Thursday

Had my final fitting of the dress, actually more of a fashion show to show mom and sis. It was great fun. G took pix, which I can't post yet of course, because they are of the dress. Crazy busy day, doing all sorts of things.

In the afternoon, read the previous entry re: the bloody cat.

In the evening we had a Memorial for dear sweet Rags and it was very sweet. I had a good cry and we decided that AN would keep the ashes. Initially we were going to scatter the ashes on Allen Parkway, but I wasn't sure if the container was meant to be opened. WB inspected it and said it was the same container that she had an unfortunate incident that demonstrated how the containers can open. She was ready to go to town on it, but BL was, um, a little concerned about her opening it. In the end AN said that he would keep Rags.

It was emotional, I had FI read Rags' favourite poem for me, cos I was a basket case. Everybody told a little story about Rags' and I brought a photo album for everyone to look at. I'm glad we did it. I feel sorry for TNH because, she was looking forward to seeing him and she only got to see him again in a box. I wish it could have been different. She read a beautiful Irish blessing.

After the memorial, we went out to eat with the fam and G&F and JAM. It was good fun, good wine and good food, though service was v. slow. I would recommend the food, just don't go if you're in a hurry.

Wednesday

1030 go to Houston Hobby to p/u G & F
1130 take G & F to lunch or rather taken to lunch by G & F
1230 find cell phone in car about to explode due to numerous calls from home. Call home. Cat got out. Hiding under the house
1245 get home try to coax cat out
1259 give up and go back into the house
1300 cat comes out when nobody is looking and disappears into the ether.
1331 discover that cat is missing and become very bloody stressed because cannot tahan (translation: stand) missing cat on top of everything else.
1332 see above
1342 FI comes back from work to regulate the situation. Unable to find cat in the neighbourhood
1355 FI leaves to go back to work. We spy cat at neighbour's neighbour's house. Lounging.
1356 we sneak over and snatch the cat up and bring her back in the house.
1357 cat protests the undignified return.
1358 Everyone's happy that the cat is back
1400 back to computer...
1620 go to Intercontinental Airport to p/u sister
1720 various and assorted activities with sister and parents
2230 zzzzzzzzzzz

The other hurricane

OK. So forget about Rita. I'm in another hurricane right now. The I'm-about-to-get-married-and-I-have-a-million-things-to-do hurricane. I'm completely knackered right now, and I still have 4 more days to go. The folks came in on Monday and it's been non-stop since then. I'm on fumes right now. Time for bed!

The Storm

Thank goodness Houston was spared. On Wednesday evening, I went to the ATM again to deposit a cheque and I needed to get cash out for a friend who unfortunately lost their ATM card (BOA has this nifty online transfer to other BOA customers from your BOA account and the transfers are almost instantaneous if made before the cut-off time) and there was a line of cars getting cash out of the ATM. So I had to wait. At least they had refilled the ATM with cash.

Then we went to Kroger to get some last minute supplies, just in case. Kroger looked like a war zone. All the shelves were picked over and just wierd canned goods that I never even heard of. We just picked up some water and some Geni-soy bars. Thursday we packed up all the important stuff and sentimental stuff and took it to FI's mom's house. Friday morning we packed up the kitty and went over to FI's mom's house to wait. And wait. Watching the news and trying not to be nervous. Nobody else was nervous, not even the cat, so I took my cue from her, because you know, animals are supposed to know if you know what I mean.

It started getting windy on Friday night and the lights flicked on and off a little bit while we were having dinner but that was it. It freaked me out when the lights went out, even for the 15 seconds that they were out. Yes, I'm a wuss! I had to go grab the cat and pet her to calm me down. The cat, however, was more interested in watching the wind and rain.

So all the anticipation amounted to quite a bit of wind and a little bit of rain. On Saturday morning, FI went home to check out the house and everything was fine, just small branches blown off trees, and no damage to anything to our house or any on our street. We had electricity. We packed up again from FI's moms house, put the kitty in her carrier and came home.

So now, I've had time to recover from the stress of the flipping hurricane, I can now focus on the task at hand and that is the fact that I will be getting married in SEVEN glorious days. V. v. v. exciting! The folks are on their way to Houston as I type this. A thousand and one things to do this week!

packing up

We are packing up in preparation of Hurricane Rita. We are not evacuating the city of Houston, but we're going to go to FI's mom's house to hunker down. The city seems to be freaking out. Took me half an hour to find a gas station that had gas today in Montrose. Ended up going to Memorial and Wescott. Then I tried to go to the bank to deposit a cheque and BOA was shut and the ATMs were out of order. I'm like wtf, it's like the bloody apocalypse. As I was leaving, the Loomis Fargo truck came to refill the ATM and then when I drove by 10 minutes later, there were 10 cars waiting for it to leave to get money out of the ATM. Crazyness. Spoke to the folks in Singapore who are scheduled to arrive in Houston on Monday and mom is very concerned but I tried to explain the situation as honestly as possible. We do not have enough information to evacuate the city of Houston right now. And we need to stay off the road so that the people who have been issued mandatory evacuation notices can get out 'cos they have to leave. They don't have choice. All the highways are packed and have been all day. We can't get out of the city even if we wanted to. The news is on 24/7 and it's all weather. And it's hysterical.

