Yes, I know, I know, LJ spam. But I couldn't space these out. Yesterday we had a bad storm, so that took time away. Today, I had stuff to do. And I also kept getting distracted with random things/products to do research on.

So, some randomish things:

I finally found time to finish The Truth. Hooray, so so good! This allowed me to make another dent in Misfortune. Loving that, as well. Then again, it's Wesley Stace. And he's brilliant. And he also signed my copy. So, it's even more brilliant all around.

Even though today was Sunday, it didn't really feel like a Sunday. I blame that upon the third series of Kingdom ending last week. It was such a perfect Sunday show, with a Sunday feel. Even if I didn't watch it on a Sunday, a Sunday feeling is always good. So, open question: Any shows that you get a Sunday feel from? (Assuming that makes sense. )

No, I haven't been able to see HBP in cinemas yet. Yes, I do plan on it. I just don't know when. In the interim, I would like to revisit a post I did a while back, inquiring which HP character you think I would be. I got some lovely responses, but before I go to them, I should mention that the upcoming movie and my waning fangirl were not the sole reasons I requested responses. I re-took that MBTI personality test to see what I was now and if I had changed since I was younger. Well, I had. Not much, but I have. I'm an INTJ now.

I had also taken the corresponding Harry Potter test for the MBTI quiz pre-uni. Then, my personality type made me Remus Lupin. This was of course up my alley, because I adored Remus at the time. And I had a friend who adored Sirius Black, and we had our own names for each based on these characters. (I named her Jirius McBlack and she named me Sherus Lupson -- a mix of our names and theirs.) Now, I am Snape. Yes, Snape. I'm not saying that's that bad of a thing. Just for personal reflection really. Just think: If only Remus had gone to my university and had some life situations like mine, he'd be Snape. Or something. Blah, who cares. (I do, but that's besides the point.) (Also, all characters if you're interested.)

As for the answers my f-list gave, well, I adored each one and some I hadn't even thought of -- but of course flattered me very much.

1.rouji: Toss between Hermione and Young Remus Lupin: "You seem to have a studious theme going here. :)"
2.hergrace: Tonks: "You've got a lot of different facets, and each shows through in different posts. :-)"
3.bluetonguedlion: McGonagall - Inspired partly by my sarcastic moments
4.shard: J. K. Rowling herself - "You are funny and creative, kind and caring, and strong and spirited. I suppose, then, that'd be most like Hermione, since she modeled Hermione after her young self, but whatever. You're JKR."

Hee, WIN all around! You guys are lovely, as always, and make me feel so special. :) Honestly, this makes me wish I had enemies/haters I could show these comments to and then yell, "Suck it!" -- probably before I threaten to cut the person in half like a Tauntaun. (Oh, Tina Fey, the spell you have over me.)

Tags: f-list, f-list of win, harry potter, kingdom, misfortune, terry pratchett, tv shows, wesley stace

So, for the curious few (or one or two, ZOMG! rhyme!), I train tomorrow. There's a special training center for the parish libraries that I go to. The time is 9:00 to 4:00 but they said that it may not take me til 4:00. But whatever. It's not technically my first day of work but at the same it technically is. (Don't you miss the old day when looking at things technically simplified the situation?) I will be training, but not working at my branch. At the same time, I'll be getting paid (holla!). Tuesday I work at the actual branch/place I'll be working. So, that will be my first official official day of work. I'm scheduled for 9-5:30. Wednesday, I guess I have to leave early, because my orientation for my benefits package is at 3:00. (I thought they'd wait a few weeks, I mean, it doesn't kick in for 90 days anyway.) But whatever. May as well get it over with.

So, my schedule will pretty much be the same: 9-5:30 Monday through Friday. However, some weeks I'm going to have Monday nights (to 9PM) and Saturdays (10AM-2PM). Not bad. We alternate apparently. And those are extra hours which should mean extra money.

Also, when I left the human resources lady's office, she said "I'm so glad we finally get to have you." Thought I'd share. In a totally nonarrogant way. Yes.

