from raleighwood to hollywood

oh hey...

remember me?

don't worry, i didn't leave you.

but a few weeks ago--my computer certainly did. you know the VERY first sneeze of a cold when you think to yourself:

"okay, either i just sneezed because it's dusty in here...or i'm on the verge of a vicious stuffy nose."

well, instead of my computer warning me with a "first sneeze" that it was about to get sick--it just decided to turn off and then not turn back on. luckily there's a doctor (samsung store) about an hour away that i was able to take him to instead of shipping him off to some unknown land.
as soon as he was cured and back in my hands, i threw myself headfirst into a very important project.
the best friend's 24th birthday was right around the corner and she had asked me to put together a slideshow for her family and friends to see. most people would probably spend a day or two quickly throwing pictures and songs on top of one another, but i have never been like most people. i took this request from my best friend VERY seriously. knowing that i was responsible for the dozens and dozens of images that make up her life--i spent not just days, but weeks perfecting every little detail.

before i knew it,
it was time to come home.

september 9th finally arrived and i hopped on a plane and headed back for the east coast.

12 days later.

there's so much to update you on--i feel like it might be best to do it one post at a time.

let's start from where we last left off...

to keep myself preoccupied while looking for a job, a few months back i decided to volunteer at the shelter where i rescued olive from. this wonderful place is called kitten rescue and their mission is to take cats and kittens out of shelters where they are about to be euthanized and provide them with a home. they have handfuls of foster parents who take the animals to monthly adoptions, as well as a sanctuary for the cats who have nowhere to live. the first time i walked into kitten rescue, i remember thinking that it seemed so different from any other shelter or pound i had ever been to. not only was it cleaner, but the cats basically had free run of the place instead of being locked up in cages. the whole place is open air so the cats are able to enjoy the breeze and see the outdoors.

step one was volunteer training.

my first instinct was to adopt every single cat that i saw.

and then i realized that was probably kind of silly, considering the fact that my apartment is the size of a chinese takeout container.

once my day of training was complete, i was allowed to come back anytime to help out in whatever way i liked. although it felt very rewarding to do real work like cleaning and washing litter-boxes, my favorite volunteer activity has been "socializing". despite the decent number of shelter workers and volunteers, there are only so many hands available for kitty petting. the training instructor explained to us that because their goal is to get each cat adopted--the more comfortable they are with humans, the better.

finally.

a good excuse to embrace my inner cat lady.

the cat below is appropriately named monster--and even though he looks intimidating, i have a feeling he's just a big baby.

you know when you see a person walking down the street that looks JUST like someone you know, and you want to think it's that person--but you know it's just not a realistic possibility?

well, here is a picture of my best friend's cat: