So long! It's been swell!

Well, friends, the time has come to say goodbye to a fantastically great year. I loved 2006. It was fun. It was hot. It was full of surprises. 2007 is going to rock, too, I just have a feeling.

I've also loved talking to you all blabbering on and on about the minutiae of my life here. I will miss you terribly! But not for long. I am moving and as soon as I get the new site all purdied up and ready to launch, I will let you know if you want. Whirled Peas will probably stay up forever but I won't be updating here after the 1st.

Seriously, dry your eyes. Have a martini. It's all going to be okay. You know how to find me anyway! Much love and peace in the coming year.

(Send me an email - [ms dot quilty at gmail dot com] - and I will notify you when the move is final and official).

Ms. Q, out.

w00t!

For every one thing in my life that is negative (which we won't talk about here!) a lot more positive stuff happens (which I have talked about here!).

Today's good news is thus: My only natural born son who is currently patroling the streets of Baghdad and whose name is Josh and who is one of the biggest joys in my life, will be coming to visit in a few weeks!! His R&R starts on January 9th which means he should be here a few days later. OMG!! Yessssssss. If you can imagine what it is like to find a billion dollars, win the lottery, or [insert your dream here], then you can imagine how I am feeling right now.

So. Freaking. Cool: 2006 Holiday Version

The past 4 days have been filled to the max with so much holiday yumminess and magic and fun that it has caused me to spaz out and cease normal brain function. You may keep any typos or egregious grammatical errors you may find below.

Friday afternoon, Greg (Mr. Q) picked me up and we drove 8 hours away to San Francisco. It was a direct result of this conversation on Thursday:

Him: Wanna go Christmas shopping in San Francisco this weekend?
Me: Yes!!! (neurotic discussion about how and why we shouldn't go.) Are you sure?
Him: Pffft. Yes, I'm sure. Let's go!
Me: OK!

He picked me up from work and we drove straight to our friends' house in the Castro district. Our friends are totally sweet and cute and funny AND I discovered that Greg makes killer vodka tonics.

Saturday, we went shopping. Shopping all day in downtown San Francisco? The best thing ever. I do believe it was the first time all year that I actually felt really Christmasy. There were lights! Coldish weather! Christmas carolers!! I pillaged the Lush store and then bought something for everyone on my list at one of the millions of fancy shops at Powell & Market.



We mugged for the camera:

We drew napkin art:


We sat by a fire:

And then! The best part:
Sunday, we made a stopover at Luckybuzz & Gospel Bob's family's home for a Christmas Eve party. When we found out they would be on the West Coast for Christmas, we had to stop and see them no matter what. We didn't mean to insinuate ourselves into their Christmas Eve festivities but we couldn't turn down their genuine hospitality. We ate, we drank, we opened presents. And we had a truly enchanting evening with two of the most wicked cool and beautiful people anywhere. I can't even wait to see them again.

Begrudgingly, we had to leave late on Christmas Eve and drive home. We made it home safely. And then we slept.

And then we woke up. And wrapped gifts:



Adored the tree for a few mintes:


And then we unwrapped gifts:


All of this was followed by a divine time at the Quilty-in-laws. More presents, more food, and more love. Damn, I am a lucky lucky girl. What an adventure we had. I can't wait to do more spontaneous fun things and spend time with more outrageously cool people in the days and weeks and months to come. (New Year's Eve with the O's!!! w00t! Mr. O & Molly better rest up for Sunday!)

Anyway, none of this would have been possible without Greg, the most amazing partner I can imagine. And today is our 7th anniversary of shacking up. Even though we are married now, shacking up was the best and we still pretend that we are living in sin. It's way more fun that way. Thank you Mr. Q, you are crazy, insane, and totally nuts and I love every minute of it.

Hope your yuletide was filled with lovely times and lots of smiles.

Jinxy is was a very stubborn fish

My gay cat post was a big hit, but this adventure in pet land is a little more depressing. Gay cats? Comedy gold. Dying Betta's? Not so much.

Here's the story in a nutshell: I got a new pet Betta on January 13th (a Friday, hence the name "Jinxy"). Jinxy was a very good fish. He was beautiful and blue with long flowing fins. Like most ornamental fish, he didn't really do much, but I really enjoyed how Jinxy swam and how I even trained him to eat fish food pellets from my finger.

I know fish don't live forever, but I was hoping for a good year or two out of him. $4.95 for a desk companion is not that much, but his presence was priceless at times. Alas, last week he started to decline. He has been hanging out on the bottom of his posh tank all lethargic-like and not eating or swimming anymore. I knew he was on his way out. Each day I thought would be his last as his respirations became slower and slower.

