Tigritsa

I haven’t been around much, I know. My interest in the internet has waned, I guess. I don’t know if it’s because of the holiday season being so busy or what. But I definitely find myself not on the computer too much anymore. I’ve been doing a lot of hanging out with friends and shopping and other activities that have been keeping me quite busy. And of course, work. Can’t forget that one. Not even if I tried!

I’m extremely bored right now which is why I decided to do a little blog but I really don’t have much to say. Um… I tried a zucchini muffin! That was random! It was actually good. I don’t like zucchini on its own and the thought of it in a dessert type food is just weird but you can’t even taste it.

Christmas shopping has been hectic. Every time I think am done, I realize I have more people to shop for. Money is tight for me right now because I’ve been spending so much on gifts. And the crazy thing is that I’m spending less on everyone than I normally do. It’s just that I have so many more people to buy for this year. But it’s definitely worth it. I love giving people gifts because it makes them happy and I like to see people happy. I’m definitely not the Scrooge type, lol. I get into the holiday spirit. To me, Christmas is a time to show your friends and family how much you appreciate them. I just wish I had more money to show them more appreciation, lol.

Oh yeah, in my last blog, I mentioned how I was having a birthday thing at Raxx with my friend Jocelyn and our friends. It turned out being sooooo much fun. I had an amazing time. I definitely want to get a bunch of people together and go out again. When we all have money, haha. But yeah, we played pool, had conversation and drinks, and we danced. That is why I like Raxx. It has a bit of everything in one place. It’s a bit of an older crowd that goes there but who cares. When you’re with your friends, it doesn’t matter, lol. And when your friends are drunk, it’s hilarious! Hahaha.

Anyway, I think I’m going to watch a movie to cure my boredom.

Wow, once again, I haven’t written in a very long time. I’ve been quite busy though and I have a good excuse! I moved into my mom’s in mid-September and I didn’t have internet for a few days. When we finally got internet hooked up, a day or two later, my computer died! And then our router died so even if my computer was working, I couldn’t use internet anyway, lol. So yeah, I went, hmmm, almost two months, without a computer. I was able to use Crystal’s computer but I didn’t want to do personal things on it because she doesn’t like it if you take more than ten minutes on her computer, lol. I don’t know what Kavy would have done in my position! ROFL! She’s such a computer whore! So I finally have a new computer. I figured since mine died (it wouldn’t start back up, only in safe mode) I would have to get a new computer. I’ve been wanting a new one for a long time so this was my opportunity I guess. Since my vet bill was paid off, it was a good time. So now I have this computer to pay off! Haha, oh well. Fun. It’s such a great computer. It’s a Dell and the processor I chose is a AMD Athlon X2 64 5600+ with 3 GB of ram and a 500 GB hard drive. I got a great graphics card so playing Sims 2 is amazing. So fast and such amazing quality! My new monitor, which cost over $300 by the way (it came with the computer with no option not to get a monitor but I needed a new one anyway), is a 22″ widescreen Dell LCD. The specs are all right. Not as good as the 22″ Samsung monitor I wanted which had 2ms response time and 1000:1 contrast ratio but ahhhhh welllllll. This one has 5ms and an 800:1 ratio. Still good specs so I’m happy with it.

So I was able to keep my desk. Not in my room but we figured out a way to put it in Crystal’s room and we gave her desk to Kavy and Kavy gave her desk to my mom for their computer so it all worked out. I really didn’t want to get rid of my beloved desk! XD

I finally got Meeko his third booster shots and now I have to make him an appointment to get neutered. It shouldn’t cost me too much because I have a $50 off coupon from the Humane Society. I’m hoping it won’t cost me more than $100. Fingers crossed! So yeah, the kitties get along well except for Charlie sometimes. He’s the outdoor cat and he’s very territorial. He gets in fights with neighbourhood cats because they come on to his lawn and he doesn’t like it. Not one bit. But he’s been pretty good. With three male cats in the house, they get in the occasional scuffle but nothing too bad. My mom is driven nuts by all the animal fur everywhere, lol. I try to sweep up as much as possible but it seems like it’s never ending! Four cats, though. What can you expect? Haha. I’m glad Destiny doesn’t shed!

