Revisiting Some Oldies But Goodies

Hello! Before I write any more, I wanted to thank everyone who sent birthday wishes to Milo the Koodle. It was truly lovely, and I think he had as good of a birthday as he could without his bestie, Pip. But we did our best, and he liked the treats and the playing and the extra attention, and really what else can you ask for, whether or not you are a cat??

The other day, I was remembering when I started this blog. One of the things that was really popular - because blogs were "social media" then - was people thinking of Q&As, answering for themselves and then tagging other bloggers to do the same. It was kinda fun, and you could learn something about people that they might not otherwise have a reason to ever tell you.

So I decided to give one of them a try today. The difference is, I'm not tagging anyone else to do the same. You are more than welcome to if you like, but when I know when I am tagged for anything, I feel obliged to at least consider whether or not I want to "play along" and frankly 99% of the time, I just can't be bothered. So whenever I do one of these posts, if you feel inclined or inspired to also do one, go for it. But trust me, I'm not going to pressure you!

Today we are revisiting:

Ten Things About Me That You May Not Know

1. I did not graduate from high school.

2. I have both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree.

3. I went with my mother and my sisters went to the 1964 World's Fair in New York. My father was there for this work, and so it was our "vacation." The *only* line my mother was willing to wait in was for the Vatican Pavilion. Otherwise, we saw exhibits with either short lines or small ones. You know, like the Bulgarian Pavilion ... We were allowed to get one souvenir each. I opted for a hat with my name embroidered on it. But the guy misheard me, so I ended up with a souvenir that said "Richard" on it.

4. I was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, but have lived in many many places, both as a kid and as an adult. I have lived in Philadelphia for longer than anywhere else, and the house where we live is also the longest I've lived on one house during my life.

5. I was named for my great-grandmother. If I had been a boy, my name would have been Jeremiah Patrick, after my great-grandfather.

6. The first place I clearly remember living was at 162 Park Avenue. Teaneck, New Jersey. 

7.While we lived there, my father brought home my first pet, an white angora kitten he found at his work. I named her Frosty Fitzgerald Arthur (we didn't know at first if she was a boy or a girl, hence "Frosty"; JFK had been elected President, leading to the "Fitzgerald"). She lived to be 18 years old, and her favorite person was always my father; she died about a year after he did.

8. I have only been to a kids-type camp once in my life. It was Girl Scout camp, and a) I hated it, and b) I left early because my hand caught on fire at the camp fire when the girl sitting next to me failed to watch where she was aiming the stick with her s'more on it when she took it out of the fire.

9. I have a fake belly button.

10. I have survived three types of cancer: breast, ovarian, and kidney.

So there you go. The sad thing is, while writing this, I thought of at least five or six additional things, and I'm sure if I went ahead and decided to include those, I'd think of even more! Which is why you're still getting TEN things, no more than that! 😊

A Birthday Post

Things have been rough so far this year, so it's especially nice that we have a little more than a week of various happy things starting today.

Happy Birthday to Milo the Koodle!

This stinker turns 13 years old today! Life is never boring with the Koodle, I have to say. He definitely keeps us on our toes, and keeps the other cats on alert a lot of the time. He's still missing his best Pip buddy (as are all of us), so we are hoping to make this birthday an extra good one for him with lots of attention and treats. 

He is actually a very good boy overall, and cuddly - as long as it's when HE wants to cuddle! He doesn't miss much that happens around here, and every morning he sits right next to me when I have my breakfast. If I'm having cereal or oatmeal, he insists on having the very last bit of milk in the bowl - and if I am not forthcoming with said bowl, he will tap me on the arm with his claws in the event that maybe I have forgotten he's there.🙄

Nothing is as much fun to him as a game of Kitty Tease (the fishing rod with a bit of fabric at the end) - he LOVES playing that! The biggest problem is that he is not happy to share it with anyone else. He'll "catch" it, and then hold it in his iron jaw until something distracts him and I can pull it out so the others can play. 

So we'll have some Kitty Tease time today, and there will be treats. I bought a can of his favorite wet food to split among that cats for his birthday dinner, and I bought him a catnip toy which I'm sure will be the cause of much hilarity for all. I'll stop at a local place and buy a cupcake so we can have a candle and sing "Happy Birthday" tonight. 

