My new home actually has wheels under it LOL

I'm all moved and getting settled in. As settled as one can get in a 5th wheel, anyway. My clothes are spread between some spare space in Granny's closet and the spare room closet. Fortunately for me, Granny didn't part with one of her dressers, and it's been sitting empty in the spare room. Now it's being used, with the rest of my stuff.

Much of my stuff wound up out in the barn. And a few things are in the garage.

Miss Harriet has been having a rough time of it. Poor cat doesn't travel well. At. All. About 45 minutes into the drive to Redding, Miss Harriet decided she needed to poop and stink up the car. Had to pull over and hold tight to her as I used hand wipes to clean the poop out of the carrier (until then, I rolled the windows down so that I didn't suffocate). Luckily she hadn't smeared it around the carrier. Fifteen minutes later the drool started. By the time I reached McArthur she looked like Vampire Kitty with the drool fangs. Once at my parents house, I stashed her in the spare room until we were unloaded. At least it gave her some time to stop drooling and realize the world was no longer moving at 70mph. Or twisting and turning through four mountain passes.

We didn't help her acclamation today either as my parents needed to use the nail gun to put the valance over the bed in the 5th wheel. Miss Harriet decided the closet was the safest place. Until about 2pm when I finally enticed her out from the closet with some canned food. I don't think it helps that her new "home" rocks and shakes just by shaking your head. Poor lil' kitty.

Tomorrow morning (Monday), I'm off to the vet clinic that Dr. J called about last week. Keep your fingers crossed that I walk away with a job!! 

Just another reason why Dr. J is AWESOME

Yesterday (Wednesday) marked my final day with Dr. J at the Sticksville clinic. The morning started off a bit slow, but picked up as usual. He told me he wanted to take me to lunch, but that we'd have to go early as we had to euthanize an old dog with a tumor growing between its eyes at 12:30.

We got to the restaurant and started visiting. We discussed the new girl, who is doing okay, but her biggest issue I think is her maturity level and lack of experience. I think she'll do okay, but she needs time and practice. Time is not something the clinic can offer a lot of, and practice unfortunately comes with time. Dr. J had a meeting with her that morning and told her he was going to give her a few more weeks to see how she's catching on. Working at a vet's office is a lot to throw at someone who has no background in the job.

Also, during our lunch we visited about my job hunting. Which, until I move isn't progressing as quickly as I want. I told him I'd sent my resume to a couple of places and he asked if I had contacted a large/small animal clinic around Redding. I hadn't yet, but it was a place that I worked at during college and had planned on talking to them after I moved. Dr. J said, "I should call them. I'll call them now."

He put down his hamburger and dug his cell phone out of his pocket, looked up the number and called.

I sat there staring at him thinking he was just completely crazy.

He asked for one of the doctors that owns the clinic, and he apparently is out of town until next week. So he asked to talk to the gal that runs the office. He spoke to her about me saying, "I've got a gal that's worked for me awhile and she's moving back to Redding this weekend and is looking for employment. I wanted to call and put in a good word for her. I had wanted to talk to Dr. G, but I understand he's out of town, so I wanted to talk to you. . . She's not a licensed tech, but she assists us in exams, handles prescriptions, does reception . . . She's been running our satellite clinic in Sticksville and also works at our main clinic in Town. . . . On Monday? I will tell her. Thanks a lot."

He turns back to me and says, "Sounds like they're looking for someone. Head on over there on Monday." With a smile on his face.

He truly is a nice guy. I never expected him to call some place for me ahead of time. I knew he'd give me a good reference if people called after I'd turned in a resume, but this was just plain crazy cool of Dr. J. I'm really going to miss working for him.

Please keep fingers crossed that something good happens. I really don't want unemployment. If this just fell into place it would be AWESOME.

Today is the day that I have to get the last minute stuff done: take in my recycling, wash my sheets and pack them and the rest of my bedding (so I spend the last nights in my sleeping bag), and just get all the odds and ends packed up leaving only the bare essentials for the next couple of days.

My last day of work at the vet center is tomorrow and they will be getting a Subway platter for everyone as my "good-bye lunch". I'm already getting tears in my eyes, thinking of saying good-bye. Saying good-bye to several of the customers has been pretty rough already.

Dammit. Pass the Kleenex.

 

Award time!!