Aside from dealing with that, I went to go pick up Rags' ashes today at GCVS. I was hoping to do it on Friday with AN but I was concerned that they might flood. Just because of the way their facility is situated. It was difficult and I cried on the way there, when I parked the car, and walking down stairs to the Critical Care dept. I was just a basket case, but I didn't care. I had to do what I had to do. They also had a paw print for us. He had such big paws. V. emotional day. Not to mention that we still have wedding stuff to do and that it is 11 days to go.

I expect that we might lose power and we won't have internet access at FI mom's house, so it'll be light blogging from now.

Watching Rita

Bloody hell. Er, singaporegrrl has never experienced a hurricane nor does she want to experience one. Especially not 7 days before her wedding. SEVEN DAYS people.

Actually the wedding is 11 glorious days from today. Can't wait.

But watching Rita.

End of Suburbia

So we had another monthly screening last night. This time in conjunction with the MFAH. The film was End of Suburbia by Gregory Greene. It was an insane turnout, the theatre was sold out and security had to turn away more than 100 people. We might have another showing of the film. The documentary questions the sustainability of the "american way of life" as demand for fossil fuels outgrow the supply. It talks about whether we have hit peak oil, which is when globally, you will get the most oil you will ever get and no matter what you do or how you drill or what technology is invented, the outcome will consistently be less and less despite the increased efforts. For ever.

Yes, forever.

A lot of people don't know if we have hit peak oil yet. Some scientists say that we have or that we will in2 to 5 years. Some drillers and the engineers say that peak oil will not happen anytime soon. Now, I know nothing about oil and fossil fuels and ladida but I understood the seriousness of the issues presented in film. The way most American cities are designed and built forces a dependance on the individual auto as the primary method of transport. The communities are not walkable and not sustainable within themselves whether it be food, clothing, energy, electricity, etc. The problem is that in order to sustain that type of existence, one has to have fossil fuel. To transport the people in their private car. To heat the homes. To make the electricity that cools the homes and allows industry and businesses to operate. To make the fertilizers that help the farmers go the food that we eat. To make the pesticides that the farmers use on the food that we eat. To lubricate the assembly lines that process and package our food. To power the trucks that drive all over the country with goods and food. There are just so many things dependant on fossil fuel that I never even considered.

Matt Simmons was in attendance and I had never heard him speak before or ever even heard of him, frankly, but it was obvious that he knows what he is talking about. He said that the difference between peak oil and running out of oil is the same as the difference between "I'm starting to get hungry" and "I'm starving to death". He said that Katrina might just be the wakeup call that we need in order to understand the impact of our superdenpendance on fossil fuels becuase now those rigs are out of service and probably will be for the next 6 to 18 months.

It was a lot of information and you know I'm just a regulargrrl but I think I understood what they were saying. Americans need to change the way they live now. Urban planners need to change the way they design. Move away from the traditional suburban ideal and more into new urbanism like this and this.

Freddie

One of the most amazing songwriters of our time. My current anthem is the Show Must Go On by Queen. It's so haunting, so beautiful, so sad but it fits my state of mind right now. No I'm not homeless. No, I'm not sleeping in a cot at the astrodome. Yes I know there are people worse off than me. Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. I'm bummed today because one of my dearest girlfriends will not be able to attend the Wedding. (flame away) I'm allowed to be a grump for 5 minutes (that's the alloted time, then move on) So now, I have only 1 chica from my youth who will be there, thank goodness, at least I have one. See, there was a gang of 6 including me. Initially, all 5 were planning on attending. Then 1 got retrenched and couldn't afford it, then 1 got prego and is due 3 days b4 the Wedding, then 1 was afraid of getting retrenched so decided it would be safer not to make to big expensive trip. Fair enough. So then we had 2. Then 1 started having freaky health problems and will not be able to travel. Don't blame her. So now we have 1. FArK. I'm upset because the majority of attendees are

1. not related to me
2. not known to me
3. not related to FI
4. not known to FI
5. known and/or related to his family

In other words, not my people! All his people's people! Sick of people not RSVPing or having the audacity to RSVP for people not even invited. How rude. Out of the 115 people that did RSVP to attend, 3 are my family, and 23 are my friends. Sucks right now to be a singaporegrrl getting married in Texas!

OK I think my 5 minutes are up.

xo

Another day

Still feeling emotional but am doing better today. People deal with life and death differently. I'm so lucky in that I have never really had to deal with anyone close to me dying. I have attended funerals and I have had pets die but the funerals were of people that I had no real relationship with and the pets were beloved but I don't remember hurting then like I do now. I think because when I was younger the pets were my playmates, but now the pets are like my children and I'm The Mom. I know that I've always had a soft spot for animals of any sort. Sometimes, dare I even say it, I actually prefer the animals over the people. I'm sure that this will change once I have human children of my own, but that's how it is for right now.

