Gouda's Cheesewheel

This cat will eat us out of house and home.

posted by Greta @ 9:29 PM 0 comments

It looks kind of like a planter...that you could go #2 in...

posted by Greta @ 9:56 AM 2 comments

Bongo and Ohio

Since Sallie's comments sparked me to update here, I will, briefly.

My cross-train for RAAP will be in Columbus, Ohio, which is a bit different from Miami, where we expected it to be. I'm still good with going wherever. I'll be leaving directly from Canvasser conference in Kentucky, which commences next Thursday (or rather, next Friday, but we have to leave on Thursday to get there.)

Brent has been working night shift now. He leaves the house a little after I do and we get done about the same time, so it's working out nicely. His schedule is a little unpredictable, but so is mine, and if they don't match up I'm fine taking the bus so it works. Since we'll both be working Valentine's Day we're making our own day on the 16th to celebrate.

The 17th, there will be a protest. One year from that day, all regular air wave TV will go to digital signal, making a lot of TV sets obsolete or in need of conversion. Since lots of folks will be upgrading to new sets, that means tons of toxic electronic waste will potentially go to the landfill, and subsequently our air and water. We're all going to dress up as dead TVs and walk around downtown to draw attention to the problem. The goal is to get TV manufacturers to offer recycling programs for the old sets. It's worked with computers, and Sony is already on board. The action was initiated by RAAP's sister organization, Texas Campaign for the Environment. Check them out for more info!

Bongo is adjusting well. He's pretty comfortable roaming around the house now, even when we're present and awake. He has several cat toys which he loves to attack and kill. Since he's out a lot more now, I finally snapped some photos of him. Isn't he a handsome devil? Or at least a cute devil?

posted by Greta @ 1:06 AM 1 comments

Down with the Sickness

Goodness, it's been nearly a month since I wrote here. There is much to tell.

Well, some to tell, anyway. I'm an FMIT at RAAP, or in long form that would be a Field Manager in Training at the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program. This means I've been doing a lot of new and different tasks at work. Yesterday I took out my first observer and soon I'll get to lead my own crew. It's pretty exciting.

As part of my training, I'm going on a Cross-Train in late February, which means I'll go work with another non-profit canvass department and learn from them for 3 weeks. It'll be sad to leave Brent for that long, but we're ready to face that challenge and come out stronger for it. Three weeks won't be long, and at least Brent will have the kitty to keep him company.

The kitty in question is our one and only Bongo Billy, whom we acquired last week on Saturday from a no-kill shelter called ARAS (Animal Rescue and Adoption Society). It took him a good 3-4 days to even feel comfortable around us. He still hides under the bed a good deal, but yesterday he let us pet him, and this morning he came up on the bed with me, so we're making progress. He's a fluffy black cat with white on his belly, his chest, and half his muzzle. He's quite a beauty. I'll add a picture soon.

On Sunday I had a sharp pain in my neck which kept me inactive most of the day. Monday I had a very runny nose which became congested. Tuesday I was full-on sick, with aches and pains and a fever. I took Tuesday and Wednesday off work. Yesterday I felt a little better, and so in order to stop racking up missed days, I went in yesterday and plan to do the same today. I need to work tomorrow and the following Saturday to compensate and then I'll be in good shape.

I may take Valentine's day off, although Brent is changing to night shift to match my schedule so that might not make sense. We'll see.

Tango lessons are fun. Brent got them for me for Christmas and we go every Sunday afternoon to a studio over on Tennyson. Three more weeks of those, then my Cross-Train will be soon after so we won't be able to take level 2. Oh well.

Anyway, I'm going to finish my grapefruit, since I need all the vitamin C I can get right now.

posted by Greta @ 10:02 AM 3 comments