bah humboo

While the rest of you are enjoying all the spookiness, hilarious costumes, and candy that comes with Halloween, I am over here in the desert missing fall like crazy.  There was a Halloween party at the embassy last night but I didn't go because I couldn't think of a costume in time.  I did eventually think of one, but it was too late to order anything online and expect it to get here on time.  I will tell you:

My friend TP decided that she was going as Cat Woman.  So I thought it would be hilarious (in a funny-cuz-it's-true sort of way) if I went with her as Cat Lady.  As in, Crazy Cat Lady.  And I could be dragging around all these stuffed cats on leashes and have frizzy hair and baggy weird clothes.  Alas.  I have no idea where to buy a stuffed cat in this town.

Anyway, so, I didn't go to the party.  How lame would it be to show up to a Halloween party without a costume?  And I didn't carve a pumpkin because this year Tamimi felt the Great East Coast Pumpkin Shortage Of 2011 more acutely than even you did.  Or possibly they were feeling the Wrath And Lack Of Humor And Any Sense Of Fun Of The Muttawah.  Hard to say.

So, I've contented myself with watching the movie Lil Sis got me for my birthday, and ordering some other Halloween movies from Amazon, which haven't gotten here yet.  I have also gone through my blog and looked at pictures from Halloweens past.  Oh, the memories!!

Halloween 2008, when I had my sisters over for a big cheesy Halloween movie watching extravaganza.

Halloween 2009, when Mowgli and The Late Miss Moppet got dressed up, mostly to their chagrin.  

The prologue to Halloween 2010, when I found a pumpkin at Tamimi and carved it in the most awesome fashion possible.

Halloween 2010, when we dressed up Mr. Bones as Mom and RLD.

Well.  Enough of this reminiscing.  Back to work.

double whammy

So, I've been absent from the ol' blog for almost a month.  I am considering nixing the automated Wednesday cat posts because if anyone comes to my blog, it's going to look like a cat blog.  Which I can't stand. 

Sometimes, stuff throws me off, probably more than it should.  A few weeks ago, I gave blood.  I felt good about going, I felt like I was doing a good thing and helping and all that.  Especially in a country where nobody wears seat belts and everybody drives like a 9 year old after ingesting 16 pounds of chocolate.  And crack.

It was the first time I'd ever given blood and I didn't know what to expect.  Well, now I do.  I know that if I ever do that again, I should expect to completely lose consciousness and then be woken up by the harsh and lasting smell of ammonia.  Then, I should expect to have no memory of what happened or why I am surrounded by medical personnel, which will bring on a bit of panic.  After slowly recalling that I was giving blood and passed out, I should expect to feel perfectly fine, to rest for awhile, and to go over to the table laden with food and have a few bites to eat before starting to black out again and throwing up on somebody's shoes in front of a room full of people including the ambassador.  Then I should expect to be confined to a bed for the next hour and a half, and to have a visit from my husband, who thinks the whole thing is kind of amusing.  He will give blood, have a snack, and trot back upstairs to work as if he has not been drained of half his life force.  Kinda like everyone else except me.  And then the doctor will come and advise me not to give blood again, but thanks anyway.

So, that was pretty embarrassing.  The good thing about being in my 30's though, is that I don't really care all that much that the ambassador watched me throw up on somebody's nice leather shoes.  If I'd been in high school when all of this happened, I would want to move to Siberia. 

About a week after that, I got sick.  I got the stomach flu, which is going around the diplomatic quarter (and all of Riyadh, I've heard) just felling people left, right and center.  I don't know if I've ever had the stomach flu before.  Maybe I have but it hasn't been that severe.  I've had food poisoning that I thought might kill me, and wasn't as severe as this stomach flu.  I really thought I should go to the hospital and get an IV, but I couldn't get off the floor.  Bear was good though.  In between his meetings, he brought me some Gatorade and ice chips.  Wow, people.  So sick.  I never get this sick!!  Is it because I gave blood and they took all my white blood cells?  At any rate, toward the evening, I started to slow down in the expulsion-of-fluid department, but I got a fever.  I haven't had a fever in probably 15 years - I bet the last time I had a fever was when I had the chicken pox when I was 17.  It felt like a body migraine.  It just hurt so bad.  I am pretty sure this is the sort of thing that kills children.  But the next day I was mostly better, aside from feeling weak and woozy, and I started to prepare for Bear's turn.  I put Gatorade in the ice cube trays.  I arranged blankets and pillows on the floor next to the bathroom.  I wiped everything down with Clorox wipes.  I washed sheets.  I waited.  He started to feel icky.  And then he was fine.

It has been a miracle so far.  His coworkers are dropping all around him.  But, he is armed with Clorox wipes, which he uses on phones, keyboards, door knobs, etc.  And, who knows, maybe he's already had this strain of bug and his body is good at fighting it off. 

So that's been my world lately.  A few other things: we finally got the kittens spayed, and they came home and hated each other for about 5 days - they couldn't figure out who they were.  Finally they recognized each other and things were better, but Fluffy got a bladder infection because the vet had to "drain her bladder with a needle" in order to get to her uterus, and now we are having to wrestle with her and all her claws twice a day to get liquid antibiotics down her throat.  It's really fun times, I'll tell you what.  Also, the antibiotics are giving her diarrhea, and she has long hair, and, well...  Is all this talk of bodily functions too much for you?  Me too, but apparently this is my life for awhile.

Also, my friend EKB played in a band at steak night last week, and that was fun.  And over the weekend, there was a "hail and farewell" at the ambassador's house, where we welcomed newcomers and said goodbye to people who were leaving post.  And I got a certificate of appreciation for my volunteer work in the community, so that was really nice.

And the weather!  Oh my gosh!  So beautiful!  I'm sure we'll still have a few hot ones, but that day of the hail and farewell was so gorgeous I wished it would last forever.  Here comes the glorious Saudi winter, when we can eat breakfast on our patio without spontaneously combusting.  We also found a dura-flame log at the grocery store for our fire pit!  So I'm looking forward to using that.

What else?  We're planning a short trip in November.  I need to learn how to use the new camera Bear got for me for my birthday.  I am looking forward to going home for Christmas more than you can possibly imagine.  Although I wish I'd gone home for fall.  I really miss fall more than you can possibly imagine. 

I guess that's about it from me.  Toodles!


Three years ago: meet Virginia

hobbies

Mowgli likes to hang out in grocery bags when he has a few spare minutes.  Just to wind down, you know, after a long day. 

In case you couldn't tell it was him in there, there's always this:

 

One year ago: blah blah blah

Two years ago: til tomorrow

fat cat

Kitty is looking a little spherical these days.

 

I'm guessing it's because cats usually gain weight after being spayed.  Either that or they meant to spay her, they shaved her belly and opened her up and got to chatting and forgot. 



One year ago: Oman, Day 1
Two years ago: zzzzzzzzzzzz

fluff n' stuff

Fluffy likes to hang out in the basket of toys.  She can keep better track of them that way.

One year ago: progress, sort of
Two years ago: bluegrass and wine and hayrides