I know that it hurts now, but it will not deter me from taking in another dog or cat or both. I know we will face this pain again with Mia when her time comes. But I can't stop loving on her. She's with us right now and we need to enjoy her right now. TNH told me that you can't change how someone comes into the world or how they leave it, but you can change the middle. Makes sense I think. Rags taught me a lot of things and I hope he felt the love that I had for him always.

Now, I have to focus more on the Wedding which is coming soon. List upon list of things to do. I'm looking forward to being married. I was born to do it. JAM (found out the middle initial) took us out to dinner last night and we laughed and laughed. She sensed the quietness of the house without Rags and she expressed her loss effortlessly. I'm so glad I know her. It makes my life a little better everyday.

Top Ten

JM (middle initial unknown at this point, but I'm sure it exists) wrote me a fantastic email about the top 10 things she loved about Rags. Here it is:

Top ten things I loved about Rags:

10. He looked like a horse.
9. Even though he was intimidatingly huge he had the sweetest, gentlest spirit.
8. Rags had definite opinions about what parts were okay for hands (NOT the paws).
7. The way he would beg for food when he could just as easily have knawed off half your arm if he wanted to.
6. How excited and shiny-eyed he would get when the leash was brought out.
5. What a bad-ass he could be when he saw other dogs out on a walk.
4. How loud he would bark when I knocked on the door/rang the bell for a visit.
3. I liked that Rags didn't automatically like everyone (I liked being in the Inner Circle of acceptability according to Rags).
2. His big ol thick coat, big ol black nose, big ol ginormous paws.
1. The way he'd growl when playing tug of war.

That was awesome JM! Thank you for making me feel better.

Thank you

Thanks to everyone for their comfort. I realised today just how loved Rags was. So many people love him and cared for him. It helps me because it means I'm not alone in mourning him. Today is better. Although I had trouble sleeping last night. FI is amazing and just a rock. I was looking at some puppy photos. Such a handsome boy he was! I didn't find all the photos that I know exist, maybe AN has the rest I hope so. I found something amazing though - film negatives! I can make re-prints for AN just in case he doesn't have those prints. I have to scan some pics, because they are just too cute. Thank goodness today was a public holiday (US Labo(u)r Day) so I didn't have to go to work. H2O is coming by with AC to take us out to dinner. (Notice how none of my people have middle names!) We definitely need a break.

Rags

Our dog died today. I am devastated. There are no words really to describe the feeling. He got sick on Thursday night and we rushed him to the Emergency Vet who told us that he had a condition called bloat and that they needed to operate immediately. They did and the surgery was successful. The surgeon told us on Friday that he was doing well, stable and all his levels were good.
On Saturday, she called and said that he was'nt doing as well as they hoped he would be and that we need to transfer him to the Critical Care and they would perform a plasma infusion which in their experience helps 60% to 70% of cases. If we didn't do anything, he would not make it. The critical care doctor let us come see him on Saturday afternoon. He was dazed but awake and being grumpy with the nurses. She told us that if he takes to the plasma, his chances are good, but if he doesn't, then it won't be good. Saturday night she called and told us that he needed red blood cells because his blood count was v. low. She said that his levels had improved since the plasma and that he was heading in the right direction. This morning at 7:30 am she called and said that unfortunately he was doing poorly and had stopped breathing but they inserted a tube to help him breathe and wanted to know if his heart should stop if we wanted them to perform CPR, I said yes. She told us to come right away. We went up there and she called us along the way and told us that he started breathing again, and then she called us and said that he stopped and then we finally reached Gulf Coast Veterinary Services and she brought us in and said that they were being unsuccessful in their resuscitation attempts and did we want them to stop. I said yes. She asked if we wanted to see him and I did and FI and I went back and petted him and then he passed. I can't even describe the feeling. He was loved by so many people. He was a big boy, 8 years old. We had him since he was 4 months old, adopted from the Houston SPCA. His name is Ragamuffin. We love you, Rags.

NOLA

The devastation of New Orleans, is just mind boggling. They are bussing people out of the Superdome to the Astrodome here in Houston. The DHS has cleared the astrodome to be used until December. There was a report that they had to stop life flight evacuations because somebody shot at a military helicopter. They had a report on the tv news last night about a man and his family in their car parked in front of the astrodome demanding to be let in because he has been turned away from all the shelters in Houston. He said, "what else can I do? where else can I go? I have to take care of my family." Another similar story from the Chronicle. It is just heartbreaking. The people are going nuts looting in NO, but they don't appear to be receiving any aid, food or water because the aid can't get to them. I don't know how else they can survive. It's one thing to steal food, but something else to be stealing TVs and other electronics.

They say to give money. But if you can't give money the Houston Food Bank is having a food drive on 9/2/05 at certain HEB locations and at Channel 2 off of 59.