Amber & No Alarms and No Surprises

I am still feeling very positively about 2011, despite some threats to burst my optimistic bubble.  The largest threatening pin popper was a disastrous rug thing that happened to a friend involving a dog with digestive problems.  Something like that can really set a tone, you know, even if it doesn't happen to you directly?  But, it can also result in the aquisition of new appliances, which is a shiny silver lining if ever there was one.

But, I'm still a bit shaken that my friends at Apple also have attempted to break my new year stride by failing to wake me up at the desired time for three days running.  (You will recall my regular alarm clock is ILL.)  Now, the first day, I thought I had managed to sleep through my only (accidentally) purchased ring tone.  It is sort of soothing, and I have been known to sleep through even greater challenges.  And the second day, I thought my phone was broken.  But last night, I discovered this article in the New York Times which pointed the finger of blame on some kind of very belated Y2K issue.  And Nick sent this confirmation that the phone should have worked today.

Well, it didn't.

But unlike the folks who wrote in to the Times to complain about missing flights, jobs, morning talk shows, etc., I had set a back up in the form of...

(Photo by Jimmy)

Woody.

Not surprisingly, that one worked like a charm.  Very reliable, that guy.

Amber & Siren's Song

What does it mean that my iDevice woke me up to this song for the third time in recent memory?



It must mean something.  It seems really inappropriate for a wake up song, even though I do love those Timbaland beats.

Amber & 3:07 am

It's 3:07 am.

Do you know where your insomnia is?

Amber & Four Reasons I Am Happy to Wake Up in the Morning.

1.  Just call her Tiggy of the Morning, darlin'.  She sits patiently waiting for chest rubs.

2.  Pickles is my perfect purry pal, curled up and curly waiting to be rubbed.

3.  Luff, luff, luff.  Even if mostly he is waiting for sink hands.

4.  If I didn't wake up and then get out of bed, how would I get to snuggle this guy?

Amber & Really, Technology?

So, some of you will remember the first time I used my oven and CRD and I nearly died from laughter when we learned that, in addition to beeping super super loudly, my smoke detector said in a incredibly calm woman's voice,  "Fire.  Fire.  Carbon Monoxide."  And, if the laughter didn't kill us, the panic of trying to stop the beeping (did I mention it was super loud?) might have.  The event gave me great concern both about what was burning off inside my oven to cause that smoke and about the extra stress of the beeping--while I was trying to gather all four cats into carriers--in case of a real fire fire.  (Carbon monoxide.)

Well, guess what I just learned, at 5:00 am on a Sunday morning, happens when the smoke detector's battery gets low?

"Beep.  Beep.  Low battery."


I'll let you puzzle out how I managed to a) get the damn thing of the ceiling (I have really high ceilings, being on the top floor), and b) figure out where the battery was.  And if that's too easy, you can puzzle out how I disconnected it since it was wired directly into the electrical system. That's right, the battery is only it's backup source of power.

This seems like a really bad over-use of technology.  Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.

Amber & Surprise Visitors

Sometimes when you oversleep and finally Woody gets so impatient for wet food that he starts biting your arm (very, very gently), a great deal has happened overnight.

Like: snow.  Not without a last hurrah, eh, 2009?

Amber & So Many Questions

This video, called "Kitten that occupies bed," posted by a user named LoveScottishFold has occupied a big chunk of my mental energy this morning.



Have the Japanese invented some new kind of e-collar?  Why does that little buddy guard the bed so feverishly?  Is he a trained guard kitty?

Amber & Vetiver

I know it's been the Plant of the Week before, but vetiver is totally my B.P.F.  (Best Plant Forever).

It's in the same family as my other close grass friends, palmarosa and lemongrass, but vetiver and I are so perfectly matched that it earns a special place in my pantheon of plants that yield essential oils.  It's cedary, musky, earthy smell is calming and grounding when mixed with oil and applied to my pulse points-- making it a wonderful match for my issue-laden first chakra.

To quote the folks over at Ananda Apothecary...

