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I never get tired of videos like these…
Okay, it’s been one week since I wrote about toilet training our 2 cats, Purr Purr and Prissy. When I started off, there were a lot of skeptics around me. In fact, Rodney himself said it was the stupidest thing. But oh how people change their tunes. Even Rodney is impressed now that he sees they are using it. And my Mom… who rarely ever mentions our cats, calls me every other day to see how things are going with the toilet training. In fact, she’s so impressed, she’s considering getting a cat. She and Dad had said they weren’t getting anymore cats after the last one died. So maybe I’ll even help some cats by inspiring others to give them a home. Anyway, to the point of this post — our cats are now using the toilet exclusively. No more litter box! Keep in mind, they aren’t actually using the toilet. They are using a pan that is placed inside the bowl with litter in it, but these are the early stages. Right now, they are just getting used to the toilet setting. The whole process is supposed to take 8 weeks, and so far so good. I highly recommend the CitiKitty toilet training kit! And I will keep you posted.
This was the first weekend we’ve had to relax in awhile. We’ve had something going on every weekend this month, and while that’s fun, sometimes you just need some alone time, you know? We did some cleaning in the garage. Rodney is planning a garage sale for next weekend. It’s probably a good idea. I tend to keep a lot of “junk”, and I’m pretty emotionally attached to all of it. Perfect example: Rodney wants to sell a set of lamps we bought for our first bedroom together. We haven’t used them for years, yet I want to hold on to them, even though I know we’ll never use them again. Oh, and I also spent a substantial amount of time on the couch. I love being lazy on the weekend. I watched Disc 1 of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Damn, it was good. It just floors me how amazingly talented Hitchcock was. I know that his style is no longer commercially popular, but I wish it would make a comeback somehow. There is nothing on TV or in theatres that’s even remotely good by comparison. And on a less sophisticated note, I’ve fallen in love with The Family Guy. I was aware of the TV show, but I had never watched it until tonight. I’m hooked. It delivers punchline after punchline of crude, politically incorrect humor. I know… how did I jump from Hitchcock to cartoons? But that’s what I watched this weekend. Then, of course, there’s Big Brother. I went through a brief phase of liking Dick, but now he’s just too much. He’s overbearing and pretty childish. No wonder his daughter doesn’t want to be around him. That was my weekend. How was yours?
Thanks to everyone for the positive commentary on my 2 year blog post. It actually made me go back and think about what this blog is supposed to be about. I don’t feel like I’ve been completely honest in a very long time. It isn’t that I’ve been lying, I just haven’t been exposing anything beneath the surface. I haven’t allowed myself to really be open and talk about things that strike a nerve with me. I guess that carries over into my real life too. I don’t mean to do it, but I seem to lock everyone out. When I scan through the rolodex in my head, I can’t think of anyone who TRULY knows me. Rodney comes pretty darn close, but that’s it. I try to think of one friend that I feel like I can say anything to. Nobody comes to mind. And it’s not their fault. Many people have told me they will be there for me, and I believe they would be. I just don’t allow myself to open up. If someone else needs a shoulder to cry on, you can bet I’ll be there. I’m happy to listen to anything that’s troubling you. But when it comes to me opening up, all you’ll get is a big grin and an attitude of “Oh, everything’s fine and dandy.” Sometimes it’s not. I’m not intentionally lying, it’s just part of my optimistic demeanor. I want to be the happy guy… you know the one that you can invite to anything and you know he’ll be in a great mood and ready to make you laugh. That’s who Nathan is… or at least who he’s meant to be. God forbid I should ever show a real ounce of emotion or weakness. But if we’re getting down to the nitty gritty, things are pretty crazy for me right now. It’s just up and down, up and down, and most of it is tied to the almighty dollar. Money is a very severe reality. Maybe it can’t buy you happiness, but it sure buys our mortgage, car payment, utilities, phone bills, gas, and groceries. Going out on my own has been more challenging than I’ve ever imagined. When it’s good, it’s soooo good. Last week I was working 10 hour days and making money left and right. This week… not a penny. That’s the part that drives me crazy. I can’t plan ahead because I never know what’s coming up. Will I have money next week? Who knows? Nobody. Then when I finally do get money, I’m backtracking trying to catch up on bills from the week before. So I’m always either ahead or behind. I’ve considered looking into jobs at design firms, but the thought just grates my nerves. I can’t even begin to tell you what the world of design is like. Extremely catty, like runway models. Designers are a rare breed of bitchiness. I’ve also looked into other jobs. When I go to a job site, and look at the options staring back at me, they feel so foreign. Accounting, customer service, medical, real estate, retail, sales… WTF? I’m not any of these things. This is the downside of starting so young. I started designing when I was 15. Now I’m 25 and feeling the kind of burn out people usually don’t get until their 30’s. Ugh… I know this too shall pass. I know I’m bitching and moaning, and this is exactly why I don’t open up more often. I’ll probably get 3 new clients next week and be happier than a bug in a rug. It’s these highs and lows that drive me crazy. When I’m up, I feel invincible. But when I’m down, I stew in my own misery. There… I exposed myelf. If you made it this far, you definitely deserve a lollipop.
