when?

It doesn't matter a whit if you are red, blue, or lime green: surely all can agree that the genocide in Darfur is an abomination. Unfortunately the U.N., NATO, and individual governments do not act on moral outrage alone; they need political capital. Here is your chance, as a decent human being, to provide that capital. Sign the postcard. Join one of the rallies in major cities throughout the U.S. this Saturday, April 29th Sunday, April 30th.

As the saying goes, all it takes for evil to win is for a good man to do nothing.

of peeps & yardwork

Sunshine! Oh 'tis glorious indeed. (Overly dramatic? Dude, I live in western Washington...any weather here that doesn't involve gray is equivalent to a national holiday.)

It's sunny, it's warm, and the back yard awaits my attention. The grass is gunning for 12 inches, the dandelions are forming conga lines, the doggie doolies are hungry, and the survivors of the Pansy Debacle await transfer to a puppy-safe habitat.

This will be good for me. Not just the sunshine, which for a person with dysthymia is like a big hit of cocaine jolt of caffeine...but the activity as well. Physical activity in terms of exercise. Physical activity in terms of distraction.

Since finding out The Potential Job is not (yet?) mine, I have had to scramble. I sat down & created a cash flow spreadsheet. I cancelled call-waiting, cancelled ProActiv (hey was thinking about that anyway because the stuff at Costco is SO much cheaper), put Netflix on hold, and (gasp) pared down to the most basic of cable (no SciFi! no Jon Stewart! oh the horror!!) (seriously, the horror!!!). I also took all automated payments off my credit card and have whittled groceries down to only the Must Haves (i.e., cat litter & caffeine). Good thing I'm a child of children of the Great Depression & a Costco shopper...my pantry is already stocked so I won't starve anytime soon. Gulp.

And oh yeah I haven't been to my therapist in almost a month. And unless she's willing to take $10 down payments, there won't be appointments anytime soon.

I'm not panicking. I've had a low-grade headache all week, but I'm not panicking. Nor am I complaining (no, really!) as much as I am just sharing/expressing. I told the job hunting lady to pursue 2-3 of the postings she sent me. Next week I'll go over the classifieds in the state vet newsletter again. I also have a classmate who said he's always looking for relief doctors. Something will work out.

Speaking of sharing....a disclosure of sorts. I finally, for the first time in my life, ate peeps. Shocking, I know. But it's true. They're all gone now, but perhaps the temporary sugar high will help with the yard work. Darn, if only I had thought ahead, they could have made interesting lawn decorations.

too lazy to actually write something

And then blogspot was too lazy to delete the entire entry. So here you go.

so NOW what?

I thought I had a job. I may still have a job...but at the moment I don't have a job. Confused?

Last month I had an interview. It seemed to go exceedingly well, and I learned that I was the only candidate that Potential Boss Lady was bothering to interview before leaving the country on a long vacation. I worked 4 days for her while she was away. During that time I was either brave or foolish and asked the office manager (who has been w/PBL for a loooong time); she had the same impression as I, that PBL would be calling me with a job offer upon her return. Yay, I thought.

PBL's first day back at her clinic was 2 days ago. I had realized on Easter that it was very unlikely she would call me on Monday, since her desk was probably piled higher than she is tall with All The Stuff That Happened While PBL Was Away. (An impressive pile indeed, especially after the Anesthesia Double-Whammy Disaster that happened on my last day. Thank heavens the kitty apparently is making a full recovery.)

By Tuesday evening, however, I couldn't take the suspense anymore.

I called.

I asked if she had made her decision.

No, she hadn't.

WHAT?!?

My brain did the mental equivalent of looking at The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and reading the words in big, pink letters: DON'T PANIC. Before I could get out any intelligible sounds, however, she had more to say. First, I received favorable reviews from her staff. (We all got along really well.) Second, she wanted to see how the two of us worked together. So I am working Tuesdays (w/PBL) & Wednesdays (solo) for the entire month of May.

Which (in hindsight) makes perfect sense: Gee, think it might be a good idea to see if you & the PBL can even stand each other? Hmph. Yeah.

So this will provide enough income to take care of the month of May. Unfortunately I was counting on considerably more to take care of what's left of April!

Time to get a little creative and see where the axe can fall.

how's your weather?

Sunny autumn day Your forecast: 52°F, 24 mph wind, 27% chance of precipitation

What your score means: Please note that all variables are scaled to a range of 0 to 100. I'd like to present some of them differently, but the OkCupid system doesn't seem to allow independent scaling of variables. Category names are not meant to be taken literally. They are only weather patterns that match your score for the three variables. A person might be classified as "hurricane" because he/she is outgoing, athletic and compassionate; it does not relate to any destructive behavior by any means. Temperature measures your relationships with other fellow humans. A high temperature means you are caring and compassionate, and you tend to keep a personal touch with all your friends. A low temperature means you are more independent, and although you may like to hang out with your friends, personal life rarely enters the picture. Wind measures your level of energy. A low wind says you are usually calm and composed, somewhat introverted, and perhaps do not prefer intense physical activities. A high wind says you are energetic, extroverted, and tend to lead an active lifestyle. Higher wind can also mean greater ambitions in life. In extreme cases and especially when coupled with high precipitation, high wind might suggest a tendency toward violence. Precipitation measures your mood. A sunny sky, as you might guess, is associated with a bright, optimistic mood. People like this tend to be satisfied with their lives, and might take the effort to help make other people's lives better as well. A rainy sky would be the opposite: people in this category tend to be moody or depressed at times. So, What do you think? Do the scores seem fair to you? If not, you can help make it better by sending me a message with your comments, suggestions, rants, death threats, whatever. Otherwise, your vote is very much appreciated. Thanks!

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: http://is1.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif" border=0> http://www.okcupid.com/">%20alt="free%20online%20dating"%20src=" You scored higher than 16% on temperature http://is1.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif" border=0> http://www.okcupid.com/">%20alt="free%20online%20dating"%20src=" You scored higher than 0% on wind http://is1.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif" border=0> http://www.okcupid.com/">%20alt="free%20online%20dating"%20src=" You scored higher than 33% on precipitation

Link: The what kind of weather are you Test written by LTbot on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

My Meme, My Own

You know the drill, children...get to it!!

1. Comfort food: Ritz crackers

2. Comfort music: Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown TV music

3. I would happily listen to _______ read the phone book:
Dennis Haysbert

4. I won't answer the phone during these TV shows: 24, Lost, Battlestar
Galactica, Veronica Mars

5. PMS survival tool(s): chocolate

6. Food I prefer not to eat: olives, cilantro, green peppers

7. Food I refuse to eat: liver (especially chicken), anything involving neural tissue (prions begone!)

8. Food I can't get enough of that others won't eat: mushrooms

9. Dream car: VW New Beetle with Subaru AWD & a Toyota hybrid engine

10. Dream vacation: China, 2 weeks in the UK, RVing thru 49 states plus Canadian provinces (once they develop a solar-powered/hybrid RV).