Luna is not talking to me right now. She did not have a good day, but it's not my fault. Was working in the kitchen when I saw Luna playing with something. By the time I figured out what it was - a coffee bean - she had aready swallowed it. Well, as most of us are well aware, coffee is toxic for cats. So a paniced call to my vet confirmed what I didn't want to hear - Luna needed to be seen ASAP. Unfortunately their office was swamped and the vet was in the middle of emergency surgery so they told us to get her to the emergency clinic.

Luna wasn't too thrilled with this turn of events since she'd just been to the vet and let's simply say that she didn't go into her carrier easily. Fortunately we have an emergency hospital about fifteen minutes from the house and they took her in straight away. Spoke with the pet poison control center ($35 fee) and they calculated how much Luna probably injested compared to her age and weight and determined that while she hadn't injested close to a lethal dose, she still needed treatment and monitoring. The vet tried to induce vomiting (didn't work) and then gave her a dose of activated charcoal. He said that she was doing fine and that it would be best for her to go home and have me monitor her for the next day or so and watch for any of the laundry list of possible effects. He was very sure that she would be fine and I was just grateful to find out that it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The whole thing ran us around $200 that I wasn't counting on spending in the middle of the holidays, but it was worth it to make sure that Luna is safe.

Needless to say, Luna is not at all pleased with me right now. She's had more than enough of vets for quite some time and she's spent the evening sulking. Think it's going to be a day or two before I get back into her good graces.

I got to eat solid food today! Well, it was just lo mein, but it wasn't yogurt. Or a protein shake. Or ice cream. It just felt good to chew again. I'm a little sore now, but am very happy.

It is so damned cold out today. Am really glad that I splurged on a really good, warm coat. There's nothing worse than standing on a train platform at 6:30am with the wind blowing and wearing just a little jacket. Could not find my hat ths morning, so my ears were getting a little frosty. Think I'm going to finally break down and put the flannel sheets on the bed tonight. And break out the space heater. And make a really big cup of tea when I get home.

Am going out with the girls from the office after work. A few drinks and a bit of arts and crafts. Am debating if I want to do something in the pottery area or some beading. Don't plan to make too late a night of it because it's too cold.

I so look forward to the weekend. And just need to get through next week because after that, my boss is out for the rest of the month! Yay!

The weather is, to say the very least, utterly craptastic today. It's been raining non-stop all day. It's cold and windy and raw and just plain... bleach! When I saw how awful it was outside, all I wanted to do was stay indoors and hibernate. Did I do that? No, of course not. I had a gift card for Williams Sonoma burning a hole in my wallet (a gift from my very generous patient) and decided to indulge in a bit of frivilous shopping. Unfortunately it meant going out in the crappy, raw, wet weather.

Did get some nice goodies though, which made getting wet and cold worthwhile. Got a Wusthof santoku that I've been wanting for awhile to build on my set, and splurged on a top of the line waffle iron (which will be put to use tomorrow morning) and some kitchen utensils that I've needed to replace. Picked up a bottle of amazing 25 year old balsamic vinager that I can drink straight from the bottle, some drinking chocolate and I still have money left on the card. I'm dangerous in that store.

Took the folks out for dinner tonight at a local bbq joint and am now fending off Luna because my fingers still smell of ribs. Think I'm just going to curl up in bed early tonight and veg out. There's nothing on TV, it's supposed to start snowing soon, and... well, I just want to curl up in bed.

Hope that you had a great day, with plenty of cake and wine!

I just put my favorite sheets on the bed the other day. Last night, my toe caught on something and I thought it was just a fold in the top sheet. This morning, I got a little surprise while making my bed... the bottom sheet was completely shredded. It tooks like someone took a cheese grater to that one spot because the fabric was just destroyed. Not quite sure how the hell that happened, as the sheets were not all that old and I've had sheets for years that didn't die like that. Very perplexing and very annoying because, as I mentioned, these are my favorites.

Did luck out - went to Burlington Coat Factory because I really, really needed a new coat for winter (and found a gorgeous faux suade with a faux fur lining that is just so warm - and yes, I did buy it) and saw that they had linens. Found a set of Egyptian cotten sheets just in the right color for a big $30. I snagged them and just tossed them into the wash as soon as I got home. Cannot wait to get them onto my bed. Have been wanting to get Egyptian cotten sheets for quite a while now and these were a real steal. I love close outs!

Also picked up a really cute outfit for my baby nephew, so he's set for gifts this Yule. Need to figure out what I'm doing for the other kids. M is now 16 and teens are just impossible to shop for. T is also old enough that he has definate ideas of what he wants.

Really enjoyed having a few days off from work. Got lots of rest after getting done with Thanksgiving, caught up on sleep and just basically was a lazy lump the whole time. Went for a pedicure yesterday (toenails are now Midnight in Moskow) and will spend the rest of the day today planting in front of the TV, doing my laundry and reading smut. Some of my favorite Supernatural writers have been updating their stories, so I have a lot to read.