My birthday has come and gone. I’m now 21. Legal in the States, haha. Not that I care because I don’t go there anyway and when I do, it’s not to get drunk! I didn’t do anything on my birthday. I had to work. And Kavy had appendicitis! So I was doing my birthday “party” at the end of the month when I could get time off. But since my friend Jocelyn was doing her birthday the next week, we decided to merge our parties together, lol. We invited a lot of the same people so it just makes sense. We’re going to Raxx and a bunch of people are going to show up so it will be fun. Everyone wants me to get drunk but yeah, not gonna happen! LOL! I don’t like getting drunk and I wouldn’t get drunk in public anyway. I’ll have a few drinks but that’s it. Amaretto Sour, baby! My fave! <3

Anyway, I think that’s all I have to say. Hopefully I will update more frequently now that I have a computer and internet again. Ciao.

A lot is going on for me right now. At the end of July, my sister and I gave our notice that we would not be renewing our lease for our apartment. We have to be out by September 30th. Kavy is moving in with her boyfriend and I will be moving in with my mom, her boyfriend and my little sister. It will be really weird living with them at first and there are a lot of sacrifices I have to make but I know this is the best thing for me. I simply cannot afford to live on my own, I don’t want to move to Alberta (where my dad lives) and if I’m working two jobs trying to pay the bills, I’ll never have the opportunity to go back to school.

Which brings me to my next topic. I’ve put it off for way too long. I’m going back to school. I don’t really want to… but I know I have to. I’m going with an online school. I’m not sure which one yet. I’m not looking forward to doing schoolwork again, that is for sure.

So yeah… moving and going back to school. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for me. I am excited to be moving in to my mom’s house simply because I’ve hated living here at this apartment. Even though I’m pretty anti-social, I hated not having my family around that I could talk to at anytime. At my old house, it was me, my dad, my older sister and older brother. And my little sister was over all the time. And at my old, old house, my little brother lived with us too so it was always so much fun. But when I moved to this apartment, suddenly it was just me and my older sister and it was boring. Even though my little sister and I will probably fight a lot, it’s going to be fun for us to hang out together! So I’m looking forward to moving in there for that reason. Also, the supers here are fucking crazy and are huge jerks so I can’t wait to be rid of them for good.

It is going to be hard though. Their spare bedroom is like the smallest room I’ve ever seen. So I have to get rid of my beloved gigantic desk. I love this desk so much! *cries* It’s so huge and fits all my computer stuff plus way more! I have to get a new desk that is much much smaller so that it will fit in my room. That really sucks but c’est la vie. I also don’t want to cause any problems there. I don’t want to get in the way or anything so I know I’ll feel really awkward there at first. I’m also giving up all my privacy and the perks that come with living in your own home. My mom is making a lot of changes for me too and I appreciate it. So yeah, there will be this really awkward adjustment period but I think I will settle in pretty quickly. Or at least, I hope I do.

I’m also extremely happy that my little buppers Destiny will have a backyard to play in! Living at this apartment, four times a day, I had to take him for walks so that he could do his business which got really annoying really fast. I normally take him for walks anyway but four a day is a bit much. There is a little Shih Tzu, Mandy, next door that he can interact with so he’ll have a buddy! It’s going to be crazy in our house, cat-wise. I have two cats, Hercules and Meeko, and they have two cats, Charlie and Sasha. That’s a lot of cats in one house… I think that Meeko and Sasha will drive everyone nuts from constantly play fighting. They are both still kittens so they have so much energy to burn! The problem is, they don’t know when to stop, lol. I’m just worried that the cats are going to get outside. Charlie is the only outdoor cat. Hercules is a mastermind escape artist as it is but when mom or Mike leave the door open out of habit, he doesn’t need to use those skills. Only his super speedy sprint to take him quickly out the door. I don’t know how much microchips cost but I might get one for Herky. Meeko and Sasha already have them since we got them from the Humane Society.

I’ve been going through all of my stuff - and I have a lot - and throwing stuff out. I figure if I haven’t used it since moving here, I should just throw it away. I’m not going to have room at mom’s for random things I never use but keep anyway for whatever reason. I’m not sure yet when I’m moving in so I haven’t started packing yet. Won’t take me long anyway, I’m a quick packer. I’m hoping I can move in at the beginning of September sometime since our internet and phone will be cancelled in the middle of September. But it all depends on when the spare bedroom gets cleaned up because it’s currently piled up to the ceiling in JUNK! They are becoming pack rats, I tell you! I’m not sure what I’m doing with a lot of my furniture since my mom doesn’t like the idea of me getting storage so that’s another thing that needs to be settled too.

