randomly chaotic and frequently mundane

Browsed the classifieds today.  Marked all the possibles and looked up the locations.  All too far.  I wish they put addresses in the classifieds.  That would make things easier.  I tried to make sense of the bus system here, and I’m confuzzled.  I know “it’s just a bus system,” but it really makes no sense to me.

In other news, I just need to make the wings for Gage’s Halloween costume.  I’ll probably start gluing later today.  Gonna glue layers of newspaper together to make the wings out of, with some wire to support.  Then I have some black crepe fabric that I can stitch over that to make em black.  I wanna get some of those glowing neckaces to glue to the wings for the bones, or some glow in the dark paint to just paint the lines.

Tiger almost jumped over the fence the other day.  Him and the neighbors dog (a GORGEOUS German Shepherd) keep trying to get at each other.  On one hand it’s kind of amusing.  On the other hand, it’s a little frustrating.

First of all, yesterday Gage wanted grapes.  Well, he ate all of the grapes that were in the fridge already but he knew that there were some in the freezer (I like frozen grapes).  So he got them out and tried to take a bite of one.  It was too hard, so he put them in the microwave.  He didn’t start it, he looked to me to defrost the grapes, but he knew that putting something frozen in the microwave could make it not frozen.  I couldn’t stop laughing.  It was cute and funny at the same time.

Tiger got in trouble the other day and was sent “to bed,”  which means that he goes into his crate.  I closed it, because he was to be grounded for an hour or so.  Gage grabbed the door after I latched it and started pulling and saying “no no no no no” and yelling at me.  So I let Tiger out and Gage gave him a hug.  Much cuteness.  Tiger got a reprieve because Gage loves him so.  He’s a lucky dog.

They have this harness that they offer for kids to wear on the bus to and from school.  It goes over the shoulders, around the chest and between the legs.  Then it hooks into the seat on the bus in 4 places plus the seatbelt they put on the kids.  It apparently reduces the risk of serious injury in the event of an accident.  Makes sense.  The bus driver left one with me so I can fit it for Gage this weekend.  There’s still room to move once the child is hooked in, of course.  But they’re better restrained than just a lap belt.

Tiger mopes around the house while Gage is at school.  It’s so cute.  He misses his boy.

Gage and I are watching a little Tom & Jerry.  The episode that’s playing right no is the Thanksgiving one, where Jerry has a visiting orphan mouse who eats everything.  It’s awesome.  I’ve always loved this one.  It’s once of my favorites.  Of course now I sit here and think “who the hell sets their Thanksgiving table completely and then doesn’t sit down to dinner?”   Eh, it’s still funny.

Gage keeps filling the bathtub and playing in the water.  Not getting in, but using his toys (plastic dinosaurs and such) to play in the water.  It’s cute.

I was talking to the neighbor the other night, nice guy.  They have 2 gorgeous dogs — a shepherd and a dalmatian.  The shepherd likes to try and get aggressive with Tiger through the fence, which is apparently funny because he gets put in his place by the [female] dalmatian all the time.  Really cute dogs, though.  If Tiger’s outside and I hear them getting ready for a walk, I try to bring Tiger inside so they can get started out in peace.

I keep getting compliments on his coloring, as if I had something to do with it.  People seem especially intrigued with the fact that his markings extend all the way down his tail as opposed to that dark line down the top of the tail that so many dogs have.  He’s collar-less at the moment, he shook his collar off in the yard somewhere, and I haven’t found it yet.  So I guess I’ve gotta get him a new collar soon.  New tags as well.  I did find a site recently that sells them for $3.50 each and $2 shipping no matter how many you buy.  I like to get extras.  Tiger tends to lose his tags more than his collars.  So right now he’s a naked puppy.  Which is nice.  The reason we always get him a chain collar is because it doesn’t interfere with the visual aspect as much as a nylon or leather collar does.  Unfortunately, they are easy to shake or scratch off.  I don’t think it’s intentional though, because he gets so excited when he sees that I have his collar and puts his head right through.

It rained yesterday.  It’s overcast today.  It’s nice and cool though, that’s good.   I have a headache, and I think it’s because I haven’t had any coffee the past couple of days.

There’s construction at the end of the road.  They’re building a small apartment building.  Sometimes they have to park a cement mixer or other construction vehicle on the street while it waits its turn.  Gage and Tiger are fascinated by them and watch them.  Gage more than Tiger.  Tiger does more barking and trying to chase.

