Fat Pig

When we adopted Gidget to be Moe's companion, the former owner assured me she was infertile, as she had tried previously to breed her. I should've never believed it, because as the following photos show, she is definitely bulging at the seams...


I'm guessing we'll be blessed with guinea piglets sometime in the next week to 10 days.

I've never been an advocate for allowing my pets to reproduce so that my kids can experience the miracle of birth, or for any other random reason, because I think it's foolish to add to the pet population when there are already so many that need homes. That's why I feel a bit ashamed at hoping against hope that nature wouldn't take it's course with our guinea pigs and ending up with a very pregnant Gidget.

So, Mr. Moe has an appointment with the vet tomorrow for some very "delicate" surgery.

Neutering guinea pigs is apparently quite a bit trickier than on a cat or dog, so it requires a vet who specializes in small animals. Luckily we have a local vet who is qualified. Vets generally won't spay females, and even the neutering is very involved and is therefore more expensive which is the reason I didn't get him done earlier.

Thus our adventure into "pig farming" begins. I'll admit that I am kind of looking forward to seeing the little cuties.

If you are interested in owning a guinea pig, please check out these sites FIRST and read up on their care http://www.cavyspirit.com/ and http://www.guinealynx.info/ .

This is How I Entertain Myself at Work

As the host/cashier at the casino restaurant I've learned how to keep the seating rotation for the waitresses, how to greet and seat a customer, how much our buffets are, and on Friday they trained me to cashier. I'm liking cashiering much more than seating, because to be honest, seating is kind of boring and at least I get to use my brain when I'm cashiering.

We have a point of sale computer system that can be a bit tricky to get the hang of because it's extremely redundant, and the casino has cards that most customers have that allow them comps and points to pay for their food. I think I've got it down now after working the weekend, and to my knowledge, I only made a minimum of screw ups.

On Friday though, it was a bit of a slow start, so I found myself with nothing to do but stand behind the register and contemplate life. Then I noticed the pens chained to the counter for the customers to sign their lives away with. The chains were quite long and swirly which reminded me of cursive writing, so I got inspired to write my name with the chain.

I did quite well with my name, so then I thought how cool would it be to write a clever message for the observant guest to read when they approached the counter? My first thought was "Some Pig" ala Charlotte's Web, but I wasn't sure everyone would get it, so I decided on a simple "hello".

I was busily getting the chain to loop in just the right ways when a customer approached. Imagine my chagrin when I realized that they would be greeted with "hell" if they should look down at the counter. I quickly distracted them and plunked their bill folder on top of my chain creation. Whew, disaster averted!

From then on I left writing messages alone and instead decided I would stick to shapes and swirly flowers.

Life on Overload

Well, as I start my new job hostessing at the restaurant in the casino, I am overwhelmed by lots of thoughts. This morning I woke up to a tingling on my upper lip which means a cold sore is on it's way, which indicates to me I'm stressing out.

This past week has been crazy what with attending new employee orientation for two days, training all weekend, still showing up for work at my other job, and trying to absorb all that is new and different in my life over the past few days.

Some of my musings:

Getting used to the casino atmosphere is challenging for me. It's like a whole different world inside those doors. The amount of money that people spend "gaming" is incredible, as the employee perks, expansion of the casino, the large estates on the reservation and the crowds testify. Wow. That's about all I can say. Wow.

I'm currently working swing shift, and started stressing out about that last night. Swing shift will mean that during school days I will have to leave for work about a half hour after the kids are home from school and will get home long past their bed time, so in essence I won't see them at all during those days and I will miss our bedtime reading and dinners together. I'm feeling neglectful as a mother just thinking about it.

I know there are a lot of wonderful opportunities available through the casino career wise, and the elusive medical benefits that I've been trying to find through other jobs.

I know this job is a foot in the door and in 6 months time I can transfer to a different department in the casino so it's just a matter of hanging in there for now and making the most of the time that I do have at home. I think "hang in there" is going to be my new mantra.

I'm truly going to miss my other job at the restaurant where I've been bussing/hostessing/waitressing. It is such a wonderful place to work and I feel like everyone there is family. Too bad they can't offer me anything more than 2-3 nights a week or benefits. Sigh...I know I will have to quit working there soon just for practical reasons. I worked double shifts at the casino and there last weekend and will again this weekend but 13 hour work days are not conducive to sanity.

