Cats and catnaps

Thursday the orange cat was at the vet having his annual jabs and quarterly arthritis drugs. He did not appreciate them. Friday morning the grey cat had to go and have her blood test (she did not appreciate missing breakfast and I did not appreciate getting up early on my day off). She expressed her annoyance by hiding under the lavender bush all day and I had a nap. Anyway, turns out the tablets aren't quite cutting it for her thyroid anymore so she has to have her thyroid out next week. In the mean time we are shovelling pills down her throat to see if her levels will lower before the surgery to make it safer. I was offered the choice of her being irradiated but that involves her being at a special vet for up to 10 days after the irraditation (as she'd be too radioactive to be out and about!!!) so I figured let's try surgery first.

So apparently what was on my list of things I want for Christmas was "stonking big vet bills". Note to self, next year, pick something cheaper. Of course, to get over the sticker shock, I did what any sensible gal would do and went and had a makeover at Bobbi Brown. They made me look un-sleep deprived and not like I was suffering from sticker shock, so that was fun. Yesterday, the VT and I had brunch in Maling Road and went wandering around the shops in search of Christmas gift. Net total things purchased...one book each (at least mine was a gift). We proved that there is such a thing as gift shop overload (a condition that can be rectified by applying scones apparently). So there is still more christmas shopping to come.

Brunch was followed by more napping (self diagnosis - I am tired...I even slept until 10 this morning which is something I rarely do anymore). Then watched The Fountain (which made me wonder if I was perhaps still asleep...all I can say is pretty but odd). Today there will be some writing and some doing of chores. It's a whirlwind of excitement round here!

Whoops

Okay, who put the world on fast forward? Another week just flew by. Make that almost two weeks. I suppose when you throw in a weekend at the beach, parental birthdays, lots of work, christmas cake and pudding concocting (christmas - that can't be right, surely) and general running around, things fly past fast.

Of course, the fact that the suppliers of dvd crack have ponied up both Battlestar Galactica Series 3 and Gilmore Girls Series 7 and the muse wanted to rewatch Band of Brothers, means mucho quality couch time in between things. Though, sadly, I have not yet had time to re-watch POTC 3. And that is seriously wrong. Maybe I need a pirates marathon in between all the other marathons.

I'm not sure what the girls are cooking up but they keep giving me flashes and snippets. Still not that interested in letting me translate said snippets into work but at some point all of this refilling the well has to reach critical mass. Or else my brain will explode. And then I will not be able to do any christmas shopping and all will be bad. The only good thing about world fast forwarding is that I only have 10 work days left before lovely lovely holidays.

And now, because my brain probably can't come up with anything else coherent you should go check out Jenny Crusie's awesomely cute new dogs while I give myself a stern talking to about how I cannot have a puppy.

Thankful

Happy Turkey Day to those in places who celebrate such things (it's still Turkey Day there). Eat pie for me : )

I'm thankful because I'm off to the beach for the weekend with the lovely lulus, where there will not be pie but will be lots of other yummy things and naps and writing and general silliness....so catch you later!

Biking on down the highway

So. The pants, they eez less cranky. Not completely uncranky but improved. Maybe the endorphins have helped after all. Exercise is weird. I enjoy it, I enjoy the feeling after doing it and yet, over and over again, I have the mental battle with myself to get started. Sheesh. My inner athlete gets drowned out by my not so inner couch potato. My inner athlete needs assertiveness training. I've never been able to figure this out. But much like the writing at the moment, I am gritting my teeth and making like Nike. Except this morning when I woke up with the intention of a ride just after breakfast only to find it was 28 degrees already at 9am! Luckily it cooled down so I went at midday. Only to bike through four seasons in one day in true Melbourne fashion. But I did an hour and that's not so bad when I've only just started riding again. And my butt does not seem to be sore so far!

In other news, making like Nike is helping terribly much, writing wise. The muse still continues to have the attention span of a hummingbird with ADD and the ejector button on my writing chair (you didn't know that writing chairs had ejector buttons, did you) is working just fine. I've resorted to scribbling snippets in long hand so have no idea how much I've done but it's easier than sitting down in my chair only to find myself up and wandering after two point three minutes. Times like these you just have to keep trying and something will stick eventually and it will stop being so painful. I know this. I've been here before. I just have to, like with the exercise, keep reminding myself. I think something is getting closer. The muse is perking up her ears at strange songs on the radio and making me watch weird movies, so something is definitely brewing. I just hope it's cooked soon.

And now, I have to indulge my inner revhead and go and watch Top Gear. If someone could explain to me why I, who have very little interest in cars other than to occasionally think "pretty but why would you spend that much money on a car" and less than zero interest in car racing, find this show so entertaining, I would be grateful. Maybe I'm just strangely drawn to British men with a sense of humour. Either way, excuse me while I go watch a show about cars and driving fast and brake horsepower and other stuff that goes straight over my head.

Cranky again

This is not my favourite time of year. It's the time of year where I start needing a holiday. The day job has been busy, busy, busy for the last few months - and it usually just gets crazier before Christmas - and the muse is still refusing to settle down and write something consistent. I get trickles - like the other night - but none of that satisfying flowing stuff which writers kind of need to keep their brains on an even keel. Or at least this writer needs that. Which is making me frustrated and irritable.

So I'm cranky. Grumpy. Snarly. Generally charming, you get the picture. Of course, I don't get to be grumpy and cranky and snarly at work, so it's my poor cats and others who get grumped at.

I'm even exercising to try and shake off the mood and seriously, either the endorphins need to kick in soon or my legs will fall off.

If I was in a sports movie there'd be a montage of me pounding punching bags and running up and down hills and snarling at my trainer. Of course, if I was in a sports movie I wouldn't be a frustrated writer so there wouldn't be a need for me to do any of the above.

Right now I'd love about a month on a desert island with me, some music, great food, great books, some good dvds and my computer. And nothing else. Serious hermit time. Then I might be fit for civilisation again. Instead I get six more weeks until Christmas holidays.

So, what does one do to shake off the crankies? Suggestions, oh wise internet? Other than chocolate. Because if I'm going to be wearing cranky pants, at least the exercise has to make them looser!