Okay, okay, I know he's not a kitten anymore. He'll just always be my baby-cat. And after being bothered about his behaviour all weekend, I finally took him to the vet on Monday. And I was quite relieved to hear that he had good reason to be acting so strangely. He had a nasty fever.

Of course, the vet also told him that he'd have made a good mom which I got defensive about, but that's neither here nor there. I was proud that the vet thought he was clever.

I got some antibiotics for him and less than 24 hours after the first half-pill, he was doing much better. He was well enough to be sucky last night and follow me around all evening. And de was a portion of whiny self to get outside this morning. Both very good signs. Of course, the lack of very hot skin was also a good sign.

I got to have lunch today with one of my mom's brothers. I always have a good time with him. Today, he left a book in restaurant on purpose - a travelling book. C.S. Lewis' Miracles. I don't know if I could leave a book to the fate of the world. I think it's really interesting though. Where might that book travel? He's already sent one book to some place across the Atlantic ocean that I've already forgotten the name of. What adventures is that book going to have? And is someone going to adopt these books as their own instead of letting them travel the world? I really liked the sticker on the front cover that said, "I'm not lost." Heh. Personification often gives me a giggle.

$5 million and 4 months to fix the damage...

Okay, it's not an update on when I'm getting my new shoes, but I did find out some information about where Chaco shoes are sold in Saskatoon:

Welcome to the Chaco dealer locator.
Chaco footwear is sold at more than 1500 retail outlets around the world.

Boomtown Outfitters
210 20th Street W
306.242.0882

Outter Limits
644 Broadway Avenue
306.374.1663

It was hard to choose just one, but I keep coming back to this one at Alcatraz.

From slot canyons to alpine hikes, The Chaco Z/2 Colorado Sandal performs under all conditions. Soft, polyester pull-through adjustable straps are carefully positioned for comfort and support. Durable polyurethane footbeds feature Chaco's BioCentric™ contour for biomechanical fit and comfort. High-quality outsoles by Vibram® maintain your stature as an upright citizen. It's not only what you do in these sandals, it's how they measure up through an activity that earns them the "Performance" title.



- Simple, secure and very comfortable
- Originally designed for river use, Colorado soles are versatile, lightweight, and shed dirt and debris easily
- Wrap around, adjustable toe loop provides an extra measure of forefoot stability
- Ideal for wet and sandy environments

Really, it just means that the sole on the bottom of the shoe is less thick and has a difference tread than the ones I tried on - the Terreno.



- Simple, secure and very comfortable
- Ideal for hiking and travel
- The thickness of the sole gives an extra measure of cushion, comfort, and durability
- Wrap around, adjustable toe loop provides an extra measure of forefoot stability
- Terreno Sole is great for traction on loose, uneven terrain or cobblestone streets

I'm really, really excited about my shoes. I've been trying not to guess when I'm going to get them. But I *will* make it through next week. EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

If you want more information about these shoes, the best I could come up with is this google search for all the online stores that sell these shoes.

Absolutely nothing extraordinary has happened to me or by my actions in the past few days. I didn't want to go to work because my roommate is out of town and I desperately need a day just to myself, but alas, that isn't to be so I'm using my time however I see fit. I've cleaned the fridge, had friends over one night, watched Sin City with my boyfriend last night, and slept in as much as I possibly could and still make it to work on time.

And my cat has been sleeping since the roommate left as well. And isn't energetic, and he missed jumping on the bed last night, and he hasn't been eating. Quite frankly, I'm getting really worried.

So here's my next pet (courtesy of neuba).

YOU OWN THE DRAGON OF WATER....CALM,COLLECTED AND
LOYAL HE IS A PERFECT PARTNER...WHEN IN A TIGHT
SPOT :)


Which Mythical Dragon do you own?
brought to you by Quizilla

I got this from a friend's blog. No budget, a little bit of every plot - sounds like my life. Although Sofia Coppola might be able to turn it into something more interesting.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 62% on action-romance
You scored higher than 41% on humor
You scored higher than 21% on complexity
You scored higher than 23% on budget

I had the strangest chiropractor appointment yesterday. Dr. Marshal Montgomery made a few adjustments to my back and foot, but then he asked if I was congested because of my cold. The sneezing, runny nose portion of my cold hit yesterday and I ran out of tissues just before my vacation and then I went through the last of my co-worker's box who sits next to me and so I was travelling around the office stealing tissues from everyone equally so no one person felt the burden of my nose-blowing tissue needs. Of course, that's waaaaaaaaaaay too much information so I'll digress.

