Okay, nobody panic!

I'm still here. I just haven't had much time, energy, or inclination to blog lately. Sometimes I just can't think of anything to write about.

For those of you who don't post on Yahoo and therefore have not already seen me post this link multiple times, here's one thing I've been doing a lot of lately: watching Africam. If you like animals, this is one of the coolest things you will ever see. It's streaming video from a water hole on a game reserve in South Africa. It's live 24/7, although the camera does tend to go down on occasion. It's more interesting and much busier during daylight hours, but there's usually some action at night, too. I've seen all manner of animals so far -- elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, antelopes, lions, water buffalo, wildebeests, warthogs, jackals, hyenas, ducks and all manner of other birds, baboons, and probably a few I'm forgetting. Enjoy! (And kudos to Hummy, from whom I got the link.)

Stolen from Wino, aka Bacon

...the blogger with the velvety singing voice. LMAO

1-Do you like the look and the contents of your blog?

The look? Yes. I like clean, simple things. The contents? Not so much. I frequently consider deleting entire posts, or even the entire blog, because I find what I write to be insipid and boring much of the time.

2-Does your family know about your blog?

No, except for my sister-in-law, Jacquelin.

3-Can you tell your friends about your blog? Do you consider it a private thing?

I consider it a private thing, for the most part. Aside from Jacquelin, I've shared the link only with my closest, coolest online friends, who I trust not to give the link out to anyone else.

4-Do you just read the blogs of those who comment on your blog? or you try to discover new blogs?

I discover new blogs all the time, but have time to regularly read only a select few.

5-Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example.

I think it's probably good to have a place to just babble about things, so yes. I never babble about anything *too* personal here, though, because you never know when the link may fall into the wrong hands.

6-What does the number of visitors to your blog mean? Do you use a traffic counter?

I use a counter, but rarely even look at it. I just added it because Wino kept telling me to. :) Since I don't give out the link to my blog, I know my readership is extremely low, and that's the way I like it.

7-Did you imagine how other bloggers look like?

I think I've seen photos of every blogger who comments on my blog, so I don't have to imagine. I do wonder what the Manolo, of Manolo's Shoe Blog looks like, though!

8-Do you think blogging has any real benefit?

My personal blogging? Nah, not really, aside from being a way to pass the time and chat with friends. I think a lot of blogs out there do serve a real purpose and have a real benefit, though -- whether they be news blogs, political blogs, humorous blogs, or blogs which are informative on a particular topic.

9-Do you think that the blogsphere is a stand alone community separated from the real world?

In some ways, yes. It has its own rules and its own vibe. I think it's a reflection of the real world, though, and I think it has increasing influence on the real world (not my blog, mind you, but the types I discussed in the previous answer).

10-Do some political blogs scare you? Do you avoid them?

Scare me? Not really. Frustrate and annoy me? Piss me off? Yes. I do tend to avoid political blogs with which I vehemently disagree, especially if it's obvious that my comments there will have no influence on anyone's opinion.

11-Do you think that criticizing your blog is useful?

You mean me criticizing my own blog, or someone else doing so? I'm open to constructive criticism, so yes, it could be useful.

12-Have you ever thought about what happen to your blog in case you died.

Yes. I imagine it will just remain as a testament to my freakishness and banality until Blogspot disappears.

13-Which blogger had the greatest impression on you?

There are some really cleverly-written, humorous blogs out there that have probably influenced me more than others, as far as giving me ideas for how I should be writing.

14-Which blogger you think is the most similar to you.

Hmmmmmm. Probably Buzzy, although she's a lot funnier than I am.

15-Name a song you want to listen to?

I'm confused as to what this question has to do with the rest of the survey. Um. I don't really feel like listening to anything in particular at the moment, thanks.

Chinchilla Cat!

Stolen from Buzzy, who is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Chinchilla You scored 28 nervousness!