I'm nearly completely packed up. Mom came up to help me this past weekend. We tore down my bed frame (and I get to sleep on my mattresses on the floor . . . now my bedside tables actually fit my bed size lol), tore down my dining room table, cleaned and cleaned and loaded up a bunch of trash in her truck. My parents will be driving up on Friday afternoon and we'll be heading out Saturday morning.

It's sad leaving the area and my job at the vet center. I hate saying good-bye to everyone. They all wish me luck in my new adventures, but it's still tough.

My poor Miss Harriet is a bit discombobulated with her house being all messed up. But she's moved several times before and I know she'll be okay.

In other news, I was honored with a blog award from The Ginger Blog Man! Sending a huge thank over to him, and I hope you do pop over to visit his blog. 

Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer 11 questions the person giving the award has set for you.

3. Create 11 questions for the people you are giving this award to.

4. Choose 11 people to give the award to.

5. No tag backs.

11 Things About Me:

1. I hate coming up with random things about me because my mind always goes blank.

2. I don't like training new people because I don't like letting go of the control of the job duties; I want it done my way. lol

3. As sad as I am to move, I'm looking forward to my new adventures.

4. The Hunger Games DVD hasn't left my DVD player since I bought it a month ago. No I don't watch it every day, but um, enough.

5. I just read a book called "White Girl Problems" by Babe Walker and I have been shown (yet again) that there are people that are probably making society worse because it's "all about them" and never anyone else. Plus, if you can spend nearly $300,000 at Barney's you have too much money and time on your hands. Give me some of your money, I'll put it to good use.

6. As of Friday at 5pm, I'll be joining the ranks of the unemployed and job searching.

7. I despise being unemployed.

8. Thinking I may buy Dr. R a bag of corn nuts as a good-bye present. I gave him so much shit on Monday about his eating corn nuts just for me because he knows I hate the smell of them. I just know I'm going to get random texts from him saying, "I'm eating a corn nut just for you".

9. The new girl just tooted . . . pretty loudly. lol

10.  I would love to see Rascal Flatts in concert one day. I'm just hoping their tickets aren't $100 or more a pop because it's not worth it to see anyone for that price. Except maybe Il Divo. Because those boys are DE-LISH.

11. I still keep my Teddy Bear with me where ever I go. A couple gave him to my mom when they found out she was pregnant - they were regulars at the restaurant she worked at. She still keeps in contact with them.

My 11 Questions to Answer:

1. What is your preferred method of birth control? (for example own face, coke douche?): Well, abstinence works wonders. As do various other methods.

2. If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Even though I'm afraid of heights, I'd love to be able to fly. Because then I wouldn't have to pay $5/gal for gas.

3. What is your favorite music album of all time? Ohhh, that's a toughie. I know my favorite song of all time. Album? Oh geeze. I guess any album by Rascal Flatts, I love their stuff. Although Unstoppable wasn't my favorite album.

4. Do redheads have souls? Of course they do.

5. If you were on death-row (I'm sorry about this) what would you order as your last meal? A wee bit morbid, but BBQ pork ribs, macaroni salad, and garlic bread. And I want popcorn and M&M's for dessert.

6. PC or Mac? I've always owned a PC but eventually I would like to try to get a Mac.

7. Who is the most influential person in your life and why? I'm not sure any one person has been more influential than another. My parents, all of my grandparents, and my BFF are at the top of the list. Each for different reasons.

8. What is your favorite cartoon as an adult? I'm assuming you're referring to the ones on TV, and I don't watch cartoons anymore. But I will say that the old Looney Tunes from my childhood are the bestest ever.

9. Do you have any regrets?  Yes.

10. Would you like to own a monkey butler (assuming no animal rights were violated, leave me be PETA)? Isn't that how Planet of the Apes started? lol I'd probably be afraid the monkey would be smarter than me . . . so no. lol

11. How do you feel right now? A mix of emotions, actually.

(And I posted this having forgotten to make up 11 questions. Good grief.)

1. What is your favorite book of all time?
2. What is your least favorite thing to do when it comes to cleaning house?
3. Would you ever own a chicken (a live one)?
4. How do you handle those annoying sales calls?
5. What musical artist would you pay good money to see?
6.  Have you ever milked anything? (And breast feeding doesn't count lol)
7. If you were President, what is the first thing you would do?
8. In reality, would you ever be crazy enough to run for President?
9. Knowing what you know now, would you go back and change anything in your past?
10. Who do you think is the best super hero?
11. Have you ever broken a bone?