I’m not paying rent which is going to be amazing for my savings account. I’m going to try and save a lot of money. However, first, I have to pay off the credit card we used to pay for Callisto’s expenses (gods I miss her) but I should be able to pay it off by the end of September! I have a lot of things I need to get when I move in too. A new desk, as I mentioned, and I’ll need a new monitor for my computer since the monitor I have right now is really old so you can imagine how huuuuuge it is. That’s why I needed such a big desk in the first place, lol. But it definitely won’t fit on a smaller desk. But once I get those things out of the way, I think I’ll be able to save up a lot. And I won’t touch that money. I think I might open a seperate savings account so I can also save for a new computer. I’d also like to save money to get braces. My work apparently covers up to $2000 so I might as well take advantage of that. That’s awhile down the road though.

Wow this blog has been long. That is what happens when you don’t blog for over a month! I just have way too much to say! I’ve been really busy though so I always forget about blogging. I’m supposed to be getting ready for work right now but the hot water is turned off so I can’t take a shower. But I need to get showered really soon… frrrrriiigggg. And now the fire alarm is going off… not sure if it’s a false alarm or what. Haha and yep, I’m still sitting here. They always do tests so I’m not sure if it’s just a test. I don’t smell smoke anyway rofl. So unless I smell smoke and I hear sirens from a firetruck, I’m staying put, lol. I feel like Joey and Chandler!

It’s been over two weeks since Callisto died. I’m still really sad she is no longer with me. Anyone who knew her would tell you how much of a sweetie pie she was. She’s pretty easy to miss. I saw Sasha, her sister, the other day and she’s getting so big! It makes me wonder how big Callisto would be right now. It’s kind of strange. I’ve had my cat Hercules for 8 and a half years but he is turning 11 this year in August. I never got to see him as a kitten and I’ve always wondered what he looked like. He must have been really cute! A little grey fuzzball, for sure. With Callisto, I got to see her as a kitten but not as an adult. I wonder what size she would end up being or if her markings would get darker or stay the same. I don’t know why I think of those things but I do.

The Humane Society felt badly that my cat died so soon after adoption. They offered to let me have another one free of charge. I thought about it for a few days. I was thinking I didn’t want another cat right away. But after spending a few days down at my mom’s cottage with Sasha, it made me miss having a kitten around. My mom said it perfectly. A kitten adds such joy and life to a household. So I thought why not take them up on the offer? I knew I would get another cat sometime soon anyway but I didn’t want to have to pay another $135. But I was also paranoid that if I get another cat, it might become sick as well. I still am paranoid about that but after some thinking, I decided I would go down to the Humane Society and take a look at the cats. If one grabs my heart like Callisto did, I’ll get it. If not, I can come back another day and see if they have any new cats in.

So on Tuesday, I brought home my little Meeko. He’s a 4 month old grey tabby so he’s got subtle stripes that are very cute. His tail has rings, even, so he looks very much like a raccoon! Minus the burglar mask, lol. I was saving the name Meeko (remember, he is the raccoon from Pocahontas?) for my next male cat so it just happened to work perfectly. There were quite a few very adorable kittens at the shelter. There were even a few pure white ones and I’ve always wanted an all-white cat! But even though they were cute and friendly, none of them spoke to me the way Meeko did. Meeko’s cage was marked “go slow” and “needs socialization.” When I talked to one of the ladies that worked there, I found out he had already been adopted once by a family but they took him back because he wasn’t friendly enough. I knew I had to have this little guy. I really felt like I was his only hope to being adopted. He’s super cute so it’s easy to see why some little girls would want to adopt him but he needs a lot of work and many families aren’t willing to put in the time.

After bringing him home and spending a few days with him, I’ve discovered that he is a friendly cat. He’s just very very scared of people. I don’t know what happened to him before they found him on the street but clearly he was not treated kindly by somebody. If you walk into the room, he runs and hides. But I’ve already made some progress with him in only two days. The first day he wouldn’t let me close enough to pet him but he would let me play with him. I found out he is a very hyper kitten with lot’s of energy to spare! Yesterday he finally let me pet him without him getting spooked. He even started purring and rolling around. And today, he let me brush him and he just loved it. I try not to hold him too much, even though I really want to cuddle him, because I don’t want him to feel smothered.

I am very happy I got him because he needs somebody like me that understands it is going to take some time before he isn’t scared anymore. He might always be afraid of people but hopefully I can get him to the point where he is comfortable around people he knows. He gets along very well with Hercules and immediately started rubbing up against him when they met. He is really scared of Destiny but hopefully he’ll get used to him. Oh and he was playing with Sasha over at her place. We took him there for a visit. He was really scared so he played with her from inside a TV stand, lol.

I still miss Callisto but I feel better now that I have Meeko around. He needs a lot of work, as I said, so it will be a challenge for me and keep my mind off my baby Callie.

