August 15th, 1998. The kittens are having a great time and have had their first vet visit. Ed (whom I also call Edsel now) might have ringworm so I have some special shampoo to wash both cats once a week - so they both got their first bath in the sink (where I've got a handy dandy spray nozzel). I only got out of it with two small scratches and a very very wet shirt (since half the time they were attached to the shirt and I just sprayed anyways.) Needless to say neither were terribly pleased with the experience but both have since forgiven me. The vet told me not to let Ed sleep on the bed and to clean and vacuum where he has been sleeping regularly so the hard part is keeping Ed off the bed. Especially since this means Isha has to sleep outside the room too because I don't want Ed to be shut out and I don't want Isha to be shut in (besides I've got the one litter box). But I'll miss them both at night as they are just wonderful kittens and very affectionate.
The apartment is coming together nicely. I bought myself a true TV stand from Bradlee's (the norths version of Walmart/KMart/Target. It's a Sauder (thats the brand) particle board with wood grained laminate on it. But it looks nice and has a lazy susan like top for me to turn the TV towards where I'm sitting in the Living room. It's also got a space below for the VCR and a small cabinet space beneath that with doors for additional storage. It matches the short thin wooden shelves I have for CD's and Videos which sit right next to it which is a Coup! My friend Ornoth helped me put it together so now I no longer have to worry about the kittens either jumping onto the VCR which was sitting on top of the TV or pulling the VCR down on top of them somehow. Oh best of all - it was on sale!
On the job front I am already scheduled to go on a trip with my new manager and another SAM (Support Account Manager). The official start date for the Job is Aug 24th and the trip is Aug 26h - 27th. I am also tentatively scheduled to go to Austin for training August 31st - 4th. But that depends on how many new SAM's have been hired. Training usually is held where the most new SAM's are and it looks like this time it'll be Austin which will be tres cool since I've got a lot of virtual friendly co-workers that are located in Austin. Lotus Notes/Domino support is a "Virtual" site with support folks in Austin, Markham (Canada) and North Reading MA. We also have International support sites in places like Staines England, Sydney Australia, Hong Kong and Tokyo Scottland and I think even Brazil. Now those would be neat places to go visit!
My new manager also told me she knows who my accounts are probably going to be. They are all exisiting Enterprise accounts (the types of accounts who get SAMs) but she's not going to tell me until everything is settled so I've got to wait and be patient. Yeah I know how to do that (not!). I wish she hadn't told me she knew becuase it was much easier waiting to find out until she told me that little fact. With my luck it'll be Akron or Dayton or some no mans land in Missouri or Kansas. But I've never been to any of those places so the first time or two should be interesting just because they are new. (See even tho I can't be patient I can be positive!)
August 11th, 1998. Well I realized I had updates to post to my web page (yes thats multiple) and figured that rather then having many many updates on the home page it would be far easier to create an open diary of sorts and keep all the pages there. So thats what you see here. This entry and the last 3 entries are actually all NEW entries. Like I said I got busy and haven't updated the web page. A lot of this is for my extended family and friends, but if I don't know you from adam I hope you derive some enjoyment from hearing about my life.
The kittens are settling in fine. They've taken to each other well and play around all the time. Running after each other over and under boxes, chairs and tables. I'm fairly certain my downstairs neighbors hate me or will soon since running kittens on non-carpeted floors are not terribly quiet. Isha is due to have her stitches removed tomorrow. Of course I've been keeping an eye on the incision so I was sure surprised when I checked it last night and 2 of the 5 stitches were gone. The top two were ther eand the bottom one was too. Checking this morning there were still three. Checking when I came home from work tonight found there to just be the top two. But the incision is still closed and seems quiet clean so I'm not too worried. The Vet will tell me if I need to be tomorrow.
August 7th, 1998. Well I got myself some kittens. They are just adorable. Adopted them from the MSPCA which is the saddest place I've been in a while. I just wanted to take every animal there home. But two was my limit and I found two that loved me immediately as much as I loved them.