Okay, so, even after Brylee left (by the way, visited her, and she's slightly terrified of me now, convinced I am going to take her away from her parents again. Always nice.) the week was busy. Thursday, I went to do paperwork for work, get on the payroll, etc. And the rest of the day was kind of blah, as I had a headache to nurse. Friday was going to be errand day. It was going to be take care of this and that, including buying a few more clothes for work attire. This did not happen. Friday was a very long day that started in the morning and ended after midnight because Oliver was throwing up. It was a bit forceful to be regurgitation, so that had me sort of worried. But then, he was just not himself. He was like a zombie version of himself -- only even more stiff and slow. The lethargy was a warning sign, but I had to wait a couple hours to go the vet, because that's when their walk-in hours are. He ended up pepping back up, still had a sick stomach later that night, though. The vet tested to see if there were any parasites they missed the first time, there weren't. And everything else looked and sounded fine. He gave me some suggestions, etc.

The vet also said that we'd be back in 2 weeks for vaccinations. And since Oliver did come from some outside cats, he strongly suggested we test him for the viruses before we give him the shots. So, hopefully he's free of them and will be fine after the shots. He gained a quarter pound since the last visit, so he's up to 12 ounces. Hopefully in 2 weeks he'll make it to a pound, because I think that's what they're waiting on him to get to before the shots.

Oliver's acting fine. And he can't say I didn't spoil him because I brought his box in my room for the night to keep an eye on him. And I've finally gotten him on softened food! It took me forever to figure it out, but what I needed to do was get the hard food soggy enough but not mash it up. He won't touch soft/mashed up food. So, I get it soggy enough so that it's mashable/chewable and he can easily chew it -- but it's not mush. And he likes it. My mom forgot and gave him a bowl of milk replacer this morning, and he wouldn't even touch it. He waited for me to get him some soft food. Yay Oliver!

I'm just kind of worried now, because I start training tomorrow (more on that in another post) and I'm going to have to leave instructions and count on my mom to feed him during the day. I'm going to try and work it out so she just has to do it once. And I'm going to have to make super specific instructions for her. Possibly with graphics...

Also, just because I haven't blabbed enough, now have I? Once again, at the vet, the doctor (we had a different one this time) and his assistant kept talking about how gorgeous Oliver is. I hope this doesn't go to his head.

And another also, an unresolved question has been resolved: Gracie (Oliver's mum, outside cat, came to us as a stray kitten, etc.) has indeed been tending to the rest of her litter. How do we know this? They are now wandering around outside near the garage/washhouse. There are four: 2 white like Oliver (1 exceptionally fat and fuzzy) and 2 black like Gracie. They are not friendly, so it might make finding homes for them even more of a challenge than it's already going to be. They should be 6 weeks now, so they're at that age when it's okay to say bye to mama.

So, where have I been the past couple of days? Here, yet busy. My sister and brother-in-law were taking their three oldest on a short vacation -- a closer spot to home and cheaper, as the budget was not very big this summer, and I was going to watch Brylee -- 21 months old. Note: She has never had a night away from her mother in her whole life. I thought they were leaving Tuesday morning, but then they decided to leave Monday night to spend the night at his dad's, who lives near the swim park they decided to go to. Monday night was more like Monday evening. So, before I knew it, I was babysitting Brylee. She did fine without her mom, but she is a troublesome sleeper -- even with her mom. She wakes up a good few times throughout the night and she also does this half-asleep crying thing at intervals. And does not lie still. This was not a good night of sleep for me.

But the next day, I was able to get her dad's mom to watch her for the day. I should note that I fell asleep not long after I dropped her off that afternoon. And woke up five hours later. They were going to keep her for the night, but I went to check on her just in case.

She was fine, so I was going to leave her. Until the people who would have her for part of the night were not so keen on waking up a few times. Some couldn't because they had work, and her little cousin opted out of it. So, after establishing all that, I brought her home. And kept her a second night. Last night wasn't as bad, but still tiring. And I woke up with a hell of a pain in my back and hip -- though that's a usual occurrence for me anyway. So whatever. We played a while and then my mom finally got up and watched her while I took a shower and then while I napped (only 3 hours this time). And then the baby took a nap. And then her parents came home, so I took her home. I have no idea when she'll finally talk, but she was in such shock to see them, she had no idea how to react. She just sat there hugging them, staring into space. And I bet she doesn't come anywhere with me for a while.