Callisto died today. She was only 3 months old. I only had her for 24 days and she is already gone. Last Monday I noticed she was throwing up clear liquid and after observing her closely the next day, I also noticed she had not been eating, drinking or using her litter box. She also was not her usual playful self but was acting very sleepy and lethargic. I brought her to the vet on Wednesday and he felt lumps in her abdomen. She had to get blood work done and the next day, the results were not good. Her red blood cells were very low so I had to take her in again for more testing and x-rays. I was hoping for good news but the vet called me the next morning to tell me there was fluid build-up in her abdomen. Along with all the other tests they did and Callisto’s symptoms, there really was nothing else it could be but Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).

FIP is a very rare but fatal disease. There is no cure or treatment and most cats die within a few days or weeks of the symptoms showing. The vet knew she did not have much time left as she was growing weaker and weaker. It was a hard decision but we came to the conclusion that she needed to be put to sleep. I went in there today for 11:40 to say my goodbyes and see her one last time. The doctor came in and told me she had died 20 minutes before I got there. I asked to hold her and I had some alone time with her. Her body was still warm. She just looked like she was in a deep sleep. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do to say goodbye to her.

It’s hard to believe she is gone. Even though she was only a part of my life for a short period of time, she was instantly a part of my family and I grew so attached to her. When I put Destiny’s leash on, I expect her to come out of nowhere and start chasing it. But she doesn’t. I had to take a nap when I got home because my eyes and head hurt from so much crying. I kept expecting her to jump on my pillow and start playing with my hair. But she didn’t. So little things like that are really hard and very weird. It’s going to be awkward adjusting to her not being around anymore. It’s amazing how quickly she became a part of my everyday doings. Even when I’m on the computer, I’m reminded of her because she would always try to attack the cursor on the screen.

Callisto, my darling, I love you so much. Even though you were taken from me way too soon, I’ll never forget you. Know that Destiny and Hercules miss their little sister and your mommy misses you more than she can say. You’ll forever be in my heart. I love you.

I’m on an Enrique Iglesias kick for some reason, LOL. When I heard his new song “Do You Know” when he performed it on Dancing with the Stars, I really liked it. I never used to be a fan of his but I’ve been listening to his old stuff like “Bailamos,” “Rhythm Divine,” and of course, “Hero” which is an amazing song.

Zack Werner mentioned Sebastian Bach on Canadian Idol the other night. Odd. Random, I know. Just thought I would share that.

On Sunday, I went to Ottawa with my sister and her boyfriend. Our cousins and my taante were having a barbeque and we hadn’t seen them for such a long time, it was the perfect time to go visit. I had a really good time. Posted pictures on my Facebook and MySpace.

Callisto is doing well. She is very hyper right now, lol. It’s so cute when she tries to get Hercules to play with her. And the other day, Hercules was napping on his chair and Callisto decided she would nap with him so she jumped up there and laid down beside him. Herc then started to groom her head! Cutest thing ever! But then Cal decided she wanted to play, lol. Hercules didn’t like that!

My dad might come visit this summer. Hopefully! He isn’t sure yet if he will be able to but I hope he is. He said he will bring Devon, my little brother, if he can come down. I haven’t seen him in a year or so… sucks! I liked it better when we were all in one spot. So much easier. Grrrr.

I decided on a name. Callisto. That way I can still call her Callie for short (or Cal, haha) while still having a unique name. I really really dislike popular names. Since her colouring is dilute calico, I’m assuming that is why they called her Callie. I swear, every owner calls their calico coloured cat Callie, lol! So Callisto is much better and I actually find that I call her by her full name more. For those who are interested, you can read up on the story of Callisto from Greek mythology here.

So I had to leave her alone last night while I went to work. I always put Destiny in my room so that he can’t go by the front door and bark at people in the hallway. Callisto can’t be left alone with either Hercules or Destiny yet. Not until they all get used to each other. But I didn’t have any other place I could put her so what I did was I created a little sanctuary for her in my closet and put a gate so she couldn’t get out. So she and Des were in the same room but blocked off from one another. When I got home last night, I went straight to my closet to check on her - and she wasn’t there. I was like “OMG!” and I turned around and there she was on my bed. I was like “OMG!” again but this time in relief, LOL. I know for a fact she cannot jump the gate; she can barely jump onto my bed! She must have climbed it! So her and Des were together in my room while I was gone and they were okay together.

