Stacey

:) 

Stacey, I love.

My cat swallowed a sewing needle!

On Thursday night at 10:30pm The Luscious Frankie J swallowed a sewing needle.... 

A torn up pair of jeans...
Holes around belt loops and pocket corners. 
I finished patching, and left the needle on the coffee table - still threaded.

Frankie J loves thread, string, hair - anything long and thin and apparently...edible.  I went to the computer and thought, "I need to put that thread away before Frankie eats it." ...turned around and it was gone.  Needle and all.

About two and a half hours later, after a visit to Berkeley Dog and Cat, I walked through my door, exhausted, with Frankie in tow.  I had a disk with an x-ray showing the needle in her stomach, and a head full of all of the possibilities of what could happen next.  The vet thought maybe I should leave her at the hospital on an IV overnight... that we should x-ray again tomorrow to see where it was, and then decide if we should do an endoscopy to get it out (if it was still in her stomach) or cut her open.  He said the needle could poke things, pass through things, or get stuck and cause problems - maybe death.  He said it would be very expensive (thousands of dollars), so it would be better to wait until morning when (it would still be thousands of dollars, but) we would no longer be under emergency rates...  but at that point the needle might no longer be in the stomach so our options would change.  Mixed into all of this, he said he had just seen a kitten who swallowed a needle and, a few days later, pooed that sucker right out with no problem... He didn't think the kitten would be able to pass it because the kitten was so small, but it did. 

His advice was dizzying and felt endless, money based, and non-conclusive.  When I asked him what I should do, he ran through the possibilities again... and, when I asked what he would do, I was bombarded with all of the things I could do or that could happen AGAIN. 

Finally, I asked what would happen if I took Frankie home to see if she would pass it - would it cause a lot of damage if I brought her back a couple days later if it hadn't come out?  He said, he couldn't be sure - but he didn't think it'd cause too much damage.... 

I went home and found this on the internet:  http://www.petlovers.com/vb//showthread.php?t=29981

I fed Frankie extra food, cried a little out of frustration, exhaustion, and uncertainty, and went to bed.  I was kind of a mess...but Frankie seemed fine.  

When I woke up the next day, Frankie still seemed fine.  I fed her again and went to work.  I checked on her at lunch... she was fine.  After work, fine.  I fed her extra again. 

On Friday, I went to work and didn't make it home at lunch. 

When I got home that night, Frankie seemed strange... she didn't greet me at the door, and seemed really sluggish.  I tried to play with her with a shoestring, but she just laid there letting it hit her in the face.  It'd almost been two days and the needle hadn't shown up in her poo. 

I didn't want to go back to Dog and Cat, so I called The Broadway Pet Hospital to see if I could talk to someone.  They were closed, so I left a message on their after hours hotline. 

After checking some veterinary clinic reviews, I decided to call the Pets Referral Center as well.  The woman I spoke with there listened to the situation and said that I had done the right thing by feeding Frankie extra, and that maybe Frankie was sluggish because I fed her too much... but if she was acting strange or in pain, maybe I should bring her in.  Frankie didn't seem like she was in pain, and had definitely acted similar in the past when she'd gotten into extra food so... I decided to wait another day. 

Later, I got a call back from the Broadway Pet Hospital.  The doctor left a message saying that Frankie could pass the needle, that she might be acting weird because she was about to pass it, and that I could probably wait...unless she was vomiting or acting really depressed. 

On Saturday, Frankie was back to her normal self.  A little fatter, but energetic, and fine.  I finally found the needle and thread early Sunday morning. *whew*

Focus

It's 1:30am.

I'm feeling ... a little broken, yet strangely full of love. Funny how a little bit of focus changes everything.

This weekend was exactly what I expected, while being nothing like I thought it'd be. :)

(Forgive me for being cryptic, this is for me...)

Moments

In the last week, I saw the Care of Trees, Kronos Quartet and Wu Man, attended a close friend's baby shower, and joined a soccer team.  :) 

Care of Trees was beautiful...!! 

I wanted to take my friend Liz to see a show to celebrate her birthday. I skimmed the description of this play and was pretty sure it was going to be a comedy about relationships.  ...geez, was I wrong.  I guess that's what I get for skimming descriptions and avoiding reviews... It was an emotionally charged performance about the grieving process and letting go - and it was absolutely beautiful. Only two shows have instantly brought me to my feet, and this was one of them. 

A couple days later I got to see the Kronos Quartet and Wu Man perform...!  A visual and musical journey through the history and evolution of China by some of the most talented musicians I think I've ever seen.  Incredible!