Also, should note that I was still taking care of Oliver while also taking care of Brylee. He's getting older and better (eating out of a saucer, but still not eating food-food), but still takes some maintenance to take care of. I feel like I neglected him the past couple of days because I really wanted to keep trying to wean him off the milk replacer, but so far no luck. And I'm sure the lack of consistency didn't help. And tomorrow morning I have to go to the library and fill out all the paper work and then go to the payroll office and get in the system. No idea how long that will take, but hopefully it's not an all day thing.

So, again, that's where I've been. I know I usually do at least some catching up on posts from days I missed, but this go-round, I may have to take a round check.

Ah, my dear, dear, Jellybean. I think it's pretty cool you let me call you on your cell phone when you first got it. (Not that I'm a stalker! I swear!) I know you're just a little younger than I am, but for some reason I always saw you as little JB, so I have to keep pinching myself when I remember that you're in college!) Hehe, and I do absolutely love that your love of television (especially when compared to current movies) is probably almost as big as mine. Then again, I shouldn't sell you short, should I? I think it's cool that you also traversed far into a really different climate for college. I also think it's rather awesome that no matter where you are, where you go, who you're with, you retain all your ideologies and beliefs and never let go of them. You may go halfway across the country during the academic year (gee, that sounds so familiar...;)), but you are still one of the most rooted and grounded people I know. And that's pretty darn cool. You also had the best comment to the meme entry for this: "I LIKE ATTENTION. :D"

Well, I think it's pretty cool that you live so close to me in real life. Hee. I also think it's pretty cool you trotted back to LJ after so long! Trust me, I've been there! I feel like everything I'm going to say has something to do with me, but, to hell with it! It's pretty damn cool that when I first built my blog, you hosted me. You always had such wonderful sites, yourself. And were always so sweet, and friendly. You were one of the people who actually turned up for that HP chat I hosted all those years ago -- I don't even you or anybody else actually remembers that! But, I do. And it meant a lot to me. That's the thing about you, always there to do the little things that are sometimes worth the world to others.

Oh, Beth, Beth, Beth. Where do I start with you? I don't even know! First off, I remember that the way we met was pretty darn cool in itself: it was a multi-fandom friending meme and I put down that I loved Basia Bulat, hoping I'd grab some fellow fans to squee over her with. And look at that. I got you! I can't even listen to "I Was a Daughter" without remembering that fantabulous Pushing Daisies fanvid you did. Since we first friended each other, I've gotten to watch you become a more avid SNL fangirl than I am! And I love every minute/post of it! So much so, that, I'm willing to forgive you for not being as acquainted with the Fey/Fallon years yet. Hee. You'll get there, and it's SO worth it. (They were my first Weekend Update team when I started watching the show every new ep. Remind me tell you a somewhat dorky story about that sometime. For now, this post is about YOU.) I love that if I'm ever jonesing for Will Arnett and/or Seth Meyers, you will have some kind of juxtaposition with the two of them somewhere. You are also an extremely talented cartoonist, and I wish you the best of success in that field! (Maybe UCB will develop a cartoon series, and you can be its artist!)

(So yes, finally doing these posts, hooray!)

Well, independent of our LJ interaction, I do think it's pretty darn cool that you moved in with your grandmother recently. She sounds like an awesome granny and is lucky to have you! Actually, so am I. You are often the epitome of sweet, and I can tell from your posts how genuinely you care about everyone and everything. It's a shame we don't have more of you in our lives! Everytime I see something related to Cold Case, I think of you. And I don't mind! Anything I get to associate with you is top notch in my book, I love it! And I love having you on the f-list. Keep up being almost too endearing for your own good! Hee. :D

Bday wishes to bluetonguedlion, who has been rather a godsend in the past few months for me. :)

Will do some proper LJing later (and sorry about yesterday, I finally got to just sit down and make a huge dent in a book -- Terry Pratchett's The Truth, as voted by the majority of you guys in the poll eons ago, and lost track of time. I didn't want to stop because 1.Terry Pratchett 2.Didn't know the next time I'd get to kick up my feet and read. Anyway, enough rambling.

I wanted to post to thank you all for your well wishes and support because you are the most awesome f-list ever. And I wanted to make sure I shared the news with you guys: I was offered the library youth services position this morning! I go today and fill out paperwork, then I have to take some drug tests and get some back x-rays (the former for illegal substances, I should be fine there, thank you D.A.R.E. and the latter since I am going to have to be able to lift things up to 20 or so pounds, which I am, but you know, requirements). They pay for the lab tests, so score! If I pass those, then I'm in.

