high-maintenance dependents

Lest I give any sancti-mommy an invitation to get all up in my face, I'm going to state upfront that I know there are some ways in which cats are like small children and ways in which they are not. I don't have time to analyze the similarities and differences; I will only say that having a cat follow you around, whine at you, crawl all over you, bump your forearms when you're typing, and try to dip her tail into your tea, does not make things easy.

As usual I'm trying to do several things at once: manage travel reservations and apply for a visa (more on that below); make an IRA contribution for this year and roll over an old 401k; get ready for Restaurant Week Girls' Night (my one exception to the no-restaurant-until-I-am-no-longer-an-abomination-when-in-swimwear rule, and even then because I want to catch up with my friends and tell them in person that I have a new job); deal with the paperwork and stoner HR guy involved in said job; and recover from a cold and jet lag at the same time. Oh and I have to go to the post office and shop for food. Whatever, it's a long weekend. I'm just saying, it would go more smoothly and I would have less of a headache if my little furball could back off for a few hours.

I am not complaining, but I kind of am, about not being able to remember when I was not planning the next trip, whether it was business or leisure. It's been over a year.

Now, some people have asked me [excuse me. GRACIE, GET AWAY FROM THAT MUG!] what I was thinking when I signed on to a three-week trip with my parents. Answer: it was an opportunity I could not pass up (a better question would be, what was I thinking when I signed up for a three-week trip for two months into a new job; answer: I could not keep putting off opportunities based on the possibility of being hired). I would love to go to China; I actually like spending time with my parents; it's a great deal, and since I don't speak Chinese I figure a tour is the way to go. My parents and I actually get along in some situations, and an organized tour minimizes the potential for conflict (I think). Now, there have already been issues (mostly related to my mom's unwillingness/inefficiency to do anything over the internet), but she has graciously agreed to not begrudge me for using my status to score an economy plus seat (and even offered the companion one to dad; we can all alternate, too). Anyway, now that you know about the trip, I will keep you posted about planning and coordinating drama.

I also don't remember when banking was straightforward, but I'm not going to get into that because it's largely my penance for having multiple accounts for multiple purposes (amtrust for savings- does it even have the highest interest rate anymore?; ING for good interest rate for a checking account; Citibank because it's brick-and-mortar and I can take deposits there; another one that gives me a discount on insurance...), leading to a crazy web of linked accounts.

Gracie's teeth cleaning is on Monday, which is a holiday. I bring her in first thing in the morning and pick her up in the evening. She won't know a thing, since she'll be anesthetized, so I don't feel too guilty about looking forward to some peace and quiet.