My blog turned two years old today. Yay! When I started out, I could have never predicted how much the blog world would become a part of my daily life. I talk to Rodney about people I know through my blog as if we are next door neighbors. Sometimes I hear or see something that makes me think of someone I know as a result of my blog. And sometimes when something happens, I’m already planning out the blog post in my head. It’s really opened me up to the entire world online. I’ve been able to make friends with people all over the continent, and it’s great. I’ve grown so much thanks to this blog… and thanks to all of you.
In “The Secret“, there is a segment about gratitude rocks. A gratitude rock can really be any rock you choose. The only thing that matters is the emotional connection you have when you hold the rock in your hand. I understood the concept on a surface level, but never really got into it. Okay, it’s a rock. Big deal. I just didn’t grasp the symbolism… until now. This past weekend, Rodney and I went to the zoo with our niece and nephew and their parents. These are family members who live further up in IL. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned them because we rarely get to see them. Anyway, the niece is 4 & 1/2 and the nephew is 7 months old. I formed a new bond with my niece that I’d never had. As soon as she saw me this weekend, she latched onto me like a magnet. I seem to have that effect on kids, but my niece was particularly attached to me this time. When we were at the zoo, we went into the gift shop and they had one of those displays that are filled with brightly colored rocks. You get to fill a pouch with as many rocks as will fit for $3 (sidenote: I wish groceries were sold like that!). At that exact moment, I understood the gratitude rock. I had my niece pick out all the rocks so that each one would be special to me. I then gave her some and kept some for myself. After we had all our rocks, I told her to pick out one specific rock to be my very special one. She chose it and now it’s my gratitude rock. Every time I look at it or hold it in my hand, I am reminded of how much I am loved by those around me… particularly by this little girl. She told me she’d look at the rocks first thing every morning and think of me. For these things, I am truly grateful.
So here’s the dealio. I’ve always wanted to toilet train our 2 cats, Purr Purr and Prissy. So I ordered a CitiKitty online and today it arrived. I was so happy! The CitiKitty is basically a pan that you put on the toilet and fill it with kitty litter. The cats adapt to using it, and little by little, you remove sections of the pan. Eventually the cats will go in the toilet without the pan, and then you don’t need any add-ons or litter. Yay! The instructions suggest you leave out the old litter box for at least 2 weeks so the cats have a choice. But I don’t have that kind of patience. So I hid the litter box and left them with only one option - a toilet pan filled with litter. After a few hours, Purr Purr took a piss in the toilet. I WAS SO EXCITED! I was doing my little victory dance, celebrating the pee pee in the potty. Yes, I was. Prissy didn’t use the toilet, so I brought back out the litter box. I think I’ll just split it up. I’ll restrict them to only using the toilet for part of the day, then I’ll bring out the litter box so they have a choice. Purr Purr is already making progress in one day, and I think Prissy will imitate her. But I have to say, I didn’t get much work done today. Every 5 minutes, I would run over to the bathroom and move around the litter, checking for buried treasures. Like a kid at Christmas, I tell ya!