Isha is a little white girl kitten about 12 weeks old. She's got medium long silky hair and looks kind of like the Angoras in my cat book. I'm sure she's not purebread but she may have some. She's also one of those cats with the thumb...what are they called - polydactyl? Isha (pronounced EE-shuh) was the name that she came in under. The person who had her didnt want her but she's a quiet loving kitten. She had to be spayed so she's still kind of tender and uncomfortable and I think they both have the beginnings of upper resperitory infections which is pretty common for sheltered animals - its viral like colds for us so we mostly have to ride it out but they've both got a vet appt on wednesday - she's goign to get her stiches out and him for a checkup.
Ed is a little 8 week black and white domestic short hair. Hes very playful and not really in any discomfort from being neutered. He just wants to love everyone all the time. Poor Isha he's trying to be attentive and she just doesnt want it right now. His favorite toy right now is her tail! But he's also partial to the catnip mice and fluffy balls I bought for them. He was a stray found abandoned and my biggest concern was that he wouldnt know what a litter box was for but he's using it like a pro!
The good news is I've got 'baby' pictures (the beauty of having a friend with a digital camera) that were taken last night after I brought them home from the shelter. She looks a little careworn and bedraggled but a lot of that is recuperating from surgery. One thing I learned, because I was concerned about this kind of wheeze cough they get when they drink or eat, but no other time - their lungs are clear! (see that EMT class stood me well and I'm glad I have a stehascope) - is that kittens are intubated when having surgery performed so it could be that their throat is just sore - I know mine was after I was intubated during my second wrist surgery.
Anyways I've got to scoot. I'm keeping them closed in my bedroom with food, water and kitty litter so they get used to each other since they aren't from the same litter but are young enough to introduce immediately.
July 30th, 1998 I've moved! I'm now living back in Malden (back because those of you who knew me a year ago know I used to live in malden and moved to Jamaica Plain from Malden about a year ago. Anyways I'm living about 2 miles from where I used to live. In a place of my own, no roommates to speak of, 4 rooms, a bedroom, living room, study and nice large kitchen. I've even got a small bathroom and a pantry with washer and dryer hookups for which I (obviously) bought a washwer and dryer. Of course I couldnt get the cheapest thing at Sears...I had to get energy effcient, state of the art front loading Tumble wash washer by Frigidaire. I feel so domestic.
Let's see, I have had a great time getting ready for the move - knowing I would have to put together a kitchen since the last few places I've lived I haven't needed much kitchen stuff so a few weeks ago I went to Kittery Maine (the home of the outlets) which is about an hour and half from me and bought myself a 14 piece Revere pots and pans set (sounds like more then it is), a 12" frying pan and lid, a bunch of Pyrex bakeware (a set plus a few other pieces) plus some other odds and ends for the kitchen and got out of there for about $150.00 (!!) which is pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
July 29th, 1998. I've got a new job! I found out this past Monday - I've been interviewing for the last month or so for an internal position - I kept it really quiet from everyone because I wasn't sure I would get it - its got some pretty big responsiblities. I'm going to be a Support Account Manager - which basically means I am a liason between three corporate customer accounts (don't know which yet) and Notes Support. This means I get to travel about 12 times a year because each account gets 4 visits per year (1 per quarter). I can schedule the travel whenever I want so I may do one a month or just 4 big trip's a year - we'll see. Before you ask - no I can't request a specific locale - eventually they may be localizing to regions but they have more accounts then they have SAMs right now to do that so I could be assigned accounts anywhere in the Continental US. Maybe even in Canada but I think they may be sticking to Canadian SAMs for that. Since I don't speak another language I won't get any international accounts - but one of the accounts I get may be a company that is international so who knows I may get some use out of that passport yet. It's a very exciting and challenging job and has a lot of visibility so hopefully this will work to my benefit and if not I will probably have only myself to blame so no pressure right?!
