My cat is an alarm clock

I woke up this morning to hear two things - somebody in the shower, and a dog whining to be let out - followed by a third: my cat, Mouse, meowing pathetically to be fed her wet food.

At around 5:52 AM.

Because my cat doesn't understand the concept of time.

So, I let the dogs outside, gave the incessantly meowing cat her food (she tried to follow the dogs outside twice; I had to shoo her away), put the dogs back in their beds, and tried to get back to sleep. Then the person in the shower let the dogs out again, and Smiles (our Jack Russell) came downstairs and jumped on my bed. We had a bit of a snuggle until I decided to finally get up.

So, in short, I'm a bit tired. I have to sort out things to sell for when we do a yard sale, so that'll be fun to accomplish when I'm slightly sleep deprived. I think I might sell the Klutz scrapbook I have, because it's a bit young for me now. It'll break my heart to do it, but I think I have to. And anyway, I can always use the mini scrapbooking kit I have, as well as buy a nicer one from Michaels.

I also have to cull some magazines. So far I've set aside a bunch of knitting magazines to sell, and I'll probably sell all of my Cricket magazines as well as my other magazines from the same publishing company. Again, my heart breaks to do it, but they're young for me, and they're taking up a lot of space.

As far as knitting goes, I haven't picked up my sock in some time. I don't want to start the heel unless I feel I'm awake enough, and I always seem to want to knit in the late evenings. I should probably work on finishing my Ravenclaw scarf, too - I think I'm on the last, or maybe the second-to-last stripe, then it's just weaving in ends and doing the fringe. The scarf is huge (I'm not sure if it'll fit under my winter jackets), but if nothing else I can wear it around the house. I think the pattern is supposed to be huge, though, because I remember reading some comments on Ravelry that were mentioning how big their scarves turned out to be. I suppose too big is better than too small, though.

My reading is going slowly, but I'm making headway in The Hunger Games. My goal is to finish it before the DVD comes in at the library for Mom to pick up. The only trouble is that I may not get to read my library books before they have to go back, because I want to put my focus mainly on The Hunger Games. I can always check the library books out again, though: the newer catalogue has a "recently returned" list, so it's easier to find stuff you just had out.

'Nother recap

Sorry for not posting. Still a bit busy.

Mom and I made some progress with cleaning/organizing yesterday. We went through a storage tub of books and magazines and put some aside for a yard sale, then we went through the cookbooks. We still have to clean off the dining room table, though - hopefully in a week or two, I'll be able to do my GED work at the table.

Speaking of GED work, I haven't done that in a couple of weeks, and Mom got on my case about it again. The only places I can work are in the living room (which is noisy) and my room. My room is the basement, so I hear everybody's footsteps, which is rather annoying. Plus, my table is a tip, and it's cold down there, AND I have two storage bins (one for yarn, one for blankets) to work around, AND there's a cat tunnel thing I have to work around. So yeah, GED stuff can wait a bit. I can't take the prep courses until the fall anyway!

I also haven't knit in a few days, which is a bit odd. I started a dishcloth for one of the HPKCHC assignments (which I probably already mentioned), and it's nearly halfway done, I think.

I watched the season finale of The Vampire Diaries last night, and it was EPIC :)

ETA: I moved my 'Links' box up below the 'Books I'm Reading' box, and added a link to this blog's commenting guidelines. Please read them before you comment. Thanks! :)

My left arm is killing me

Hi. Sorry for the lack of posts.

So, my left arm is really sore because I was working on a spiral scarf. It's over 800 stitches after the last increase row. Yes, I am crazy. I have to ask my mom to help me with it, though, because I'm running out of the Red Heart I'm using. I knew I was going to run out, but in the middle of a row?!

I'm reading a book called Girl in the Arena. It's due back to the library in twelve days. I might not finish it in time. Unless I can renew it.

I cleaned off my table yesterday. I moved my Beatles Monopoly to the bottom shelf of my right-hand bookcase, got rid of some garbage, moved my Cook's Magazine Anyone Can Cook cookbook to the space beside Beatles Monopoly, etc. I still have to find a space for Macbeth and Hamlet on one of my bookcases, but that can be done later. The important thing was moving Beatles Monopoly to a better spot, and bringing my Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll downstairs and putting it on my table. I organized my spare pads of paper and my knitting patterns, too.

I also exercised last night. I was already planning on exercising, but it got left to very late in the evening. I was so pissed off at my mom for nattering about me being out of shape and apparently putting on weight since I left karate, so I did some exercises in the dead of night, lol.

I'm gonna make a Team Spike wristband soon. For one of the HPKCHC classes :)

Easter Weekend, Part One

Yes, I'm going to post about the weekend in chunks, a concept stolen from AJ. Hope you don't mind, AJ :) lol

I'll start with today, Good Friday.

(I didn't bold that to put emphasis on religion, by the way.)

Today started with me drinking my leftover ginger ale from last night for 'breakfast' while checking the library site to see if they'd be open tomorrow. Turns out they are. And when I told Mom, she said, "Yes, they are! Saturday isn't a holiday!" Jeez, Mom, I'm only trying to help. Way to encourage a girl...

Then it was cleaning. For me, that meant tossing the dogs' blankets in the washing machine with a good scoop of Borax to make them smell nice and pretty, taking any dirty towels, clothing and facecloths down to the laundry room, etc. Then it was sweeping time, which resulted in me having to take a break due to thirst (which was due to a crappy breakfast) and a sore back. My back is still a little sore, but not as bad as before.

