On Sunday morning, I was browsing some web sites trying to find that elusive perfect pair of shorts (you know, flattering cut, not hoochie short, not grandma long, not see-through, and not $75) when our Tonkinese cat, Leo, walked into the room. I called him up onto my lap and Leo quickly obliged.

As is the case with this breed, Tonks love to cuddle and Leo is no exception. He's the only cat I've ever had who will absolutely go limp and purr whenever you pick him up.

It's a good thing I wasn't trying to get any real work done, because Leo decided that a warm Sunday morning on my lap was the perfect napping situation:



Tonk tummy. So irresistable!




Making biscuits.




A Zonked Tonk.




Another angle.




Over-exposed photo, but still cute.

        

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post. Another birthday has come and gone, with minimal fanfare, which is just how I seem to like it these days. It's not that I have a problem with getting older, but I just don't feel the need to make a big deal of it anymore. 41 feels just like 40, which felt exactly like 39, which felt just like 38. Changes become noticeable over decades now as opposed to years, as I definitely feel differently at 41 than I did at 31. More patient, more forgiving, more accepting, more generous and .... unfortunately ... more fleshy.

Oh well, I guess 4 out of 5 isn't bad.

Anyway.

Michael and I have lived in our condo for 8 years now. Neither one of us really thought we'd stay here this long, but now that we have it's hard to imagine living anywhere else. The location is perfect — quick access to all of the cultural offerings of downtown Portland, easy commutes to both of our jobs, a great view from our front balcony, and a park-like surrounding chock full of great trails for walking and bike riding.
Restaurants, espresso shops, and a New Seasons within walking distance. For a couple of yuppies with no children, it just doesn't get much better than this.

Of course every situation has its negatives and ours is no exception. We only have a one car garage, which means we each have to park outside six months out of the year. The driveway is steep. And the kitchen and bathrooms are really, really, ugly. Not ugly as in the hasn't-been-updated-since-The-Partridge-Family-was-in-its-first-run sense, but in the I'm-a-builder-converting-apartments-to-condos-and-I-want-to-use-the-cheapest-materials-possible-sense. We've made some minor upgrades over the years — paint, new cabinet hardware, new faucets — but it always felt like we were putting lipstick on a pig.



Like an aging movie star, this kitchen doesn't look so bad in certain lighting.


 

Our beautiful Pergo floor, the one customization we made when we bought our
place. The *only* thing in the kitchen that isn't changing.


 

That cabinet to the right of the fridge damn near fell of its hinges the night before demolition. Ha!


 

One ugly stove.


 

This random little cabinet was above the dishwasher and looked like an afterthought.

For years I have wanted to remodel the kitchen, but it always felt too big, too scary, too much to take on. Not to mention that Michael didn't feel there was anything wrong with the kitchen per se — was I just being picky?

Finally in February, we decided it was time. And since I was the one with the burning desire, I would be responsible for finding a contractor, arranging for a home equity loan, and so on. It took a few months for everything to gel into place (nothing like starting a brand new job and tackling a kitchen remodel all at once!) but last week, we finally started demolition on the kitchen. And now, there's this hole where my kitchen used to be:



The wall where the (ugly) stove used to be.



The wall where the (boring white) sink used to be.

Our kitchen looks a little better than this now, as these pictures were actually taken a few days ago. I'll post more in a few days, because Monday we will be getting our new maple cabinets installed. Yippee!

We've survived the first kitchenless week quite well, with our makeshift "kitchenette" set up in a corner of the living room, and our barbeque grill, and of course, takeout menus and restaurants. Tonight we bought a half flat of local strawberries at Whole Foods and I washed and destemmed the berries in the bathroom sink, which was interesting.

Three more weeks ... three more weeks ... three more weeks ...

More to come!

        

Kittypalooza!

I haven't been so good about taking pictures of all my shelter cats lately, but last Thursday I managed to get photos of most if not all of them. As usual, we've got a really great and diverse group of kitties:

(Note: CAT Adoption Team is desperately seeking foster families to help with Kitten Season, so if you know anyone who would like to help, have them call CAT at 503-925-8903.)

 

This is Tim, but I call him Timmy. I snapped this through the window, right when I arrived for my
caregiving shift, because I thought he looked so damn cute. Tim was rescued by a good samaritan in
the middle of Winter when he was huddling next to the rescuer's home.