So I guess I'm feeling a bit insecure, a bit overwhelmed, and a bit indecisive. I know it's normal to feel this way and I also know I'll adapt. All I need is time (and some good cold sore medication!)

Land of the Wee Folk

We were watching the Superstars of Dance of tv just now, and the dancers from Ireland performed.

I commented to Nat that they were Irish and she said, "If they are Irish people shouldn't they be this big?" and she held her hand about 6 inches off the floor.

Then I had to explain that just because they're Irish doesn't mean they're leprechauns!

Fun Times

Our local bellydance performance was really fun. I lived through my solo just fine (a surprise to me after stressing so much over it). I am really comfortable dancing in a group but when it comes to solo work...gulp! Very intimidating.

I kept debating what music to dance to. At first it was "definitely Karshilama", then, "maybe not", then "for sure not", then, "what the heck", so I ended up doing a Karshilama, but the obsessing and indecisiveness were very counter-productive. My former dance teacher always encouraged me to improv rather than choreograph, so I did, and I give myself extra credit for going out on that limb!

(And for you belly dance purists, yes I did do veil work with it, but I needed that veil. I think it's a kind of security blanket for me. It gives my arms something to do, and it's almost like having a swirly, silk dance partner.)

Most dancers don't like Karshilama for some reason. It is a very fast 9/8 rhythm, and there are fun traditional moves that go with it, mostly jumping and bouncing. My former teacher said when she would dance at Greek restaurants the drummers would challenge the dancers to keep up with the Karshilama and only the best dancers had the stamina to last as long as the drummers played (I'm sure my teacher was one of them, because in her sixties she would come and give our troupe a group lesson and kick all our butts!)

At any rate I did it, but realized afterward that I forgot to take off my glasses. Duh! I always dance with my glasses off so I can't see the audience and thus I'm much less nervous. Oh well! I also did a group dance and then later we had a free dance with all the dancers.

Here's a group shot. Amazingly, several of these gals qualify for the senior discount, but you'd never guess it by their energy and talent.

An Exciting, Edge-Of -Your -Seat Update

Well, apparently posting a lot on my blog was not one of my new year's resolutions! There's been a lot going on, just nothing interesting, but I'll post about it anyway, because what the heck, I'm bored and don't have anything else to do at the moment (yeah, yeah, those dishes can wait!)

I went back to the casino for more paperwork, and then was sent home with even MORE paperwork--a 23 page application for a gaming license that every casino employee must have. It's pretty intense. I had to list all my jobs (or lack there of) and residences for the last 15 years. Plus financial info, spouse info, criminal record info (luckily nothing to report there) and much more.

It was a test of my resolve to be employed as well as a test of my memory recall. Maybe that's how they weed out the wussies, I don't know! I go back this coming Tuesday and Wednesday for "employee orientation", and then hopefully they'll put me to work!

Nat and Shel have been getting in touch with their dramatic side and writing plays for the guinea pigs to act out. They did their own version of Rapunzel, and the pigs cooperated quite nicely.

Mike is selling one of his barbecues to help out our financial situation, and looks like the sale will go through this week. He also has his old Landcruiser on the market. He just got a really good insurance job (water damage from a broken pipe) that will be fairly lucrative too. Things are looking up a bit, thank goodness!

My dance friend got us into Rakkasah again this year. There's one day to call in for a spot, and she spent 5 (yes FIVE) hours redialing to get in. Wow! I hope my new job will let me have that day off (it's not until March).

The local dance girls here are all performing on Sunday, and I'm going to go out of my comfort zone and do a solo. I usually just dance with my troupe, but what the hay, I'm feeling pretty confident (or I was when I signed up for it). I finally got around to choosing my music after about 4 days of listening to stuff and decided to do a Karshilama which is a really fast 9/8 Turkish rhythm that has very bouncy (exhausting) traditional steps. No one else seems to like it except me, so I'm fairly confident that my solo will be unique. Most of the Karshilamas I had on cd were somewhere around 4 minutes long, but I finally found one that's only 2 1/2 minutes. I feel confident I can do that without dropping dead, so now I have to decide what to wear...that's the hardest part of performing after all!

That now concludes this fascinating update. You're welcome.

Best Year Ever

I found this in my inbox today, and thought it was just too cute not to pass along (I'm especially looking forward to those thieves):

My Wish for You in 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words ............
May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!