Happy birthday trace85! Sorry so late!

So, will get to all the posts about you guys who commented soon -- should be easy to write. Today's been kind of meh, so haven't gotten much of a chance. Plus, now I have a headache and will have to get rid of that.

In the meantime, I know HP6 movie is opening up soon. And I just can't get in the fangirl mood for it. Even though Half-Blood Prince was one of my fav in the series. Plus, we get more HBC!Bellatrix. Still not in an excited mood, but I did promise rouji I'd see it.

So, in a similar vein to a poll done last month, please humor me. It will hopefully help get me in HP mode.

1.What Harry Potter character do you think you are? (And why, if you feel like it.)

2.What Harry Potter character do you think I am? (And why, if you feel like it.)

Quick comment is all that's needed. :)

1. Reply to this post if you want me to tell you how cool you are.

2. Watch my journal over the next few days for a post just about you and why you rock my socks!

3. Post these instructions in your journal and give your friends a much needed dose of love and adoration.

So, the other day, I was sitting in the living room rocking Oliver (shut up! don't judge me! He likes to rock, okay?) and my mom usually leaves some channel or another on and I'm forced to sit through it, usually some Lifetime mess. Well, she had 10 Things I Hate About You on (the movie, btw, not the series -- don't get me started on that), and I figured I'd be ready by now to watch it. Wrong. Totally not. The whole time I was in the vicinity, feeding/rocking/cleaning Oliver my stomach was turning and I was bordering on nausea. Took me a bit to calm down. So yeah, making note of that.

Okay, so, going to comment on the series anyway. I keep seeing commercials, I can't escape them! And even though it aired tonight, they will probably continue to air them anyway. To solidify that this is for the teens and tweens of the now, they have this girl band (and very much a girl band, I swear they're like 13) covering "I Want You to Want Me" and it is injected with so much bubble gum sound and crap that my ears become diabetic when I hear it. Just ugh. Boo. The only real reasons I have to watch ABC Family are kind of moot now anyway. My sister has the whole Gilmore Girl series on DVD, I have all Grounded for Life, and they don't play Whose Line Is it Anyway (US)? anymore. Plus, they canceled Middleman. So there. Still, the commercials air on all the channels, so boo to them. /ramble

As for Oliver, he's definitely growing and he's at his playing stage right now. Unfortunately, I've hit a snag in weaning him off the bottle and onto soft food. The first few days after we got him, he had no issue eating soft food and he loved it. But when his tummy was messing up, we then switched to bottle-only until his tummy corrected itself. Now, he's not taking to soft food. We tried after he saw the ER doc and he wouldn't touch it. So, I tried again recently after the vet and he won't touch it. I tried everything. I mixed a little milk replacer in it for him. I sat him near the dish to smell it before eating it, as that's what kitties like to do. Didn't work. Nor did it when I put it on a baby spoon so that I could hold him and put in his mouth, didn't want it. Put it on my finger so that he could lick it, wouldn't open his mouth. He won't even drink milk replacer out of a saucer. I even tried stimulating hunger by giving him a little bottle then taking it away so all he had was soft food. He's only a month, so he won't be completely weaned yet, I know, but now I'm worried that when I took the soft food away for that brief time I ruined it. I'll keep trying, but it's frustrating. Wish me luck.

Speaking of luck, I did that library youth services interview today. I felt like it went well enough. But that's never an indicator. So, knowing them, I should get my letter of rejection either tomorrow or the next day. So, we'll see.

Here's some video from Payton's birthday the other day:

Everyone keeps referring to me as being Oliver's "mommy," mainly my own parents. Which I don't like. I used to not mine being a pet's mommy, but now I guess I've grown adverse to it since my not wanting kids has matured even more. Or maybe it's just my parents using it, I don't know. I tell them to call me his "Nanny." I should note that "nanny" around here isn't used in the "conventional" sense, as in, caretaker of children. "Nanny" is the name you call your godmother. My mom was like "Well then, who's the mother?" And I said, "No one. I'm the nanny, though." FYI, I'm also my sister's dog's nanny. I'm technically Payton's nanny, but she doesn't call me that. Then again, I don't call my nanny "nanny" either, hee. (But in my defense, I had two older sisters, so whatever they called someone, I called them that. Since they just called her Aunt Jen, that's what I called her, and still do.)

