rachelpink rides the bus

Happy Mail

After the animal shelter (and a delightful scrubby shower) I headed in to the office. It was a panicky time as I tried to get a week's worth of work done in 5 hours. Oy. BUT, there were two happy-making packages waiting for me. First, a care package from Tammy full of arts and crafts and pink things. Second, my Threadless t-shirts. I bought them during the spring cleaning sale, so they were a delightful bargain. I don't know which one I love more. Being green, Mr. Stabby has the advantage.

I Just Want A Nap

Yeah. So while I was waiting for our plane to board at Minneapolis, I called my mom. She was upset, grandma was doing badly. . . no good news.

And that's why I'm taking the first plane out to Phoenix on Monday morning. I'm going to be out there for a week, and it looks like I'm going to miss my company's sales conference (ironically enough, it's happening in Tuscon). I am so not ready for this.

Today I signed my lease and ordered my couch, and last week I got all of the utilities set. I'm moving on the 17th. The bed comes on the 16th. The couch comes on the 18th. The cable guy comes on the 17th. I can get my keys a little early. Hopefully, I can paint, clean, whatever I need to do.

New assistant starts on the 14th. Author tour #1 starts Monday. Author tour #2 starts in a month.

I could use a re-boot.

 

Color Help

So I need a little help.

I've ordered the sofa and bed for my apartment. They're both shades of green (surprise!), but now I'm not sure about a paint palette for the bedroom and living room.

Here's the new couch:

The color is "pear" and you can get a better sense of it it here.

And here's the bed:

Now I could get a new quilt, but I kind of like the one I have. It's a deep turquoise.

Any thoughts? For the bedroom and living room, I have lots of pictures to hang--and they're all in black frames. I have a bright green writing desk (grask green) for the living room--and not much else in the way of furniture.

The New Hood

Today I signed my lease. . . and then I took some pictures. The first three were taken around my new complex. And then, a street shot.

Minnesota--A List of Good Things

1. Even though it's crass and insane, the Mall of America is worth the trip.

2. The downtown architecture is lovely.

3. There are lots of creepy statues, including one of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat in the air.

4. Fresh clean air.

5. At Hell's Kitchen they make their own peanut butter. And it is delicious. Jane and Michael Stern agree.

6. The food at The Black Forest Inn is delicious, and pitchers of cider (6.5 glasses full!) are only $14.50.

7. Nice, nice people. They don't honk or try to run you over.

Headed back home tomorrow. I'll miss the midwest.

Shame, Shame, Shame

So a few years back I lobbed off a certain limb of the family tree with a delightfully angry letter. It was a well-deserved lobbing and I've not regretted it since.

Flash forward to now. Dad just called to let me know that a certain member of my cut-off family is flying out to see my grandma.

Nice? Right?

Well, it might have been nicer if the person in question had visited my Grandma at some point in the last thirteen years. THIRTEEN years. No visit. Even when my Grandpa died and Grandma needed all the help she could get. Hell, I flew out there and helped her buy a house while she was in a state of extreme grief and confusion. I probably wasn't the best person to it, but I did.

Tomorrow, my mom will get on a plane and try to get things in order for my grandma. She'll visit. She'll pay her bills. She'll straighten out what she can. This isn't easy for my mom, and she has to do it all alone. I'm on a business trip. Donny has a family. Kevin--well, who knows? Dad can't go because he can't breathe. So it's all on mom's lap, the whole big terrifying mess. Grandma's friends will dart around my mom, no doubt, and tell her she needs to get grandma out of dodge and back to New York. They will act like they know what's best, but they don't know. No one knows, but I'm certain that the church ladies who've known my grandma for a short spell can't crack this nut.

And then the cut-off limb will swoop in. He's betting Grandma is on her death bed. He's betting he's going to cash in. I'm betting he won't be able to find her house because her development is a tricky course of twisty roads and it takes an expert navigator to hit it right.

It is bad to be bitter and angry and full of bile. I want to go to Arizona now. To shield my Grandma from this busted limb and let her recover and heal in peace. But I can't go. I have to keep myself in one piece and be here for my mom and dad and for my grandma from afar.

Still. I'd like to take the limb and feed it through a wood chipper.

A New State

Tomorrow I'll be in Minnesota. It's for business, but there will be time to go to the Mall of America. When in Rome. . .

Of course, the impending move leaves me broke, so I'll be window-shopping. And people watching.

Bahhhhhh

Lamb stew is bubbling away on the stove and the whole apartment smells wicked good. Lamb courtesy of Ottomanelli's. Recipe courtesy of Martha.

This morning, I helped some animals. Tonight, I'll eat some.

Happy Easter

I'm spending my Easter in Queens so I can team lead at the animal shelter. I'll be slow-cooking a lovely lamb stew while I'm out. My mom is looking forward to pumpkin pie and bacon as she prepares to head to Arizona to figure out the Grandma situation. Donovan will be eating eggs. Delaney will be wearing her "cocoa-dot" dress with a matching "cocoa-dot" purse. An eclectic Easter for us all.

Link via BoingBoing.

