bookish dreamer

So yesterday I had this crazy plan - I thought Dar and I would nip out to the DMV and do her ID card thing at 8 am in the morning.  At least that part worked.  We were done by 8:30 and on the way home. 

( And that's when it all went pear shaped )

Ok, so it's three days till I leave for LA (and then onto Japan).  THREE DAYS!  OMG.

Today I actually bought things I'm going to need for Japan... generic guest gifts (called omiyage)... luggage (yep, i now own big girl luggage, woot!)...shoes for walking around Japan...and crazy things like shampoo and girlie stuff just because I'd rather take what I have than have to worry about finding it right out. 

It was a busy run hither and thither kind of time, but at least Neil tore himself away from the kitten long enough to accompany me to the mall.  Apparantly my boyfriend is a mall rat at heart.  I'm reminded of it sometimes, but not terribly often.

We've decided that my last night in town we're going to Ranch 616 for dinner, just because it's my last night in town for two months.  The idea of that still staggers me.  I have absolutely no idea how to pack for two months.  Two weeks, sure, but months?  I've set up my library as a staging area to collect all of the silly things I think I'm going to be taking with me.  A backpack full of electronics, a bag full of girl things (face wash and the like), a suitcase full of clothes.  It seems like so much and so little at the same time.  Tomorrow's the final laundry day.  I'm trying to pretend that I'm leaving on Monday so that way I'll still have time for all of those last minute freakouts where I tear my  hair out and have to whip out to the store for that must have american item that i'm sure never to find in a metropolitan city like Tokyo.  /sarcasm

There are TWO things that, today, are the supercutest ever:

1 - I received the most adorable bon voyage package today from my darlingest elizabuffy !  It was filled with maps and guides to Japan (and one to her home city ... and EB, Neil says that it would be kind of cool to visit someday, so you might have to deal with both of us!).  And it was in the cutest packaging ever.  I swear, EB's a closet Japanese girl.

2 - the cuteness that is Ash!  OMG.  I'm sorry, I know I'm boring everyone with these, but .... LOOK AT THAT TONGUE!


for more frolics in the stuffed animals (and other freakishly cute images) go here

We spent Saturday mourning.  It rained all day.

We decided Sunday that we probably shouldn't spend it the same way, so we went to breakfast, and then to pick up some things for my trip, and found that we could talk about Felix a little bit.   It still rained.  All day.

Yesterday, though, we went out to grab some groceries, since we were finally recovering our appetites.  The rain was letting up.  On a hunch, I suppose, I took us to the PetCo.  And they had kittens.  And we took one home with us.  And his name is Ash.  You can see what he looks like here.

We needed this. I can tell, because not only is today sunny, but we're both doing better.  It was so hard on Sunday to come home and not have Felix be here.  And although Ash is already a totally different cat than Felix was, he's helping - we remember the good about our most precious lady cat, and he is reminding us that there's more good out there.

And I'll be able to leave for Japan knowing that there's a feline person watching over Neil.  That's important too.

ETA: fixed the gallery link... sorry about that :D