The Best Thing

Finding Biscuit has been the best thing to have in my life. I've had her for just three weeks and already I can't imagine life without her. She brightens my day, she makes me happy, she makes me smile. She really is the best cat (just like parents, I'm convinced my cat is the bestest, cutest thing on this world).

Cats sometimes get a bad wrap, perceived as being the opposite of cuddly, loving dogs. Biscuit may not be as cuddly as a dog, but she's just as loving and she loves being petted and rubbed under her chin. The other day she settled on my stomach and purred as I watched Newshour. Every night she sleeps on the corner of my bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night I can hear her breathing deeply and making little cat noises like she's dreaming. And I just love it.

Every night about this time she gets a little rambunctious. I think she's anticipating bedtime coming and wants to get it all out.

She's made it pretty clear, though, that she does not like my dancing or my singing. I don't like her smelly poop or when she misses the littler box completely with her deposits. Although it does beat having to take her out in the elements, morning and night, to do the deed. :)

Parade Bike Ride

Last Saturday I rode in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with a local cycling organization. It was a little chilly, but lots of fun.

Once again I got many compliments on my awesome blue bike.

First Bike Ride

The weather is absolutely beautiful today! It's 70 degrees and not humid yet so I thought I'd take my bike out for a spin to get it used to the Topeka streets. I first had to stop at the conveniently located bike shop a block from my home to get air in my tires. Turns out having the right amount of air in your tires makes a BIG difference. I couldn't believe how much easier the ride was! Then I wondered how long I had been going with them being just below enough.

I didn't ride for very long. It was more exploratory than anything--trying to find the right route if I were to ride my bike to work, getting comfortable on the streets that don't have dedicated bike lanes (oh how that makes me miss Salt Lake!). Topeka is relatively flat, which makes riding a whole lot easier. Now if I could just figure out a way to not get helmet hair...

Being the Bikeways Coordinator for Topeka, I feel a small sense of pressure to be out there on my bike all the time. I will try to ride it to work when I can, but I get sweaty pretty easily and I don't want to be all sweaty and stinky while at work all day. I will have to see what I can do about that. Overall, though, it felt really great to be out riding tonight! And thank you Daylight Savings for making it not get dark until later.

A Church is a Church

My church in Salt Lake was an old building that has been around since....I don't know but one of my parents went to it when they were my age and it was old then. It's old and beautiful. So beautiful. It's on the corner of 2nd Ave and G Street and is simply called the G Street Chapel. The chapel has a balcony and wood benches that are fairly narrow. There's intricate work along the ceiling in beautiful gold and blue. The wood is dark and made even more lovely by the natural light coming in from the stained-glass windows. In the summer there wasn't even a need to turn the lights on, what with the sun shining through the windows. Sometimes I would just stare at the windows while listening to the music and would feel such peace.

My church now is a run-of-the-mill church. It looks like any LDS church in the Salt Lake valley--overhead lighting, no balcony, a blue/turquoise color scheme. I wouldn't call it beautiful like the G Street Chapel, but it serves the exact same purpose and serves the same sacrament and teaches the same lessons. While presentation does matter, substance is most important.

Footloose

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my first theatrical performance in Topeka--Seaman High School's production of Footloose. My "second mom", Terry, works there and she had fun seeing the students she knows in the production (I thought about you, Phaedra!). The kids were all great; I love seeing young kids getting involved in the arts and perhaps discovering something they love. (I will have to write a post about my turn in my high school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.)

After seeing the play I couldn't get the music out of my head. Since I'm into indulging anything I'm obsessed with, I watched the new version on Netflix and the classic original today (can I just digress here a bit and say how much I love my new t.v. and its wi-fi capabilities that let me watch Netflix and Amazon Instant Video on it).

The original is really a classic. Whenever I think of Kevin Bacon, I think of Footloose. To me, it's the movie that defines him. I can remember watching it when I was a kid and just dancing like a crazy kid to the title song. For some reason we really liked the "kick off your Sunday shoes..please, Louise..." line. The remake is a fun movie too, but if you've seen the original it does  just feel like the same movie with different people. The new Ren does a pretty good job of dancing, but, like the original, the character of Ariel is annoying. I also like John Lithgow's preacher better than Dennis Quaid's because it feels more real. I also liked seeing the mountains of Utah in the original.

I think I just might have to download the soundtrack now.

The First Week

My first two weeks in Topeka, before I was working, are kind of a blur now. I remember not having a whole lot to do, feeling sad, wanting to cry, going shopping, organizing and putting things away. It was hard to think that my life would not always be like that.

Monday was Orientation at City Hall. It was all day and like every orientation you've ever been too--these are our policies, don't be rude, be considerate, here are the benefits, you won't get vacation days until after 6 months, have your picture taken. Even though I am an employee of the City, I have been lent out to Topeka Metro Transit Authority part of the time. That's where I went on Tuesday, where I had another mini-Orientation. I was introduced to everyone and then took a bus ride to get familiar with Topeka and the bus system.

Thursday I was at the City, where I had another mini-Orientation--here's the office, here's your password, here's your voicemail, here's your 125 emails, here's the staff, here's the breakroom, here's your parking permit. The City had a press release regarding my hiring, which my boss brought to our Staff Meetings. Apparently it was a slow news day because it was on Page 2. I was referred to as a celebrity. :) My first hour there I had a phone call from a resident who was excited about the Bikeways plan in Topeka and my hiring and wanted to offer his help in any way. It was very nice.

So I'm getting familiar with everything. I'm attending meetings and all around being a Planner. It's pretty great.

Biscuit: My Free Cat

This is Biscuit, my free cat from the local Humane Society. I went in there just to look when I was bored last Friday, but when I saw her I just fell in love with her. Since she is already spayed and has had her shots (her previous owners moved weren't able to take her) she was free! That pretty much sealed the deal that she was supposed to be mine. 

She's already taken over my life. I imagine it's a bit like what new parents go through, adjusting their lives and furniture to a new being. It's awfully nice to have her waiting for me when I come home.

She has a stubby little tail. :)

Another Les Mis Post

Last weekend my friend let me borrow her copy of Les Miserables in Concert: 25th Anniversary Concert DVD. When we had bad weather one day this week, I thought it would be a perfect excuse to watch it. It was amazing. The music never gets old. The concert was put on in celebration of 25 years since the first production. It's not a play performance, but instead the actors from the. Current productions sing in front of microphones. They do act though; however I thought it a little strange that performers wouldn't look at each other while singing. When the original London cast comes out I honestly got emotional.

Also, the movie is now at the dollar theater here in Topeka. I went to see it and it was still awesome.

And there was this at the Oscars. 

My New Home

My new home is pretty awesome. When I walked in it the first time I couldn't believe all the space. It's a loft, so it's very open and large. Thankfully, though, my bedroom is separate with a door (so is the bathroom). The hardwood floors are original from when it was used as a warehouse. There are huge, east-facing windows that bring in tons of light; I hardly ever need to turn lights on except when it's past 6. The ceilings are very high, higher than in New York. The kitchen is at least twice as big as my old one, with newer appliances and so much cabinet space that some of them are empty.

However, since my previous home was much smaller I bought small furniture, which now looks kind of silly in such a large space. It doesn't look crowded, though, which I fear my old home did.

I think what I miss most about my old home was the stand-alone bathtub. It was really great for taking baths because it was so big. I now have just a regular old bathtub set in the wall. It is much smaller and taking a bath in it was not nearly as relaxing.