Crazy Cat Lady

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noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:50:00 +0000

:-O (does that relay my freaking out?)

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:16:00 +0000

I'm happy to report that I have a "job" photographing a wedding in August, but it's for a friend and for minimal money--I told him they could pay me whatever they see fit. When he asked me in January I was elated, but the closer we get to the actual task, the more I'm freaking out. I have no clue what I've gotten myself into.

The good thing is that they aren't actually expecting a "professional" job, they were just hoping for someone to take pictures during the ceremony (it's a second marriage for both--very low key). Unfortunately, that will be a real challenge, as the church is dark, dark, dark. The ceiling is dark wood. The floors are dark wood. The pews are dark wood. The walls are dark wood, but only the bottom five feet or so, and above that the walls are white plaster. That actually makes things even harder. The lighting for this is going to be a real problem. I've already gone to the church to take some test shots, and it's a good thing, because the first batch were a nightmare.

Of course, I want to give them a great set of shots, something that would hopefully be good enough to show in a portfolio. At the very least I'm hoping I don't leave them with a crappy set of pics. Oy.

Cricket, the town nut...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:59:00 +0000

I guess every town has one. The crazy guy that walks the streets, giving kids something to laugh about and adults someone to shun. They usually have made-up names because no one knows who they really are, like Old Man Alan or Weird Guy. My town has Cricket.

Other town's weird-o's are usually harmless, and not crazy at all. In fact, we have several of these, like the guy that carries a radio on his shoulder and wears hot pink and black zebra striped sweat pants, or the sad-looking man that could be in his 40's or his 60's, his craggy face and gray whiskers not really giving enough information for an accurate guess. We also have a woman who bundles up throughout the year, no matter what the temperature, and mumbles to herself, avoiding all human contact. But Cricket is different. He's a total whack-job.

Cricket stands on street corners yelling at cars that pass by, sometimes reaching out and smacking the trunk lid. Sometimes he stands in the middle of the street, daring you to run him over, and you either wait until he moves or wait until the other lane is clear and go around him. The worst thing he does, however, is cuss at anyone around him--or nobody at all. Whether he's muttering under his breath or shouting, he's almost always going on about something. And he's scary. Very scary.

He once started yelling at me in my church parking lot when no one was around. My hubby and FIL had just gone into the church and MIL was about to come out of the activities building. It was dark, and I thought he could attack me and no one would be able to help me in time. Luckily, for the most part, if you ignore him, he'll just wander on, as he did this time. But he lingered longer than normal, longer than I'd like, threatening me. Oh, yeah, did I mention he says threatening things, too? Threats that involve words like "cut" and "knife" and occasionally a specific body part.

Most people think he's harmless, or at least we used to think that. But he's gotten worse in the last few years, like with smacking the passing cars, and dropping his pants for the general public. Recently, he reached out as if to grab a guy riding past on a bike.

As the story was told to me, he was in front of Taco Bell, yelling at people and cars, when two guys on bikes were riding toward him. The guys were of late-high school or college age, and big, like football player big. The first guy rode past without incident, but as the second guy was riding by, Cricket reached out as if to grab the guy. Now most people in town know to ignore him and keep going, but either this guy didn't know or just didn't care. He threw down the bike he was on, spun around, and clocked Cricket. And evidently he was ready to punch Cricket again as soon as he got up, but some Taco Bell patrons ran outside and broke it up.

I gotta tell ya, I wish I'd been there to see that. If I were a big guy, I'd punch him, too. See, the thing is, I don't really think he's mentally unstable. I think he wants everyone to think he is. I was once in Gino's when he came in, placed his order, and sat quietly in a booth waiting for his food. He had the sense to speak to the woman behind the counter, he had the sense to count out the appropriate amount of money, and he had the sense to wait and then receive his order. How crazy is that? He also goes to the bank like a civilized human. And the woman at the local kitchen for the homeless told me that when it's just the two of them, he's as rational as the rest of us. I want to punch him because I'm sick of his terrorizing the town.

Maybe he is crazy. Maybe he's sane when he's on his meds and crazy when he's off them. Maybe he's drunk or high a lot. I don't know, but either way, I wish I'd seen him take that punch.

Camera club entry...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I've titled this one, Can I Hold Your Hand?, because it looks (I hope) kind of spooky. Tonight's theme is churches and cemeteries, and I didn't have anything to enter until this weekend, when I ran around town frantically taking pics. I'm not in love with any of my entries, but I think this one would make a nice Halloween party invitation.

Making fun of a co-worker...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Yes, I'm mean.

But this needs sharing.

A co-worker in the cubicle next to me, who I'll call TD, has no concept of the English language. No, he's not foreign, he's from the boonies. His grammer is atrocious, but I'm used to hearing that. Most of the guys I work with can't conjugate see/saw/have or had seen, which drives me nuts, but this guy gets words wrong. No, he isn't mixing up lie and lay, he's making up different forms of the word.

For example, he didn't get his dog spayed, he got her spaded.

The trash can wasn't crammed full, it was crum full.

He didn't look it up in the encyclopedia, but in the cyclopedia.

Okay, you get the idea. Now the best thing yet happened last week. TD works at Wendy's part-time. This is the conversation we had:

TD: Hey, have you saw that new Wendy's commercial for the new burgers?

Me: Maybe, I don't know. I don't pay much attention to commercials like that. Why?

TD: Well, we've got these burgers called double-stacks and triple-stacks, and we get people in the drive-thru that will say, "Gimme a couple of them double-stackers."

Me: Okay...

TD: Well, I just thought it's funny how those people pronounciated those words wrong.

Pro-noun-ci-at-ed???

It's a good thing I was still facing my computer, because by this time he had walked behind me and it took everything I had not to laugh out loud. Of course, it's not really funny, is it? Aw, heck, who am I kidding? It is, too.

I'm mean.

More happy news (and the video will make you teary)

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

This six-year-old got a birthday party/present he'll never forget.

Feel good story of the day...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Men like this made America great. Hat off to Joe Works.

The ever depressing news...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:43:00 +0000

She cried rape — and no one helped
Pakistani gang-rape victim gets married
Critics say new Afghan law 'legalizes rape'

And the list goes on and on.

Every day we are bombarded by depressing news, and today is no different. Some days I can shrug it off, but not today. Today, I've read about two mass killings, a brawl at a wake, and two rape victims. I didn't even get to the Afghani law I've linked to above; I just couldn't take any more. There were numerous other headlines that were depressing without my even having to read the articles. It's days like today that I'm ready for the end.

Some days I wonder why God allows this all to go on. There is so much evil, so much violence, so much hatred...I just wonder how bad it's going to get before it gets better. Of course, I know there is a lot of good in the world, and I know some people who manage to focus on those good parts and block out the bad. I wish I were one of them. I just think we need a "good news" news source. How fabulous would that be? A site that only has articles about found children (she wasn't abducted--she was hiding in the closet!), women who were told they couldn't have children who then had miracle babies, pets that alert their owners to kitchen fires before they get out of control and cause damage...oh the wonderful stories we could read about! Children tutoring peers, not bullying them; divorced parents re-marrying; employees giving up part of their salary so a co-worker doesn't have to get laid off...the possibilities are endless!

So in response, I give you my good news story of the day: Hubby and I filed our taxes yesterday (yes, I'm a procrastinator), and we're getting enough back to take a vacation, a real, honest-to-goodness vacation. We've only "gone" on vacation once before, and didn't have a honeymoon, so this is a big deal to us. Okay, maybe my good news doesn't do it for you, but thinking about it makes me forget about all the bad news, and that's enough for today. Until I hear about a really good news story to share.

The three reasons I don't drink alcohol...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:39:00 +0000

You know how one thing you hear or read leads to a thought that leads to a thought that leads to a thought that...you get the picture. The next thing you know, you're miles from where you started. Well, something I read today has lead me to want to write about why I don't drink, and have never even tasted alcohol. That's right, not even a sip.

Depending on which day or time or mood I'm in when you ask me, you may get any of three answers as to why I've made this decision. Then, depending on how interested you seem to be or how much time I have, you will get the long or short answer. But here I want to address all three things.

Reason 1: My dad was an alcoholic. No, he isn't deceased, but he no longer drinks. And while I know many people say "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic", I don't believe that's true of Dad. He stopped drinking when he saw what it does to a family. While he drank the entire time my sisters were at home, and up until my junior year of high school, it was seeing the effect on the family of my sister, T--, that I think woke him up. T--'s husband drank and her two kids lived through the problems it caused, so maybe Dad finally looked at himself.

He wasn't a violent drunk, but he sure could be a jerk. And that's all I have to say about that.

Reason 2: I think I would probably be an alcoholic. When I like the taste of something, I'm a guzzler. Lattes and fruity drinks cause me to drink quickly--sipping is not an option. So I figure that if I liked the taste, that's what would happen. Although so many people say it's an acquired taste, I doubt I'd get that far. And the smell alone makes me sick. Probable a side effect of Reason 1 puking his beer all over the living room rug/sofa. That was a childhood memory I'd rather forget.

