Major Update

Major Update #5

I guess it’s time for a “Major Update,” since I haven’t posted one of those in a year. Plus, I was surprised to learn that some people actually read this. I can’t disappoint on my promise of Yearly Muffins.

[Boyfriend]
     Jonathan and I are still together, and we just celebrated our 1-year anniversary. We’re headed to the Hamilton House Bed & Breakfast this weekend, which should be every bit as wonderful as it has always been. The rooms are gorgeous (the Pierre Renoir room at right is what I based my room redecoration on), and the atmosphere is so peaceful. We also have tickets/reservations at the Fireside Dinner Theater in Whitewater, WI. The show, called Anything Goes!, is likely to be pretty lame, but the food last time was absolutely wonderful, and completely worth it.

[WoW]
WoW Fishing Hat     I had quit playing WoW for about 9 months, but then I picked it back up again. I haven’t raided in over a year – that just took way too much time and effort – and I don’t plan on raiding again. Instead, Jonathan and I do things like 5-person heroic instances and quests that don’t require you to be on a “WoW work schedule.” I feel better about it, and it doesn’t have significant control of my life like it used to. What really got me to come back are the additions they’ve made to in-game fishing. With the new quests and rewards, it’s a fun, casual experience to partake in. I get my daily dose of current WoW fishing gossip at the El’s Anglin’ site & its forums.

[Car]
     My ’97 Eclipse is still running. I’m driving it for as long as I can. I’m going to have a hell of a time ditching that car for a new one, especially after Tony installed my awesome car stereo (from the Corolla) in it. I remember when I bought that stereo, I thought, “What on earth would you want an auxiliary input for? Playing your guitar over your car stereo?” Now I don’t think I’d buy a car without one.

[Job]
     I’m still working at All Tile. This past February, I was in Las Vegas for the annual Surfaces show for the fourth time. We have our busy times and our slow times, that’s for sure.

[Pets]
     After Chris (aka Fishy #3) took his final excursion down the watery pipe of eternity, I have not gotten any formal house pets. However, we’re never without wild mammal company. My parents have taken to feeding not only birds and squirrels, but also cats. The first cat that frequented our porch we called “Fluffy.” She would regularly sit up straight and watch the door to wait for us to feed her. Fluffy, we found out, was a girl, after she had shown up very pregnant on our porch.
Fluffy & Kittens, Snickers and Scooter     Sure enough, a month later, two kittens arrived on our porch with Fluffy. As it was the dead of winter by this point, my family and I arranged for a “catch, neuter, release” specialist to come by and trap the cat family to get them fixed. After the trapping ordeal was over, my friend Nicole housed them until they were ready to go to their final indoor homes with her extended family. We would have taken them in ourselves, but unfortunately I’m severely allergic to cats. The allergy specialist I saw told me I’d develop asthma if I kept a cat. 🙁
     After the Fluffy family was gone, a black cat took reign over our porch. He (we presume it’s a he) has trouble walking some days, but he seems to get to the food just fine. Also, our attic seemed to have attracted the attention of a raccoon, who thought it would be a great idea to dig through our roof to get inside. He managed to escape through our attic fan, but since then, we’ve kept an animal trap in the attic. This trap, filled with cat food, has caught two very scared and confused squirrels, who were promptly relocated to a distant park.

Feeling: Hopeful.
Listening to: Jo Dee Messina’s Greatest Hits CD. There isn’t much hope for me.