Vetiver essential oil is used for emotional grounding and stabilizing the emotions. It is considered relaxing to an overheated, hyperactive mind an nurturing to an insecure self-identity. The oil may then be suited to the type of individual who constantly strives for perfection, but who loses touch with the ability to absorb and replenish, not letting things just be.

I sure let things be on my walk to the 168th Street station this morning.  A normal 10 minute walk mysteriously took me about a half hour.  Oh well, that's just the way it is.  Sigh.

Amber & Brunch

Cafe Andre! Bloody good times!

Amber & The Unexpected

It's kind of damp and foggy this morning. Although the door is open, Woody, Ginger and Tiggy all prefer to be inside. But not this guy.


Who would have expected that the one cat who was so terrified in the car that he pooped and peed himself would be the one to explore the deck this morning? His new name is Pickles the Brave.

Amber & July 5th

In my house, the day after Independence Day is a day of Recovery. Fireworks + Kitties = Terror. Yesterday evening, we draped a sheet from the headboard to make a tent, and the five of us cowered in it all night while our neighbors set off what sounded like M-ONE MILLIONS in the park across the street. The tent was good enough protection from the noise for Woody and Ginger, who groomed and behaved somewhat normally, but Tiggy doubled her safety by hiding under a pillow, and Pickles burrowed under the covers at the foot of the bed. I didn't take any photos; that would have been exploiting their sadness.

But, today, we are all recovering nicely. A little earlier, the boys very hesitantly looked out the window to see the post-apocalypse status.


But now, all four kitties are resting on the bed.

It's like July 4th weekend is a big game of Hide & Seek, and the bed is both the best hiding place and the glue.

Amber & Kitty Yoga

This morning, the kitties seem all very laid back and harmonious. For example, Woody is doing his morning yoga by the window.

I think he's doing cobra pose with modifications for his surgeried knee. It doesn't bend quite the same since the ligament was reconstructed, and Woody knows to choose the modifications that meet his needs. I'm not sure turning your head to sniff the breeze is so good for your practice, but kitty yoga could be very different.

Or maybe it's just the same.

Amber & Mornings, Good-style

I'm testing out throwing one house-chore goal into my morning routine. This morning, I did the dishes.

I didn't make a giant pot of oatmeal for breakast; that pot served as my dish pan. (Notice, CRD, it's called a dish pan.) And there are so many plates from feeding cats. Four of them. Sigh. Dish-o-librium.

P.S. Does anyone want my coffee maker? I moved it into the cabinet above the stove today to avoid temptation, but I don't foresee myself using it any time soon. I still have two french presses which I will keep to use for loose tea, but I think I should say goodbye. It has a self-clean feature and an auto-timer so it can start itself in the morning! Let me know if you're interested and you are withing carrying distance without having to check luggage.


[Update 11:49 AM: CRD claimed the coffee maker.)

Amber & Cafix

So, I love coffee. But, it doesn't love me so much. Thus, my last hurrah has ended and I am trying to go coffee-free.

Kevin advised me to not think about changing my health and eating from the papers again as one big switch to pull ("now! I am perfect from now on!"), but rather to make better decisions in the moment. That makes so much sense to me since I have trouble digesting big changes to begin with (and coffee). Kevin also told me about this product that Diana drinks: Cafix.

It's made from barley and chicory and contains no caffeine. The point is that it is supposed to be a delicious hotdrink that fulfills the sensory gap left by removing coffee from one's consumption. My only experience with these coffee-substitute drinks has been at Angelika Kitchen where their grain coffee is always a meal-end treat.

This is my first morning with Cafix, and let me tell you it is pretty delicious.

I added some creamline milk, some honey and some cinnamon and served it up in my favorite morning mug. It's downright delightful. No, it doesn't taste just like coffee, but it has the hearty, rich, earthy flavor that feels like waking up. I am having a super nice time on the couch drinking my beverage with kitties. Thank you, Kevin and Diana.

P.S. Pickles just caught and ate a fly. Now he is coughing funny. I think it tickled his throat.

Amber & T-Storms

It is a dark and stormy morning.

