Looking For A Little Blog Post Direction

Hi blog readers! The ones of you who are still popping in from time to time. I was just checking my stats and there have been quite a few page views, surprisingly, since I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.

While I haven't been here, I have actually been thinking about and planning the future for my blog posts, where to take this blog from here, blog post ideas, etc. Since I began writing this blog two years ago, I've sort of let it go wherever it wants to go with no real planning, just whatever comes to mind and is a part of my day or life.

That's probably what will continue to take place, but at least I have good intentions on direction now or at least I'm trying to obtain some direction.  Anyway, here's kind of what I have in mind for future blog posts:

1. For all you Asperger/autism parents that follow my blog, you have probably all left by now  because I have been writing very little about autism or adventures with my Aspie son. Since he's away at college and I am several hundred miles away from him right now there is very little to write about lately that I feel wouldn't violate his privacy. You may remember the bed bug incident (Here) that happens to be the most popular post of all time I think because of those computer robot things. Go figure! When new issues arise, however, you may find a blog post here about it. Surviving bed bugs is important!
2. Triathlon training and races will continue to be a part of this blog since it's a huge part of my life. Fitness is actually going to be an even bigger part of my life because we just purchased a gym franchise and will open two gyms in the St. Petersburg area within the next 6 months that I will run. This should keep me pretty darn busy in the days ahead. Don't be surprised to see some blog posts on this. Hopefully, not stressed out, pulling out my hair kind of blog posts.
3. Fashion, especially shoes, will always be a small part of this blog. I love clothes, but hate shopping. If I loved shopping, there would be many more fashion posts, but one very unhappy husband. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my photographer got another job and quit on me (Read about it Here) and I'm terrible at selfies so this limits the fashion posts too.
4. What I eat, places I frequent, travel, etc. will always be a part of this blog. I have so many places already that I need to share but haven't had the time. We just moved to a new city that has much to offer and I like to share my discoveries here. Expect to see more of this soon. Doesn't everybody like pictures of food? Aren't you all just dying to see what I'm eating?
5. Cats. That's a given. Whether you like those posts or not, my cats are the coolest, most talented supreme cats ever so expect lots of blog posts about their awesomeness. You're welcome!
6. The Murph, my husband, who continually cracks me up and gives me lots of fodder to steal from. He hates it when I pick up on his little, sort of obnoxious sayings and idioms and overuse them. Why? Because they ARE obnoxious and funny to strange people like me who have a dry sense of humor and are full of sarcasm in general. Expect to see lots of it here and any other things he does that amuses me.

Well, I think that takes care of just about everything I write or plan to write about here. I promise to get back to regular postings. You've probably enjoyed the break from my crazy randomness, but then again, you keep coming back for more.

It must be the cat pictures. I hate to disappoint so here you go... One more Cadence, the photo bombing freak cat, picture. 

You're welcome!

Expensive

 I have about 4 or 5 of these pink coffee cups that have various sayings on them.  I pulled this one out today for my morning cup of coffee and noticed what it said on it.  Guess I had forgotten all the sayings although I do recall one mug says something about being a princess.

 I know my mom would agree with this one.  She thinks I should stay out of Saks Fifth Avenue and only shop at less expensive places like Target or Walmart.  She says my niece is going to be just like me.  My poor brother!!

The Murph says I'm not that bad.  I was a single mom for so long that I can't be that bad, can I?

Oh yea, hey mom - I vaguely recall buying these cups at T.J Max for less than five bucks a few years ago.  You'd be proud!

Huh?

Huh?

I have been distracted a lot lately and every time the Murph says or asks me anything my standard response usually is "Huh?"  Sometimes I will even know what he has just said to me but I will still say "Huh?" just out of habit.

Murph:  "What do you want to do for dinner?"
Me:  "Huh?'

Murph:  "It's getting hot in here.  I'm turning on the air."
Me:  "Huh?"

Murph:  "I'm keeping my Eye on you keeping an Eye on that bad cat so he won't go after Ed."
Me:  "Huh?"

Murph:  "I just stepped on the cat."
Me:  "Huh?'

