Hum With Me: What's It All About, Alfie?

Eight months is long enough! Long enough to be without a furry companion and long enough to get over the ones left behind (well, maybe not…maybe never), and long enough to get a feel for the best fit “boat” pet.

We’ve been deliberating the pros and cons of dog vs. cat for a couple of months. Dog: forces you outside two or three times a day for a walk – good exercise! Forces you outside even if it’s raining – ugh. Dog: can be trained to stay within the confines of the boat – good. Apt to take the occasional swim – not so good.

So, then, cat: doesn’t matter what the weather is, the litterbox fits nicely in the forward shower. The litterbox is in the shower. ‘Nuf said. Cat: unlikely to take the unexpected swim – thank goodness. Not easy to confine inside unless we create barriers – this, fortunately, could be a plus as I’ve been dreading the onset of insect season with wide-open doors. While we do have a standard screen for the forward door, Bill would be forced to engineer something for the very odd-shaped aft door.   

So today we did it. We adopted Alfie. It’s a good thing Bill knows Russian because Alfie's former owner was a young Russian woman who chose boyfriend over furry friend. The only Russian I know is the equivalent of “to your health!” and Nyet (no!). Alfie (formerly named Adolph, then renamed Alford by the rescue shelter) will be two years old in June and is the first orange tabby (including his eyes) that I’ve owned. I’ve been lucky to have a calico, a gray tabby, a tortoiseshell, two white, one black and one tuxedo cat, but never a marmalade.

I had found Alfie online at Lucky Cat Adoption earlier this week, with a note that he would be available at a PetSmart-sponsored cat adoption event today, so we went out to meet Alfie. Two hours and over $200 later we left PetSmart with a cat and all the accoutrements necessary.

He is currently being sequestered for a couple of hours in the forward head to get acquainted with his toilet and to give Bill time to construct the rear screen. More to come on that!

Reason Gone Mad

Althought it may be a tad bit late to be talking about New Year's resolutions, I just want to put it out there that my goal in 2012 is to let my hair down! I want to be less cautious, more quirky. Starting now.

I tried to convince some of my co-workers to don our Groucho glasses as we went through LaGuardia Airport Friday afternoon, but they decided that the TSA probably wouldn't appreciate the humor. However, I did wear them when Bill picked me up at the Jacksonville airport later that night and he does have a good sense of humor, thank goodness!

"Humor is reason gone mad." Groucho Marx

2011 Flashback: Not Again!

Heading home today from my bi-weekly visit to the local library I took a detour through a neighborhood just to familiarize myself with the area. All the streets were named after fairy tale, nursery rhyme or Disney movie characters. There was Cinderella Street, Snow White, Peter Pan, Bambi, Mother Goose, Tom Thumb, Boy Blue, Londonbridge and several others. I thought, how odd to have a “storybook” address.

Then I pondered the “storybook” life that some people seem to have. Everything just falls into place no matter what. Given the rollercoaster ride with my company over the past two decades, some may feel I've enjoyed a happy ending each time. I guess it depends on one's definition of "happy" but I've almost always looked forward to going to work each day no matter the challenges that awaited.

For several months there’s been a lot of turmoil and angst at Communefx, as upper management worked through the details of being acquired by another agency and made in/out decisions about the fates of 80+ co-workers on our campuses in Pittsburgh, Phoenix and Louisville. Many of my co-workers of just a few years, and some of 10, 15 or 20 years, will not be part of the acquisition. The survivors will struggle with equal measures of relief and guilt, but since we all know that things can still turn on a dime, add a heaping dose of continued anxiety to our states of mind too.

For the past several weeks I’ve slept fitfully, tossed and turned, struggled with 2 a.m. panic attacks and then tried to remain upbeat and positive during the day. Finally, after landing in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night and checking in to the hotel, I gave it up. I lay in bed and asked God not that I would keep my job but to give me the courage to be gracious in the face of loss. I asked for re-assurance that He is in control no matter what happens.

At a company meeting in Pittsburgh on Wednesday the new organization chart was revealed. I’ve made the cut. Then, it was on to another flight the next day to meet my new bosses and co-workers in Norwalk, CT. As I sat in their company meeting I had a déjà vu flashback to a year ago. This same week in 2011, I was in Louisville, KY, again sitting in another company’s meeting witnessing the deconstruction of that company in order to acquire part of it. This week it was Communefx being deconstructed for acquisition.

There’s still a lot to be worked out, new personalities to get to know, a different corporate culture to assimilate. But the constant that remains is the One I can turn to, giving thanks in all circumstances.