Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Suddenly I'm finding myself with an obsession for grey tabby cats. I can't imagine why.

The Kitten Formerly Known As NNY...

I haven't written in awhile. It's because I've adopted a kitten and found out that's a full-time job. She was a little stray who wandered into a farmyard outside of Paso Robles. A friend of mine contacted me to say that a friend of hers was looking to place a boy kitten in a good home. It took me a couple of days, and a trip to the animal shelter (which is not for the faint-of-heart), for me to make the decision. I was going to adopt the little boy kitten and name him Oliver.

Oliver made the two and a half hour car ride the next day on the lap of his Paso Robles family. They adored him and would have kept him if they had more of a stay-at-home lifestyle. His first mother left him with a homemade cat toy that he still loves. Two days later, we took him to the vet and found out that he was a she. That's when I realized we couldn't call her Oliver any more. The vet's assistant changed the label on her chart from Oliver to NNY (No Name Yet) and sent me home with a kit for collecting a stool sample.

At first I was very disappointed that I was the mom of another girl cat. I was broken hearted when Goldie was put to sleep. I didn't want the new cat to be anything like her. And after missing an entire night's sleep due to her little kitten antics, I worried that I wouldn't ever get attached to her.

I shouldn't have worried.

Each day is a holiday with this adorable kitten in the house. She gets up out of bed every day like it's Christmas morning and races out to the living room to play with her toys. Every new thing she discovers brings her joy. She is curious and fearless. She races to greet everyone who walks through her door as if she was greeting the Queen of England. She purrs more than not. She is a beautiful little tabby kitten who is going to grow up into a beautiful tabby cat.

This morning, the vet called with the results of her tests. She has a little parasite that will require treatment for the next 20 days. She was too excited over seeing her toys again this morning to eat her breakfast, and I worried that she was going downhill. Panic set in, and I realized that I had gotten very attached to her and couldn't let anything happen to her. What would I do? The Handsomest Man Alive to the rescue -- he visited her at lunch and found that she had finished her breakfast and was ready to play. She not only took her first dose of medication like a lady -- she licked the applicator afterward.

I still miss Goldie more than I ever thought possible, but I think I'm going to learn a lot from this little face. She turns medicine into joy. I wish I could do that more often in my own life.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to formally introduce you to...Roxy Elizabeth...Foxy Roxy who's got a lot of moxie.

I'm Walking On Sunshine

Don't know what it's like in your part of the world this weekend, but here in Southern California we're laying in supplies for an extreme heat advisory. I'm not sure what exactly knowing that it's going to be incredibly hot in advance of the heat actually does to help the situation. I can't remember changing any plans because it's so damn hot. I do know that I tend to get a lot less done when it's really hot. And I complain a lot more.

Perhaps, that's where the excessive heat advisory comes in. I can justify my complaints because we've already been advised that it's excessive heat. Ah well, the one thing I don't like to do when it's hot is turn on the oven. The whole place heats up and the A/C has to be turned up accordingly.

So here's a great idea to do something constructive during the hot, hot heat. Not only will I have a load of baked goods when I'm done, my car will have the smell of freshly baked cookies rather than the smell of faux lemon stank from my Michelle Obama air freshener. I think someone should write an entire book of recipes to be cooked in a hot car. They'd make a fortune in Southern California. And how cool would it be to get into your car at the end of a long stressful day, knowing that dinner is already cooked? All you have to do is avoid spilling the pot roast on your commute from Hell to home and you're golden. Honestly, I'd just eat it right there in the parking lot.

The New York Times invited Bo Obama to write an Op-Ed piece...and so he did. There are economists from coast-to-coast who are kicking themselves that the White House dog got something in the Times before they did.

Speaking of the Obamas -- I thought this was an interesting article about what kind of long cool beverages are being served in the White House.

Weekend List of Things To Do:

• Watch the British Open on the HD television in an air-conditioned room.
  
• Go see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in a refrigerated environment.

Before the Parade Passes By...

So Robert Redford went off and got hitched without me. I wasn't even invited, but I guess if he wasn't going to marry me, it was best that I not be there to loudly protest the oversight. I read a snarky post by a witty young blogger this morning about Redford's marriage. It said that the only people who care about Redford's wedding are middle-age women, who are all now in mourning. To which, I respond less pithily -- you bet your ass we are!

I fell in love with the genre of 'Chick Lit' when I read the first Bridget Jones's Diary a few years ago. I had never read a book that had such an honest tone about modern dating, yet kept me laughing out loud. I was so taken with the book that I sent away to England to get Helen Fielding's two earlier and much less popular novels. Both books were later also released in the United States. Neither one comes close to capturing a zeitgeist the way that Bridget did -- but one of them made me laugh-out loud twice. The plot featured a young woman who was dating a celebrity and didn't have anything to wear to an awards show and ended up in her prom dress that spread out across the laps of the two celebrities on either side of her at the banquet. I'm sorry to hear that they're going to try to make that movie franchise into a triple threat. The first movie was pure genius -- the second was pure dreck!

And then there is this little tidbit about a tragic-comic marriage in Italy. Hmmmm...

Prince Charming Nominates Cinderella

The Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor kick-off today in Washington DC. This is the first big show for Saturday Night Live Alum and now Senator from Minnesota, Al Franken. I hope everything goes well for him. I'd send wishes for Sonia to break a leg -- but she already did. So all I can say is go, girl!

Here's a little reminder to never mess with a well-accessorized woman.

And I thought this was an interesting -- fact-based -- article for women over 40 about skin care. I always feel like I'm being sold a bill of goods about what I should and shouldn't be doing. Some of the stuff is so expensive -- and in the end -- I'm never sure how much good it's doing.

Television Alert! I've become addicted to this show on BBC America. It's a couple of years old -- but it follows Andrew Lloyd Webber selecting the lead for a new version of 'Sound of Music.' The selection process is very interesting. Also, get ready for the British Open this weekend. I love golf in real weather.

Walk Softly And Carry A Big Stick

I go away for a few days and the world seems to go to Hell in a handbasket. Last Friday we went on an hour-long boat ride. When we got back, Sarah Palin had resigned as Alaska's Governor and they'd planned a big party for Michael Jackson. Maybe I'm a little crazy -- because I'm not so intrigued by those big stories that seem to be keeping everyone glued to the television.

I'm following the news of a fabulous new documentaryabout the 'Garden Girls' with great interest. Hmmm...wouldn't that be a great place for a spy movie to begin. I've also been thinking about becoming an Avon Lady, because I guess that's what everyone's doing..and I don't want to miss out on the latest trend. And according to Entertainment Weekly, if that doesn't work out, then there's always a life of crime.

Big Wheels Keep On Turning

I suspect that someday I'll be hanging a sign in the back window of my Honda Civic to annouce how many miles we've rolled over together. If you got a good thing...don't mess with it.