This morning, I fully expected him to be teets up and then I'd give him a proper burial beneath the maple tree outside (shut up, Mr. O). When I arrived, sure enough, he was bloated and pale on the bottom, listing severely to the right. I did not see his gills moving anymore. Prepared to transport his little lifeless fishy body outside, I reached in with the fish net and ... lo! Jinxy frantically swam around and around. Gah!

I am torn between euthanasia and letting nature takes its course. I have a lot of issues with seeing a fish die a slow (although likely pretty painless and fearless) death. I am holding out a teensy shred of hope that he's just got the fish flu and he'll recover. It's doubtful but I can't bring myself to put a little pillow over his face and end it now. What to do, what to do?

Well, he lived a good life and I think he was as happy as a Siamese Fighting Fish can be in an aquarium in a cubicle in an office in Orange County. He watched me clean and rearrange my desk many times. He made me calm. He made people smile. When he goes, he will be missed.

Bye, Jinxy. Thanks for being a good fish.




A note of special thanks goes to Mr. Q for providing me invaluable hospice counseling all last week. I have worked my way through appropriate grief and I am at peace with the end of this little fish's life. It really pays to be married to a hospice guy who gives good grief counseling. Go me!

Update: My dear beloved Jinxy died peacefully at about 4:20 p.m. today. He is now buried 'neath the maple tree outside my office. God, I thought that fish was never going to die. The last thing I said to him was: Die already, die!!!!! The compassion is overwhelming. I know.

How long should I mourn before I get a new fish? Is one day long enough?

Proud Parent of Two Gay Cats

I am a gay cat owner. That is, I am the owner of gay cats. But I hate the term "pet owner". So, I'll just go with 'parent'. I am the proud parent of two gay cats.

You know how I know my cats are gay? Let us examine the daily lives and many strange habits of Pooka and Pi.

Pooka is the 8-month old kitten who is in a class all his own when it comes to being a rascal. He hides things, he breaks things, he pounces on your head at 4am. Pi is the big orange Maine Coon Cat who weighs approximately the same as a small John Deere tractor.

Exhibit A of the Gay: Yesterday, we came home and they were watching television. Pi's enormous paw was on the remote control. Both cats were fully engrossed in an episode of the Gilmore Girls. They also seem to like showtunes and Pi has an unhealthy obsession with Judy Garland.

Exhibit B of the Gay: They sleep in spoons. And when they play fight they always end up licking each other. All over. Sometimes, Pooka just puts his butt right in Pi's face and ... nevermind. It's totally gay. Trust me! (Pooka is totally a bottom. Even though Pi is more passive usually. This is not a judgement, just an observation.)

Exhibit C of the Gay: Pooka loves my vase collection and when he's not breaking them, he is rearranging them. I appreciate that he like vases to be on the floor but I would appreciate it more if it was on the carpet and not on the ceramic tile. He has potential to be a decent interior decorator but he's not quite there yet.

Exhibit D of the Gay: Obsession with hair things. They steal all my ponytail holders/rubberbands and hide them. They walk around with them in their mouth like some exotic prey they just caught. And then they hide them. There is a giant stash hidden somewhere. Also, they like to play with my hair. In reality, I think they want to open their own kitty salon in our back bedroom and they are just stocking up on supplies.

Exhibit E of the Gay: They will only eat Fancy Feast. The least manly and most shi-shi of all cat foods. Here is some of their ad copy: "Fancy Feast® With over 50 difficult-to-resist varieties, Fancy Feast® is truly an exquisite feast for all your cat's senses." You decide. Maybe they aren't gay, just metrosexual. I should call up Ted Allen and ask him. Better yet, I should call up Bravo and pitch the new show "Straight Minds for Gay Felines".

Exhibit F of the Gay: The closet. They are always in the closet. They can't stay away and it can only mean one thing.

That's enough evidence for today. They are G-A-Y, gay. And I love them. I've always loved me some gay men and my cats are no exception. I am sure there are other gay cat owners out there. I just wanted you to know: you are not alone.

Gay Cats in Action
(click each picture to embiggen)

Awesomeness

Short post.

Good news. Bad news.

Good news is that I am finished with school for Fall - two finals tonight and a wrist cramp to end all wrist cramps. whew.

Bad news (semi-bad news?) is my fish is dying, I have cramps and other fun girl stuff, I lost a filling and have to go to the dentist in the morning and I got a parking ticket.

Awesome!

How was your day?

I am totally shocked

Luckybuzz is a Libertine. I am a... wha? No way.