Bye bye cat… again…

Well, we finally convinced the rescue organization from whence she came to find a foster home for our cat Mischief. She moved out on Tuesday, and it’s been amazing the calm I’ve felt since she left.

I recognize that I can be a bit of a control freak about my home environment. Once I set foot in the outside world, I am pretty content to go with the flow and it doesn’t bother me that much of my life, from traffic to how many work hours I’ll get this week, is not under my control. But, at home, well… that’s another story.

I am not by any means a clean freak. It is common to find a bit of hay scattered around the house and shelves that are not dusted as regularly as perhaps they should be. But I am a little obsessed with the idea of having everything in its place. We have a lot of clutter, but it’s neatly stacked and I always know where everything is.

One of the wonderful things about rabbits is that they’re controllable. They live in their cages anytime they’re not under direct supervision, preventing destruction of property while I’m away at work and allowing me to contain them so I can get things done around the house. The cat liked to knock things off of our desk and shelves and had loads of fun clawing the blinds, Steve’s desk chair and our bedspread. There was nothing I could do to stop her from destroying things while I was away at work. She disrupted the order of things, which drove me nuts.

I think it’s best for all involved that she’s gone. I’m sure anyone who fosters cats is a “cat person” and will be much more sympathetic to her tendencies than I am, so I’m sure she’ll be happier. And, the order in our home restored, I am feeling much more relaxed already.

We actually left the house!

Last Friday night, Steve and I went to see Joel McHale at the Flint Center in Cupertino (for those of you who don’t know Northern California, it falls in the generic realm of “Bay Area”). Joel McHale is a stand-up comedian who hosts a show on the E! network called “The Soup.” The show basically pokes fun at pop culture. Primarily is mocks other TV shows, but it strays into celebrity news as well. It’s a good way to know what the kids these days are watching without having to actually watch any of it.

The show was a lot of fun. Steve and I were certainly in the nosebleed section… the very last (top) row of the highest balcony. But, hey, we were there to hear the man talk. We already know what he looks like.

His comedy style was a perfect match for both of us, especially Steve, since he relishes in saying things that make people uncomfortable. I won’t give an example, since I’m sure most of the readers of this blog don’t have quite the same sense of humor that we do, but it was quite crass and hilarious.

We had a wonderful time. Even getting there was easy because I accidentally ended up in the wrong lane coming in toward the Flint Center (which is on a college campus) and wound up following some students to a deserted parking lot with easy access to the center without waiting in line for half an hour to get into the overflowing parking structure.

It was great first comedy show for us. We have always enjoyed watching stand-up on Comedy Central, and after that positive experience, we will definitely go out and do it again.

The Beard Debate

Okay, so I’m opening this up for people to voice an opinion if they have one, but be warned that I’m likely going to exercise my wifely right to override any commentary and tell him to do what I want him to do.

Steve with Beard:

Steve without Beard:

It begins…

Well, since it’s December, it’s time for the Christmas decorations to go up. Steve and I have nowhere to put a tree or anything of that sort, so I did what I could to make things look festive.

Some ornaments on the curtain rod:

A Santa hat for a penguin:

Some tiny ornaments for this cool wire tree Steve got me:

CostCo wreath:

I was feeling pretty good about things until I went outside. This is the house across the street:

Overachievers.