The Murph says I sound like Scooby Doo and so now he calls me Scooby whenever I say "Huh?"  The Murph actually does sound like Scooby when he's mocking me.   He will ask me something, I will say "Huh" and he comes back at me with his perfect Scooby imitation, "Huh? Scooby Dooby Doo!" in hopes to make me aware of what I'm doing so I will then Stop doing it and actually say a complete and coherent sentence.

The Murph is a communications guy (he even majored in Communications in college) and this kind of lame response, as well as the over use of pronouns, really irritates him.  When the Murph is irritated he takes it upon himself to correct the situation.  He's called "the Mayor" around here for a reason.  He also takes it upon himself to teach people correct driving skills whenever we are in the car going anywhere.

He, I mean The Murph (no pronouns here!)  has a challenge ahead of him trying to transform me into a great communicator.  Being the Mayor is a tough job, but some one's got to do it.

Last Year A Princess, Today a Baby

Today I ran 13 miles with the Running Nazi.  She texts me last night to confirm our run since I backed out of the run Saturday morning and she backed out Sunday morning.  When she text me and said she wanted to run at 6:30 a.m., I text back that I was thinking more like 8 a.m.  I don't like running that early since there's no reason too.  I thought she wanted to run earlier so she could get it over in time to get to work so I was a little surprised when she texts back that 8 a.m. was fine.  Actually, this morning she texts me at 6 a.m. to say let's meet at 8:30 so we would miss the school traffic.  Yes!  That was even better for me!  An extra 30 minutes of sleep!

While stopping at our usual water stop, I asked her why she wanted to run at 6:30 since she didn't even have to work today and right out of the blue she called me a baby!  Not only did she call me a baby, but she made a sneering, baby voice when she said it.  "Oh, you're just a big baby!  You don't want to get up early or run in the cold or the rain.  Baby!  Baby!"  "Big Baby!"  Something told me at that point that she really didn't like waiting until 8:30 to run and maybe, just maybe she was a little bit bitter about all the times I've canceled on her at the last minute when it was raining or cold or freezing rain or the time I canceled when that tornado was coming through.  Nothing stops the Running Nazi.  Not rain nor sleet nor freezing cold nor kidney stones nor 104 degree fevers.  She'll get up at 4:30 a.m to run 20 miles by herself in an ice storm.  She ran a marathon while trying to pass a kidney stone.  She ran a different marathon that same year running a high fever.  (and she wonders why she got that kidney stone or those swollen lymph nodes!)

Actually, I was a little surprised.  Why just last year she considered me a Princess!  At least that's how she said I acted.  She said I had a "Princess personality" and she said I was lucky that I didn't have to work and could live at the beach part of the time.  She said "I wish I had your life.   The Life of Barbie!"  (only she inserted my real name there)  She also said the Murph had a Prince personality and that's why we might clash sometimes.  (did she really mean since we're both spoiled??)  When I told the Murph what she said he thought just the opposite.  He thinks it obviously means we were meant to be together!  Shouldn't a Princess always have a Prince?   Princes and Princesses go together, just like Ken and Barbie.  The Running Nazi didn't seem convinced.  At least she doesn't consider the Murph a baby, but she hasn't been around him as much, although she "chaperoned" my first date with him when I refused to go out unless she could come too.  I didn't know him and was being a little overly cautious although now he says I tried to grab his ass and he wasn't sure who the chaperone was for- him or me!

Now that's another story!

Thanksgiving With The Boy

It has been a very laid back Thanksgiving weekend.  The Boy was here from college and that was nice.  He forgot to bring his dirty laundry so I didn't have to wash for him.  I hope he has enough clothes to last until after finals in a few weeks!  Phantom, who has been very good with the other cats, suddenly started acting out and going after poor Ed again.  We had to squirt Phantom so many times he stayed wet most of the weekend.  He is exhausted, sleeping under the Christmas tree now.  He also pooped on the living room couch where Ed hangs out.  I guess he was making a territorial statement.  I put aluminum foil on the couch to keep him from pooping on it.  The vet advised me to do that when he pooped last summer on the same couch and in Ed's favorite antique chair.