Tim has been with us awhile, and I can't figure that out. He's a great looking cat, with a playful
and curious personality. I hope that Tim finds a home soon, until that time I will enjoy his antics.

 

This is Damian, a beautiful orange tabby boy who is recovering from leg surgery.
He is scrapping with Godiva, our resident princess here. As you can see, Damian's
surgery hasn't slowed him down one bit. He's a sweet, active boy and I have
fallen in love with him.

 

Damian, contemplating his next move. This boy is so cute!


 

Damian's rest didn't last long! Here he's trying to get Godiva to play with him. She looks just
thrilled, doesn't she?


 

Tim finally slowed down enough where I could snap a photo of his face.


 

This is our pretty calico, SandDollar. She's a great lap cat, who will suck up as much
affection as you are willing to give her.


 

Tim and Damian plotting to take over the world.


 

This is one of two female tabbies (Cheyenne and Reba) we have who look almost identical. I think this is Cheyenne, but I can't be certain! Anyway, Cheyenne/Reba decided that my purse and jacket was a great place
to hunker down for a snooze.


 

This is the ONE photo I was able to get of Bunni where she didn't move her head right as I clicked
the button. Little stinker! She's a beautiful girl who was rescued off the streets of Tualatin.


 

This is Zia. She's got the softest fur, and is super sweet.




This is Danu. This little girl is not yet three, but has had FIVE litters of kittens!
Thank goodness she is now spayed and is ready for a great new home.

        

And now for something completely frivolous. Menfolk may wish to stop reading right here.

*********************************************************************

Since I left my job in a downtown high-rise for a new job in a Wilsonville cube farm, I've been going through what could be called an "urban withdrawal". I had grown quite fond of dashing out of my office on my lunch hour, scooping up my favorite ethnic dish from one of the many delicious restaurants and food carts, and popping into a boutique or two along the way to drool over the latest styles. One of my favorite haunts was the Nordstrom Rack, where I hardly ever found anything I liked but occasionally, scored something really spectacular. SaySay Boutique on Morrison was a favorite too, and since it was next door to my favorite Lebanese place it was easy to fit a good meal and a good browse within a lunch hour.

Although I'm loving my new job and the commute is a lot shorter (15 minutes by car vs. 45 minutes by car-bus-walk) the food and shopping options in "The W.V." are less than inspiring. And so I find myself browsing for great boutiques online - almost never buying anything - but fulfilling that girly-girl desire I have to gaze at and ponder pretty things. It was during one of these browsing sessions a few weeks back that I ran across a web site called myshape.com.

MyShape is a web site where you create your own unique "Personal Shop" stocked with items that cater to your style tastes and your body shape. I couldn't resist giving it a try, so tonight I finally took the plunge and whipped out my measuring tape.

To create my own Personal Shop, I first answered a series of questions about my own taste preferences (am I romantic, classic, trendy, modern?), fit preferences for different garments (snug, body skimming, loose?), what "decade" I want to dress like (I picked the 30's, figuring that was a good compromise), and so on. Then, I took a variety of measurements, although I think I may have to redo these when Michael can help me keep the tape measure from slipping, because the suggested sizes are larger than I normally wear in most brands.

After I input this information into their very easy-to-use web-based application, I was told that my shape was type "M" and then I was presented with my very own apparel store, with fits, colors, and sizes chosen just for me.

As I browsed through the selections they made for me, I was very pleasantly surprised. I am a picky, picky, shopper with very specific ideas about what I will and will not wear. Strangely, they selected a lot of ankle length flowy skirts, which at a curvy 5'4" aren't exactly my best look. Still, they selected a lot of items that I really like and would definitely purchase, were I so inclined and flush with funds:

Max & Cleo Jersey Scoopneck Dress

Nicole Miller Stretch Satin Dress (okay, I don't have anyplace to wear this, but it's really hot)

BCBGeneration Safari Jacket

Oneworld Intense Roses Flutter Sleeve Tee 
(super cute with strappy sandals and dark wash denim!!!)


I don't plan on buying anything soon, as I really need to save my clothing budget for Stockholm. But, I'm very impressed with both the concept and execution of this site, and will give it a try in the future. I give this an A- (the minus for the long flowy skirts and awkward length crop pants recommendations - yipes!).

If you give it a try, let me know what you think - I'm curious to hear what others think of the concept and of the recommendations made.