Reason 3: Here's where it gets a little more complicated. I don't drink for religious reasons. No, I don't think it's a sin, but I know it can lead to sin. Allow me to explain. Some people can have a glass of wine and be perfectly fine, not needing to finish off the bottle. But other people have the tendency toward addictive behaviors, and may not be able to stop at one. If I profess to be a Christian and someone sees me having a beer with a friend at the local bar and grill, or maybe a glass of wine at the company Christmas party, they may think, "she's a Christian and she's drinking alcohol, so I can have alcohol, too." But they may not be able to stop, and get drunk. After that, there's any number of things that could happen that wouldn't be good.

Do I think my not drinking is going to stop someone from drinking? No. Do I think other Christians will stop drinking when they see I'm not? No. But my sharing this reason with other Christians has caused them to say I've given them something to think about. And while it may not make a difference either way, I can hope it does.

Seriously though, I don't have a problem with other people having a drink. And honestly, if I weren't able to say I'm 35 years old and never tasted it, I probable would drink. But when you can say that, you get a lot of reactions, a lot of questions, and a lot of time to share all three reasons, giving the listener a lot of time to think. Even if they're only thinking they wish I'd shut up.

Photography show reception...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:54:00 +0000

The reception took place on Saturday, and I'm rather pleased with it. We had a decent turnout, I'm guessing 50-60 people, maybe even more, since it's hard to know with people coming and going during two hours.

Out of the probably 70 people I invited, three showed up. This was both exciting and disappointing. Exciting because I realize an art show is not everyone's cup of tea, so to have anyone show up was a really big deal. Disappointing because the people who promised to come forgot about it. Oh well. At least my Sunday school friends, the Coles, came, as did my neighbor/personal trainer, Amy. That meant SO much to me.

I got lots of thanks from club members, some of which really raved about how nice everything looked, how organized it was, etc. I may have glowed with happiness. We even had two pieces (unfortunately not mine) sell in the week leading up to the reception, which is a pretty big deal. Evidently we've shown there in the past and didn't sell anything during the run. I've got my fingers crossed that I sell my pics...it would be great to have money for more camera equipment!

BTW, I have my photography website up and running! Here's the link. I hope to have a flashier version soon... after I learn Flash! Let me know what you think.

Photography show up and running...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Just a quick post to inform everyone that the show is currently going on from today, January 5 until mid-February. The reception is this coming Saturday (January 10) from 3-5 pm in the Frankenburger Art Gallery at the University of Charleston. Finger food will be provided (cookies, cheese and crackers, punch, etc.) and everyone is invited!

Hope to see you there!

A couple of tidbits...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:36:00 +0000

I began seeing a chiropractor on Monday for the knotted muscles and headaches that have plagued me for a decade, and I'm already feeling the difference. The knots are loosening (I've gone three days in a row), and I thought that would never happen. Having a professional crack your back is the only way to go.

Yesterday, I booked a photo exhibit for the camera club at a local college's art gallery. I'm pretty excited about this, as it will be the first showing I've participated in. I just hope it's not a big let-down. We'll have a reception on opening night, which sounds kind of swanky, but somehow I doubt it will be anything like I imagine. I'd like to have something where people who are actually interested in what you do come and glow over your work, dressed in elegant evening wear. It will probably be more like the flannel and denim jeans yokels looking for some free food. Don't get me wrong, I'm a denim jeans kind of girl, but that's not what I what my first photography showing to be like. I'm also hoping to send out invitations, mostly because I really get into making my own holiday cards and party invites. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll get a personalized invitation to the show of the year! Well, it's the show of the year for me anyway...

The kitchen update that won't die...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Hubby and I have been trying to update our kitchen for 7 of the 9 years we've lived here, but you'd never know by the amount of progress we've made. One day I went on an wild, ripping-out, crazy fit and tore down half the ceiling tile, half the soffits, and half the fake dark-wood paneling. Half of all these because I'm a wuss and the other parts were too hard. Eventually, Hubby helped with the rest of the demo.

Since my crazy fit, we've replaced the ceiling tile with what looks like painted wood boards. Most of the walls are now covered with bead-board, which was the easy fix after discovering that the walls in the original kitchen (the previous owners added on a sun room) were covered in glued-on plastic tile. Let me give you a tip: if ever you find this crap during a remodel, just rip down the old plaster or drywall and put up new, because while popping the tiles off is easy, the glue does not cooperate. Hubby chiseled the stuff off in our bathroom and it left them in horrible condition, so I had to do a texture paint treatment as a fix. And the smell! It stunk so bad you didn't want to breathe in there. Needless to say when, we realized the kitchen was covered in the stuff, we decided to cover them back up. What sucks is that part of the tile had been covered by bead-board that we ripped down (This was not the same as the fake wood paneling. This kitchen was a decorator's nightmare).

