It’s a Pittsburgh Day in the Neighborhood

Today is a Pittsburgh Day – the weather is cold, wet, dreary, and all around icky, plus I got about 15 minutes of sleep last night.  If I were still living in Pittsburgh my lack of sleep would be due to a wicked case of insomnia (…lasted 3 years… SO fun, lemme tell ya), and I would probably spend the day drinking coffee, chain smoking, and listening to Leonard Cohen songs while writing utterly depressing (and terrible) poetry.  If it ever stopped raining, I would probably walk down to Gene’s Place and have a few dollar drafts  (GOSH I miss dollar drafts!  The best deal you can find in DC is an 8-dollar-draft…  Not quite the same…).  I may have ventured into the deep basementy depths of my old apartment building (think Tim Burton’s version of Fraggle Rock) to wash and (mostly) dry a load of laundry.  I probably would have ended the day discussing the meaning of existence with my betta fish, Mac the Knife (The Fish), and then crawled back into bed to once again fantasize about getting three consecutive hours of sleep.  Pittsburgh Days suck.

Last night my lack of sleep had to do with 1. the huge wind/rain/lightning storm that is currently fogging up my view of the city, and 2. a tiny kitten friend who decided that 2am was *the perfect time* to play soccer with my reading glasses.  Oh, and I also had to be up at the a**-crack of dawn this morning to let the water delivery guy in (he’s still not here… who’s surprised?).  Luckily for me I was able to doze for a few extra minutes on the love seat, so when I woke up I had a cramp in both my legs and my neck, and accidentally squooshed Nina, who had been napping under my legs, when I yawned and stretched.  Awesome.  No sleep, no delicious water, and a kitten who would tear out my eyelashes if given the chance.

But wait – I’m not done complaining!  Husband left for work, then returned, soaked through, a few minutes later, because – FUN! – a flying tree branch smashed in his windshield during the storm last night, rendering poor Athena (his ’03 Honda Civic, whom he would have married if it were legal) utterly undriveable and causing him to take some unplanned vacation hours, thus ruining Christmas by decreasing both our gift budget (you’re all getting kool-aid packets this year) and our available vacation time (sorry, family… we’re going to have to cut all of our typical 20-minute visits down to a crisp 15 this year.  Hope that’s enough time to open presents)!  PLUS, now instead of spending the afternoon snuggling with my darling kitten I get to hang out at the windshield replacey store.  Double Awesome.

reader1:  Hmm, this post isn’t very warm and fuzzy.  I thought this blog was supposed to be about warm fuzzies.

reader2:  Maybe it’s an ironic post.  Maybe it like, you know, ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife…

reader1: That’s not ironic.

reader2: Yes it is, it’s in the song!  Alanis says so!  <singing> “It’s a black fly in your chardonnay…”

reader1: Again, not ironic.

reader2: “a death row pardon two minutes too late”

reader1:  NOT IRONIC.

reader2: “it’s like meeting the man of your dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife…”

reader1: THAT’S NOT IRONIC!  IT JUST SUCKS!  AAAAHHH!

 

*Ahem.*  It seems I may have forgotten to add the warm fuzzies to this post.  (Also, Reader2- you are no longer allowed to read this blog.  Seriously.  Use a dictionary).

 

THE (FORGOTTEN) WARM FUZZIES:

1. Hanging out on the 10th floor during a killer storm makes for a sweet view.  I kind of felt like a little black rain cloud (hovering under the honey tree, don’t you know).

2. 9-week old kittens are afraid of storms, so they need extra snuggles from their mommies.  I *love* snuggles!

3. Husband took the trash out on his first attempt at going to work this morning (awww, isn’t he sweet?).

4. Because I was up early, I actually remembered to give Nina her antibiotic at the appropriate time (poor sweetie has a respiratory infection).

5. Husband and I got to discuss how long it’s been since either of us smoked a cigarette, and how proud we are that we’re doing so well in our attempts not to poison ourselves.

6. Instead of spending the morning alone, I get an extra bonus dose of Husband!  (Even if he has been on the phone with the insurance people all morning).

7. I got to mock Alanis Morissette, one of my all-time favorite activities!

 

And that, dear readers, is the difference between a Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Day and a DC Pittsburgh Day. })i({

reader2: Wait, wait.  What’s the difference?  What’s a Pittburgh Pittsburgh Day?  Is *that* ironic?