Where the hell to they sell Suave Naturals deoderant and antiperspirant around here?

Posted by: Ensie at 07:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Remember how I said I didn't mind the cold? Ok, maybe I didnt say it on this blog, but I distinctly remember stating it several times to various family members and others intrigued by the fact that I had voluntarily moved from San Diego to Tacoma.

The rain cleared out today and we have been left with perfectly clear skies. Not a single cloud anywhere. And with the lack of cloud cover comes the freezing cold weather. I have watched the temperature drop 10 degrees since I came home two hours ago.

I'm almost ashamed to write that it's only 36 degrees and I am freezing my ass off. How am I going to survive actual winter?

Posted by: Ensie at 10:19 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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...to write more. And I really did mean to.

Then I got hit with the homesick stick--whack!

And then the depression stick--whack! whack!

Then the panic attacks about the new job--whack! whack! whack!

I ended up curled up on the couch for four days, crying whenever anyone (Frinklin) came near me. There was carrying around of the comforter as though it were a toga. Hair went unwashed. Teeth unbrushed. It was all around ugly. It's actually still pretty ugly.

I've managed to find a doctor who has prescribed me some meds that have worked well in the past. If they don't work this time I'm jumping to a "mood stabilizer." That's a little scary, so I have some real incentive to feel better on the drug I'm currently on. Three people have asked if I'm feeling better now that I'm back on meds. FYI everyone--they a few days (and sometimes several weeks) to kick in, but I appreciate your asking.

I've tried to write about this several times without much success. I get almost to the end and think about how whiney and silly this whole thing sounds. As I told Violet the other day, "Wah, I bought a house, and I got a promotion, and a raise." But the fact that I've been sobbing about these things instead of excited has really helped me to see that it was time for some professional help.

So, that's why you've seen an excessive amount of pictures and cat blogging over the last week or so. I'd like to post more pictures, so I don't feel too badly about that. I'm working on getting out of the actual house this weekend so hopefully I'll have more blog-fodder soon.

Posted by: Ensie at 06:54 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 New house & new job = sooper-stress. Just b/c some people call it "positive" doesn't mean it should be good for you by definition. Here's hoping the meds do their job and you find some kindness at BH&WP

Posted by: eden at November 12, 2005 10:33 AM (M2PUd)

2 hang in there...you're going to make it...i know it. thinking good thoughts for you.

Posted by: meagan at November 15, 2005 08:32 AM (UV5ad)

3 Hang in there, darlin'... I've been through a dark patch of my own lately, and I know you'll pull through. I'm thinking of you!

Posted by: Mediocre Fred at November 17, 2005 08:11 PM (++lYy)

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This is his new favorite game every time I sweep the floor. When the broom comes out, he runs to the curtain.

What a freakin' weirdo.

Posted by: Ensie at 05:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Although I haven't actually seen the sun in about a week, here is proof that the sun does shine here in Tacoma:

That doesn't mean that it's warm. Today it was a toasty 46 degrees. This is how Percy and The Jeffrey have chosen to deal with the cold.

Not that our pets are spoiled or anything...

Posted by: Ensie at 06:54 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Y'know that scene in Mallrats when Jason Lee sticks his hand down his pants and gets "stank palm"?

My dog has "stank paw."

This morning I found cat pee on the floor in our foyer, reminding me that it was definitely time to really scrub the cat box, not just scoop it out. Apparently The Jeffrey unwittingly stepped directly into the cat pee.

Everywhere The Jeffrey walks--cat pee stench. I spent most of the morning wandering around sniffing the air, the carpet, and the furniture, wondering where the smell was coming from. Finally, the mystery is solved.

I have now wiped his paw with water, water and soap, and took him for a walk to see if it would wear off. He's already cold, so bathing him outside would just be cruelty, and I'm pretty sure our extremely slow draining bathtub would completely revolt if I tried to wash him indoors, so for now I'm stuck. Until the stank just wears off.

Posted by: Ensie at 05:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The battery in our Beetle is dead.

This isn't such an ucommon occurance, having a dead battery. It's more that this is the first car thing that has happened since our move. Our move that places me over 1000 miles away from my regular mechanic--my Dad. My Dad is utterly capable when it comes to mechanical things. He's the guy you call when you need a light rewired, a fence built, a major kitchen appliance installed, or a car repaired. He spent a lot of time when I was a teenager trying to get me to understand how important this sort of thing might be someday. I thwarted every attempt. It's only now that I really wish I had paid more attention. Of course, I never planned to live anywhere that he wouldn't be able to come to my rescue.