Anyway, I'm now in the process of painting the cabinets, then we'll replace the counters, paint the walls, and last of all replace the flooring, which is currently the ugliest linoleum ever made.

The cabinets are going great. If you ever decide to paint cabinets, you MUST use Cabinet Coat. This stuff ROCKS! It's the best paint for this job, as it gives you a smooth, durable finish that truly does look like it came from the factory that way, assuming you do it right.

This picture is to show the before and after:
Notice how dark the before look is? And hubby even stripped them a few years ago. They were hideously dark. He stripped them because several people had a cow when I said I was going to paint them. "That's gorgeous wood!" they said. Maybe so, but the cabinet style is outdated and it's freaking dark in there, even with four huge windows and the back door window. And I don't even have window treatments on three of the windows! So paint I did, criticizers be darned!

This photo is just to show how smooth it is, although you probably can't really tell anything.

Now I just have to do the lower cabinets, which hopefully I'll get to quicker than the upper ones.

By the way, if any of my sentences are hard to interpret, I apologize. I'm on day 4 of a tension headache/migraine and am currently all doped up. Loopy is great for making it through a workday, but terrible for writing.

Politics, shmalitics...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:28:00 +0000

Warning: If you've sent me an email on why one politician is bad, you may be offended by the following. I'm sorry if it happens, but I feel the need to have my say as much as you felt the need to campaign to me.

I'm so sick of politics, politicians, and political ads. No wonder: I saw on the news this morning that Obama started campaigning over one year and eight months ago, and McCain started over one year and six months ago. We should pass a law that says that no one can campaign until, say, three months before the primaries. Even then we'll all be sick of it by May.

I'm also sick of friends who send me their "the other guy will destroy our nation" propaganda. Some of the stuff said about both presidential candidates gives the office way more credit than it deserves. Obama won't single-handedly shut down the coal industry. McCain won't single-handedly drive our nation into debt. Besides, that's been done anyway. We don't have a dictatorship. We have a system of checks and balances in place for a reason...this very reason, so that one person can't come in and go nuts with power. I just want to throw a Civics book at some people.

And of course, it won't end tomorrow, or next week, just because the election is over (God forbid we have another fiasco like in Florida in 2000). We'll have to hear about how Obama didn't have the experience McCain said he should have had, or how McCain really is just another Bush.
Can you tell I'm ready to strangle every politician I see?

At least I voted. I didn't want to, because I don't like McCain or Obama particularly. I like some things about both, and dislike some things about both. Unfortunately, this isn't a "build your perfect candidate" race. You have to go with what you were given. My candidate didn't get very far, and I think it's a shame. He had charisma (like Obama) and the background (like McCain) to get the job done. I would have written him in, but it would have been a wasted vote, and in this election, I can't afford to do that.

House stuff and photography...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:37:00 +0000

I haven't done much posting lately, and I really don't have a good excuse, other than trying to get a lot of house stuff done. I've been in a mad flurry of activity for weeks, trying to get house stuff done before our Halloween party. I can't stand the thought of having people see the bathroom with two colors of paint (I ran out of the new color), the holes in the living room walls where I pulled out old screws (I've now patched and painted these, BTW), or the kitchen cabinets with the doors removed while I'm painting them in the basement (hopefully I'll be finished so hubby can put them up on Saturday). Anyway, I've been extremely productive at home, and extremely tired at work. And occasionally busy.

Anyway, I've joined the local camera club, and after entering two contests, I'm excited to have two first-place wins. The first you see here won in the novice color "Old Buildings" theme.

This one you've seen on the blog before. It won last month in the novice black and white category. It was an open theme.

I've been doing a lot of photo taking lately, at least up until the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll place in more than one category in November. Selfish, aren't I?

Books for WV children...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:18:00 +0000

http://www2.firstbook.org/whatbook/

Go here to send 50,000 books to WV for kids. I've watched us go from 3rd place to 1st! Let's keep voting (once a day) until September 15 to keep us on top!

Usain Bolt's 100m win...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:14:00 +0000

It took a lot of effort to find the link for this video, but if you've heard all the hoopla and want to see it, watch this:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0816_m100mreview_ja273

You-Tube had nothing but Rick Astley videos, "rickrolling" if you've never heard of it.

