A Meerkat's Bolthole

ElderCat has a torn (and slightly bloody) ear.  She let me clean it with a damp q-tip, and it doesn't look infected, but I'll be keeping a close eye on her today.  She seems calm, almost bored by the entire thing,  so I'm not going to stress. Much

No idea if CatofSize was involved or not.  They've lived together for 8 years now - never cuddly but always mostly-peacefully, and never before with damage. Do NOT want to deal w/ a change in the status quo....

EtA Sunday PM: the ear flap is slightly swollen today, so off to the vet she goes tomorrow morning.Tuesday afternoon (delayed so sick-me doesn't have to go out in the snow/slush).

 

*flails madly and dies of teh cute*




(thanks to JG for the link -- and the reminder to wait for the final shot)

W00t! Curse the Dark and Bring it On are now available as audio downloads from audible.com
/PSA


And under the "bah, cats" heading -- I woke up at 5:45 this morning with Boomer making noises like a smoke detector (small, high pitched meows) that normally indicate that he wants attention but Big Bad Pandora won't let him in the bedrooom (he sits just outside the door and waits until I invite him in, thereby supporting my contention that he's actually a Labrador in a cat suit). But when I did tell him to come in, Pandora got into the act and there was Noise and I decided whatthehell, it's almost time, I'll feed them. So I hauled out, fed them in their separate corners (because Boomer is convinced Pandora's Getting Something Better and will stare at her until she abandons her food so he can go eat it). I, still being wiped out, go back to bed for an hour. I wake up two hours later (oops) with Pandora under the covers sleeeping on my thigh, and Boomer above the covers sleeping at my knee, both perfectly content and happy and why no mom, we neeeeeever fight! That would be wrong. Uh-huh, says momma twolegs, not at all convinced but soothed by happy purring snores anyway.


Off today [after word war] to work in the Park (it's gorgeous out today) and spend time with Mei-mei, whose main Thing is wanting to eat dried leaves and be BFF with dogs seven times her size.....

Y'know, I talk all the time here about my critters. Tell me about yours! Past, present, it's all good....

or, In Which Once Again Boomerang Earns his Call-name of "Boomer-You-Idiot."

The Universe clearly heard me telling my folks this evening that cats were so much easier to live with than dogs. I had just decided to turn in for the evening when I heard a rustling noise, like the sound a cat makes when they're into something they shouldn't.

"Boomer, cut it out!" I called, making a not-unsupported guess who was responsible.

There was some more rustling. Then an unhappy meow.

Then a Very Unhappy Yowl.


"Mom? Wasn't there supposed to be a sink there?"

He was deeply relieved when I opened the cabinet doors and let him out of that Awful Place.

The truly amusing thing was that not three minutes later Pandora decided to investigate as well.... but she was smart/agile enough to leap out the way she'd fallen in.


Cats. Oy.

For those who wonder, it was Pandora the Duchess who was kitty insane at a painful hour this morning (6 am 'new time' but not according to my very tired brain).

Mostly I don't mind the time change for the same reason I don't get jet-lagged in most instances -- my sense of time is fluid to begin with, and so long as I've had a few hours of sleep I can function normally. But the first few mornings of getting out of bed when it's still dark were always painful. Thankfully, in my non-commuting life, I don't have to! Freelancing FTW!

(actually, waking up before the sun is out always flashes me back to summer vacations and going fishing with my dad. So it's a pleasant memory, and makes me crave Nature's Valley granola bars.)

And, in a rare moment of indulging my slothful ways, I then went back to bed until 10am. Then it was off to a Sekrit Hideaway sans internet connection to workworkwork until it was time to head over to Dovetail for dinner.

You must understand: I've wanted to go to this restaurant since it first opened to rave reviews. Alas, it was not to be, for I am a freelancer of only occasional paychecks, until I was IM'd out of the blue and informed that we had reservations to celebrate the fact that Flesh & Fire was finally into production.

I'm good with that. :-)

( beware: here be foodie talk )

And now, despite many things pending I need to respond to (yes, you), I need to go fall over and digest for the next 12 hours....