Car things really freak me out. I can deal with a lot of stuff pretty rationally (despite my recent bouts of irrational homesick declarations, "I hate Washington! It hates me. Where are the avocados in this state? I want to go back to California!") and am excellent at making decisions in stressful situations. However, something about cars just short circuits my brian.

The only thing I can point to that drives the emotionally meltdown when it comes to car repairs is My First Car. My First Car was an 11 year old Ford Bronco II. This was the first brand new car my Dad has ever bought--purchased on my ninth birthday. I felt a kinship with the Bronco from the moment it drove up--shiny and new--with my family's first VCR sitting in the front seat to seal the deal. I learned to drive stick on the Bronco and, although it was never said, I knew it would be my car. It was my birthday destiny, or rather, a curse, looking at it several years later.

By the time the Bronco was officially tranferred to my ownership, I was 19 years old and driving weekly back and forth from San Diego to Irvine for school (75 miles one way). Add this to the 200,000+ miles already on the car and you get the most unreliable transportation ever. The car developed a number of mystifying quirks that I couldn't afford to have diagnosed, let alone repaired.

Planning on stopping at that stop sign? Hope you don't plan on moving for 10 or 15 mintues, as the engine would die and not start again until it had a breather. Need to get somewhere quickly? Schedule 5 or 10 minutes to jiggle the key around in the ignition until the car decides to recognize it. I didn't used to know what U-Joints are, now I know they hold the drive shaft on, because one broke and my driveshaft rested on the freeway as I drove along one time. The Bronco went through those like The Jeffrey goes through chew toys (weekly, in some cases). I had a U-Joint savings account. At one point my local repair shop began carrying numerous coolant hoses in stock just for me, as they fell of about twice a month, no matter how carefully and tightly they were attached. And my favorite; the day I was traveling along at 55 MPH on the freeway to work and suddenly the engine just died, along with the power steering and power brakes.

That last one was the breaking point for me. I managed to jerk the car off to the side of the highway, turned on the flashers, and walked to the Denny's a mile away at the offramp. Once there I burst into tears and begged the hostess for a quarter to use the pay phone. She took pity on me and offered me their phone. I'm surprised my Dad could even understand my hysterical blatherings. I sobbed something about being broken down with no money and no idea what to do. My Dad (who despite being handy and helpful, is not always the most compassionate) immediately told me to put down the phone and wait right there. He would be there within a half hour to fix it.

I remember that I ordered an iced tea, although I had no money to pay for it and my bank account was overdrawn. I also remember my Dad arriving and calling a tow truck...and that's it. I must have just blocked everything else out. I don't remember if I went to work or not. I don't recall how I got home or even where we took the car to be reapaired. All I can think is that I gave everything over to my Dad to fix. And he did.

In hindsight, I wish I had paid more attention to his oil changing lectures and advice on checking the water levels in my car battery. I'm sure he knows that as the temperature drops, car batteries tend to die. The poor Beetle, used to a cozy garage and the mild weather of Southern California is suffering the fate of many cars in colder climates.

I doubt my Dad would fly in just to change the battery for me. But you never know.

Posted by: Ensie at 08:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I felt a little less homesick yesterday. My new job takes me all over the place, and yesterday I was in downtown Seattle in the morning and Redmond in early afternoon. Once my meetings finished I asked the manager of the store (also a transplant from So. Cal) if there was a California Pizza Kitchen or anything similar in the area. Why yes! There is! And she proceeded to give me directions. Just 20 minutes later I was happily sitting in a CPK for the first time in months.

That was the best Pear and Gorgonzola pizza I have ever eaten.

Posted by: Ensie at 05:30 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I've been away from the blog for a while and the computer was starting to give me dirty looks for ignoring it. You might think it's because I started playing Age of Empires II. Or maybe you might think about the fact that I recently spent $200 at Best Buy to a) purchase a copy of Black and White 2 and b) purchase a new graphics card to get Black and White 2 to actually work. Maybe that's why I've been neglecting both hands.

But no--it's been for legitimate reasons! I've spent only a few hours on each video game, instead spending my time doing actual WORK. What the hell is that about?

It appears that I have successfully fooled everyone and convinced Bob's Hogs and Weiner Pigs to give me a larger territory. I am, in fact, taking part in a pilot program and will be covering whole states! Four of them! How incredibly stressful for me--who hardly can find her way to the grocery store and back! Now I'm expected to drive to all sorts of places throughout the Pacific Northwest, although I did make it very clear that I do not drive in snow, nor do I climb any mountains. When the sun shines and the passes are clear, that's when you'll see me in Boise.

