Hey guys. It’s been a rough week around here, my nerves are almost totally shot, my hands are shaky, my chest is tight.
I’ve been on edge ever since my site update three weeks ago. If you remember, I had some technical trouble and I was sick about it for days, physically sick. We went on vacation to Savannah and I was just starting to feel more like myself once we got home.
Then the shit really hit the fan this last week. We were dog sitting my parents small dog who goes by two names, Tagg and Rudy, I have no idea why. Our cat Nami is usually pretty cool around other animals, I keep the dog out of her space and she seems to be just fine. I thought she was.
I came home one afternoon after running a few errands and I found that she had peed on the newly reupholstered sofa in the sunroom. Now this is a cat who has never gone out of her box except when patrolling the neighborhood in the summer time. I was shocked. I found out quickly that the new sofa fabric is highly water repellent, in fact all the “liquid” was pooled and not being absorbed into the couch. That’s great and all, except that my computer, my external hard drive and my camera were all sitting in said pool.
Yeah.
Apparently she had been holding it.
So I do everything I know I’m supposed to do, I unplug the computer, unplug the hard drive, and dry off the camera. I open the computer to dry off the keyboard – it was in sleep mode, the screen flashes on, then the smell of burning electric parts, and then nothing, just a blank screen.
I come to terms with the severity of the situation pretty quickly. Knowing there is nothing I can do in that moment I move on to cleaning up the rest of the mess. I wipe off the sofa and of course a good amount of ‘it’ drips onto the new rug, of course.
After careful inspection I was relieved to find that the hard drive and the camera were just fine. I made an appointment at the Apple store and headed over there with my stinky, gross computer to see if there was anything they could do.
The Apple guys were helpful, I was able to grab a few crucial files right before I watched the light flicker out of my computers screen forever. It was beyond hope and there was nothing those guys could do. So I handed over my credit card, cringed and bought a new computer.
I walked out to my car resolving to just be okay with everything only to find a $42 parking tucked under the wiper blade. I had missed the meter by 6 minutes.
I am thankful that I got some of the most important files. I back up my photos regularly so I was only missing the last two months of images. There is still a lot of things that need to be rebuilt. I lost of all of my applications so I have to reinstall them all one by one. All that takes a lot of time, and time is something I don’t have a lot of these days.
I wish I could tell you that was it, but it wasn’t. I could just tell something else bad was going to happen, I could just feel it. Wouldn’t you know that when I was using the bathroom Sunday night that my phone that was tucked safely in my pocked took a giant leap and landed straight in that porcelain swimming pool.
It’s a total loss.
Needless to say, I can’t take much of this anymore. My stress level is at an all time high, I’m worried that it’s effecting my health. I’ve been trying to decompress, taking long walks, trying to clear my head. Honestly though, I am a nervous wreck and I don’t know if I can take anymore. It’s like a bad joke, if only it was.
So I just had to share, because it’s just so much bad stuff all at once, it’s funny, right? Please tell me I’m not the only one who has had a seriously crappy run of bad luck. I’d love to commiserate and hear your stories too, maybe it’ll help.
Hang in there girl!! I was hoping this was an April Fools :( I bet the weather this morning isn’t helping either.
Least year my portable hard drive died and I lost a lot of stuff. Apparently I hadn’t backed up a lot of it so I lost a TON of old portfolio work and music. Luckily all my images are up on Flickr so I was able to download everything that I was missing there. I even dropped my hard drive off at Kroll Ontrack in EP to recover the data, and even they couldn’t recover anything.
Thinking about you and hoping things start looking up. Take care of yourself.
Thanks, Janelle. I’ll try. That is so sad, I feel your pain in a major way. I too am able to “piece” things together, but it’s just not the same. I’m going to try and think positive today. Headed out to get a new phone in a bit, and then will focus on enjoying the kids and taking deep breaths.
It’ll all be okay, Scoops. Spring is coming, and it will bring good things. Take care.
I hope this is the end of it! We had a warm day on Sunday and that made everything feel much more manageable, hoping for more of that in my future.
