Should We?

A couple of weeks ago, Jason and I noticed this little kitty hanging around outside, near the basement of our building. She used a small window to crawl into the basement for shelter and someone had left some food for her. In spite of a slightly scraggly appearance, she was not alarmingly thin nor injured.


It began innocently enough... we started adding to her food dish. Then, we began to slowly build her trust and within days, she was purring and rubbing against our legs as soon as we came outside to see her. This is no feral cat--she's a bit skittish, but seems not to have major trust issues with humans.

On Monday, I bought her a little fleece blanket and spread it on the cardboard box where she usually sleeps (it's not as cold as the concrete). She purred her head off and immediately got comfy on it. That night, I told Jason that I'd lose all faith in humanity if someone steals the fuzzy red blanket from our girl.

When we went down the next morning, we found that, not only had no one stolen her blanket, but someone had fashioned a bed for her in an old dresser drawer. Now she had two cozy places to sleep! My day was made by this heartwarming gesture. We are not the only ones looking out for this sweetest of felines!


Jason wants very much to bring this kitty home, adding to our duo of felines and shifting the feline-to-human ratio in their favor. I'm not sure it's a good idea, seeing as how we already have two cats requiring food, litter and vet care. Not to mention the fact that one of them is an increasingly testy old lady (nearly 13!) who is unlikely to take kindly to a sprightly new addition.

Then, there are the logistics. Right now, we only have one litter box. With three cats, we'd need two. The one box we have now is problematic enough--where to put it and how to manage the odor in our small apartment are just two concerns we've been facing.

Much as I'd love to keep her, I'm of the opinion that we should take this kitty to a shelter. With a bath and some TLC, she'll be adopted in no time--she's absolutely darling and, after being starved of attention, she relishes every pet.

Thoughts?

Back from the Dead

Forgive me for neglecting the holy crap out of this blog. What can I say? The tribulations of daily life, job seeking and wedding planning have been extremely demanding of my time and thoughts these days. The good news is I'm starting a new job tomorrow, ending an enjoyable yearlong freelance gig at Conde Nast. Bittersweet as my departure from CN was, I'm excited for this next chapter, particularly to have the benefits and steady paycheck that are eluding so many these days. The good fortune I had in landing a new job in this climate is not lost on me, believe me!

I'll be working as a proposal writer and coordinator for a large facilities management company, also writing marketing materials and website content. The position follows nicely along the career path I've whittled for myself and I'm excited for the new challenges it's sure to throw my way.

Switching gears now, I have to pay tribute to darling Calvin, our sweet orange tabby who died two weeks ago at the ripe old age of 17. He was technically my cat, a gift my father brought home when I was mourning the loss of my childhood cat, Brownie. But Calvin quickly became my parents' baby, remaining when my siblings and I had all moved out, traveling with them across the country and back and making the transition from young to old under their gentle care. We will all miss the sweet old boy with the big round belly and roaring purr. RIP, Calvin.

On a random note: Yesterday, I went into my neighborhood WaMu branch to deposit a check. (When possible, I prefer depositing my monthly freelance checks in person rather than through the ATM.) I handed the teller my $600 check and deposit slip, she pecked a few keys on her keyboard and handed me a receipt.

It read "Total Deposit: $20."

Lucky for me, I actually looked at my receipt rather than shoving it in my wallet and running out of the overheated sauna of a bank like I usually do. I handed the receipt back to the teller and asked "Why does it say $20 when I gave you a check for $600?"

The exasperated teller opened her drawer, reviewed out my check and deposit slip and, visibly annoyed, said, "Oh. Sorry."

Now, I could understand leaving off a zero by mistake, resulting in a deposit of $60 instead of $600. But how the hell do you mistake $600 for $20? Sad that there are many bright and qualified individuals out there who are struggling to find work when people like this clueless teller are gainfully employed.

Another one of this ilk was the Target cashier who recently charged me twice for a single bottle of ketchup and got seriously pissed off at me when I pointed it out, forcing her to open her register and give me a refund. It's not the two bucks that concerned me so much as the fact that things like this happen all the time at my local Target (the one at Atlantic Terminal--avoid at all costs!).

Seriously, people, pay close attention. It seems that very few people have their mind squarely on their work these days and we all end up paying for it if we're not careful.