Quick 2007 Re-Cap
Happy New Year, BTW! So for the two of you who don't already know, 2007 was designated the Year of Change for moi-self. Got somewhat jaded at my workplace (was there a scant 16.5 years...go figure) and after being "teamed with"�and I use the term extremely loosely�a co-worker who is a fascinating mix of neurotic insecurity and an abrasive "let them eat grass" attitude of superiority, LaurenKaz decided it was high time to figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. In order to do that, one would have to eliminate 14+ hour workdays to allow for personal investigation. Tried going part-time before which didn't work; ended up slogging just as many hours for less pay which is pretty darn stoopid. Additionally, there were some life-altering incidents which further hammered home the feeling that change was long overdue:
1) The janitor had a heart attack in the cafeteria while a bunch of us were still working in the evening.
2) A long-time employee who'd beaten breast cancer 2 years ago had a re-occurance which metastasized to Stage Four.
3) One of our kitties was diagnosed with a sarcoma caused by--get this--the vaccine we had her inoculated with to prevent rabies.
Each of these items was a shock but to have them happen within a span of 2 months really knocked the wind out of one's sails. Out of these crises, Himself and I could really only effect a solution for #3 so Esmeralda underwent a hemi-pelvectomy (removing her back leg including the pelvis) to eliminate any cancer cells that were spread due to an earlier tumor removal. We're now the proud owners of The Most Expensive Cat So Far who received a normal lifespan prognosis, thanks to an amazing surgeon�this guy gave an epidural to a CAT.
***WARNING!***
***POSSIBLY DISTRESSING PICTURES TO THOSE WITH A SENSITIVE NATURE!***
***OOPS! TOO LATE!***
Ezzie has taught us that not all kittehs are good candidates for this procedure as most of our kids are former ferals/strays and do NOT appreciate being around strange people like vets, technicians, etc. Ezz is such as suck-up that even after surgery when she was doped to the gills, the techs were falling all over themselves to pet her. Ezzie the Invalid changed the tenor of life at the IZ since we needed to keep her isolated during recovery. The TV Room went through an evolution: from (human) guest room to recovery room with kennel to hotel suite complete with potty box and a full range of comestibles. Guess which room garnered the most interest amongst the rabble? Little paws poking under the door...scratching noises on the wood...a lot of whining...no dignity.
Ze Hotel de Ville, Kitteh Style
Gave notice at the end of Sept for an Oct exit from work. Ended up staying a "couple more" weeks as my boss (who was ironically let go towards the end of this period) was not even interested in getting a debriefing of my responsibilities so it would occur to him, in piecemeal fashion and at the very last minute, that I needed to produce this, that or the other. Partied with the Boozehounds after my very last day of work; patticass, GlamGirl and others gave me the awesomest going-away gifts...a total surprise as I was pretty successful at exiting, stage left, with little fanfare.
Then, an accident on the very night of the Boozehounds party marking the start of my new life. Karma has a weird way of operating sometimes. 
Cliff Notes version: the Newbie's electrical system completely died while I was in the fast lane during stop&go traffic (Friday night). People were impatiently driving around me on the left shoulder which meant I couldn't get out of my car. Had emergency flashers going but when the traffic flow picked up, knew this was not going to be good. The guy who rear-ended me was following the car in front of him too closely and couldn't swerve in time. Ended up with a mildly fractured wrist (the left one, of course), lacerated knee, scalp laceration (although I have no idea where it was) and various bumps & bruises plus no more Newbie. Do I feel lucky? HELL YES. It could've been so much worse given the time, place and circumstances.
Spent the rest of 2007 recuperating and helping Ezzie to recover; can really recommend neither as the way to "take some time off". Himself did awesomely after the accident�didn't panic like after the bike incident although its alleged he did want me to get out of the car and walk around�and has been 100% supportive during my rehabilitation. Pretty much back to "normal" although I do notice an increased short-term memory loss. I say "increased" because we all get up from our desks and by the time we're even 2 cubicles past, we've forgotten our original intent. That's mainly due to lots o' people talking to you on the way or too many projects/issues happening simultaneously. Right now, I'm getting up from my chair and forgetting what I was supposed to do by the time I reach maximum altitude and believe me, the cats ain't saying much to interrupt the thought process. Y'all will have to be patient with me for awhile...
Did I say "Quick 2007 Re-Cap"? I guess I now have a tendency to outright LIE. 
Anyways, I think Ms_Lellis and I can agree that 2007 was the Year of Crises and I'm now officially designating 2008 as the Year of Change. Again.