Hey Scoops. I stumbled upon your blog a few months back and as a fellow Minnesotan regularly follow. My heart dropped when I read this – I know that feeling – when it rains and pours (and in our case this morning ice/snows us right in the face) and you feel like life is just punishing you. It ends though. It (almost) always does and you look back and hardly remember that pit in your stomach or that weight on your back that you carried. Sometimes just knowing that things will and do get better helps. I promise you, these things will resolove, the sun will shine again (almost there now) and these awful days will seem like a distant memory. *hugs*
Awh, Thanks Mealnie, I know we are all strangers for the most part, but your comment got me a little teary. It’s so nice to know that people who you don’t even know in real life can care about how your day is going.
I know, I know, it will have to get better, and you’re right it almost always does. I keep thinking about how my friends and family are all good and safe and that’s really what is important. I will feel so happy when the pit in my stomach starts to go away, I hope it’s soon. Gonna stay positive :)
Things never seem trivial when we are in the thick of it. This post doesn’t include anything about hospitals or police stations, so that’s good. :) I don’t want to minimize the stress you feel, but these are things that in a years time…well, they wont matter. It’s not worth making yourself literally sick over things that will eventually be nothing more than a funny story. Hang in there.
Yes, it didn’t mention anything about hospitals, however my Aunt did pass away last week and I’m sure that all of those things are affecting me. I’ve tried to take the afternoon to disconnect from the computer, spend time with my kids and hopefully relax tonight. I can’t wait for this all to be a funny story ;) Thanks for your support.
Sorry Scoops :(:(:(:(
Thanks, Katrina!
What is the fabric of your couch made out of? I once made a slipcover out of a drop cloth… the cheap canvas kind and my cat peed on it WHILE I was pinning/sewing it to the couch. I stood there and watched her do it. What the? I washed it, tried again and she kept doing it. I smelled it and I could sorta kinda see that maybe she thought it smelled like another cat pee and so she wanted to mark her territory? Or maybe she dimwittedly thought; “Well, this is where we go, now.” I don’t have a clue. I had to get rid of the cover after a week (and I was only making the damn thing to keep her hair off the couch!). I learned some cats just don’t like some fabrics. You might have to keep the porch door closed. Good luck!
Solidarity, sister!
Hey Mary, The sofa material is like a 70% polyester 30% cotton blend. I think I had just arrived on the scene right when the cat had peed, so really it didn’t get a chance to soak in to anything but the computer. I seem to have caught the smell before it got really bad, I used some pet products that I had around. Our old cat used to sneak pees on the rug a lot so I had some products on hand.
Feel your pain! In one week my washing machine broke, roof started leaking, dropped my brand new (and stupidly uninsured) iPhone on the garage floor smashing the glass on the front AND was dog sitting for my sister and had to call her on vaca to tell her the dog wasn’t acting himself, know it wasn’t my fault but turned out he had cancer and had to be put down :( I just kept dealing with one problem at a time and kept reminding myself of one of my most favorite and helpful sayings, “this too shall pass!” So hang I’m there scoops and this too shall pass. You know the calm before the (shit)storm? Maybe this is the storm before the calm!
Those iphones, I tell you what. My husband is walking around with his 3rd cracked screen right now, granted he is super cool and doesn’t have a case, but still ;) I always like that ancient wisdom, “this too shall pass”, I’ve been using my energies all afternoon to focus on that. Thank you, and yes, I hope it is the storm before a very big calm.
Awww, man Scoops! What the shitty stupidness. I seriously was wondering if you were ok, since you hadn’t posted anything or instagramed anything. I totally agree that feeling of when it rains, it pours, and the only thing I have to get through it is cries and sleeps. And give yourself a break on everything you can. Easiest meals possible, no cleaning, put off any unimportant errands. Do the least amount of life chores possible, so you can focus all your energy on not exploding. And there will come a day when your perspective of “everyone’s healthy, no one is hurt, everything is ok” doesn’t feel like such a load of crap. Commiserate: my boyfriends dad got a DUI Saturday, so that’s fun.
You will survive this. You will survive this. You will survive this.
I wish I could cry about it, that sounds so good. It’s seemed so bad earlier this week that it seemed hard to cry about it, I just wanted to melt into a puddle instead – that being said, it’s already getting better, hour by hour. I just need to keep working on relaxing and getting those anxious feelings to go away. I’m sorry to hear about your boyfriends dad, that’s rough.
Thank you!