The baby shower was for my lovely friend Maureen.  A celebration of an exciting time and an opportunity to send her and her husband off with blessings and support into this new and exciting phase of their life.  :) 

...and then, the soccer team.  I was soo tired, and we lost like 8 to 2...but it was completely energizing to just run around with a bunch of new friends. 

:)

This picture is from the hallway of a director/friend I know who invited me over to study Shakespeare.

Moments. :)

Iron and Wine

 "...please remember me, happily... by the rosebush laughing with bruises on my chin, the time when... we counted every black car passing... your house beneath the hill, and up until... someone caught us in the kitchen with maps, and mountain range, a piggy bank... a vision too removed to mention...."

I wanted to hear Trapeze Swinger sooooo bad.... but what a beautiful show.

(Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at the Warfield w/ Jen)

Colorado

How is it that everything in Colorado is so freaking clean?!  ...or, is it just the track housing suburban wonderland where my parents now live.... ? 

...no - it's everything...

I drug my family to an annual Memorial Day street fair while I was home.  Territory Days in Old Colorado City.  It contained everything I wanted to see in Colorado Springs... arts, crafts, bbq, cowboys, tattooed diversity, fantastic rock and roll cover bands, an actual little trackless train driving little kids around, and free panning for gold. 

*love* 

A day off

At this point in my... "career", I accrue four weeks of vacation a year...which is awesome if you can take a vacation.  :)  If you can't, the days pile up until you have to start taking days in order to keep accruing.  This results in a lot of daydreams of hopeful vacations, and random days off. 

My daydream vacations include: 

Europe.  I want to visit my friend Stephanie in France, but I also want to just travel around Europe and soak up as much as possible...

Hawaii.  My best friend, Stacey, lives in Hawaii and I really want to spend some time with her -- and, I just love Hawaii.  

Colorado.  I need to go home to see my wonderful family.  (I'm headed there tomorrow, actually, but I can't seem to get myself to pack.)

New York.  I love New York.  Love it.  Seriously consider moving there about every 3 months...and then I find myself unable to imagine leaving the Bay Area... it's a constant battle.  

Asia.  I feel like I need to go to Korea at some point... you know, just to put myself through "returning to my homeland" and experience whatever comes up for me as a result.  I also think about visiting Taiwan before Josh leaves... but I'm not sure if I can make that happen. 

Rapture

Nothing like intimidating waves and an earthquake to make you reconsider the prediction of the Rapture. 

Today, I was on the beach with Sky and her friends celebrating her birthday. The wind was crazy and the waves were violent against the shore. A ranger told us he hadn't seen waves that big since the tsunami!

I fought all morning (broadsword), so after the beach I was beat... I had planned to hang out at the campsite where the group was staying, but decided to head home to relax and recover instead. I passed out on the couch when I got home, only to be woken up a few minutes later by my shaking apartment and, in my dozing delirium, thoughts that this was really it. !

I read somewhere that the group who predicted the Rapture was prepared to offer post rapture counseling... I guess they didn't all expect to make the cut. ;)

I wonder if they were also prepared to offer we-are-idiots-because-we-are-all-still-here counseling.

Clown bootcamp 'n stuff

This is one of my favorite clowns....  :)

This month I've been doing clown bootcamp AND level 2 broadsword.  Yeowsers!  ...I'm getting buff.  :) 

Raised vs Revenge

In the last week, I attended Born and Raised and The Lily's Revenge - two productions by local Bay Area artists exploring the themes of love, marriage, and gay rights.

Born and Raised was a powerful and important production - while still managing to be magically entertaining. I thought it got to the core of what people don't seem to understand about gay couples, and exposed some of the cruel realities of what discrimination and misunderstanding can do. The performances were heartfelt and lovely, the costumes simple - and the writing and direction delivered through hard moments with charming segues keeping the audience and performers connected from beginning to end. I left the theatre feeling deeply moved by this intelligent and entertaining show.

The Lily's Revenge was an interactive and invigorating experience. Its message felt a bit scattered to me, and the story didn't seem to fully deliver what I felt it promised in the beginning... but, the performers were commanding and captivating throughout the show - and the intermissions! I loved the first and second acts, and the flowers fighting back in the 5th act - and the costumes and make up in this show were absolutely gorgeous. After the wild ride, the show ended with a question... which felt strangely in place of the fairytale-with-a-twist-surprising-yet-powerful-ending I was hoping for but, regardless, Revenge broke the boundaries of how we experience theatre and provided a night that will be remembered.

Little gifts

Despite my nasty cold - this week was full of little gifts.

