So Clay bought a treadmill and it was delivered today. Boy did that box look heavy! I'm so glad Clay did all the hard work. Lugging that thing up the elevator, into the apartment, unpacking it, putting it together..... I got tired just looking at him! But it is now up and running! Uh, I mean, it is now ready to be run on..... lol...... It's a really good treadmill too. I did all the research and then told him which one to buy, the Sole F85. Very sturdy. I can plug my ipod into it, it has cup holders, and fans too........ I'm happy he likes it so far..........
So Clay and I had been talking about getting a kitty friend for our kitty. We went to the animal shelter to check out our options. Well, when we entered the cat room we were verbally assaulted for no reason! Here is a reenaction:
Scene of the Crime: The Los Angeles Animal Shelter Cat Room. Sunny but chilly beautiful California day.
(Maria and Clay enter the cat room at the animal shelter. There is a white woman who appears to be speaking on her cell phone. They look at the cages.)
Maria: I don't see any kitties in here.
White Woman: Well, do you like CATS?
(Before we can answer....)
White Woman: Because when they grow up, they turn into CATS.
(I'm smiling because I don't immediately realize that she's talking to us, I thought she was on her cell phone. I think I said, "Whaaaaat?" Clay is smiling and giggling because at first he thinks that she is joking and poking fun at us.)
White Woman: The adult cats that don't get adopted get KILLED.
(Clay and I are like, "WOW." But we are still smiling because it all happens so fast we don't have time to change our facial expressions.)
White Woman: Oh, you obviously think that's FUNNY since you're LAUGHING!
(She is still holding her cell phone to her ear. Clay and I are shocked and appalled at this verbal assault.)
Clay: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you righteous fucking bitch!
(OH SNAP! (Refer to Oh Snap flow chart))
White Woman: Yeah, I'm a fucking bitch!
(Clay and I start to walk out.)
Clay: We come to the fucking animal shelter to adopt a pet only to be accosted by some fucking simpleton!
THE END
The Moral of the Story:
I understand she thinks that she's there volunteering, trying really hard to get the adult cats adopted. But insulting people when they walk in is not the way to go about it. It should have been obvious that Clay and I had already taken that first step by coming to the shelter in the first place. And we already own a cat (that I had gotten as a kitten at that same shelter back in October), we were looking for another similar to her age and size that she could play with. But she judged us immediately. Like seriously, are you trying to alienate people as soon as they walk in? And if we want to adopt a kitten, you can't judge us for it, that's what we want. At least we're making the effort to adopt from a shelter, and not only that, I donate to the spcaLA every year! (The shelter we went to is not part of the spca but still, I'm aware of the plight of abandoned animals.)
Actually, I hadn't remembered this but Clay brought it up after we left. Last year, before we had adopted a kitten and were still researching our kitty options, we went to a Petco where they were doing cat adoptions. All the cats that we saw were adult cats and we asked the volunteer if they had any kittens. She said no but then asked us, "Have you considered adopting an older cat?" See? There is a way to do it nicely! We politely said no, that I really wanted a kitten. But she was nice about it and let us look at the cats there and let us know that most of them had come from abusive households. She said it in a way that was not meant to guilt trip us, but rather to let us know the truth about the cats' backgrounds. We didn't adopt a cat but we also didn't leave with a negative experience. (Well, not a negative volunteer experience. One of the cats there sharted in front of us and we had to literally flee the area because the smell was so bad. I felt bad for the cat, apparently it was sick, but I'm not gonna adopt a sick cat. Sorry.)
So anyways, yeah, not a nice experience at the shelter. We probably will not go back anytime soon and will look at pictures online instead. That's how I adopted my current cat, first I looked online; all the city shelters and spca shelters here have pictures online of almost all the animals they have available for adoption. I had looked at lots of pictures, had written down the kittens' ID numbers that I liked, and then went to the shelters where they were. The cat I adopted was actually the very first kitten on my list but the last one I went to see. Isn't that crazy? It was meant to be........