I have a thirteen-year-old cat (named Khat) that is ruining my life. We have a litter box in the “cat room” upstairs, and a litter box outside our laundry room downstairs. If she is allowed out of the cat room, though, she will pee anywhere in the world EXCEPT the downstairs litter box. We bought a couch and love seat in December – both ruined. She’s peed on all our dog beds. Her favorite place in the whole wide world, though, is my closet. On my shoes. I lost all my flats a few months ago, and just last night she got a pair of boots. I had gotten really good about making sure my door was closed, but after she peed on the couch a week or two ago we locked them in the cat room. Last night was the first night we’d let them loose since, and she was only free for about 3 hours.
I love her – I’ve had her forever and she’s the sweetest cat in the whole world – but…
Sarah – I love the name Khat super funny, however it is totally lame what Khat is doing to you! That is so, so, so, sucky about your sofa and love seat, that’s just the worst.
What does one do in that situation? It’s so hard, have you found out if Khat is sick or anything? We had a cat that did a little peeing outside the box, not to that extent, but it happened on occasion. My two year also has asthma and the cat’s dander was causing my son breathing problems – the cat was a big shedder. We were able to find him a new home for him (the cat not my son) on Craigslist with some cat lovers. I felt good about that outcome. I know that this is a tricky topic, any people have intense feelings about it, but it worked well for us. I’m glad that he is in a good and loving home now.
I feel for you, good luck with that cat Khat.
:) She did have a UTI at one point, but that has been treated. My sister is a vet, so she’s sick of hearing about it! lol We had some issues from both our cats with downstairs peeing, before we realized we needed a second litter box. They were too lazy to walk back upstairs when they had to pee, so any old box would do. >.< But now she has to walk past the (pristine, for the record – we have kept it spotless to make it more enticing) downstairs litter box, go through our bedroom, through our bathroom, and into my closet. It may be because I haven't been able to get the pee smell totally out, so she just thinks it's another litter box option that offers more privacy?
I've thought about re-homing but I just can't do it. Out of our four animals, she's the LEAST neurotic. You know, outside of peeing on everything we own. I've had her since I was 13 (back then she was just Cat – her name got fancified my a college roommate) and I love her to death. I just also want to murder her sometimes. :)
I'm sorry about all your electronics, though!! Animals are so hard, because they never grow up and become aware, like children do (or are supposed to, anyway). And when they do something wrong, they probably don't realize it…ugh! I hope things get better for you and all the rest of us that have commented!
Oh sister, I feel your pain! The last six months have been rough around here. As our business takes off, our personal time has diminished to nearly nonexistent and the ill effects are starting to show. We’re traveling a TON and in the last month have dealt with a broken car, camera, camera lens, lapel mic, faucet and stove. My freelance work is booming right when I need to focus on our own business more. And I just had to cancel my participation in a very important convention due to shifting timelines/emergency situation with a client. (Aren’t graphic design emergencies are the most ridiculous sort?)
Now it’s becoming apparent that our five year old isn’t dealing well with Mommy and Daddy traveling so much and I don’t blame him in the slightest. I don’t like being away from them and not as present as I should be when I am home. It’s time to break the cycle of FRENZY that my to-do list dictates and just take one thing at a time. I refuse to continue feeling like I’m running around like a chicken with its head cutoff as I tackle one task after another. I’m the boss of my to-do list dammit! Not the other way around!
So anyway, yes. Life is a bitch and it likes to throw all the curveballs at once sometimes. If I could, I’d kick it right in the nards for the both of us.
You always make me LOL, you knew I would be into that nards joke at the end of your comment. I can tell by your Instagrams that you have been all over the place lately, I didn’t realize it was so intense. It is so hard to balance all that stuff isn’t it? I feel like that is my exact problem right now too, except without all the driving and booming business thing. I hope it doesn’t get crazier as life goes on because I don’t think I could handle it. This must be the age where we are forced to figure out a good rhythm, or I hope that’s what happens at least. I’m so happy to hear that your big leap of faith has worked out for you and you are doing big things in your career. You’ll find a way to make it all work and your little guys will love you for it.
Hang in there friend!
Hi Scoops. Sorry about your run of bad luck. That is brutal. I have definitely gone through more mobile phones than I would like to admit. The hardest loss was a new computer that died for no reason and held at least half of my wedding photos and my entire unsynched MP3 library (old days). They are locked inside (or disappeared), probably forever, although I keep the hard drive, just in case, some new technology comes along that will make it reincarnate. Keep going for walks, and doing other things that lift you up. This too shall pass.