David gave me some of the best cold medicine ever.
Michelle told me my feelings of frustration about a situation at work
were justified, but to let them go... because they weren't worth
hanging on to.
I got to take a day off to rest and take care of my cold.
TBA gave me tickets to see Hugh Jackman, and Michael was able to go with me.
Pam stopped by my desk to tell me a story about her giving old oil
paints to a homeless man.
Mel gave me a little pink ninja she found because I was the first
person she thought of when she saw it.
Angela signed up and started taking improv classes after a
conversation we had about being in the moment.
Lili sent me cute cat pictures when I happened to be in the middle of
a travel crisis at work.
Devin completely indulged me in a moment of paranoid insecurity.
Sean helped me prepare a lunch for Susana and team with the most
generous spirit.
Kasmira told me stories about her charming clumsy moments.
I had a happy hour evening with a bunch of new friends.
Rob fixed the computer connection to my phone, and then told me he had
no idea how he did it, which was just so honest that it made me smile.
Liz told me that she was going to sneeze, and then I sneezed, and then
she sneezed - and then we giggled uncontrollably disrupting everyone
around us.
Gabriella sent me email hugs all week.
I got to attend Amber's CD release party.
Isabel invited me to watch a movie with her and her friend, and it was
the most fun I think I've ever had watching a depressing movie.
Dave let me lead Broadsword class in a completely ridiculous salute.

My heart is smiling.

Hugh Jackman

I managed to score tickets to opening night of Hugh Jackman's show at the Curran Theatre tonight.  DELIGHTFUL!!!  My friend Michael joined me and it was so much fun!!  

I'm not sure if my favorite part was watching Hugh change his pants on stage after he split them doing weird karate kicks in one of his opening songs, his dialog with the 7 year old girl in the front row, watching him shake his ass with the older gentleman who said he was a Broadway fan, or the revival of his first audition piece... his singing, dancing, stories, full orchestra (!), silly mishaps... the whole show was amazing!!!  Richard Marx joined him on stage at the end of the night and they sang a duet to Right Here Waiting... *sigh* 

As we drove across the Bay, Michael and I agreed that part of Hugh's allure is his ability to be campy... but, after giving it more thought, I think it's more of a true authenticity that brings out his charm.  He sang the Lion King song with just as much heart and enthusiasm as when he sang As Time Goes By, and then he danced around the stage in a beaded shirt tied at the waist! 

Wow, what a handsome and enchanting man...

May day

The table to my left is talking about Trump running for president - the one to my right about Osama's death. 

I'm sitting with my favorite pasta dish after a beautiful weekend - looking across the estuary thinking of nuclear war, the celebration of death, the joke of politics... 

Linguine con funghi - exactly what I wanted.  The bread with oil and vinegar, shredded garlic and parmesan, truly couldn't be more tasty. The view here is one of my favorites... 

"Ya know, Circus o'ley is Canadian. (!)"  A woman from the left says. The conversation continues accompanied by the hallow sound of a trumpet trickling through the PA. 

I feel like I could cry...

The garage

I put this giant picture in the garage by the recycling... I had intended to put it up in my apartment, but it turned out to be a little too pink.  Imagine it taking over an entire room in a very obnoxious 'no escaping' kind of way.  So, I got rid of it.  ...and hours later found it placed against the back wall of my building's dreary parking garage looking quite amazingly charming.  :)

~~~
(a garage vignette.)

I was getting out of my car and was met by a neighbor getting out of his car. 

"Well, good evening..." he said. 

"Hi" I replied. 

He asked how I was doing, and then started telling me that he was thinking that he should charge my parents for his mirror because he wouldn't have hit the pillar if he hadn't been looking at me.

o_O ... I must've been giving him a blank stare, so he elaborated. 

"Remember that day, you were pulling out and I was pulling in [to the garage] and I hit that pillar shattering my side mirror?  I was thinking I should charge your parents for my mirror because I wouldn't have hit the pillar if I hadn't been staring at you."  He followed this with a little chuckle. 

I didn't know how to respond so, again, I probably looked kind of blank. 

I think he actually gave me another iteration as I was searching my memory for this incident.  It did seem familiar... but then, I immediately got caught up in the fact that my parents aren't biological, so they have nothing to do with how I look and shouldn't be charged for this... and then, I thought, maybe it had something to do with what I was wearing at the time (yes, my mind does this)...which started me imaging all of my outfits, and which one might've been capable of making someone run into a pillar...  it must've been a red dress, which made me feel like I did remember this happening and the thought that passed through my mind at the time was, "Dude - that SUCKS... "  ha!

I told him I did think I remembered it. 

There was an awkward silence.

How the hell are you supposed to respond to passive aggressive flirting... ?!