Phyllis

Ok so.

I work with some really strange people (2:30). I think it takes a special kind of person to be a phlebotomist, because a lot of them are a little weird. Don't get me wrong, they're not ALL strange, and they're generally nice people, just a significant proportion of them are just a little... off. At least the ones I've worked with. You can't really explain it; you just have to experience it. Never a dull moment.

Anyway, we hired this person, "Carrie," a few months ago. A sweet, middle-aged black lady. One morning, very soon after I met her, Andrea and I were sitting in the office eating breakfast when she joined us.

We got to talking, and at one point she told me that I looked like a friend that she had when she was a little girl. [Well, I do have that generic white girl look.] She told me that her name was Phyllis and that she was her first white friend and they were very close for many years. She went on for a few minutes and kept looking at me with a curious look saying that I favored Phyllis so much.

Ever since then, she has called me Phyllis. For a while she would come in to work and say, "Hey Phyllis!" and warmly hug me, like she'd met her long lost friend. At first I figured that she was jokingly calling me Phyllis, but it's been a few months and she's never called me Jennifer.

I'm starting to think that she either thinks my name is Phyllis or thinks I actually am Phyllis, reincarnated or something. Because she looks at me a certain way sometimes. And the only reason I can come to one of those conclusions is because of the history of the people I work with. Or maybe she thinks I'm the weird one. I don't know.

Not that it bothers me; I actually respond to Phyllis and figure that's just what she's going to call me. It's not creepy and she's just as nice as can be; I've learned just to go with it when things like this happen.

9 lives

Lesson of the day: Always purchase the safety collar for your cat.

One more time: Always purchase the safety collar for your cat.

I stopped buying them after Pumpkin kept losing them, and for the last few years she's had a regular collar.

Today, something crazy happened.

She likes to sit on the old bbq out in the yard. Well, today as she was jumping off of her perch, her collar got caught in the grate. My aunt was on the back porch and heard something, but dad was like, "Oh that's just Pumpkin." And then after a little bit they didn't see her, and that was when my dad saw her legs dangling.

I was hanging out with Akhtar in my room when I heard my aunt run into the house screaming, "GET THE SCISSORS! PUMPKIN'S CAUGHT!" She later said that her tongue was blue when they got to her.

I had no idea what was going on, but grabbed scissors and ran outside.

At this point she was literally hanging herself, and my dad was trying to get her loose. If she would have sat still it would have been no problem, but you know how cats get all crazy and she was scratching the shit out of him, continuing to choke herself in the process.

I ran outside, grabbed her, and tried to shove the scissors into any available space around her collar without hurting her. The way she was scrambling and trying to breathe, it wasn't happening. We were running out of time and it was like that "mom adrenaline" kicked in- my baby was dying and she was not going to do it in my arms, dammit.

I took hold of the collar and in one freakishly strong pull, I yanked it free. I could hear her take a humongous breath of air (Seriously, have you ever heard a cat breathe? I haven't, and this was definitely an audible breath of air), and she took off, leaving us all scratched, but my dad got the worst.

The collar had gotten pretty twisted in the struggle, and I was afraid it was still tight around her neck, but we couldn't find her. After a few minutes she had calmed down and came to us when we called, and I took it off immediately. Then I went to Walmart and bought 2 safety collars that come off at the slightest tug.

I don't care if I have to buy a new collar every week. Safety collars are the way to go from now on.

That was too scary. I am so thankful that someone was outside when it happened. Can you imagine if no one was outside, or no one noticed? I would have gone looking for her at some point and found her hanging on the edge of the bbq, dead. What a horrible thing.

The eerie thing was, when I was watching Marley & Me she was bugging me for attention and being annoying. But then I stopped to think about how she's going to get old and die some day. I know I'll be really upset when it happens, and after that I'd give anything for just one more pet. So I brought her up on the couch and gave her some, and wondered how long she would live. I sat there and wondered if she'd be hit by a car, get some disease, or die of old age.

And then this happened today and it was so close. I could be sleeping in a cat-less bed tonight. I could be packing up her food bowls.

She's been a big source of comfort for me lately, especially since Chris has been gone. It's a little less lonely in the middle of the night when there's a purring furry to reach over and pet.

Like I said, I'm just really thankful that she's ok. It was quite the scare.

diggin' it

Some stuff that's been lingering on my desktop and bookmarks:

-First spotted on Suzy's tumblr a while back.

Makes me laugh every time.

-Recipe that I took a picture of in one of Dayna's magazines (which I still have, need to get them back to you!)

I need to make these. I may want to borrow your apple peeler/corer thingy too. :o)

-OMG. Need to recreate. So cute!

-Also been bookmarked for quite some time, this etsy site:

-Also digging:

oh these times are hard

Yeah they're making us crazy...

Was supposed to crank out some kind of post for Akhtar tonight. Just haven't felt like I have much to blog about lately.

Got some wine, watching two and half men until Marley & Me came on. I remember seeing this in the theatre. Yes, I teared up towards the end. Makes me want a dog.

Anyway, perusing some blogs and trying to get my muse worked up.

Unfortunately, all I can think about is how much I miss Chris.
Ugh, it really really sucks missing him every day.

Heh, looks like you got schmoop!

repeat

Gave punk her stinky breath meds, checked out postsecret, ate a cookie with my coffee, going to sunday matinee w/ akhtar, then getting some groceries in my fridge.

I live such a fascinating life.

YES

This fucking rocks.

After all of my dishwashing bitching, I found something that actually works really well. My grandma has one, and I loved it so much when I got home I immediately bought one. I've cooked nearly every day, and I've also washed dishes every day. It's a miracle. The dishes get done, they are easier to clean, and they actually get cleaner. I love it.

Paying off debt sucks. My entire paycheck is gone. Time to go give my mom rent money and clean out the rest of my bank account.


I do have more interesting stuff to talk about, but I don't really feel like typing.

baby i gotchyo number

Starting to feel human again.

I even think I'll start working out. Haven't been all month. Next week. You can't start working out again on a Thursday; it's just not the way things work. Gotta start on a Monday.

Heard that one of the Marines that Chris graduated boot camp with was killed in Afghanistan. Was a little shocking. Kinda made me realize that even though it seems like Chris isn't in danger, he probably is more than I've been led to believe.

He had me thinking he just walked around "on patrol" all day and didn't really encounter anything dangerous. I know goddamn well he doesn't tell me the things that will make me worry. The most I've gotten out of him is that he has come across those hidden roadside bomb things (won't tell me how many) and he posted a picture of a jeep that didn't get effed up on its own. I haven't heard from him in about a week, but at least when he "likes" stuff on Facebook I know he's still alive. I know there's no reason to worry; it won't help or change anything.

Just a few more months.

Anyway. I have been thinking about planting a fall garden. I think most of the things that I can't get to grow in spring is because they are things that like to grow in the fall. Already thinking about spinach & carrots, but I don't know what else grows in the fall. Need to research.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY PAYDAY! whoop whoop

^ heard this song when I was on hold waiting to report a critical. Certainly the first time I've enjoyed being on hold. Not the first time I've dug this song.

you gotta make me change my miiiind