Needless to say it's gearing up to be a pretty exciting week. But I thought since I have my computer put together now I ought to give everyone a heads up.
June 3rd, 1998. Well after two years of missing having a car, griping about not being able to get to parties out of the bounds of the T, I finally decided to make myself happy again and went into my first major debt and bought myself a car.
I wanted a Civic but when I was pricing them I was doubtful I could find one I could afford. I wrote up my budget, I got preapproved on a car loan and I knew how much I was willing to spend (after my cash down payment - no more than $10K or $200/month car pmts). Saturday I went hunting with Jack. We test drove a '96 Neon that a friend of a friend was selling but I just didn't feel comfortable in it. Then we went to a place called, kid you not, Honda Barn out in North Reading (Main St./ 28...if you go give them my name - Jeanette Smith - I will get $). There she was a '95 Civic Coupe DX with 5 speed manual transmission. But I it wasn't love at first sight. She wasn't perfect...she didn't have (gasp!) Air Conditioning. The price was very good though - $8995.00. The sales person said he could have air added at cost. The price rose to 9995.00 (still under my $10K for the loan limit-this might happen). Then I test drove it. She was a wonderful ride.
Then I dithered.
I waffled.
I stressed.
I walked out without putting money down or even placing a hold on her.
I spent the remainder of the evening making Jack miserable by asking him what I should do, sharing with him (perhaps share isn't the right word...) him my thoughts, fears, feelings about this car. We budgeted my monthly spending and I decided I could definitely do it....
except it was 8pm. The Honda Barn had closed two hours ago. We'd left 4 hours ago so there was still a chance she was there waiting for me. If they hadn't already sold her during the two hours between my leaving and them closing. I made a plan to call at noon the next day when they opened for business and at least put a hold on the car.
I woke the next morning anxious ...I called at 11:30am, I called at 11:40am, I called at 11:51am and someone answered and ....
She was still there!
I put down money and after going through twists and turns ("Should I have the security alarm installed there?" "Dad, Should I get the 3 year 36K mile warranty?"). The dealership was patient while I changed my mind over what I wanted and then once decided they did it. They even got my plates for me and registered the car.
My job was to stay calm (HA!) and call insurance companies and find the place that gives the best discounts (since MA has standard insurance rates that's how you save money...discounts).
So I'm happy to say I'm the proud (and a bit less stressed) owner of a 1995 Civic Coupe DX with 38K miles, A/C, System 2 remote security, 5 speed manual transmission and she's Green-Blue Metallic!
Name to Come....
May 25th, 1998. Yes it's time for another update to my page. Well summer has finally arrived in Boston and it's just wonderful weather. A few weeks ago we had a stretch of 2 weeks of straight rain but we're getting good weather now. My father, brother and sister came up to visit for a long weekend and we all headed up to Ogunquit, Maine for two days. It's just lovely up there. I had Carpel Tunnel Release surgery on April 30th and on the 27th of May I'm back at work. I am looking forward to being back at work, ( I'm still working at Lotus Development Corporation as a Senior Notes Support Analyst), but I will miss being able to take a walk whenever the weather was nice.
My office is still is out in North Reading, MA, but since Lotus has a shuttle that runs from Wellington (Orange Line) MBTA and Mishawum (a commuter line stop) as well as from their Cambridge Location, I'm still working on my goal to live closer to the CITY of Boston.
It's that time again, time to search for the illusive perfect apartment in Boston. My lease ends July 31st so I'm already on the lookout for new a new place to live. This time I want a place of my own if I can swing it. Maybe even with my own cat, although I can't forget Puggie (Check out his web page!)
Aside from all that I'm making an effort to be more social. I've gotten out and done the social things with my local social group and I've even met *gasp* a special someone. We'll have to see where this leads.
In the mean time enjoy your summer and I'll try to update this again soon.
This web site is as always in the middle of chaos and reconstruction.