The Murph and I got all the outside lights hung and the wreath and the garland put up.  I got all the trees up and decorated so I think that's it,  that's enough for sure!  It's going to be party time at the Murph's house this month.  We plan on having a party for friends and then family over Christmas Day and I told the Boy he could have a party with his friends if he wants too.  One of his best friend's moved to California a few months ago and the Boy said if he had a party, I would have to fly the friend here from California.  I thought that was way sweet, but a little expensive just for a Christmas party!

The Boy somehow gets me to "help" him write papers and do book reports, but flying someone cross country is an entirely different thing.   The Boy saved up a lot of homework for me to help him with this weekend too.  I had to help him come up with ideas for 30 journal entries and then expand on some of them.  I didn't help him with all of it because that's his work.  I've been to college.  Then I helped him do a book report on a book I had never read and will never read.  It is a 700 page reference type book on Human-computer interactions and task analysis.  Can it get more boring?  I think I did pretty darn good on the report ideas though.  He was impressed that I could come up with so much to write about in such a short time.  Now he has no excuses.  He has plenty of ideas to take back to school and write about since I've gotten him started.  I just hope he turns it in!

Can't wait until Christmas break when he's back home again.  I miss him!

Triathlete/Runner Amnesia

This time last week I was carbo-loading at Lillo's, an Italian restaurant in Pensacola Beach and wondering why the heck I had ever signed up for the Pensacola marathon that was the next day.  Why do I put myself under this kind of stress when I don't have too?  Why did I ever think I wanted to run a marathon in every state?  What's wrong with me?

When the alarm went off at 4:30 marathon morning, the first thing I think of is do I really want to do this?  Can I just stay in bed?  I was wide awake so I got up, got ready, ate a power bar and a banana and went to the bathroom.  I just thought, ok, let's just get this thing over with so I can come home and eat lunch with Boy and sit around wrapped in my snuggie for the rest of the day being extra nice to the Murph for putting up with me.

There were several times during the race when I really, really wished I had only signed up to do the half marathon instead of the whole thing.  I wondered now why did I want to run a marathon in every state.  Why did I want to run THIS marathon?  Did I ever want to run another marathon at all?  Maybe I would just pick the marathons that I wanted to do, which only involve about 4 or 5 states and just forget all the other states.

By mile 20 I was thinking maybe this would be it for me.  No more marathons.  Why even run at all?  Is it really that good for you?  I wasn't feeling that good.

After the race I could barely walk.  My calves have been extremely sore all week.  I tried to run for the first time today and my calves felt tight and still hurt.  I felt like somebody punched them with their fist.  I told the Murph that I thought it was not a good idea for me to run the Ruben Studdard half marathon that the Running Nazi wanted me to do with her tomorrow.

He said "I thought you had already decided you weren't going to do that. "

"Well I was only 99% sure I wasn't doing it, but now I am 100%."  He just shook his head.  He doesn't understand crazy, but being around me he's getting use to it.

It's funny how you forget the stress and pain of running marathons and other long, endurance type events (such as the Ironman).  You forget how the training takes up most of your free time and rules your entire life and everything you do and eat and sleep revolves around the training for these events.  You forget the anxiety before race day and the worries.  Do I have everything?   Did I train enough?  It's gonna hurt!

I'm not much fun to be around the days before the race and especially not race morning.  I don't handle stress very well.   Ask the Murph.

So anyway, today I've been thinking about which marathon in which state I am going to tackle next.  Maybe I should even sign up for at least one 1/2 Ironman too.  No full Ironman triathlons next year though.  Definitely not, no, well, probably not, at least not next year.

Triathlete/Runner amnesia, crazy or just plain dumb?

Back Home For The Holidays

Today we moved back home for the holiday season.  The cats were loaded up, piles of clothing that I didn't even wear and shoes and stuff all moved back home.  The jazz cats are a little tired from the drive.  Phantom and Cadence have already ganged up on the two cats we left home, Ed and Boo.  It's going to be a stressful couple of days getting use to it here again.  Hopefully, we will get the Murph's house on the market after the holidays and my house will be sold and we can move south to the coast somewhere after that.  I am ready!

My calves are still sore from the marathon on Sunday. It takes forever to heal these days.  The Running Nazi and I might to another marathon in February in New Orleans.  There is also a 1/2 marathon in Birmingham this weekend that she wants me to do.  I don't think that would be a good thing for me considering how my legs feel right now!  

