Amber & Comforter Chameleon

Woody has many, many super powers, but among them is his ability to match duvet covers with amazing and handsome ease.

See for example how his ears and points and nose took on a pink glow when we lived in Madison and had a pink duvet?

Could it possibly be the same cat who looks downright tan against the back drop of our new duvet and comforter, a wonderful and much used gift from my mom and dad?

Without those gorgeous blue eyes, he would be invisible.

Amber & Blizzard

So, I am sick.  I was so sick on Christmas Eve, my mom and dad had to drive me back because I couldn't have taken the train.  While I am here, stuck in bed, under my cozy new comforter (another thanks to mom and dad) eating coconut balls (thanks to Auntie Carol) and surrounded by cats (thanks to Woody, Tiggy, Ginger and Pickles), this is what is happening outside.

 

Danger! Decorations!

Some days, you are glad to be in bed.

Amber & It's All In There

This weekend, a new kitty environment was added to my household.

This Super Fabulous Kitty House really sums up the weekend.  It was made by my fantastic sister.

Candice is seen here prepping for her trip to the Gulf where she helped out with the oil clean up efforts by wrapping herself in toilet paper and then rolling around on the beach.  See?  She is not only very giving of environments to the kitties, but she also helps out the other Al Gore kind of environment.

In addition to being made by the birthday girl, out of the box which contained an air conditioner present from my parents which made my apartment completely livable again, which they gave me on their visit, and which my dad and Bernard installed, the Super Fabulous Kitty House also reminds me of all the fun games the cats played in it all weekend which reminds me that I had a super fun time watching the World Cup Soccer game on Sunday with Nick and Diana after brunch at La Palapa.  And that reminds me of huevos rancheros con salsa verde.  And that pile of green stew and white creamy stuff on an egg makes me happy.

See?  The Super Fabulous Kitty House is really quite representative of my whole weekend.

Amber & Doozers

Thanks to Erl for reminding me how much I love Doozers.



Also, I kind of think my dad looks like one.

With antennae and a yellow hard hat?  And he loves building stuff.

Amber & Two Unbirthdays

Maybe I wore too much mascara today?

Well, I had to be fancy for this guy's pre-birthday party!

(The one in the pink shirt, not the one in the strawberry.) His real birthday is Friday, but we are observing on a different calendar where we have drinks tonight.

Also, I didn't post about this guy's birthday last week.

You can totally see where I got my nose from.

Amber & Goodnight, Kitty

Thanks to mom and dad (and Candice for the idea) for the sweet dreams.

Those are Hello Kitty heads, people.  Close up:

Amber & Family

Notice I am wearing my new Fraggle scarf that my parents gifted unto
me? It's purple!

Amber & Post-Holiday Father

More kin. I wonder if when I get older, my moustache will turn white,
too.

Amber & Relatives

One of the really great things about being a citizen in the Facebook Empire is how large its dominion actually is. In addition to friends from elementary (Hi, Valerie!) and high school (Ralph, how come you never wrote me back?), folks from D.C. (some of whom just got into Harvard Business School!), and people I totally don't remember at all (who are you?), there are Amberclan relatives a'plenty!

Of course, I was in touch with my sister, Princess Leia, before Facebook. But, I'm been able to become Facefriends and catch up with my cousins Jenifer, Lori and April, my uncle Wayne, aunts Delores and Gail, and a bunch of second cousins (or cousins once removed?) I haven't seen since they were infants.

This weekend, I accepted a Faceinvitation to be Facefriends with a man named Dan who shares my lastname. I don't think we're related, but my paternal family is so large we could be and I just wouldn't know. We have alot in common, though. We both blog, like pickles, and have Twitter feeds. His Twitter profile also says he is a botanist, which is funny because I totally worked at that Garden place. He seems to be a musician, which I am not.


I wonder if we are related. He doesn't seem to share the Amberclan mid-section thickness, which might rule shared DNA out. But maybe. Facebook is so mysterious. We do seem to have the same nose, but I thought I got that from my mom's side.

Amber & Candice

I want to say a very public thank you to my wonderful sister, Candice, for being so helpful and supportive during my dad's aforementioned health drama. Candice visited my dad at the hospital every day and was just so incredibly helpful to me when I visited. She even printed out directions to the hospital for me and then bought groceries for my parents when my dad was released.


Candice has a good heart and is very responsible. She also has the prettiest smile ever.

Thanks, sister bear!

Amber & Essential Organs

Many thanks to CRD for his stellar work guest-blogging this week. He did an excellent job and made my blog feel as well cared-for as a kitty being baby held.

(Photos by James)

Contrary to popular rumor, I have not been hiding out from the fuzz in the back of Matthew and Shelley's car.


I went home to visit my dad who has been up to all sorts of medical hijinx involving his lung and heart. When my dad picks organ systems to have malfunction, he goes for the good ones. He's doing better and now has a titanium device in his heart which I imagine to look something like this.

Talk about tempting fate in 2008. Dad!