The Kat House

With all the stresses of adulthood, it sure would be nice to be a kid again.  Mom and Dad paying all the bills, cooking dinner, driving us to and fro - man, we had it made, didn’t we?  Spring break, summer vacation, winter holidays.  Those things seem so great now, yet most of us hated our awkward teenage years.  After all, there were just so many life altering decisions to make - like whether to use the Oxy or Stridex acne treatments.  Why can’t adult life be so simple?

I think today was one of the worst days of my life.  It all started when I took Cruella to the vet for the repeat of her test that got botched last week.   I always have trouble getting her out of the car when we get to the vet hospital, and I can understand why.  She battled both cancer and peritonitis over the past year.  She beat them both, but it was a long, hard road.  And now she’s dealing with Cushing’s Disease.  So this morning, she just refused to budge when it was time to get out of the car.  After trying for a long while, I just gave up and took her back home.  I honestly have no idea what I’m going to do at this point.

It snowballed from there.  Practically everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  And now all I can think about is taking a vacation to some distant land - maybe San Diego.  If I stumble across some great airfare and hotel deals, I just may do it.

I’m a huge fan of perfume.  I have bottles upon bottles in my collection, and choosing one each morning always puts me in a great mood.  My favorites are Happy and Happy Heart by Clinique, and Wink by Avon.  I also have several amazing perfumes by Victoria’s Secret.  When I pass by that store in the mall, I just can’t resist stopping in to check out the new scents - and of course, the sexy lingerie!

You know what just chaps my behind?  Men who think women are incapable of doing anything that requires a little technical know-how.  I’ll admit that I can’t hook up a DVD player to save my own life, but when it comes to computers, I’m just as able as most guys - and more than some.

A couple of years ago, I decided to upgrade my computer memory.  I went to Best Buy and asked an associate for assistance in finding what I needed.  He gave me the RAM, I thanked him, and then I headed toward the checkout line.  He called out after me, “Do you need help installing it?”  Did I ask him for help installing it?  No.  Yet he felt the need to ask me anyway.  I just told him that I was fully capable of handling it myself.

Keep in mind that I had never installed RAM before; but I took lots of computer classes in college and had a pretty good understanding of how they worked.  That night at about 11:00, I decided to tackle the job.  The computer I had at the time was a nightmare to work with, because it was very difficult to reach the motherboard.  I practically had to take the entire thing apart just to install the memory.  I finally did it, though, and proceeded to put the computer back together.  Fired it up, and it worked!  The new memory was recognized, and I was moving along at lightning speed.

I was quite proud of myself - so much so that I wanted to call everyone I knew and tell them about my accomplishment.  Unfortunately, it was the middle of the night and I knew that no one else would share my enthusiasm.  So what did I do?  I just signed online and told everyone I could find!

You’re all well aware of the many losers I’ve dated, but there have been a few nice guys along the way too. And David is by far the nicest.

We met at Cotton Eyed Joe back in 2000. I was hanging out with a large group of people from an AOL chat room at the time. I had never seen David in the chat room, but he seemed to know everyone I was with. He asked me to slow dance, and we spent the next few minutes giving each other the shortened versions of our life stories. I was recently out of a relationship and not sure I was ready for another, so I politely declined when he asked me out. But that wasn’t the last of David - not by a long shot. I was a regular at the Joe, and so was he, so we saw each other on occasion.

One night I was online and got an instant message from a woman named Charlene. I knew her from the chat room and from The Joe. She said, “My ex-husband really likes you a lot, Tish. I think you should give him a chance. Things didn’t work out between us, but he’s a really wonderful guy and he would treat you like a princess.” I had no idea who this woman’s husband was! I asked, and when she mentioned David, I decided right then and there that I would give him a chance. It’s certainly not every day that a woman has only nice things to say about her ex-husband!

Charlene gave me David’s phone number, and I called him the same night. I was still a little scared of the relationship idea, so we concentrated on friendship. I came to really care about him as more than just a friend, and we eventually started dating. I remember our first date. We decided to meet for lunch on a workday. I had fallen down a flight of stairs and severely sprained my ankle a few days before, so I was wearing an ankle brace. I met David at the restaurant, where he gave me a single red rose. I remember thinking how sweet and romantic that was. But imagine my surprise when I got back to work and found 11 more waiting in a vase on my desk! The note said “Here are the other 11 to go with the one I gave you during lunch.”

We spent several months together, and every day was just like that first one. David did the sweetest things. He gave me so many thoughtful greeting cards. He owned a lawn care business, and he mowed my lawn while I was at work. He even mowed my best friend’s lawn! He stayed on the phone with me every night until I fell asleep. It was during one of those late night phone calls that I mentioned having a craving for strawberry Twizzlers. The next day he brought over a huge bag of them for me. And then there was the time I got pissed at him. When he found out that he was in the dog house, he stopped by my house with a stuffed toy dog. He had even put a leash on it, explaining that the dog was him - on his short leash. How could I stay mad at such a cute gesture?

David and I were best friends. He respected the fact that I needed alone time. He did his thing - martial arts competitions and motorcycle racing. And I did mine. We had an incredible trust between us, each knowing that the other wouldn’t even consider cheating. It was a very nice relationship - until we started talking about a more permanent future together. I got scared and ran away. And though I didn’t handle it in the fashion I should have, David remained my friend.

