P.S. for Dee, who didn't know some of my earlier references

Whoopsa daisy

I may have sat through Breakfast at Tiffany's as a kid but I don't remember much about the romantic comedy-- other than my mother telling me how Audrey Hepburn was right up there with the most beautiful and stylish women in the world (e.g. Princess Di, Jackie O, Iman) while I thought to myself that I preferred My Fair Lady because it was funnier to watch Eliza Doolittle go on about "the rain in Spain" with marbles/rocks/whatever stuffed in her mouth than to try to listen as Holly Golightly strummed "Moon River" on her guitar. I had no clue back then about being confused-thwarted-inspired by the pangs of romantic love.

Lucky for me, these days I live with someone who has a knack for recalling details, including certain arbitrary statements that I've made and then (almost) forgotten about. According to my beloved GF, I said I was serious about wanting to learn to play the ukelele. Therefore, I should *not* have been taken by surprise when today after work (after making me don my sleep mask after she caught me peeking) Dee placed a small, guitar-shaped case in my hands. "OK, you can open your eyes and present! Surprise, happy birthday!"

I *have* been wanting to have a hobby I can do on my own with minimal fuss; whereas I tend to view fits of blogging on my laptop as more a form of Art Therapy (versus Entertainment).  Anyways, Dee figures if I get tired of practicing at home, my new uke is lightweight enough to be transported to Greenlake or other fresh air spot.

Hollywood romance: Won over with diamonds or ukeleles?

Took off on the ferry to soak up Mississippi blues and music from the bayou:

Mr Terry "Harmonica" Bean at Blues Fest

As she was taking pictures of musicians, Dee pointed out the steel guitar (left, front) to me.

Sunpie Barnes worked the crowd onto their feet. There wasn't much of a dance floor at this particular venue, but the audience was stomping and singing along (whether they knew the words in English, French, or gibberish =)

Always wanted a washboard apron to jam with!

A Brief Recap of Where I'm At

Despite Dee's warnings that I was setting myself up for disappointment, I got all psyched and applied to the Blue Scrubs program at Crazy-Expensive Catholic School. And I got in. And I even got one of the scholarships I applied for. But I haven't been able to come up with a grand total of 30K/year, so it's highly unlikely that  matriculating there this Fall - unless I happen to strike it rich by winning the lottery (mmm better start playing). I'm sincerely bummed.

I know, I'll get over it. Hopefully sooner rather than later, while I can still enjoy the rest of summer.

Could really use a wish or two right now.

Annie Update!

Someone found her in their shed: The neighbor's landlady came by Emerald Acres to add items to storage and locked up Annie too without realizing it. Our kittycat definitely lost some weight; about 3-4 fingers' worth, according to how loose her collar feels. Behavior-wise, she's been walking around underfoot (or climbing into our laps and meowing emphatically) more than usual.  But hey, we're not complaining!

Dee made an appointment with the Vet for next week to give Fraidy Cat a chance to relax before punishing her with a full-on exam. The good doctor said we should keep Annie indoors for a few days, in order to monitor her eating and voiding. Otherwise, she appears happy and healthy. Annie's back home!

(As Dee puts it, "Our family's together again!")

near impossible to ask around here but Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I'd be the first to admit I'm probably a mole-ish creature at heart. My first conversation of the day from this morning, for instance, underscored fact that I spent countless hours from childhood-thru-latent-adulthood hidden among the bookshelves at the library. For a Person O Color, I was kind of a pasty kid.

DEE: Rise and shine, dear! Time to drop you off to work!

ME: Oh wah noooo! I've been up since practically pre-dawn. I got up to go to the bathroom and afterwards I could hear the heater making funny noises. Then the birds had to start in with their chirping. Tweet tweet tweet tweet...There was a whole chorus outside, including a particularly high-pitched soprano. Tweeet tweet TWEET!

DEE: Say what?

ME: I got my eye shade and ear plugs, but it still took FOR-EV-ER to fall back to sleep.

DEE: Why the eye mask?

ME (rolling eyes): Uh, because the glare of the morning sun broke in through the windows...

DEE *: Sounds like spring is in the air!*

*If I recollect correctly, Dee actually said "Will you stop being a crab-ass".

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Speaking of March-April madness, we saw Disney's new Alice in Wonderland on the big screen this weekend. Maybe Tim Burton's storyline didn't to stick too closely with the book or previous film, but we both thought the animation stole the show. Alice's animal crew were totally cutified! On the other hand, we were somewhat taken aback by the movie's 3-D violence (a la IMAX). Fight scenes with eyeballs and sewing needles = eeewww. Several days later...

DEE: Emergency Room, Charge Nurse.

ME: Hello, how are you? How's work?

DEE: We're on Psych Divert. What's up?

ME: You're right! The fighting dormouse was a girl.

DEE: How do you know?

ME: I read it on the internet.

DEE: Basically, you'll take the word of some movie reviewer over what I was telling you before.

ME: Or...hooray for investigative journalism resolving our difference of opinion!

DEE: G'bye.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Seriously though; while other peeps may have spent their Easter Sunday running around after hardboiled eggs, Dee and I were putting "Lost Tabby Cat" posters in mailboxes and on telephone poles throughout Em Island.

Two weeks is a long time for cans of usually coveted whitefish with gravy (WET food for goodness' sake) to remain untouched, even for an indoor-slash-outdoor cat who's never been shy about "visiting" with mice and other woodland creatures around the cottage. I mentioned to Dee that her rascally tabby--sorry, cherished kiddo--isn't the same madcap explorer anymore at 14, 15, 16 (?) yrs old but I'm loathe to crush a stubborn hope (which has turned into nightly dreams) that Annie's alright. I would love for Dee to be right believing in that Little Annie will emerge from her rabbit hole once the rainy season dies down a bit.