You really should be more nervous. People want to make coats out of you, you know. It's a harsh, harsh world, my friend.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 51% on nervousness You scored higher than 55% on smallness

Link: The Small Nervous Animal Test written by zombieface on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

The Incredible Shrinking Cat

As my long-suffering readers are already aware, one of my New Year's resolutions for 2006 was to get in shape and lose some weight. My weight-loss goal was 20 lbs., and I achieved that several months ago. At that point, I stopped actively trying to lose weight, and started focusing on maintaining my exercise schedule and a healthy diet so as not to put any weight back on. I ended up dropping just a couple more pounds that way, and weighed 116 lbs. when I started my new job last month.

I figured that I might put on a couple of pounds after starting the new job, because I'm eating a bit more (since they force me to take a lunch break) and exercising a bit less (two to three times a week instead of three to four times a week). But in the month since I started the job, I've lost another seven pounds. I'm now down to 109 -- a total loss of 29 lbs. since the beginning of the year.

Now, far be it from me to complain about losing weight without trying to, especially when it's such a struggle for so many people to drop a few pounds, but isn't that a little bit odd? I'm eating more, exercising less, and I've lost seven pounds in the last month? What is up with that? I haven't weighed 109 lbs. since I was a sophomore in high school. Do I have a tapeworm? Because that would be nasty. Should I be worried? I get a full blood work-up done every two months because of the RA meds, and my doctor always tells me everything looks great. My blood pressure is perfect. So I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with me.

I did finally stop drinking those bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos several weeks ago, and started drinking Starbucks iced coffee in a can instead. That cut something like 200 calories a day out of my diet. Maybe that's it.

I guess I should just be happy and not obsess over it. I just think it's weird.

Aunt Cat and Baby Zach

Aunt Cat isn't too thrilled with this pic of her, because all you can see is the blinding glare of her fivehead. But Baby Zach looks adorable.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K

Note: I'm going to give my attorneys fake names for the purposes of this blog, so that I don't have to keep referring to them as "one of the attorneys," "the associate attorney," etc. So, they shall henceforth be referred to as Jane (the tiny, hyper woman), Max (the appellate dude), and Molly (the associate).

I had another slow, boring day at work, until about 3:30 or 4:00, when I suddenly had five things to do that all had to be done by the end of the day. (On a side note, at one point, Max was starting to explain to me how something needed to be done and why, and I was all like, "Oh, yeah, I've already done that. Yeah, that's how I did it." and he said, "This job is too easy for you, isn't it?" -- not in a sarcastic way at all, but rather in a way that indicated that he realizes that, well, this job is too easy for me. I think that's a good thing -- maybe it means I'll have a decent shot at getting promoted into a more interesting position before too long.)

Anyhoo, before I got swamped with work in the late afternoon, I'd been reading the news online about the plane that hit the building in Manhattan today. So, even though that turned out to be non-terrorism-related, I was of course thinking back to 9/11, massive building evacuations, state of emergency, etc.

Then, at around 6:00, just as I was finishing up and getting ready to head home, the fire alarms in the building started going off. I ignored them at first, because they go off at least once a week, followed quickly by an announcement that it was a false alarm and should be disregarded. But this time, the alarm kept going off over and over again, and after a few minutes, the receptionist came by and told us that she had called security and they had told her to evacuate and take the stairs. So, down thirteen flights of stairs we went.

Since it was the end of the day anyway, we opted to evacuate to the parking garage, which is across the street from the building, and go home. Just as we were getting to the garage, we heard the muffled voice of the security dude making an announcement, but at that point, we couldn't hear what he was saying. We assumed it was the usual "false alarm, please disregard" announcement, but didn't feel like going back to check, since we were already free and clear of the building. I guess I'll find out when I go in tomorrow if the building is still standing or not, but I'm pretty sure the whole thing was a false alarm. I didn't see any fire trucks or anything. Some jagoff on another floor probably burned some popcorn in the microwave or something.

