Cat's Corner

Congratulations, Universe. You win. 2009 is officially one of the worst years of my life, and that includes 2004 when I was clinically depressed.

Had an "incident" on Saturday evening involving a slick and poorly-plowed road, a Y turn, a van, and dim evening lighting. We'll just say that the van was fine, but the Cruiser is going in for an estimate on a shattered backup light cover and inch-long crack in the bumper. Cross your fingers for me, flist. I already know via the Chrysler dealership that parts and installation on the light alone is about $160. . . forget about the bumper. Here's to hoping that it's just a patch-up job and not a complete replacement we're talking about here.

It's Christmas on Friday, right? Can you buy injectable Christmas spirit? Something that doesn't involve fat and sugar and make me feel sick?

Karma had better be gearing up to pay me back in a huge way in 2010. Karma is nice to people who do bell ringing for the Salvation Army, though, right?

( Cut for picture )

Quote of the Day came from a woman who walked up to us with some chocolate-covered peppermint sticks and said, "You're teenagers. You like candy." I guess nobody expects four women in their mid-20s to give up a Saturday afternoon of shopping to volunteer.

Also, one woman put a $100 bill into the bucket. It was pretty incredible.

One tiny pleasant surprise for today: I apparently won this awesome-looking book via a holiday giveaway from the lovely Leslie at Never Say Diet.

Seriously, DO NOT GET why everything thinks Avatar is so great. Chris and I were about ready to dig our own brains out of our heads with sporks, we were so bored. Visually stunning, yes, but pretty pictures alone do not a good movie make. At one point about 40 minutes from the end or so, the guy behind us obviously "woke up" with a snort and a yawn. Chris chuckled and whispered, "That's how I've been feeling for the last hour." I was so with him. Talk about wasting such impressive technology on such a mind-numbing story. Easily the worst movie I've seen in the theater all year, probably largely because it was the biggest disappointment.

That's all the more I want to say about that.

On the heels of lillbet's excellent Rom Com meme, and leenielou's difficulty with determining a cast for the Rom Com of one's life but enjoying the soundtrack portion, here's my own stab at it:

The Romantic Comedy Soundtrack of My Life:

Opening credits: "Crazy As Me" by Alison Krauss & Union Station

Couldn't find a video for this one, which is a shame because it's pretty much my theme song.

Falling in love: "Breakable" by Ingrid Michaelson

A sweet song, and pretty much the one that hooked me on Ingrid Michaelson.

The Kiss: "Chain Reaction" by Cloud Cult

One of my favorites from the last few years. The intro is long, but once you get to the lyrics, it's stunning.

Sex: "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie

Y'know, it's all about being close to someone. . .

The break up: "The Verb" by The Swell Season

Bah, can't find a track for this one either! Leave it to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova to pen a brilliant and non-cliche song about a struggling relationship.

The psychological breakdown: "Little Earthquakes" by Tori Amos

I've always been hypnotized by this song: the entrancing and almost mystical lyrics, the images, and the rise and fall. . . much like a swelling madness that suddenly breaks into a deceptive, calm acceptance.

Shopping with friends: "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" by Scissor Sisters

I picked this one because it always reminds me of going out with my girlfriends in Ireland and getting hit on by weirdos. That's the sort of thing you do when you're feeling down and need a pick-me-up.

The getting back together: "The Chain" by Ingrid Michaelson

I tried not to let the same artist appear more than once, but I'm obsessed with this song and its simplicity.

End Credits: "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" by Arcade Fire

Your life is not complete until you've heard this brilliantly unconventional love song. The music video is pretty fascinating, too. It's stylistically reminiscent of "Tonight, Tonight" from The Smashing Pumpkins, which is one of my favorite music videos ever.

I'm amused by the realization that I found myself gravitating toward songs by women. But somehow, the idea of a Rom Com with a female protagonist backed by a soundtrack saturated in male voices just doesn't make sense.

I love how the first thing I said to the MD when I walked into the office this morning was, "It's so much warmer out today!" The temp was 12 degrees F.

Hi y'all! Well, this will be my last post of the year on here, so until then: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! HAPPY HANNUKAH!! HAPPY KWANZA!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! ETC. This year was a wild one for me. Lots of making ups, lots of breaking ups, lots of stuff at work...oh well.

January: New Year's resolutions. Working.

February: Yay!

March: Sister's bday, lots of good stuffs.

April: Ex found me, began talking.

May: Boyfriend time!!

June: Ugh...boyfriend time.

July: ENOUGH!!