        

We held the "Community Roundtable" meeting last Wednesday night. All five board members were there, along with MP and several other homeowners.

MP was running a bit late, and everyone else was already assembled in the meeting room when he made his entrance. And wow, what an entrance it was! Instead of going through the front door of the Rec Center and signing in as you are supposed to, MP decided to take a shortcut and enter through a side door, which was clearly marked "No Entry". In doing so, he set off the ear-piercing fire alarm, which seemed to take about an hour to shut off (though in reality was probably closer to five minutes).

The chairs were arranged in a circle to encourage participation from all. Immediately upon arriving, MP wanted to know who in the circle was a homeowner and who was a board member — as if the two were mutually exclusive! Michael quickly reminded MP that "we are ALL homeowners here". MP also threw a tape recorder into the center of the circle, so Michael whipped out our video camera and started taping the ceiling, but capturing the dialogue. Intimidating action, assertive response.

MP generously "let" the other homeowners raise their issues first, most of which were related to maintenance issues which had not yet been addressed to their satisfaction. Someone's got a leaking gutter. Another has a rotting deck board. Our management company agent was there to take notes, so he could followup. As the homeowners were discussing their issues, I watched MP out of the corner of my eye and noticed that he was practically jumping out of his skin with anticipation. You would think he was about to take center stage at Carnegie Hall!

Once it was MP's turn to speak, he presented everyone (even - surprise - the five board members!) with a spreadsheet detailing his vision of how expenses should be allocated and how we could lower our HOA dues by $50/month beginning in 2009. Fantastic! I'm all about saving money. But wait - no money for barkdust? And what about tree trimming? And inflation assumed to be only 2% per year? What was he thinking?

It all became crystal clear in footnote #13, which was part of his detailed "ATTCHMENT 2" which accompanied his revised budget and reserve study: (spelling and grammatical errors left as is)

"Face lift and architectural mumbo jumbo are avoided as they do not help strengthening structure or building in any way. Economical condominiums can not be transformed to white house, no matter how many decorations are added. Basically, low income group prefer condo because they can not afford regular house. Maintenance of the buildings and decorations should accomodate their life style and their pockets."

Ahem.

First, MP wrongly assumes that all people who live in condominiums do so because they cannot afford "regular house". While this may be true in some instances, people mostly choose to live in condos and townhomes as a lifestyle choice. People (self included) who choose to purchase a condo instead of a single family home do so because they don't want the hassle of maintaining their own buildings and landscaping. We would rather pay someone else to do it so we can focus on other things. And yes, we could afford a "regular house" but prefer the convenience and small environmental footprint of a condo.

Second, if MP is part of the "low income" group, then why the HELL did he buy a condo in L.O? L.O. has one of the highest average home prices in the entire Portland Metropolitan area. If he was looking for low-income housing surely he could have found a comparable condo somewhere else, for less. Also, the monthly HOA dues have been the same since he moved in. He knew what the fees were before he moved in, but now he wants to bitch about it a year later?

Third, he just insulted those of us who have lived in this community for years, and consider our homes to be an investment and not just a cheap place to sleep. It is because of homeowner participation and board oversight that our community remains a desirable place to live even though the buildings are over 30 years old. Over the past 8 years, values have increased steadily and remain strong, even in today's soft housing market. And that didn't happen by ignoring critical items like tree trimming and barkdusting. 

Our chairperson is working on a followup communication to the community, but I doubt this story will end here. I'll keep you posted on any updates.

        

It's both a point of pride and enormous comfort to me that I live an almost entirely drama-free life.

I'm happy with my job, happy with my marriage, happy with my volunteer work, happy with my home (except that ugly kitchen that we're working on!), and feel that I live a meaningful and productive life consistent with my progressive belief system.

I can't explain why my life turned out this way, other than my great fortune of being raised by an extraordinarily level-headed and sensible mother, and my ability to learn from any mistakes that I've made along the way. I also go out of my way to avoid situations that may cause drama, and do my best not to involve myself too deeply in other people's drama.

So, when drama occurs that is not a result of any specific action or decision on my part, it causes me to think about the situation a lot.  To talk with my spouse about the situation a lot. Probably more than is warranted or healthy. My imagination goes into overdrive and I start to think through all of the various outcomes — good and bad — of that situation.

This time the unwanted drama arrived in the form of a mentally unstable neighbor - I'll call him MP. I had no previous awareness of this person other than seeing him from a distance on several occasions since he moved into the neighborhood over a year ago.