My friend Daniel tagged me to list 8 random facts about myself. I got a really weird e-mail after the 8 things post I did last month, so this time I’m going to go for something milder. In order to have a theme, I’m going to call this the Fear Edition: 1.) I am afraid of heights. It all started when I was very little, and I decided that climbing my dresser drawers would be the equivalent of climbing a mountain. As you might expect, the dresser fell over on me and busted me in the lip. So now, I have a fear that when I am up high, whatever I am on will fail me and I will once again be injured. 2.) I am afraid of tight spaces. Crowded elevators are not fun. 3.) I am afraid of fire. Even candles freak me out sometimes. 4.) I am afraid of big semi trucks. One time, a guy almost mowed me over because he was speeding around a very sharp curve and headed right into my lane, facing me. I had to swing into another lane, ramming another car, because it was the only way to save myself and Rodney. 5.) I am afraid of missing one minute of Big Brother. 6.) I am afraid of people who think they’re speaking the words of God. We seem to be getting mixed messages. Whenever I talk to God, He doesn’t sound at all like a hateful bigot. I wonder what time they are talking to Him. 7.) I am afraid of people with bad breath. They always like to get really close when they talk, don’t they? 8.) I am painfully afraid of wrinkles, even though I know I get better with age (like a fine wine).
I’m hooked on The L Word. I started out with Season 1 through Netflix a few months ago. Well…. some crazy bitch has been breaking The L Word, Season 3 DVD’s and poor Nathan is the one who gets screwed. It started with Disc 1. I was all ready and excited to see what happened as the season started. I pulled out the DVD, and it was cracked! Fuck. So I had to send it back and have Netflix send me a replacement… which tested my patience. So now we’re down to the season finale on Disc 4. I received it in the mail and was, again, excited to see how the season would end. I open up the sleeve, and what falls out? Absolutely Fabulous. Fuuuuuuuck! Oh, and get this… it’s CRACKED! So my theory is the same cunt-bag that cracked Disc 1 also cracked this disc, and put it in the wrong sleeve… which really screws things up. I would love to get my hands on the bull dyke who is cracking all these DVD’s and putting them in the wrong sleeve. I can just see her with her big meaty hands, fumbling around to do things right. She’s sitting there on the couch, all satisfied because she got to see the whole season without any problems. But then when the rest of us want to, we can’t, because she’s messed up the discs. Of course, I am being very stereotypical to assume it’s a lesbian doing this. Afterall, I’m a gay man and I watch The L Word. But I don’t think a gay man would be this sloppy.
Whenever I got to PetSmart, it is mandatory that I stop by the adoption section to visit the cats who are in cages, waiting to be adopted. I read their story on their history cards, I call them by their names. I pet them and talk to them. If they have been adopted and are scheduled for pick-up, I tell them that they are going to a nice new home and will be very happy. Although I’m a self-proclaimed animal lover, I have to say that cats are my favorite. I am a “cat person” by definition. It’s hard to define the difference between a person who likes cats and a person who truly loves them. But when you’re one of them, you just know. So anyway, with my millions of dollars, I would like to set-up a cage free adoption center for cats. Doing this would require quite a bit of financial resources, because I would want it to truly be a place that could accommodate any and all cats that need a place to stay until they can be adopted. I would want 24/7 on-site medical care, people there to keep the cats occupied, and plenty of room for the cats to run free. In the meantime, a person has to ask himself “Well how could I start doing this without the financial backing?”. It’s simple: volunteer to offer a foster home to kittens. A kitten is not able to be adopted until it has reached 2-3 months of age. In that timeframe, it needs to be kept in a safe environment, which is usually done by foster volunteers. Adoption shelters are always looking for people offering foster care. I thought this would be a great idea. The food and medical attention is paid for, and since I work from home, I could make sure the kittens are cared for. Unfortunately, Rodney couldn’t go for it. He was too afraid that he would become attached to them and not be able to separate himself from them. If that’s how he feels, I don’t want to put him in an upsetting situation. So I’ll shelf this dream for now… but someday, cage free cats is a dream I plan to make happen.
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1 Comment
You know with a title like that, this post is going to be classic Nathan.
People often say “If I had millions of dollars, I would do this…” Well this is one of the things I would like to do…