Ok, ok. I went to Brooklyn. I never go to Brooklyn. But for the sake of some cats and dogs I sucked it up trekked over for a mobile pet adoption project. It was a beautiful day, and it was also my first official team lead experience. Being in charge was scary and good. I had 3 fabulous volunteers, and we helped get 2 dogs and 1 cat adopted in under 2 hours! And a few lucky dogs got to go for long walks in the sunshine. I'm tired from standing in the cold, but it was worth it--I talked to some great people, worked with some great people, and got to pet loads and loads of dogs. Now I need to rest up--tomorrow I spend my Easter with the kitties and pups at the animal shelter. I have lots of food for them, thanks to Lisa!

Friday

Vince and Lisa and Gus and kitty and homemade crab cakes and steak and hard cider and Rock Band and good times.

CSA Hurray

Yum. Crunch. Snap. I just joined the local Astoria CSA--and I'm pleased as punch. In mid-May, I'll start picking up tasty veggies every Thursday at the local community center (the same spot I do my computer class volunteer project). I absolutely can't wait for the first Thursday. The farm looks so gorgeous--it's called the Golden Earthworm Organic Farm. Dare I say I've got a case of spring fever. . .

This Is Just To Say. . .

. . . that there might be good news today. Or bad news. But let's hope for the good news! More later. More sooner than later?

The Animal Center Needs Stuff!

The Animal Center of Queens needs supplies!! And money. Anyone want to help? I brought a bunch of old sheets--do you have some? You could share them!

Here's a list of everything they need:
clean towels, blankets, sheets, pillows, dog beds, etc. Anything that can be used for bedding (items with buttons or things that can be swallowed will be used as rags). Pet supplies such as wet food, bones/treats, bowls (even small ceramic saucers for the kittens), litter boxes, toys, etc. are always needed as well as items such as paper towels, latex gloves, cleaners/disinfectants/bleach, wipes, etc. Stage 1 baby food is always needed for our tiny kittens.

I'm seeing if I can set up an Amazon wish list so people can send things straight to the shelter. Stay tuned!

And wait, there's more! You can read about the shelter here. Shockingly cute pictures including a shot of Mischief, the most amazing cat in the universe.

Small Precious Things

Good things, small things--Donovan, Delaney, newborn kittens and a pup named Snowball.

Friday night I needed some niece and nephew love. I called them but they didn't answer. So I made dinner. Turkey tacos. And right when the microwave finished warming the tortillas, the munchkins called. I picked up  only to hear my niece hysterically laughing. I asked her why she was laughing. She said, "You're so funny, Aunt Rachel" and then broke out again in a maniac laughing fit. I started laughing too, and then she laughed harder--and this went on and on for a good long while.

Donovan and I then proceeded to have a joke-off. He won.

At the shelter today I got to watch a momma cat nurse her five teensy kittens, all slippery and soft and sleeping and eating.  And  while I cleaned the other cats cages, a brilliant little white dog named Snowball watched my every move. She's a maltese mix, and her little dog face drew me across the room repeatedly so I could pet her and let her lick my hand.

And in my happy book I wrote these things and then some.

Monsters!

Delaney and Donovan are getting books and home-made monsters for Easter. I made Delaney's monster (on the right) last weekend with Meg and Donya at the Craft Magazine monster-making party. Tonight, I whipped up a monster for Donovan--it's got button eyes and a yarn mouth.

David Benioff? Thanks for this.

 

Here's my GoodReads.com review of When the Nines Roll Over:

Brilliant. You know how most short story collections have at least one dud? An incongruous story that ruins a perfectly good  reading experience? That doesn't happen here. Every story works. Every story soars, rocks, and other good verbs. OMG I love this book. I'm going to buy this book and try to get it signed by the author because this book is so right and it's just what I needed to read right now.

So yeah. I liked it. David Benioff needs to write faster for me.

A Visit to the Library

An exciting haul. Many recommendations from Meg via the happy book. I'm more than halfway through When the Nines Roll Over (at the top of the heap), and it only confirms my deep love of David Benioff. Amazing writer. I love his brain.

Searching

Seems silly to say it, but it's hard to research something you know nothing about on the interwebs. I pride myself on my Google search adeptness. I run an elegant search, and I get what I need with speed. I like that power--I like knowing that all the answers are just a search away.

Last night I called my mom and she said my grandma was in the emergency room. No one was with her. We didn't know what was happening until news from her friends started coming in. Grandma hasn't been paying her bills. She's in a bad state. She really can't be living on her own. She can't go home from the hospital alone.

My mom and dad aren't sure what to do, and I have absolutely no idea what to do. There are so many ramifications--financial and then some. And when it comes down to it, we're here and she's there. It's just plain awful, and there's no easy answer. But I wanted to find one anyway--so I turned to Google. Elder care. Elder law. I searched and searched and searched. I found an association of elder care managers and a society of elder-law specialists, and I sent those links to my mom.

But Google didn't spit back the perfect answer like it does when I'm looking for a pair of green mary janes, or the definition of "waughting."