A quick braindump:

Oh Leverage, how you do rock my world. You are smart and pretty and funny, and don't mind too much the fancifulness of your premise because you are smart and pretty and funny. And Parker is such a sweet psychotic. Thank you for promising to come back this summer. That makes me very happy.

It also made me happy to discover that what the GOP disdainfully refers to as a "nanny state," the president apparently defines as "cleaning up the mess Baby made." I'm not much for speeches from any president (it's all propaganda, even when it's YOUR propaganda) but flinching from hearing hard truths and uncomfortable decisions is so much to be preferred to flinching from hearing Teh Stooopid.

And some very interesting comments from Trained Political Pundits in the aftermath, about how Obama's attempted bi-partismanship isn't aimed at the GOP, who believe they cannot reach back or lose whatever they think they're holding onto, but the independent voters. Obama reached out and was rebuffed, purely for the sin of Not Being GOP. That's going to hurt someone, PR-wise, and so far, it's not Obama.


Took the day off from Pack of Lies yesterday, and worked on a couple of new projects, and some promotional stuff for on-going books, as well as dealing with the long-distance chaos of trying to migrate the web site to its new home. We seem to be having Technical Difficulties. :-( But soon it will be done, and I will be able to muck about with the updates on a much more regular basis, and won't you be sorry then?

(that might also spell the end of the Cosa Nostradamus On-Line, as the content is folded into the main site. We'll see.)

I also managed to get some wonderful, if quick, footage of Pandora, blissed on catnip, almost falling off the desk. but if I post it, you will all see the terribly disorganized state of my office, and I'm not sure I can stand the shame...

Oh, wotthehell.

Living with Boomerang these days puts me in mind of living with a lion cub. A very affectionate, muscular, curious lion cub. Who thinks he's a lap cat. He always thought he was a shoulder cat (one of my earliest photos of him is perched on agamisu's shoulder) but the lap part is new. We have combined treats with exercise, so now he happily chases tossed treats across the apartment, one at a time, while Pandora eats hers in a more ladylike manner.

Somebody clearly forgot to tell him he's a Grown-Up Feline now, and shouldn't be quite so playful.

On the other side, Pandora, while still healthy and affectionate, is feeling the onset of Senior Cat status. She doesn't see or jump quite so well as she used to, and demands more Quiet Time with mom, where Boomer isn't allowed. I'm thinking of building her a Senior Nest, someplace nicely protected, where Boomer can't get to her, but I can still see her and she can see me. Will have to contemplate placement and design....

They both spend half the day ignoring each other, pause to sniff noses or sleep peaceably on the bench in front of my desk, and then chase each other around the apartment, taking turns thwapping and pouncing. So I guess she's not as old as she thinks she is, yet....

Started this morning frustrated over things totally out of my control, and Boomer jumped into my lap, headbutted me, and leaned against my chest, purring like a large, furry performance vehicle.

Friends and family are all well and fine, but nobody ever really loves you like a fur-companion.
------------------------

Meanwhile, as I force myself back to work, I note that we have a bunch of new people who snuck in while I was distracted. Hello, New People! Kitchen's open 24/7, the bar's thataway, the jacuzzi's out back, and mind the alligators, the boys sometimes forget to feed them. Feel free to step up and introduce yourselves.

And in honor of New People, and because I haven't done it in a while, today's an Open Thread Day. Ask anything you'd like, on any topic -- but keep it to PG-13, please!

"You know cat, this is my desk. Technically speaking."
*....totally not caring...*
"Technically. I'm just saying."
*...more not caring...*
"If you don't move, I'm going to go get the vacuum cleaner."
*sniff. graceful leap*



Part I is done.
Part II looms.
We're just not even thinking about Part III just yet.


Going to go watch the John Cleese episode of The Muppets now.

As it's still coming down heavily, I think I will be canceling my plans for the evening and settling in with a book and a glass of wine, instead. I'm all for walking in the snow, but not when there may be sleet/icing later on....