Twist of Lemon

Well it has been nearly two months and I am still coming to terms with the loss of Grim. So I thought I would take the time and write down some of my fondest memories of him.

Malgrim was one of four kittens of a friend’s friend’s boyfriend’s cat. One kitten looked Himalayan, two were tabby and one I think was black. I don’t remember what made me choose him, except for the fact I was looking for a tom cat. As a kitten Grim had the largest ears, his first nickname, of many over the years, was beanie head. The rest of him was so cute and tiny. I got it into my head, after hearing that most cats actually like water, to test this with the new kitten. So what better way to test the theory than to bring my new kitten into the shower with me? Did I mention that it was one of those showers with the sliding door? Grim wasn’t very pleased when I turned on the shower, there was a bit of blood before I managed to get the door open, and him out of the tub. I have never seen such an evil look on a cat before or since. At the time I wondered if he would ever trust me again, but he was forgiving. It was so nice having him curl up on my bed at night to cuddle with me. In the mornings we had a ritual. I didn’t wake very easily, so he would take a running leap at the bed to land on my bladder. I would bolt awake, run to the bathroom and when finished fill his food bowl before going back to bed. It wasn’t the most pleasant system, but it worked for us.

A few weeks before he was to be fixed Grim managed to rip open a screen to the window of our ground level apartment. I was panicked, spent hours searching for him, and eventually left a bowl of food by the open window. Later that night I awoke to strange sounds coming from the kitchen. I found Grim coming back in the window, pulled him into the room and shut it. He took one look at me, could see how ticked off I was, and decided to sprint to the bedroom. I beat him down the hall and shut the bedroom door in his face. I was damned if he was going to go carousing all day and then come home to cuddle with me! The next day I opened my bedroom door to find every cat toy in the house piled there as a plea for forgiveness.

Eventually we had to more to a new apartment. During the move I worried that Grim would be bored, as I would have to leave him at home alone during the day. So I decided to leave him a sock filled with catnip as a toy to while away the time alone. I came home that afternoon to find Grim splayed out on his belly, drool covered sock in his mouth and my entire kitchen floor “mopped.”

I could go on, there are numerous stories of cute, funny and crazy things Grim did in his life. But the most important thing was that Grim gave me unconditional love during the years I needed it the most. During my time with Grim, and before I met my partner Brain, I lived in about ten different apartments, had about ten different low paying jobs, had about twenty different relationships, and as many breakups. People often think of cats as being standoffish, but whenever my heart was broken Grim was there trying to comfort me.

I still miss him.

I want to post more about his life later, but I just wanted to let people know that Malgrim, our eldest cat [17 years] passed away this evening.

For my birthday this year my friend Frances purchased me an EcoSphere. If you have never seen one just picture a ball of glass with seawater, algae and shrimp sealed inside. The idea is that it is a closed ecosystem that survives as long as the temperature remains within norms and it gets indirect lighting.  From the start everything went well.  The sphere arrived with four shrimp in it.  After a day or so I started to wonder if I was doing something wrong, since I only saw three shrimp.  Then I looked a little closer, and there was the fourth shrimp, hiding under the ball of algae.  Another day would pass, and I would only see three shrimp, and upon closer inspection would find the fourth sitting motionless upside down under this sort of branch thingie in the sphere.  I decided to call this shrimp “Number Four,” and while I realize it may have been a different shrimp each time, I wouldn’t bet on it.

It has been a few weeks since I really looked at the sphere, and I came to realize the other day that I can only find three shrimp in it, and perhaps a slim carcass that is all that remains of #4.  The materials that come with the shrimp mention that if some die the others will scavenge the remains, so I guess that is what happened.

NOTE:  It took me a few days to finish the draft of this post, and in that time I lost another shrimp as well.  I think I will call the last remaining shrimp Hermes and Aphrodite.  I don’t think they are expected to breed, so I hope they can keep up eating the algae that is growing in the sphere.

Well it looks as if it has been awhile since I posted. But then again it has been an eventful week. So where to start? I guess I will go along chronologically. Skip ahead if I bore you.

Monday - Showed up at 0720 [20 minute commute] for my 0800 start. Hmmm great, now I get to sit in my car for forty minutes in the ghetto! Luckily I saw the plant manager [PM] coming into the building, and he was kind enough to let me in. The PM then gave me my company cell phone, sans phone charger or access to voice mail. He said he would get a hold of the cell company to get me a charger. I then met with the Regulatory Manager [RM] at 0800 to start my training. In my office. My HUGE office, which is easily the size of the living room in the apartment Brain and I are currently occupying. I do have a nice working computer, quite the change from my last position where the computer would take 30 seconds to register a command. But I don’t have access yet to the programs I need to be trained on, like for inventory management, or customer complaints. So I have to log an issue with the online help desk. Oh and I cannot even log into that tool. So I call the IT number and ask for them to give me a log on, which the assure me they are in process of doing. I also get to meet some of my staff for the first time, and see the lab in detail. Yeah lots of changes to be made, lots of changes [to the lab itself, not the staff, they seem great]. Oh and lunch was at Elsie’s.

[OK this is taking too long, this is day two of me trying to get this all down...time to shorten it up]

Tuesday - On my own for the first four hours or so of the day as RM is in meetings. I decided to go down to the lab and get a feeling for the workload and what all goes on for testing in the lab. Four hours flew by and I went out to eat at, you guessed it, Elsie’s. Came back to spend more time talking with the RM about what quality programs are already in place [few] and what quality programs need to be implemented [many]. Discovered I had no access to voice mail on my cell phone or my land line. Land line still gives name of last QA manager. Found locked file cabinet in office.

