Dear Cats,

4:45 AM is a time most humans like to sleep. I know you sleep all day -- I, on the other hand, work to pay your rent and buy your cat food.

Today, in particular, I'll work until 9:30 at night. This is why I get irritated when you fight on, under and around my bed.

I've been very good about not waking you up during the 22 hours a day you sleep. Could you please let me sleep for 6 or 8 hours?

thanks,
your sugar-mama

A much better way to spend the summer...

Seeing "My Sister's Keeper" yesterday was a strong reminder of last summer -- and how things could have been much worse.

Really (knock on the biggest piece of wood around), I got off easy -- but, to say last summer was my worst summer ever would be about right.

By comparison --

Instead of spending a week or so in lumpectomy/mastectomy/hospital crap --- with Hubby and Mom tending me -- I spent the week with Mom playing, swimming and generally beaching it up.

In a couple of weeks, instead of starting chemo, I'll be on the way to NYC for a quick weekend with Hubby. I'm sure he and mom would rather be in NYC /Florida than in the ER with me... as that weekend is also the anniversary of 'weird seizure' /Sleep Apnea diagnosis. Yes, Hubby, I'll lug the CPAP to New York, don't worry.

It's good to plan not to sleep -- rather than have them actually not sleep because they're afraid I'll stop breathing again. Then again, if we aren't sleeping -- why bring the CPAP?? (JK honey, I just wrote that to hear your head explode... :).

Sometime in early August, I should get a haircut -- to commemorate the weekend my hair fell out. I might actually need one by then!

As it is, I'd much rather spend my summer this way -- a bit of travel, a lot of dissertation writing, teaching two classes and hanging out with the cats while Hubby is in New York state for his thing...

Oh good, there's the noon whistle (yea, my weird suburb still has one) -- soon the porch will be shady and cool -- so I can go back out there.

At loose ends....

I have plenty of work to do -- but, I'm having a hard time getting started on any of it.

The plan for today is more class prep -- if I can get the rest of the summer session prepped out, then all I have to do is press "start" and do the discussions... which will be handy, since I'll be out of town a lot in the next few weeks.

The trouble is that weekend radio and TV aren't all that good -- especially on a holiday weekend. I like to have some program to kind of keep me company, but NPR is repeats from yesterday... and my DVR is nearly empty --- since I've seen most of the older "Bones" episodes.... sigh.

I think I'll prep for a while, then maybe do lunch and nap --- then do the computer part of prep on the porch in the late afternoon, when I can see the screen (i.e. the porch isn't sunny!). I've been reading so much Donna Leon, (mysteries set in Venice) that I seem to be adopting their long-lunch work schedule... hmmm.

Another day on the porch..

It seems that I can't do class prep inside -- so, here I am.

It's a holiday, so the people watching should be fun. My porch faces the trailerpark nextdoor, so the random fireworks "shows" should accelerate.

So far one of my neighbors seemed to invite his whole trailer-park family over -- only to immediately dispatch most of them to the pool. I'm glad I saw that, as I don't want to go over there until they come back...

I just saw the 'I'm a white, suburban, teenaged boy who wants to dress like a 'gangsta' ' dude. Really, dude, do you have to have your sag so low that I'm afraid of looking at you for fear that I'll be looking when your pants hit your shoes??

Bills I'm happy to pay...

Dish TV -- better service, better equipment, we control the equipment and -- for the next 6 months, MUCH less than we've been paying for Direct TV... plus, when I had a problem with their stuff this morning (yes -- July 4 at 7 AM) -- I got someone who was both able to communicate with me and who was efficient at fixing the problem.

The radiologist who read my 'normal' mammogram -- $6.36 to be told my remaining boob was cancer free--- really, priceless -- but, better for under $7.00.

The cancer clinic for my checkup -- which is only necessary when I'm NOT on chemo. $27.00 to see my oncologist... not bad.

Various vendors at the Farmer's Market --$24.00 for a heavy bag full of veggies, bread and hummus...

and -- although hubby paid this one --- the cost of his new glasses. Although he needed them, the best part was that a student I had last fall (when I was bald) - -didn't recognize me with my hair!!!

double bad luck??

So -- internets -- a purely hypothetical question...



What happens if your black cat breaks a mirror?
Does it help that his catly companion/supervisor/mentor in evil doesn't approve?

and -- hubby, no, he actually DIDN'T break a mirror, but I put it in our bathroom for safekeeping just in case the internets tell me it's really bad luck...

One more little separation...

Hubby's on the way to what I've been calling ' {discipline} nerd sleep-away camp' -- held at a prestigious east coast uni.

He's driving and left in my car just now -- with all the comforts of home, to make his dorm room easier to live in. Packing him up was a lot like packing a kid to go to camp, without having to sew name tags in the back of his shorts :).

The cats and I will miss him.

It will be quiet around our little place again -- but, it's not the same as a trip to Red State.

This year Red State was stressful, camp will be fun. He's also seeing some fun stuff along the way, thus his decision to leave earlier than necessary. I only wish I could drive out with him -- but, summer school = fall bills paid, and I'm in the second week of classes.

I don't have the 'how the heck are we going to live together forever' question at the back of my mind.

and -- I get to visit him in a couple of weeks, and see a city I've never been to... a really big city...

So -- his going isn't nearly as traumatic as others.

I'm going to take a short nap before class...