The treatment Dr. M gave me was massaging my sinuses and ensuring that all the gross build up didn't settle and become a real problem. He vibrated my head and my chest. And he patted my back on each side and of course, I got the full treatment because he also said a little rhyme for me about Betty and some bitter butter or something like that. It was entertaining and made me smile. It's his kids' favourite.

Then I locked my keys in the trunk of my car.

And I woke up this morning able to still breath which is a first for any cold I've ever had so something must have been good about the treatment in combination with the 4 litres of water I drank.

I must have started hallucinating because I swear I just heard my roommate say, "I am a gimp." I gotta go to bed.

From the time I got home, I have been busy with stuff and things.

I had my mom's paper supplier drop off paper at my house about a 1/2 hour after pulling into the drive way. He knew more about my mom's plans to come into Saskatoon this weekend than I did! But that really started me wondering what my mom had planned...

A friend called me to make sure I made it home safely. And we chatted for a bit about my trip and seeing each other on Saturday before she let me go so I could call my mom to see what was up. I was so scatter-brained that it took me about an hour to call her after my first inclination to do so. Laundry, unpacking, trying to get organized and everything else took some time.

One of her 8 brothers was going to be in Saskatoon with his wife this weekend for a wedding so they were having lunch on Sunday. This actually worked out pretty well seeing as she needed to pick up the 5 boxes of paper now crowding my front hallway and she could use this trip to bring my baby-cat back to me. And I got to hug my mom which is always a good thing.

Saturday's massage was nasty and wonderful all at once. My hips and lower back were so bad that I had an upset tummy all day Saturday and most of today because of the work my massage therapist did. Of course, it's all good because it needed to get worked out, but dang... I managed about a half hour soak in some epsom salts before calling my friend to come over for a bit. I showed her my San Francisco loot and we swapped some stories about the pictures my boyfriend and I had taken. Then we got in most of a game of Kaiser with my roommate and her roommate which we haven't done in quite a while.

Then it was off to pick up my boyfriend to play Earthdawn with our other friends who were in San Francisco just before us. It was a good afternoon. Our host showed us his LEGO TIE fighter which came with a Darth Vader lego guy that has a light sabre that actually lights up when you push on the top of his head. Heh. And to think he was disappointed when he couldn't get the mini star destroyers he wanted for a fleet. You can get them online... Speaking of which, I seem to have found their wishlist option and added a few items.

Sunday started with being woken by phone calls from my parents. My dad told me to phone my uncle and figure out the plan for lunch. My mom didn't even recognize my voice and told me more details for lunch as I hadn't called my uncle yet which included inviting everyone to my house because she was running late and wouldn't make it by check out time. So I spent the next two hours cleaning my house which was really all I needed. Didn't have a chance to vacuum, but I'd be forgiven that one thing, I'm sure. Besides, no one but my mom got to see my clean house. Not that I mind, the cleaning needed to get done anyway.

Lunch with 2 of my uncles and 1 aunt and my mom was great. We went to Station Place which was very nice. Actually has train cars as part of the restaurant. After a few hours there, my aunt and uncle had to head back to Edmonton and my other uncle back to Humboldt area. Mom and I headed out to Wilson's greenhouse as they are having an end of the summer sale. And I finally got my bougainvillea!! I've been wanting one since I moved in last September, but haven't been able to get/find one. I hadn't been looking very hard after my several trips to farmer's market where I found the first one I wanted which was before I got possession of the house. I gave up and got a food processor instead all the while still pining over a bougainvillea. I love it and now I have one. I took a picture too just to show everyone my new beautiful plant.

I had a glorious nap after mom headed home and then my boyfriend came over and we played with my new LEGO and watched Star Wars: A New Hope on CBC. All in all, a fantastic end to a fantastic vacation.

I think I've got a cold.

I special ordered shoes yesterday from Shuz of Los Gatos. They are mostly like my hostess' sandals and I really, really, really hope they fit. I felt like singing to the angels when I tried hers on and they aren't even the right size for me. She has long skinny feet and I have short wide feet. I could still hear the angels in the distance. What I want to hear is angels right next to me when I try on my own pair in a couple of weeks.

Everything was packed, I got all the digital pics that everyone took so I'm all set for setting them up for viewing when I get home to Saskatoon. The airport held some exciting stores like the Discovery Channel store (remote control alligator) and SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) Museum Store. Both had some pretty nifty stuff. I especially liked the Discovery Channel store. So many things I wanted and things for the kids (my neice and nephew).

We got row 2 on the side of the plane that starts with row 2 which meant we were the first ones off in Calgary to walk the long kilometre to the actual customs stations. Baggage was fairly quick and there were no delays after that happened. And we were out of there!

