No Sleeping With Cats

Our friend and neighbor went on vacation and was looking for someone to house sit and care for their cats. Naturally I pounced on the request figuring it was a chance for N to get some employment and make some money. The one issue was that they wanted someone to be physically present in the house, at least on some of the nights. I figure I could cover that part and he could do most of the cat care. The whole situation turned out to be way more interesting, if that's the right word, than we imagined.

The cats are super friendly, both males, and I might even go as far as to say very needy. I'm guessing they get a lot of attention on any given day and are used to it. If anything, they've come to expect it. To add to the drama, one of the cats has a cough and an inhaler, to boot. His cough sounds like he's evacuating a hairball, except that it lasts for a couple of minutes, which when you hear it for the first time is disconcerting, to say the least.

Anyway, I've been sleeping over there and the house is nice and cozy, except that the cats need to be near me at all times. One sleeps between my legs and the other on my arm. I am completely trapped, which is fine if I'm sleeping, but if I need to shift, it requires that I become a gymnast. The other night I had to wrestle with them to find a comfortable position and it was well past midnight when I fell asleep. Around 2:00AM I woke up to one of them having a coughing fit, which rattled me out of anything resembling sleep. I made sure he was okay, tried to employ the inhaler and failed, and finally booted both of them out of the bedroom and closed the door, like that did any good. They scratched and meowed at the door all night, and I had to be up by 6:00AM. I was so tired and was a zombie all day, but what are you going to do when you're taking care of someone's beloved cats? I don't think they were any worse for wear, and if anything, probably spent the rest of the day taking a long cat nap. Tough life.

I'm looking forward to getting my life back to normal. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ella Mullins for the pic.

Happy Birthday to N

Monday was N's big birthday, and our boy is growing up. We spent a nice day on the golf range doing nine holes, though it was cold and the leaves make it a challenge to find your ball. There was some question as to whether the range was even open since we are well into the fall season, but we called and they said they a week or two more to go. Say no more. I took A into school and then came back home so N and I could hang out and do guy things on his big day. I was originally going to take him to lunch at Five Guys or Moe's and then head to Fore-U to get some ice cream. It was Fore-U's last day and they give the stuff away until it's gone. I had always wanted to go on free ice cream day but never managed to make it for a number of logistical reasons, so we were hoping to make it this time around.

The one complication was that we were planning on doing lot of eating out and ice cream and cake consuming, so we had to temper things just a bit. We asked N what he wanted to do for supper and he indicated Jesse's, which is a good choice except that they give you a free hot fudge sundae on your birthday. We were planning on hitting Fore-U for the final day of the season, on which they give away all their ice cream for free until it's gone. I'd always wanted to attend this event but never made it. Since it was N's big day, I figured the time was perfect. This caused some consternation amongst the health conscious in our household because were also having cake and ice cream after supper, in addition to a free sundae at the restaurant. What's a boy to do?

We decided to reach a compromise: we would go to Fore-U (they only had soft serve left, but good enough), skip the sundae at Jesse's (he got a rack of ribs, so he was happy), and then come home and eat mom's famous chocolate fudge cake (a real winner) with ice cream. I think that was fair.

By the end of it we were stuffed, and he got some pretty cool presents, but more on that later.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Piece of Cake Cupcakes for the pic.

Off To Work I Go

I've been doing a lot of double and triple duty lately and it's a little crazy, so much so that I don't have much time or energy to write. Sorry about that.

However, for a SAHD who makes little in the way of cash income, it's not a bad thing making some dough, especially with our fabulously opulent lifestyles and all... besides, my side work is seasonal, so at some point it's going to dry up and then I'll be back on the path to destitution, so I should enjoy while I can, right?

Work at the Inn has been going well, the work itself is busy but I like it, and I like the people. Like any workplace there is the usual human drama, but for the most part people get along, and I like them all. In fact, the pay is good and I can't quite comprehend why they're shorthanded. It's a good job and yet they seem to have a bit of staff turnover. Maybe there's something I don't know, but I've yet to see this with my own eyes. Oh well, maybe some things just weren't meant to be understood.

I've also been working at the hospital in patient safety, but that work is slowing down as well, mainly on my end. I hate to close the door on employment, especially since I'm in no position to take any work for granted, but ever since A started going to school, my mornings are really tough, and being an SP seems to require many morning shifts. One thing that works out beautifully is my poster boy work since taking A to school puts me in the big city, where most of the job is focused. It actually works out well, so that's a bonus. Finally, there's the farmer's market, which I am personally completely done with, but more on that later.

All in all, it's been good because I'm making some money, most of which I hand over to mom to cover our grand economic engine. I will say this, making money is rather novel for a SAHD like myself, so I should enjoy it while I can, especially with hockey and ski season on the horizon.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to 401(k) for the pic.

AWOL

Apologies for my long absence, but I've been pretty swamped with work and life stuff. There is a lot going on and for whatever reason I've been feeling pretty uninspired to do much other than work, sleep, and then work some more. I will say that it's not a bad thing to make some money, even though the hours can be long, but at least there's some degree of flexibility, and the time slots are, for the most part, fairly convenient.

I've been working at all my jobs and it's been a little crazy. Poster boy work is thankfully constant and flexible, but all the others are somewhat random, especially the standardized patient work. As much as I enjoy it, it's difficult when you don't hear from them for months and then suddenly they want you to come in for an hour. Is it really worth it? The uncertainty can be a challenge, and the hours aren't always so convenient for me, especially now that A is in school in the AM.

Catering has been fruitful on a number of levels. The pay is good, at the Inn they are really understanding of my need for some flexibility, and I enjoy the work. When you've spent several years as a SAHD, it's nice to get out amongst people and move around. Plus, since it's food service, I always end up with all the leftovers that they're going to throw out. How can you not love that? The comestibles are special event fair, so it's usually on the gourmet end of the food spectrum, including filet mignon, halibut, and an amazing assortment of dessert pastries. Fun stuff.

For a while there it seemed like I was working non-stop and it was a little crazy, but things have slowed down with the end of summer, and now that fall foliage is winding down, I've been told the catered events come to a halt, at least until the holidays. It's a bummer to not make the income, but I sure could use a break, especially with hockey season looming on the horizon.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Andrej Trnkoczy for the pic.