June 28, 2003 :: 10:43 p.m.
let's take a trip down dismemberment lane
I was just down in the kitchen making a bagel, and Gizmo was sitting on the table, looking around in that paranoid schizophrenic way of hers. I caught a glimpse of her tail, and jesus fucking christ... this cat is not right in the head. I noticed the other day that the tip of her tail was a bit bare, but as she has been know, on occasion, to pick at herself, I didn't pay much attention. Well, yeah, now she's gnawed it down to a bloody stump. It's horrible and disgusting and it makes no sense whatsoever. The rest of her skin is fine - no scabby bumpies or anything, which means that it's not fleas this time. She has a weird allergy, you see, that causes flea bites to get all big and scabbed over, and then she picks at them, which only causes more scabs. It's a vicious cycle, but now that she's an inside kitty it's not much of a problem at all. However, this is. We don't know what to do about it - the vet can't find anything physically wrong with her that would cause her to pull out her own fur and chew herself to a bloody pulp. And yet. I'm very tempted to grab her and wrap the end of her tail in gauze to keep her from making it worse, but... I don't know. Poor kitty.
So, Baltimore. I got three hours of sleep last night, due to spending the hours between midnight and 5:30 making a bag that I purchased fabric for quite a while ago. It took forever because I haven't ever really sewn something this complex, I completely made it up (read: didn't have a handy pattern), and it's been a long time since I've used my ancient sewing machine so I kept fucking things up during the threading process. It turned out okay in the end, although I'd like to replace the evil, badly done strap that I made out of the same fabric as the bag with some stronger, more strap-like material. I'll post pictures whenever I can get my hands on a digital camera of some kind.
After struggling with the damn bag until 5:30, I threw my pants at the dresser and fell into bed otherwise fully clothed. It was light outside. I woke up around 8:20, when Adam called to make sure I wasn't sleeping the day away instead of preparing for our little trip. I laid in bed for a bit longer, and then dragged myself downstairs. My mom was up, and in my sleep-deprived stupor all I could think to say was "I have to hurry, I have to go fast." Cue a clumsy stumble into the bathroom for a quick shower, five minutes to throw on clothes, and a hasty departure. I had some orange juice at Adam's, and then we hit the road.
I was driving at first, but it didn't take long to realize just how big an error in judgment that was. Note to self: do not attempt to operate anything larger than a hand-held can opener when you've had a total of 7 hours of sleep in the past 2 days. We stopped at a gas station, got some snacks, and switched roles. He drove for the rest of the day, as I would fall asleep at random intervals while sitting in the passenger seat. No good. We met up with his mom, who we had been following, at a Krispy Kreme near his sister's house, picked up a dozen donuts, and then continued onward to our destination. His sister's apartment is painted many different colors. She has a snail rug in what will be the baby's room that I want quite a lot. Her bathroom reminds me of one you'd find in a seedy nightclub, because it's very dark purple and there's not a lot of light. Key Lime Pie donuts are unexpectedly delicious.
We all went to lunch at this little Mexican place called Holy Frijoles, where I learned two things. Taquitos and nummy treats, and even black beans are bad in excess quantities. Cue tummy ache. We went to this funky little bookstore near the restaurant, where I FINALLY located a copy of ReadyMade magazine. Barnes & Noble is supposed to carry it, but every time I look it's nowhere to be seen. Adam and I later went to a huge Barnes & Noble near the Baltimore Aquarium, after we decided not to see the sharks on this particular day due to excessive crowds and timing problems. You'd think that a two-story bookstore would have a pretty decent selection of just about everything, right? Wrong. There were about five knitting books in the whole place. This place has escalator, for fuck's sake. Screw you, B&N.
Having ditching the Aquarium idea, we poked around Fell's Point for a while, spending money. I spent an absurd amount ($25) on a new wallet, because my old one is huge and annoying. This new one also features Pucca, the cute little Korean (I think) cartoon character whom I love so dearly, but it's pink. Yes, pink. Shut up, it's cute. It's a plasticky sort of material, with lots of space for cards and two very fun clear picture windows that are, um, shaped like hearts. I said SHUT UP, bastards. I can buy a pink wallet with heart-shaped picture windows if I want to, dammit. I also purchased a new toy for the cats and a breath-freshening bone thing for Buddy at this really fun pet accessory store. The dog ate the entire bone in about ten minutes, which, I'm fairly sure, isn't quite what he was supposed to do with it. But the neighbor said is breath smelled better, so I guess it worked anyway.
Adam saw a Hello Kitty vibrator at a store we were in today and he didn't even TELL ME. Poohead.
As we were leaving Fell's Point, an obviously inebriated man rammed his car into the back of mine and caused much pandemonium. We were fully stopped, sitting at a red light. He smashed into us, and we in turn flew forward and hit the cab that was in front of us. No damage was done to any of the cars (well, not to mine or the cab, anyway - I don't give a fuck what happened to the drunk guy's car), but I banged my head really hard and then smashed my wrist into the dashboard to prevent my head from hitting that as well. As a result, I've had the Headache from Hades for the last five hours. I'm fairly sure that my eyes are going to start bleeding soon, actually, and my brain has undoubtedly already liquified and will run out of my nose in short order. Adam, who always and without fail wears his seatbelt, wasn't hurt, for which I am very grateful.
Adam's mom got me a copy of the third Harry Potter book, which was incredibly nice of her. I'm going to start it before bed tonight. Cue giddy anticipation, as I almost completely forget what happens in this and the fourth one. Wee!
Now I'm home, exhausted and yet considering sewing up some little bags for my tarot cards. I've also got lemon pillows in the works, which is just So. Damn. Exciting. Seriously, the thought of having pillows shaped like lemons makes me way too happy. I should just go to sleep, though, because it's very likely that I'll sew through my fingers if I try to operate the machine just now. And, well, ouch. Sleep it is, then.
G'night, all.
back & forth
Wait, there's more!
I like pina coladas - March 30, 2005
must... finish... projects... - March 22, 2005
Mr. Postman delivers the good stuff - March 18, 2005
when everything is bad - March 16, 2005
of fruits and menstruation - March 15, 2005