We could all use some reason to celebrate. 💖

In My Next Life ...

1. Who are these people?

2. Where are they, and why do they look so content?

3. They are all white - so ... where is this, geographically?

4. Am I the only one who thinks the female patient almost looks like Carmen Miranda, with that plant above her head, looking almost like a hat??

5. Spoiler alert - the person who made this illustration has likely never visited a doctor's office or medical waiting room.

I had an appointment yesterday for my annual mammogram and a breast ultrasound. My appointment for the mammogram was for 9:30 a.m., and the ultrasound was at 10 a.m. I arrived as instructed by 9:15. I got home at 2:30 p.m.

My appointment was in a brand, spanking new, high-end, all-the-bells-and-whistles new building. Previously, I had gone to another building about a block away, and though it was likely about 40 years old, it wasn't an awful place to wait and/or have the appointments. So I was curious to see how the new place was so much better and more wonderful.

By the time I left, I decided that I should become a "patient consultant" to places building new and "better" facilities. Because this one had lots of issues.

Aesthetically, it is fine - new and "modern" looking, but not in an overly offensive way. No one would mistake it for anything other than a 2000s medical building, at least here in the U.S.

You enter into a glass-enclosed atrium. There are upholstered chairs placed in different areas of the lobby, along with the requisite large potted plants. And as you look around, there are kiosks situated along part of one wall, and tucked wayyyyy into a corner is a very small desk console with "Information Desk" on it in barely visible signage. There are three different elevator banks, again with barely visible signage, telling you what elevators go to what floors.

The kiosks are apparently where you initially "check-in." My instructions said to bypass those and head directly to the 4th floor. I was grateful for that, because I could tell that many people trying to use the kiosks (some quite elderly, and some for whom clearly English was not their first language) were having troubles, and there were lines behind them of 4-5 people each, which I'm sure didn't help.

I got to the 4th floor, and for the first time saw a decent sign telling me where to go. However, once there, it was unclear if someone worked there to check you in. I did find that person, behind a screen, and got checked in. 

After waiting a while, my name was called and I was directed to the Changing Room to change into the hospital gown for said procedures. The "lockers" provided to store your clothes, etc., were the size of a cubby at a pre-school. So you were supposed to put your winter coat AND your clothes in there. The person directing me said to bring my purse and any valuables with me, because the locking systems on said lockers didn't work. She vaguely pointed down the hall to the waiting room. And the hospital gown was in fact not a gown, but a cape - I spent an inordinate amount of time looking for something resembling a sleeve until I figured THAT out!

The waiting room as a) tiny, and b) had couches. Only. No individual chairs. Now I don't know about you, but I don't really enjoy sitting on couches with people I dont' know. Plus, couches encourage people to spread themselves and their belongings out, and there was a lot of woman-spreading happening. There was absolutely nothing else in the waiting room - not even a fake plant. And at one point, a couple of people had to stand, because the room was small and there was not any seating left. I was in there for an hour and a half, and let me tell you, I got really tired of just looking at my phone. There weren't even any "paintings" on the wall to stare at senselessly.

Then I got called for the mammogram. Holy crap, that room was HUGE! I am not kidding when I say it was approximately the size of our first floor in our house. And yes, there was lots of equipment, but there was also enough space to host a gathering. 

Then I was sent to another waiting room to wait for the ultrasound. Same set up as the first room. I waited in there for 2 hours. Finally got called to the ultrasound room, which seemed much more reasonable, size-wise. Then sent back to the waiting room to wait for the doctor and get the report from both tests. Another 2 hours. 

Once that was over, I was told to go back to the changing and leave by the "exit door, not the same door you came in when you first arrived." So I wandered down a poorly-marked hallway until I saw a small sign that said "Changing Room." It looked vaguely familiar and fortunately, it was the right place. Then I had to find my way to the exit, which was once again a) circuitous, and b) poorly designated, signage-wise.

When I FINALLY got home, I decided that in my next life, I should set myself up in business as a person who represents "the public" whenever someone is planning a new building. Because this new building may have been bigger, brighter, and contain more/better (?) technology, but it was a disaster as far as design usage was concerned for patients. I was honestly appalled, because the older building I was used to was only frustratingly the same as far as the small, cubby-sized lockers. It was the one thing I had expected to be an improvemenet in the new building.