Hey Meg! I’m so sorry to hear about your computer hard drive, that is the worst! I do the same thing, I have old hard drives from college that are totally dead that I hang on to thinking maybe someday they will comeback to life. Funny of us! I lost my current itunes library too, I was able to pull a bunch of old stuff off an old old computer, but I’m still missing a good chunk of it – all those new fandangled LP’s come with download codes now, but you can only use them one time, so when you lose the data it’s gone. Oh well, there’s always spotify.
Oh my goodness you poor thing! That’s CRAZY. Well- it happened in threes so that means youre done, right? Right! Just focus on the small things to get you through and I wouldnt worry about the blog- take your time building things back up. It looks great though and if somethings missing, we can’t tell!
Mama said there’d be days like this!
Yes, the bad luck is done, it has to be, god damnit! I am doing just that, focusing on the small things, starting tonight with a half a lorazepam and an early bed time.
Oh dear, I’m so sorry! I know it doesn’t seem that way now, but hopefully someday soon this will all be a funny story. Last year my cat knocked my computer tower (not laptop) onto my DSLR, breaking it. Luckily the computer was okay and the camera wasn’t a total loss, but I feel your pain in that regard.
Ok, you asked for it, so here’s my run of bad luck lately: For the last several weeks we’ve been dealing with packing up our old place and moving into a new one. We finally got moved in last week, and at the new place I slipped on the stairs in socks and fell on my back, really really hard. I’ve been recuperating ever since, totally unable to unpack or even walk around much. In the midst of moving, my sister called me to tell me that her husband’s 19-year-old brother had died very tragically (so very sad for their family), my brother called yesterday to tell me that my family’s dog has incurable cancer, and today I got an email that an elderly family member has entered hospice care. Sometimes things do just happen all at once, and there’s nothing to be done but try to get through it. Hopefully that means you’re getting all of the bad stuff out of the way, and will have a string of good luck to look forward to soon. And I know it’s cold comfort, but at least pieces of technology can be replaced.
Hey Rachel! I am so sorry to hear about your brother in law, how tragic. That is a very hard thing to deal with, my thoughts are with you and your husband. I lost my Aunt unexpectedly last week, and I know that is playing into how big things are feeling for me right now too. You have it rough right now, and I am so sorry for all the sickness and loss around you.
The back injury just sounds icing on the cake – what an awful time for something like that happen. Hang in there friend. I’ll be thinking of you.
Thanks lady. Oh gosh, no wonder you’re feeling really overwhelmed right now, with a death in the family to deal with, as well. You hang in there, too <3
I totally feel what you’re going through. I spent last Friday evening in the emergency room because I thought I was having a heart attack. I am no weenie, nor am I a hypochondriac, I was having real physical issues. I was on my way to school to pick up my kids and I had to pull over because my neck and shoulder started hurting severely. For about a week leading to this I have been having trouble sleeping and my breathing had been crappy and my HEART! It would on and off feel like it was racing or pounding hard leaving me light headed. Awful. After pulling over I couldn’t catch my breath and called my mother, who was close. I had a ton of tests done and it seems it was just anxiety. I thought it couldn’t be because I felt like I was coasting pretty smoothly over my issues of the past few years. They gave me an RX of Xanax that I don’t plan on filling but since, I have felt much better. I don’t know if it was just acknowledging that I was overwhelmed or what.
Things suck and the weather is not helping. I’m a southerner now living in northern MI and the gray skies kill me. I still think keeping a pretty positive outlook that things will blow over and everything will fall into place is keeping me going. Just look at what you’ve accomplished and as hard as it might be to see, count your blessings. Good luck!
Erin, Thank you for commenting. What you are describing is exactly how I felt this morning, I knew it was anxiety but was thinking maybe it was a hear attack, or heart stress. I began doing breathing techniques and that helped to calm me down, I figured pretty quickly that it was anxiety. I am so sorry that it was so extreme for you that you felt like your life was in danger, how terrifying.
ANXIETY IS THE WORST!
Normally I have a lot of social anxiety, and anxiety about death and other irrational fears, but just recently my anxiety is caused by stress, like this morning, and last weekend.