Back to the real world and I don't like it.  I've already missed my annual doctor appointment that I thought was tomorrow, but was actually today and I wasn't even here yet.  Oh well.....  I have a lot to do tomorrow.

On a positive note - can't wait to decorate the house for Christmas.  I love it this time of the year with the Christmas tree up and all the lights and decorations and of course, friends and family.

Cattitude At The Gulf Coast Arts Festival

This weekend is the Gulf Coast Arts Festival in Pensacola, Fl.  I convinced the Murph that we should go and eat out for lunch instead of going out last night.  That way we could stay in and watch the LSU vs Alabama game at home and avoid the crowds at the sports bars.  It was surprisingly easy to convince him.

We drove over after our workout and ate lunch at Dharma Blue, a cute little restaurant in a historic old house near the art festival.  The Murph usually doesn't eat lunch so I was very proud of him.  He had the spinach, feta cheese quiche and I had the chicken salad sandwich.  He didn't complain once and said he actually enjoyed the lunch and the art festival.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  The Murph gets a little claustrophobic in crowds though and the festival was crowded.

My favorite painting was this one of the black and white tuxedo cat.  Add a black spot to the side of his nose and it could be my kitty Phantom.  My new word for the sometimes irritating things my cats do - Cattitude.

Before Halloween there were haunted tours of old Pensacola that I had wanted to do.  When I mentioned it to the Murph he just nodded his head like he thought it was a good idea.  After yesterday I now know why we never did the tour.  The Murph told me that he never had planned to do it.  He was pretending just to get me to be quiet about it.  He knew all he had to do was just keep pretending whenever I brought it up and eventually Halloween would be over and I would move on to the next thing and he would be off the hook.  If it doesn't involve beer and sports count the Murph out! (oh and movies too, he says)

My new word for the irritating things the Murph does - Murphitude!

Weekly Training Log

Only one week till marathon day!  I ran my last long run last Sunday.  It was only 18 miles (20 was my goal), but that is going to have to do for this marathon.  It took me 3 hours and 45 minutes.  On Monday I ran 2 miles on the treadmill and did 30 minutes on the elliptical to try to make up for what I didn't run on Sunday.  Tuesday I did 1 hour Spinerval class at the gym and Wednesday I did upper and lower body weights and then 20 minutes on the exercise bike.  I hit the weights pretty hard Wednesday and that is the main reason why my legs have been really sore this week.  Thursday I did 30 minutes run on the treadmill and 1 hour Spinerval class.  My legs have been sore all week, but are better today after only doing an easy 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday.  I have been stretching and doing core work after most of my workouts too and that has helped.  My goal for the marathon is running it in around 4 hours.  As slow as I have gotten it is going to be tough.  This is the first time I have trained for a marathon without doing at least one 20+ mile long run.  It will be interesting to see how I feel afterwards.

I have been watching all the news about the runners in the NYC marathon which is tomorrow and I am soooo jealous!  I want to run that marathon so bad.  I have for years, but it is hard to get into.  I am going to make a little more effort to get in within the next couple of years.   I might do the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans this February with the Running Nazi too.  Of course, there is always the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham.   I have run that one several times either the half or the whole.

A cold front came through night before last and it has been cold and windy at the coast.  It seems to have calmed down out there this morning.  I am heading to the gym to workout.  I will probably run and do weights (upper body only) today.  I passed up a 5k race at the Margartitaville Hotel mainly because the entire 3.2 mile run is on the sand at the beach.  I could just see myself getting injured trying to race as hard as I can on uneven surface.  I am too competitive to just go do it for fun.  It would have been fun, but I have to focus on the marathon next week.  Couldn't get the Murph to do it either.  It didn't sound fun to him!

Running, Spinervals and the Pro Marriage Debate

I think I am as ready as I am going to be for the marathon in two weeks.  I ran 18 miles Sunday and it took me 3 hours and 45 minutes.  I was two miles off from my goal of 20 miles because I got a late start and the Boy was here so I wanted to get finished before he needed to leave for school.  We ate lunch together by the pool before he went back to school.