And the award goes to:

The Frisky Virgin

According to Jewels

It's an Average Life

Pablo's Angel

Surviving Boys

The Cat and the Coffee Cup

The Life and Times of A. Nighbert

Shut the Front Door

Lizard Happy

Just Keepin' It Real, Folks

For the Love of Writing

Oy Ve.

Dr. J gave me his cold.

I have a headache.

My throat hurts from talking while training the newbie for the last two weeks.

I still have lots of packing to do.

I move one week from today.

And . . . 

I'm tired.

Just had to complain.

Good news? I'm finally caught up on blog reading. :o)

Postcard Campaign Update

I've been meaning to do a post about the Postcard Campaign, and I keep forgetting. My mind has been preoccupied, and I apologize.

I have not notified anyone for September send-outs, so we are getting a break. I know several of you have emailed me or left a comment on my blog saying that you have not received postcards for at least two months prior to September. I am working on finding out why. It really does bother me that folks sign up for it, and then only a couple people wind up receiving a postcard.

Everyone on the list has been enjoying getting postcards in their mailbox. And the one year anniversary of it passed with every single person on the list not receiving any postcards.

If this is something everyone wants to continue with, then I will keep it going.

In other news, packing is going well. I got rid of three boxes of stuff to a co-worker this week. Two boxes of bedding material that I no longer use, and one box of some random stuff that has never been used. Plus I shall be giving her some more stuff I came across. Plus I keep coming up with bags of trash, which I've had to haul to the dumpster at the office in Town.

My house looks like a tornado went through it, but I am getting stuff packed and I'm trying to get rid of stuff.

Oh, and in case anyone was curious, I kept the jars with the chick and mice skeletons.  :o)

And it starts . . .

 

Now that I made the decision to move it means that I have to go through my stuff. I really have no idea how one person can accumulate so much stuff. It's quite amazing really. What is also amazing is how much I toss out each time I've moved and yet, how much I still keep. Some stuff I have easily tossed out, thinking, "What the hell was I keeping that around for?!" I was pretty brutal when it came to my closets and my dresser drawers. So I thought I'd share some stuff with you. To take responsibility (so to speak) for my pack-rat ways.

I found a manual for a printer I haven't owned in at least 5 years. At least. Also a manual for the microwave I loaned to my BFF about three years ago because the apartment I moved into came with one over the stove and she needed one. Also, for the mixer I use when baking - and really how freaking hard are those to operate?! And last but no least, a manual for a 12" occillating fan . . . again . . . DUH.

And what's worse? I found more in another box on a different day. I'm totally serious. I have no clue what I thought I'd need so many for. I'll be giving these to a co-worker who does photography on the side. I'm pretty sure she can use them more than I can.

I can hear the roar of laughter from the new generation. I guess I was being nostalgic in keeping these floppies, but I finally let them go. And hey kids, I just tossed out all of my high school homework. Or well, at least my last two years worth. 

I think I'm still hearing laughter. Crazy thing is - it still works. And I found a CD in there when I opened it up. The ear phones were shot, though. I'm not sure about this one because it does still work. I could yard sale it, if I were going to have a yard sale. Kids these days would take one look at it and ask "Sooo, how do you download songs on here?" 

Yep. That's what's left of my cassette collection. My stereo still has cassette players on it. The trouble is these are so old now and I played them so dang much that they no longer sound any good at all. But oh the memories.

Now, here's one I want you're opinion on. In college I took an embryology class. This project took our entire class of 30-something kids about half a semester to complete - mostly because there are varying stages of what we did. What's in those jars are skeletons of mice and chicks. Two chicks, the rest are mice at varying stages from fetus to 3 days old. You might think this is sick, but the mice were bred specifically for this project. All of us kids came in late at night and/or early in the morning (so late/early security had to let us in) so that other classmates could use the next stage of solutions. In the end, the skeletons were dyed blue and red - one color shows bone and the other shows cartilage - showing how their skeleton starts out as mostly cartilage and over time how it hardens into bone. Now, I've put these on display since leaving college because I worry about other people's reactions, as not everyone is into science . . . so they've remained boxed for 8 years. Keep? Or toss?

So I discovered just how many freaking candles and holders I own. I was a bit flabbergasted to be honest. Now, after moving to Sticksville, I went to The Dollar Store and bought several candles and a few holders. My reasoning was that when the power went out I didn't want to use only my nice candles. I wanted some cheaper candles to burn. My goal was to get what I wanted into one box - the box shown in the picture.