So, I'll try to get back on a regular posting schedule. Things have been happening (dishwasher continuing to work, Brandon and Down With Pants! posting a special restaurant entry for Frinklin and I, my sister getting an awsome job) and I keep thinking about how I should be posting...

Posted by: Ensie at 07:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I called my brother today, feeling guilty because I didn't call him yesterday, on his 15th birthday.

Then I felt totally stupid as he told me that his birthday is actually next week, on Thursday, to be exact.

I really need to start writing this stuff down.

Posted by: Ensie at 06:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Leaving early = car accident.

I didn't cause it. But I still got hit.

Actually, it wasn't all that big a deal. I was stopped at a red light behind another car, coincidentally noticing that the insurance card we have in the truck is out of date when SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I looked in the rear view mirror to see another truck, with a large boat attached to its backside, skidding toward me. I was surprisingly calm and gently let up on the brake, hoping to move forward enough that I would miss being rear-ended.

No such luck.

I had just replaced my foot firmly on the brake, determined to NOT hit the car in front of me, when BAM--bumpers collided.

The driver of the other truck leaped out and ran to me, asking if I was allright. I was. He immediately started babbling about no damage, haha, we can just keep going... No dice, guy. I told him I would pull over in a nearby parking lot to inspect the damage myself.

Fortunately, we were both lucky. Neither of us were injured and both trucks appeared to have nary a scratch. I jumped up and down on my bumper a few times to confirm that it was still firmly attached and told the guy that all was well. He repeated several times, "Wow--it was just like driving on ice! That boat is a lot heavier than I expected!"

I told him to stop sooner and be more careful on the newly rain moistened asphalt. I spent plenty of time driving a horse trailer around and know the value of paying extra attention and using properly adjusted trailer brakes.

Lets hope this won't come back to bite me in the ass a few weeks from now.

Posted by: Ensie at 05:22 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Oh I'd have made him sweat -- a lot. I was hit from behind while stopped at a light once and later that evening I got neck pain and ended up being treated for whiplash. If he can afford a boat, he can afford the drops of sweat. I'm very glad you're okay. I thought of you tonight at the local BH&WP.

Posted by: eden at October 12, 2005 08:38 PM (M2PUd)

2 that'll teach you to leave work early -- Jen http://meetsd.com/user/SublimeCT

Posted by: Jen at October 12, 2005 09:21 PM (hKCZ3)

3 Agh!! Sickness and car accidents?? Poor girl. I'm glad you and truck are ok! I hope your sickness is gone, too!

Posted by: Violet at October 13, 2005 06:33 AM (i2vI3)

4 Wow, Ensie, glad you're all right, darlin'. What a lousy week it's been for you, huh? Feel better!

Posted by: Mediocre Fred at October 13, 2005 02:19 PM (8bEhd)

5 Thank you everyone. I'm feeling a little better in the cold department. I managed to stick it out for the full day today and *magic* no car accident on the way home!

Posted by: ensie at October 13, 2005 05:30 PM (Pr5Pq)

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Sorry--the sickness has been upon me. I have the most exhausting cold known to man.

So sleepy...so...sleep...zzzzz.

Posted by: Ensie at 04:01 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Is here! Reading will commence, well, as soon as I get my ordered copy.

Check out the link at right to read the current DTWOF comic.

In the meantime I'll be reading Stylish Vittles #3, which arrived today.

Posted by: Ensie at 07:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I should just give up and name this The Appliance Chronicles.

The Saga of the Dishwasher is hopefully over, for real this time.

We called an appliance repair service out on Saturday to see what the problem was. The repair guy looked over all of our connections and hoses and found absolutely NOTHING WRONG.

He ran an intake cycle--nothing.

He ran an outtake cycle--nothing.

No leaks. Not a drop of water.

He finally said, "I think I know what's wrong."

Frinklin and I stared at him with hollow eyes.

"How much soap are you using?" he asked.

"A full cup, per the directions," I answered.

"You have a Frigidaire. They are temperamental and use very little water; theyÂ’re one of the most efficient machines you can buy. Have you ever used a Frigidaire before?"

"No. I've apparently only used water guzzlers previously." It was beginning to dawn on me what he was going to say.

"Well, I would advise you to use no more than 1/2 cup of soap when doing a load of dishes. Anything else will cause it to continue to overflow."

Then he was out the door with my $50 and we supposedly have a working dishwasher again. We have yet to run a full cycle, but we've left the bottom panel off until we confirm that the next several runs keep all the water on the inside of the machine.

In other appliance news, our furnace is on its maiden run as I type. Warm air does appear to be issuing forth from various floor vents, so all appears in order. I distinctly remember the home inspector telling us that the furnace is relatively new, so nothing better go wrong with that sucker.

Posted by: Ensie at 07:37 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 In retrospect, someday, you'll find that pretty funny

Posted by: eden at October 04, 2005 10:52 AM (M2PUd)

2 After I first moved in, the brand spanking new dishwasher didn't work. The water flowed but it didn't splash and it didn't get the dishes wet. No good. I tried again and again. The little cup of soap would open and dry soap would drizzle down the door. On my next try, I'd fill the soap cup again and it would drizzle on down. Over and over. So when Mr. Maytag came out (after enough hassle that I felt it was only right I should gouge out at least one of his eyes), he had the nerve to lecture me about using too much soap. So after he unkinked the hose and fixed the dishwasher, I collected both his eyes with my little melon baller. And then I ran it through the dishwasher so I can use it for parties. Good for you for showing more restraint than me!

Posted by: Violet at October 04, 2005 12:48 PM (mXRIM)

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Oh, the homesickness. In waves, like nausea. I've been absolutely miserable.

We've been just over two months and it's like a bell went off in my brain that, instead of saying, "ding!" is screaming, "I WANT TO GO HOOOOOOMMMEEEE!!" Then there are tears and sobbing and a weird panic attack that I actually felt coming on 1/2 hour before it hit.

I had finished eating dinner on Monday night and thought--odd, I feel as though I'm going to have an anxiety attack. Shortly after, I was preparing to go to bed and wham! Tears and gulping for air and uncontrollable shaking. After 15 or 20 minutes I was able to pull it together, only to be hit by another round of tears and shaking moments later (although I could breathe this time). I finally relaxed enough to watch some TV, read, and sleep (thanks to Simply Sleep).

Tuesday sucked. I've been having a difficult time adjusting at work. The people are relatively friendly, but each Bob's Hogs is going to be different, and this one certainly is. It makes me wonder if we were all just slackers down in San Diego. The random rules and restrictions at this particular store are playing havoc with my role as Queen of Everything. The staff at this store is proving less malleable to my way (the correct way) of doing everything. I was blessed to have a very successful program in San Diego that required a lot of time-consuming work, but relatively little outreach. Here, I find I have to do twice the amount of outreach and am reaping less than half of the benefits. Things are beginning to move, but I am impatient. I know realize how lucky I was previously. And I am feeling rather sick at the thought that I voluntarily gave that up.

Yesterday evening concluded with another round of tears, this time on the phone with my Mom. My family is extremely important to me, and I miss them more than I thought possible. How am I going to survive missing my younger sibling's high school years? How can I continue going to the movies without my best friend - my sister, Katie?

I'm feeling considerably better today, but it's more of a struggle than I anticipated

Posted by: Ensie at 06:48 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Frinklin and I finally went out and bought a "weather station" for our house. It tells you the temperature inside and outside. No trips into the actual cold are required. Sweet.

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Violet came to visit us this past weekend. We ate food, went to the Space Needle to eat more food, then to Pike Place Market for additional food, and finally, capped off the evening with...food.

That's all we did. We ate, the entire weekend. That's probably why she's now doing Weight Watchers, not because she needs it usually, but because there was a weight gain of 15 pounds over just three days.

We began our cullinary adventures with dinner at the Primo Grill in here in North Tacoma. You may remember Primo from my birthday. They do have the best lambchops known to man. And parmesan polenta. And fig sauce. I have shivers at the very thought. After dinner we capped off the evening with the police telling us to stay indoors and not open the door for anyone while they searched our neighborhood with dogs and spotlights for someone. I had just finished assuring Violet that we lived in the best part of Tacoma. I should have pointed out the window and finished by saying, "See! The police always get their man."

Saturday morning we traveled to Seattle for the giant Space Needle brunch. Highly worth the $40/person pricetag. Yum. Then over to Pike Place Market where we sampled 47 types of flavored honey and jam. Frinklin succumbed to the rasberry habenero jelly. Violet bought fish at the famous Pike Place Fish Market. Bags of fish whizzed over her head and she haggled over the price of sallmon.

That evening we returned to Tacoma and made reservations at The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant we had been wanting to try. Our reservation was for 8:30, we were seated at 9:15. The cheese fondue was good, not great, but the Chocolate Smores dessert fondue--absolutely fabulous. They flambé the chocolate dip and provide you with various items to dip. We had chunks of cheesecake, pound cake, pineapple, banana, strawberry, marshmallow, and graham crackers.