It was kind of unnerving to hear the alarms go off and be instructed to evacuate the building via the stairs on the same day that a plane hit a building in New York, though. Nothing like a little adrenaline rush at the end of the workday. Oy.

Linguistic Intelligence

This sounds pretty accurate, except for the part about being able to converse well with anyone on the fly. I am so not good at that. My linguistic skills are much better when it comes to writing. I'm too shy to be a good speaker.

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Stolen from the super-sexy, super-smart Buzzy

[]5'0" or shorter
[]5'1"-5'2"
[X]5'2"-5'3"
[] 5'3"-5'5"
[] 5'5"-5'6"
[] 5'6"-5'7"
[] 5'8"-5'9"
[] 5'10" and up

Your confessions:
[] I'm afraid of silence
[X] I am really ticklish
[X] I'm afraid of the dark
[] I've collected comic books
[X] I sometimes shut out others
[] I open up to others TOO easily
[] I read the newspaper
[] I love Disney movies
[X] I am a sucker for gorgeous eyes
[X] I am a sucker for a gorgeous smile
[] I don't kill bugs
[] I have "x"s in my screen name
[X] I bake well
[] I have worn pajamas to class
[] I love Martha Stewart
[] am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS
[X] I love to laugh
[] I can't swallow pills
[] I bite my nails
[] I play computer games when I'm bored
[X] I have gotten lost in the city
[X] I have gone out in public in my pajamas (Yes, but only once, and it was an emergency -- literally, I was taking a cat who’d been hit by a car to the emergency vet)
[] I have been waterskiing
[] I have been bungee jumping
[X] I have bitten someone (Yeah, but he asked me to, and he liked it.)
[X] I have egged or T.P.ed a house/car (Again, only once, in high school)
[] I have smashed a car
[] I have been fired

Have you ever…
[X] seen a shooting star
[] joke proposed to anyone
[X] gotten stitches
[] eaten Sushi
[X] gotten the chicken pox
[X] Ridden in a taxi
[X] Been on a cruise ship
[] Driven over 400 miles in one day
[X] Been on a plane
[X] had surgery
[] seen a movie more than 3 times in the theater
[X] been on stage
[X] gotten a black eye
[X] memorized all the dialogue in a movie
[X] watched an entire baseball game

Do you like…
[X] old movies
[X] musicals
[] blasting music in your car
[X] foreign foods
[] Pokemon
[X] Christmas time
[] Donuts
[X] animals
[X] coffee
[X] tea
[] summer
[X] winter

TWOS OF EVERY KIND
Two Names You Go By: Cat, Catherine

Two things you are wearing right now: pj pants and a tank top

Two Places You Want to go on Vacation: Israel, Key West

Two things you're thinking about right now: folding the laundry, and letting the dog out for one last romp around the back yard for the evening

Two favorite animals: dogs and cats (but, seriously, it’s mean to make me pick just two)

Two Reasons you're doing this survey: I’m a geek, and I’m a geek

How many pairs of jeans do you own?: Only one that actually fits (and why is this question under the “twos of every kind” category?)

What color(s) do you wear most often?: pink, black

What's for dinner tonight? I had no dinner tonight. Too lazy (and, again, this question is under the wrong category, as is the next one. Yes, I am picky.)

Are you happy with your life right now? Not so much.

[Do you own a…]
- PS2: no
- XBOX: no
- PSP: no
- Gamecube: no
- Digital Camera: yes

Do you shop at stores like Aeropostale and American Eagle? um, no.

Last thing you bought?: groceries

How's the weather?: It was in the upper 80s and sunny today

When did you start summer break?: Huh, ordinarily that would be funny, but I actually had a summer break this year. It’s over now.

Do you own big sunglasses?: No.

What should you be doing right now?: Folding the laundry and letting the dog out.

Who did you hug today?: My dog.

How many beds did you lay in yesterday?: One. Good Lord, what sort of survey is this, anyway?