Getting fresh air, breathing and trying to remain centered and focused helps me a lot, but there are times like now when it is too out of control and I need some medicine to calm it down. It helps get you break away from that physical feeling of anxiety, and allows you to have sometime to get yourself back together. I feel for you. I’m hoping your week is going better, and yes, let’s get that sun out!
Oh man, do I ever feel your pain. We’ve had just about the worst time ever here lately, and I was in a super bad, worried, anxious, unhappy, freaked-out place for a while there. Honestly, I’m still coming out of the fog. I also worry and obsess myself sick, which SUCKS. Honestly, I go see a psychiatrist and take a low-dose of an anti-anxiety medication which has worked WONDERS for my general obsessive nervous energy. I’m still me, but I don’t get sick from pressure as much. Hang in there, duder! Spring is here, soon it’ll be summer, your jam will be all fixed up, and you’ll be making some crazy-awesome something or other and having an awesome time. Trust.
Hey Jo! I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been feeling that way, it’s such an awful feeling, I wish it on no one. I need to start seeing a doctor more often – I have old prescriptions of anti anxiety medicine but I am horrible about going to see a doc on the reg, and don’t have an ongoing RX. I totally hoard the stuff and break it in half only taking for the times when it gets really, really bad. I felt like I had it pretty under control with all the walking, but then there are times like this when it is just too much to handle. I do think I will be seeking a real regular doctor soon.
I’m jealous of all your spring pics lately, it looks wonderful down in the southern lands. Hope that fog lifts for you soon. Thanks for your comment!
Super crummy! As an owner of a cat that will pee anywhere and everywhere, I’ve found that nothing beats a soak in vinegar to get the smell out. The ammonia in cat pee is a base and the acid of vinegar neutralizes it and the smell. If you can’t soak, then spray let drive and repeat until the smell is gone. Sunshine also helps.
All that said, peeing outside of the litter box is not normal. It could have possibly been brought on by the stress of the dogs but could also be caused by urinary tract infections or oxalate or struvite crystals in the urine.
Good luck!
Thanks for the tip, Robyn!
Luckily, I was able to clean up the mess right away, it was a little stinky but I used some pet products I had lying around and that help to lift the scent immediately. I think the cat was totally stressed. We keep her litter box in the basement. We have watched this dog a handful of times, usually she sneaks down to use her box when the dog is in his kennel, but I think this time the dogs kennel may have been in a location that made her feel uncomfortable. I had no idea that she was holding it, now I know.
I have also had a string of bad luck. Let’s see… my dad has liver cancer and hepatitis C, he’s had two occasions where they found vialble livers only to be told they weren’t, at literally the 18th hour. That’s after sitting in the hospital, not eating and scared for that long. My sister in law and I are on the outs because of a much longer story, and now I have my niece living with me adding a third child to my bunch. My niece has not been taught to be independent so now I have that. Then to cap it all off I just found out my 12 year old is being bullied at school, cutting herself, and not eating to be “skinny” which she already is, and talking about suicide. Her therapy appointment is this morning, it’s being handled and she’s ok, but wow, talk about stress. I would take your problems over mine ANY day. I know we all have our problems and they are big to us, but if we’re strong we’ll come out of it just fine. You’ll make it!!
Sorry to hear of all your hard times, Sarah. Good luck! I’ll be sending positive thoughts your way.
not alone. not by a long shot. shit happens to us all, and usually all at once, and at the most inopportune moment possible. yup. that’s just how the universe likes to play. you mope and pout and cry and wail and gnash teeth and go for a walk and have a cocktail and take a bath and then put on your big girl panties and tell the universe to go bug someone else for awhile because you aren’t having it. i have written more blog posts about being at the end of my rope than i can even count. the upside? eventually, things even out and you have a really amazing period of time when you find you are actually able to look back and, if not laugh, then at least shake your head incredulously and say, “wow. that really DID suck, didn’t it? phew!” hang in there, lady.
Thanks Michele, I think I put on my big girl panties yesterday ;) I’m doing better day by day trying to get my anxiety under control. I know that time will come when I can look back, I am really looking forward to that. In the meantime, I’ve been trying my hardest to just breath.
Hang in there! I’ve had my external hard drive break with all my projects on it, the day before finals during my senior year as an undergrad. Warm weather and better times are close!
Oh nuts, Susan. That sounds so incredibly bad. I’m staying focused on that warm weather thing people keep talking about.