A lap is a lap, no matter where it is...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:58:00 +0000

As I'm already getting into the Halloween spirit, no pun intended, I thought I'd post this from last year. While putting the tons of Halloween decorations in the attic, we would put certain things in the bathroom to keep the kitties away from them, in case they were feeling destructive. I was certain this pirate would be a prime target, becasue he had tattered and ripped clothing, so into the bathroom it went. Imagine the fear I had for my pirate-friend when I realized hubby had left the door open at some point. I looked in, not to find the terrible carnage I expected, but to see this. My sweet Baxter, who can somehow sit on your lap before your butt is even on the couch, had curled up on the pirate's "lap". Of course, Crazy Cat Lady couldn't pass up this excellent photo op. Isn't he precious?

A few thoughts from the past few days...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:36:00 +0000

1. I hate working in an office.
2. I want to work for myself.
3. I want to make a living as a photographer.
4. I have too much junk in my house.
5. As a result, the cat hair is impossible to control.
6. My husband will never learn to stop leaving shoes in the middle of the living room.
7. Working inside on nice days is probably a sin.
8. I'd be better off without TV, but the withdrawal period would probably kill me.
9. I still love my new car.
10. Shallow people need smacked, and I'm just the chick to do it.

Rust can be cool...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Mmm...peanut butter...nom, nom, nom...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:23:00 +0000

More pics (and don't be scared...)

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:59:00 +0000

This is a picture of the concrete base of my birdbath. Actually, it's the concrete base of nothing, since the basin part broke years ago. I still dig it though; it's great yard art. :-)

Check out this scary pic of a teeny, tiny spider sunning himself on a daisy. He's a scary monster, isn't he? You probably can't see it, but he's wearing a little black mask so we can't identify him later.

Here's a close-up. That's some mask he's wearing, isn't it? Very Zorro-like.

Photo Friday...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:51:00 +0000

I'm getting closer to being a professional photographer--I hope. I almost don't want to say it, or even write it, for fear of jinxing myself. I have a website, which I will post a link to when it's ready for viewing. Speaking of which, I could use some help with the site, if anyone would like to offer some help with Flash or whatever. I'm also working on getting my name and images out there and booking some shows for the Charleston Camera Club, and hopefully myself, so at least I'm taking steps toward my goal. In the meantime, some assorted pics for Photo Friday. Hope you enjoy!

This very sizable bunny was lying in our yard Wednesday evening, all stretched out and relaxed. I just had to get a picture, and unfortunately that's all I got--one picture before he hopped away, despite my assuring him that I wouldn't hurt him. I guess he was shy. Anyway, isn't he a cutie?

Check out this antique cash register; isn't it gorgeous? This is a perfect example of why I love antiques and old buildings...the ornate features you just don't see with new things today. Everything was built with pride, not just in that it would work, but that it was aesthetically pleasing. Art was everywhere and everything!

I'm obsessed with close-ups of everday items, and this is the face of an antique clock. I just think it's cool. :-)

Big day...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:37:00 +0000

Yesterday was an eventful day for us. The insurance rep came to inspect our roof to see if we had hail damage from a storm in June, and sure enough, we need a new roof on the house and garage. I'm not upset by this actually, because we were wanting to update to a metal roof, and now our insurance company gets to pay for most of it! Yea us!

Also, Baxter had to go to the vet with a nasty illness. I'll save you the details, but he now gets medicine twice a day and already seems to be doing better.

How cute is this face?!?!?!

An odd assortment of pics...

noreply@blogger.com (Crazy Cat Lady) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Yes, this is a picture of a human skull, and yes, it does cost $800. It's for sale at Robert's Antiques in Lewisburg. I said, "So, Bob, how did you come to have a human skull?" His response? "I used to have a few bodies." Good answer. Someone said I should have asked what happened to them; somehow that didn't occur to me.

If you ever get the chance to go, it's a cool antiques store, having a horse-drawn funeral carriage, complete with child-size coffin; a real electric chair; a guillotine; and old medical equipment, though not as much as he used to have. It's also a huge wine shop, for those interested.

Here's a pic of my orange living room that I promised to post. It's not the best photo, and you'll notice that I hadn't cleaned up (there's a laundry basket in front of the fireplace). But at least you get a feel for the look. I call it a spicy pumpkin color. Hubby says it looked like pumpkin right out of the can. Meaning the pumpkin can and the paint can. Note the rockin' Moravian star light. I love it!

And now, for the test. Anybody want to guess what this is?