wickeddoll’s Neighborhood

Hey everybody! Long time no Post! Seems like the last post I wrote was on November 30th. The holidays for me has always been crazy. Work, family, and traveling always get in the way. Though I always have time to squeeze in a Blythe meet, or a quick nosh with a friend or two.

On Holiday Stuff: The shopping downtown has seem fairly sad. Besides decoration going up before Thanksgiving, the stores haven't been as busy as usual. The deals on items are yet to be seen, and the options for holiday things have been boring. We have made most of our holiday shopping online. It's fast, easy, and no wrapping involved.
     Kyle and I usually have holiday parties with his work. Recently we went to his previous jobs get together as well as his current jobs holiday party. Both were as expected, yet on different levels. The one from his previous job was held in an intimate setting at Medjool on Mission St. It's generally a Mediterranean restaurant with lots of Tapas. We met some old and new faces. We had a lovely time eating, chatting, and playing the usual usual White Elephant game. It was sad to see everyone go, but there is always another time.

Kyle's current job party was held at a larger space around South of Market. There was food, drinks, music, and about 100 other people. It is a small company but not as small as the previous job. The people here are very young. Very, very young. So young that they danced to Lady Gaga, and could handle talking over loud music. I felt so very old. I know I'm not that old, but when all you want to do is sit and talk to your friends. When you find that fun.. you feel old. haha. It was fun none-the-less.
     This XMAS we are spending time with Kyle's family in Ohio. It isn't as fancy as San Francisco, but it is always nice to see his side of the family. Everything moves at a quieter pace. I'll get some reading and relaxing done. Which is always needed when you have spent your whole life in a busy city. *phew*

The New Year is approaching fast. Faster than I'd like but I hope the next year will bring us a new apartment, a new job for me, and other opportunities. It will also be the year I turn 30. Woo! People, including my sister and my best friend, stress that I will start feeling depressed. I don't feel depressed about my age. I feel like I still have tons of things to do and my age has nothing to do with that. I actually have not felt young since I was 23/24. I've been through a lot in my younger years, so these years are for me to grow and just continue on finding new ventures to pursue.
     My new years resolution will involve letting go. I have the issue of just not letting go of things. I get very worked up on little issues. I hope-hope-hope that when something comes up I am able to just handle the issue and move on. Indeed!

Now on to fun things! I have a wonderful Blythe meet this Saturday. As most of you know I collect Blythe. Yes. I collect dolls. Most importantly I have fun with a group of people who collect these dolls as well. We have gatherings were we eat, chat, and we exchange tips and tricks on how to customize these dolls. The nicest part about this meet is we will be together in a friends event space. It will have a schmancy eating, sitting area and a real kitchen. I hope all goes well! XD

I also just finished writing all my holidays cards and mailed every gift. Well except for one to my friend BEC. She lives in Australia and I always collect things through the year for her. I hope to get it mailed out before the New Year.

Anywho, I hope you all have a very merry holiday as well as a Happy New Year.
Thanks for reading! XOXO

What are you hoping to find under the tree this year?

I am always hoping for a blythe I've been coveting the whole year or an SLR camera that I've also been coventing.  Those usually don't show up so I just hope for candy and giftcards. haha XD

My friend Meredith haz my mug.

Andrea Bocelli's Christmas cd. 

My Nook was delivered yesterday! I'm so excited about it - its
everything I was expecting and I'm excited to buy books for it. On
Tuesday night we drove to a Barnes & Nobles about thirty miles away in
order to get a cover for it (our B&N didn't have cases, just a
display) and I'm really happy with the one I choose. It was between
the brown one and a red one. The red one was nice, but I was looking
for low-key.

I was also happy to go online and see that B&N has adjusted their
eBook prices to MATCH Amazon! I bought "Her Fearful Symmetry" -
originally $26.99 in hardcover, now $7.29 in hardcover - for $5.79!
Brilliant, isn't it?! I've got so many books I want to buy - let's
just hope that I can hold back!

What one film do you think everyone should see?
Sponsored by The Official AVATAR Community on TypePad. See AVATAR in theaters December 18, 2009.

Hotel Rwanda

What's your guilty television pleasure?

OMG! i have so many! 

Bravo's Broke Housewives of... I say broke because they are all loosing their homes.

MTV's The Hills, The City, Style'd, and wait for it... Jersey Shore. I know it's bad!!!! (cringe)

Syfy's Ghost Hunters. For many reasons, I'm fascinated by the paranormal and Steve and Dave Tango are super hot! I also follow them on twitter and facebook. (I'm reading this and I feel like a stalker) lol.