We went for supper and stayed in for the rest of the night which was nice. I stayed up until our host got home from work to give him a hug, but then I was down for the count.

Today I got to see Australia boy and the recent three-person family which I always enjoy. It was a great afternoon with Ab. I've missed him a lot.

Watched Life is Beautiful tonight. It made me very angry. The fiction part was beautiful, but I couldn't see it for the truth of what happened. There's no way they could've known how I would react. My host said it felt like he'd been punched in the gut and felt good about it because he felt the hope the story inspired that this man could do a funny march to his death to keep his child from being scared and keep him alive. I couldn't feel anything but the death of millions of people. There's a reason I don't watch the news or read newspapers. I can't handle all the death, destruction, and hate in the world. Maybe that makes me shallow and selfish, but everyone has to do what's necessary to stay sane. And so I keep my focus on my little world in Saskatoon (and work) and leave the rest to the people that can deal with it. That's why I vote. I think in a few days or weeks or months, I'll be glad to have watched it but right now, I'm not. I am glad at my outrage because I should be outraged at what happened. That will be some comfort when I think about it over the next while.

Tomorrow, breakfast with another friend and I get to see my family as they are back from a camping trip! YAY! I'm so looking forward to seeing them. And Friday, we get to go home.

We had incredible travel karma today. We made every train and every bus with enough time. Although we did run once to catch the 6:50 train to San Jose from San Francisco.

The tour of the city was okay. It should have been done at the beginning of a trip so we could go back to the places we wanted to see more of. We stopped at four places to look around - the political buildings downtown, the painted ladies, the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, and finally the Golden Gate bridge.

Then a trip to Alcatraz in the afternoon and we were spent. Except maybe a stop at Cost Plus which our hostess had been wanting to stop at quite a few times already.

Lunch at Swiss Louis' was great. The waiter reminded me of the Calgarian Agent.

Then we went to see the movie Sky High when we got back to San Jose. I really enjoyed the movie.

We went to a few farmer's markets today. The fresh produce and fruit was astounding. Every little new thing is still exciting to me. The parking on the bridge, the pluots, the champagne grapes, the olive oil selection, the outrageous prices, the vast array of novelty items, a bunny in a yarn shop, just everything!

There was a Fiesta Des Artes in Los Gatos that we wandered through a bit too. If I'd had an extra $500 kicking around, I would now be the proud owner of a hand-spun wool, hand-knitted cream coloured jacket with beautiful hand-done detail work included a delicate pattern in the wool and citrine stones sewn on. And I'd have had a picture of the sheep that gave its wool for that beautiful piece of clothing. Now *that's* cool.

Being really excited for an extended period of time, however, is quite exhausting.

Our hosts have been tremendous. I had a malt today for the first time. It was from the Happy Hound.

I helped start making a costume with old teddy bears too. It's going to be completely awesome when it's done. I was covered in teddy bear fuzz by the end of it.

Although we off to a late start, the day was awesome.

It included a closing out gaming store where much loot was to be plundered, a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, and a hike through Muir Woods that was very beautiful and 5 minutes too long to catch the bus we wanted. The next bus out was in 1 1/2 hours so we waited in the beauty that is this protected valley. When I have a chance, there will be pictures.

STILL haven't come down from my I'm-in-California high.

We drove to Monterey from San Jose today. The drive was amazing - the road, the scenery, everything. I've got more details written in my paper journal of the trip so I'll add some later, but right now, I'm just thrilled to be here.

The Monterey Aquarium - I hear angels singing. Otters, fish, so many cool fish, and jellyfish. EEeeeeeeee... the jellyfish. And the otters. And the kelp forest. And the penguins. And the seals out in the bay. And sooo freakin' cool.

And there was an amazing sock store. Heh. I only walked out with one pair.

Managed to sit at a table of 9 people in a pub that was mostly Saskatoonians. Heh. Much fun!

Then a walk in Los Gatos when I expected all the shops to be closed, but no siree! The gelato place where Chris got some fond memories. The Kid in a Candy store with an m&m dispenser to really envy. And the Mad Hatress. I was in heaven. And just knowing a store named Purrsnickety makes me happy.

Wow! My excitement level hasn't really come down yet.

My first trip through any sort of customs and border security was easy. And I was soooo worked up about it. I don't know what I was expecting - being chased down by angry guard dogs who could smell the Canadian Smarties in my bag maybe. At any rate, I didn't even have to turn on my laptop at security.

We got a tour of Cryptic Studios today which is where one of my friends works. What a cool office. The toy collections were incredibly cool. Of course, so was what they were programming.