I'm not the biggest fan of small town life, some definite disadvantages. However, some pluses, too. See, here, you're familiar with relatives as distant as your fourth cousins. This comes in handy, well, depending on the relatives -- as some will be more than happy to steal from you. (Yeah, that's happened plenty.) When I went to open a new bank account at a local bank, I just walked up to somebody, and then I recognized her name. I didn't know if she recognized me, but she did. As when she was typing my information in, she sat for a second and was like "You're my cousin." So, she's technically my personal banker now, and I know she can't screw me over. All I have to do is tell my grandmother and the news would make it to the proper channels. Hooray!

Also, when I had headed out for the vet with Oliver, the ER vet apparently called our house to check in on him and made sure to let us know to just call them if we need anything. He was also happy to hear Oliver was still doing fine. So, that was definitely sweet.

Last thing's last: I never thought I'd get to use this icon again. Thanks for stepping down, Sarah Palin! Holla!

Well, I haven't updated in a while. And I haven't really been able to comment too much on the f-list either. I've been rather busy, so you know, good excuses lessens the guilt and such. (Though, I was able to make some time to make a rather slashy slideshow bday present for angeliksmall featuring her and my favorite two evil psychos, The Master/The Joker. I am a naughty girl.) So, here's an update on what's been keeping me away.

Oliver. The little kitty's doing fine, but still worrying me a little. And I'm kind of the only caregiver now. My sister and her husband (and their doggie, sadface :() went on a road trip to Michigan to visit his family for a couple weeks, so I'm by myself. Meaning, when he's meowing and I want to sleep in late, can't really do that. When he needs to eat, I have to feed him. My mom tries every now and then, but she can't get him to sit still for her. And sometimes, he really just wants to snuggle. Which is sweet, but I can't always do that if I have to go do something. To get all the bases checked, and because he's probably about four weeks old and still doesn't quite have the digestive routine thing, I called and took him to a vet for a full check up. He was a very good boy and got lots of compliments on how cute he was. (Attaboy, Oliver!) The vet was really nice and even asked me how I knew so much about cats. I laughed at admitted this past week had been a big crash course for me. He got a clean bill of health, no parasites or anything. She was nice enough to give him a few dabs of Advantage for free to get rid of the fleas. He's gaining weight, gained five ounces since we took him to the ER vet. He goes back in three weeks to see if he weighs enough to get his first round of vaccines. She also asked me if we were going to get another little kitten or had one for him to play with and that they need to socialize. I said no (I mean, my parents are nice enough to pay Oliver's health fees right now, and I can't just ask them to do that again for no need) but that we do have a mini cocker spaniel, my sister's, whose on vacation right now, but she should play with him. She told me cats aren't solitary and she just wants to make sure he's got someone to play with. She seemed content with the presence of Sugar, so hopefully that'll be enough for Oliver til maybe he gets a little older and I get a little more money and maybe can get Gracie all her shots and get her spayed and bring her in as an indoor cat.

( Cut for length, but read more, including a new job interview and Payton's birthday )
So yes, really long post, and I kept most of these things short.

So, first off, Happy Canada Day to all who celebrate it!

Secondly, yay! Glad you all enjoyed Oliver. He can be a brat sometimes, but he's so darn tiny. It's hard not to let him get away with it.

So, today is my niece Payton's fourth birthday. I went to see her yesterday to ask her what she wanted to do today. These are some conversations we had.

I had asked her to think about what she wanted. I showed her pictures of Oliver and she got excited.

ME: Yes, that's Oliver. We can see him after we go shopping if you want.
PAYTON: Let's go now. We go see the cat now.
ME: No, we'll see the cat tomorrow. After shopping.
PAYTON: No, let's go now. I want to see the cat now.
ME: No, tomorrow. Do you know what you want? A movie? A dress?
PAYTON: I want that cat.

ME: So, it's your birthday tomorrow!
PAYTON: Yes!
ME: How old are you going to be?
PAYTON: Six.
ME: No, you're not. Hadyn's six. How old are YOU going to be?
PAYTON: SIX!
....
ME: You're going to be four.
PAYTON: Okay. I four.