My right hamstring has been bothering me too.  I ran two miles on the treadmill Monday morning and then walked 3 miles with the Murph Monday afternoon and did 30 minutes on the elliptical Monday evening to make up for the 20 miles I didn't do.

Today I did an hour of Spinervals and then walked for an hour with the Murph.  The Spinervals class was small with only four people and we were so busy talking during most of it.  Fun!  It went by fast.  The Fitness Director/Spinerval instructor is getting married in September so one of the other condo owners in the class has taken it upon himself to tell her the horrors of being married.  She's 30 and feels that she has waited long enough and has found "the one" so I think she blows off most of what he says.  Personally, I think everybody needs to be married at least once.  I am pro marriage and pro children even though they can be a big pain in the butt sometimes.  It's all good, not bad.  She's old enough and has waited long enough.  After today, if I was her I would be scared to death of marriage though!  I should have knocked him over the head with my water bottle.

Thank god the Murph is pro marriage too!  He not only loves me, but he loves my cats (even though he denies it) and does a lot for my son (more than my son's own dad does.)  In my opinion, if you are going to spend years with someone living with them, then you should get married.  Otherwise, stay single and live alone.  Just saying...

Yoga Kicked My Ass

It is a very windy day here at the coast so not a good beach day.  I lifted weights at the gym and then ran six miles outside and my legs felt better than they have all week.  Saturday they were extremely sore so I decided to try the yoga class at the gym and then a 30 minute swim instead of a run.   Overall, the yoga seemed good, not too bad, kind of easy.  I thought I would do terrible and have no balance at all and everybody would laugh at me, but I really did pretty good.  Near the end of class I was thinking, " Oh this is nothing.  Easy!  I've done ironman triathlons and races where I felt like throwing up at the end.  Blood and guts!  This yoga stuff is nothing with all this heavy breathing and these gay ballerina moves and all."  Big scoff!

Well....  I guess I got a little too cocky because near the end of class I noticed the toe on my left foot was really aching and the downward dog pose didn't seem so easy and fun anymore.  The next morning when I woke up I had soreness in areas of my body that I had never had soreness before (didn't even know you could get sore in those areas).  Even my fingers were sore!

The Murph has been laughing at me for two days and calling me a baby every time I complain.

"Oh, baby is cranky!  Baby needs a nap!  Cry baby....  boo hooo... "

You get the picture.

Yes,  I admit it.  Yoga kicked my triathlete ass!

Spinervals, Manicure and NO GROCERY SHOPPING!

Today was Spinerval day so I went to spin class and did spinning and then weights, then spinning, then weights for an hour of intense pain.   The class seemed tougher than normal because my legs are still a little tired from the Tuesday long run and the long swim and bike I did yesterday plus the race I did Saturday. My mom says I do too much and need to stop.   She also sent me an email and told me I don't need to swim in the ocean and if I do I shouldn't wear shiny jewelry because it attracts sharks.  I really don't usually swim in the ocean unless it is during a race.  I have a healthy respect for the sharks around here.  I don't want one in my house so I don't want to go in their house either.  (unless it's a race.... sorry!)

No beach day today so I didn't get to see the Little Pecker.  Hope he found a few crumbs from someone else.  He's fairly aggressive so I wouldn't be surprised.  Instead I got my nails done while the Murph ran errands and did some grocery shopping.   The nail shop owner and his wife saw the Murph drop me off at the shop and remembered me from Friday when I ran in for a "quick" pedicure.  I told them that "yes, the Murph had dropped me off and was going grocery shopping again plus some other errands too".  The nail place owner told me I was a very lucky girl and that most men wouldn't grocery shop like that.  I told him that not only that but the Murph cooks too!  He couldn't believe it.  He said "oh you very very lucky!  Where did you find him...  on ebay??"  I said "no, but close!"

Actually, I met the Murph because I have to pee alot after I drink wine.  I was in a restaurant with some friends drinking wine, of course.  I had to go to the bathroom and was walking out of the bathroom which was near the bar area and that's where I met the Murph.  He's from the Bronx and with a mouth like his, he's hard to miss.  Oh yeah, and cute too!