August: No more boyfriend. :(

September: Life. Without a boyfriend.

October: Mama's birthday. <3

November: YAY FACEBOOK!!

December: YAY WEIGHT LOSS!!! <3 Awesome stuffs. Tears of work. Can't wait for next year!!!

God bless you all, and to all A GOOD HOLIDAY SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I had more things to write about, but I don't. Well, good things, anyway. Been feeling icky again since quitting the steroids almost a month ago now, and am suffering from additional self-esteem issues because this damned weight just isn't coming off, even though I'm back to something more-or-less resembling my ordinary exercise routine minus the swimming. It's one thing to complain about a number on a scale. . . and another when half of your clothes don't fit.

It's insane that Christmas is next week already. How did that happen? I'm almost done with shopping/wrapping, but still can't shake the feeling that there's a lot yet to do. Part of it is no doubt just general activities and business piling up: community band concert last night, knitting and tea with the girls for a bit tonight, more girls' night fun on Friday, MORE hanging with the girls on Saturday afternoon with some bell ringing at The Mall, followed by Saturday evening with the boy, then home next Wednesday evening before heading to Ioway the morning of Christmas Eve. Somewhere in there I have to pack a suitcase and gather laundry and gifts and and and. . . It's nuts. Aren't holidays supposed to be fun?

Also, it's been prematurely January cold. That doesn't help with the motivation when you're terrified to step outside and all you want to do is curl up under a fuzzy blanket with some hot tea and a Christmas movie.

Speaking of hot tea, I'm in love with all the holiday-themed teas that are out this time of year: they're like calorie-free candy. Bigelow's "Eggnogg'n" in particular tastes like vanilla frosting.

Sometime in the midst of the madness I'm going to post my end-of-year/end-of-decade memes.

I'm a cynical person by nature. I view sarcasm, wry humor and irony as indicators of God's sense of humor and as marks of intelligence in the average human. However, I think that, during Christmas, people should stop being stupid and make extra efforts to not provide others with things about which to bitch in their blogs, or encourage cynicism or sarcasm.

More to the point, people should not do things like try to scam folks out of money -- especially if those persons happen to be me.

...And, for the record, grifters do not always look like this:


Sometimes, they look like someone's grandma, and they stalk people at gas stations during rush hour. They drive SUVs, and they dress in a fairly snappy manner. This is because they have been getting cash handouts from distracted moms and guys who drive trucks and have cash on hand. Let me enlighten you how it works (and I know because it happened to me just the other day).

The minivan was running low on gas, so I pulled into the nearest gas station and immediately noticed a HORRID smell, as they were cleaning out the pipes in the car wash and because it was very windy and blowing my way. This is probably a good thing because it meant that most people there were getting only the smallest amount of gas they needed and not the $40 they might have otherwise.

I finished pumping my ten dollars worth and started closing up shop, when I was approached by Innocuous-Looking Old Lady. She says, "Excuse me, but I just noticed you pumped $10 worth of gas in that pump. Well, as it turns out, I paid for my gas at the pump you're using, which would have been $10, but my car is over there... I was confused (so, naturally, she's driving a car???). I think maybe you'll see what happened...(HINT: YOU JUST GOT THE GAS I PAID FOR. IT WAS A MISTAKE. BE A NICE GIRL AND GIVE ME THE CASH FOR IT)"

So instead of smacking her upside the head, I take out my receipt, which got her a bit nervous.

"Well, that's an interesting story. See, I have a receipt for this gas, because, unlike a lot of people, I insist on one every time. Let me show you this one. See this name here? It says, 'Morgan, Kimberly' -- that's me. That means I paid for the gas. So I won't be giving you any cash for the gas I just pumped, because I, not you, paid for it."

She's good. She says, "Well, I'm not questioning you, dear..."

This pisses me off, because I know she's probably doing this all over town, is probably working with someone else, and in all likelihood, there are harried moms and working stiffs who hand over cash left and right because they have no proof they paid for the gas and wouldn't question a woman who looks like she works at your church.

"It would be absurd for you to question me. It would also be a bad idea for you say one more word to me." <-- that's me, right before I level a Look Of Death at her and drive off.

Interestingly, she does not get upset. She looks surprised.

I know, I am a bitch. ( Bad copy of "Bitch" video )
(AND I HAD TO WATCH AN AD FIRST???)

There are a million reasons she could have needed to scam people out of money. Or, maybe I am imagining things and she was just a confused woman who could drive a car, present a logical argument and just happened to have made a really weird mistake involving money and a gas pump.

But I doubt it.

'Tis the season to be jolly...