Wednesday - Met with RM and went over programs on the computer for customer complaints, discussed new product introductions and product changes and my part in the process. Discussed HACCP plan for the plant. Went to lunch at Elsie’s and was late for the plant supervisor’s meeting the PM wanted me to attend [but forgot to send me an e-vite to]. Learned a lot more about the hurdles to go through for a plant with a union workforce. Cell charger comes in. Called cell company about access to voice mail.

Thursday - Call cell company again about phone and finally given the right number to call to get access to voice mail. Spend more time in the lab discovering what goes on. My safety training is canceled due to outside visitors who need attention. Lunch with PM and discussion of some of my plans for the lab, my staff, general QA programs. Seems well received. Lunch was at Gabby’s saloon. Back to the plant and more training with RM. Come home. Pile snake and her cage into car. Go to donate her to the Herpetological society. Get Brain a drafting desk at Utrecht. Stop at Ridgedale for food at the Macy’s Lakeshore restaurant [good food ok service], go to Byerly’s to get some needed food in the house. Come home, talk to Mel, Mom and Fran. Crash.

Friday - Learn more stuff. Find out I cannot access IT help desk because I am not in payroll as of yet [Eeek!]. Listen and learn a lot. Eat at the Breakaway in Robinsdale. Come back to work, learn more. RM leaves for home, I check out happienings in the lab. Stay and help out a bit. Keep hearing from employees how the last QA manager would never have been helping, let alone at 4:30 on a Friday. Come home and crash from 1700 to 2300. Up for an hour to eat, go back to sleep.

Saturday - Go out to the folks in Maple Grove to spend time with the puppy while they are at the caucuses. Get there at 0930, cuddle and watch TV with Merc. End up napping with the puppy. Stay until 1900. Go to Super Target for food and other necessities. Get home at 2100. Some jerk parked in my assigned underground parking spot. Call apartment office and leave message. about parking. Just before going to bed get a call from the folks, something is wrong with Mercury, seems his anal glands might be impacted.

Sunday - Brain and I get up at 0830 and head out to the folks to help with Mercury. Anal gland on his right side very impacted and cannot be expressed by us. Call Mary to get ahold of her sister Julie [our new Vet.]. Emergency trip down to Richfield to get Merc checked out while the office is open. Not much Julie can do, though she tries, so Merc is on antibiotics and pain meds until the swelling goes down. Drive him back out to Maple Grove. Drive back to the apartment, someone still parked in my spot. Go over to the [now open] office and complain about the parking. Get another temp spot to park. Start to unpack kitchen at 1400. Get call that parking space is now open. Finish unpacking kitchen at 1730. Sit down to finish this post.

HOPE YOU ALL ARE DOING WELL! GIVE US A CALL OR EMAIL SOMETIME!

So here is a picture of Mercury playing with my Dad while he is staying with my parents. Looks like he is having a good time. I really appreciate how great my parents have been helping Brian and me out with the whole move. I cannot express how much less stress I have knowing Mercury is happy and healthy and getting all sorts of attention while we try and sell the house. If you are reading this, thanks Mom and Dad!

Well it has been another day of phone calls and plans.  It seems that I have convinced the new company of my need for temporary housing and they suggested a stay at an extended stay suites.  Well I think that would cost too much money, and I thought an apartment would be a cheaper and better alternative.  So after a discussion with the relocation people [as I am now AUTHORIZED!! woot!] they can help us find an apartment for free [as they get a finders fee].  So the company is going to increase the spending money they are giving me for the move, and we will be finding an apartment for March 1st.  The first of the two Realtors they are sending over will be looking at the house on Monday.  So this weekend will be all about cleaning up for the Realtor.  And the pets are doing well, Brian went to see the cats, and my folks gave me an update about the dog.  Mercury is slowly learning to adapt to the new digs, and the folks are slowly learning to interpret his various looks and noises.  I have spent a good amount of time on the phone tonight catching up with friends.  Fran is packing to move house this weekend to another apartment with her pup Oscar.  Melby called and waxed rhapsodical about her new glasses.  Mary has made tentative celebratory plans, and my friend Nancy from work is slowly getting better after her surgery.  I feel completely updated and happy.  Cheers folks!

It is so quiet in the house now that Brain has taken Mercury to stay with my folks.  I know many people don’t think of Italian greyhounds as being very cuddly, but damn can that dog snuggle up and make you feel loved.  I miss him and it has only been two hours.  I think I miss him more since I know it will be quite a few weeks before he is back living with us again.  Tuesday night I bring the cats up to stay with Jessica and Gabe.  Then it will feel even lonelier in the house.

I am going to miss this house.  Like Brain said tonight, this was the first place we had that we were able to really make a home.  But I have to believe that we can make the next house feel as much of a home as this one has been.

As most anyone reading this blog would know I am not a big fan of the typical American pastimes, like football. So I have an entertainment suggestion for those of you who feel the same. Watch Puppy Bowl IV! Animal Planet from 2:00 PM Central and repeating most of the night! From the telly info screen-> “Puppies cavort in a play area that looks like a football stadium in the fourth annual event that offers an alternative to the Super Bowl.” And don’t miss the Kitten half time show!  For those wondering how the interview went I will post more later today

Ok if you couldn’t get enough of the wigs for cats, you should take a look at this shop!

the best treats ever! [The guy who thought these up is a genius!]