I just came home from several hours of errand-running, which was lots more fun than it usually is. Enjoyable errand-running is, apparently, a perfect cure for the heebie-jeebies, especially those brought on by watching Ringu, the "original movie that inspired The Ring," as the DVD box tells us. Holy crap is that movie creepy! Both versions are, really. For shizzle. (I'm sorry.) Very cool to note that the American version is very close to the Japanese version. Not a hell of a lot was changed, really. It was a pretty close re-make. Fascinating.

So yes, afterwards, I was thoroughly creeped out. For about a half hour, I didn't even want to leave my home. However, this is not necessarily because the movie was so eerie. It also has to do with my extreme propensity towards procrastination and laziness. I dutifully made a list of all the things I wanted to get done today and then off I went out into the real world of sunshine and nice cool breezes. Some people prefer weather slightly warmer than today's. I am not one of those people. I like it when there's just a slight chill in the air, and the sun is nice and warm. Where you can wear a short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirt, and you'd be comfortable either way. Beautiful, gorgeous weather! I love it!! This is why I live in California.

My first stop was to see Simone the kitty. It was my first visit and she seemed happy to see me. Her guy had classical music playing for her, which I thought was sweet. Everything went smoothly. She even enjoyed a few minutes of playing with a piece of string I dangled for her. Then I put the string away, sat next to her on the floor, and pet her, because I am a kind and caring pet-sitter. Simone did not see things this way, though, I don't think. I gather this from the way she batted at me, hissed, gave me the "evil eye" and growled one of those long, intense, and scary cat growls. I laughed because I was so nervous, and then, I was scared to move. Scared of this prissy, long haired, she-devil of a cat. I froze for about a minute. Then I very slowly got up and backed away. I gotta say, that little episode really didn't help me feel any better. So much for relaxing with the kitty!

I washed my hands, and when I came back over into the den, Simone rubbed against my legs and meowed and I gathered the courage to pet her again. She took it better the second time around.

"Okay, crazy," I told her. "I'm glad we're friends again."

Cats are weird animals!

I stopped at Mailboxes, Etc next. I was so happy that there was one a lot closer than I thought! I mailed off my penpal letters, which was really cool. Around Christmas time, I wrote to my penpals who I hadn't written to in about 2 years. I was a horrible penpal. But I love letter writing, so I wrote them and asked if they'd still like to keep in touch. Both were so excited to hear from me, and wrote me really nice letters saying they would most definitely love to keep in touch. And I wrote them back! I feel really happy about being a good penpal again. Mailing off those letters brought back those feelings from when I was 12 and first started penpalling. It is always exciting buying stamps and sending out your thoughts and greetings to friends you've never met. It's a very enjoyable hobby, I think. And I really like my far away friends. They seem like cool people!

I also mailed off a goddess figurine that I made out of Sculpey to a friend of mine in Chicago. I'd made the little statue a while ago, and just hadn't painted her yet. Then it dawned on me recently that she looked really cool without paint. So I wrote to my friend and let her know that if she wanted to paint her herself, she was more than welcome, and that I'd just send her along. She was surprised I was sending her anything and told me she was honored to receive something I'd made personally for her. So cool! So I finally parted with the little statue who I'd actually grown a little attached to in the time she spent on my desk. But soon, she'll be in the hands of the person she was meant for, and that is a very cool thing.

At this point, I noticed I had a ton and a half of time on my hands before I had to be at my next pet-sitting person's house. So I stopped at my favorite metaphysical shop! I thought to myself, if any place can make me feel calm and happy, this is the place. And what did I see when I walked in? A small circle of people blowing bubbles inside the shop. I smiled, knowing it was the right decision to go there today! Everyone was laughing as they blew bubbles at this one girl, who was posing as the bubbles stuck to her hair, while one of the shop owners took pictures of her. One lady told me they're going to post the best picture on the store's website and write a caption that reads, "Make bubbles, not war." Awesome.

The bubbles were made out of some weird kind of stuff, not just soap. They don't pop right away! They just kind of hang out and are really hard to get rid of. (Everlasting bubbles. Charming or annoying? You decide!)

They even turned kind of plastic-like on my fingers when they did pop. But the cool part was that you can catch them! They looked like a huge mess where they'd popped on the carpet, but the shop owner said they vacuum up really easily. He's the one who taught the meditation class I took in January, so it was fun seeing him again and discussing these bubbles. I asked what they were made of and he just said, "Magic!" He's so funny! I had to help him get dried bubbles off the back of his shirt. They were everywhere! They were pretty and fun! I like them. I might have to get some for the cats.

Today's purchases from this awesome store included a couple of cards that I was going to use to decorate my wooden desk organizer. But they don't fit right, so I might just paint the organizer instead, and frame the cards. I bought two little rocks that reminded me of the night sky, a candle holder, and a yellow candle with a pretty scent of orange blossom, lemon and lime. The name of the scent? Laughter. How cute is that?! It's always nice to have laughter in a home.

As predicted, I did feel really awesome, relaxed, and rejuvenated after being in that store for a while. Plus, shopping is always a pick-me-up! I was in such a good mood, I walked at a fairly fast pace all the way up to Pet Food Express... which had a fence around the entrance and a tractor in the doorway. Gee, I guess they closed that one down!

I ended up driving to another pet store, where I got to pet a cute dog and buy the stuff I needed: cat claw clippers, and one of those rolling, sticky, pet hair removers. Then I deposited some checks into the ATM at the bank, and went on my way to do more pet-sitting tasks.

I am happy I got to see the St. Bernard and the Border Collie again! I thought last Tuesday was my last day with them, because my friend Bobbi has finished her class and is now a Professional Certified Dog Trainer! Yay for Bobbi!! So, these dogs were originally her clients. I was just taking over for the time being.

Anyway, the lady who owns the dogs asked me to visit them this evening and tomorrow morning while she's out of town, so I happily agreed. I love these dogs!! Bailey, the border collie, is obsessed with the game Fetch. Good god. He makes me nuts with that! He wasn't obeying my command of "go potty" while we were in the backyard. He insisted on playing with me. Even when I was ignoring him, he stood poised, staring at the toy on the ground, expecting me to throw it at any moment. I stepped on it so that he couldn't see it anymore. He kept staring. I stepped off of it, and he excitedly grabbed it and ran around with it some more. As if that were the equivalent of tossing it for him! Good enough for him, I guess!

Kylie, the St. Bernard, was just happy to see me, and leaned into me so hard at one point that I tripped and almost fell over! She has no idea in the world how big she is!! She's adorable, too. I love that girl!

And then, finally, I headed home. What a great day! I sure am glad that there are things as simple and enjoyable as bubbles, Laughter candles, and doggie kisses to help lighten a girl's heart in this crazy world. It makes the world a happier place, if you ask me.

~~Meg