(no subject)
I'm catsitting for my quirky neighbors for the next week or so. I'd probably do it anyway, but I owe it to them. Last year, our cat Gretchen was on a feeding tube and needed medication and liquid food every couple of hours, and as I tried to manage that debacle, the people we'd been stealing the internet from (yeah, I'm just bad enough not to care about that) moved out, and I was internet-less just when it was imperative that I be able to work from home. The nice folks in the apartment next door let me use their wireless network, and although we lost Gretchen soon after, it allowed me to spend a little more time with her, which was near priceless.
Side note: I picked out Gretchen as a wee little thing as my birthday present from Stacy back when we lived in Mt. Lebanon. We went through one of our breakups during that year, and I decided to let Stacy take Gretchen. She lived with Stacy at her parents' house for the next few years, and long after Stacy and I had reconciled and she was spending all her time at my place, Gretchen was still over in Greenfield. Stacy asked several times if we could bring her over, but I was skittish because a) the cat I'd adopted in the meantime (Timbre) doesn't handle change very well, and b) to be honest, I had some reservations about Gretchen by that point. She'd been aloof every time I visited Stacy's house, which was kind of painful, considering that she'd been "my" cat. I finally relented, and Gretchen had only been with us for a month or so when she stopped eating. I still feel a little guilty that Stacy didn't get to spend more time with Gretchen as a part of our family, but Mitchell (the baby, who I got as a birthday present for Stacy about a year ago) has made things considerably better. There! Now you're mostly up to speed on our cat ownership. (I'll tell you about Aidan some other time.)
So! Catsitting! The cat is a very pretty, friendly Tonkinese named Tina, and it's neat to be able to hang out with her. I've seen her hanging out in their window many times and petted her through the screen as best as I was able. But the most interesting thing is getting to see the inside of the neighbor's apartment. It's the only other unit in the building with the original woodwork left intact, and despite the whoa factor of their clutter, it's a beautiful space. There's a ceiling division between two rooms with this wonderful spindle work, and another part has some lovely stained glass. I noticed they also have a fireplace like mine and built-in bookshelves, though they don't have a built-in desk like I do. (Ha! Victory would be mine if I ever actually used that desk!) I intend to very quickly peek at the other rooms in their apartment, just to see if they have more Victorian touches. (The other rooms in my apartment are all pretty modern. I'm not complaining-- they're in good shape, the wood floor is gorgeous, and our bedroom gets a ton of light-- but I wish the uniqueness of our living room carried through to the rest of the apartment.)
On another note, I think I'm actually going to write letters to the makers of my favorite scents, demanding to know why every time I find something I like, it gets discontinued. I recently went to Bath and Body Works, aiming to pick up some of my cheap-fallback body spray, and lo and behold, none of the ones I liked exist any more. It's frustrating to have to go looking for a new scent every six months, especially since I generally refuse on principle to pay more than $15 for smellgood stuff. Also, it's difficult to find a "real" perfume that's light and fresh and clean-- no matter how little of it I use, I feel like I'm wearing the scent equivalent of french fries. Because I'm that much of a dork, and to prove the point, I'll list the discontinued varieties for your edification.
Bath and Body Works:
Calming Waters (reminded me of my Aunt Boogie; she always had it in her bathroom. It smelled clean and wholesome and relaxing, like you'd just spent time in a whirlpool tub with a neck pillow and classical music playing.)
Bergamot Coriander (Yeah, I smelled a little foody, but it was spicy and exotic and delicious food.)
Sheer Freesia (Freesia will always remind me of London, since that's what I wore when I went there.)
Ginger and White Tea (It was a little ridiculous how happy it made me to use that handsoap, but I was certainly extra sanitary when it was around!)
Brown Sugar and Fig (it didn't move me as much as the rest of these, but was especially nice in winter, when it smelled very warm and inviting.)
Gap:
So Pink (grapefruit and floral. I had several people remark on how nice it was, and one of them actually made a habit of smelling my neck every day before class at CCAC.)