If it makes you feel better at the begining of this year I was on my way to the vet to put my dog to sleep- she was a 12 yo dane who lost complete control of her back legs- and my car died on the highway. Not only did I have to have someone come pick me up and take m to the vet with Bella (and deal with losing my baby), but then I had to deal with my car getting towed. Oh and the car was dead, as in there was nothing the mechanic could do other than put a new engine in. Needless to say it was rough. I still picture Bella riding around in my car (one of her favorite pasttimes) in puppy heaven.
Stephiez, So sorry to hear about your beloved dog, taking that last car rid with your pet has to be one of the hardest things to do. I can’t believe you had to deal with car problems on top of it all. Glad to know you have good memories to look back on now.
OH dear… So sorry to hear about all of the electronics issues. I think we can all relate to a cracked screen or lost hard drive somewhere along the way. But I cannot believe it’s all happening to you all at once! I agree that focusing on the health and happiness of what I like to call your “real life” (friends, family, relationships, home). It helps me a immensely during stressful bouts at work to know that ultimately, that stress doesnt matter. I still have my partner, my home, and much to be thankful for. Keep doing what you’re doing and I am sure you will feel so much better so so soon!
Been following Deuce Cities for some time as well, and love the new site update!
Allison
Hey Allison, I know this stuff happens to everyone. I think it was just all of it happening at once made me feel irrationally like everything was just going to fall apart all around me. I have been trying so hard to be calm and collected the last few days, it’s helping but I still have a ways to go.
So glad to hear you love the new site, it still needs some tweaking, but that’s one of things I have to just let go for right now. Eventually I will get to it. Thanks for your support!
Aw, I’m so sorry to hear about all this bad stuff. I’ve been there, done that many times. Catching influenza while the husband is on tour, only to have the ceiling leak on my face while I’m slowly dying on the couch. Getting robbed in Australia and losing every single photo from my honeymoon and Japan, plus all my favorite stuff. Honestly, for me, I’ve never gotten to the stage where I think any of it is funny. It’s still painful and horrible, but it’s part of life and I just decided that I had to move on. I now try to focus on the positives – that I’m stronger than I thought and that I hold on to those memories I lost from my honeymoon and Japan even tighter. I also really love this little book in times like these – http://www.shambhala.com/the-pocket-pema-chodron.html The little passages give me something else to focus on and help me put things in perspective. Posi-vibes and hugs to you, my dear!
Hey Keri, Oh man, that all sounds rough. It’s the photos that have to be the hardest part – I know that pain. Memories are good to have too, and a little bit more special because they are just yours, and you know them so well. I’m totally going to check the book out you suggested. I need perspective. Thank you for sharing!
Poor lady! I recommend calm.
Thanks, I checked it out, pretty cool – until my kid started screaming. Will give it a go again when things calm down.
Goodness. No winning for losing right now. :( Might I also recommend <a href="http://www.swiss-miss.com/2014/03/horse-head-squirrel-feeder.html to make you laugh?
Thanks for the Lol!
Rough! You sound like you are handling it all pretty well though. I would have lost it by now!
I’m trying, Sarah. I’m at terms with the loss of the data and the cost of it all, I just need to get my nerves to settle now. My anxiety is through the roof these days.
Oh Scoops, your face says it all. Bummer.
So sorry about your tech woes. I love your site. Been lurking for a while but wanted to send some good juju your way.
Thanks Angr, that makes me feel better, I’m trying to take a break from all the technical site stuff for a week or two, so it helps to know that you think it’s cool in the meantime :)
Feeling lots of feels for you, been in similar bad juju spirals but just know that it will get better, maybe after this final snowstorm, eh? I’m another lurker-fan of your site and also a Twin Citizen who digs your whole deal!
Thank you, Alison. Thanks for saying Hi! I am trying so hard not to worry about the site and the content so much right now (while I try and calm down) it makes it easier knowing that there are people out there who think it’s cool! Hope to see you around here again sometime.
Catching up your posts. I’m so sorry! I don’t have any great words of advice but I do have a funny (but mostly terrible) cat pee story to cheer you up.
A few years back a friend and myself decided we would be “gold diggers” for Halloween (no judgment, I was like 24 eek) and set out to spray paint several items of clothing in shimmery gold. With our gold costumes on, we headed out to some sort of jazz bar. Throughout the night, we keep catching a whiff of this awful smell. It smelled like licking a battery tastes, if that makes sense. It was putrid. We went on, assuming it had to be the fumes from the gold spray paint we had used earlier in the day.
