the domestic zoo

Here’s to diving into the new year with everything you’ve got.

- the zookeeper and the kitty crew

It was my birthday yesterday. I’m 24 now, which for some reason feels much older than 23, like I am now firmly entrenched in adulthood. Sometimes I still forget that I graduated from college this year. Whoa.

So I’m just bee-bopping around the house today, cleaning my room and hoping that the snow won’t keep friends from coming over for a visit later. I don’t imagine I’ll stay too late tonight, just long enough to ring in the new year. And after that I’ll collapse unconscious into my bed because it’ll be way past my bedtime (see? I am soooo old now).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2008: the good, the bad, and the downright weird

Interesting. Did I say interesting? ‘Cause it was interesting.

Actually, it was fairly good as birthday’s go. It snowed early this morning, covering everything with a fine white dust, but the sky was clear and blue all day (I may have put ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky on repeat. Many times over.)

I got some really great gifts from my family, all of which were presented in a gorgeous hand-woven basket from the Blessing Basket Project. From my sister, The Daily Coyote. I’ve been following Shreve’s blog almost since the beginning and I am just sooo happy to finally have a hardcopy of the book. From my brother, I got a case for the new iPod and a travel clock that tells the time, the temperature, and doubles as a flashlight. Le cool.

My parents also gave me a couple books: The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and 100 Years of Solitude. My reading needs are all set for the forseeable future, I think. And then…omg…my brain might actually explode…

I have two tickets to see Flogging Molly this March in Boston.

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh…………

Okay…I’m better now.

And all of that really makes up for the fact that I got into a fender bender in the Ninety-Nine parking lot, because some guy drove right into my car even as I had the right of way. And we had to sit and wait for the police. And we were so late getting to dinner that we missed the movie.

And that’s all okay. Because it’s my birthday, and for twenty-four years now I have been a part of the best family I could ever ask for. It’s all good.

Here’s to 24 being a good year (I hope).

First order of business? Go down to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and renew my license, which expires today. Yes I waited until the absolute last minute. Because I am awesome like that.

And then, well, my family has done all of the planning for the day. This could get interesting.

I would love to knit. I learned a simple stitch a few years ago, and kept with it for about a week before life got in the way and I just never found to the time to get back to it.

Now I have all this free time on my hands and I would love to have something to do with my hands, because when you’re so restless that you consider cutting up vegetables just for fun, you start to think that it might be a good idea to get a hobby.

But there’s just one problem…

Or rather, four furry little problems.

You see, string is to these cats what cookies are to Cookie Monster. Pure, unadulterated crack. You can practically see them start to twitch as you tie your shoelaces. And when we strung up paper lanterns for Halloween, I kid you not, Miko stared at the ceiling and wailed. Because there was string, and she could not reach it.

So, short of finding a locked closet to knit in, I think for now I’ll just have to content myself with reading SouleMama’s blog and seeing the knitty goodness that she creates.