Just Petals (not annoyingly girly, but very floral in a way that was both crisp and soft.)
I might just save myself the trouble of falling in love with a scent and then having to part with it forever. I could start buying essential oils and mixing my own, man. I could sell it on the streets of Downtown next to the incense guys!
Side note: I picked out Gretchen as a wee little thing as my birthday present from Stacy back when we lived in Mt. Lebanon. We went through one of our breakups during that year, and I decided to let Stacy take Gretchen. She lived with Stacy at her parents' house for the next few years, and long after Stacy and I had reconciled and she was spending all her time at my place, Gretchen was still over in Greenfield. Stacy asked several times if we could bring her over, but I was skittish because a) the cat I'd adopted in the meantime (Timbre) doesn't handle change very well, and b) to be honest, I had some reservations about Gretchen by that point. She'd been aloof every time I visited Stacy's house, which was kind of painful, considering that she'd been "my" cat. I finally relented, and Gretchen had only been with us for a month or so when she stopped eating. I still feel a little guilty that Stacy didn't get to spend more time with Gretchen as a part of our family, but Mitchell (the baby, who I got as a birthday present for Stacy about a year ago) has made things considerably better. There! Now you're mostly up to speed on our cat ownership. (I'll tell you about Aidan some other time.)
So! Catsitting! The cat is a very pretty, friendly Tonkinese named Tina, and it's neat to be able to hang out with her. I've seen her hanging out in their window many times and petted her through the screen as best as I was able. But the most interesting thing is getting to see the inside of the neighbor's apartment. It's the only other unit in the building with the original woodwork left intact, and despite the whoa factor of their clutter, it's a beautiful space. There's a ceiling division between two rooms with this wonderful spindle work, and another part has some lovely stained glass. I noticed they also have a fireplace like mine and built-in bookshelves, though they don't have a built-in desk like I do. (Ha! Victory would be mine if I ever actually used that desk!) I intend to very quickly peek at the other rooms in their apartment, just to see if they have more Victorian touches. (The other rooms in my apartment are all pretty modern. I'm not complaining-- they're in good shape, the wood floor is gorgeous, and our bedroom gets a ton of light-- but I wish the uniqueness of our living room carried through to the rest of the apartment.)
On another note, I think I'm actually going to write letters to the makers of my favorite scents, demanding to know why every time I find something I like, it gets discontinued. I recently went to Bath and Body Works, aiming to pick up some of my cheap-fallback body spray, and lo and behold, none of the ones I liked exist any more. It's frustrating to have to go looking for a new scent every six months, especially since I generally refuse on principle to pay more than $15 for smellgood stuff. Also, it's difficult to find a "real" perfume that's light and fresh and clean-- no matter how little of it I use, I feel like I'm wearing the scent equivalent of french fries. Because I'm that much of a dork, and to prove the point, I'll list the discontinued varieties for your edification.
Bath and Body Works:
Calming Waters (reminded me of my Aunt Boogie; she always had it in her bathroom. It smelled clean and wholesome and relaxing, like you'd just spent time in a whirlpool tub with a neck pillow and classical music playing.)
Bergamot Coriander (Yeah, I smelled a little foody, but it was spicy and exotic and delicious food.)
Sheer Freesia (Freesia will always remind me of London, since that's what I wore when I went there.)
Ginger and White Tea (It was a little ridiculous how happy it made me to use that handsoap, but I was certainly extra sanitary when it was around!)
Brown Sugar and Fig (it didn't move me as much as the rest of these, but was especially nice in winter, when it smelled very warm and inviting.)
Gap:
So Pink (grapefruit and floral. I had several people remark on how nice it was, and one of them actually made a habit of smelling my neck every day before class at CCAC.)
Just Petals (not annoyingly girly, but very floral in a way that was both crisp and soft.)
I might just save myself the trouble of falling in love with a scent and then having to part with it forever. I could start buying essential oils and mixing my own, man. I could sell it on the streets of Downtown next to the incense guys!