On a beautiful Sunday morning about two-and-a-half weeks ago, MP made his presence known. Michael spotted MP driving around the neighborhood and placing letters on every homeowner's door. When Michael went to retrieve the letter from our door, MP got quite excited, telling Michael that he wrote the letter, as if he was very proud of his creation.

Michael then brought the letter upstairs for me to read. The letter wasn't very well-written and jumped between unrelated topics but I was able to get the gist of it — MP was trying to start a "revolt" against our HOA's Board of Directors (of which I am one of five) and was using this letter as his rallying cry.

In the letter MP ranted and raved about all of the "negative" comments he had heard about the Board, about how noone ever wanted to join, about "frequent increases in assessment", and other vague attacks for which he had no basis.

Both Michael and a couple members of the Board attempted to speak with MP, and the general consensus was that he is a very smart, very vindictive individual with a lot of time on his hands.

In response, we're holding a "Community Roundtable" meeting tonight to address any homeowner concerns, but we suspect that MP (and his team of Ivy League-educated lawyers, no doubt) will be the only people who show up. On the other hand, the meeting has the potential to turn very ugly, given MP's apparent mental state and lack of understanding about how HOA's work.

In my 8 years living in this community (most as a volunteer board member) the other homeowners have shown little interest in attending HOA meetings or getting involved in any way. As a result, the same few people serve on the board year after year, giving up our precious free time to uphold the property values and make our community a peaceful and desirable place to live. Thousands of hours have been contributed, and MP responds by launching a baseless kick in the teeth.

I'm 1-1/2 hours away from the meeting, and dreading it like a root canal. What is it about some people that their mission in life is to make others miserable?

F*cking drama-creating jerk.

        

... and I've got the sunburned shoulders to prove it.





This wasn't our vantage point, we were about halfway back through the crowd you see here, in the first row of the "overflow" section. It was a good place to be, because we were able to lean against the barrier and there was a nice 20-foot gap between us and the people in front of us.

More pictures later, once Michael gets them uploaded.

        

I'm way overdue for an update, but life has been VERY full these days. In addition to being very busy with my new job (which I still love, thank goodness!) I've also been doing my usual volunteer work at the shelter, working out like crazy (my bodybugg almost guilts me into it), planning a kitchen remodel (which is taking forever), dealing with neighborhood nutcases, obsessing over the Democratic primary, and so on. I'm enjoying life but am exhausted, and am looking forward to the long weekend awaiting us at the end of the month.

Speaking of working out, I recently discovered the Turbo Kickboxing class at my gym and I love it! It never occurred to me to try it before, but I've become bored with my same old cardio routines and decided to try something different. I'm so glad I did, because now I've found something enjoyable that is a kick-a** workout and a great alternative to the elliptical or running on the treadmill. I've come to really enjoy running but my 40-year-old knees can only take so much! Next new challenge —- spinning class!!!

The kitchen remodel has been kind of a drag. It's taken us forever to try and figure out what we want (although we are pretty quick to compromise on things - it sure helps having similar tastes in decor!) and it seems like everything we like turns out to be the most expensive option. So then, we have to backtrack and try to find a compromise that's still nice, but within a reasonable budget. Right now we're looking at maple cabinets with a dark cherry stain and stainless cabinet pulls, stainless appliances, desert limestone quartz countertops, and a gorgeous glossy tile backsplash accent wall. If we're lucky, we may get this project finished by oh ... 2055!

Anyway, enough of that topic - how about some cute kitty pictures?



This is Moira. She's been at the center awhile, and I can't figure out why.
She's a GORGEOUS cat, and likes to go for walks around the store on a leash.



This is Tim. He's a young, playful boy who really misses his former
cagemate Dexter, who I unfortunately did not get a picture of.

Tim's rescuer wrote this letter about him:

"I live in the country, several miles east of Salem, on a dead end road.

In the middle of this cold, rainy, windy Oregon winter, a stray cat showed up in
front of my house. He was a rather cute, smaller white tabby who looked very
wet and miserable. He was trying to stay warm by tucking himself into my
window well, which only had a dirt floor and the roof overhang to help shelter him.

I was hopeful that perhaps he belonged to a neighbor but, after a couple of
days, it was apparent that he had nowhere else to go. Some days he would
sleep on my front door mat, but he was skittish when approached. I started
to call him "Tim".