Speaking of Tiger and trying to chase… the neighbor often rides his bike to work.  He also occasionally just goes for a ride.  Last night he was going out on his bike (that’s bicycle, for clarity) and Tiger was acting like he wanted to get at the bike.  I’ve always thought the question “why do dogs chase cars they have no intention of driving?” is funny.  Even funnier, however, is why is my dog chasing a bicycle that he has no intention of riding?  Seriously, picture that.

ok, so gage has been running around without a pullup a lot the past week or so.  some interesting stuff on the potty training front has occurred.  first, out of all the nights that i’ve allowed him to sleep without a pullup on he’s only wet the bed once (out of at least 7 nights).  instead of finding puddles on the carpet the next morning, i’ve found a pee-stream in the bathtub.  not quite the right place, but the right room at least.

i’ve gone into the bathroom and found him sitting on the potty all of his own accord, and after the first time he put on a pair of his underwear afterward.  an interesting sign, yes?

this morning, i woke up to what sounded like a trickle of water in the bathtub… upon investigation, i found gage on the potty… peeing.  all by himself.  not too bad at all.  needless to say i praised the hell out of him, and he looked so proud of himself.  he even flushed when he was done, before he noticed that i was standing there.

he has also figured out how to put the lids on his sippy cups by himself, and tends to want to drink from the cup a few times before putting the lid on.  doorknobs are no longer a mystery, which means that now i have to keep the front and back doors locked at all times, and he drinks out of a soda bottle — he stole my lemonade a few days ago and drank the whole thing.  he’s tried sips of pepsis and sierra mists that i’ve had, but doesn’t seem to dig the carbonation.  too much sensory input, i suppose.

tiger is turning into a bit of a hunter… he’s killed 2 birds so far.  one was in the house, and i almost had it to release it outside when he pounced.  he was chided for that one.  outside… well, yesterday a bird was hopping around the front yard, tiger was lounging on the porch and suddenly he bolted, pounced and got it as it was taking off.  so my dog needs reminders that he’s not a cat, and my cats need reminders that they’re not dogs.  great.  LOL

the unpacking process is at a standstill.  gage is intent on being outside as much as possible, and he enjoys it so much i can’t deny him that.  so i sit outside with him and play with him when he lets me.  mostly my participation involves tossing stones that he collects into a pitcher full of water.  it makes him giggle.  i do try to get some unpacking done at night, but i’m so exhausted by nine i don’t really get much done.

when gage went to bed, he took poe with him.  he didn’t want to stop cuddling with his kitty.  poe went along like a good sport and now he’s curled up under gage’s arm.  when he’s sound asleep i’ll go in and let him out.

anyhoo… since poe went in there, ziggy has been making funny “yowls” at me and going to gage’s bedroom door.  tiger keeps going to the door, sniffing and whining at me.

they want me to rescue poe, apparently.

gage, that is.  he keeps finding games on his dvds.  it’s pretty cool, actually.  there’s one on the tarzan dvd that he’s gotten pretty far on, to be honest.  also one on the alice in wonderland dvd.   i’ve watched him go through the menu on the dvds and i have to say it looks like he’s reading them… he could just be counting or remembering where the selector was the last time he got to whatever it is he wants. he also plays the music videos on the dvds, the sing a long tracks, i’ve even watched him turn on a “making of” documentary on the lion king dvd and watch it all the way through… INTENTLY.  he’s a strange little boy, lol.

tiger did the cutest thing this morning… he wanted to go outside and chase squirrels, so he sat next to the bed and put his head on the bed right next to me.  then he jsut sat there staring at me.  it was adorable.

i need to get packing tape so i can put together ebay and half.com items for shipping.

a cat came to the door.  poe was sniffing, they were about to touch nose to nose thru the screen.  it was a pretty grey and white cat.  ziggy came up and hissed.

and then tiger jumped off the couch, popped open the screen door and bolted after the cat.  fucker.

he came back… which is a good thing, cause i couldn’t go chasing him.

it’s been a very up and down day, emotionally.  a lot of down time.  i didn’t want to upset gage… so i laid down for awhile.  he came in and laid with me.  it was so sweet.  he put his arm around me and said “it’s ok” over and over.  he’s such a sweet kid.

his teachers visited today.  did a progress report meeting.  it was good.  i got some info about wht to expect i kindergarden.  got some of his work and stuff from this year.  he’s made such amazing progress this year… it’s been so awesome.

tiger’s tail is a menace. seriously! he clears the table with it, and everytime he comes in from being outside he goes behind me (i don’t knwo why) and wags his tail all over the fridge. which wouldn’t be so bad, if he didn’t clear half of gage’s abc & 123 magnets off of it in the process! and there’s nothing quite like getting smacked in the face when he’s getting attention to the person on the other side of him!

i understand why people have their dogs tails cropped now.

so me and tiger re-started taking our walks yesterday after about a week and a half delay. i also wild released some bookcrossing books while i was at it. of course, today i release 3 bookcrossing books… and we get almost home and it starts snowing. *blink* ALBINO BRAIN CHIGGERS!!!

and the books aren’t wrapped in ziplock bags or anything. enough with the damn snow, for fuck’s sake! i didn’t order this. and if i find out who did i’m going to do them serious bodily harm. i did notice someone else who was walking thru the same area stop and look at one of the books i released… so maybe he picked it up (sidebar: maybe i’ve been watching too much judging amy, but he looked an awful lot like kevin rahm).