She really did go crazy on us! Maybe Clay shouldn't have called her a righteous fucking bitch, but she was acting like a bitch....... The worst part is that she'll retell this story with us as the villains. The cruel and evil couple that came in today and verbally assaulted her. We shouldn't be allowed to own animals. We probably eat kittens for breakfast, kitten tacos. I don't see how anyone will adopt a cat with her there, guilt tripping people.
Now that I've gone on and on about this, I'm over it! I'm sorry I wrote more about this than the fact that Clay and I will be in our own house in a month's time. It's cute, small, but cute. Very well maintained. 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. I'll take pictures to post online. Well, I probably won't be able to do that until we move in. But I'll keep you posted!
The remodel at my mom's house is chugging along slowly. Both rooms are almost done. My friend Marty had suggested posting before and after pictures but of course I didn't take before pictures so now I'm kicking myself because that's a great idea. They look really different from how they were but now you'll only be able to see the after pictures. I'll have to try to accurately describe how they were before. I'll work on it..........
I watched 2 of my netflix movies today: Ma Vie On Rose and Who the @#%* is Jackson Pollock? (I may not have put the symbols in the right order but you get the picture.) Not bad, not great, but not bad. Both were interesting and thought provoking. Ma Vie On Rose is about a little boy who wants to be a girl (and expresses it) and how this creates tension within the family, at school, and in neighborhood. Like I said, not a bad movie. I liked it a lot, but did not love it. But it was interesting, the topics it raised about what can happen when a child is not what the parents and society expect it to be. I would still recommend it. The second movie was also interesting, a documentary about a female truck driver who buys a painting for $5 at a thrift store and then discovers that it or may not be a Jackson Pollock. It's about her experience dealing with the art world (which is extremely rude and condescending to her) and trying to authenticate the painting. Again, really interesting and thought provoking. How art critics refuse to believe they can be wrong, how they refuse to accept scientific evidence as pertinent information, and how there is strict protocol involved in authenticating a work of art. Liked a lot but did not love. The movies I love have to be movies I'm willing to buy and watch again. I can like them a lot but I have to love them to buy them. Or maybe not always buy, but watch again. One viewing was enough for both but I'm glad I watched them.
I also watched the Black to the Future series on VH1. It aired last month but I DVR'd it and only today got around to watching the 4 episodes. Basically it showed black popular culture from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 00's. It was great actually. Especially when I watched the 80's and 90's. Totally my 2 eras. It was great to see the things I watched, listened to, and loved in those decades. Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, En Vogue, Martin, In Living Color, Living Single, Family Matters, The A-Team, Boyz In The Hood, gangster rap (Snoop, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube), Biggie and Tupac, the LA riots...... Definitely really glad I DVR'd it.
I also forgot to mention I've been sick as a dog almost 3 weeks now. What started out as a runny nose and a dry cough quickly became a runny nose, phlegm-filled cough, nausea, fatigue, fever, and general unhappiness. By the end of week 2 I hadn't gotten better so my doctor prescribed antibiotics which I finally finished yesterday. I had to skip chemo last week since I was still really sick and my platelet count was low. The week before that my red blood cell count had been really low. So basically I've been feeling really shitty for almost 3 weeks now; I am slowly starting to feel better. Everything is almost gone, except for the cough (which is not as bad as it was but is still there and sometimes wakes me up at night) and the fever (which could also be because of my cancer). This Thursday I should be able to get chemo since I am feeling better. I hate it when I skip a week. I always think my cancer will go crazy anytime I delay my treatment cycle, so I try really hard not to. Only when I absolutely can't because of low counts or sickness.
What an eventful day! Opened escrow, was insulted at the shelter, got a new treadmill, watched a couple movies, some TV......... So much action today! And I even took a 30 minute nap between the 2 movies.
Jesus it's late. You can't tell but it's 1am my time. Time to put myself to bed...........
Oh I almost forgot:
