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September 15, 2006
What A Day
My day started at 5 am when MR kissed me as he got out of bed and I told him to wake me at 5:45. I settled back into the covers for a snooze with my little calico, Philomena. At about twenty till five, I heard her heading to the liter box to use species appropriate restroom facilities. A second or two later, I was jolted rudely awake by screaming, howling, meowing as Kieffer, my giant gray tabby, busted down the baby gate that keeps his turf separate from Philomena's and proceeded to attack and try to kill her. This is the same cat who put a giant bite into Philo's rear end when she ventured through the banisters of our old house last January and he bit her butt as she ran away. Kieffer is so sweet, so loving, if you're human. But if you're a fellow beast, you're toast.
What made it worse was that Philo had been voiding her bowels when the attack came, leading to considerable mess in the closet where I keep the box. Good morning! My first task of the day was cleaning up the mess. After that, I took a nap on the couch with Kieffer while listening to NPR.
Got up, took shower, washed breakfast dishes and put together a dinner for MR to eat while I was at work late tonight. He's closing in on the book deadline, so I've been making his breakfasts and dinners. His lunches are stews he makes weeks in advance and freezes, so they're already made. I've automated the process of breakfast-salad making such that I weigh out three days worth of greens in advance, then they only have to be chopped and topped in the morning. I was exhausted after a seventeen hour day on Thursday at work (membership meetings for strike vote) so MR chopped his pre-weighed greens while I slept in, till the whole Kieffer kerfuffle.
Found something to wear in the disaster that is my house until the construction is finished, went to work. Laid out plans for next week's membership meetings for the group we just organized, assigning duties to all my staff. Saw Christine. Asked where Luke was.
"There was a crisis," she said. "It was an accident. I promise, it was an accident."
I thought she had killed him, but she insisted he was fine, just running a bit late due to the crisis.
A few minutes later he called me.
Apparently, he has Christine cut his hair. Luke doesn't have much hair (he's gradually losing it) and the hair he has can be cut with a buzzer. So she cuts it for him, but this morning, she started cutting before she had her morning coffee.
Oooops. She left the guard off the buzzer. She cut the first stripe down to the skin.
Well, nothing you can do about it at that point. Luke had to shave his entire head.
Yikes. One of my cats wants to kill the other, and my staff has no hair. All before nine am.
Truth be told, he looks great. Luke is a gorgeous guy, not in a traditionally handsome way but because he has pretty good raw material that he works with great style in clothing and lots of personality. He's not my type (not skinny enough) but he's hot. And he looks pretty good with no hair.
Onward to a long and intense staff meeting, followed by group lunch at Panera Bread Co. I ate a salad with grilled chicken (surprise!) and a diet Coke with tons of fresh lemon wedges squeezed into it.
In the evening, we had negotiations with our largest employer. We're making progress, but we're soon to enter the week when we often negotiate round the clock. I'm packing a bag to have in my car at all times in case I have to stay over. Meanwhile, I'm leaving breakfasts and dinners for MR in case I'm gone, so he doesn't have to spend time cooking. He was an angel during the time when I was down to the wire on my last campaign (and I was hell on wheels during a lot of that time, I assure you!) so I want to help him out in any way I can. It's so easy for me to throw together meals and it's fun for me, so why not? We help each other in so many ways. My nurses continue to be amazed that I found a man who will put up with my work schedule. He's happy to see me when I get home, but when I'm out working, he's at his computer happily typing away.
I came home and ate a kale salad with a half cup of nonfat cottage cheese, a teaspoon of flax oil, and two teaspoons of Carolina Treet, plus a South Beach Diet Wrap, Southwestern style. Glass of Ravenswood Shiraz.
MR is kissing my head and telling me it's time for bed. I can't resist a sleepy skinny boy, so goodnight.
Posted by april at September 15, 2006 11:00 PM