My Bi-Polar Life

It has been another rollercoaster week.
Losing Stormy last Friday was, and is, really rough. The house is too quiet, even with my other cat, Ghost, here. I'm keeping an eye on her to see how she does with being an only cat, especially with me out of the house so much. If she gets too lonely, it will influence whether I think about getting another cat to keep her company. I am also concerned about not being able to be there to help integrate another feline to the household. No hurry, honestly, just things to consider.
I did get the grave dug today, after the rains stopped. The first place I chose had too many tree roots and I couldn't do anything with it. I settled on a spot by the back wall. I'm thinking maybe a 6 p.m. funeral, since some of my friends have expressed an interest in coming to pay respects. For now, I have a cat in my freezer. A bit macabre, perhaps, but his box is surrounded by my frozen seafood stash, so I suppose it's somewhat fitting, and I hope Stormy doesn't mind.
Had another test in EMT class this past week, and two online quizzes to do. The test had stuff that, again, we hadn't gone over yet, so I only got 89.8 on it. I wanted to do better. The quizzes have pulled 96 each, and I can live with that. I don't like taking exams on the computer. What worries me is Monday's final written exam, because it's obviously comprehensive, and there are several chapters not covered in lectures that we will need to know. After the final, we concentrate on skills lab, with those tests being done the next week. If we pass all that, we get our completion certificates which will let us sit for the state exams in June. Whew!
Math class is going fine, I'm carrying an A there with no problems. I am confident that I'll do fine on that final in a couple of weeks. We did have a chapter exam Friday, and I did alright on that, I'm sure.
Also on Friday, I registered for Summer Term. I got all but the biggest class I need to take, and I just can't do the other one and still manage to work. I have to survive, first and foremost, and I'd lose 3/5 of my workweek if I tried to take the Advanced Trauma. So, it looks like it'll be Pharmacology, Drug Calculations (only one month of Mondays), Legal Issues & Reporting (1st half), GI/GU Emergencies (2nd half), and Human Systems & Development (anatomy/physiology stuff).
So much for the usual....I will have to miss a day of class and a couple of days of work at the end of May, as I need to make a quick trip to Chicago. I have an appointment for a live audition to possibly be a Jeopardy! contestant!! How cool is that? It'll be a whirlwind trip, I'm afraid, as I have to be back on Saturday to make it to “The Brothers Ericksen Puppet Movie Mayhem and Variety Show” at the Guild Cinema. It's a must-see for so many reasons! Anyway, I'm thinking of raising money for my trip by selling homemade bread and cookies. Many of my co-workers have said they'll buy some already. I find myself truly needing a mixer now, but haven't been able to find an affordable stand mixer that's sturdy enough to meet my needs. The KitchenAids at Wal-mart are too low powered, and too small. A KitchenAid Professional 600 would be nice, and I could manage an Electrolux Assistent DLX-2000, I'd be in heaven! Right now, though, I don't even have the budget for a Sunbeam or Hamilton Beach cheapie.
Beltane is coming up in a few weeks, and I'll be helping with the Main Ritual. I plan to be healthier and better prepared for Beltane this year. More warm clothes and blankets, and, gods willing, I'll be able to find myself a willing human space heater! (Better plan on finding new longjohns, I'm afraid, especially compared to my slim chances of getting the warm body of my choice into the ol' bedroll.)

...Post-movie now, and home again. Went to the Guild to see The Dark Crystal. Yeah, big screen. Plus, one of the guys who worked on puppetry for both this and Labyrinth is a local, so he was there to do comments and Q&A afterwards. A nice geek's night out, as I got my ticket early then went over and had a snack at Flying Star while waiting for the movie. So, naturally, as I was walking home after midnight, I was singing Patsy Cline songs to myself....
Tomorrow morning, some of our geek crew is meeting for Sunday brunch. Seems like a good time to do it, even though most of us don't celebrate Easter all that much. Off to bed, then!

I haz a sad :-(

My dear kitty, Stormcloud Thunderpaws (Stormy) died today. It was sudden and unexpected.
I noticed Wednesday night that he seemed to be feeling badly, listless, out of sorts, and looking like he'd lost weight. I managed to find a vet Thursday morning (after several tries), and they put him on oxygen and fluids overnight. When they went to work with him this morning, he suddenly had a seizure and died before they could do anything to save him.
The necropsy this afternoon revealed advanced pancreatic cancer. There's no way it could have been found earlier, and even if it had been, there's nothing that could have been done.
I suppose it's some comfort that nothing I did or didn't do caused his death. He'd been with me for almost 7 years, since he was a kitten.
My other cat, Ghost, seems to know that he's gone. If I can tell that the house seems emptier, I know she can.
It's gonna be a long weekend...

Rainy Sunday

Well, I didn't get out much today. I had thought about walking uptown, but the rain was a bit too much for me. So I stayed in and did some cleaning, played with the cats, and chatted online to some friends.
I think that if someone asked me how I was doing, I'd have to say that "I haven't hit bottom yet, but I can see it from here." Hope the bungee cord kicks in soon! I'm sure it will, just don't know when. My last dollar went towards getting a bag of cheap kibble so the kitties have something to eat. I still have food for myself, luckily. If the Asians can survive on rice, then so can I. I'm thinking of making a batch of pancakes tomorrow, since the mix only needs water. Yum.
Found a neat money-earner today, though, so I'm working on getting that started up. It's with a company called Marriage Makers, and they do weddings and other ceremonies for people. Non/Pan-denominational, they call themselves. With the clergy training I've gotten through Live Oak, this is right up my alley! The website is www.marriagemakers.net, if you want to look it up. This is something I can do in addition to a day job, and have a lot of fun doing.
I'm still waiting to hear back from Avon, but that's another thing I can do in addition to a day job.
Home Depot should have my drug test results sometime this week, and then they can get me into orientation by next weekend, I hope. And of course, I'm still waiting to hear back about the library job.
So, really, things are looking up. It's just the immediate cash flow (and serious lack thereof) that have me a bit stressed. I still have hopes for fixing that, but it's out of my hands at the moment. My biggest worry is losing my phone/internet service. Granted, I can always get wi-fi at a cafe, but having a local phone number is a good thing when one is looking for work. Plus, I've been using the email address that came with the DSL for my work search, so I can keep things sorted.
If I do get the gas money, I think I will take a couple of days soon and run up to see the folks. When Papa mentions installing gutters, and 'could use help' in the same sentence, I get nervous. Papa is in his late 70s, and recently diagnosed with diabetes. I don't like the thought of him being up a ladder, especially since his feet are a bit wobbly lately. Besides, if I go up, I can show them that I'm okay.
I picked up a couple of books last week, in the dime bin. The Mother Earth News Almanac, 1973 edition, and How To Stay Alive In The Woods by Bradford Angier, 1984 edition of a 1956-62 book. Angier is apparently Canadian, judging by his geography, but he includes information good for desert climates, too. Good reading, both of them, and excellent additions to my library.
If you're in need of a good laugh, or some serious cuteness, may I recommend www.icanhascheezburger.com ? Lots of lolcats, funny captioned pics of critters, and general 'awwww..." factor. It sure helps me smile when I need it!