I dvr everything and I'll erase them if I don't have time to watch it. Also it depends on my mood, If I'm looking for something to watch and I don't "feel" it I'll erase it. 

I do listen to music from cable. So you'll hear the 90's channel here a lot. It's 921 on cox cable. 

I've been stressing over what to get the sweater for Christmas. 

I've spent a lot of time on my blog and other places online talking about Ed and Fru. I was thinking about it a while ago and I realized that I rarely ever come out and talk about just Isis, even though she's a huge part of my life. In the last year or so, she's played an even bigger role in my happiness.

When I first got Ed and Isis, I remember being disappointed about how unattached I felt with them. I wrote a blog post about it here and I got a lot of great feedback about how loving pets can take time sometimes; it's not always instantaneous. Everyone who said that was right and I'm really thankful for their help. Isis is one of those kitties that took a while to warm up to me-- much longer than Ed. And in all honesty, the wait was completely worth it.

Shawn, Beth, and I noticed that there was something a little "off" about Isis when she first came to live with us. She was terrified of everything. Even for a kitty, the horror in her eyes every time someone walked past her seemed excessive. We all watched her carefully and then came to the conclusion that she was most likely abused by one of her previous owners. As far as we knew, she had at least two previous owners, but there could have been more. The way she ran away from people and ducked her head whenever anyone would make any quick movements made me feel like she had once been struck by someone-- most likely a male since she's always had a greater fear with them. I know that not all kitties are warm and cuddly (I've been around a lot of cats in my life), but the feeling I got when I saw the fear in Isis' eyes told me something extremely bad happened to her in her past. Knowing this made me determined to help her feel comfortable in her new life.

I first started noticing a change in Isis when I took her (and Ed) to the vet for a checkup about two years ago. Ed was pretty calm, but as usual, Isis was terrified. I gently picked her up and held her the entire time she was there. It was the first memory I have of her clinging to me because she felt protected and safe in my arms. I remember how I couldn't stop smiling. Shawn even mentioned that Isis and I were having a "bonding experience." Ever since that day, I've felt a deep connection with Isis.

Since then, she's been slowly becoming more loving. I took advantage of that change and started to "work" with her more often. When she was really young, she wouldn't let anyone hold her and would claw her way out of a person's arms. (I have a scar to prove it.) I decided to take baby steps with Isis to help her understand that being held was a good thing. Every day, I would slowly pick her up and take her over to a window where we could watch the streets outside. I would talk to her in a very soft, soothing voice (very non-threatening) so she knew that I was still there with her. I figured that the movements on the steets would distract her enough so she wouldn't concentrate on the fact that I was holding her. Sure enough, Isis became used to being held by me. After a while, I was able to hold her for an infinite amount of time. In fact, I'd have to say that she now gets sad when I have to put her back on the floor after holding her.

These days, Isis is very relaxed. She's still afraid of almost all strangers (like a lot of kitties are), and most men. However, her attitude and mannerisms have changed to an enourmous extent with the people she's familiar and comfortable with. Isis no longer runs away when people are walking towards her. She doesn't duck her head quickly if people around her are moving their arms or moving objects around her. When Shawn and I walk in the door after being out for a few hours, she stays asleep in her kitty bed in the main room. If anything, she might look up at us to acknowledge our presence... but she doesn't run to a hiding place.

Whenever I'm asleep and Isis sees me curled up under my comforter and another very soft blanket I always use, she hops up on top of my stomach and falls asleep there. A few days ago, I woke up and was able to get off the couch without waking her up-- she stayed in the same spot, sleeping, for over ten hours! Most of the time, she's purring happily whever she's sleeping. And if I don't cuddle with her in the morning, which has become a routine for the two of us, she comes up to me later in the day and gives me sad mews to let me know she wants some cuddles.

Having two kitties who are so different from each other is amazing. Ed is friendly with everyone and is very sociable. Isis has grown into a kitty who chooses who to love, and if you're chosen, you feel like you are the most important person in the world. That's exactly how I feel whenever I'm with her. It was difficult for a long time for me to grasp the idea of Isis being calm and loving, but seeing her so happy every day has made her overall happiness a normality. I couldn't be more grateful for her and the fact that she's overcome whatever pain she experienced in the past. Her ability to move on and be happy has made me happy.

I should has it by Thursday night!!!!

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