Once again, I told myself that in a Bridget-centric world, that building could have been so much better. Unlike most of the time, I hope I get one of those surveys they send after an appointment - I have a lot to tell them!

On top of which - I have to go back for another test at the end of the month - GAH! I told The Tim that maybe I should pack a lunch ... 

What, Pray Tell, Have I Been Doing?

Hello all, and I hope where you are is as sunny as it is today in Philadelphia! I have already been out for my walk, and hope to get out again at some point for some more enjoyment of a sunny and cool day.

I thought I'd catch you up on things I've been doing, crafts-wise. It's been a while since I had much to say about my knitting, and even longer since I've done any stitching, so here you go.

A couple of years ago now, I finished stitching this little Rudolph counted cross-stitch ornament. Then I set it aside, and last year when I went to finish it so I could hang it on the tree, I couldn't find it. I found it when we were putting things away, and left it out so that I could have it *completely* ready for next year.

It was seriously a matter of putting the fabric around a little core that came in the kit with it, and then gluing it into this little pie tin and putting a ribbon through the top for hanging. So this December, it will be ready to be included on the tree! (After I put it away safely, I looked at this picture, and realized there was a loose thread hanging out of it. 🙄 Rest assured I'll take care of that when I pull it out with the other decorations.)

These next two things are knitting projects I've been working on. Just below is the start of my Artus shawl.

I'd hoped to start this last fall, but didn't. And trust me, there's a lot of it left to knit - some parts with charts, which means it will take me even longer. But so far, I'm enjoying the knit, and I love this waffle texture that you start knitting. I have no deadline for this - I'm hoping to have it for next fall, but as long as I can use it next fall or winter, I'll be happy.

My sweater is really getting closer to being completed. Right now, I'm working on the sleeves, and am very close to finishing the first one. Then I'll do the second and then finish the body. I am finally trying the method of getting a bit of the body done, and then doing the sleeves before finishing that. It means you have a lot less fabric flopping around when you are doing the sleeves. And it also means that when the body is finally finished, the sweater is finished!

I'm not saying much more about this now, because I don't want to jinx myself. But I am thrilled with how it looks!

I've also been working on a pair of socks, but haven't taken any photos of them yet. (I had to save something for next time, right??)

So I have been busy with some things, and the good news is that I am happy with all of them. 

*****

Other than that, I'm glad all of you took my last post about names in the spirit it was intended, and got a laugh or two out of it. Of course, once I finished the post, I thought of at least ten more names that have amused me, but I'm sure we all have some. I was just worried once I posted it that people would think I was making fun of people. And I guess in some ways I was, but I promise I wasn't intending it to sound callous or vicious. I have no room to talk, having spent my life with people either mangling my name, or calling me something else altogether! 

Tomorrow is the first day of March, and I'm happy about that. March is one of my most fave months. Usually February and I get along just fine, but since the month started in the worst way possible, it was hard to go along as usual. I'm hoping March proves to be as pleasing at it usually does. 

My weekend plans include a trip to a Joann Fabrics near here, to see if anything I usually like to find there is left at all, since they are going out of business. I have to say that the news is discouraging to me. Not that I spent all of my spare time there, but there are certain things I could always count on finding there at a decent price. And I did enjoy looking for fabric there - nowadays, there are so few places that sell fabric that you can see in person. And then if there are, a lot to of times, you can't afford the stuff! A new place opened here in Philadelphia, and it's lovely. But it's extremely high end, and not being an expert at sewing, I won't be spending any money on fabric there! 

Other than that, probably just the usual weekend activities (or lack thereof). I would like to get some projects around the house closer to being finished, but I'm not gonna beat myself up if I don't get to them. 

I hope you have a good weekend, and a good start to the month of March. Take care, and I'll check in again next week.

P.S. Apologies if you have commented recently, and didn't get a response from me if I have your e-mail address. I'm getting those weird error messages in my e-mail, and it seems that the only solution in the past has been to let it resolve itself. So I promise I'm not ignoring you altogether. 😊

Amusing

Today was my weekly shift taking care of adoptable kitties. Usually at least one person stops by to see them, and asks how to adopt them, etc. And of course, because they are people, there's a wide variety of comments, questions, etc. And today, one of them amused me, even if it was for the wrong reasons.