Bad Cat Dog Calendar
Some of you might be amazed to learn that I actually bought my 2008 calendars before February. Goldangit, who knew those suckers went on sale before Christmas (which isn't the guiding principle for delayed purchases, BTW). I got some amazingly entertaining ones....the desktop calendar boasts the sun/moon phases plus daily tidal charts for the Bay Area. This would really only be of interest to fishermen and windsurfers�like the AM radio that plays nothing but NOAA wind conditions�but hey, who knows? This is supposed to be the Year of Change which hopefully doesn't include breaking my seriously stale windsurfing equipment when and if I go back out on the water for the first time in years. Anyways, to get back to the original topic (bear with me as my scrambled brains cause a lot of meandering; just be sure to let me know when I've completely forgotten the original subject matter altogether at the end of my diatribe), I bought the Bad Cat Wall Calendar...and have to confess it was mainly because I was enamored with the Bad Dog Wall Calendar:
At the time, I thought it would be a serious breach of protocol for a cat OWNER (not COLLECTOR, mind you) to own a canine calendar. But seriously, folks: that Chihuahua is SO PERFECT. The Cat version in no way, shape or form even comes close to the ridiculousness of the BDWC. Have decided that dogs are able to humiliate themselves in visual ways that cats would never match; let's not forget what which pet is prone to allowing themselves to be shoved into costumes or baby carriages for photo ops. 
Random Thought...
Ever been hit by hummingbird doo-doo? Me, neither. At least until this afternoon. I've always thought the little shits (no pun intended) would end up embedding themselves in our foreheads. Their aerial acrobatics are amazing and boy, are they Aggression Personified. Turns out our denizens are Anna's Hummingbirds and not the Ruby-Throated variety which doesn't range as far west as California. Get this: Anna's have a life span of up to 8.5 years! So the lil feller who sits on the backyard fence barbed wire (remember: we live in an industrial park), yakking away and even sipping at the nectar station @ 8:30pm (dark:thirty!), is actually the same Joe Schmoe each and every year...and not an offspring with an embedded salmon-like instinct/memory. Who knew. 
Each of these items was a shock but to have them happen within a span of 2 months really knocked the wind out of one's sails. Out of these crises, Himself and I could really only effect a solution for #3 so Esmeralda underwent a hemi-pelvectomy (removing her back leg including the pelvis) to eliminate any cancer cells that were spread due to an earlier tumor removal. We're now the proud owners of The Most Expensive Cat So Far who received a normal lifespan prognosis, thanks to an amazing surgeon�this guy gave an epidural to a CAT.***WARNING!******POSSIBLY DISTRESSING PICTURES TO THOSE WITH A SENSITIVE NATURE!******OOPS! TOO LATE!***
Ezzie After Two WeeksEzzie has taught us that not all kittehs are good candidates for this procedure as most of our kids are former ferals/strays and do NOT appreciate being around strange people like vets, technicians, etc. Ezz is such as suck-up that even after surgery when she was doped to the gills, the techs were falling all over themselves to pet her. Ezzie the Invalid changed the tenor of life at the IZ since we needed to keep her isolated during recovery. The TV Room went through an evolution: from (human) guest room to recovery room with kennel to hotel suite complete with potty box and a full range of comestibles. Guess which room garnered the most interest amongst the rabble? Little paws poking under the door...scratching noises on the wood...a lot of whining...no dignity.
Ze Hotel de Ville, Kitteh StyleGave notice at the end of Sept for an Oct exit from work. Ended up staying a "couple more" weeks as my boss (who was ironically let go towards the end of this period) was not even interested in getting a debriefing of my responsibilities so it would occur to him, in piecemeal fashion and at the very last minute, that I needed to produce this, that or the other. Partied with the Boozehounds after my very last day of work; patticass, GlamGirl and others gave me the awesomest going-away gifts...a total surprise as I was pretty successful at exiting, stage left, with little fanfare.Then, an accident on the very night of the Boozehounds party marking the start of my new life. Karma has a weird way of operating sometimes.
Random Thought...Ever been hit by hummingbird doo-doo? Me, neither. At least until this afternoon. I've always thought the little shits (no pun intended) would end up embedding themselves in our foreheads. Their aerial acrobatics are amazing and boy, are they Aggression Personified. Turns out our denizens are Anna's Hummingbirds and not the Ruby-Throated variety which doesn't range as far west as California. Get this: Anna's have a life span of up to 8.5 years! So the lil feller who sits on the backyard fence barbed wire (remember: we live in an industrial park), yakking away and even sipping at the nectar station @ 8:30pm (dark:thirty!), is actually the same Joe Schmoe each and every year...and not an offspring with an embedded salmon-like instinct/memory. Who knew.
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