He must have been starving too. I began to use a clicker to call him whenever I
 put food out. To my surprise, after a couple of weeks, he let me pet him
and pick him up. He never tried to scratch or bite me. In fact, he is rather
submissive about being held.

Tim is a good cat, and deserves his own family. Thanks for helping Tim!"

Awwww!




This is Godiva, emphasis on DIVA. This silky, tiny little beauty has
PLENTY of attitude.



This pretty girl is Ruby. She's pretty laid back and mostly just likes
to observe, but will perk up when a feather toy is dangled in front of her.




This is my boyfriend, Moby. He is one of the sweetest and most affectionate
cats that has come through the shelter. He was adopted out once before but
returned because the household's other cat did not like him. However, he is
fantastic with all the cats at PetSmart, and loves people. He loves to hug and
kiss and although I really want him to find a home, I will miss him when he
leaves!

        

My friend Angeleen is a Mind Reader (a useful Superpower when you are a mom, no doubt) so I was curious to see how I would test out on this little quiz. It's interesting, and somewhat true (though not completely).

What kind of Superpower suits you? Take the quiz and then post your results in the comments.

Your Superpower Should Be Invisibility

You are stealth, complex, and creative. You never face problems head on. Instead, you rely on your craftiness to get your way. A mystery to others, you thrive on being a little misunderstood. You happily work behind the scenes... because there's nothing better than a sneak attack! Why you would be a good superhero: You're so sly, no one would notice... not even your best friends Your biggest problem as a superhero: Missing out on all of the glory that visible superheroes get

        

It's been awhile since I posted a South Beach update, but I am still following Phase 2 eating principles faithfully — lean proteins, lowfat dairy, whole grains, legumes, veggies, fruit. I've cut my microbrew consumption back to maybe one bottle of nectar every two weeks. I'm drinking my water and exercising, although not as much as I need to be. And I still haven't lost one more ounce beyond the 3 pounds I lost during Phase 1. Why? Because clearly I am a person that needs more structure, not less, when trying to lose weight.

Enter the bodybugg.

If you've watched a recent season of The Biggest Loser or stepped inside a gym lately, you have likely seen one. In a nutshell, the bodybugg is a device that you wear on your upper right arm and it measures motion, body heat, skin conductivity, and skin temperature to "read" how many calories you are burining throughout the day. Although Michael got one months ago, I resisted — it seemed outrageously expensive and I couldn't envision wearing an armband 24/7 (it would totally spoil the line of my outfit!)

However, we recently renewed our membership at 24 Hour Fitness and a bodybugg was part of the package. Since Michael already had one, I figured I might as well give it a try.

I've been wearing my bodybugg since Sunday, and it's turned out to be very easy to use and comfortable to wear. I don't feel it at all, and it doesn't bulge out as much as I had feared. As part of the bodybugg program, they also provide a very easy-to-use calorie tracking web application, where you can enter in your foods quickly and easily.

Now here's the sobering part.

According to the bodybugg, I burnt 2076 calories yesterday. My activity level was that of a normal cube dweller (sitting mostly on my a** for 9 hours) plus 60 minutes on the recumbent bike. Although I saw a decent burn during the bike ride, it still wasn't enough to get my calorie expenditure above 2450, which is what I need to lose 2 pounds a week if I stick with a 1450 calorie intake.

The other sobering thing? When you actually weigh out your portions and enter your intake as grams (which is what the bodybugg program uses) you are actually eating a lot more calories than you think you are. For example, yesterday I ate very healthfully, yet when I weighed everything and logged it in honestly, I consumed 1772 calories! So, with only a 304 calorie deficit between calories burned and calories eaten, I'm on track to not even lose one pound this week, even though I am living what feels like a healthy lifestyle.

The silver lining here is that overall, I am eating way under the daily limits for sodium and at or above the daily recommendation for fiber. Yeah, me!

Bottom line: if you're having trouble losing weight and you think you're doing everything right, you may want to take a harder look. What I've realized is that I need to move a LOT more, which is admittedly a challenge with a busy desk job. I've also realized that even with my healthy eating habits, I am still consuming too much healthy food — easy to do when favorites like hummus have 70 calories for 2 TBSP. Who eats 2 TBSP of hummus? I'd say a cup of hummus is a good serving!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes with the bodybugg. It's only Day 3 so too early to really make a judgement, but initial impressions are highly favorable.