Procrastination is an art....

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I have never been as unprepared for Christmas as I am right now. I have not purchased one single gift yet. Usually, by now, I have them bought and wrapped and under the tree. Nope, not this year.

Usually, by now, I have every inch of my apartment decorated with my mammoth Santa Claus collection. Nope, not this year. Oh there's one or two peeking out here and there but the rest are still stored away in their Rubbermaid bin.

I'm not sure why I'm putting all of this off. Oh sure, there was stuff going on. You know, like getting married and all??? And a new job to take on. Yeah, there was that too. Ironically, I am not worried at all about this stuff getting done either. There's no panic, no sense of coming undone. I know I will get gifts for my family and if the Santa's don't make it out this year, there's always next year.

Right now, I am completely content and at peace. I feel very happy inside. And isn't that what Christmas is really all about?

Oh, and yesterday Alexander and I brought home this little girl.

Her name is Belle. She's only 7 months old, all clumsy and cute. She grabbed our hearts at the kitty shelter a few weeks ago and we knew she chose us to be her people.

Thinking of getting another kitty...

My Brigitte has been gone two weeks and I'm still missing her immensely but Arnie is missing her more than me, I think. On Wednesday, Alex and I went to the local kitty shelter to see who was in need of a forever home. There were so many beautiful little fur faces there! We're not quite ready to take the plunge but we're looking. We went back today and looked some more. One cat, a large older female, took a real liking to Alex. She climbed right up into his arms! She clearly did not like any of the other cats there and wasn't overly fond of the other people either but she sure loved him! I think if she showed at all that she could get along with other cats we might have taken her home but I'm afraid she will terrorize poor Arnie and, well, this was his home first, y'know!

I think Arnie is a little conflicted with Alex here now. He loves Alex, no doubt about that! He loves that Alex plays with him all the time and they chase each other around the house. But he sometimes seems a bit jealous when Alex and I are snuggling. That's always been Arnie's territory! Hahah! He sits looking perplexed and finally just wedge himself between us on the couch. He needs a buddy! So, we'll look around some more tomorrow and maybe we'll find him the perfect playmate!

Sleeeeepy.....

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I have at least one sleepless night each month. I don't know what the heck that is all about but, damn, does it make getting up in the morning a pisser. Last night, I was feeling tired when I went to bed around 12:30 but the minute I laid down I was wide awake with no hope of falling to sleep. It would make sense if there was something in particular that was keeping me awake but there really wasn't. I wasn't stressed. I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just getting more and more peeved that I could not fall asleep. The last time I looked at the alarm before FINALLY nodding off, it said "3:00 AM". Then the alarm went off at 5:30AM and it was game on.

I went for a lovely but extremely chilly walk today during my lunch break. There are a couple of women here who have decided to join me on my walks and it makes for good conversation and company while I walk. The only problem was the wind chill factor is at about -5 degrees here today so while walking with the wind was pleasant, walking against it sort of felt like getting a chemical peel without the chemicals (or the anesthetic!) Still, it was a bright blue, not a cloud in the sky kind of day and I'll take those no matter how cold it gets. Being right on the shores of Lake Michigan definitely has it's benefits. I love those days when the blue of the lake meets the blue of the sky and it's hard to tell where one begins and one ends. I live a few houses away from the shoreline and I work one block from the harbor so I get to be near this incredibly beautiful body of water day in and day out.

I kind of piddled the rest of the day away at work. I was looking at kitties here - http://safeharborhumane.com/ I really, really, really want to get a kitty. Safe Harbor Humane is the local no-kill animal shelter here. I've been working on my land lord (who is also my sister) to allow me to have a cat. She's a hard sell. I'm thinking appealing to her sentimental side might work. I'm going to tell her that a kitty would be the very bestest Christmas present she could ever, ever get me and that she would always be my favorite sister in the whole wide world. Desperate? Who em? Any suggestions on the best ways to suck up to your sister to get what you want would be most appreciated!