The new sound of summer.

Now that it's getting warmer and staying light so late I'm really noticing summer approaching. I've discovered a new summer sound here on Three Kings Drive... the sound of the little cart that goes around... grooming the landscape? picking up golf balls? I'm really not sure what... at the driving range. Outdoor sounds are a big part of summer since the windows are opened to allow them in, and I love it!

What's your favorite summer sound?

Who was it that told me to watch Zack and Miri Make a Porno last weekend? Was it Katie? Well anyway I watched it and it was so funny!! Gross, but funny and cute!

I've still got this cold. It sucks. Wish me luck on getting better!!

Cars are more expensive than cats... but not by much.

Over the past two days I have shelled out a little over $400 to fix my car and try to fix my kitty. Life is expensive, isn't it?

Every single time, seriously, EVERY SINGLE TIME, I take my car in for an oil change they find something else wrong with it. And it's never just a $20-30 operation, oh no, it's always in the hundreds. So I needed a new battery and had dirty transmission fluid and I figured I should get it fixed before I leave my car at the airport next week when I....

COME HOME FOR THE WEDDING!!!!!!!!! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

...and chance it not starting again. Then of course my passenger side door has been really hard to open and shut lately so I had them oil that a bit. I spent $206.12 yesterday on my little Nuggetmobile. And here's the very Heather part of that story: I forgot my wallet at home!!! What an idiot, right?! So I had to write a check, but anything over $200 requires a driver's license number so as soon as I got home I had to call them with that information. The guys were actually really cool about it, thankfully.

Now onto the kitty... Neve's cough never really went away so I brought her into the vet for a check-up and to see if we could figure out what's going on. Well guess what. $194.68 later, we still don't know. We did X-rays, blood tests and put her on a deworming medication on the off chance that she has lung worm. She hasn't coughed these last couple of days, but it comes and goes, so I'm not convinced yet.

There are two other options at this point. The first is to put her on an antibiotic for a longer period of time than she was before and see if that works OR (here's where we start talking the BIG BUCKS) we can do a bronchial lavage which would run me about $600. Other than her occasional cough, Nevie is PERFECTLY FINE!!! She runs around, plays with Belami, eats, drinks, uses the litter box, she's a very happy kitty- I can tell. And she's gained 2 pounds! Her size always worries me so I'm glad she putting on some weight! Not only do I not want to spend that much money for something that might not tell us anything, but it's a big deal procedure and I don't want to put her through that if I don't have to.

I've started calling Neve my "little expensive kitty" and I wish I knew something, ANYTHING, about her past that could help me with her health issue. I guess that if she's happy then I shouldn't worry about it too much, but asking me not to worry about my babies is like asking me not to breathe.

I finally watched Marley & Me and while I had some issues with it as a film- the stabbing scene, seriously??? I think that the story of the Grogans and Marley is such a true, relatable tale to anyone with a pet. They are best part of your life, but sometimes they make things very stressful! Whether they're chewing up the couch or coughing inexplicably you constantly think to yourself "What should I be doing differently?" I wish animals could talk! Or in Nevie's case I wish she made any sound at all- no purring, no meowing. She's a mysterious little bugger.

Amy and I were talking about our cats the other day and we've developed a theory about cats who have had multiple owners vs. those who have lived with one family or person their whole life. When I was away for Easter and my friend Carole took care of the kitties and said that Neve was all over her and so friendly but Belami wasn't very friendly. I explained that he's had a charmed life and he can be snobby with new people. Neve on the other hand has had a tougher life with less stability. She can adapt better I guess, whereas Belami notices changes more easily. When I came back to Park City in January after being in NH for 10 days, I swear Belami would barely look at me for two days! He was MAD at me for leaving! He would like me to be around all the time because he knows me as his mom/owner. Neve probably still wonders if this is her permanent home.

I realize I'm giving the kitties far too much credit in the brain department here, but interesting idea, don't you think?

Time for work! See some of you in a week!!!!

Dance, Dance, Dance.

Having troubles telling
how I feel, but I can
Dance, dance, dance.
Couldn't possibly tell you
How I mean, but I can
Dance, dance, dance.