You can see where this is going. It wasn’t gold spray paint—we were wearing cat pee-stained clothes all night. Her cat had been sick and our Halloween outfits somehow made a nice sick bed. We joke that we weren’t gold diggers that night, we had dressed up as golden cat pee. A visual and sensual experience let me tell you. It’s still horrific to this day.
Oh no! That is so bad, and funny! I can’t imagine spending an entire night with the scent of cat pee following me around, I can’t stand the smell, as I’m sure most of us can’t. Hopefully there were cocktails involved, that would make it all a little more tolerable. Thanks for making me laugh!
I love your blog and read regularly but haven’t commented before. Just wanted to say that wow, your last month has really, really sucked. I’m so sorry! Hang in there. It can only get better (if only because you have no more important technology to ruin).
I think you are one of the most creative minds of our generation. Keep on.
Wow, Thanks, Elaine! That makes me feel so good.
I know it has to get better, it will, still waiting for it to do just that and trying to stay positive in the interim.
I had a whole year like that a few years ago. It got so I started to wonder if it was locusts or frogs coming next! It was an unending stream of broken bones, broken water pumps (house), broken transmissions (car), lost jobs, but the icing was the brand new car (the first brand new car I’d ever owned) getting completely creamed in a parking lot by an old lady hitting her gas pedal instead of the brakes exactly one week after my car was delivered (she was fine and my mom even drove her home, lol). The car was so new that there weren’t even spare parts in this country yet to fix it so I was without it for 9 weeks. Of which the insurance company only three weeks for a rental. It’s funny in a I-can’t-believe-I-survived-it, black humor way now. Hangeth in. It eventually ends and the good returns.
Oh No, Jane! A whole year of bad stuff, how miserable for you. You must have thought it was never going to get better. Such a bummer about all of it, but it’s good to know that even with all that bad stuff you made it on through to the other side. That gives me hope ;)
Just wanted to give you some virtual ((hugs))! I hope the bad luck is all behind you and sunny skies are ahead!
Thanks, Julee! I really, really hope all the bad stuff is behind me.
Oh man. I’m so sorry. There are few things that can bring me to tears more quickly than my furniture being effed and my beloved Apple shiz.
The month before my wedding, a glass of Pinot Grigio decided to land on my keyboard. Oopsy. Except, we were using the computer as our backyard reception playlist. And you know… weddings are so expensive, anyway. I cried and drank more Pinot Grigio. It worked out in the end.
I never comment, but after reading, I knew I wanted to say that a) I love your blog and your humor and b) Hang in there.
Thanks so much, Rebecca! That totally, totally sucks that you ruined your computer when you needed it most. I hope you were able to get everything you needed for your playlist in the end. I have spent a good amount of the weekend drinking, and yes, it does seem to help. Now back to real life, staying positive and moving forward.
Ouch. Sometimes everthing just stacks up to a crushing tidal wave. I’m sending you a little bit of sunshine, hopefully the coming weeks will be gentler to you.
Sidenote: I just ordered a new external harddrive after reading.
Hey, Lilja! I do hope that the bad stuff is behind me, not sure if I could mentally take another bad hit. I’m trying to stay positive, and focused. Doing lots of yoga and taking long walks. I think it will all be okay, but I have not let my guard down just yet.
Glad you bought a hard drive, it will be worth it.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS
Hey Sarah, cool comment. I usually try to keep things pretty friendly around here, but whatev. Listen, the post was supposed to illustrate my struggle with anxiety, something that I deal with on a daily basis. Chronic anxiety totally sucks, and is debilitating. Yes, “first world problems” did trigger the anxiety attack that I spoke of in this post, but what I was trying to express was that I was in a bad place mentally at the time.
Saw your Good Housekeeping article madness on Facebook (woo!) and came over here to see what was up, only to find this pile of sorrows. Gurl, boooooooo. What a shitstorm! I am so sorry. I truly hope that this finds you well and that the universe has decided to stop messing with you and your technologies.
Aaaaaaaaand, I realize after writing that this happened a year ago. I REGRET NOTHING.
Hope you’re SO good :)
Because this website I know what I don’t know yet, thank you