There's lots and lots of palm trees here. I saw one in Vancouver earlier this year, but it was short and stubby. The ones here are like the ones on TV. And the people here have all been very nice so far. Even the one my friend ran over by walking backwards in this cool little supermarket called Trader Joe's where I bought some chocolate.

We had supper at a restaurant called Rock Bottom. The waiter was excellent. He explained the whole process to us and wasn't too annoying with checking in, but we were never wanting for anything. I'd totally recommend this restaurant to anyone based on this one experience. Well, I forgot to mention how amazing the food was. I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it. The appetizer tasted a bit too much like Cheez Whiz, but the entrees were truly incredible.

I think we've got our next couple days crammed full of stuff to do like our San Francisco city tour, a trip to the Monterey Aquarium, a trip to Muir Woods, and a little shopping.

The best part about today was the hugs from our friends. I've missed them.

The last three days are a complete blur of work, planning a celebratory summer lunch, playing computer games, and preparations for the trip to San Francisco. There wasn't a lot of sleep, that's for sure. I got the lawn mowed too.

I'm in Calgary and I'm not sure I would have made it without my boyfriend's driving for 2 hours between Kindersley and Hanna. I got in a half hour nap and was good to go after doing a little dance in the Husky in Hanna. Had to get the blood flowing somehow...

Tomorrow, we get on a plane headed for San Francisco. Wahoo!

A co-worker asked me the other day out of the blue, "Are you excited?" I wasn't totally sure she was talking about my vacation, but then she said, "Only two more days..." At which I responded, "Excited? Hell, yes!" Nothing has changed since that moment.

Massage and slept from noon to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Supper with a friend at 12:30 a.m.

This morning, I finished the book club book Adiamante by L.E. Modessit Jr. Cried like a baby even though I didn't really care for the whole book. War always makes me cry.

Called a friend in Calgary and had a much needed chat. I get to see her in about a week or so which will be really good.

And then I helped a friend clean up her backyard a bit as they want to have the house up on the market by the end of the week and she's a little stressed. I can relate and any help at all is better than trying to do eveything by yourself.

Then a date with my sweetie where we watched a decent plot with bad actors - Timeline. And then my mom got here and brought us ice cream. Mmmm... Blizzards...

Big day tomorrow with work and playing computer games. Heh.

Moopie has graced me with her presence today. Joy!!

Twice in one week! I didn't leave the bar, Beily's, until 3 am.

Most of it was spent in conversation with this really interesting guy. I might have noticed the increasingly drunk people around me if it weren't for him. Thanks, Dwayne! (Or is it Duane?) And the bride-to-be helped his friend, Syb, get friendly with a girl who he'd been eyeing up all night. Sure enough, at 3 a.m., Syb was saying a very long good night to her.

It was a really great night. I had a really great time.

A dear friend of mine made the observation that we've spent more time together this summer than in the past year. I'm really glad I've seen her so often lately. We both took responsibility for the previous year and moved on to have a wonderful evening together.

We went to Lydia's to see one of her lifelong pals, Alana Levandoski. She was good. Not my usual style, but I still enjoyed it. I listened to her song Red Haired Girl which is on the internet today and I enjoyed it more than the live show last night because I could actually hear the words. There were a lot of people not listening to the show which is to be expected at Lydia's, but still. I was one of the ones who was trying to listen.

There was a warm up band that I enjoyed as well, but I didn't catch any names. Her voice was really amazing.

Of course the best thing about the evening was the conversation. I haven't come home that late in a very, very long time. That makes me happy too.

1. Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4. Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
5. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6. If you lend someone $100.00 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7. Never buy a car you can't push.
8. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
9. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
10. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
11. The second mouse gets the cheese.
12. When every thing's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
13. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
14. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
15. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
16. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
17. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Heh. I saw llamas.

And Miss Otis Regrets got me through a cranky mood waiting at a train in Edmonton. Also gave the women in the car next to mine a pretty good giggle as it's not often you see someone vigourously car dancing to Bette Midler.

I got to see two of my aunties yesterday. I miss them terribly. I got to meet a remarkle young woman who's having twin boys in November. I know she's going to be a terrific mom. And I got to see a very hot guy who I haven't seen since we were about 10. [biting my knuckle] Dang.

I missed seeing my cousin and his wife AGAIN. I'm going to have to start planning my Edmonton trips better.

Interesting thing I saw on the drive home: an empty bus on the side of the road with its passengers outside. My thoughts are that the teenagers (lots of them) were getting a bit rowdy and the adult supervision told everyone to get off the bus to do some running down a grid road for a while to maintain their own sanity. It made me grin.

I think the afternoon has some boyfriend time and some City of Heroes time in store. Sooo looking forward to it.