So when I trip on my feet
Look at the beat
The words are written in the sand
When I'm shaking my hips
Look for the swing
The words are written in the air.

Dance,
I was a dancer all along
Dance, dance, dance
Words can never make up for what you do.

Easy conversations, there's no such thing
No I'm shy, shy, shy
My hips they lie 'cause in reality
I'm shy, shy, shy
But when I trip on my feet
Look at the ground
The words are written in the dust
When I'm shaking my hips
Look for the swing
The words are written in the air.

Dance,
I was a dancer all along
Dance, dance, dance
Words can never make up for what you do...

Dance, dance, dance.

This is a cute song by Lykke Li, a Swedish singer. She has a couple of other good songs, my favorite is called Little Bit, but most of them are actually kind of weird. Back to Dance, Dance, Dance... I love the idea of dancing for inspiration when you're not sure what to say. What a lovely idea!

Is...

I was reading the NHSPCA newsletter online and saw some information about leaving a dog in a hot car. I wondered what the laws are in Utah so I went to the Google page and began typing "Is it illegal to leave a dog in a car in Utah?" My Google assist is on so it always guesses what you're typing as you type it. I just have to share with you what Google thought I would be asking after I typed in the word "is."

The first suggestion was "Is Santa real?" Could you imagine some little kid going on the Internet to find out if Father Christmas exists? Maybe they're too embarrassed to ask a real person. And speaking of the holiday, one of the other suggestions was "Is Walmart open on Christmas?" So do these questions pop up because so many people are typing them in? In that case there are a lot of people wondering "Is bronchitis contagious?" and the same thing about pneumonia. There are three things people would like to know about Obama: is he a US citizen? Is he a Muslim? And, here's an interesting one: "Is he the Antichrist?" Hmmm... People actually went online hoping to find factual evidence to answer this inquiry?

Isn't the Internet a wonderful thing? You can Google just about any subject. And FYI I didn't even find the answer to my original question! Does anyone know where I could get that kind of information?

Mom won!

Congratulations, Mama! You guessed right! Well, half right. The song is called The Fear, by Lily Allen. I think it has cool lyrics and it's an interesting commentary on some aspects of life these days.

So for your prize you win... a visit from me on Mother's Day!!!!! Lucky you!!!

Speaking of Mother's Day, tomorrow we celebrate our other mother- Mother Earth! It's Earth Day as I'm sure you are aware. Let's all try to do something nice for the planet!

I have been to the end of the earth.
I have been to the end of the waters.
I have been to the end of the sky.
I have been to the end of the mountains.
I have found none that are not my friends.

Navajo Proverb

Clues.

That song is not rap! Here are some other clues:

It's sung by a girl.
She's British.
It came out in the last year.

Good luck!

Turn off your cell phone BEFORE the movie starts.

Let me tell you all what the mean man did to me at the movies last night...

One of the other managers, Carole, invited me to see State of Play with her and a couple of her friends after work last night. Never one to pass up a trip to the movies I obviously accepted and the whole night was really fun! We went out for wine and appetizers first at my favorite restaurant in Park City, Red Rock, which happens to be across the street from the theatre.

Now onto the mean man. The movie had started and I realized that I hadn't turned off my cell phone so I took it out of my bag to do so and the old man next to me grabs my phone while it is still in my hand and says "EXCUSE ME!" I told him that I was actually turning it off and he didn't say anything! No apology! Nothing! What a jerk! I guess he thought I was going to make a call? Start texting? I don't know what he was expecting but if he had just waited a second he would have seen that I was doing the courteous thing by shutting off my phone. Some people.

BTW the movie was pretty good, a little boring, but according to Jared I think all good movies are boring. In my opinion it's a rental, but what a great cast! I think Jason Bateman was my favorite part of the whole film!

Now let's play a game! I'm going to put some song lyrics here and you all have to guess the song! Have fun!

Life's about film stars and less about mothers,
It's all about fast cars and cussing each other,
But it doesn't matter 'cuz I'm packing plastic,
That's what makes my life so f#$@ing fantastic.
I am a weapon of massive consumption,
And it's not my fault, its how I'm programmed to function.