I can't remember when Katie and Dan arrived - I think it was around noon. After some chit-chat, Katie and Dan left to go somewhere. I don't know where. There was crap on TV, so Mom and I watched The Incredibles on DVD - well, I watched it, since Mom kinda abandoned the movie. Dad watched the rest of it with me, though. Katie and Dan came back near the end. After pausing the credits to find out who did the voice for Syndrome, I took the DVD out and switched it back to TV, and we watched on BBC Canada until Top Gear came on. It was around that time that Katie and Mom left to visit Grandma in the hospital, so me, Dad and Dan watched Top Gear, which was pretty cool. I read a bit of Blood and Chocolate during Top Gear as well.

Mom freaked out at me near dinnertime because I had walked behind her while she was handling a pot of potatoes. And the she told me to get out of her way whilst I was making sure the bottle of cleaner was okay (it had fallen in the sink). Grr. I ate dinner - beef shank stew stuff (which had these friggin' rings of fat, so I had to get a Dr Pepper after dinner) and mashed potatoes. I watched Coronation Street and Jeopardy!. Dad badgered me to wash dishes, and I didn't. Hell yeah.

And then I had to fish a dog toy out from under the couch. Which was a pain. In my back. And then my mom told me that I was the source of a bad smell, so I came up here, in the Spare Oom. And then she called me down to apologise, because it was actually the dog bed that smelled. And I came back up here.

And Spectacle is coming on in roughly 14 minutes, so I'd better finish this post quickly. Sounds like we'll have to eat in our laps Easter Sunday, and Grandpa hinted about shunting us kids in the friggin' sun room to make room for their friends from friggin' ARIZONA!!!!!

....phew.

13 minutes to spare.

I guess I should post this post now. I'll report back soon, maybe tomorrow. And most likely Sunday evening, to dish out the dirt on the dinner.

12 minutes. Gotta go.

...wait, now it's 11 minutes! Bye-bye :)

Cleaning up the house

Well, that's one thing I'll be able to cross off my holiday to-do list - helping Mom clean up the house for Christmas. Mom did a lot - washed the windows, wiped the bookcase, swept behind the bookcase, etc. I helped to dust off the books and such, and I cleaned out the cat's litter pan and put fresh litter in it, changed the bathroom garbage, put the living room curtains in the wash, and I still had time to shower, 'cause I wanna smell half-decent tomorrow - Dad and I are supposed to go Christmas shopping for Mom tomorrow morning, and I have to drop off my DVDs at the library and pick up a couple of items there.

I also watched The Santa Clause today, which is one of my favourite holiday movies. I actually hadn't seen it in a while, so I was able to pick up on some of the more mature jokes that I had missed when I was younger, like: "You're flying!" "I'm used to it, I lived through the sixties!"

Speaking of the sixties, I watched Monterey Pop today. It was pretty cool - I especially loved Janis Joplin singing 'Ball and Chain' with Big Brother and the Holding Company. What an awesome performance.

An early Thanksgiving

We're having our Thanksgiving dinner early. I think my siblings are supposed to come around lunchtime, and we're going to eat around the time when Dad gets home from work.

I'm pissed off with Dad. Mom is, too. Mom and I had to not only carry the large folding table upstairs, but we also had other stuff to do. I swept the living room as best I could, then I swept the bathroom and the hallway near the bathroom, and then I gave the cat's litter pan a scoop. The roofing guy came by to drop off the materials, and Mom had to step outside to pay him. We locked up Smiles, Teddy and Lulu beforehand - we let Goldie stay out because she behaves. And she did behave. After her usual barking, she settled down. I was quite proud.

I also disinfected my table, because I've had little visitors (mice) leaving droppings on it, to put it delicately. Either that or the cat knocked the droppings onto my table via the ceiling. Who knows? Anyhow, I hid the Redwall and Artemis Fowl books, in case Nathan wanders downstairs to get a can of pop and decides to steal them.

And, just when things couldn't possibly get worse... Smiles decided to steal a cat turd. So I had to dispose of it and then sweep up the litter. We're using a pine litter now, so it's not only lighter than the standard litter, it also looks gross. Seriousl. It clumps good, though. Mom cleaned the bathroom. We still need to bring up the chairs from the furnace room...

I have not eaten anything yet - I've had a glass of water and two cups of hot chocolate, but that's it. I might eat something soon, only I don't know what.

Oh, and one more thing. Goldie and Mouse are both pathetic beggars. Mom's frying up meat (for the stuffing, I think), and Mouse is there meowing and pawing the cupboards. It was so cute. And then Goldie comes in and looks up at Mom, ears perked up, and just waits with hopeful eyes.

The GED book has been found!

I guess it was in a box of books. But seriously... was it there the whole time???

In other news:

1. Mom and Dad are cleaning like crazy. I've tried to help, but I think it's best if I just stay far, far away right now
2. I can't find my favourite SNL skits from the 70's on YouTube. Except for a really crappy video where someone is holding a video camera up to a TV. Gah. I just can't win.
3. The dogs are driving me crazy.
4. I'm not looking forward to my upcoming dental appointments.

Sweeping, Springsteen and Steve Miller

Before leaving for my mom's appointment, Dad asked me to sweep the living room and throw out the pieces of paper and cardboard that Smiles ever-so-kindly left laying about. So I went downstairs and got the Springsteen album I'm borrowing from the library, Darkness on the Edge of Town. I love that album.

After sweeping, I suddenly remembered that there's a Steve Miller Band song that I really like, one that never gets played on Q107. So I fired up the computer, and after checking my e-mail, my library account and Q107's site, I went to Ravelry and opened up iTunes for Windows. The song is called 'True Fine Love'.

Here it is...