Marmot’s blog

The Dreaded Veterinarian

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:54:24 -0500

Oh the agony of it all. I have to take my two wonderful cats to the vet tomorrow morning and then for grooming. It's not as if they don't like the fact that I uprooted them last week to a new home, but now I will be trying to force them back in their carrying case to whisk them away for poking, prodding, washing, and blow drying. Why after all these years have I decided to take them to the vet? Where they used to be strictly indoor felines, they are now balcony cats. That is right. They love the balcony. They are let outside to lounge in the morning while we get dressed to go to work and let outside to lounge again when we get home. So since they are outside so much, I figured I should make sure they have a clean bill of health. But at least I was kind enough to find a vet with a groomer in the same location. So wish me luck tomorrow. I'm sure they will love me in a couple of days.

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Still Exhausted

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:37:51 -0500

I am still tired from the move. I spent most of Thursday last week packing the remaining items alone since Scott had to work. Friday was moving day. Scott said he had to go into work for a couple of hours but would be back in time to make the trip to the new apartment. Well, lucky for me, he didn't make it back to the apartment until 5 pm. In the mean time, while the movers brought our stuff into the apartment, I had to go down to the car to get some things. Unfortunately, I forgot the fact that one pass is needed to enter the resident parking and one is needed to get back into the building. Again, as luck would have it, I left that special pass in the apartment. So I was stuck. Then a resident came driving in and I asked him if he could let me in and his response was to say that he couldn't let me in because he didn't know me. Well, that was the straw that broke my back, because I started to bawl. As I mentioned before, moving is not my strong suit and it would have been nice to have Scott take some of the pressure off of me. But the gentleman was nice enough to let me in and told me that the next day would be much better. Well Saturday was better. No crying. But again, I was alone to unpack the kitchen and I unpacked my clothes. Sunday, again, all alone while he worked. So needless to say there are empty boxes that need to go into storage and the second bedroom needs sorting out and the sofas need to be put back together. But for now, I am just breathing because if I didn't, I wouldn't have any hair and my eyes would be all puffy.

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Do Over

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:41:35 -0500

If only there was a "do over" button that I could hit. This weekend, which I waited for as usual, passed me by. I had the flu. Who gets the flu during the warm days? It is not like we have been getting warm weather. It has been wet and cool the last several days. But I slept right through it. Before I knew it, Monday had arrived. I am feeling much better. This weekend will also have me unpacking from my move so before I know it, I will be back at my desk. Until then, I will enjoy the overcast sky that I see from my office window and listen to the continuation of construction that is happening next door. If I wish hard enough, maybe the sun will peak through.

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Father's Day

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:55:08 -0500

Sunday is when we celebrate our Fathers. For some of us, it means spending the day with them. We will take them for brunch, take them golfing or take them out for dinner. For others, it means you remember the man who was there for you when you were a child, but who is no longer around to celebrate the day. I fall into the last category. I remember when I hung on every word of what my Dad said. I was his shadow. If he was fixing his car, I was there to hand him the tools. If he was cooking, I was there to watch and be the dishwasher. My Father is not dead, but living in England where he has been for the last 11 years. My Dad was the type of man that could run hot or cold at the drop of a hat. He was the type of man that should have remained a bachelor. There is one tender moment between my Father and I. I had arrived home from school with a broken heart and my Dad told me that things would get better and he gave me a hug and let me cry on his shoulder. I also cherish the one photo of the two of us together that my Mom took. It is in black and white. We are both in front of the apartment. He is getting ready to go out, and myself as a toddler is clinging to his leg not wanting him to leave. My Mom told me much later that after he left, I bawled my eyes out. I look at that picture from time to time and smile.

I haven't seen my Dad since he left. He didn't leave on his own accord. He left that day very angry. I often wonder how he is doing and what he is thinking as Father's Day rolls around. So for those of you who still have a Father, cherish him, hug him, tell him how much you appreciated everything he did for you and raise a glass or a golf club to him. Do it for those of us who don't have a Father.

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Girlfriends

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:46:52 -0500

I finally saw the Sex And The City movie last night with Scott. Why would I go see such an obvious chick flick with my boyfriend? That is because I don't have any girlfriends. That is right, I don't have a Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte or Carrie to call my own. As I sat there watching the groups of girls laughing and giggling their way to their seats, I wondered what was wrong with me that I didn't have that connection to my female counterparts. I always found it hard to maintain female connections. It is not from lack of trying. As I got older, things happened. I had one friend that I met through my last job but since I left, somewhere along the way, it was severed. I tried to find out the reason, but never received a response. So I wish her well. I also found out that I can't go back to my childhood friend. After 20 years, we finally reconnected but it was a very short reconnection. After a few emails back and forth, she too has dropped out of site.

As well, trying to infiltrate an already established group can be just has hard. They already have their own code of talking which is hard to jump into. They have their own way of doing things. I still have hope that one day I will have a small group or even one girlfriend that I can laugh with over a cup of tea (I don't like coffee) or go shopping, or just watch all the other group of girlfriends laughing with each other as they walk down the street. But until then, I have my boyfriend. He doesn know how to pick out the best outfits for me.!