It's nearly noon and I've got just about all the major cooking done except for the bird, which is out of his brine bath and is chilling in the fridge. I really want to have as little to do as possible when people start showing up, so once the turkey is cooked. it's just a matter of reheating the side dishes while the bird rests and I get the gravy done. This is probably the most organized I've been preparing Thanksgiving in a long time. Any pots or utensils have been cleaned as I went and the potatoes, yams and dressing are in disposable pans so that cleanup will be a lot easier.

I just love that I just need to walk to my back yard to pick my herbs. I've got sage and thyme and rosemary and parsley, so I'm pretty well set. And oh, do they smell good! I just want to roll around in the rosemary. It's got to have the best smell of any herb on the planet.

Am taking a short break before I start cleaning the house. Figure that the bird will be popped into the oven in about an hour so I'll go retrieve it from the fridge and let it sit on the counter so he can lose the chill. Once he's roasting, I'll finish cleaning and hop into the shower to make myself human. People are going to be showing up at around 4 (which will be plenty of time to get the bird done) and I figure we'll start eating at around 5:30. There is going to be a LOT of food. And then dessert. And finally, the Turkey Coma.

Finally finished with cooking in preparation for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Butternut squash has been roasted for the soup, sweet potatoes have been baked and mashed. Pumpkin pies are cooling and a Russian apple cake is tucked away from Luna (who has been facinated by the goings on in the kitchen). The turkey is currently brining and on the deck in a cooler since it's just too darned big for the fridge. My veggies are chopped and ready to go tomorrow. Will get up early to blanch my stringbeans, get the dressing sorted out and get the Yukon gold potatoes mashed. Lots of work to get done, so it's a good thing that I really enjoy cooking.

We're having a few extra guests tomorrow. My sister-in-law's best friend and her husband are alone for the holidays - his children are with the ex and they have no family locally - so my brother asked if we minded squeezing another two people at the table. It's not that big a deal. Just need to make some extra soup. Besides, I like them so I really don't mind and they are very appreciative of the invitation. At the very least, it'll be some extra hands to help clean afterwards.

Think on Friday (once I wake up, which probably won't be until nearly noon if I have my way) that I will treat myself to a pedicure. I'm overdue and my toenails are looking pretty raggedy. And after slaving away in the kitchen, I think I'll deserve a little bit of pampering.

Luna's new nickname is now Velcro. She is currently squeezed up against me, gnawing on my elbow. Am struggling to stay awake to watch Adam Lambert on David Letterman.

If you have ever seen actor Jared Padalecki, you probably have come to the conclusion that the man has an absolutely perfect ass. This site is a tribute to that glorious formed hiney. Damn... those jeans of his should be bronzed.

http://www.jaredpadaleckisass.com/index.html

Today is a sad anniversary. It was one year ago that I had to say goodbye to Freebee. It amazes me that a full year has passed, yet if I think about her, I still get teary. I dug through my photo box (from the days before I had a digital camera) and found some beautiful shots of her when she was young and healthy. She was such a gorgeous cat. I still miss her very much, though I do plan to celebrate this Friday which will mark a full year that Luna has been in my home. Having her definately helped ease the pain of Freebee's passing.

Speaking of the little black furball... she's really taken to climbing trees in the yard and trying to go after the squirrels. We're always concerned that she might end up in one of our neighbor's yards if she ends up over our frence, but all of their yards are fenced in, so it will just be a matter of knocking on doors and asking for my cat back. :-) And she loves to play tag with you. I was trying to bring her inside and spent about fifteen minutes chasing her around the yard. She was hiding under the firepit and the lawn furnature that we have stacked and wrapped on the deck for the winter. Finally managed to corral her by the bbq.

Today was a fairly lazy day. Got my hair done this afternoon (needed coloring desperately) and spent most of the rest of the day watching stuff on the Food Network. Think I'm going to turn in early tonight. Didn't sleep great yesterday. At least this week is going to be a short one at work.

This is something that I just don't need right now. One of my coworkers (who sits at the desk right next to mine) has been out sick a good part of the week. She came in late yesterday and left early today, but she was still really, really sick. Well, I just got a text page that she tested positive for the H1M1 virus. Which means I now have to start on Tamiflu to avoid getting it myself. And spray everything I own with Lysol. And of course, now I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Really hoping that it's a psycosematic reaction and not that I'm actually getting sick right before Thanksgiving. Feh...

Got most of my Thanksgiving shopping tonight right after work. Splurged on an organic turkey which is currently residing in my freezer in the garage. We also picked up a ham, the sweet potatoes and other odds and ends. Tomorrow I'll hit the grocery store for my baking supplies. Thank all the Gods that I took Wednesday and Friday off to 1) get all my cooking done without killing myself and 2) have a day afterwards to relax.

One thing I plan to do right after Thanksgiving is get into the city to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - they have a new exhibit on samurai armor that's supposed to be spectacular and has some very rare examples. Will probably take my neice along and make a day of it.

Am going to chill this weekened and just relax as much as possible. Am getting my hair cut and colored tomorrow, and that about as activity as I want to get involved in.