i also put up some stuff-a-friend flyers on our walk yesterday. so it was triply productive. do i expect a lot of sales from the posting of flyers on telephone poles? no, not really. but a girl can hope. 20 sales would pay the phone bill, lol. actually, i wouldn’t mind doing a few birthday parties. and woody said he’d help me out with those if i got any booked. what i need is a color cartridge for the printer and some paper, since i’m out of both. print up a stack of color flyers and stick em on cars everywhere i go. also need to buy a domain specifically for my SAF site to redirect to. i have one in mind, and it’s available. just have to buy.

gage did the lunch thing again today. took it from me and carried it onto the bus. i guess now he’s identifying that batman bag as his, and full of yummy stuff for him to eat. good.  whatever connection it takes, ya know?

so gage cheerfully went off to school this morning, as he does every morning when it’s time for school.  apparently, he loves it.  we were sitting there at the bus stop and he saw the bus coming so he got up and got ready to get on the bus.  and then he took his lunch from me, which he’s never done.  and carried it onto the bus himself, which he’s never done.  makes a mommy proud to see him acting so much like a big boy.  usually i have to give his lunch to the bus driver or the para on the bus.

talked to one of the people on his IEP team yesterday, she said they’ve been working with him on the “i want ______” thing.  they even added an “i want” picture to his picture exchange.  so now he has to bring both “i want” and whatever it is he wants to them.  and they point and say “i want _______” for him to repeat.  so him saying it during spring break makes sense.  his para is going to start a notebook to send home every week with notes on what they’re working on and how gage is doing from now on.

i also found out that the elementary school has enough students going into kindergarden next yearthat are autistic, that they’re hiring a new teacher and setting up a special class just for them.  which i think will be a good thing, as long as they continue some interaction with “normal” peers.  once she’s hired and everything, we get to go to the school with gage and meet her and ask any questions and see the classroom and stuff. which will be good.

there’s also a summer program we’re going to try and get him into.  it’s basically summer school for a couple of hours a few days a week.  which is nice.  it’ll keep him in the “school” routine a little bit, it’ll give me a little ‘time off’ during the week and hopefully it’ll make him familiar with the different school so the transition from pre-k to k won’t be so difficult.

the other “little ones” are doing ok.  tiger is afraid of the wind… which is funny as hell considering his breed.  ziggy is being a little furry bitch, he’s attacking tiger at every opportunity–even if tiger is asleep.  it’s irritating yet funny.  to see a little orange blur of a cat bolt across the room and pounce on the sleeping dog… then there’s poe.  who will actually lay with tiger when no one’s looking.  i think he’s cold and he likes tiger’s warmth.  but he obviously isn’t afraid of tiger.  which is nice.  you’d think that after 2 1/2 years they’d all get along or something.  but the cats are old and set in their ways and tiger SO wants to play with them.

i spent about an hour dozing… gage was actually very good and let me. there was one point where he uncovered me and laid down with me… otherwise he left me alone. he’s such a good little guy *g*

i have a tremendous craving for kfc. partly because of this news article i read earlier… but mostly because i’m sick. whenever i’m sick i crave things that “arent good for me.” no really. any dieting i do takes a huge hit whenever i’m sick. i had a cup of chocolate pudding and half a pint of butter pecan ice cream for lunch. they made my throat feel so much better. right now i’m fantasizing about a extra crispy breast from kfc… with a biscuit, potato wedges and mashed potatoes. mmm… god that would be so good.

tiger is “curled up” on the back of the couch like a cat. he’s looking out the front window. this is very common for him. i have a 40 lb canine cat. weirdo.

avs game today. an absolutely must win game, as the rest of the games on the season are. i’m excited.

gage is very cute. incredibly, in fact. i was just putting him in the shower and he started rubbing his head. so i asked if he wanted to wash his hair. and he said “wassa hair” which i assume is wash your hair. so after he got good and wet i grabbed his shampoo and lathered him up. the problem comes when he moves away and it still needs to be worked into his hair. i had to change my shirt and now one side of my head is decidedly wetter than the other, lol.

got a money order for a candle yesterday. i need to find a suitable box for to mail it in. also did some listing/re-listing the other day. added the jasmine candles to the bunch. they’re nice. not just the scent, but the cups they’re in are pretty awesome. hopefully they’ll sell, along with the rest of the candles i have listed.

tiger has become obsessed with licking his paws again… looks like he’s going to have to have the balm/sock treatment again soon.

mystery, alaska is on. good movie. as hockey movies go, it’s no slapshot (but really what is? certainly not slapshot 2, lol). the thing i love most about it is that the underdog doesn’t win. the team everyone expects to lose still loses. but they put their best effort on the ice, i like that. because let’s face it, in any sport no matter how well you play, no matter how hard you try you don’t always win.