we have neighbors down the street who have two kids, one BC's age and one about 3 years older. nice kids. the dad coaches T-Ball and is always out and about playing with the kids, and BC really likes him. the mom is nice, too. last year, they started remodelling their house. luckily for them, the house across the street from them was for short-term rent, so they moved there for a little while as their house was renovated.

the renovation finished about two months ago. the other day, i said to BS, “gee, isn't it odd. the husband's car is still in the driveway of the rental.”

BS said: “maybe they want the house to look occupied.”

i said, “uhm, do you think something is not right there? like maybe some marital difficulties?”

BS just looked at me like my imagination was working time and a half.

well. today, the wife called me to pick my brain (or the reasonable facsimile thereof) regarding child care. she is applying for a new job, a full time one. in the course of the conversation, we discussed the renovation-from-hell still going on across the street from me (yes, it STILL is underway), the german shepherd that belongs to the people who speak only japanese next door to her (they let the dog out at 11:30 pm and he barks all night under the woman's window) and other things. like, uh, oh yeah. she and her husband separated last november and will be divorced come this november. he has been living in the rental house while she and the kids moved back into the house. minor detail, of course.

i called up BS immediately. “guess what?” i said. “they are separated. i was right.”

of course, these are the bits and pieces of life that you really, really don't want to be right about.

p.s. i asked BS, “should we be getting divorced this week? it is the neighborhood trend.”

he answered, “nope. no more houses on our street are available for rental.” that's my guy 😉

How Compatible are You with me?

with thanks to scally for this touching, singing moment from our friends in the far east.

if anyone out there knows japanese, please let us know what the hell this is all about.

kitty-cat-san

BC picked up a bra. i said, “honey, you know what that is called, right?”

she said, “yes, mama. it is called barf.”

EWWWWWW!

but she can sure cut a rug! go, lizzy, go!

ok, if anyone out there sorta kinda wants to see what BC looks like, check out this page: Syrentha.org.

there? now first, in the group shot at top, she is in the stroller, showing her best come hither look.

but wait… there's more.

she has her own picture just a little down the page. just look for the l'il blonde child who looks like she is either a) fluffing up her hair or b) nearly asphyxiating herself with her Tinkerbell canteen 🙂

my best bud's cat, claude, had to be euthanized this morning. he was nearly 19. after battling a kidney disease for two weeks, it was time. in her words, murph said :”he was vocal and opinionated to the very last, protesting when the vet had trouble finding a vein for the pre-euthanasia sedative. at almost 19 years old, he had a long, happy, and very well-fed life.”

claude was no ordinary cat. he was a thousand pound cat. ok, ok, so i exaggerate a little. but claude never met food he didn't like. we would taunt claudie — we'd say “claude – food!” and claude would perk up, prick up his ears, and look expectantly for some tasty morsel. claude was a big boy.

and friendly, too. i remember years ago, crashing at murph's apartment in NC before our big road trip to Athens, GA (where we were going to try to find REM. if that wasn't a goof.) i slept on the floor. a humungous claude stood over me and gave his characteristic call in the morning: “Wowwwwww, wowwwwwww!” yep. i dunno who you are, bitch, but it is time to feed ME. he followed me into the bathroom, and, i daresay he would have followed me into the shower. unlike murph's other cats, he was a very friendly guy.

when BC was very small, i took her to meet claude. she LOVED him. he sat patiently for a time, letting her gaze on his massive beauty. then, he was done. BC's first lesson in the world of cats: don't ever think they are there for you. you are there for them.

i have a wonderful picture of claude sitting near a pumpkin. when i was a producer at AOL many, many years ago, i used to use this picture as filler on pages i built. it was too funny. if claude wasn't grey and furry, you might mistake him for the pumpkin 😉

but my favorite still is claude with santa. i shall have to find that one and post it. yet another picture taken (with proceeds going to the local ASPCA of course, just like the pumpkin pic) showing claude's personality. there he is, large and in charge, sitting on some teen-aged looking santa. he takes up the entire lap, and then some. i help my husband celebrate xmas every year, and every year, i try to bring out this photo. it is just that funny.

i will miss claudie. i don't know how i will explain to BC that claudie is no longer here. but i sure loved that cat. in the back of my mind, i always figured that if g-d forbid something ever happened to murph, i would take claudie in. nevermind my colossal allergies. i would manage. he was worth it.

i hope someone has a big-ass bag of kitty treats for him, wherever he is.

one of my many guilty pleasures is the music from the play/movie “G-dspell.” and yes, i am still a Red Sea Pedestrian, but i grew to love this as a little girl listening to it over my friend Jen-Jen's house.

have you stopped laughing yet?

but tonight, after watching the movie, i am completely freaked out. its bad enough that the extremely gorgeous man playing John/Judas is now dead of a brain tumor. and that a cast member as well as the guy who wrote the play are both dead of AIDS. but the film, which is shot entirely in NYC in 1973, has some freaky moments where the Twin Towers are in the shot. the cast sings and dances upon what i am guessing is Tower One. then, there is a moment where the actor playing Jesus is spouting some moving theological words with the Towers over his shoulder. stuff about people all being people of G-d and that sort of thing. we are all one. you know what i mean.

i cried.

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