Violet's plane left at 10:30 the next morning, so we headed to our local diner, Knapps, for their famous cream waffle. It melts, oh so slowly, in your mouth. Add a large helping of hash browns and bacon; your arteries clog before you leave the table.

Violet, I was so happy to have you here. I know The Jeffrey scared the crap out of you, especially since you don't like big dogs, but you were awesome. Remember, "Ignore! Ignore!"

Posted by: Ensie at 07:54 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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So, the kitten is big. Here he is when we first got him at the end of July, and now he looks like this:

All attempts to take his picture while holding him to illustrate his actual size ended up one giant orange blur. I awake each morning to the sounds of our other cats being mauled by the Orange Beast.

Posted by: Ensie at 07:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Yesterday I was on a roll. I swept the floors, I cleaned the kitty litter, I did a load of laundry; I even managed to whip the couch cover off the sofa before The Jeffrey's dog puke soaked through (a warning against feeding more than one Greenie at a time). Frinklin was on his way to the grocery store and I had grand spaghetti plans for dinner.

Then, I noticed it--a tiny little wet spot in the corner of the kitchen. Crap, I thought. The dog's water spilled and had soaked into the wall. I carefully felt the wall--wet where the baseboard should be (but isn't, as we have no baseboards in our kitchen for some reason).

I had a terrible thought. Did we check behind the dishwasher to make sure it wasn't leaking? How many times have we run the dishwasher? Just once? Twice? I ran for a screwdriver and quickly pulled the upper brackets off the dishwasher, exposing a pool of water that had formed over the last few days.

Not just dampness, but a POOL of water. Shit.

A panicked call to my Dad resulted in the following advice, "Soak up the water, set up fans, and pray for no mold."

After turning off the electricity to the dishwasher's outlet I called Frinklin home from the store and we disconnected the hoses, allowing us to pull the dishwasher all the way out from the wall. And then we surveyed the damage.
The floor is covered with linoleum, which protected it pretty well, however, the wall was soaked at the base. Fortunately, it was only wet at the bottom inch, not any further up. Because the drywall had been put in pretty badly originally, there are gaps at the base, and I could feel moisture under the wall. It appeared that the space under the cabinets was also wet. I mopped up everything I could and then set numerous fans in place to start the drying out process. I double-checked the other side of the wall, which has no moisture and the floor feels firm.

Just a few hours after the fans were in place, the wall felt dry to the touch. I couldn't see or feel any moisture where there initially was, however, I can see that under the sink cabinet it is still damp. The fans will remain in place for several days until we can't see/feel/sense/etc. any water. The dishwasher will hang out in the center of the kitchen for the time being. Inconvenient, yes, but we have no garage and the threat of rain is ever-present. Once the area appears dry and a couple of weeks have passed a plumber will be brought in to reinstall the dishwasher.

My coworkers today have been supportive, telling me their own stories of flooding their houses in creative ways and how they dried out without issue. I only hope that the fact that our house is old (and therefore drafty) and the weather has been relatively dry as of late will allow us to escape without having to tear out part of the wall.

My father-in-law feels terrible about the initial issues we had with the dishwasher, so I don't even know how to tell him about the soaked wall. Maybe we'll just keep that a secret for the time being. I don't blame him; I blame the idiot who originally put in the half-assed plumbing throughout the kitchen.

Maybe I'll play the lottery tomorrow and see if I can just move into a new house.

Posted by: Ensie at 06:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Oh, Ensie! I'm sorry! How disappointing! It sounds like you caught it in time. Good eye seeing that the wall was wet. I hope things go smoothly. Hang in there!

Posted by: Violet at September 21, 2005 06:34 AM (ZjExo)

2 Damp Rid also helps draw moisture out of the air and it's cheap (animals tend to leave it alone as well). I'm glad you're getting a plumber

Posted by: eden at September 21, 2005 07:31 AM (M2PUd)

3 Thanks guys. Eden, I'll have to check out the Damp Rid. Awesome.

Posted by: ensie at September 21, 2005 06:19 PM (Pr5Pq)

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Found via so anyway...

Check them out.

Incredible. Take your time and read all of them. My favorite is the "Unfair Natural Disaster" listing from the Daily Show of all the possible things that have happened or could happen during Bush's Presidency. "Rodents of Unusual Size," "Yam Shortage," and Voldemort" are among my favorites.

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