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Anniversary

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:57:47 -0500

It has been three years since I met my boyfriend at a gas station. I remember sitting at a set of lights waiting to pick up my ex-boyfriend to take him to the hospital to visit his sister and his new nephew. At that moment, I turned the radio off and looked into the sky and said, "I'm tired of going out with guys who are not good for me. If there is someone out there for me, then send him to me. If not, I'm finished with dating men who are not right for me. Until then, I will enjoy the summer and have fun as a single girl". At that moment, my car started to sputter. I thought, oh great my car is going to stall, its the middle of rush hour and I'm going to be stuck. So I knew there was a gas station about five minutes away where I could put the car, but it was a matter of getting there. I managed to drive into the station before my car died and there was Scott to help me out. When we both realized that my car wasn't going to restart, he offered me a ride home. Now normally, I wouldn't get into a car with a complete stranger, but there was just something about him that made me feel like I had known him for years. When he dropped me off at my house, he gave me his business card and asked me to keep him updated on the car.

That night, I sat on my bed with the phone in front of me contemplating whether I should call him or not just to say thank you. Well I did and he asked me out for drinks for the following week. I squealed with delight when I got off the phone.

The next day, my Mom let me know that she had gone to where I had the car towed and when she got in she decided to try and start it and the car roared to life. So she drove it to our mechanics to see why it had died. They did every diagonistics test possible and they found nothing wrong with it. So that weekend, my mom and I went to a wedding and drove around in the car in traffic and it was fine. No problems.

So needless to say, I believe that it was fate that I met Scott. Of course like most couples we have had our ups and downs but it has been more up then down. So who ever hooked us up, Thank you!

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First Summer Long Weekend

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:48:22 -0500

Well, this is the first summer long weekend of the year and I am looking forward to it. This is the time of year where gardening centers are packed with people buying earth and flowers to pretty up their house. It is also the time of year to have beer, bbqs and catch up with friends and basically breath. But to get that relaxation state, there is a lot of running around before hand. So for those of you who are running around, I hope you enjoy the May 24 weekend and have a beer for me. :)

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Swimming

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:16:28 -0500

Last night my boyfriend and I started my first swimming lessons. That is right. I never learned to swim. When it came to swimming during phys-ed, I always managed to get out of it. As I grew my hair, I stayed away from any type of water. I didn't want my hair to be ruined after getting it just right. So in anticipation of said lessons, I cut my hair short so I didn't have to worry about it. I like it shorter. Easier to maintain.

I was always good with floating on my back. Too bad, one can't swim like that. I have to admit, I actually enjoyed myself. I'm not quiet getting the hang of it yet. I have to get my legs coordinated and then my arms. But at least I didn't drown. So I will keep trying so I can go swimming this summer and maybe even snorkel.

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I have been up north...

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:27:45 -0500

I have been up north this past weekend and it is amazing how the seasons change. One minute it is freezing outside and there doesn’t seem to be any reprieve in sight from the snow we have received this year. And now as I sit here typing this, I can see the leaves beginning to bloom, the birds are out singing their songs and of course the Spring wouldn’t be complete without the black flies. There is not a cloud in the sky and it is the color of the lightest blue. As I was driving up, I also noticed all the Trilliums that have pushed their way out of the mud and grime that has covered the area. A dappling of white in a sea of brown.

Leaving the city, I also noticed all the people who are out walking and jogging and enjoying the sun. It is as if we were the flowers trying to push our way through the mud to get a taste of sunshine. I find Spring weather is ideal for taking walks, picnics, riding or any number of activities that have been hibernating along with us. As with the birds who are so colorful, with their yellows, reds and greens, so are we with the colors of Spring and soon to be Summer.

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New Home

nobody@vox.com(Marmot) — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:59:35 -0500

Well, after 2 1/2 months of searching we have finally found a new place to live. Searching and moving is definitely a very stressful time which I have never been aware of until recently. You see, I have only ever moved 3 times so far in my life. My family weren't really into moving every 5 years. I knew people who moved every 2 years. Oh the agony of that. So last year, I took the plunge and moved out with my boyfriend and left my mom as an empty-nester. Since I really didn't have a lot of furniture when I left my mother, it was an easy move. I had my bedroom stuff. That was it. Now, there is bedroom stuff, kitchen stuff, living room stuff, second bedroom stuff and his stuff.

So the finding a place part. I started early to make sure I found just the right place. So of course I enlisted the help of a real estate agent. She was great. Taking me to several different places, putting in offers and not getting the place because the other couple would put in more money and we weren't willing to spend that much. Then we found this really great place in Yorkville. But unfortunately, they owners backed out so again, it was time to keep hunting. Time is quickly ticking away. But fortunately, at the last minute, we found a place. It is in a nice building, and only one subway stop away from the office. Yay for us!

Now all I need it for someone to pack, move and unpack us. Oh, wait, I have a boyfriend. :)

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