A woman stopped by to see the cats. At the moment, there are three tuxedo kitties, not related to each other, all different ages. One is 4 months old, and as you can imagine, she is bouncing all over her cage, having hilarious times with her toys. Another is a boy, 7 months old, who loves playing with his wand toy. And the third one is a year old female, who is very cuddly and likes to be brushed.

A woman came to look at them, and she was in love with the kitten. She told me that her previous cat got hit by a car because she was outside, and I said if she adopted from our group, she would have to sign a contract to keep the cat inside. She pretty much ignored that and kept going. She took at brief look at the boy, and said she didn't want a male cat, she wanted the kitten. She didn't want the year old cat, because she is "too old, weird looking, and has an ugly name." (Her shelter name is Risa, and she has a spot on her nose where she lost a bit of fur due to a non-serious skin condition.)

Now, as far as looks go, the woman I am talking about was, shall we say, not a head turner. She was probably about 40 years old, with no teeth, dark raccoon eyeliner, and greasy hair. And I know that I shouldn't have, but I found her comments about Risa amusing given the source.

On my way home, I was thinking about it, and was reminded of other times I was amused by people and their names. These are all people my mother knew, and I am 99% certain they are dead now, but if they are relatives or friends of yours, I apologize if you are offended.

My mother had three friends that she would do things with on a pretty regular basis in the years before she died. They were lovely women, willing to take her with them places and deal with her wheelchair like it was no big deal. My mother *always* called them their names in this order: Faye, and Kay, and Dot Mellott (prounounced like "a lot"). I found this amusing, but The Tim was particularly taken with it - telling my mother she was the only person he ever knew whose friends were "an internal rhyme."  He even wrote a poem about them, and I can only remember the first part:

Faye, and Kay, and Dot Mellot went walking to the town. 

Said Faye and Kay to Dot Mellot, "why don't we sit down?"

I don't remember the rest, but it was quite epic, and my mother found it hilarious. I have no idea if she ever mentioned it to Faye, and Kay, and Dot Mellot ...

Then there was the time when I was shopping with my mother - I think I was about twelve years old - and she ran into an old friend of hers from high school named Minnie Mumley. Now, we had all heard of Minnie Mumley, and found her name to be a source of great amusement. Meeting her was disappointing, because she didn't look to me like her name sounded. BUT even more amusing to both myself and my mother is that she said she had changed her name (at this point my mother was in her early sixties, so I guess Minnie was too?). My mother assumed she meant her last name, and asked her what she had changed her last name to, and she replied, "Oh I'm keeping Mumley - I changed my first name to Lillian." And the rest of the afternoon, my mother kept saying, "Well I don't get it - Lillian Mumley doesn't sound much better than Minnie Mumley." And my sisters and I thought this was quite amusing, to say the least.

The last thing I thought of were two elderly women who were in our parish and they were the types that were involved in everything, as well as being really nosy (in my mother's terms they were "nebshits). There names were Cynthia and Anna Bell, and they were regularly referred to by most people as "The Ding Dong Sisters" - of course, not to their faces. Well, one Sunday the priest was reading announcements for the coming week, and said something like, "On Tuesday evening, we will host _____. If you are interested, please contact Cynthia or Anna Bell." To which a very childlike voice piped up, "Mommy! He's talking about the Ding Dong Sisters!" and no one in my family can tell you anything else that happened afterwards because we had to leave (yes, we were all sadly too amused to recover). My father had gone to an earlier Mass, so when we came home a bit early, he wanted to know why, and my mother told him, and he said,  "This is why you're all going to hell," which caused even greater laughter.

Anyway, I thought this might give you a chuckle. I love names, all kinds. I love knowing what people name their babies, I love it when you come across a name that is just PERFECT for a person, or when someone with an even more unusual name than yours comments on how "weird" your name is (this used to happen to me as a kid - there were no other Bridgets walking around then wherever I went to school).

(Then there is the co-worker I had once who had gone to elementary school with a boy named ... Sheldon Fartslinger. We agreed that we hoped he was a mulitmillionare by now, to make up for all the times he was beat up on the playground as a kid ... )