She is still a bit scared of Destiny so she basically stays away from him. Destiny will not play with other dogs but he will play with cats. So every time Callisto is playing, Des really want to go play with her but won’t go too near her otherwise she will hiss (such a pitiful hiss, too!). She still isn’t sure of him! To her, he must look gigantic! She’s so tiny. She was scared of Hercules at first too but now she will chase him when he isn’t looking and even got him to play with her twice, if only for a few seconds, lol. Probably because Herc was high on catnip!

She already has some pretty funny habits. She managed to jump into the tub - she had been working on it the first day I got her and then yesterday morning but finally by the afternoon, she was able to get herself in there. I don’t know why she likes it in the tub, LOL. Oh man, she is so cute. I could talk about her for hours! ^_^

Yesterday, Krystal went and got Callisto’s sister. She came with the name Abby but the name just didn’t seem to suit her either. We finally decided on Sasha which I think is perfect! She’s a ginger colour with white. She is a short hair cat though unlike Callisto. Callie was the only long haired kitten in her litter. I can’t wait for the sisters to be reunited. I’m going to see if I can bring Callisto over to Krystal’s house tonight after work or on Friday, my day off. Yay!

My sweet new kitten! I didn’t want to wait until the end of June or beginning of July to know if I get that other kitten. That’s not fair to me at all. I can’t go through that emotional rollercoaster! So I decided to take matters into my own hands. Let that girl keep the kitten. So I’d like you to meet… I don’t know yet! LOL! She is named Callie at the moment and I kind of like it so I may keep it or maybe not. I’m just not sure yet. She is 9 weeks old and just the sweetest thing. She does not stop purring at all! Hercules keeps hissing at her and Destiny doesn’t seem to notice her too much! I simply went into Global Pet Foods and asked to fill out an application but little did I know, they gave me the cat right away. I guess if you get your animal through a satellite adoption centre, you don’t have to go through all the vet checks and whatnot that you do if you go through the Humane Society. So this way I saved a kitten without the hassle! According to her documents, she was abandoned. She had a bunch of brothers and sisters there too so I’m thinking the entire litter was abandoned. So sad! But she has a great new home now and I love her already. I wasn’t really prepared for her because like I said, I didn’t know you could just take her home right away so the lady there gave me some free kitten food samples until I can pick her up some more and when I got home I put some litter in a shoebox for her. Luckily I already have most stuff I need but I’d like to get her some more toys as she loves to play! Oh how I wish Kavy’s camera was here! That picture is from the Humane Society website (where I first fell in love with her!) and I’m not sure how old she is there. Maybe 7 or 8 weeks? She doesn’t look like she’s grown at all, heehee. *hugggggs*

So my sister just told me that her friend wants to keep my kitten and apparently now she is not sure if she will give him/her up. What sort of person does that? Who promises somebody a kitten and then turns around and takes it back? Am I supposed to sit here for five weeks wondering whether or not if she is going to follow through on our arrangement? Am I now supposed to leave getting all the kitten food and supplies to the very last minute? This just doesn’t seem fair at all. And of course, being the person I am, a huge animal lover, it’s getting me all emotional. It’s like someone is handing you the kitten in slow motion and just as you are about to touch it, they snatch it away, laugh and tease you. “Na na na na na na, you can’t have it!” Gods, I’m so angered by this. I don’t know what to do. I’m just really upset right now and a bit in shock because I never imagined somebody would do something like this. Becoming attached to the kittens is going to happen. Wanting to keep them all - but knowing you can’t - is natural. But you never promise somebody one of them and then take it back. I only hope Kavy misunderstood her.

I think I have finally finished the design. I’m satisfied with it. There are a few tweaks I’d like to make here and there but the coding isn’t cooperating with me so if I just don’t mention what they are, no one will ever notice. Now there is a plan! LOL

As for the graphic, it’s very simple yet somehow very bold - to my eyes, anyway. There is not a lot to it but it’s very striking. The eyes of the tiger just pierce my soul. I spent hours looking for the perfect photo. I specifically wanted a picture of a Siberian tiger since it’s my favourite subspecies and I also specifically wanted the tiger to be laying in the snow. A lot harder to find a good picture of than you would think! I even looked through my millions of tiger books to see if I could just scan a photo but I just couldn’t find the picture picture. So when I found this one, I knew right away. Gods, tigers are beautiful.

So I don’t have much planned for today. Maybe put together another drawer for Kavy’s new dresser. I’m going to do laundry later in the day so I guess in the meantime I’ll just lounge about, maybe watch a movie or something. I really need to do some shopping but alas, buses don’t run on holidays. Ah well!

“Hope is the last to die.”