He eventually married someone else, and I got involved with a long line of jerks. We continued to talk on a pretty regular basis and saw each other on rare occasions. David divorced last year, and we went out a couple of times after that. Then I pulled another Houdini on him. I disappeared. I had so much going on in my life that I did what us Cancers do best - retreated to my shell. Months passed. David left messages and sent emails. He remained a caring friend even though I was a jerk. I did, however, call him back a couple of days ago. We had a great conversation, and we’ve talked a couple of times since.

I’ve included two photos of David. The first is a recent one. The second is a photo of us from 2000. And yes, I’m embarrassed to say that I had an eyebrow piercing!

As for what the future holds, I have no idea. I’m just glad to have my friend back!

I bought a new mattress and box springs for my bed last year.  The old mattress was one of the firm ones, and it was about 8 years old.  It had seen better days.  In fact, it was almost impossible for me to get a good night’s sleep, because it felt like I was laying on a slab of concrete.  When I bought the new house and started moving, I threw the old mattress out to the curb for the garbage man to pick up.   I figured it would be easy enough to just go buy a new one.

I went to The Bed Store and just fell in love with a memory foam mattress by Valor.   Unfortunately, there were none in stock, and I had to wait several days for it to be delivered.  So there I was in a new house - sleeping on the floor!   But man oh man, was that mattress worth the wait!  It’s so thick that it requires oversized sheets.  And it’s like sleeping on a cloud!

I just got a call from the vet. Remember the full day of testing Cruella underwent yesterday? It has to be repeated. It turns out that one of the techs forgot to freeze and submit the final blood draw, which basically voids the entire series of samples. Cruella will be going back in on Wednesday for the repeat. Of course, I won’t be charged for any of the work, but it will be more stress for a dog that definitely doesn’t need it. I have a very difficult time even getting Cruella into the hospital. She refuses to get out of the car - just stands there shaking all over. Poor girl. The only way I can get her inside is by tricking her. I have to park in a different location back behind the building every time. If she doesn’t recognize where she is, she gets out of the car.

Though the testing to locate the tumor causing the Cushing’s was unsuccessful, a couple of the other test results came in. Cruella’s thyroid levels are off again. She has hypothyroidism and takes daily meds to control it, but apparently her dosage now needs to change. Also, it appears that she may have a urinary tract infection. There is a urine culture still out that will confirm those findings. The doctor said that it isn’t uncommon since Cushing’s suppresses the immune system.

I should know more about the treatment for the hypothyroidism and the possible urinary tract infection early next week. I sure wish Cruella could get approved for a health insurance policy to help with all these expenses!

Many thanks to those of you who have written, called, and commented to pass along your best wishes for Cruella! She spent today at the vet hospital undergoing testing to determine the exact location of the tumor causing her Cushing’s Disease. I should have the results next week. We will then decide on a treatment plan. She did very well today though, and she’s now snoring away!

I spent another $250 on vet bills today, after spending $300 just last week. Some have criticized the fact that I earn some money from my blog, but this is exactly why. All of my blog income goes to pay the vet debt I already have as well as the new bills that continue to come in. So prepare to see more posts about digital cameras or car insurance or maybe even sexy lingerie! I’ll try to keep them as interesting as possible, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

I’ll give another update on Cruella once her test results are in! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, and please keep them coming!

You may not be able to tell from most of my photos, but I have lots of freckles on my face.  I’ve come to accept them, and even really like them at times, but it was a much different story when I was younger.  The kids at school called me “freckle face”.  I hated it.  I remember complaining to my grandmother at one point.  She just kept telling me how cute the freckles were, and that they made me unique, and that I had better not even think of using any skin whitening products to get rid of them.  I took her advice, and I’m glad I did.   When I started dating, the boys loved my freckles!  In fact, I still get a lot of compliments on them.  But of course, there are still those who love to make fun of me - like Kevin.  He insists that my freckles become much more noticeable when my face is red from embarrassment.   And I guess he should know since he’s the one so hell bent on embarrassing me!  Someday I’ll get him to tell you about the car windows getting smashed at a baseball game we attended!  Heck, Kevin, go ahead and share the story in the comments!

I have always believed in choosing my friends based on the people they are today - not what they were like in the past. After all, none of us are perfect, and we all have the ability to change. A few years ago, I would have told you that I have always selected my friends in such a manner, but experience has since shown me that you should never totally disregard the past.

A few years ago, I met a guy on an online dating site. He seemed perfect. A very nice, charming, ambitious guy. He was a journalist for a local newspaper, and we really hit it off. A short while after we started dating, he told me of his troubled past with substance abuse. He had gone through drug and alcohol rehab, and still belonged to a couple of related support groups. I didn’t consider it a problem. After all, he had turned over a new leaf, right? Wrong. He struggled so much on a daily basis that even my constant encouragement wasn’t enough. I felt like he despised me because I hadn’t experienced the same thing myself. Our relationship came to a screeching halt. Did I learn a lesson? Unfortunately not.

I did the very same thing two years later. Met another “great” guy who had struggled with alcohol in the past. At least he said it was in the past. Turned out that it was also in the present, and despite my efforts to be the best, most supportive girlfriend I could be, he walked all over me and crushed my heart in the process. Once again, I felt like I was despised because I hadn’t experienced the same thing myself and therefore wasn’t able to personally relate to his pain.

Those experiences really opened my eyes. I still pride myself on being able to overlook a person’s past in most cases, but I make an exception when it comes to romantic relationships. I will never again get involved with someone with a history of substance abuse. The guy who crushed my heart used to tell me over and over again, “Tish, you can’t save me.” And he was right. I tried - and failed. And that feeling of failure, both as a girlfriend and a friend, is something I hope I never experience again.