PAYTON's looking at her birthday party decorations and cards - Tinkerbell-themed. She opens up a blank card.
PAYTON: Oh, it says happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me...I gotta go show Leighton [her brother] this.
(A few minutes later)
PAYTON: I showed Hadyn [her other brother]. He said it's terrific!

BONUS: From my f-list:
A friend is a teacher, and here is something one of her little students, who's six, shared during oral news time:
"Michael Jackson is dead. My mummy cried when he was dead. My daddy didn't cry. He was sick and he had a heart attack. Not my daddy, Michael Jackson. He used to be brown like me but then he gave himself an injection and turned himself into white. I think that is very silly because brown is better because you don't get sunburn like teacher and Evelina. He was good at dancing and used to do this: SHAMONE! *grabs crotch*"

So, as requested, some pics of Oliver. These are actually screencaps of some quick video I did, as my digital camera is somewhere I do not know and very much not charged. So, there should be better quality ones when that happens. Some of the latter ones are rather dark, but brightening didn't help at all, so just do your best to squint. I racked up 19 images of various poses, if you will, so enjoy!


( +18 )

So, it seems the kitten is here to stay -- in more ways than one. That kitten is a survivor, he's a fighter. He's an escape artist. No matter what little enclosure we fixed for him, he got out. He is very, very sneaky. We finally found a box he couldn't get out of. Hooray for us!

I should say that he has been named. After my dad tried something out that none of us liked (he named him after one of John's old friends he mentioned once, thinking he'd win points with John, why? Well, just don't ask. It's my dad. I don't ask about anything. It's a good life that way), we floated around some other ones. I had some token cat names that I had stored up in the ol' noggin' (Moony, Rochester - in case anyone got the joke, etc.) but John and Sara didn't care for any. And neither did I. I like the names, but none fit this little scamp. So, I stayed with the literature theme and said "Oliver" as in Oliver Twist, a fellow orphan. I was telling Sara and then I laughed, "They even had a Disney cartoon based on it. Oh, and heh, Oliver was a cat in that." To which Sara replied, "He was a white cat, too, wasn't he? Yeah, let's go with Oliver." So, he's Oliver, Ollie for short, or Goob(er) which I call him often. He may also answer to "Oscar" as that's what my mother keeps calling him.

(You'd think I'd have "Why Should I Worry?" stuck in my head often now, but I actually am more prone to re-enacting the beginning of The Lion King and singing "Circle of Life." That's the kind of nerd I am. Dig it?)

So, Oliver's doing fine. Thanks so much to polarsun for the help! I found that book you talked about at the local library and checked it out. Hooray! After a few days of tummy issues and trying home remedies in an expert book as well as on various Internet sources, all signs pointed to red flag and the need for vet attention. It was Saturday night, so we had to look into an emergency vet service. We went, they checked him out and helped him with his tummy issue, and he's doing better. The past few days, I can't count how many things I've done to a cat that I never thought I'd be willing to do. I'm just glad that it's over (hopefully). I made the call, though Sara drove and John rode, and I filled out the papers and such, so the cat's now under my name there. I guess he really is mine now, though Sara helps. Of course, she and John are going to see his parents on a long road trip to Michigan for 2 weeks, so this should be fun.

But, the vet was rather inexpensive. They gave us a huge discount and my mom let me use the card to pay for it. Basically, we were looking at a little under $150 in fees at the emergency clinic, but the vet told he just wanted to charge us $50 since the procedure he did wasn't much. I think that since we mentioned we were handrearing an orphaned cat, that got us points with him. I didn't catch his name before we left, but my sister realized afterwards. We know his family, they're a very well known family in the area. My dad's really good friends with his aunt. He actually called her when we found the cat for help, and she said that when the cat gets better, if we needed someone to find a home for him to call her nephew -- who was the vet! Apparently he also does placement for little puppies and kitties, so I'm definitely sticking with the combination of theories 1.He's just nice 2.We got brownie points for taking the kitten in.

So, this was my Oliver update post. And there will probably either be more, or spans of absences without posts as he's keeping me very busy.

(Also, site recommendation that helped out: http://justanswer.com - it's a pay service, but a very cheap one in terms of the possible important answers you'd get. Just saying.)