Catching Up

For months I've been behind at work, and I'm done. I need to be caught up, and this is the week I plan on making it happen. So in the spirit of getting ahead, I put in a late night. A really late night. And when the car came a little after 10, I felt like I'd made a big dent.

And then I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. I suggested a route home to the driver, and he asked if he could take the BQE instead. I said--well, OK, so long as the traffic isn't bad.

Next thing you know, I'm sitting on the BQE in a car that's not moving. And it continued not to move for ONE HOUR. Indeed! One hour. I got home around midnight, antsy and full of crazy. A few games of Scramble put me down, and now it's morning again. No cars for me tonight. No no no.

Kitty Peace Treaty

A Disorganized List

1. Mike's "Crantini" is not a delicious beverage. And yeah, I should have guessed that before I bought it.
2. I have a hairdresser who goes by the name of Scalper.
3. For weeks I've had a craving for banana pudding. I bought the ingredients yesterday, but now I don't feel like making it.
4. Brokers terrify me.
5. I already miss Project Runway.
6. SNL with Amy Adams should have been funnier.
7. Tomorrow is my Monday.

Ick

Turns out my grandma really might have dementia. I got the news earlier this week, and now it seems to be the case. She's also been hiding lots of medical problems from us--she doesn't want to trouble my dad who has his own health issues.

It's sad to watch a strong person like my grandma get weak. She's in her 80s. I know it's expected. But still.

My dad's illness. My grandma so far away in Arizona. Everything else that's going on--it's hard to feel 100% in control.

So yeah. I need to focus even more on the good stuff. The minute I got home today I called the munchkins. I'm going to buy a plane ticket tonight--I need a visit. Donovan told me he couldn't do iChat tomorrow because he'd be DRINKING TEA. Huh? He's nuts and awesome. Delaney was concerned about the whereabouts of the cats. And she was angry that Samantha scratches me. Sweet kids. I would take a bullet for them both. Of course, I hope it doesn't come to that.

OMG

This is a bad, fuzzy video of my senior class being hypnotized on the Senior Class Trip that I found on the interwebs. Jen--you're in this too! Points for anyone who can spot me. It's really long, and you probably won't be as amused as I am. But here's a hint--I'm on the right.

Oh, I can't resist. Look at me! So young! So hypnotized!

Late

Worked until 10 last night. Should probably do it again tonight. I'm tired. My stomach hurts.

Wining OVER. Seacrest OUT.

The Many Lives of Memoirists

Those who follow the exhilarating, and oh-so-sexy world of publishing know that shady memoirs are all the rage. The latest controversy? Margaret B. Jones spent less time gangbanging then was previously reported.

Chuck and I found the story too filarious. We laughed until we cried. And in response, Chuck wrote a series of really funny short faux-memoir proposals. For instance:

You Got the Yayo, Dude? My Years with the Latin Kings. (Sample Text): "What ees it you want, LIFSOS?" said the man known simply as El Jefe, as his bodyguards fingered the triggers of their Uzis and the ceiling fan overhead beat at the humid morning air of Bogota. "I want the world--and everythin' in it," I replied, "and also a lightly toasted bagel with cream cheese. And a V-8. With a slice of lemon if you have it."

To read about Chuck's other lives, click here.

Heavy

I haven't been blogging much and when I do it's about the books or the kitties or the strange happenings on public transport.

There's more the life than this.

I'm wading through some heavy stuff, and it's not the kind of stuff you write about. It's the kind of stuff you get through with the help of people with endless patience and kindness. People who share bottles of wine and weekend plans and steaks and happy books. People who slide pretty cards under your office door and distract you with out-of-the office lunches. There's so much goodness whizzing by me, I can hardly keep up.

Today New York was warm and beautiful when I came out of the subway. A bright blue sky and a stirring breeze followed me down Carmine Street. I listened to "No Bad News" and "Hips Don't Lie" and "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" and--poof--I was at my desk feeling blue-skied and breezy myself.

A Good Book

City of Thieves won't be out in stores until May, but when May rolls around you should read it. Susan scored a galley, and I'm glad I grabbed it when she offered it up for loan.

Oh read this opening line, and tell me you wouldn't be hooked: "My grandfather, the knife fighter, killed two Germans before he was 18."

This a rapturous book, a book you read while walking, a book that makes you forget to breathe.

A book this good restores my faith in everything. For a little while.

High

New volunteer project today--I helped folks with their computer skills at a local community center. My student (a v. cool musician) was great and the time flew by. We seemed to be having the most fun and that's probably because we working on fixing up his FaceBook page and downloading image files.

I know I'm a geeky volunteer nerd, but DAMN it makes me happy to do it.

BTW, I still need a few people for my Hands On New York Day team. Any takers?

Book Count: February

I felt behind this month--mostly because it took me a long time to get through Glut and The Wisdom of Crowds. But in truth, I didn't do so bad. Here's the list:

Cat Vs. Cat
Change the Way You See Everything
Wit's End
Wake
Radio On
Born Standing Up
Glut
The Long Tail
The Wisdom of Crowds

February Total: 9 books
2008 Total: 20 books

Only 80 books more to go!