And it appears that it will be one all day. I woke up around 6 am on account of thunder. The sound of the thunder didn't wake me; it was the sound of the kitties scrambling across the floor to their respective hiding spots. They are, I discovered after extensive searching, scattered throughout the apartment. Woody is in the armoir, Pickles is under the bed, Tiggy is under a sheet on the couch (that is meant to be an environment for her to lie on), and Ginger is behind the file cabinet under the desk.

I like the rain but a morning without kitties is a gray morning indeed.

Amber & Back to It

I am home safe from San Francisco. I had some waking up trouble this weekend, showing that I really had adjusted to California Time better than I had believed while I was there. Plus, we lost that hour. And, I lost another few hours just staring into Woody's eyes.


But, now I am back in my morning routine. Only, I've been gone so long that Ginger seems to have forgotten he's not allowed on the counter, that the weird machine makes coffee, and that I promised to protect him from all small kitchen appliances when I adopted him.


This photo can't convey the hissing coming from both the coffee steam and the baby cat.

I love New York.

Amber & Road Races

Shortly after I woke up this morning, intense drumming started outside my window. I mentioned this on the IM to CRD, and he informed me that there was a road race starting in front of my house that our mutual acquaintance, Tyler, was running in. Once I got up the courage to face the cold, I confirmed this theory.

Also, while I was looking out the window, I discovered this bag full of bags on the very edge of my fire escape.

I think someone was chilling their bag stash overnight and it blew under my window.

Also, it is snowing. There are so many surprises this morning!

Amber & Chiropractic Mornings

Good morning, Sunshine! Why I am posting before 8 a.m. in the midst of my week of unemployment? Why am I not sleeping until noon or waking at 10 and then spending an additional two hours petting kitties before I start up the Internet?

Because, dear readers, I have a chiropractic appointment this morning which I had scheduled while I was employed for an early hour (9) without realizing I wouldn't need to get to the office afterward.

I had a good first appointment. I wasn't even sure if my problem (ouch in the shoulder) was something that could be treated by a chiropractor. And, beyond that, I wasn't even sure if chiropractic treatment was bunk. But, my fellow gardener, Ariel (date her!), described her chiropractor as a magic man. And it was pretty amazing. I felt more fluid, less stiff, immediately afterward.

I'm going back today with a bit of a stiff neck and a slight hunching in my left shoulder. I can't wait to see what tricks are in store for me today.

Amber & How I Make Coffee

As previously blogged, I now make my own morning coffee. After I have bathed, I product up (face, body and hair), and half-dress (leaving off any components of my outfit which might get foody or furry). Then, I put on the cat kettle. While I am waiting for the water to boil, I put the coffee in the French Press.
Then, I put the toast in the toaster and feed the cats. (I feed them cat food, not toast, but I did not want to photodocument how gross lamb wet food is.)


Once the water boils, I add the water to the press and let the coffee brew, while I enjamb
my toast.
Then, I pour myself a mug (and add milk) and also pour one into my travel mug. I have two French Presses, one for a single cup and one for two. I use the two cup on days when I am working on-site so I have something to sip during my morning booth duty.


I add a doctor-deterring apple, and then head out to the couch to dine, and if I am lucky, have a little lap time with my favorite boy cat.I like to think it's about proximity to me and not to the toast crumbs.

And that's how I make coffee in the morning! Any questions?

Amber & Morning Cats

My morning is pretty much all about being a zombie, bathing and doing cat chores. I do yoga, drink water, scoop litter, feed cats, give Tiggy Time, provide Woody with Shower Sips, make the bed for optimal Environment Enjoyment, and generally respond to their needs. Luckily, I pick out my outfit the night before since cat chores (and being a zombie) leave little time (or mental capacity) for selecting items that help define one's signature style.

One more kitty chore I do every morning is attend to this little guy when he starts to whine.

After I nearly burned down my D.C. apartment (but Tiggy saved the day!), CRD gave me this tea pot in the shape of a cat. Although Nick finds this somewhat frightening, I find it downright creepy. It's a cat that you fill with water and put over an open flame. But, he's essential to my new morning coffee routine, which CRD also gifted upon me. (Who knew you could make coffee in your own house for less than $4 a cup?)