This is my Sigg bottle.

"Hello, Kat's Sigg bottle"

I used to love my Sigg bottle. I had coveted these trendy thirst-quenchers for so long, that I finally gave in to the hefty price tag and dropped nearly $30 to acquire one. But, you know, yay me: because it was all stainless steel and BPA-free and yadda, yadda, yadda. Except actually: wrong and wrong. Read the rest of this entry »

Girl1 loves her some centrosaurus

Girl1 is a major dinosaur fan. Always has been. I remember taking her to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, AB and hearing her squeal “dinos! dinos!” at a tender 20 months. I thought it was just a fleeting thing; I even, for a while, thought it was something I had inflicted on her (’cause I kinda love dinos, too. Always have). After all, what little tyke wouldn’t be impressed by all those big old bones?

But here we are eight years later, and she still loves dinosaurs. She even has a reputation for it. Much of her artwork is dinosaur-themed, and she’ll often get dinosaur books or toys as birthday gifts from friends and family. Whenever there’s a dinosaur show on TV; we know she’ll watch it. If there’s a new movie out about dinosaurs; she’ll rent it. Read the rest of this entry »

Lately I’ve been a bit vulnerable (not to mention silent/absent). There’s been a lot going on in my life, after all. Not only did my Mom recently pass away, but I’m pretty sure that my daughter has childhood depression. And one of my best friends’ husband is dying. And…well, you get the picture, right? There’s a lot going on.

So all this stuff just scampers through my mind every night, and I find myself chronically unable to sleep. I want to. I need to. But I. Just. Can’t. So after a few weeks of insomnia, I decided I had to go to the doctor and ask her for a prescription for sleeping pills. So yesterday I called, and they fit me in on short notice (I love that my Doctor’s office does that).

After a short wait, my Doctor came into the examining room.

“I’m very, very sorry to hear about your Mom,” she said, right off the bat. And it was so amazing to me that this woman, who I only see three or four times a year, and who has only been our family doctor for just over two years now, remembered that my mom was ill. Remembered that she had melanoma, specifically. Remembered — from a discussion she’d had with my husband, weeks earlier — that my mom had passed away. She also asked how my kids were doing, remembering they’re both girls, and asking about a specific complaint Girl2 had been in to see her for last spring.

And I know she likely reviewed my file before entering the examining room, but that’s fine with me. Even if she’s reviewing notes she took at earlier visits, it means she sees it as important to get to know her patients on a personal level. And I like that. I like that very much.

As for the sleeping pills, they gave me a terrible headache and a metallic taste that I couldn’t shake for nearly twelve hours. Looks like I’ll be going back to see my friendly family doctor again to tweak that prescription a bit. No matter: it’ll be a good reason to see this lovely lady again.

I’ve been meaning for months now to get a haircut, and look what I managed to get for under $20 from my new fave hairdresser, Karen, at Dynacuts (of ALL places!):

I’m going back on Monday for some highlights, I think.

When I first saw her (you have to know, this is my first season watching SYTYCD) I thought, “okay, here we go again…tall, pretty, skinny host, I hate her already.”

But. But. Over the weeks, she has really grown on me. I don’t know whether it’s her genuine feelings for the dancers, or her little irreverent quips to Nigel Lythgoe, or the fact that she is most definitely not incredibly well-endowed in the boobage department and yet hasn’t succumbed to the HooterwoodHollywood pressure to enhance what mother nature has naturally given her. Actually, that’s one of the great things about this show – the complete lack of fake boobs anywhere. So refreshing!

But back to Cat. Tonight she topped it all when she wore Twitch’s glasses and then, at Nigel’s goading, wore his fake teeth “spit and all”. When she struck this pose it hit me:

"I'm all glamour, I am"

She has a common touch. She is — unlike so many Hollywood types — able to dress herself down and laugh at herself. And I like that.

Enough that I can even forgive her for those SHOES!