Really, I think it was fate.  The Murph and I were just meant to meet and if we hadn't met at that restaurant that night, we would have met somewhere else.  Probably the beach we both love.

I think the Murph likes it when I don't go to the grocery store with him.  He has a list and you must only buy what's on the list.  I see cookies and I'm all over the place.  He told me today that I am banned from grocery shopping.   Oh well, I'm not crying about it.  (he did buy my cookies)

Bar Hopping with the Babysitter

This bird went crazy over the Babysitter's hair.  He totally ignored me while I was taking his picture.  Then when he saw the Babysitter he ran over to her side of the cage.

Leaving Crabs...  didn't know the Murph was taking this picture.

Me and The Murph

Me and The Babysitter 

Had fun yesterday with the Babysitter.  We started our bar hoping at the poolside bar with frozen swirl margaritas, then moved beach side for a while.  Later in the evening, we went to one of the Murph and my favorite spots, Crabs, where we drank margarita on the rocks and then on to a couple more places before heading home.

The parrot at Crabs ignored me as usual.  He really seemed to be attracted to the Babysitter though.  She said birds always seem to like her hair.  The Murph says the parrot's going to bite me if I keep poking my finger in his cage.  He hasn't bitten me yet though.  What is it about a bird in a cage that just makes you want to poke in your finger?  Especially when you know it's only a matter of time before he bites the crap out of you!

Spinervals without "Sylvester"

Today was Spinervals with J.  I was surprised last week at how sore my legs were after doing this workout.   It involves getting on the spin bike for about 15 to 20 minutes and then getting off to do weights, lunges whatever and then getting back on the spin bike for 15 minutes then off again for weights, etc. for about a 50 minute total workout with three sets of weights/lunges.

The Murph said he was going to start doing more cardio and I thought he might do Spinervals today since he didn't do it last week.  He even told the spin instructor last week that he was going to start doing the spin class.  But just not today...  The closest the Murph got to the spin bikes was to give me a kiss goodbye and then he was off to the weight room.  It was probably a wise decision because for somebody who doesn't do a lot of intense cardio, that class will KILL you.  I told the Murph he would breeze through the weights part, but there's absolutely no way he would last through the spinning part.  Instead of considering that a challenge, the Murph said he would just come in and do the weights with us and go back out when we get back on the bikes.  Then he laughed and said "the dumbbells we use were just paper weights for girls and wimps."  (He said this followed by a Sylvester Stallone he man kind of laugh.)

After the class, the spin instructor came up to the Murph as we were doing crunches and in a deep, Sylvester Stallone voice, mocking the Murph,  said she thought the Murph  had said "I'm going to start doing spin class.  I need more cardio".  The Murph's mouth dropped open and he said "Hey, do I really sound like that??  That's what Kristy always does!  I don't really sound like that, do I??"

We just laughed.  Yes, he does sound like that!   I'd love to see his ass in that Spinervals class!  He'd never make it all the way through!

Running with the Running Nazi, Rocking chairs and Snuggies...

My triathlon training is going REALLY well right now.  I actually did a 10 mile run today with the Running Nazi.  It was my first long run in over a week (last long run was when I did 13 miles with her over a week ago).  I did do a few hard 3 to 5 mile runs at the coast last week.  The Running Nazi did a 20 on Sunday and a 7 miler yesterday, then a 10 miler with me today.  She will probably do another 10 to 13 miles tomorrow after spin class.  She did spin class and weights today before she ran with me.  I feel like a slacker cause I just did weights before the 10 mile run.  I am soooo lazy!

The Murph and I are back at the coast.  We decided to leave Ed and Boo at the house with a sitter for now.  Ed's happy and not getting bitten and attacked by Phantom, so that's good.  Ed was doing "wierd" things to Boo, but they are "just playing" according to the Murph (yeah right!).  The Jazz Cats, Phantom and Cadence were happy to see us.  I am happy to see them and get back here for sure!

Tomorrow we go shopping for a bicycle for the Murph and a rocker/recliner for me.  It's a necessity.  I can't sit still for anything!  I have had the same wooden rocking chair since I was a teenager.  It has followed my everywhere for the past 25 years.  It was the only piece of furniture we had when I married my first husband.  He didn't dare try to sit in it either buddy!  Sadly,  I decided to leave the rocker at the house instead of lugging it down to the condo.   The only problem is, I can't sit still without a rocker.  It's the only way I can sit through a television program or stay in the same room for over 15 minutes.