What color shirt are you wearing?: Blue

Name one thing that you do everyday? drink coffee

What’s the color of your bedroom walls?: A very pale peach that really needs to be repainted, and in a different color.

How much cash do you have on you right now? Cash? I don’t need no stinking cash. I’m in my pajamas, for crying out loud.

What's your favorite sport?: I’m not much of a sports fan.

When was the last time you saw your dad?: About two weeks ago.

What did you have for dinner last night?: mac and cheese

Look to your left, what do you see? A lamp.

Do you have plants in your room? Not in my bedroom, no.

What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?: I buy their iced coffee in a can from the grocery store.

Recent time you were really upset?: Recently? I haven’t been really upset recently.

I can't get no satisfaction

I'm still going back and forth as to how I feel about my new job, and I think I've figured out what the problem is. It's not that there's anything wrong with the job so much as it is that it's just not something that fulfills me. I'd much rather be doing something, still in the legal field, but in the area of, say, the pro-choice movement (which is in big trouble these days, in my opinion). Even my last job, although it didn't involve anything like that, had a much higher personal fulfillment factor because we did things like handle guardianships for people who couldn't care for themselves, help terminal cancer patients with their estate planning documents, etc. There was more of a feeling that I was actually helping to make people's lives better, or helping them in their time of need. With this job -- not so much.

I am just not the type of person who can be happy working in a big, corporate environment. My years at Motorola taught me that. This firm, of course, isn't nearly so big or so corporate, but there are quite a few similarities nonetheless. There are certain benefits to working for a larger firm, and one that handles a lot of huge cases for corporate clients -- better pay, better job stability, better benefits, way cooler technology and office equipment -- but the personal fulfillment factor is almost nonexistent.

I'm not going to make any sudden moves or anything, but I'm going to have to start thinking about what I really want to spend forty-plus hours per week doing, and keeping an eye out for something that might be a better fit for me on a personal level.

Weekends

Over the past several years, I had developed a bad habit of wasting my weekends away doing nothing at all. I would be so exhausted from working all week, and then when the effects of my weekend injections (which make me super tired, queasy, and headachey) were factored in, I would pretty much spend the weekend doing as little as possible, not wanting to leave the house at all if I could help it, not visiting anyone, not going to the movies, not even doing much around the house. I'd basically just sleep as much as possible, and when not sleeping, I'd just sit at the computer or read. Maybe toss in a load of laundry and wash some dishes, but not much else.

Then, I was out of work for two and a half months, and got used to having all the time in the world on my hands, so I got into a routine of house-cleaning, reading a lot, seeing a movie once or twice a week, visiting family, etc.

Now that I'm back at work and really conscious of the fact that I have very, very little time during the week to do the things I *want* to do, I've become pretty good about making the most of my weekends. I'm getting stuff done around the house, doing the grocery shopping, reading, visiting friends and family, riding my bike, and generally being somewhat productive with my two days off each week. I'm not even spending much time at the computer on the weekends any more.

This is a good trend, I think. I'm starting to feel like my life is a lot more productive. My injections (one on Friday evening and one on Saturday evening) still make me really tired , queasy, and headachey, but I force myself to get over it and get things done as much as I possibly can. I hope this trend continues. It's nice to feel like I'm actually doing something with the free time I do have.

Today is going to be pretty stressful at work -- we have two appellate briefs due to be filed today, which is a lot of work and much more complex a process than filing a pleading in a lower court. I do have a handful of appellate cases under my belt from my previous job, so at least I won't be totally lost, but since these will be the first briefs I've filed at the new job, I'm a little bit nervous about it. I think it will be okay, though. And the associate attorney and I are planning on going out for a quick drink after work to celebrate (she'll have wine, I'll have water), so that will be fun.

Then we have another appellate deadline coming up on Thursday, so this should be a very hectic week. At least I won't be bored, though. I hate being bored at work.