This week has been the sore back week for me so far.  I'm getting tired of spending my nights on the floor and am anxious to get my new bed.  Yes, I don't have a bed right now.  I can't tell you how annoying it is and my sleep has been interupted by numerous aches and pains, the tossing and turning fits that come as I try to find the right position in the right spot so I can rest.  The last time I've had to sleep like this was back on Beaver Island when I spent seven weeks in a tent sleeping on the ground!  That's no picnic for a middle aged fattie like me who carries a lot of her weight in her belly area.  I feel like I've been "squashed" in my lower back and my right knee snaps at me with a broken glass feeling every time I get up.  So I laid in bed a long while today, thinking, with much hope, that my new bed will be delivered tomorrow.

No such luck.

I called Slumberland today to check on when exactly I should expect the delivery, only to find out it's NEXT THURSDAY that I should expect to finally get my new bed.  I can't tell you how depressed that made me feel.  At least I know I'll soon have a bed, but why wait another whole week?  The Slumberland people explained that since the order for the bed was placed on a day that wasn't a Monday, the order didn't actually go through until the next week and so that sets the delivery date farther ahead.  I pleaded with them to try to get it to me sooner because I can't stand to sleep on that floor anymore.  So they go into the back room, I wait on the phone listening to some of the worst musiac I've heard in a long while, got stuck on the song that goes "You know I think it might you, yes, I think it must be you, all of my life..." and by the time they got back to me that confirmed that they can't get it out to me any sooner because the bed isn't even there yet.  UGHHHH!  "So what about the couch?" I asked, hoping for something, anything, I can rest my lazy, aching bones on.  That, too, can't be delivered until next Thursday.  Even though it is ready to be delivered, it wasn't paid for until last Monday, so they just thought it would be more convenient for them to deliver the couch with the bed next week.  Oh, well.

Drive By Duck Calls

Funny things happen to me whenever I walk down Division Street for some reason.  Tonight's funny was a group of rednecks in a camoflage truck repeatedly blowing on duck call horns.  It reminded me of a time when I was visiting a friend who used to live in the Pray-Sims dorm.  After he came back from the restroom he gleefully announced, "I just had a funny shit!"  He explained that while he was taking a poo, someone next to him kept blowing on a duck call horn that hunters use to attract ducks.  He didn't think anything of it until some idiot threw a duck decoy into his restroom stall.  The decoy landed at his feet just as his turd hit the toilet water and he laughed so hard, he almost fell off the toilet.

Okay, so maybe you had to be there, but every time I hear one of those guys do those duck calls, I am reminded of the friend I had who had to tell me in vivid detail about his funny shit.

Today was Kitty Cat Day in my new neighborhood

On my way out the door, I kept hearing a cat mew.  Now, whenever I hear kitties cry, I immediately lose concern about anything other than finding out where that cat is.  I followed the cry and met up with a lovely little calico who, looking at the size of its belly, the well maintained coat, and the purple bell on its coller, was obviously one of my neighbor's cats.  It was extremely friendly, rolling on its back, showing me her belly, and mewing up a storm.  She wanted to be held, but not too long, for she was an indoor kitty who escaped into the outside and was enjoying herself immensely.  After spending a little play time with her, and after unsuccessfully trying to figure out where she belonged, I let her go, but then she started to follow me.  I couldn't have her running out into the street or into the wilds of the reserve, so I did my best to encourage her to stay in the confines of the apartment complex.  This meant spending more time with her, of course.  But soon she got bored with me and took off in a direction that wouldn't lead her out into the street.  I'm sure she'll find her way home eventually.

Since it was such a lovely day, I noticed that all my neighbors' cats were out in the window spaces.  I saw a beautiful silvery grey with an all black cat -- both had matching green eyes that lit up like peridot orbs in the amber glow of tonight's setting sun.  They gazed at me nonchalantly, as if I were just another leaf falling from a tree.  And speaking of the trees, they are starting to change color.  As I walked to the bus stop, I noticed another lovely cat in a window.  S/he was an amazing elderly long haired Siamese with steel blue eyes and seemed to be blind in one eye.  I made a trill - purr noise at the cat and it gave me a silent "meow" that made my entire body tremble with a cuteness siezure!

Uh, yeah, can you tell I love cats?

Packer Fans Shook the Earth

I took a nap on Sunday afternoon and was violently awakened by what I can only describe as "Packer Thunder" or a "Packer-Quake" after the Packers won.  The air was filled with screams and cheers and it was like the world was about to end.  I took a look outside.  Outside guys were tearing off their shirts and throwing their drinks down on the grass.  It was quite funny.  I'm no sports fan, but it's great to see people worked up like that with so much joy, they can't contain it!

Back to the Drawing Board...

Trying to ignore the pain in my back, I have to seriously dig deeply into my creative reserves and do some major drawing.  I can't make any more excuses.  Today I spent a lot of time in the library hunting down images to inspire me, doing some research, and basically wasting time with some deeply productive procrastination.

I saw my old friend, Pat Rothfuss, walking by ShopKo this evening, totally preoccupied with reading a magazine.  He was so oblivious to the world around him that I didn't dare interupt his read to just say hello -- even though I was aching to get re-acquainted with him and hear some of his stories about his recent travels.  So silly me watched the guy walk like a sleepwalker with his chin buried in that magazine.  Whatever he was reading, it must've been very interesting!  He reminds me of a man teleported into our time from the 19th century -- he's got the beard and hair for that look -- so imagine him as a 19th century dude who most likely came into our time without his pants and all he could find to cover himself with is an faded T-shirt and jeans.  Pat's got that old time quality about him but with the awkwardness of a 21st century student.  I like that about him.  I will have to write a bit more about him -- not to stroke his ego or anything, but because I have a lot of funny memories with him.  It's been a looooooooong time...