Weirdness of Late
So it's been a strange week so far.
On Friday, a work colleague collapsed and died in the company cafeteria. She was a lovely and talented lady who always had a smile and a word or two of encouragement for her fellow editors. Apparently, she suffered a massive heart attack. The EMTs said that she probably died instantly. It was sudden, and she didn't suffer, but of course our entire department is grieving and more than a little unnerved. We all used to joke that the crazy schedule attached to the program we're working on would kill one of us. And now it has. She had just turned 40. Sigh. Namaste, Nichole, wherever your spirit is now.
Late on Friday night, after we had returned from seeing Bill Frisell and his trio at the Old Town School of Folk Music and after I was tucked up snuggly in bed, Mifune got herself tangled up in a pile of plastic bags that had been sitting under the kitchen table, waiting to be tied up and hauled to the recycling bin. Somehow, she got inside one of them, which had a few more bags inside IT, so she really got ensnared except for her little legs and feet! She tore off down the hall, bumping into the walls, and somehow she found her way underneath our bed (her safe place when she was more feral). The bags snared on the bed frame and ripped, allowing her to get free. She cowered under the bed for a couple of hours after that. But the thing was, in her panic she emitted an awful stench. Just horrid. We couldn't find any urine or feces on the floor or in the erstwhile bags, but the odor was just overpowering. So overpowering, in fact, that it triggered a very bad bronchial reaction in me (the gal with the cat allergy!). Thank goodness for Benadryl. It was quite an evening!
On Saturday, we went to Riverside to have lunch with Greg. He was home from college for the Easter weekend. He suggested a new Thai place in La Grange called Thipi, and it was great. We had standard Thai fare: satay, pad thai, and spicy basil, but the dishes were so rich and tasty, with a depth of flavor we didn't expect from such basic offerings. I can highly recommend it.
Sunday, of course, was our usual Easter feast. Jeff, nephew Dan, pal Diana, and I chowed down on the traditional Love Ham, along with steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, etc. For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake. Yum!
So... that's my latest news. I hope to have some new pictures of the kitty to regale you with soon--let's just say that she had decided that Moxy and Ox--the ugly dolls--are her sworn enemies. And you don't want to be her sworn enemy! Stay tuned!
On Friday, a work colleague collapsed and died in the company cafeteria. She was a lovely and talented lady who always had a smile and a word or two of encouragement for her fellow editors. Apparently, she suffered a massive heart attack. The EMTs said that she probably died instantly. It was sudden, and she didn't suffer, but of course our entire department is grieving and more than a little unnerved. We all used to joke that the crazy schedule attached to the program we're working on would kill one of us. And now it has. She had just turned 40. Sigh. Namaste, Nichole, wherever your spirit is now.
Late on Friday night, after we had returned from seeing Bill Frisell and his trio at the Old Town School of Folk Music and after I was tucked up snuggly in bed, Mifune got herself tangled up in a pile of plastic bags that had been sitting under the kitchen table, waiting to be tied up and hauled to the recycling bin. Somehow, she got inside one of them, which had a few more bags inside IT, so she really got ensnared except for her little legs and feet! She tore off down the hall, bumping into the walls, and somehow she found her way underneath our bed (her safe place when she was more feral). The bags snared on the bed frame and ripped, allowing her to get free. She cowered under the bed for a couple of hours after that. But the thing was, in her panic she emitted an awful stench. Just horrid. We couldn't find any urine or feces on the floor or in the erstwhile bags, but the odor was just overpowering. So overpowering, in fact, that it triggered a very bad bronchial reaction in me (the gal with the cat allergy!). Thank goodness for Benadryl. It was quite an evening!
On Saturday, we went to Riverside to have lunch with Greg. He was home from college for the Easter weekend. He suggested a new Thai place in La Grange called Thipi, and it was great. We had standard Thai fare: satay, pad thai, and spicy basil, but the dishes were so rich and tasty, with a depth of flavor we didn't expect from such basic offerings. I can highly recommend it.
Sunday, of course, was our usual Easter feast. Jeff, nephew Dan, pal Diana, and I chowed down on the traditional Love Ham, along with steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, etc. For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake. Yum!
So... that's my latest news. I hope to have some new pictures of the kitty to regale you with soon--let's just say that she had decided that Moxy and Ox--the ugly dolls--are her sworn enemies. And you don't want to be her sworn enemy! Stay tuned!
posted by Cathy VanPatten at 2:50 PM
3 Comments:
Very sorry to hear about Nichole. It's always a shock to lose a friend -- we lost a coworker in February to the same thing, a massive heart attack. Nick didn't die instantly, but very close. He was gone by the time they got him in the ambulance (and this is a small town -- it only took them 5 minutes to get to his house). Still hurts, and it will for awhile. :(
Thanks, Yvonne. Sorry to hear of your loss... It is quite a shock, isn't it? I think right now everyone is very numb--we are still waiting for information on the funeral. Apparently, she attended a very small church, and the number of people they are anticipating is far too large for such a small space. She was a published poet, and she was also the permissioning agent for the estate of poet Gwendolyn Brooks--such a loss.
What a shock about your coworker. Truly tragic, considering how young she was!
Poor Mifune. I'm so glad she got out of the bags, though. That could have been really bad.
Our friends have 4 cats, and the boy got himself all tangled in plastic bags and freaked out. He also emitted something in his fright, and the girls all beat him up after that. Repeatedly. I guess he smelled like a stranger to them. They all had to go on kitty prozac for a while after that!
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