Go ahead, call me Granny.  Call me whatever!  I'm burning more calories while I watch tv than you are and YES, I have a snuggie too!  A pink one, of course.

The Murph, Alpha Male...

We have been living at the beach condo for almost a week now.  Phantom and Cadence, aka the Jazz Cats, have adjusted fairly well.  Cadence seems to actually love it here.  The first couple of days Phantom's favorite place to sleep during the day was our bed.  The Murph didn't really like that at all.  He would walk in, see Phantom, make hissing noises and pretend to slap at him, tell him to get off the bed, etc.  I told the Murph to leave Phantom alone.  He liked laying there and he was having to adjust to the new, smaller place.  Phantom would just give the Murph a bored, lazy look that seemed to say, "you're a fool!"

Then yesterday, suddenly, Phantom is laying on the guest bed.  Today he's in there laying on the guest bed asleep.   I haven't seen him on our bed at all the last couple of days which is highly unusual.  At first I thought, well that's good!  He needs to be in the other room because then when the boy comes home he can sleep in there with the boy.

Now I'm a little suspicious as to why Phantom suddenly "decided" to sleep on the other bed.

I asked the Murph if he did anything to "encourage" Phantom to get off our bed.  He says no.

"Did you squirt him with water?"

"No"

"Did you threaten him in any way?"

"No"

"OK, what did you do, what did you REALLY do?"

"Nothing, really, I LOVE cats, I wouldn't do anything.  I think Phantom just decided he likes it in the other room better..."

Hmmmm......

Today we head back home for a couple of days and decide if we are going to bring the other two cats, Ed and Boo, to the condo.  Probably not.  This place has enough cats!

Drunk Chicken

Tonight we are having my new favorite thing to eat for dinner (and no it's not the Murph).   I had never even heard of it until I met the Murph.  It is called Drunk Chicken.  I use to laugh when I would see the Murph cooking it.  Back in those days I thought he was just being creative with the ingredients that he ALWAYS has on hand......beer!

Basically Drunk Chicken is just a whole chicken with a can of beer shoved in it's you know what. It stands up on the grill and cooks until the beer evaporates up the chicken's butt and then it's done. I think the Murph adds a little seasoning, but he says it's top secret! ( I think it's mostly just a little salt and pepper.)  Leave the beer can half full of beer.  Drink the other half.  Have a few more beers as you wait for the chicken to cook.  By the time the chicken is done I don't know who's drunker, the Murph or the chicken!

At first I refused to eat it when the Murph offered it.  That was back when I was on a fast food diet and if you couldn't get it at a drive through or out of a box or at a restaurant, I didn't eat it.   I didn't realize what I was missing!  When I moved in with the Murph, we started eating at home a few nights a week and of course he made his classic Drunk Chicken.  I tried it and loved it!  It's the moistest chicken I have ever eaten.  We eat it at least once a week.  If you can get over laughing at a big, naked chicken with a beer can stuck in it's butt, it really is good.  Honest!

My Kind of Day

Today was my kind of day! Slept in a little later. Made it to the gym in time for Spinervals class which is half of the time on the spin bike and half of the time doing free weights. Weather at the coast is PERFECT! After class I did core with the Murph and then hit the road for a short run with my ipod. Later, it was beach time. Then we went out for oysters, wings and adult beverages. Just got back in.

The Jazz Cats are doing great. The Murph doesn't really like Phantom's preferred place to lounge and hang out..... our bed! I told him to leave the poor cat alone. He's adjusting.....We went to see the boy at school yesterday and took him to lunch and did a few errands he needed to do. Then we went to PetSmart and got the cats a climbing tree for the condo. It is fairly large so it took a while to get it in the SUV. I think the Murph was a little embarrassed wheeling it into the condo. Wish I had the camera! Don't know why the cats don't like it. They LOVE the one I bought for them at home. Guess they just need to get use to it.

The boy called this afternoon and said he made an 84 on his first reading exam. Yea!

Overall, things are GREAT!