Americanuck

Ahhh this whole long weekend thing.. I could SO get used to it! Apart from driving Sean over to his Father’s and getting busted at the mall for photographing puppies in the window I’ve barely lifted a finger, or my ass of this couch.

Ok, done a bit of laundry but that is so I won’t have to air dry after a shower and run around here bare-ass naked which frankly even *I* don’t want to see.

I completed the last bit of paperwork for Tom’s US tax filing. He gets an extension because he’s an “living abroad” which makes it easier on me cos I’m the one who fills em out but that June 15 deadline was starting to loom, so I sucked it up. The Canadian taxes are so much more straight forward, and having the online tax software and ability to file online is awesome. The US ones are a touch more complicated as you have exemptions based on the fact you are living and paying taxes in a foreign country, but as you have holdings there you also have to report them. Blah. Anyway, it is done for another 11.5 months yay!

We are so gonna scarf down Chinese food tonight for two reasons… one because our local place is shutting down for vacation (how dare they!) and two because my ultrasound for the gallbladder is on Monday and according to the paperwork I am required to eat a fat free meal that night (no meat, eggs, dairy or anything even slightly interesting boo) and then nothing until after my exam the next morning. Man I tell you they had better FIND something, cos I want it dealt with!!

Oh boy, Mom just called and she’s been given her two month’s notice to move out from her rental. Ish, I was hoping that last move would be literally the last move and she could live out her days there, at least until she wasn’t able to take care of herself anymore. The guy she rented from seemed like he was really intending to keep the place. I mean me must have bought it dirt cheap but I’m sure it is worth more now even though he is asking waaaaaaaaaaay too much for it. The weird part is, even his Realtor doesn’t know what is going on, the notice said that the Landlord or one of his close family is intending on moving into the place (could be him or a purchaser?) If it is someone buying the place you’d think the Realtor would know about it? Sounds slightly fishy to me. So add looking for another place for her, driving her around to look at them and packing and moving her to the stress I carry already. Yeesh.

Oh well not much I can do about it now, the new listings won’t be out until next week. I told her to call the Realtor and have him look into what is going on as well as to call her Landlord and get the straight poop. He basically handed her an envelope at the door and reminded Mom about someone coming on Monday, didn’t say who or what was in the envelope and just left. She opened it after he was gone, her cleaning lady read it for her.  I told her to call and ask if it was sold or if someone from his family is moving in. According to the law it has to be him or a close relative and they have to live there at least 6 months or he owes her two times the monthly rent plus the one month compensation and her damage deposit back.

Had a puppy fix tonight visiting the local store. I snapped a couple of pictures of the chi-hooey-hooey puppies in the window before the employees told me I wasn’t allowed to take pictures. Um why? Hardly a matter of national security. Ah well. Bygones.

The funny part was the dark puppy was fascinated by my camera much to the amusement of the others watching the window puppies with me. Every time it would appear he would leap backwards and then come bounding towards me all playful like. If it was just me up against the window he could come up and try to lick the glass.

Sigh, I want a puppy.

I’m really leaning towards a Jack Russell when I finally get to have my puppy, but I do have a soft spot for Chihuahuas (though only the non-nervous ones), just from how goofy they look. One way or another, whatever breed I do end up picking, I will end up with some kind of high maintenance critter cos that is what I naturally attract. No point in fighting it. It is my destiny.

Back in Feb 2006 Sean began his braces adventure with the initial consultation and the lovely spacers and expander that he loved so much (yeah right)

In November of 2006 the braces went on.

In August of 2007 he had his jaw surgery (by the wonderful Doctor McDonald)

And the post surgical swelling that went along with it…
(Although it was way down by this time)

A few weeks ago Sean went for a check up and his Orthodontist said he was almost there. She had him wear an elastic cross-wise to fine tune the alignment

This week it was confirmed. The braces come off next Tuesday!

Big smiles!

Oh mah baby is gonna be able to show off his straight teeth! The day after the braces come off he gets his retainer on which I understand he has to wear full time for a couple of weeks, then just at night.

We’ve told him he better take good care of those teeth and wear the retainer, he’s got the equivalent of a Pontiac Sunfire invested in that mouth of his!

He has requested white strips to whiten them up as soon as he can. He’s also got a list of things to eat that have been verboten the last couple of years all lined up. I see a lot of tacos, popcorn and chewy things in our future.

Below may be the ideal way for us to feed Nutmeg or as we more often call him Shmoo. He has grown to Shmooish proportions over the last several years and the sum total of his exercise is to lay on his back and bat at a string IF it happens to come directly over to him. Given some kind of food incentive to spin on a wheel? hmmm….

I love how animals who are up to no good will not look you in the eye. They are no different than people in that respect but they do differ (other than my kids when they were small) with the conviction that if they don’t look directly at you they are rendered invisible.

Cinny also believe that she is extra invisible if she avoids direct eye contact AND moves with with glacier speed. She hears the word NOOOO and poof the magic happens, her little wedge head slinks down low she stares at a spot somewhere directly where she wants go to and a paw will ever so slowly tap outwards. Another NOOOOO will cause her pause slightly, adjust her cloaking device and proceed once again.

Once her concentration is broken she will look all exasperated and then chew you out in no uncertain terms about how she totally would have gotten away with it had you just shut the hell up. What she doesn’t get is that is the entire point.

She also believes that ever single open door hides the entrance to a magical place. This is particularly the case for oh.. say the walk in closet where cats have been known to disappear for hours stressing our their people or you know, the main condo hallway. In this case she kicks into hyper-drive and watches as all the doorways blur out behind her and she streaks by. What is particularly funny in this case is watching Tom run after her.

I’ve always had a cat that liked to pull a Houdini, I’m kind of cursed that way. Cinny, if she can’t hide anywhere good like a closet or under the mound of crap the Boys have will use our laundry hamper. The thing that is usually surrounded by laundry rather than actually in it. Yeah.

A few times we’ve done the “Oh no did Cinny escape through our legs when walking in the front door” search and came wise to this hiding place. Now it is one of the first places we look when she mysteriously vanishes. I’ve probably posted this video before, but it remains one of my favourites.