And I succeeded. Okay well the tin on the left didn't fit, but I keep all my tea-lights in there and OHMIGOD it smells divine when you open the lid, and I knew it wouldn't fit in the box. I mean, it's self contained . . . (ahem) . . . the only other thing that didn't fit into the box was the really tall candle holder next to the box. Other than that, I kept what I knew I would and could use. Now, if anyone hears me asking for candles for Christmas this year, they have my permission to slap me.

This is just a small taste of what I've done so far. I have boxes of comforter sets and sheets that I'm hoping to give away to a co-worker. Also, some of the candle holders that I no longer want I will try to give away as well. I have several bags of trash already, and a few bags of clothes for donation. I have to say I am freaking proud of how I attacked my closets and clothes because I'm never that brutal. If I can maintain that, I'll be in good shape! Wish me luck!!

It's Official

I will be moving in about a month.

I have given notice to everyone.

I have been asking myself for a very long time if being up here in Sticksville is the right kind of life for me. I enjoy the ranch work, but when I am completely honest with myself, I don't think it's something I want to do for the rest of my life. Same thing with publishing.

I never would have known for sure had I not uprooted myself from Sacramento to try it. Both things were things I had really no experience with. My grandparents gave me a wonderful opportunity to stray out of my comfort zone and try something new. I have enjoyed learning from them and spending time with them. Before this I was lucky if I could come up once a year to visit.

It will be hard to say good-bye to all the wonderful people I have met since moving up here.

This was not an easy decision to make. I think I agonized over this more than choosing to move up here.

My friend and family support me in my decision. And my Redding friends are excited that I'm finally "moving back home" so they can see me more often.

I will be job hunting - my mom is scouring the want-ads and I'm checking online. I already have a few jobs to apply for. And I will be looking for a place to live - once I have a job, that is. I have "room offers" from friends, my parents are currently offering up their 5th wheel . . . being that my room is now Granny's room! lol

So, if I'm not commenting as regularly or posting as regularly, it's because I'm packing and trying to lighten my load by doing some major cleaning out of things. But I will still be reading your blogs because I do so enjoy it. Just bear with me and I will back to normal in no time.

Sunday was a good day

Yesterday I drove to Redding for delivery of my grandparents publication. I got all my errands done - on my list was buying The Hunger Games on DVD. Yeah, I know. Anyway, I got to meet up with my BFF by chance as she was in town with a couple of her friends. They were all visiting from the bay area for the long weekend. We met up at a frozen yogurt place that's fairly new in town. This place was awesome - the frozen yogurt was delicious and you could pile on the toppings until it fell over and all for one low price. It was awesome. The four of us sat there and laughed for 3 hours. That was even more awesome.

Then I met up with my parents at a new restaurant in town called Famous Dave's BBQ. We were eventually joined by an aunt and uncle and my mom's parents. This place was freaking delicious. Dad ordered the boneless chicken wings, I ordered ribs . . . and we shared. As far as restaurant ribs go, these are by far the best I've ever had. Of course, they don't beat out Dad's ribs, but nonetheless, they were sooooo good.

We had lots of good laughs. It was a bit hard to hear most conversations unless it was with the person right next to you because the place was rather loud.

Mom rode with me on the way home, and we wound up having a fit of laughter that not only caused our faces and full tummies to hurt, but our backs to start spasming. And I'm sure I nearly wrecked my car once or twice, too. My aunt had texted Mom saying that they were "at home depot with the giggles". Mom tells me this and says, "I'm going to ask her who the Giggles are." We started giggling ourselves, then went on to remember other names my parents have made up . . . usually during camping trips while drunk with the friends and getting in trouble with the rangers. (hehehe) So then Mom and I started laughing over that. And we couldn't stop. Literally. Then Mom decided to ask my aunt if "the Giggles are related to the Weebils" (of the Weebils wobble but they don't fall down variety) and which made us laugh even harder. Then we started laughing over our pain from laughing.

And a Miss Posey update - she's doing awesome! She's quite active and wants to play now and she also has the little "Buddha belly" the vet wanted. She still weighs next to nothing, as evidenced by the fact that she just walked over the keyboard and none of the keys moved. LOL She's now playing with a sticky note that is nearly as big as her. Libby wants so badly to play, but Posey still needs to get bigger to really play with Libby. But she's curious and wants to play. And she's found her little motor, too. She likes to sit on your shoulder and purr. She's just too freaking adorable. (And just so you know, if she pounces on the keyboard, then the keys move. LOL)