Cast of Characters

I used to think I was an island during my teenage emo years, there was a period of time where Simon and Garfunkel’s “I am a Rock” was a theme song of mine but I’m no longer an island (and to be honest I never really was but my teenage self thought I was; isn’t it funny how all the thoughts we  have as teenagers start to get blown out of the water when you become a REAL adult??) so here are a few of the recurring characters you’ll meet in my life:

Those that live in the same house as I do:

1. The Mr. – This is my other half, he’s not better or worse than I am but definitely different.  I’m not entirely sure he’s from Mars, it might be Pluto when it has planetary status but the jury is still out on that decision.  He is the “untrained engineer” which means normal human Earth logic escapes him especially when compared with my biological based brain but I do appreciate his differing perspective, maybe not right from the get go, but eventually I can see the value in looking at things sideways, diagonal and upside down sometimes all at the same time.  Now if only he could learn to close cabinet doors….
2. The Munchkin – The Mr. and I somehow made an incredibly adorable and perfect daughter, well as perfect as a baby who is just being a baby can be.  She is a great kid, we’ve been ironing out the feeding and sleeping through the night issues but for the most part, even when teething, she’s a great, inquisitive, calm kid.  She’s lulling us into a sense of security that we can handle a munchkin #2 at some point who will obviously be a total terror compared to his/her angel older sister.
3. Babci – This is my mother.  The Mr., the Munchkin, myself and the menagerie have just moved into my childhood home with Babci (which by the way is going so much better than I had anticipated).  In an effort to set ourselves up for the long-run we thought this would be a good idea.  It hasn’t been without its kinks, moving back in with the woman who taught you how to use the toilet definitely has drawbacks, but we’re going to be able to put our house on the market, save money, contribute here, and be able to afford a bigger house more comfortably to potentially bring munchkin #2 into the world.  Somehow she has managed to go from being alone in her house to having 3 more people and a lot more legs (26 more legs to be exact….).
4. Kiki AKA Fat Cat AKA Thunderpaws – I adopted this silver tabby from a shelter approximately 8 years ago she is the best cat except for being a chubby girl who is prone to UTIs due to being a chubby girl.  She wants attention, loves to be snuggled and petted…except at the hands of the Munchkin.
5. Ajax – This is my buddy.  I adopted him from the same shelter I got Kiki from approximately 8 years ago too.  He’s a German Shepard-Beagle (we think) mutt.  He’s the “Brain” of the dog duo, if you’re an Animaniacs fan.  He’s got all the characteristics of a German Shepard.  He’s not the biggest fan of the Mr. but Ajax puts up with him well enough.
6. Speckles – “Pinky” of the dogs.  She’s a pit bull mix; dumb, but incredibly loyal and sweet.  We inherited her by accident as a “failed foster.”  A friend needed to give her up since the other (small) dog in the house had a Napoleon complex and constantly attacked Speckles, but since Speckles was the new addition to the household she had to go.  She and Ajax have had 1 fight in almost 7 years and Ajax started it so I can’t blame her she just wanted A, ANY bone, she didn’t care which one but Ajax thought he deserved both (spoiled brat) she put him in his place.
7. Freya – I ended up adopting her because I’ve always wanted a Maine Coon.  She was basically feral but I was the only one who was able to pet her so I decided to bring her home.  Of course she has basically taken up residence in the basement and comes to hang out when we’re in the basement but hasn’t become comfortable with the new house yet.
8. Merlin – A DLH grey cat that I became the caretaker for when a coworker became ill and eventually passed away.  Merlin is another one who likes hanging out in the basement, he’s getting more bold but he and Freya like having the run of the basement without interference from the dogs.
9. The Fish Tanks – Yes, you read that right, it’s plural.  At any given time we have 1-3 fish tanks going these are one of the Mr’s hobbies but the addition of the tanks and their upkeep can be a point of contention on some days but he enjoys it so what can I say?  The water bill is a little different with 177 gallons of water running though.

Those who live in different houses but will show up on occasion I’m sure:

1. Uncle Messy – This is my older brother, our relationship is pretty close.  It waxes and wanes like any sibling relationship but I know that no matter what I can count on him to help out.  He is also probably as opposite me as a sibling can get.  I’m loud, extroverted, obnoxious and often don’t think before I speak (hence the reason why writing is a good thing, hello editing!) whereas he is an introvert, quiet, thinks way more than he speaks most days and is a really good soul.
2. Aunt Messy – This is my sister-in-law.  She is another one who is a different person than I am and matches my brother pretty well but we are on different ends of the personality spectrum but she’s a great person to have around and I can always count on her for running advice, races to sign up for or really cute animal pictures (since they are currently living with 1 dog and 4 cats).
3. BFF – This is my best friend and surrogate Aunt to the Munchkin.  She and I have our similarities and differences across the board but she’s been in my life for 20 years and the sister I never had.  We may have our differences when it comes to certain things but I wouldn’t trade her for the world, she is also another person I can count on to drop almost anything and show up for help if necessary.  She’s the person who I get to watch Trashy TV with on our “family TV night” where we can be snarky, drink wine and I don’t feel ashamed at spending some valuable productivity time on watching the best examples of the “Boob Tube”.
4. Uncle Toodles – Munchkin’s surrogate uncle, he’s been in my life for almost as long as BFF (going on 19 years now) and I can count on him for most anything.  He’s a little goofy (as is most of the people in my life) but he keeps me either really angry about the state of affairs in the world or laughing because of some of the stupid s&%$ he finds on the internet.  He’s my go-to buddy to discuss almost anything ranging from the very deep and personal to the incredibly stupid.  Curiously I grew up a mile away from Uncle Toodles but it wasn’t until Uncle Messy and Uncle Toodles ended up in college together approximately 3 hours away that we met.